Category Archives: Product Review

Product Review: Sennheiser TeamConnect Wireless

21 Monday May 2018

Posted by in Audio Conferencing, Conferencing, Microsoft Teams, Product Review, Sennheiser, Skype for Business

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In my ongoing quest for finding new and shiny things, I came across the Sennheiser TeamConnect Wireless product range.

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Overview

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Logitech Group review

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by in Logitech, Product Review, Product Review

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With the huge uptake of Video across organizations I am often asked to find upcoming and innovative products. Just recently I got my hands on the Logitech GROUP.

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My test environment was Skype for Business 2015. Tested in two different room sizes, one was 4m x 4m and the other was 8m x 4m.

What I Liked

  • Very Easy setup, only thing I had to tweak was the Video Frequency (Anti Flicker)
  • This unit has excellent sound quality
  • Its USB and so Plug-and-Play, also works with a variety of platforms  including Office 365
  • Coloured indication on the extension mic’s and the base unit to indicate status
  • Bluetooth, paired to it(called Logi Group) from both Windows 10 Phone and iPhone
  • Once Bluetooth was paired, the mobile doubles as the remote
  • Expansion mic’s extend the reach of the unit well to up to 20 participants
  • Five preset positions, as well as face detection
  • Preconfigured Bundle (includes the Logitech GROUP, an Intel NUC, Wireless keyboard)
  • Price (from under USD1000)

What I didn’t like

  • The remote is a bit slow, this means that pan and zoom becomes jerky

Summary

The Logitech GROUP caters for rooms with up to 14 participants, which can be extended to up to 20 participants by using the expansion mic’s (at an additional cost).

At the price point and ease of setup, together with solid audio and video performance, I believe that it will make its mark.

This is where the Logitech product range shines. There isn’t much competition in this space either. Well spotted Logitech, please keep the product developments coming

 

Product Review: Jabra Speak 810

23 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by in Product Review, Product Review

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My first though was “Wow! The Jabra Speak 510 has grown up”. But the Jabra Speak 810 is not simply a larger version of the 510.

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The 810 is designed for small to mid sized rooms with up to 15 participants. This of course is an area that’s fast seeing more affordable devices come to market. Its not the kind of device you would pack into your bag and run off to your next meeting with, that’s what the 510 is for, although the neoprene case it comes with does allow you to do so if you wish. In my case the sheer size of the 810, about 38cm x 18cm, will have me thinking twice before attempting to take it on a road trip.

This beauty is better suited to staying in the room. That’s what its intended for, hence why it has no battery and requires a power adaptor.

Features

Plug-and-Play support allows you to connect just about any device. Connect options include:-

  • USB – allows connection to PC (LED lights up to indicate that its connected)
  • 3.5mm Jack – Connect to headset port on mobile devices
  • Bluetooth – connect to Mobile phones and Tablets (NFC for quick connect)

Other features are:-

  • Support for Kensington lock
  • USB Charge out port (Charged my Lumia to satisfaction)
  • Cables coil up and tuck away nicely below the unit

Its all about the Audio in the end. Doesn’t matter how good a device looks, if it sounds bad, its no good. So how does the Jabra Speak 810 measure up with Audio?

In a word, Superb! I was able to clearly hear participants at opposite sides of a room. The participants were around 3m from the unit. this must be the 6 x ZoomTalk Microphones doing their thing. Once the participants moved to about 5m the quality hardly deteriorated , clear evidence that the auto gain is working.

I also found that the maximum volume was more than adequate for the recommended room size (10m x 10m). Didn’t notice any distortion and very minimal echo, depending on the room acoustics.

Did I mention that the Jabra Speak 810 will remember up to 900 paired Bluetooth devices?

Updating the device firmware was a breeze using Jabra Direct found here.

Overall, this is a well designed device. Aesthetically it plays the part and certainly delivers on what’s promised.

Nice work Jabra!

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