The Ipevo Xing is Ipevo's large form factor speakerphone, aimed squarely at the small business user. It certainly has the X-factor in terms of visual appeal, but how does it measure up in use?

Out of the box 

The Xing is a neat and compact package, and its clear that Ipevo have thought long and hard about the aesthetics, even down to the cool white USB cable which matches the design of the phone. The green and white theme gives it a fresh, clean look which is obviously designed to fit into a funky corporate atmosphere.

Setup

Setup is a doddle; the supplied CD installs the driver and a small program which manages the software. It does add another icon into my system tray which is a bit of a pain as there's no way to remove it apart from through the system tray options, but other than that the software sits quietly in the background. The usual pop-up comes up from Skype asking you if it's ok to let the Xing talk to Skype, and provided you agree you're in business.

The buttons on the arm of the phone control volume, as well as allowing you to pick up or end a call. The green button brings up Skype and then toggles between the contacts, history and dialling tabs.

In use

As soon as a call is placed, a green ring lights up round the phone. I think it's a classic design twist from Ipevo, and really does make the phone look special. Again, it emphasises the coherent design aesthetic that Ipevo have achieved with this phone.

Call quality was sharp with no noticeable distortion even when running on my ancient, steam-powered laptop.

Conclusion

The Xing is a great example of technology kept simple, both in design and in use. Whilst Polycom's Voicestation 500 undoubtedly packs in more features (such as the ability to plug the landline in and to pair with mobile phones and Skype via Bluetooth), for many business and indeed personal users the Xing does exactly what you need it to do: handle Skype calls easily and efficiently, and look 100% the business sitting on the desk of your chi-chi SoHo design agency.

For more info on the Xing, check out excellent reviews here, or purchase directly from Ipevo for $129.99 for one or $239.99 for two.