Grandstream’s new GXV3175 is “an ambitious piece of hardware,” according to a fine, long review by OnSip, because “it sort of has to be.”

According to the reviewer, the IP multimedia phone is “paving the way for new products built on the idea that multimedia will become a bigger part of the business communications, that video calling will become the norm and not just a novelty, that touch screen user interfaces will become the next big thing in the workplace, and that easier, seamless access to social media networks will soon become a requested feature for business hardware solutions.”

That’s the impression you would get from current trends, yes. Grandstream is betting that it’ll turn out to be more lasting need than temporary fad, and they’ve built this phone accordingly.

Example please: Sure. There aren’t any keys on the phone, except the “home” button, the review notices, since “everything you do with the GXV3175 you do on the 7-inch touch screen color LCD.” Just like on your iPhone (News - Alert) or iPad. Beginning to see the idea here?

It supports Wifi, not a usual feature to find in a desk phone, as the review says, but one which will probably be in far more demand in the future.

The review exhaustively catalogs the functionality of the various features of the phone, it’s remarkably thorough and meticulous, so if you’re considering the phone -- and you probably should be if you’re in the market for VoIP phones, it’s not as expensive as you might think -- it’s a must-read. We’ll cut to the chase, though: Overall it’s rated positively, higher for things like “First impressions” and “configuration” than for “ease of use.”

It sums up its lengthy study of the phone with “Whether you're on board with combining Flickr and desk phone or not, the GXV 3175 is an exciting product. The Internet browser application is the best one we've tried on a desk phone to date... Is it perfect? No, but that's to be expected when you have a device that's trying to be a jack-of-all-trades.”