Norstar Phone Systems and Meridian Phones

Back to telecom blogging after a long absense!

2009-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

I started this blog to discuss telephone system products and services that could be of use to small to medium businesses. At the time I incepted this blog I was strictly writing about Norstar and Meridian phones, Norstar telephone headsets, voicemail, conference units, and just about any other interesting accessories that would compliment these system platforms.

Years go by and I find myself back in the position of webmaster for our international wholesale telecom company and things sure have changed. VoIP is no longer the future, it is the mainstream now and we not only carry the Nortel Norstar and Meridian lines, we are fully involved with the Avaya IP Office VoIP platform (systems, expansion modules and cards, digital phone lines and VoIP phones, etc.) along with the Avaya Definity PBX Circuit Packs and phones as well.

Our on hold messages division has been transformed and revitalized - we now offer the latest USB key flash memory players, along with Internet uploading units, and much more. In other words, we can produce an on hold message and email the file directly to our clients so they can quickly upload the message production from their computer. The latest technological gains translates into convenience for all!

Our hotel phones division is still a worldwide leader in Internet based wholesale room phone sales - we can ship to virtually any hotel or motel worldwide. Also our Canadian telecom website for our business customers in Canada was added a couple of years ago.

In the coming weeks and months I will be discussing some of the latest developments in business telephone products and equipment so stay tuned. Oh, and by the way - it's good to be back!

Cheers! ;-)

A Telecom Special for the GTA - Get a new Phone System!

2006-11-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

If you're in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area, Canada, eh?), Telephone Magic's running a special promotion for phone systems.

If you purchase or lease a new Norstar CICS Digital Phone System with voicemail and 4 T7316e phones, you'll receive a free USB digital message on-hold announcer and a professional generic message production!

The cost of this on a lease is $66 / month (O.A.C., plus taxes, first and last in advance, buy-out at end of term - installation extra).

This is a limited time offer, so call Jim Mucciarone at 905-356-9199 x 3006 for more details.

Norstar Poker

2006-06-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 9570111

Headsets for Nortel Meridian Norstar Phones

2006-02-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a huge development in the history of Telephone Magic's website.

You see, because our prices fluctuate often - sometimes daily - and depend on the volume of product purchased, management felt that it wouldn't be in our customers' best interest to post a single fixed price on the website.

However, I've bugged them for a while and am pleased to announce the introduction of pricing on the website. It's a first - and I'm pretty proud of it.

We're doing a test in the phone headset section as a trial to see how it goes. In other words, does adding pricing make it easier for people to make a decision about buying from us? Does it reduce the friction in the purchasing process? Or does it encourage tire-kicking?

I don't know the results yet, but prices are here at least.

The biggest difference though is we have stated a maximum price. In other words, the price shown on the website is the most you would pay if you ordered a single unit. If you were to order more than one headset, or combine it with a telephone purchase, the price would likely drop a bit. That's why it's only a maximum price.

That way, we can still offer the best prices possible to our customers while making sure we don't overcharge for items that we get special manufacturer pricing on.

What a deal! I hope you visit what we consider one of the Internet's leading telecommunications product websites today. Thanks!

Visit www.TelephoneMagic.com for all your business telecom requirements.

Polycom SoundStation 2W Shipments Stopped

2006-02-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Polycom has announced that for the present time, shipments of the popular SoundStation 2W wireless conference phone are on hold due to a potential issue with battery safety.

This situation only affects the SoundStation 2W as other Polycom products use a different battery pack.

If you HAVE a SoundStation 2W, you can still use it safely if you remove the battery and use the AC adapter instead.

Keep the battery and store it in a safe place. Polycom will be issuing further instructions soon. They say their next information update on this situation will be no later than February 10, 2006.

Telephone Magic carries other wireless conference phone options from ClearOne (ClearOne Max & ClearOne MaxAttach).

2005-10-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it (like 99% of the rest of the world), Nortel Networks re-branded their popular CallPilot Voicemail systems. This re-branding took place on May 1, 2005 and was widely missed by pretty much everyone.

There have been no changes to the product, its functionality, looks or anything else like that. Just the name.

Are you ready for the big change? Here it is:

CallPilot 100 is now Nortel Messaging 100

CallPilot 150 is now Nortel Messaging 150

Very exciting changes that we thought we'd mention.

Of course, to keep things interesting, Nortel Networks has another CallPilot product, which is a unified messaging solution for large enterprise systems and has NOTHING TO DO with the Nortel Integrated Communications System platforms.

In case you're wondering, we still call these products by the "CallPilot" moniker as it's still the way the rest of the world knows them.

2005-10-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Poker seems to be the hottest thing around lately, so please excuse our indulgence...

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Registration code: 8424740

2005-10-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a unified messaging solution for your Nortel Integrated Communications business phone system, here's a new solution for you to consider.

The DuVoice DV4 or DV2000 series unified messaging solution has the power to consolidate your voicemail, fax and e-mail communications and send them all to e-mail.

