Microsoft Phone Systems Released to Manufacturing

Microsoft has announced the release to manufacturing of its Response Point phone-system software, addressed at small-businesses with no more than 50 employees. Together with the availability of the Response Point Phone System, the Redmond company has also detailed the pricing and preorders associated with the product. Response Point is essentially an advanced phone system software, and ever since Microsoft took the wraps off of the solution, the company pointed to D-Link and Quanta as hardware partners. The RTM of Response Point is connected with the availability of 20 phone systems from Quanta and D-Link. Additional solutions will be delivered next year by Aastra Technologies.

"Response Point helps deliver value to small-business telephony through the power of software. Our team has worked hand in hand with small-business customers to deliver a new and fundamentally better user experience," stated Xuedong Huang, general manager for Response Point at Microsoft. Huang also added that all the solutions available around Response Point from Quanta and D-Link will deliver increased flexibility to small businesses.

"Customers can preorder Quanta Syspine models beginning Friday, Oct. 5. A complete package that includes a base unit with built-in analog telephone adapter (ATA) and secure gateway, plus four phones, will cost approximately $2,500. Additional phones will be available for $159 each. In addition, D-Link VoiceCenter phone systems will be available in the fourth quarter of 2007. The VoiceCenter system will include a base unit, ATA and five phones for approximately $2,999. Additional phone lines will cost approximately $149", Microsoft informed.

On top of the offerings from D-Link and Quanta, the latest Microsoft partner, Aastra Technologies cooks its own lineup of Response Point phone systems. According to the Redmond company, the solutions from Aastra are planned for availability in 2008. David Sayson, Aastra's vice president of business development, revealed that his company jumped at the chance of extending its line of communications with the addition of Response Point.