Logitech's EasyCall Desktop -- the MS Office of VoIP peripherals

Today Logitech got a clue: why sell one device to the burgeoning Internet calling community when you can sell an entire suite of peripherals. Introducing the EasyCall Desktop which Logitech claims is the world's first mouse, keyboard, headset and speakerphone combo. In essence, EasyCall Desktop does for desktop clutter what Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple did for software -- take a bunch of disparate tools, give 'em the same look and feel and enhance each for relatively seamless interaction across the suite. In addition to a cordless keyboard and laser mouse (which, while not stated, will likely both feature Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR like other Logitech Desktops) the package includes a tethered stereo headset which can be attached to the full-duplex speakerphone. The speakerphone, apparently also wired, acts as the Internet calling control center and features Logitech's RightSound echo cancelation technology to get the most from VoIP apps like Yahoo Messenger with Voice, AOL's AIM, and of course Skype. What's odd is that a Skype specific keyboard will also be launched as part of the Desktop but only in Europe -- go figure. Expect the kit to ship in the US and Europe by mid-September with an expected retail price pegged at $130/€130.

[Via CrowdedBrain]

[Joe Smith @ Aug 14th 2006 8:39AM]

hmmm... now, what would happen if apple made this? ;)

[Intrepid @ Aug 14th 2006 8:51AM]

"hmmm... now, what would happen if apple made this? ;)"
It'd look like all the other Apple crap, but inside it'd just be another product...

[ILMan @ Aug 14th 2006 8:59AM]

And no webcam?

[CLK @ Aug 14th 2006 9:06AM]

I like this but there is no caller ID so you can't see who is calling unless you are sitting at your computer.

I prefer my dual mode Linksys Skype phone that I can take around the house.

There's too many devices keeping people at their computer.

Let's see more products that use the power of a computer without having to sit in front of 24/7.

What's an Apple anyways? Just a nice looking wrapper with an Intel processor inside. lol

[Joe Alien @ Aug 14th 2006 10:13AM]

Wow, someone really doesn't like Apple. I suppose you use the other crappy manufacturer.

[Derek @ Aug 14th 2006 11:04AM]

Hey Joe, do you mean Dell or Gateway? ;)

[Fox @ Aug 14th 2006 3:23PM]

Yanno this is funny to me...

I have a Compaq Presario 3430US. It's less than 2 years old. It's got a basic 2.8GHz P4 (i.e. none of that centrino or dual core crap) with 512MB of DDR and a 60GB HDD. It's not fancy, it's nothing special, and it gets the worst battery life of any laptop I've had - around 19 minutes if the DVD-RW is reading a disc (forget writing to it. ain't gonna happen on battery.) I consider myself a geek/nerd, and I work in IT at a major university.

With that all said, when's the last time anyone heard of a problem with a Compaq laptop? Anyone? Anywhere? I mean, dells have some supposed huge fanbase, yet I've never met an actual dell fan, and certainly nobody here in IT at our all-dell campus likes them, and now we here that faulty batteries are exploding on both them and the Mac laptops. To make it better, the campus digital repair facility is one of only 3 places in the entire state you can get a Mac serviced, so if you're one of the unlucky victims who gets a scorched Mac (or lap) you're just SOL. Then there's the people who hate Macs, and the people who hate Dells, and even the people who hate Gateways. The entire world of computer manufacturers that are out there are having problems out the wazoo. Even Sony, with their Vaio line, have issues due to only supporting MemoryStick as a card reader and the rootkit CDs which even infect their own computers (you'd think they could find a way not to infect themselves.) I've noticed that every computer seems to have their own favorite brand to flame, yet when it comes to Compaq/HP, nobody can find a complaint other than "they're just old." The system works, they sell really high end models and really low end models and everything in between. Almost every option can be changed, and there's at least 8 or 9 different case styles to choose from, which means you don't have to mod it. Plus, since HP bought out Compaq, their tech support is great. I took it to a local shop once, they spend 15 minutes on the phone with Compaq Tech Support and a mere $50 and 8 days later, they had replaced my Motherboard, Power Supply, and Processor/RAM. The motherboard alone would've cost me $400, and the $50 I paid was to the repair shop, not Compaq, since it was still under the 2-year warranty (which is really long compaired to the 6 month industry average.) I mean, there's not a lot of companies that will sell you a laptop for less than 900 bucks that'll run Windows Vista (I'm running the beta 2 on it now) as fast as it runs XP and then replace over half the system for free when you spill a glass of water in it a year and 2 months after you bought it. (NOTE: The power supply was faulty since I over-bent it packing it in and out of my backpack. The water finally killed it, yet Compaq, even knowing that the water was at fault for it frying, replaced it under warranty because they were able to find burn marks on the motherboard from the bad power supply. In other words, they could've not fixed it, since water damage isn't covered, but they specifically chose to do it anyway.) In fact, there's not any besides HP and Compaq. Of course, if all that isn't enough, HP now sells the second highest number of systems on the market after Dell. After these exploding batteries, I wouldn't be suprised if they overtake Dell quickly.

Anyhow, it's just something to consider while you are all throwing around insults at the various manufacturers. Can anyone cite a specific problem with a Compaq laptop from the last 3 years (i.e. since the buyout) or is there really nothing wrong with them?

And don't say they're "old" or "not cool" if you're a dell fan. In case you aren't aware, dell was making computers in 1989 while HP was still trying to design a decent color deskjet. Dells are much older (and unless you get an XPS, much less "cool") than anything Compaq or HP makes now. As for other brands (i.e. apple fans) you can say it's "not cool" but you're wrong. There's no such thing as a laptop with a 1-button mouse that's "cool" if you get my drift.

[Vladimir Goncharov @ Aug 14th 2006 5:01PM]

Why all wireless keyboards have different button layout e.g. Delete, End, Page Down?

[Z @ Aug 14th 2006 8:56PM]

The headset is tethered? That's dumb. Should be wireless. All of it should be wireless.

If I have to choose between dealing with wires or batteries, I'll choose batteries ANYDAY.

[websparc @ Aug 15th 2006 8:42AM]

Fox--
I had compaq presario about 5 years back it worked for me few years but then i got a power socket problem (fix was to replace the motherboard). I search on the internet and there's a wide range of compaq modals which have the similar problem. people were cursing them compaq is bad. I not bought compaq after. Regarding sony, there sony SZ series supports all kinds of memory cards. I think every company have some problems. I currently own Sager. They have there own issues too.

[MikeR @ Aug 29th 2006 2:41PM]

I really wish keyboard manufacturers would realize they need to offer an ergonomic/split-keyboard version.