[November 17, 2009] Interactive Intelligence Rolls Out Interaction SIP Station Tweet Nov 18, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Interactive Intelligence, a provider of unified IP business communications solutions, is releasing the Interaction SIP Station, a new communications endpoint device that the company said is designed as an alternative to IP desk phones. "While IP desk phones increasingly offer sophisticated functionality, their complexity and cost are barriers for adoption among many organizations," said Drew Kraus, research vice president with Gartner. "Though the use of USB headsets with softphones offers an alternative, reliability issues often preclude their use. We've been telling clients for awhile now to lower their infrastructure costs by deploying low-cost phones, while supporting advanced telephony features via PC-based call control applications. By further distilling that endpoint device down to its core functionality, organizations can realize even more savings while still maintaining a clear voice signal and advanced features." Interactive Intelligence explained that, with a dedicated chip-set delivering high quality audio, the Interaction SIP Station has no hand set, display, or dial pad. Instead, the device is designed to work in conjunction with a headset and the Interactive Intelligence Interaction Client, a PC-based call control software application that includes features such as call recording, call rules, conferencing, presence management, company directory look-up, queue monitoring, call history, and more. "By providing a dedicated audio path for reliability, and using our client application for rich functionality, the Interaction SIP Station provides all the features a company needs in an endpoint device -- and none that they don't," said Interactive Intelligence senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Joe Staples. "What makes this device a market-first, however, is that we're offering this reliability and simplicity at a price point that's roughly half that of a basic IP phone, and a fraction of what high-end multimedia phones cost." Measuring just 4.5 in. x 4.5 in. x 1.5 in. (11.4 cm. x 11.4 cm. x 3.8 cm.), the Interaction SIP Station also consumes less desk space than a traditional phone. The device's physical buttons include pick-up/disconnect, mute, volume control, emergency speed dial, and a multi-function status LED. The Interaction SIP Station uses power over Ethernet (PoE). The Interaction SIP Station is planned for general availability throughout North America and in many European countries in Q4 2009. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]