Archive for December, 2006

Traditional Phone Systems

December 6, 2006

These days, there’s not much to choose between various phone systems.

The one differentiator is the service you get from your supplier.

Has anyone ever bought any of the following systems. If so, what sort of company are you, and how did the service cater to your needs? And what were the limitations?

Aastra Intelligate 150

Aastra Intelligate 300

Aastra Intelligate 2025

Aastra Intelligate 2045

NEC INFRONTIA NX120

PANASONIC KX-TDA15

PANASONIC KX-TDA30

PANASONIC KX-TDA100

SIEMENS HIPATH 3300/3350

SIEMENS HIPATH 3500/3550

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 100

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 200

Aastra Intelligate 2065

ALCATEL OMNIPCX ENTERPRISE

ALCATEL OMNIPCX OFFICE

NEC INFRONTIA ASPIRE

PANASONIC KX-TDA200

PANASONIC KX-TDA600

SIEMENS HIPATH 3800

TELEWARE IP EXTENSION SERVICES

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX670

Internet telephony: is it worth the risk?

December 6, 2006

Is it worth opting for VoIP? I’ve heard some horror stories about Internet telephony.
Anyone got any experience of the following:

BT BUSINESS BROADBAND VOICE

Aastra Intelligate 150

Aastra Intelligate 2025

Aastra Intelligate 300

Aastra Intelligate 3025

AVAYA IP OFFICE

GRADWELL CENTREX
Gradwell is one of the better IP Centrex providers. They can give you all kinds of numbers, one for every town in the UK, if you want to impress people that you’re company has UK coverage. For me there is still a question over IP Centrex, but if you’re feeling brave you could enjoy some benefits here.

NEC INFRONTIA XN12

SIEMENS HIPATH 2000

SIEMENS HIPATH BIZ IP

SWYX SWYXWARE COMPACT
This is a pure software-based phone system. The handset apart, there’s no specific hardware needed. It integrates with any other software application on your network. So you can route a call by clicking on a number, whether it appears in a Word document, a spreadsheet, or it’s on a web site. Very convenient.

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 100

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 100 (?)

Aastra Intelligate 2065

ALCATEL OMNIPCX OFFICE

ALCATEL OMNIPCX ENTERPRISE

CISCO UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

MITEL 3300 IP

MKC 7000 CS SIP

NEC INFRONTIA ASPIRE

SIEMENS HIPATH 5000

SWYX SWYXWARE ESSENTIAL
The great thing about these softphones is that adding an extra line is as easy as plugging in a USB cable. These are 100 per cent customisable too, through a graphical user interface. Which means you can personalise the phone to you’re your preferences.

TELEWARE INTELLIGENT EXCHANGE

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 670

Internet telephony: is it worth the risk?

December 6, 2006

Is it worth opting for VoIP? I’ve heard some horror stories about Internet telephony.
Anyone got any experience of the following:

BT BUSINESS BROADBAND VOICE

Aastra Intelligate 150

Aastra Intelligate 2025

Aastra Intelligate 300

Aastra Intelligate 3025

AVAYA IP OFFICE

GRADWELL CENTREX
Gradwell is one of the better IP Centrex providers. They can give you all kinds of numbers, one for every town in the UK, if you want to impress people that you’re company has UK coverage. For me there is still a question over IP Centrex, but if you’re feeling brave you could enjoy some benefits here.

NEC INFRONTIA XN12

SIEMENS HIPATH 2000

SIEMENS HIPATH BIZ IP

SWYX SWYXWARE COMPACT
This is a pure software-based phone system. The handset apart, there’s no specific hardware needed. It integrates with any other software application on your network. So you can route a call by clicking on a number, whether it appears in a Word document, a spreadsheet, or it’s on a web site. Very convenient.

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 100

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 100 (?)

Aastra Intelligate 2065

ALCATEL OMNIPCX OFFICE

ALCATEL OMNIPCX ENTERPRISE

CISCO UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

MITEL 3300 IP

MKC 7000 CS SIP

NEC INFRONTIA ASPIRE

SIEMENS HIPATH 5000

SWYX SWYXWARE ESSENTIAL
The great thing about these softphones is that adding an extra line is as easy as plugging in a USB cable. These are 100 per cent customisable too, through a graphical user interface. Which means you can personalise the phone to you’re your preferences.

TELEWARE INTELLIGENT EXCHANGE

TOSHIBA STRATA CIX 670

Internet Telephone Systems

December 5, 2006

Should small and medium sized businesses avoid Internet telephony?

There are some dodgy suppliers out there, aren’t there? Can you name any good ones.

There are some quality issues with Internet Telephony aren;t there? I say (oooh, this is annoying) THERE. ARE. SOME. I Say SOME.QUALITY PROBLEMS with some services, are there not?

Is there a businesslike Internet Telephony service provider out there?

Do SMEs really need all these millions of fancy features? Can you name anyone who uses Internet telephony in a creative way?

Has anyone been stiffed by an Internet telephony, or VoIP, salesman? Anyone who forgot to tell you that you’ll have to re-print all yor stationery and marketing collateral, because you won’t be keeping your original phone numbers?

Has anyone had to take an Internet Telephony ‘expert’ to court? (Apaprt from me)

Mobile Contentment

December 5, 2006

Do you think the newspapers get it right about the mobile phone industry?

Do you want to put your side of the argument?

Is anyone making money out of mobile phone content, apart from porn merchants? Who?

Are there enough mug punters out there who want to watch slow motion action replays on their mobile phone?

Have you heard the joke about 3G? it’s the technology of the future: and it always will be! Do you think that’s a little unfair?

Do you know anyone doing anything clever on the ‘mobile internet’?

Do you know of any clever applications for mobiles?

Do Schools Really Need Any More IT?

December 5, 2006

Don’t feel you have to answer all these questions. just pick one and do it justice.

Why Did the government spend billions on technology for Schools?

Did they want to create more IT millionaires, so they could sell them a peerage later?

Or was it about making schools more efficient? Or productive? Or to make the presentation of lessons more effective?

Is there any evidence, from reliable sources, that it has worked?

Has technology made schools anymore effective? Has it made teaching any more productive?

Budgets: How much money has been earmarked for investment in schools?

How saturated is this market?
Is there any room for any growth? In which areas?

Is admin technology (e.g phones, video conferencing, office applications, security) still a growth area? Is there any proof that running costs can be reduced? If so, how?

Is the audio visual market done to death now? Surely schools have more whiteboards than you could wave a stick at. Is there still demand for display technology?

Is individualised learning the next growth area we should concentrate on?
IP TV. Can this be used to individualise learning? Is this something that could be used in schools?

What other technology can individualise learning? Software packages? Hand held learning gadgets? Adapted applications for Smart phones? Text messaging?

Can videoconferencing be deployed, cost effectively, to promote learning in schools.
.
Green technology: Does the subject of global warming offer you a foot in the school bursar’s door? What green technology options are there?

Do schools have problems disposing of kit?

How often is technology upgraded? Does this represent an opportunity?

A blog made up entirely of questions? That won’t work will it?

December 5, 2006

Welcome to Queuetopia.

It’s the web site that only ask questions. Why? Because blogs are tedious. Does anyone want to read the ramblings of a journalist?

So, Queuetopia is a web site that seeks answers from the experts. The questions and answers vary across a range of topics and industries. But there is one unifying theme, around which all questions are variations. Why is service so bad in the UK? And what can we do to improve?

So if you’re an expert in, say, Education, you may want to answer the questions in that category.

The best answer in each category wins a free book.