The DV4 is scalable to 8 ports and the DV2000 is scalable to 48 ports for enterprise applications. Both systems can function as standalone voicemail systems, or you can choose to have voicemails forwarded as attachments to e-mail (leaving a copy on the system). The neat thing is once you've heard a voice message by e-mail, you can respond to the e-mail message telling it to delete the message on the server, so you don't tie up server resources.

The DV4 and DV2000 can integrate with the Norstar Modular Integrated Communications System as well as the Compact Integrated Communications System. The Nortel BCM units feature built-in unified messaging solutions so you don't need the DuVoice system for that.

For more information, call us or visit the website. Thanks!

2005-10-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

The M7310 Busy Lamp Field (BLF) module is a great tool. However, Nortel M7310 users need to be aware that the BLF module doesn't work on all generations of ICS software.

The BLF module only works on KSU software versions 6.0 and LOWER. It will NOT work on versions 6.1 or 7.0.

This problem is also evident on older M7310 phones (1st generation), where adjusting the contrast on the BLF will only show 4 levels of adjustment versus the NINE levels of adjustment that are available on newer phones.

If your Nortel ICS phone system uses software revision 6.1 or 7.0, you'll need a T7316 phone and a KIM CAP module instead of the M7310 and a BLF module.

Thought you'd all like to know.

2005-06-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Cordless Solutions for Norstar

A lot of people want cordless solutions for the Norstar system.

Well, there are two options that are part of the Nortel product line, and two that can be easily integrated with it.

The first is the Norstar T7406 cordless phone. This phone allows you to have complete desktop-phone function in a mobile solution. You can travel up to 300 feet away from your desk with this unit. The maximum site density for these units is 6 units in a building, so you would require 2 base stations which support 3 handsets each.

The second Nortel option is the Companion cordless phone system. This system works on a system of base stations and remote relaying stations with a group of cordless handsets. While it's been discontinued, we at Telephone Magic are still able to source handsets, batteries, and the occasional replacement base station or remote station.

The new option to replace the Companion phone system is the KIRK Wireless system. While this isn't on our website yet, it's actually the brand that has been chosen to be the Companion phone replacement system as it works in much the same way. The KIRK system originates in Denmark and is widely used in Europe and is making inroads into the North American market, primarily in the hospitality and hospital sectors.

Another choice you have is to install Voyager or EnGenius long range cordless phones. These phones, attached to an analog port (or Norstar Analog Terminal Adapter) allow you to have a long range cordless phone integrated into your Nortel system.

For innovation and convenience, look for Voyager long range cordless phone systems. They feature light handsets, integrated headset jacks and a variety of neat features.

Not to be outdone, EnGenius has recently released their EP-490 and DuraFon 1X systems. The EP-490 is a 4-line long range cordless phone system. The DuraFon 1X is the newest generation single-line long range phone replacing the SN-920, which has been discontinued (although we can still get them new as there's a ton of them out there).

These cordless options vary in cost and complexity but all give you that cordless business phone option that will keep you in touch wherever you are in the office.

2004-10-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Nortel Companion Phone Replacements

As most of you know, Nortel discontinued their Companion wireless phones in 2002. However, we're still able to source this equipment because our suppliers still have stock here and there. If you have a Companion phone system in your office, let us know if you need any help with replacement components. Just request a quote at http://www.telephonemagic.com.

Speaking of Companion phones, the great thing about them was the concept of being able to go from place to place to place within your office with a full-featured phone that tied right into your phone number. We've been looking for a system to replace the Companion phone.

Right now, we're looking at a wireless system from KIRK. With 1,200,000 users worldwide, it looks like a suitable in-office mobile solution. We'll let you know how things go after we've done our own testing of the product.

2004-02-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Free Norstar user guides link:

We are often asked to point someone in the direction of any free Norstar user guides available on the web. We have actually compiled a great list of free manuals, feature cards, and user guides that can assist you to better understand your business telephone system, phones, etc.

Feel free to copy this link to our page full of useful information on Norstar phone system products:

http://www.telephonemagic.com/norstar_programming_manuals.htm

Enjoy and be sure to check back on a regular basis for user tips and some of our readers favorite Norstar features and applications.

2003-12-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

We are happier than ever to be offering North American businesses the Norstar phone and voice mail system platforms. For 15 years, Telephone Magic Inc. (http://www.telephonemagic.com) has been a leading international wholesale distributor of Nortel Meridian Norstar phone systems. The recent additions of the CallPilot voicemail systems and the Norstar VoIP Gateway has created a great deal of excitement among our staff. The CallPilot offers two tremendously cost-effective voice mail systems - the CallPilot 100 and CallPilot 150. These systems are far more robust than their predecesor, the StarTalk Flash. Add the new BST line of Norstar phones, including the very popular T7316, and cap it off with the new Norstar VoIP Gateway, and you have a complete converged solution for existing Norstar customers!