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Internet protocol (IP) phones are a major part of the field these days, taking advantage of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology to allow for easy, low-cost connection between just about any two points on Earth. So there's plenty of competition in the IP phone market, and those involved must work hard to differentiate product lines in an increasingly commoditized market. Polycom recently brought out the new Polycom Pano line, as IP Phone (News - Alert) Warehouse announced, and the Pano should deliver a lot of new value to users.

The Polycom Pano is a complete connected hub for workplace use that allows for the rapid sharing of a variety of different media, from spreadsheets to presentations to full-blown video and live video feeds. It offers 4K resolution, which allows it to take full advantage of excellent resolution, and also just about any kind of ancillary device.

Since the Pano is capable of connecting to nearly any monitor—it offers both HDMI and USB 3.0 connectivity—its versatility should be beyond question. Throw in the fact that it can display up to four separate streams at once at up to 60 frames per second with 4.4.4 color and the end result is staggering output from one platform.

Putting the Pano to work with a touch display, meanwhile, opens up even more options. Acting as what amounts to an “infinite whiteboard,” reports note, it allows points to be temporarily highlighted as well as annotated accordingly. A snapshot system allows specific points to be easily saved for later recall, and it can even handle touch and gesture operations.

Since the Pano works equally well with Windows and Apple (News - Alert)—the system will work with not only Windows Miracast and Apple AirPlay, but also a Pano app for both Windows and Mac OS—versatility once again plays a role and gives users access to still more features.

It's that versatility that makes the Pano a likely target for just about anyone's operation. Windows office? Pano's got it. Mac office? Same deal. Handle a lot of video conferencing thanks to a mobile workforce? Pano can step in. Just need a way to engage in presentations? Pano again. With all these different functions and use cases available, Pano might well be able to carry out the operations of several different systems at once, making it a potential replacement for several options. A one-platform system does have advantages, like easier maintenance and lower maintenance costs.

While it doesn't always turn out that way, it's a safe bet that Polycom (News - Alert)'s Pano system will be able to deliver great value in the IP phone market space thanks to the sheer range of its capability.