The new Cisco TelePresence System 500 is videoconferencing at a lower cost than Cisco's other offerings, but Computerworld Canada last week quoted analysts who noted that not only is the 500 not that low in cost, but it also can ring up high bandwidth costs.

The device costs $33,900, which seems like a bargain next to the other new Cisco videoconferencing system introduced last week, the $340,000 TelePresence System 3200. But the analysts said that the $33,900 price tag is aimed at medium-sized businesses, still too high for small businesses to afford. And the network would have to be "pretty robust" to support the bandwidth required.

(Computerworld Canada is owned by Network World parent company IDG.)