Because they are tired of hearing us talk about their mobile cousins we like to call smartphones, desk phones are now trying to achieve the same status with Alcatel-Lucent's new “Smart DeskPhones.” Does this mean we can forget the popular, even quite stylish smartphones out there? Not really, but this phone will be highly appreciated in business environments.

It does beat its mobile cousins in a few domains, including the screen, which on this MY IC Phone from Alcatel-Lucent it is no smaller than 7 inches and LED backlit. Also, its handset is Bluetooth capable, so you are not tied to your device whenever taking full advantage of its full duplex wideband communication skills.

Or perhaps you would like to connect some USB devices to your deskphone, even a SATA external drive, your choice, it's your desk. It will also plug itself in the matrix of Ethernet networks via its 10/100 MB Ethernet port, which means you will have the best quality streaming when teleconferencing from the smart deskphone.

Also related to this phone launch is the AAPP program for developers that Alcatel-Lucent will be launching, allowing special applications to be built for using together with the OmniTouch 8082 My IC Phone. Besides MP3 playing, there is even talk about being able to use Twitter and other applications one normally runs from their PC. Tailored sets of applications will be designed later on this year, as the developer portal will be available starting with Q2.

"This new device has the potential to transform the role of the desktop phone. No longer constrained and static, it offers a quicker, more convenient and reliable alternative, complementing smartphones and desktop computers," said Zeus Kerravala, distinguished research fellow at Yankee Group. "The device can harness the creativity of third party developers and give business users an emotional attachment to their deskphone, its introduction will be one to watch."


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