Polycom has recently released its first videoconferencing endpoint for the Apple IPad and Android tablet platforms, being the first of the big two industry companies to release such an application for tablet devices. The basic app supports both H.323 and SIP protocols with some advanced features reserved for those users who use Polycom CMA as their gatekeeper platform.

The app was tested on an IPad 2 and a Motorola Xoom tablet and in initial tests found the experience to be decent. A formal evaluation hasn’t be carried out so we cannot provide any detailed information about our experiences, though have carried out some informal tests which show that RealPresence Mobile is usable.

The tablets were registered to a H.323 gatekeeper and also a SIP registrar and calls were possible using E.164 number or URI. The quality of the calls varied as the brief tests we were connected to a wireless network in a library, an area where there is always high utilisation of the wireless network by students. Tablet devices in general only have wireless network connectivity so there is no option to plug in to the LAN for a more reliable experience.

It’s questionable as to whether the RealPresence Mobile app can be considered a truly stand-alone videoconferencing app due to some advanced and even features which would normally be considered to be standard, only being available when used with Polycom CMS infrastructure. However, for those people who already have an IPad or Android tablet the free version would be a very good addition which will undoubtedly improve with later versions.

The Polycom RealPresence Mobile app can be installed from the App Store or Android Market depending on which device you have, at the time of writing the only devices supported are:

• Apple IPad 2 (MC773ZP, MC769CH).
• Motorola Xoom (MZ600, MZ601, MZ603, MZ604, MZ605, MZ60).
• Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1 inch).

More information about Polycom RealPresence Mobile can be found on the Polycom website (http://www.polycom.com/products/hd_telepresence_video/realpresence_mobile/index.html).

The next logical step for this type of app to take is to be made available for other devices such as Apple IPhones and Android mobile phones which have a front-facing camera. It will be interesting to see how Cisco’s Teleresence division (formerly TANDBERG) respond to the release of Polycom RealPresence Mobile because they don’t have an equivalent product available.

If you have any questions regarding this news item, please contact Aled Morris, Service Desk Coordinator (http://www.wvn.ac.uk/en/contacts/supportteam/).