TeleDynamics Think Tank

Back in May we reviewed Yealink’s innovative T5 smart media phones. Now, Yealink has introduced the Version 40 firmware upgrade for these phones, adding to an already impressive arsenal of features and functionalities.

In today’s connected world, it is increasingly common to have workers in different parts of the country, or even different parts of the world, collaborating over the multiple communications channels available to them. Many remote workers use OTT services like Skype to keep in touch with their clients, partners and customers in situations where a telephone call (even over VoIP) would incur a non-trivial cost.

Such calls usually require the use of a computer with a webcam and either a headset or speakers and a microphone. This makes Skype calling more complex than a simple telephone call. Skype-enabled telephony devices remove this complexity by integrating the application with the endpoint, so communicating over Skype becomes as simple as a traditional telephone call. By enabling Skype, these devices also make more features available to the user like instant messaging, presence technology, and file sharing.

In this article we list some productivity-boosting Skype- and Skype for Business-enabled products.

Yealink has smartened up its IP conference phone with the CP960. This ergonomic, intuitive and exceptionally sleek conference phone adds the Android operating system and other enhancements to the Yealink CP860.

Grandstream and Ubiquiti add excitement to desk phones by leveraging the power of Android OS and a modern interface. By integrating the Android Operating System into the phone, thousands of business productivity applications like Skype, GoToMeeting, Gmail and more can be downloaded onto these phones from the Google Play store.

Advanced apps ranging from Pomodoro Technique Timer to more obvious solutions provided by Google Calendar will make workers in any industry more productive as they perform phone call campaigns and meetings with one device instead of two. The versatility that the Android platform provides is a huge differentiator that separates these phones from a typical IP phone.

Here we look at five SIP endpoints from Grandstream and Ubiquiti that use Android OS.