Polycom and Microsoft today announced that "as part of Microsoft's vision to broaden the availability of Microsoft RoundTable, Polycom has licensed the right to distribute RoundTable, effective April 13, 2009." The product, renamed the Polycom CX5000 Unified Conference Station, will be available through Polycom and its channel network.Polycom has 'exclusive rights', to sell the CX5000, which is a huge win for them. Although I have been a huge fan of the Microsoft Roundtable with it's cool 360 panoramic video, my guess is that Microsoft has had difficulty selling this expensive ($4300) videoconferencing equipment.
The CX5000 when used in conjunction with Office Live Meeting service, or as part of Office Communications Server 2007, it combines content, a panoramic 360-degree view of the entire meeting room, and a separate view of the active speaker for a unique and engaging voice and video experience.
The Polycom CX5000 will be available beginning April 13, 2009, at a list price of U.S. $4,300. The CX5000 will be available in 27 countries through Polycom's extensive channel partner network and will be available for shipment in late April. Once the Polycom CX5000 is available, RoundTable will no longer be sold. Microsoft will continue to support all RoundTable devices already sold, while Polycom will provide front-line customer support for CX5000 units sold beginning April13. To learn more about the Polycom CX5000, visit www.polycom.com/go/polycomcx5000.
You can check out my review of the Microsoft Roundtable, now called the Polycom CX5000 for more details on this product.
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