3. June 2020
Poly Elara 60 – Microsoft Teams Device
Microsoft Teams is growing and it is hard to imagine companies without them.
We switched from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams some time ago, and now it’s time to upgrade our hardware.
Last year at Ignite in Orlando, I looked at the new team hardware and looked at the new solutions from Logitech, Poly and Yealink.
Today we take a closer look at the Poly Elara 60. Already in Orlando I was quite impressed by the value of the hardware and I really wanted to take a closer look at it.
Our customers are also asking us more and more questions about recommendable solutions for Microsoft teams, as online meetings are increasingly used there as well.
It is becoming increasingly important to focus on quality, because we notice that video is now being used at almost every meeting.
01.
Simple design
The Poly Elara 60 comes in a simple but very modern design. Equipped with inductive charging for your smartphone.
02.
Voyager Focus
The station can be equipped with different headsets, in this case the Voyager Focus, which is loaded via the recording.
03.
Voyager 5200
If you can do without a stereo headset, you can also use the Voyager 5200 with the station. For this purpose, the holder is simply exchanged.
What is the Poly Elara 60?
It turns your smartphone into a high-end device with all the features of a desk phone.
Both devices are high-end headsets, I like the headphone version myself, but that’s a matter of taste.
Since these are high-end headsets, the price is set quite high. However, they are also not comparable to devices from the local engineering discounter’s volumetric boxes. The price will certainly be a bit lower, but if you value a really good headset with the functions of a mobile workstation, you will have to dig deeper into your pocket.
The headset fits into a charging station on the top of the device. Depending on the headset you choose, you will receive a different recording – the recording is interchangeable and will soon be available for purchase separately – so if you choose a different headset, you can buy the matching recording. Your smartphone sits on its own recording that supports wireless charging. For those who have a smartphone without wireless charging, there is a USB port on the back and a cutout for the cable. When the phone is recognized, it connects to the Elara base station via Bluetooth. You can also pair your phone directly with the headset, so you can walk away from the base station and have the audio streamed seamlessly to the headset – pretty cool if you travel a lot.
The Elara has a non-touch screen, which had confused me a bit, I intuitively tried to make the settings on it. Instead, the buttons below are used to navigate. Most functions are also available via the Elara app. The Elara app also plays firmware updates on the station and headset.
The Poly Elara 60 was developed with Microsoft Teams in mind and has a special Microsoft Teams button. By pressing the button, the teams app is to be opened, which does not work for me with my Samsung S10E.
The Elara keypad allows you to quickly initiate a call without touching your phone. After dialing a number, you can make the call using your mobile phone or the Microsoft Teams app. The screen provides the caller ID for incoming and connected calls. The keypad also allows you to mute the call and switch between the headset and speakerphone (yes, the Elara is also a speakerphone!).
No Elara feature, but it’s worth commenting on – using a cell phone for team calls and meetings really works well for audio and video. The adjustable angle cradle of the Elara makes it even more practical. For screen sharing, I usually use the desktop client and the “companion function” of the mobile app, so that you can be connected to A/V on mobile devices and screen sharing on the desktop if necessary.
Conclusion
The Poly Elara 60 is certainly a stylish device, but I ask myself whether I actually take part in meetings via smartphone. I always have my laptop with me on the go and that’s just more convenient. I bought the Elara for my desk in the home office and hoped that I could use it to charge my Samsung S10E and use the headset for both smartphones and teams on the laptop.
In my case, it works well with the smartphone, the connection to my Surface actually doesn’t work. Either I have lost connections or the sound is totally distorted. There are numerous articles from the community, but I couldn’t really solve it satisfactorily. A DECT headset from the competition is now used in the home office.
Since the last update to Android 10.1 and the latest Microsoft Teams app, the teams integration has also stopped working. Clicking the Elara Teams button tells me that I have to have teams installed and started on my smartphone. The team integration and the choice whether the call should be made via the SIM card or teams is no longer necessary.
Even upgrading the firmware of the Elara unfortunately did not help.
