 Polycom Communicator on Mac OSX |
| Review Date: December 22, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Stephen Llano, Pittsburgh, PA USA |
I thought I would write up this review for those Mac users who might be skeptical of the Polycom Communicator's compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4.
Although Polycom offers no Mac drivers or official Mac support, I find that it works extremely well out of the box.
I have used it 4 times (just got it 2 days ago) and it is an amazing speakerphone. I have used it with Skype for Skype and Land-line/mobile calls within the United States, and everyone believes me to be using my Logitech USB headset, unless they have video and can see me headset-free.
I have had a couple of instances of feedback, but these were cleared up once the person on the other end turned down their speaker volume or switched to headphones. In one case there was terrible feedback from my end, but it was because I opened ichat while on a skype call, and I think ichat opened the microphone, not allowing Skype or the Communicator to enact echo cancellation. Once I closed ichat, the call returned to echo-free quality.
I have used it on ichat, and it works as well as my internal laptop speakers and isight microphone, without the "cave-like" sound I usually get on the isight. On Gizmo Project, the sound quality is excellent with no echo or feedback whatsoever.
The buttons are the downside of this on the Mac - the "switch to skype" and "answer call" buttons do not function on the Communicator. The mute button functions, as does the LED, but the LED does not light up when there is an incoming call. The volume buttons work, but they do not control the master volume of the Mac. Both volume controls are independent of eachother. Although the Communicator does not indicate any response from touching the volume controls, they work fine.
The unit is very light, well made, and of high quality with a very nice carrying case.
Polycom says they will offer Mac support in early 2007, but I say why wait? This is well worth the money. I don't plan to use my headset again unless I need some privacy. Mac users, don't be put off by lack of Mac support - this unit functions extraordinarily well! |
Fantastic device, well made and thought out, crystal clear audio
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| Review Date: February 11, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Pidge, |
I was tired of using a headset, especially when we wanted to have a webcam session with our parents to show them their grandchildren. Having used Polycom speakerphones at work 6 hours a day I thought I would see if they had a device for the home user. And sure enough they do and it only cost around $100!
The Polycom Communicator is packaged in a plastic mould within a box. Thankfully the plastic wasn't heatsealed around the edge like most PC accessories these days, so within seconds it was in my hot little hands. I was surprised how light it felt for a solid built device. Size wise it was just smaller than my hand and about 3/4 of inch thick.
Accompanying the device was a nicely made wallet to store it in while traveling, the customary manual and setup CD, and a voucher for 30mins of Skypeout call time (which I thought was cool at the time but later discovered this was 30mins of cheap rates and represented about 54c of Skype credit. Oh well, it was the thought that counted).
The Communicator has five buttons: one for starting Skype, two for volume, one for calling/hanging up and one for mute. The buttons are surrounded by a ring that glows when you are making or receiving a call. It has a headset jack on the side for private calls. At the back is a flap which, when opened reveals a USB cable which is neatly stowed. The flap itself serves as a prop-up stand as you can see in the picture. Being USB powered is great because it means no unnecessary power cords and no need for a power socket.
Installing the software proved a little more difficult than I anticipated. The setup CD would just not work and kept coming up with a message that it couldn't find a file which as it happened was on the CD, just in a different folder. I copied all the files from all the folders into one folder on my hard drive and ran it from there and it worked no problem. Setup was very painless and quick from thereon.
Having got it all setup I plugged it in, fired up Skype (which recognized the device automatically), did a test call with no hassle, and then called my mother. The call was crystal clear with no echo or feedback. My mother said it was very clear and noise free at her end too. As we talked for 20mins it became hard to believe that this little device was even there. It was like talking to her in the same room.
All in all I am really happy with this device and think it is great value for money. My only complaints are the setup CD and the fact it is only compatible with Skype (I am a big yahoo messenger user too), but these are small niggles in an otherwise excellent product. Congratulations Polycom!!! |
Great sound quality
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| Review Date: August 25, 2006 |
| Reviewer: R. Nicholas Chapman, Bakersfield, CA United States |
My coworkers and I have tried every microphone option out there. We've tried desktop mics paired with headphones, multiple headsets, cameras with built in mics, etc. This is by far the most convenient and best sounding of all the solutions we've tried. The Skype integration in Windows is great. I did try it on the Mac, and it seemed to function well as a USB mic and output device. Unfortunately, it does not seem to work as well as it does in Windows, and the integration with Skype isn't there.
The hardware itself is very nice and solid. The stand pops out to reveal the integrated USB cable which wraps up nicely on the back. A travel case is also included to stow it away for trips. The only downside I can see is that the USB cable may be a bit short and you'd need an extension for certain situations, but overall it's a great product, and I highly recommend it. |
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