ShoreTel has announced a new product called the ShoreTel Dock -- a business-grade docking station that transforms iPhones and iPads into desk phones when paired with ShoreTel Mobility. The ShoreTel Dock turns Apple handhelds running the ShoreTel Mobility app into business desk phones and enterprise collaboration tools. ShoreTel is demonstrating the ShoreTel Dock and its portfolio of enterprise unified communications solutions this week at Interop 2013 in Las Vegas.
With the device, users can slide their iPhone or iPad into the ShoreTel Dock to charge and maintain their mobile device battery, also gaining access to call quality of a business desk phone. The dock combines with ShoreTel Mobility to provide UC applications such as conferencing, voice calls, instant messaging (IM) and presence. Users can place and answer calls by picking up the handset and can dial a number on the dial pad or on the mobile device screen, and the dock also comes equipped with a high quality speakerphone.
Since ShoreTel Mobility works over both Wi-Fi and cellular, users can be reached on their same extension whether they are working at their office or at home, so businesses may choose to deploy the ShoreTel Dock to both office and remote workers.
Commenting in a statement, Pejman Roshan, vice president of product management at ShoreTel, said, "We didn't try to change or replace devices users already love, but instead enabled those same devices with enterprise UC to give end users a dynamic productivity tool that supports their own work rhythm. The ShoreTel Dock is the desk phone for the mobile generation."
The ShoreTel Dock is planned to be available Q3 2013 for use with ShoreTel's on-premises and cloud platforms, with an expected list price of $349.