Review: Polycom CX300

First off, I really like this device. For people that struggle to make the transition from phone to just a headset this device is for you. Ergonomically this device is far superior to earlier models of USB handsets. Yes, you can place the hand set between your shoulder and head without it slipping out. That seems like a strange test but it is a common thing.

Of course the biggest thing is the dial pad. The most common comment I hear about Communicator is that people didn’t know where to enter a phone number when trying to dial for the first time since there is no dial pad for initial dialing, only once you have a conversation started. I have also had some interesting feedback from people that are die hard Communicator users, when they get this device they instinctively go back to dialing with a dial pad. Old habits die hard.

The LCD display is pretty handy for when the computer is locked and you want to see who is calling and answer the call without unlocking. As far as sound quality goes again a big improvement over previous USB handsets with support for wideband audio.

The CX300 also has some other handy shortcut buttons for voicemail, call redirection and answering a second call. Lastly I will mention it has MWI. The LED is embeded in the one button but is pretty bright.



This device’s adoption rate has far exceeded expectations according to my source at Polycom, which to me is no surprise. With a retail price point of about $160 it really is well worth a look when investigating UC devices that help overcome the PC jitters of form factor.



Find out what the Communcator Team had to say on their blog about the CX300.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Chris,

    Just wanted to let you know that there is a known issue with the handling of MWI notifications with the CX300 in Lync Server 2010. Essentially the behavior is as follows:

    - Connect the device via USB (no unread messages / MWI indicator off)
    - Leave voice mail message (one unread message / MWI indicator on)
    - Check voice mail (no unread messages / MWI indicator off)
    - Leave voice mail message (exception / MWI indicator off)

    The only way to recover is to disconnect/reconnect the CX300 device to the workstation running the Lync client.

    A fix for this issue is tentatively scheduled for Lync Server 2010 CU3.

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