Polycom, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:PLCM) is ringing NASDAQ's bell today, ten years listed, shipping the two millionth SoundStation conference phone. But that's fluff, business as usual, generic PR silliness. What matters is their launch of the Polycom Communicator. It may be the highest audio quality USB speakerphone on the market, good enough for CD quality music. Shipping in June 2006, $129.

The product.

Jim Kruger, Polycom vp, did a little show-and-tell last week at Polycom's Pleasanton offices. The 5.4 ounce (151 gram) Communicator comes in a dark soft case.

Unwrapped, it's a simple gadget. Big speaker with the Polycom triangle at the top. Controls in the middle: blue Skype button launches Skype, mute, start/stop call, volume up and down. Two microphones at the bottom. An 1/8" stereo headset connector on the side. Comes with a CD and software that installs in five minutes.

Open the back flipstand. Kruger said the angle was chosen for best acoustics. The stand hosts the Skype Certified sticker.

Under the stand is a data cable, USB connector, and a storage space for them. The unit runs on the USB cable's power, so no batteries are included or required. The flip stand must be open for the unit to run.

The microphones reach a seven foot radius (two meters) so can serve a 14-foot across table (four meters). The two carefully separated microphones are important for reducing noise and cancelling echoes.

The plastic case comes in "cobalt blue" and "charcoal gray." The insides of the plastics are airtight. The seals are necessary for the acoustic tuning to work. Assuring the seals remain intact across the USB and headset connectors, even with regular use, was just one of several difficult challenges.

They describe the audio frequency range as "wideband," meaning it can pick up higher and lower pitches (up to 22KHz) than today's Skype can even use (16KHz).

The processing for all this is up to your computer. The CD 's software makes up for their not including a digital signal processor in the hardware. Software codecs perform automatic gain control (1 person near the mic, 1 person far, both sound good) and acoustic echo cancellation. To get the best performance, they use the Skype client's programming interface to turn off Skype's own echo cancellation.

Positioning

The Polycom Communicator should be available in June 2006 worldwide, priced at $129 in the United States, varying elsewhere. Kruger said the Communicator is targeted to the 30% of Skype users who use Skype in the workplace. They offer hands-free, headset free conversation to small office and home office users. While it will work fine in larger settings, it's optimized for individual use as opposed to conference rooms. It should support small meetings of three to four people without difficulty. 

Polycom is distributing the Communicator through direct marketers, retail and retail online, and existing large distributors. It will also be sold through the Skype store for U.S. markets and Polycom's own store should open later this month.

More to follow...