Avaya, Polycom Unveil Internet Videophone

The Avaya Video Telephony Solution: Desktop Edition bundles Pleasanton, Calif.-based Polycom's ViaVideo II video camera for PCs with Softphone from Avaya of Basking Ridge, N.J.

The new product lets people dial a call through an instant messaging-like window on a PC. If the person on the other end does not have a videophone, then the call will go through as audio only.

TheAvaya-Polycom bundle, which costs $429 for the phone and software, broadcasts video images at 30-frames per second and has less jitter and lag issues than many other web-cam videoconferencing products, the companies claim. Two companies testing the new product are Charter Steel, a privately held automotive supplier, and publishing company The Seattle Times Co.

Videophones are primarily used today by hobbyists and by businesses looking to cut costs by reducing employee travel for meetings with colleagues or customers. However, analysts expect video-calling over time to become more commonplace as prices come down and more people switch from dial-up to broadband Internet connections.