During Anand Chandrasekher's speech at Computex, the Intel senior vice president made mention of the company's 600SM PCI Phone Adapter - an interesting VoIP solution released in May and that, had it arrived sooner or been integrated into motherboards, we'd have welcomed with open arms.
As it is, we're wondering whether the 600SM is too little, too late and why Chandrasekher only mentioned its use for small to medium businesses when the product's home page does also mention residential users?
This is an extract of what the 600SM's home page says about the product,
The
Intel 600SM PCI Phone Adapter offers a complete solution, including
hardware, software, and services, which brings VoIP¹
capabilities to
the PC. Aimed at simplicity and ease of use, the product features an
Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) which works seamlessly with a variety of
industry-leading VoIP service providers.
The Intel 600SM PCI Phone Adapter allows small business and residential users to enjoy the many benefits of VoIP² while using the telephone that they already own and know how to use. Combining the utility of the PC, the familiarity of the telephone and the value of VoIP services, the Intel® 600SM PCI Phone Adapter creates opportunities to lower costs, increase productivity, improve collaboration and enhance audio quality.
1
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capability requires DSL or
high-speed internet connection. VoIP connectivity is provided by third
party service providers, and specific features may require you to
purchase additional services.
The Intel 600SM PCI Phone Adapter allows small business and residential users to enjoy the many benefits of VoIP² while using the telephone that they already own and know how to use. Combining the utility of the PC, the familiarity of the telephone and the value of VoIP services, the Intel® 600SM PCI Phone Adapter creates opportunities to lower costs, increase productivity, improve collaboration and enhance audio quality.
2
Internet services or VoIP services may not be available in all areas
and are subject to compliance with all laws, regulations, orders, or
other restrictions of the appropriate governments.
| Features and benefits |
|
|
| Intel 600SM PCI Phone Adapter | |||
| Low profile universal keyed PCI card | Compatible with small form factor PCs | ||
| PCI 2.2 and RJ11 Phone Interfaces | Supports a variety of telephones and PCs | ||
| 1 Subscriber Line Interface Circuit (SLIC) | Ability to make and receive calls, conference call capability, Type I and Type II caller ID | ||
| 1 FXS port | Allows for use of standard analog³ phones and VoIP capable clients | ||
| 5 REN support | Ability to ring multiple phones | ||
| Wideband Codec for 16 KHz operation | Enhanced call quality over traditional phone service | ||
| Bundled Services | For a limited time, the Intel 600SM PCI Phone Adapter comes with special offers from a variety of VoIP service providers | ||
3 The Intel® 600SM PCI
Phone Adapter works with most analog telephones
Chandrasekher mentioned the card in a speech devoted largely to the company’s soon-to-arrive Core 2 Duo processors, claiming that,
The new PCI phone adapter
is a great application for dual-core
technology found in the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which is uniquely
suited to handle the performance demands of VoIP applications by
improving system responsiveness during VoIP calls and preserves good
call quality.
Our take is that if it were integrated into a motherboard - something we assume will be happening in the near future - then we'd think it a great selling point for that motherboard. But, as things are now, we've got other VoIP solutions that work (though a PCI solution might work better) and opening up PCs to put in cards is not something the majority of PC users feel comfortable about.
In that context, Chandrasekher's not mentioning home use might be less of a of a mystery and might go some way to explaining why, as seems to be the case, the card isn't being sold on its own but only as part of a motherboard bundle available exclusively to system builders.
This suggests to us that it might never be released as a product that can be bought standalone. The only way to get the features it offers may be to buy a complete PC or, perhaps, wait until Intel builds the functionality into a motherboard that does go on general sale.
Until that time, most of us cheapskate VoIP users will probably stick with headphone sets or USB VoIP phones while those prepared to pay out for something a bit special may opt for boxes into which you can plug an ordinary phone or, better, a DECT phone's wireless base-station - perhaps going totally mad and getting solutions that don't require a PC at all and, instead, connect directly to the internet themselves.
And, maybe, that'll remain the case afterwards, as well.
Thoughts on this or other VoIP innovations? Then feel free to comment in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community - forum thread about this article
HEXUS - all our Computex 2006 coverage
Intel - 600SM PCI Phone Adapter home page
Intel - 600SM user manual (PDF)
Intel - 600SM quick-reference guide (PDF)
