According to the Salt Lake City-based company, the new product allows for a simple and instant connection to personal computers, mobile devices or Bluetooth-enabled desk phones. The CHAT 150 BT group speakerphone thus provides users with an affordable way to upgrade spaces with BYOD convenience. Examples of spaces include home offices, executive offices and mid-size meeting rooms. Moreover, the speakerphone provides audio clarity for audioconferences and video meetings.

Creating Clear, Consistent Audio

The CHAT 150 BT group speakerphone also has an audio-bridging feature that allows far-end conference participants connected via a software-conferencing application through USB; local users of the speakerphone; and far-end callers on a mobile call connected through Bluetooth, to all join the same call and hear each other clearly.

The CHAT 150 BT has a steerable microphone array with first-mic priority, With this, it intelligently activates the microphone closest to the person speaking. This then reduces interference from ambient noise. Like all microphone products, the CHAT 150 BT group speakerphone is compatible with popular collaboration platforms, says ClearOne. These include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet and many more.

Enhanced Compatibility

The new BT model retains all the features of the original CHAT 150 speakerphone, ClearOne proclaims. These include advanced noise cancellation, full-duplex, distributed echo cancellation and automatic-level control algorithms. These features help ensure highly intelligible, natural audio capture and playback. It also supports NFC tap-to-pair and includes a wired USB connection. This ensures compatibility with the full variety of modern devices.

At just over one pound, the CHAT 150 BT group speakerphone is easy to take wherever it’s needed, ClearOne reveals. Moreover, its touch interface provides convenient control of volume, mute and Bluetooth functions. And it does so with a sleek, elegant aesthetic.

“Every product we design has the shared goal of making it easier for companies and individuals to communicate remotely with excellent audio quality and class-leading simplicity,” says Derek Graham, CEO of ClearOne.

“The CHAT 150 BT upgrades our customer-favorite speakerphone to enable even more flexible usage that’s ideal for today’s ever-changing needs and reflects the growth of BYOD conference calls and meetings. ClearOne continues to evaluate the needs of businesses and individuals working in today’s complex office environments; and we’re proud to deliver innovative features and benefits to make every meeting easier and more productive,” Graham adds.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 15, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post ClearOne Adds CHAT 150 BT Speakerphone appeared first on My TechDecisions.

As the arbiters of decisions on office technology and room-based communications systems, IT departments and employees have a major role to play in facilitating a return to traditional office work. In order to minimize interruptions in daily operations due to technological shortcomings or lack of worker familiarity, IT staff can take steps to standardize equipment and procedures so every meeting host can ensure collaboration is smooth and the technology is predictable.

With the growing use of bring your own device(BYOD) practices that necessitate highly adaptable and interoperable systems, the pre-COVID technologies found in many meeting rooms may be insufficient or even unusable for some employees. For instance, a conference room that requires presentations to be run from a standalone PC and codec may be unrecognizable to those accustomed to plug-and-play solutions that allow their own laptops or even mobile devices to run a presentation wirelessly or through a simple USB or HDMI cable. Additionally, a business that utilizes both virtual and in-person meetings must account for technologies in both types of work environments to ensure smooth communications.

Some business leaders may underestimate the vital nature of this technological reality. In such organizations, it’s critical for in-house IT managers to have thoughtful discussions with executives to identify the full scope of needs and ensure all returning workers can complete their assigned tasks without requiring significant technology training or assistance from IT.

Luckily, technology manufacturers saw these practices changing and subsequently designed and launched new cameras, microphones and communications tools to suit every type of work arrangement and environment. At ClearOne, the focus has been on delivering tools for both the office and the home that can communicate flawlessly and provide simple use and connection with third-party devices, systems and online platforms to make the transitions between home and office as seamless as possible.

The last thing workers want is to have one set of rules and procedures for communication at home, another for their personal workspace at the office, and yet another for conference rooms. It’s also possible that a company’s different meeting rooms in the same building or across multiple locations may require unique setup or operations, which can cause interruptions or delays and waste valuable time for both meeting attendees and IT staff.

Companies that provide workers with laptops or other equipment to conduct remote work can enhance cross-location productivity by maintaining consistency between home and office technologies. Manufacturers know this and have developed tailored AV solutions for every size business to provide improved home and office communications with simplified setup and enhanced audio and video quality.

For instance, affordable tabletop or PC-mounted cameras and speakerphones can significantly raise the quality of one-on-one virtual meetings for home offices and individual in-office workspaces. They do so without introducing added complexity, and if they are from the same manufacturer as a company’s conference room systems, user expectations and operations can be consistent and stress-free. Class-leading options like ClearOne’s CHAT 150 USB speakerphones and UNITE 4K cameras check all these boxes by offering plug-and-play connectivity with a user’s computing platform of choice and working equally well in a wide range of office and home environments.

As a company’s workplace technology experts, IT practitioners have a responsibility to suggest and procure technologies that can improve workflow and respond to changing needs and expectations. Through education about the latest collaboration tools and solutions, IT staff can bring valuable recommendations to company executives that simplify daily processes for employees and minimize the need for real-time IT assistance by users. In today’s world where efficiency and collaboration are the cornerstones of global business operations, IT serves a vital role in helping maintain consistency and reliability, regardless of worker location.

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