Skip to main content

Logitech Wants You to Call On Them

Logitech Wants You to Call On Them
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Peripheral and accessory maker Logitech today announced three new audio products designed to simplify computer and mobile-based VoIP calling, along with a new family of EasyCall desktop products which—for European users—will offer Skype-specific features.

The new Logitech QuickCall USB Speakerphone for Internet Calling offers a high-quality speakerphone with a dual-microphone setup (one at each side of the unit’s “wings”) designed to capture sounds throughout an entire room. The unit also uses Logitech’s RightSound echo-cancellation technology, and supports pluggig in a headset when you really don’t want to broadcast your phone conversations to anyone in the area. The QuickCall USB Speakphone (obviously) connects via USB, so you don’t have to worry about a wall wart or rummaging around for an audio input, and sports all the controls to pick up, mute, adjust volume, and hang up calls. Alert lights let you know when a VoIP session has been established. The QuickCall USB Speakerphone should be available in the U.S. in October (Europe in December) with a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Recommended Videos

If you’ve been staying away from VoIP because talking to a computer—or using a funky headset—is just too weird, then Logitech’s Cordless Internet Handset may be worth checking out. The idea here is to make using popular VoIP solution Skype as simple as using a traditional cordless handset phone. The Cordless handset’s base station connects to a PC via USB and offers about 50 meters of range from its base station to the handset. The unit supports SkypeIn, SkypeOut, and Skype-to-Skype calling, and a color LCD display lets users browser Skype contact lists as well as access voicemail and call logs. The handset also offers a handsfree speakerphone, illuminated keypad, and a selection of ringtones. Availability? October in the U.S.; December in Europe. Retail price? $99.99.

Dislike handsets? Then Logitech wants you to consider its Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones. Yeah, we know it makes you look like you’re wearing some sort of exotic punctuation mark on your ear, or perhaps that you’re just moments away from stepping into a nearby Star Trek convention in full regalia. But some people love these things. Logitech’s Cordless Headset can be used for hands-free calling on both PCs and movile phones. On PCs, it connects using a wireless USB receiver, while the headset can latch up with mobile phones using Bluetooth. The headset can hook up with Logitech’s QuickCams as a video conferencing solution, and features Logitech’s WindStop technology aimed at making calls more intelligible in windy conditions. The Cordless Headset will be available in the U.S. in October, Europe in December, and carry a suggested price of $99.99. (Gee, this sounds familiar!)

Finally, Logitech has released three new “desktops,” which is the phrase the company confusingly uses to describe a bundles of desktop accessories like mice and keyboards. However, along with the Cordless Desktop MX 3200 and LX 710, Logitech’s also announced its EasyCall Desktop, which brings together a cordless keyboard, mouse, and speakerphone, plus a headset. The keyboard offers one-touch access to commonly used applications like email and a Web browser, along with calling functions (one-touch dialing, accessibility, making and accepting calls all optimized for Yahoo Messenger and AIM in the US, and Skype in Europe), a media panel to control digital music in programs like iTunes or Windows Media Player, while the cordless laser mouse offers high performance and precision on a wide variety of mouse surfaces. (For fun? Try a mirror or metal foil.) The full duplex speakerphone features echo cancellation technology, and features dedicated controls for managing phone volume, mute, picking up and hanging up calls, and has a plug for the (included!) stereo headset when you want to make the other side of a conversation more private. The EasyCall Desktop will be available in mid-September in both the U.S. and Europe, with a suggested U.S. retail price of $129.99.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Windows on Arm vs Intel: Which laptop platform is right for you?
Display on the Asus Vivobook 16 X1607QA Copilot+ PC laptop with Qualcomm Snapdragon X ARM 64 chip lays out 180-degrees on a wooden surface.

In just over a year, the landscape of Windows laptops has changed with the arrival of machines that draw power from Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, instead of those from Intel. Or even AMD. Think of it as the same kind of transition that Apple pulled off with the Mac, but instead of one, there are multiple brands carrying the torch for Microsoft.

The overarching project is called Windows on Arm, and it has solid a few solid products in the past few months. The ultra-slim Asus ZenBook A14 and the Dell XPS 13 have been my favorite Snapdragon machines so far, and more are yet to come. The core premise behind these machines is to deliver snappy performance (with a special focus on AI) and long battery life in a thin and light chassis. 

Read more
4 graphics cards you should consider instead of the RTX 5060
Nvidia's RTX 5060 over a green background.

Nvidia's RTX 5060 is finally here, and many people hoped it'd put up a fight against some of the best graphics cards. Does it really, though? Reviewers are split on the matter. Alas, I'm not here to judge the card. I'm here to show you some alternatives.

While Nvidia's xx60 cards typically become some of the most popular GPUs of any given generation, they're not the only option you have right now. The RTX 5060 might not even be the best option at that price point. Below, I'll walk you through four GPUs that I think you should buy instead of the RTX 5060.

Read more
Microsoft Build summary: 4 big announcements you’ll want to know
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during Build 2025

Microsoft Build 2025 is almost at an end. Microsoft's annual developer conference might be aimed at software engineers and cloud devs, but realistically, there's plenty in there to dig into even if you don't work as a programmer. Unsurprisingly, the theme throughout the conference this year (and for some years previous now) has been AI.

In his opening keynote, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the importance of AI and the company's plan of "building the open, agentic web at scale." The idea is to hand over the reins to Copilot and let the AI agents take over repetitive, costly tasks. Here are some of the most important announcements from this year's Microsoft Build.

Read more