VoIP News: Hardware

VoIP solutions could be an ideal investment for IT divisions looking to make the most of their cash. New research from the National Computing Centre (NCC) suggests that a number for these departments are suffering as spending on computing technology continues to fall in both the private and public sectors. Figures from its Benchmark of IT Spending and Strategy 2011 report indicate that the amount being invested in IT has declined to £3,135 per end user, a significant drop when measured against the £3,227 recorded in 2009.

Global expenditure on IT in 2011 will rise more than had initially been expected, according to a new report. Research carried out Gartner reveals that while analysts had predicted earlier this year that annual spending would increase 5. 6 per cent, they now believe a 7.

VoIP hardware could be among the tools that help UK firms engage in e-retail. This sector was recently flagged as an area that is "driving" this sector of British industry at the moment by Ben Sillitoe, editor of specialist publication Retail Gazette. He explained that the vast technological advancement in the sector means that many companies are focusing on online opportunities for growth and described e-commerce as a "key consideration" for such firms.

Polycom, the VoIP solutions provider, has released details of its new camera tracking system the EagleEye Director. In order to make the use of VoIP more personal the vendor's latest device uses voice triangulation, face-finding technology, and a dual-camera tracking system in order to pinpoint who exactly is talking during a conference call.  It is hoped that by tracking the entire room and focusing on either the main speaker or the whole room, calls using VoIP hardware will become much easier and the calling experience much smoother and more natural.

Smartphone adoption in the US and Europe increased dramatically in 2010, new figures have shown, which may affect the number of individuals using IP telephony via mobile devices. Latest numbers from technology research firm comScore showed the proportion of mobile subscribers with handheld computers hit 27 per cent last year, an increase of ten percentage points from 2009. In Europe, the figure was up to 31 per cent in 2010 from 21 per cent the year before.