Digium Introduces Phones for Asterisk

Digium, Inc. has announced a new family of HD IP phones designed to fully leverage Asterisk, as well as Digium's unified communications system, Switchvox. The phone uses Digium technology for the server and phone alike, resulting in a high quality customizable phone system.

Asterisk is a flexible system that allows integrators and developers to create customized solutions, while Digium's app engine and JavaScript API allow for custom apps that interface directly with the phone's core features. Digium is taking advantage of this, creating a suite of productivity applications for Asterisk and Switchvox. Switchvox's Switchboard web interface gives users control of their personal communications environment, and has been extended to the phone itself for accessibility and customization of advanced features such as presence management, queue monitoring, and voicemail control.

Blair Pleasant of UCStrategies notes, “While the trend toward BYOD and mobile devices is reducing the need for desk phones, many customers still like having a phone device they can rely on for their business communications. There are many phones on the market that work with Switchvox and Asterisk, but Digium claims that customers have been requesting the company to have their own phone and device, so they complied. These devices are Digium designed and the first phones specifically designed for Asterisk, and Digium notes that the company can now be responsible for the users’ end-to-end experience, and customers need just one vendor for support. By being designed to work with the Switchvox IP PBX, the phones can have softkeys totally integrated into Switchvox and be more a part of the phone system. Digium also claims that their new phones can be 30% less expensive than the other phones, in addition to cost savings for the feature packs that customers no longer need to purchase for third-party phones.”

Pleasant adds, ”Of course while much of this makes sense, one has to wonder if this was really necessary, since there are several phone manufacturers that support Asterisk and Switchvox, and have been good partners to Digium. Obviously Digium felt it was worth the investment to develop their own phones, but partners like snom and Polycom probably aren’t too happy about this.”

The Digium phones come in three different models: D40, an entry level phone with 2-line keys; D50, a mid-level phone with 4-line keys and 10 rapid dial/BLF keys and a printer label strip for important contacts; and D70, an executive-level phone with 6-line keys, 10 rapid dial/BLF keys, and real-time status information on an LCD screen. They're priced at $129, $179, and $279, respectively.

For more information, visit www.digium.com.