[Asterisk-Users] RE: RE: IP Phone recommendations?

[Jason Kawakami]

-----Original Message-----

Okay,
  I'm feeling a little stupid here.... But I'm gonna ask anyway.

You mention support and firmware on the Ci$co phones.

I understand the support item.
I guess it makes sense that the phones have firmware.  Does it have to
be updated or changed or messed with that often?

-because SIP UA's control the features (conference/transfer/redial etc) and
each UA is under constant development to provide new features this will most
likely be a requirement to keep current with the available features.

If there is an article somewhere that covers this I'd love to read it.  

It seems like most of the VOIP marketing-speak is aimed at companies
with mega$$$ who want to spend $500/head on it.  We're a tad smaller and
we have $ to spend not $$ or $$$ or $$$$.  :)  Worse yet, we need $ to
go find and bring back it's friends.  :)  Anyhow, I haven't seen
anything that really tackles moving from a CISC Nortel Meridian KSU to a
IP based system.  I'm guessing that this is Nortel's absolute worst
nightmare.  It seems like they trickle down the technology from the
large switches to the micro PBX systems.   

- http://www.citel.com/index/index.asp I saw this yesterday and this may be
an option for folks like you that have a big investment in handsets but want
new features.  I have no idea what one of these boxes costs but it looked
interesting.  Seems to be a play from Mitel to penetrate other mfg's
installed bases with the 3300 ICP product.

Remember that * is really a PBX where pretty much every system commercially
available (other than class 5 equipment) is a hybrid of Key System
technology and PBX functionality.

Good Luck

Jason Kawakami
Open Telephony Labs, LLC
Salt Lake City, UT