Still hot on the topic of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 certified products, the Jabra GN9350 gets a workout at DigitalReviews.net. To recap, Jabra is one of three vendors (including GN Netcom entity) who has Microsoft Office Communicator certified headsets. Of these three vendors, Jabra has the most products certified for OCS.
Introduction
The Jabra GN9350 is a dual-function wireless headset designed for both traditional and PC-based telephone environments. Jabra claims "state-of-the-art Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology removes impurities from the incoming signal, enriches sound quality, and maintains a safe, consistent volume level. It is also the first wireless headset for IP telephony that features wideband audio at 6.8 kHz which is more than twice that of conventional telephony".
Again I have invited my office’s local OCS guru, Justin Morris, to roadtest the Jabra GN9350 and provide his impressions as an expert user.
First Impressions
The GN9350 has a silver and black slimline boom design that may not appeal to all but in my opinion is great for a professional environment. Far from being a tiny discreet unit but given it is designed for an office environment it is certainly not out of place. The headset weighs in at 26 grams which is heavier that other units we have previously reviewed for Jabra. To compensate, the unit comes with both a headband or a neckband both of which were suitably comfortable to wear for an extended duration.
Hidden from view under the cover of the base station is an LCD display, a four way thumb pad for customising the features, a clear dial tone switch and a pairing button.
Installation was simple requiring at the most basic level, a line to the telephone cord port and another line to the handset port. Connecting the USB cable from the base station to the notebook resulted in an automatic installation as a plug-and-play device.
In Action
As it has been with all the Jabra products that DigitalReviews have tested in the past few months, the sound quality on the GN9305 was excellent. The unit is rated for a range of 300 feet (approx 100 m) and depending on the material of the building you are in, the mileage will vary. With the need to connect the USB port to a workstation, one is very much tethered to the base station.
When the earpiece is lifted from the base station, Communicator would be taken off hook which makes life simpler. On the handset side though, a handset lifter is an optional accessory, unless the phone has Electronic Hook Switch (EHS) which is a feature supported by the GN9350 to allow automatic answering of a call.
The unit is rated for up to 6 hours talk time on VoIP or 9 hours for normal telephony which generally covers a typical work day considering it would be recharging during a lunch break. For those who can’t stop talking, a second hot-swappable battery is available as an accessory. Four LEDs in the base station provides an indication of the level of charge left in the headset.
One feature of note is that the GN9350 has 64-bit digital encryption enabled for secured communications.
Gripes
The base station takes a little practice to fit the headset back on for charging but with a bit of practice the problem mostly goes away.
It would be nice to have bluetooth connection between the base station and a PC or notebook as it would provide more freedom to roam around the office.
Similar to the previous Jabra review, the GN9350 does not get bundled with a handset lifter but is offered as an option.
Specifications
* Talk time: 6 hours VoIP, 9 hours telephone
* Standby time: 43 hours with base station powered on, 120 hours with based station powered off
* Battery recharging time: 3 hours
* Bandwidth: 200 Hz – 6.8 kHz full audio for VoIP, 200 Hz – 3.5 kHz in telephony mode
* Volume limit: PeakStop technology with max 118 db SPL (RMS)
* Weight (headset): 26 g (0.91 oz)
* Weight (base): 255g (9 oz)
* Operating frequency: 1.9GHz
* Wireless technology: DECT 6.0
* Music Streaming
* Wireless range up to 90 meters (300 feet)
* Clear calls in noisy environments
* Security: 64-bit digital encryption
* Conference call: Up to 4 units
* Three wearing styles: earhook, neckband and headband
In the box
* Jabra GN9350 headset
* Jabra GN9350 base
* Power supply
* 1 x neckband
* 1 x headband
* 1 x earhook
* 1 x USB Connection cord
* 1 x Telephony cord
* User manual
Conclusion
In short the Jabra GN9350 is a compact unit with great sound quality. It is excellent for a desk-based user vis-a-vis a road warrior. There were some minor gripes but at the asking price, a handset lifter would certainly would not have gone astray.
The Jabra GN9350 retails for around USD$250 or AUD$360. Thank you Jabra again for the on-going support.
