SmallBizResource Blog -- Networking & Communications

Can You Hear Me Now?

Posted by Judy Mottl Monday, Aug 27, 2007, 07:37 AM ET

If you're a small business owner it's pretty darn likely you've also got a home office setup and it's one you keep wishing you could get organized and streamlined especially when it comes to communication features.

You've got the home office landline, possibly a forwarding line from the business, your cell phone, and possibly a VoIP line in the mix. Yet thanks to that 1980s desk phone setup you can't move more than five feet away from your desk if you're on a call.

The Plantronics Calisto Pro offers up a compact landline handset and multi-function Bluetooth headset that lets home business professionals switch between landline, mobile phone and VoIP calls at the touch of a button. Users can talk hands-free and handle simultaneous tasks, from reaching for an important file to signing for a package at the front door while on a long conference call.

And for the SMB owner using Internet calling, the Calisto Pro includes a USB port for PC connection with Skype® and Yahoo!® Voice calls transferred to the headset at the touch of a button.

The handset is built on digitally encrypted, voice-dedicated DECT™ 6.0 technology to provide good audio clarity and performance that is free from interference with other home devices, such as WiFi and microwaves. It provides up to 300 feet of roaming range, a built-in speakerphone and flip-up waist clip for on-the-go dialing and Caller ID viewing.

The headset, according to one industry analyst, is the latest in "bridge" solutions that promise to centralize and simplify communications. Merle Sandler, senior analyst, SMB and Home Office Programs, at IDC, adds "The vast majority of households have landline and cell phones and VoIP adoption is growing, so a phone that can easily orchestrate all three will resonate with the growing home professional segment.”

With a pricetag of under $300 the device might just be something you want to put on that holiday wish list.

Networking & Communications