Video Phones for the Masses

In his article “Video Phones In The Office?,” Frank Ohlhorst reveals that in addition to there being little to choose from in the way of affordable video phone solutions, the question remains if what’s currently being offered can make sense for desktop office workers?

The hurdles to incorporating video phone technology into an office environment are misconceptions and lack of education about this potentially powerful collaborative tool.  Ohlhorst explains that:

“Many businesses still seem apprehensive about desktop video conferencing technologies, despite the numerous studies showing that the technology can deliver significant ROI and enhance worker productivity. Perhaps that apprehension has its roots in misconceptions about the technology, ranging from reliability to quality to bandwidth use. Yet, odds are the primary resistance to adoption comes from an age-old business concern — cost.

Vendors are now trying to bring the cost in line with standard VoIP phones to help businesses make the transition to video.  Two of the phones highlighted in the article to accomplish this task are:

Grandstream GXV3175 SIP Video Phone

• 7in resistive touch screen color LCD (800×480).
• Dual network ports with PoE.
• Integrated Wifi (802.11b/g/n).
• (2) x USB ports, SD/MMC/SDHC, headset, stereo audio output and TV input (so you can connect to your TV or monitor).

Polycom VVX1500D Dual Stack IP Media Phone

• Dual stack business media phone for H.323 and SIP environments for easy connectivity and flexibility.
• Instant, one-touch business-grade video conferencing right from the desktop.
• Six-line, feature-rich touch screen phone with Polycom HD Voice™ technology.
• Highly customizable applications platform with open Polycom API, integrated full browser and USB 2.0 port for applications.

Future of Video Phones

In the near future, spurred by trends in outsourcing, cloud computer and SaaS (software as a service), you’ll see organizations consider purchasing video conferencing as a service. Verizon, Vidtel and Glowpoint are developing services to help companies get more value from video conferencing and reduce management costs.

The possibilities are endless. As affordability, scalability, manageability, improved quality, and service options come along, video conferencing will continue on its explosive growth path.

Helpful Guides

For more on video conferencing, check out our helpful guides:

• What is video conferencing?
• How does video conferencing work?
• Benefits of video conferencing
• Successful video conferencing
• Video conferencing etiquette