Conference phones manufacturer ClearOne (News - Alert) has been in the news several times in the past few weeks. The company announced April 16 that its Chat 150 line of speaker phone peripherals is now available for use with Cisco enterprise telephones. Only a couple weeks later, on April 30, ClearOne landed a Communications Solutions 2006 Product of the Year Award from Technology Marketing Corporation.   Chat 150 for Cisco telephones lets users add a full-duplex speaker phone to their Cisco handsets, without losing functionality built into the handsets (such as company directory, voicemail, audio bridge, and call transfer). These functions are still accessed using the Cisco phone keypad, while audio is fed through Chat 150. This product has passed tests with the following Cisco phones: 7940, 7960 and 7970.

The Chat 150 for Cisco telephones also features a USB port, which enables connectivity to PCs for use with any VoIP application such as softphones and web-based video conferencing clients.   Chat 150 also has been tested and proven with the following handsets from Avaya (News - Alert): 2410, 2420, 4610 and 4621. Further, upgrade kits are available for all versions of Chat 150 for use with Avaya, Cisco and VC products.   Installation of the Chat 150 is a snap; it connects directly to the headset port of the Cisco phone. Users retain the option of connecting a headset, and can switch easily between speaker phone and headset modes.   Ease-of-use is not the only noteworthy feature of this product. Chat 150 also features excellent audio thanks to the use of ClearOne's technology that delivers full-duplex sound and automatic level management. Three microphones provide 360-degree pickup, making this peripheral ideal for small group or conference room settings.   "There is simply no comparable product on the market today that transforms a handset into a high-performance conference phone," ClearOne vice president of worldwide sales Steven Andresen said in a statement. "The Chat 150 provides the perfect complement to Cisco VoIP deployments for any rooms that require a handset plus hands-free audio conferencing."   The Communications Solutions Product of the Year Awards judging committee apparently agreed with Andresen's statements; the Chat 150 earned one of the awards for its features and functions.   Each year, editors at TMC (News - Alert) (publisher of the TMCnet.com Web site and several print publications including INTERNET TELEPHONY Magazine) bestow Communications Solutions Product of the Year awards on companies that have demonstrated vision, leadership and attention to detail.   "The winning companies have demonstrated a commitment to quality and the further development of the communications industry through their products or services," said TMCnet assignment editor (and head of the judging committee) Patrick Barnard, in a statement.   Barnard added: "High honors are deserving of these winners. My congratulations to them and I look forward to seeing more innovative solutions from them as they continue to contribute to the future of the communications industry."