Spectralink 84 Series Review: A Featurephone Beauty with Brawn

We take a look at mobility from Spectralink

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Spectralink 84 series review
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Published: October 26, 2020

Anwesha Roy

Technology Reporter

Spectralink has been through an interesting journey over the last few days and continues to remain a steady leader in America’s mobile telephony segment. Founded in 1990, Spectralink specialised in purpose-built mobile communication solutions for enterprise users, particularly on the frontline. In 2007, it witnessed an acquisition by UC giant Polycom for a massive $220 million. However, after five years, Polycom pulled back, and Spectralink returned to being a standalone provider in its own right.

(Polycom would go on to witness a more significant M&A move with Plantronics to rebrand as Poly, but that’s another story.)

The Spectralink 84 Series is one of those products that just works. It doesn’t boast of incredible, game-changing features, but it does support frontline communications and productivity in a refreshingly simple way. In the age of BYOD and sophisticated smartphone technology, Spectralink’s 84 feature phone series has stood the test of time.

Here’s our review.

Inside Spectralink 84 Series

The 84 Series brings the simplicity of WiFi-enabled feature phones to enterprise workers, combining connectivity with durability and ruggedised exterior. Underneath the hood, the device supports a number of connectivity options, despite its feature phone tagline. Here is a review of its highlights:

  • Form factor – This is one of the primary reasons why customers continue to choose purpose-built mobile technology over consumer devices like cell phones, tablets, PDAs, etc. The 84 Series has a reinforced cage design for safe usage in various field scenarios as well as component shock mounting to make it immune to a fall – even on concrete! The device has IP64 protection for anti-dust, anti-spray usage, and weighs approximately 5.1 ounces. (approximately 144 grams)
  • Screen and buttons – The screen is surprisingly large for a feature phone at 2.1 inches, occupying a significant chunk of the device’s 5.8-inch real estate. All around the screen, you’ll find mounted a number of buttons for easy, one-click access. Apart from the usual navigation keys and numerical keypad, there is a set of four soft keys to access context-sensitive features. On the left-hand side, you have a configurable button that can be set to push-to-talk (PTT) or emergency dial. The right-side has the barcode scan button and the charging port
  • Audio and voice – As expected, the Spectralink 84 Series has a headset jack, which is kept covered with a flap for added protection, as well as support for wireless headsets via Bluetooth. There is a noise-cancelling microphone, ensuring that your employees are audible even in noisy floor environments. The speakerphone is pretty big and mounted on the rear, for crystal clear sound clarity. There are two ways you could use audio on the Spectralink 84 Series – in addition to typical voice phone calls, you can press the PTT button to send and receive broadcast over a PTT channel. The PTT features use the speakerphone for a true collaborative broadcast mode
  • Additional applications – Employees can use both built-in apps like instant messaging, barcode scanner, etc., or connect to web applications via Wi-Fi. Even without a touchscreen, the 84’s softkeys make web browsing a modestly pleasurable experience. At the very least, you’d be able to enter text, view necessary information, switch to a different app, and navigate through hyperlinks on the device. There is an option for custom apps using the Open Application Interface (OPI) to meet more advanced requirements.

Why Spectralink 84 Series Makes a Difference

The Spectralink 84 Series is an excellent jack-of-all-trades.

It combines the functionalities of a pager, a walkie-talkie, a barcode scanner, an emergency calling device, and a limited web browser into a compact form factor. The barcode scanner is particularly impressive, as employees can simply press a button to initiate a scanning session – without even unlocking the phone. And setting up the device is equally easy.

Spectralink offers bulk provisioning assistance by way of its  Quick Network Connect (QNC) and Configuration Management Server (CMS) offerings, ideal for IT managers dealing with a large mobile telephony environment.

12-hr talk-time and the Quad Charger (which charges 4 batteries at once) are just the icing on the cake.

What We Think

Sectors like retail, manufacturing, healthcare, or education need robust mobile connectivity to support its non-desk employees. This is a significant investment – the devices are constantly exposed to the elements, and any downtime will inevitably interrupt business. That’s why devices like Spectralink 84 Series are so important, no matter how analogue they might appear on the surface.

In the guise of a 90s feature phone, Spectralink 84 has packed in VoIP calling on WiFi, web browsing capabilities, synchronization with a Microsoft server, and a more than functional colour LCD display. This makes it a worthy investment for years to come.

 

 

 

 

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