Roaming the plant or in meetings most of the day and need to have access to a telephone? SymPhone by TeleSym, Inc. (www.telesym.com) may have the answer for you. The SymPhone client is an extension of your office phone that you can carry with you wherever you go. No matter where you are in the world, as long as you have an Internet connection on your Pocket PC, you can make and receive calls as if you had never left your office.
SymPhone Components
The SymPhone System (Fig. 1) requires three components to function: SymPhone Call Server, SymPhone Connector (a PBX gateway), and SymPhone Client software installed on your Pocket PC device. (Note: the client software will also work with a laptop PC, tablet PC, or mobile handset.) A connection to the Internet or an intranet is also required to place calls outside or within the corporate network.
Fig. 1. The SymPhone System
The SymPhone Call Server (SCS) component provides a real-time look-up service that enables each Pocket PC client to call another. The call server routes calls and maintains call logs and system messages.
The Connector component allows a connection to a 3Com NBX that enables each client Pocket PC to make and receive calls over a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Telephone line assignments, dialing rules, and server settings are all configured using the Connector software.
The SymPhone Client software installs on your Pocket PC and uses an Internet or intranet connection to send and receive phone calls to the SymPhone Call Server, which are routed via a PBX switch box to the phone line. The client works best using a standard wireless Wi-Fi (802.11b) card. You may also use a wired LAN or dialup card; however, this gives up the wireless freedom and limits your roaming capabilities.
Features
One of the nice features that TeleSym has incorporated into the SymPhone client is very clear voice quality. TeleSym claims that the audio is actually better than a conventional wired phone! TeleSym's Voice over IP (VoIP) technology has an extremely low-lag time and provides natural conversations that are free from delays. Many VoIP techniques are plagued with packets being delayed and not reaching the client in time, which causes the user not to respond quickly enough for normal communication.
Many of the normal features that you've come to expect in today's modern communications world are all present. Caller ID, call holds (multiple holds are also possible), voicemail access, and speed dial from your Contacts list are all integrated smoothly into this client. Additionally, the SymPhone Client can be used as a two-way radio (like a walkie-talkie) or intercom for ad hoc (one-to-many) conversation with other SymPhone clients.
Client Setup
Setting up the client is very straightforward. Enter your first and last name, email, and assign yourself a 7-digit phone number. This number needs to be unique within your system and is used by others to place calls to you. Clients discover a local call server on the same subnet automatically; otherwise they can be configured if the call server is on a different place on the WAN.
Placing, Receiving and Ending Calls
The software has a very nice user interface with large buttons on the dial pad that makes dialing calls very easy (Fig. 2). You can press the buttons using just your finger or a stylus. Dialing a number on the client is similar to dialing a cell phone. After you dial the number you need to press the Call button to initiate the call.
Fig. 2. SymPhone dialpad
Printer-friendly version