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Ricoh (News - Alert) Americas Corporation has unveiled a portable, self-contained videoconferencing system for business.

Officials with Ricoh said that the P3000 Unified Communication System is a thin (1.6 inches, or 40 mm) tablet-sized package containing a camera, microphone, speaker, network connectivity and a push-button console.

Offering far more flexibility than large, permanently installed videoconferencing systems, the Ricoh P3000 Unified Communication System, which is as easy to use as a mobile phone, can connect up to 20 participants at once with the push of a button.

The P3000, which is lightweight (3.5 pounds/1.6 kg) and simple to operate, as it only takes about 30 seconds to start a video conference, lets conference participants share documents, spreadsheets, presentations and desktops as they confer.

"The P3000 is an integral piece of Ricoh's Unified Communications (News - Alert) Strategy, which is a pillar of Ricoh's commitment to help companies get the right information to the right people at the right time," said Shun Sato, senior vice president of marketing at Ricoh Americas Corporation, in a statement.

Sato said that the unit interoperates seamlessly with another key piece of the Unified Communications strategy, the PJ WX4130/PJ WX4130N Ultra Short Throw projector, to create life-sized images of conference participants on a wall, screen or whiteboard.

“Together, these solutions help create the business environment of the future, high-powered yet fully mobile, to reduce costs and streamline processes," said Sato.

Company officials said that the P3000 Unified Communication System allows users to create a video conference room wherever they are, and puts secure, encrypted, high-end conferencing in the hands of small and medium-sized businesses.

The P3000 ensures a high-quality videoconferencing experience via the H.264/SVC video compression standard, which adjusts resolution, frame rate and compression to accommodate available bandwidth.

The P3000 has a street price of $1,650, plus a subscription to a cloud service. Anticipated U.S. release is fall 2012.