Innovative IP based PBX manufacturer ShoreTel has an inspiring new vision of your next office desk phone.

The company has introduced the ShoreTel Dock, the industry’s first business-grade docking station that transforms iPhones and iPads into desk phones when paired with ShoreTel Mobility solution, fusing the convenience of mobile devices with the power of a business communications system.

“When I first saw the ShoreTel docking station I was blown away by the thought of having my information management tool and my communications tool in one,” said Mark Lencioni, senior manager IS engineering at Brown and Caldwell. “This new way of working is the new paradigm for today’s effective information worker. I remember 15 years ago talking about the concept of employees being able to take their communications command center with them and have a true virtual office. With the ShoreTel Dock this is now possible. We definitely see this technology as a game changer for our business.”

The ShoreTel Dock transforms Apple handhelds that are running the ShoreTel Mobility iOS app, into powerful business desk phones and enterprise collaboration tools.

Employees can simply slide their ShoreTel Mobility enabled iPhone or iPad into the ShoreTel Dock and get instant access to the comfort, battery life and call quality of a business desk phone. The ShoreTel Dock only requires a single power adaptor and automatically keeps Apple handheld devices charged so employees have a full battery.

When combined with ShoreTel Mobility and conferencing applications, users get a phenomenal UC experience, utilizing voice, instant messaging (IM), presence and conferencing on a device that they already know and love.

“ShoreTel is the only unified communications provider delivering an intuitive and easy-to-use solution that truly optimizes how end users communicate for work,” said Pejman Roshan, vice president of product management at ShoreTel. “We didn’t try to change or replace devices users already love, but instead enabled those same devices with enterprise UC to give end users a dynamic productivity tool that supports their own work rhythm. The ShoreTel Dock is the desk phone for the mobile generation.”

Users can place and answer calls by simply picking up the handset and dialing a number on the dial pad or on the device’s screen; the ShoreTel Dock automatically launches the ShoreTel Mobility application so the user doesn’t have to think to do so. The simple and clean design of the handset, dial pad, speaker phone and audio controls allow users to enjoy the familiar comfort of a desk phone when using their iPad or iPhone at their desks, making BYOD an even better experience.

“ShoreTel continues to focus on making solutions easy to use for customers. The new ShoreTel Dock incorporates several capabilities that will be well received by the user community,” said Rich Costello, senior research analyst at IDC. “The ability to hold an iPad in both portrait and landscape mode supports popular viewing options. It also provides the comfort of a high-quality speaker phone enabled by the docking connection with continuous power for keeping devices fully charged. This addresses power and sound-quality barriers for making smartphones and tablets a preferred device for business communications use.”

As the popularity of enterprise BYOD programs continue to grow, ShoreTel’s mobile UC solution ensures that employees remain productive while working on their personal devices. Since ShoreTel Mobility works over both Wi-Fi and cellular, the ShoreTel Dock can be deployed anywhere ― users can be reached on their same extension whether they are working at their office or at home. Businesses can easily deploy the ShoreTel Dock to office and remote workers, giving them the tools they need to freely work at their own rhythm.

“The ShoreTel Dock will be a game-changer in our five-year strategy as we deploy the ShoreTel solution to our 8000+ client base,” said Dan Hunt, enterprise infrastructure manager at Pima County. “The ShoreTel Dock plays extremely well into our mobility solution as the iPad and iPhone (IOS devices) are the primary platform ITD will support. Because of this innovative and forward thinking design, these two high visibility projects can share a common platform allowing us to save money while providing a high level of customer satisfaction and user adoption.”

The ShoreTel Dock is planned to be available during the July to September 2013 period for both premise-based and cloud platforms, with an expected list price of NZD $430.

More info here.