Jabra is a well known audio and comms specialist, with consumer and business level corded, Bluetooth and wireless headsets, mobile and in-office speakerphones and more. It’s the brand of GN Netcom and has been in business for more than two decades, so the company knows its stuff.

Its latest device is the Jabra SPEAK 810, a new addition to its SPEAK series, which Jabra says ‘leads in the table-top speakerphone USB market’, which, according to analysts is ‘set to see massive growth in coming years,’ a wave Jabra is already riding having sold over 1 million SPEAK-series devices to date.

So, what does the 810 do? The company says it is designed to ‘eliminate the pain points of effective collaboration: technology challenges such as set-up issues, connectivity to platforms and poor sound quality, which prevent effective meeting productivity.’

Larger than the smaller SPEAK 410 and 510 products, Jabra promises the 810 has a plug and play experience with ’superior audio to large meeting and conference rooms for the first time,’ while boasting multiple connectivity options so it ‘works with all types of smart devices and integrates seamlessly with all communication platforms – eliminating the need for dial pad solutions and challenging the traditional hardware approach to conference calling.’

But it’s not just designed for designated meeting rooms - Jabra says any location can be turned ‘into a productive conference room: enhanced with Bluetooth/NFC, an integrated USB cable to connect it to a PC, or 3.5mm jack for your tablet or smartphone, meetings are set to go in seconds.’

There’s also no need for IP end-points, while the USB charge-out port feature lets you charge tablets or mobile devices during calls.

Giovani Mezgec, the Microsoft GM of Skype for Business praised the 810, stating: “Microsoft continues its working partnership with Jabra to ensure that their solutions are fully compatible with Microsoft Skype for Business. The Jabra SPEAK 810 is an excellent example of this collaboration.”

Getting back to difficulties with other conference systems, Jabra says ‘a third of conference calls are delayed due to setup issues with connections and speaker phones, 15% of meeting time is spent on ‘getting started’, and one of the most common frustrations is poor sound quality.’

Naturally, Jabra points out the 810 is ‘an intelligent audio solution using Jabra’s heritage in office audio solutions. as well as ear-related diagnostics and hearing healthcare technology’, and stands upon the shoulders of those giant developments by facilitating ‘conference calls in meeting rooms of up to 100m2 with 15 people or more in one room, delivering crystal clear sound, without any unwanted background noise.’

The 810 offers powerful loudspeakers and what Jabra says is ‘unique market-first technology’ called ZoomTalk, a microphone with adaptive array and 5m/15ft range which can handle up to 15 people.

Jabra describes it as being ‘an intelligent directional microphone that focuses on sound from human voices, so you only hear what matters most,’ and claims it is ‘central to achieving productivity and flexibility as it makes meetings as clear as possible, filtering human voice from all ambient room noise, wherever the call is taking place.’

There’s also the topic of Unified Communications (UC), with Jabra stating the 810 enables ‘businesses to maximise and fast track’ their UC investment, whether they are starting their UC journey or have an established infrastructure.

Holger Reisinger, Jabra’s Head of Business Solutions said: “Businesses are becoming more focused on creating working environments and cultures that better enable them to compete.

“As a result, office environments are changing and becoming more dynamic, demanding and technology-enabled. New ways of working are adding flexibility to working spaces, practices and hours. Yet, productivity must also remain a priority for business success and for this reason so should enabling effective collaboration and concentration.”

Mark Leigh, Jabra President APJ said: “The success of the SPEAK series is testament to Jabra’s long standing expertise in audio solutions as well as its in-depth understanding of workplace challenges.

“Jabra understands and is committed to enhancing the role of audio in enabling collaboration and concentration, and enabling productive meetings wherever people are.”

On sale for $850 ex GST in Australia, it will be available from the usual Jabra channels from 1 October 2015.

Here’s Jabra’s Speak 810 video: