My Last Desk Phone!
December 17, 2007

I have always had a desk phone over my 36 year career. Until last Friday!

Firstly, a VT100 dumb terminal (sort of a very thin client running at 1200 bps) and a phone; then an IBM 3270 running off of a mainframe and a phone; then a Mac and a phone; then a PC and a phone; and, over the last number of years, a laptop docking station, monitor and a phone.

My office phone has been a constant companion, and kept me in touch some 300,000 times over those years.

Last Friday, I unplugged my desk phone!

On the road and at home I use my laptop equipped with a UC client and headset. The primary use of my desk phone was as a speakerphone (I have a closed office). I got an LG-Nortel USB phone 8501 (which was designed to work with the Microsoft Office Communicator) and plugged it into my docking station. The 8501 includes a handset and a speakerphone but no keypad; it’s not really a phone, since I dial and accept calls on my UC client, leveraging my personal and corporate directory and click to call capabilities. It does the job nicely.

nortel8501.jpg

If I get a call before I start up my laptop (or if I’m in the process of rebooting it), then I have set up my UC client to ring my cell phone, so no missed calls. Otherwise, it’s business as usual: my office number is unchanged and my unified messaging works as before. And I’m ready for the future: 100% SIP-based.

This isn't for everyone, but sure works for me.

One drawback. Ask me to dial 1-800-4Nortel and I have to flip open my cell phone to help me convert this to a number I can dial;)



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