SearchUnifiedCommunications asked Microsoft Program Manager Brandon Taylor to demonstrate the RoundTable videoconferencing phone at VoiceCon Orlando 2008.
The RoundTable device is essentially a conference room phone with several video cameras mounted on it. The cameras integrate to give a panoramic view of a room. It integrates with Office Communications Server or Microsoft Live Meeting to give participants a full view of a meeting room. Directional microphones in the base of the device enable a second screen in the interface to automatically focus on individuals while they are speaking.
The RoundTable sells for about $3,000.
Microsoft had an interesting promotion for the RoundTable at VoiceCon. For every customer who signed up to buy the device, Microsoft would donate a second device to a nonprofit hospital in the Pacific Northwest.