Hot on the heals of announcements from Aastra, Snom and Polycom on their entrance into the growing range of “multimedia phones”, Cisco has announced the release of three new phones:
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 9951
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 9971
While all visually identical, the Cisco 8961 is the baby of the range, with the base features of this range:
- 5″ graphical TFT 24-bit color backlit display with an effective resolution of 640×480
- G.722 wideband codec support (HD Audio)
- Internal 2-port gigabit ethernet switch, with VLAN support
- USB port for Cisco Unified IP Phone Color Expansion Module and wired USB headsets
- Dedicated RJ-9 headset jack
- Five programmable line/features keys and five call session keys
- Up to 200 concurrent calls can be handled (but I want to see the human that can match this capability!)
- Support for XML and MIDlet applications
The Cisco 9900 series improves upon the features of the Cisco 8961, adding some extra features:
- Additional USB port, for a total of two.
- Support for the Cisco Unified Video Camera via the USB port for video calling
- Embedded Bluetooth radio for a total of three different headset connectivity options (Bluetooth, USB or RJ-9)
- General purpose audio-in and audio-out ports for external speakers and microphones
- 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity on the Cisco 9971 only
Astute readers will have noticed that the camera is curiously an optional extra, and not part of the base configuration of these phones. In addition, these models offer two options for the handset (not the whole phone), a regular version (170g/6 oz) and a slimline version (140g/5 oz). All three models of phone will be available in “Arctic White” and “Charcoal Gray”.
All three phones will support both Cisco’s Unified Communications platform and regular SIP.
Update: These phones are now available, as well as the expansion module. The optional USB video camera is not yet available. These new phones support both 802.3af and the new 802.3at Power over Ethernet specifications, and use the new CP-PWR-CUBE4= power supply if you need AC power.