ClearOnes Max table-top conference phone will allow you to move your conference call down the hall—while the call is still in session.
Hoping to beat the ubiquitous Polycom at its own game, ClearOne has armed its $699 Max with a 150-foot wireless signal range. Phone conversations are secured by the 2.4GHz digital spread spectrum.
I recently looked at the Max, which uses the 2.4GHz WDCT (Worldwide Digital Communications Technology) standard. After untangling phone and power cords running over and under the eWEEK Labs conference table, I set up the unit and could place calls with crisp sound. I could also move the unit down an office corridor with no deterioration in sound quality.
Most conference calls are littered with noise and echo cancellation. The Max enables bidirectional conversation without the sputtering that occurs on most speakerphones when more than one person, on two separate lines, is talking.
Although phone conversations are unlikely to be interrupted by other devices running on the 2.4GHz spectrum, executives at ClearOne said its possible that the unit could interrupt Wi-Fi (802.11b) connections.
More information is available at www.clearone.com.