Earlier this month I got an announcement from Polycom about their soon to be released Communicator C100S speaker-phone product which is optimized for Skype. As a heavy user of Skype which is notoriously bad at echo and feedback suppression, I was very excited about the acoustic features of this new product and wanted to see if it really lived up to the specifications. Two weeks later, I got this review unit shown in the picture to the left and I immediately proceeded to try it out.
Polycom thinks it has the answer with its Communicator C100, a speakerphone system that can be used with any VoIP package and your computer. Design wise and the Polycom Communicator C100 is.
The Polycom Communicator C100S gives you the ultimate hands-free Skype experience. Based on the same technology used in Polycom's legendary line of trangular SoundStation conference phones, the.
Communicator C100 for Polycom PVX™ Search our knowledge base or browse our documentation for answers to your support questions.
Skype is the only application that is officially supported by Polycom Communicator model C100S. It is optimized for use with Skype, and if used with other Internet calling or voice applications, Polycom Communicator may experience diminished audio quality and/or loss of button functionality. Buy Polycom Communicator C100S USB Speakerphone for Skype-Grey: Electronics. It seems that they wrote the drivers for an older version of Skype. The device has buttons that are supposed to allow you to control volume, mute, hang up and open Skype on the PC, but these buttons don't work for me. 1.0 out of 5 stars Polycom and Mac.
Included in the box were a CD, a Communicator C100S, a coupon for SkypeOut minutes, and a travel bag. The C100S has a base stand that was folded closed which enclosed a short 3 foot USB cable neatly wrapped around a cable manager which means the Communicator is highly portable. I do however wish Polycom had used an auto retracting USB cable but this is certainly better than most products I've seen that don't do any kind of cable management. Once the base stand was open, I unwound the short USB cable and plugged it in to my Windows XP laptop.
Once plugged in, drivers were automatically detected and installed by Windows XP SP2 and I was able to use the C100S right off the bat. The only things missing without the Polycom Communicator software were the advanced audio processing and the API integration with Skype which permits the use of the front buttons on the C100S. Even so, the unit was already sounding better than any speaker/Mic combination that I've ever used.
Since this was a pre-production unit (official release next month), I had some slight issues with the installation CD with the auto-installer. I manually found the documentation and went to the Polycom website to download the latest software for the C100S. After speaking with the Polycom representative, I was told that the software was still in beta and that it would be fixed for the production unit. Polycom was also looking at some newer features like using the volume-up or volume-down buttons to scroll through Skype contacts as a secondary function when Skype is not in a call. After I manually installed the software, the installer prompted me for a reboot but I noticed the only Windows startup modifications that were made was the addition of the Polycom Communicator software. Polycom should fix their installer to not require a reboot because it can easily start the software at the end of the installation. I went ahead and started that file manually and proceeded to try out the Communicator with collogue Jason Hiner who was on the other side of the country.
I first called Jason on his regular telephone and it sounded ok but that may not have been a good test since the call was relayed and re-encoded multiple times. I then called Jason using a Skype-to-Skype call and it sounded absolutely amazing and the wide-band 16 KHz audio really showed off the Communicator's quality. The results were crystal clear and loud enough that I had to adjust the volume down. Too much volume is always a good thing because you can always lower it but nothing frustrates me more than not enough volume and I have to struggle to hear. In either the Skype-to-phone or the Skype-to-Skype scenario, echo and feedback were not noticed on either end of the call. When a regular Microphone and Speaker are used with Skype, you would often hear yourself repeating your words a second later and it's frustrating. The Polycom Communicator is good enough to use in a small conference room with a few people sitting in front of it.
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Even when I played our TechRepublic Podcast through the Polycom communicator while engaged in an audio conversation, the Podcast audio was suppressed and it didn't get fed in to the Skype voice stream. However when I tried the same thing playing audio though my regular speakers, the sounds were not suppressed and the person on the end of the call could hear the audio playback. Since I still like to do PC gaming sometimes with my friends online, I don't want the game sounds fed in to my Polycom Communicator to Skype and I want to be able to use my 5.1 surround speakers for my game. Still, this is a HUGE improvement over Skype's echo suppression functions.
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Here is a summary of my initial impressions of the Polycom Communicator C100S:
The good:
Solid construction and portability
API level integration with Skype to start and end calls
No complicated Microphone level settings
Can be used as an audio in/out device for other VoIP applications
One of few products that actually has USB cable management
Comes with earphone out jack for more private conferences
Superb audio quality for a PC speaker phone
Excellent echo and noise suppression for Skype
Upgradeable software and firmware
Needing improvement:
Could use an auto retracting USB cable
Polycom Communicator software needs to have API integration with any VoIP soft phone and not just Skype
A software installer that doesn't require a reboot
Audio suppression on sounds played from other audio devices
Skype user scrolling would be a welcome feature
The bottom line is if you're a Skype user at work, home, or on the road, this is the Skype companion to have. The list price of $129 might seem a bit high to some but considering the fact that it sounds as good or even better than conferencing phones costing several hundred dollars, it's worth the money. Typical street price discounts should bring the Polycom Communicator down to around $100 which is about $60 more than some other Skype speaker phones on the market but all the other cheaper products sound like you're speaking out of a tin can. Benq v2400w drivers for mac. If you really want to enjoy a hands free or headset free Skype experience, the Polycom Communicator C100S is the PC Telephony accessory of the year.
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Use Skype, but don't want to look like a call centre staff member? Polycom thinks it has the answer with its Communicator C100, a speakerphone system that can be used with any VoIP package and your computer. Plugging into your PC via a USB socket, the unit sits anywhere on your desk and allows you to speak freely without any wires attached to your head. Design wise and the Polycom Communicator C100 is small and compact with the stand hiding the USB cable. We like the fact it's powered by USB so no need to use yet another power socket under your desk or root around trying to find one in a boardroom if you are working from the laptop. Centred around the three audio speakers on the unit is a central console that allows you to launch your VoIP package of choice (we used Skype for our testing) as well as controlling answering and hanging up and volume control. There is also a big mute button if you want to talk to others in the room, but not let the person on the other end of the line hear you. Failing that if you do want a private conversation then the C100 sports a plug into the built-in stereo headphone port. Once connected to the PC - it works with a Mac, but the hang up and launch application buttons aren't supported - it's merely a case of telling your VoIP package that you are using it and away you go - in Skype this is found in the preferences pane under Audio. The speaker, which is based on the same technology the company uses in its triangular SoundStation conference phones, promises crystal clear conversations and in practice, it certainly lives up to its billing. On all the calls we made the results were very impressive with good sound provided at both ends. In fact, Polycom says that because of the two microphones within the unit, the Communicator 100 can support group conversations with up to four participants making this ideal for meeting room situations.
Verdict
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If you are planning on making plenty of conference calls and want to do it via Skype - hey why wouldn't you it's free - then this speaker phone option offering good results without having to have something on your head or in your hand. Probably not for the home environment like the Philips Skype handsets for use in the living room, but as a speaker phone it's top notch.