An Android-powered desk phone that works anywhere is a
great idea – but not for $840
The Tecdesk Smart 5500 is not a smartphone. At least, not as
we know it. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that this device looks an awful
lot like an office phone, and no, it certainly won’t fit in your pocket. What
it actually is, though, is a lot more interesting.
Function
keys include dedicated Hold, Transfer, Conference Call, Do Not Disturb and
Microphone Mute buttons
Tecdesk has tasked itself with changing the landscape of
office communications in the form of a range of Android-powered desk phones.
Connectivity & Battery
The Smart 5500 can operate completely wirelessly – instead
of a telephone cable connected to a wall socket, it uses a 3G SIM card, just
like your smartphone.
The Smart 5500 doesn’t even need to be plugged into the
mains, as it can run on a chargeable battery. This means you have a fully
functioning office phone to take anywhere you might need it.
Tecdesk claims the battery has enough charge to last a
working week on standby.
Not only that but the phone also boasts a full Android
interface. Its 5-inch touchscreen does much more than just show the time and
date, unlike your run-of-the-mill desk phone; it allows you to send texts and
email, browse the web, and even run apps. Its Android version 2.3.5 software is
becoming dated now. But having smartphone functionality on a desk phone is
still remarkable.
Functions
It’s surprising how fascinating a device the Smart 5500 is
to us. You would think that in a society familiar with electronics to the point
of apathy that a touchscreen desk phone would be banal, but there’s a brilliant
novelty in getting email alerts and checking your company’s Twitter feed on a
second screen. The Smart 5500 is a true communications hub.
You don’t realise how fragmented and inefficient your office
routine is until it’s contained within one neat little package.
On top of voice calls, text messages, email and social
media, the device’s front-facing camera allows for video calling, too. There’s
no inbuilt app for it, but you have a variety of options in the Google Play
store available to you; Skype and Google Hangouts, to name a couple of the most
popular ones, are fully compatible.
Android
OS delivers smartphone features & apps at the desk
The Smart 5500 is not just an Android phone with a cradle
and keypad though. It also performs excellently as a conventional office phone.
All of the functions of your standard office landline
telephone are present such as the ability to hold, transfer, speakerphone and
mute calls, as well as create conference calls.
These are all assigned to individual physical buttons, so
there’s no need to tap and swipe through various screens on your phone’s
display while in the middle of a phone call.
You can also connect the phone to mains power, so you
needn’t worry about battery life if you’re permanently based in one location.
Smart
security provided with phone, SIM and battery compartment lock and desk lock
slot
While the physical buttons are a familiar and useful
feature, they almost certainly contribute to the Smart 5500’s biggest downside:
its appearance.
The phone is boring to look at, at best; at worst, it’s
bordering on ugly.
