Another new toy. That makes two this month so far. Any more coming my way? Time will tell. This time we have the Plantronics Savi W745. Actually, I got a W745M – with the M meaning what you think it might mean. Yes, Skype/Lync optimized. And, a special bonus.
My first complaint? The box is HUGE. I actually felt compassion for the poor delivery guy as he struggled to my door from the truck. But so much goodness exists inside. Adelante!
The quality of the boxing material was quite good. Almost as good as the quality of the contents. Plantronics did not skimp on the Savi W745M in any sense. Nice. Even the ear piece fake leather feels very nice.
Jibber-Jabber
Let’s take apart the Plantronics market-jibber-jabber and see if the claims stand up to hardships that are the Tsoorad Test Lab.
“Choose the style that's right for you with more wearing style choices than any other wireless headset system on the market. Convertible (over-the-ear, behind-the-head, over-the-head), over-the-ear and over-the-head (monaural and binaural) designs available.”
My comment? If you cannot find something in the Savi 745 box that works for you, then you must look like SpongeBob. There is more options than you can possibly fathom. The package has a “fit kit” that has multiple ear thingies, and there is also the wire-strappy thing that goes around the back of your head, and multiple doohickey’s for sizing your ear canal. I ended up with this after trying all the options.
“With one-touch call answer/end, vol+/-, mute and flash, manage calls from any connected device up to 350 feet from the charging base. Automatically routes mobile calls to the mobile phone or headset – whichever device is within easy reach. Transfer audio between headset and mobile phone with a press of a button so you can leave the office and take the mobile call with you.”
A Boeing 737 flight crew should have so many buttons to push! Options? You got it. Want to connect to your cell and SfB/Lync at the same time? No sweat. Transfer calls? Nobody would call me, so I had to do it myself, but it worked.
“Three-way connectivity lets you easily switch and mix audio between desk phone, PC and mobile phones with one intelligent, wireless headset system. Ideal for office professionals who use multiple devices and require best-in-class sound quality for their business communications.”
I have to say, I was forced into reading the Quick Start Guide to get everything sussed out. But, in the end, it works. I did not download the software that enabled the cell phone to SfB/Lync UC presence feature, but I hate software add-ins. I have too many of them already. And I can tell when my battery is dead because the headset dies. And I don’t want another “something” in my system tray, it’s already full.
And the Added Bonus
That’s a second battery Martha! And it hot swaps! Be still my beating heart. This means that in the midst of the all-day marathon customer call, my headset is battery-survivable. And it is W745M only. So something just for us SfB/Lync homies. Sold!
SfB/Lync Compatibility
I have the “M” model – as in this unit bears the “Optimized for Microsoft Lync” imprimatur. How does that work out? Well, let’s just say it took longer to unbox this thing and get it plugged in that to get to this point here:
At which point, as expected, everything in my SfB client was golden. I mean, it all worked and I did not have to do anything. That is the way it should be.
Conclusions
- Quality product? Check.
- Comfort? Yep.
- Controls? Check.
- Audio? Check.
- SfB/Lync logo product? Check.
- More instructions for “how to use” than the obligatory safety briefing? Oh yes. How nice. Finally.
- Extra battery included? Awesome.
Now, I could use the word “epitome” as in “…the Plantronics Savi W745M is the epitome of SfB headset functionality.” But I won’t. Primarily because I have not had the opportunity to test the binaural version. If that ever occurs, I might very well have to update this article.
The 745 has so many wearing options that you can easily get confused. But, in the end, the DECT capability, the comfort, and the aural quality make this – dare I say it – the leader in headsets for your UC needs. And when you consider that the Savi W745M works seamlessly with SfB/Lync and your mobile at the same time, I think you have a winner.
YMMV
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