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The Modern Conference Phone Turns 25: Polycom Announces New Solutions That Once Again Set Standard in Conference Call Excellence
Posted on Monday, September 18, 2017
The Modern Conference Phone Turns 25: Polycom Announces New Solutions That Once Again Set Standard in Conference Call Excellence
Twenty-five years ago, Polycom introduced its iconic three-legged conference phone and changed the rules of how the world communicates at work. The Polycom phone, with its unique shape and breakthrough audio quality, quickly became the defacto conference phone for everyone – from Fortune 1000 companies to world leaders to characters on The Simpsons -- earning its place in pop culture and selling millions of units. Polycom is once again setting the standard for conference phone excellence today by introducing new and updated conferencing solutions that meet the business needs for rooms of all sizes.

The  Polycom Trio 8500, is instantly recognizable as a sharp new interpretation of the well-known three-legged shape and is the perfect communication tool for mid-sized conference rooms. The 8500 is a future-proof solution that delivers all the latest Polycom innovations today, including HD voice audio quality, Polycom NoiseBlock and multi-line registration and will be expandable to include video and content sharing in the future. The 8500 also includes a modern full color touch screen interface and Microsoft Exchange calendar integration, which makes joining a meeting as easy as one touch.

“For a quarter century, businesses have known to look for Polycom’s visually distinctive phones and have counted on them to provide superior and unparalleled call quality,” said Mary McDowell, CEO of Polycom. “The new 8500 is the latest in our line of renowned conference phones, designed for the 21st century workplace with a modern look and crystal clear audio quality and the best interoperability across ecosystems – another signature Polycom feature.”

The 8500 is available today. Video and content sharing support for the Polycom Trio 8500 is expected to be added later in the year and provide business-quality video conferencing and content sharing for huddle spaces and mid-sized rooms.

“Polycom’s voice and audio technology has been a key part of the company’s long-term success,” said Ira M. Weinstein, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research. “Polycom has embedded its audio expertise into the Trio product line, offering an exceptional voice experience during both audio-only and video sessions.”

Polycom also offers new features to the Polycom Trio 8800, the company’s fastest selling conference phone. The 8800 now allows participants to connect using your Apple AirPlay or Miracast certified devices for wireless flexibility and later this year will also support enterprise-class motorized pan-tilt-zoom (MPTZ) cameras that offer a broader degree of visibility for high-definition collaboration experience in larger conference rooms.

Both Trio solutions will support multi-line registration, allowing businesses to easily migrate between open SIP environments, Skype for Business environments, or both and work with other cloud-based audio and video platforms, including Zoom, BlueJeans, Cisco, Avaya and others.

Finally, Polycom is also introducing a new audio solution for team and personal spaces, such as huddle rooms, with the new Polycom VoxBox an ultra-compact speaker phone that allows customers to experience Polycom’s HD Voice technology anywhere, anytime and with any device.  The Polycom VoxBox will be available in select areas starting in Q4.

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Douglas Fearing- Co-Founder / President

A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.

Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.

Lois Fearing- Co-Founder/Accounting, Human Resources

A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.

Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.

Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.

Ehren Tresner-VP of Technology and Innovation

Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.

Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.

Ben Voeck-Director of Commercial AV

With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.

By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.

Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.

Chris Matson-Senior VP of Sales

Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.

Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.