[asterisk-users] Snom vs Polycom

[Karl Fife]

I use both both Polycom 650's & Snom 370's daily.  They're both good phones.
IMO when it comes to the nuances & details of actually USING the phones to 
get work done (dialing numbers, answering calls, PROVISIONING a group of 
them and managing their firmware, updates etc), I find the Polycom phones to 
be an easy choice.  I haven't actually used the Snom 8xx series yet to get 
real work done, but many of the 370 characteristics I speak to are appicable 
to the 8xx .

Essentially it's the little usability details that make me prefer the 
Polycoms.  For example:
--I can adjust the volume easily without looking AND without fat-fingering 
some DTMF tones--very good haptics.  With the Snom you have to look and 
guide your fingers to the volume buttons or you'll inadvertently beep some 
DTMF's.  Dumb.  So too the MUTE button.
--With the Snom it's very easy to leave DND ON accidentally.  The indicator 
is tiny.  Imaging leaving yoru phone on DND all morning :-).
--Another DUMB charactaristic of the Snom is that you can't 'hang up' NOR 
change SIP registrations without actually placing the receiver back in the 
cradle.  WTF?  Some won't care about this but if you ever switch between 
registrations it will drive you crazy--you can't just leave the phone wedged 
there on your shoulder and change 'lines'!  You have actuall physically 
replace the handset, change lines and lift it again.  Furthermore if you 
'end call' it will play dial tone again immediately, and there's no way to 
shut it up without replacing the handset.  This is particularly irksome with 
certain headset configurations, but even if you've just got the phone wedged 
there on your shoulder for 20 seconds while you look up another phone 
number. IMO there's a lot of silly stuff like that on the Snoms.
--Polycom speakerphone is better--not so much for how it sounds TO ME, but 
how I sound for the CALLED party.  That's where the biggest (and IMO the 
most important) difference is between speakerphones.

None of this is earth-shattering, but I imagine this is precisely what you 
are looking for by asking for subjective opinions.

-Karl


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alex Samad" <alex at samad.com.au>
To: <asterisk-users at lists.digium.com>
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Snom vs Polycom


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