World’s biggest innovation award for USB handset ION

8. June 2021 Published by Raphael Doerr

USB handset: Unified Communications solution from Gigaset receives Plus X Award as Product of the Year

A communications solution for present-day challenges: The Gigaset ION is the perfect solution for small telephone conferences or users who prefer a hands-free handset to a headset. The judges of the prestigious Plus X Award recognised Gigaset’s first product for the unified communications market with several awards in no less than five categories: Innovation, High Quality, Design, Ease of Use and Functionality. The ION was also named Product of the Year in the Telephony category. The verdict of the international and independent expert judges from 80 industries is a great confirmation for the product developers of the DECT pioneer Gigaset, who continue to meet the needs of customers from the corporate environment with their communication solutions in the professional sector.

“More and more companies are moving to a more flexible way of working and this is changing communication in the long term. The current situation has further accelerated this trend,” says Christian Schepke, Vice President Professional at Gigaset. “As a technology company, we are strongly oriented towards the needs of users – our USB handset ION is a good example of how we are constantly expanding our portfolio and its functionality: the device is an elegant handset with a hands-free mode that can also be used as a compact conference phone for smaller groups.” ION offers HD Voice quality, works via USB with any PC/UC client and is integrated and certified for Circuit and SWYX solutions – other VoIP clients and softphones will follow. A courageous device for a market in upheaval and an opportunity for the experts on the Plus X Award jury, who each year honour newly developed and innovative technologies, extraordinary designs as well as intelligent and simple operating concepts.

Five awards and Product of the Year

The Plus X Award has given Armin Kanani a boost. As Head of Design at Gigaset, he was responsible for the look of the new USB handset ION. And he is not uninvolved in the functionality either – because the two go hand in hand. Three buttons on the front for hands-free, pick-up and hang-up. A volume control and a mute button on the side. That’s all the device needs. Without pressing any buttons, it recognises whether it is lying on the table or being held to the ear. It then switches automatically between conference phone and handset mode. A display? Five-colour LEDs in combination with the VoIP clients are sufficient to tell the user: battery full, microphone off or hands-free mode on.

“We deliberately wanted to reduce complexity,” says Armin Kanani. “The world is complicated enough. Our ION is intuitive to use, precisely tailored to the needs of the user.” Designing devices for the professional sector is a challenge for him and his team every time, and one that he is happy to take on. “The look of our devices is well-known. For decades. Now we are surprising many users. Gigaset is pushing the boundaries of expected design,” says Kanani.

The large, powerful speaker under the high-quality metal grille. The dark surface, noble and hard-wearing at the same time and even resistant to disinfectants. The lack of a display. And the heavy, sturdy charging station with USB-C interface for connecting directly to the computer or

USB-capable desk telephones. All of this together led to the award in the design category. “But we don’t see it so clearly separated,” adds Armin Kanani. “The awards in all five categories – innovation, high quality, design, ease of use and functionality – are closely related. We like to claim them for ourselves,” he smiles.

But that is not all. In addition to the five dedicated awards for individual categories, the USB handset ION was also named Product of the Year by the jury. A great success for the first unified communications product from Gigaset.

Long-standing expertise on new terrain

For many years, Gigaset has been developing mobile DECT devices for the demanding professional environment in the Professional segment. “With our first solution for the Unified Communications market, we are setting an example,” says Christian Schepke. “We are applying our expertise in DECT technology to the growing needs of enterprise customers. And we are strategically expanding our Professional product range. Our business customers simply select the device of their choice – from the popular handsets to the smartphones of the GX PRO series and the USB handset ION. We are convinced that this comprehensive portfolio, which meets the needs of the office, home office and mobile, is the basis for success in the business segment.”

For 18 years, the Plus X Award has provided consumers with an important orientation aid when making purchasing decisions. As an innovation award, it protects and strengthens brands and the trade. “The fact that our ION meets the jury’s high standards makes us proud. We were sure that we had developed a groundbreaking product – the verdict of external experts further confirms this.”

Gigaset distributes its professional portfolio through a network of qualified partners – these include IT and telecommunications providers as well as value added resellers (VARs) and enterprise systems providers. The partners advise, sell and install Gigaset Professional solutions and offer customers additional services.

Further information on the product can be found here.