Andy Yiu’s Blog

Plantronics Calisto Pro Review

Several days ago, I received a nice little present from my wife for my home office.  She gave me this nifty little device, a Plantronics Calisto Pro.  First, I have to say that having a hands-free set is a great investment for anyone who  attends conference calls or is on the phone for hours on end.  This phone makes life a heck of a lot easier.  The phone allows me to make a receive calls from my cell phone, landlines and VOIP services via USB (currently only available for Yahoo and Skype, but Sametime will hopefully be there soon) at the touch of a button.  The headset uses bluetooth multipoint which allows it to bond with multiple devices.  This device is however limited to two devices at a time according to Plantronics support, one of which is the handset.  The handset can be used a maximum of 300 feet from the base station and the headset needs to be within 33 feet of the cell phone or handset depending on what type of call you’re making or receiving.

The voice quality on this phone is the best that I’ve seen.  I’ve had complaints before about people not able to hear me or static on the line, but I have had no complaints since using this phone.  The handset is light and clips onto the belt for convenience.  The headset is also light and easy to put on although there have been some reports where people have complained that it is difficult to put on if the person is already wearing glasses.  I wear glasses and I never had a problem putting it on.

At $250-$280 per unit, this is not a cheap phone, but it can be an absolute lifesaver in those hour long conference calls.  I would strongly recommend any telecommuter to get one of these!