Mark found this the other day. I’ve got screenshots now. If you have CWA installed all you need to do is download and install the client. From a company called Modality Systems. Check more here.
I have some customers testing now. They are able to find contacts in OCS, can do Multiple IM conversations at once (see middle screen), you can also manage your presence status and control multiple channels of communications. Nice to see other clients for OCS.
The RC milestone has been reached and made available for your evaluation as of today. Please download here and kick the tires in a non-production setting.
Some HW prerequisites for the evaluation (Beta specs not updated for RC as of yet):
Processor:
Must be x64 architecture
RAM:
2 Great Ways to collaborate with leading Universities around OCS adoption.
I) Indiana University is allowing other Universities and School districts to federate with them.
2 ways to Federate with Indiana University:
1) Join this .edu OCS federation registry: https://accountmgmt.exchange.iu.edu/OCSEduRegistry/
2) Email us directly at ocsadmin@iu.edu.
Indiana's documentation on the topic: http://kb.iu.edu/data/axey.html
II) Vanderbilt UC List Serv
List name: HigherEdUC@list.vanderbilt.edu
How Educators can subscribe to the list (please note this is for Education institutions not vendors):
How to unsubscribe from the list:
collaborate and share best practices!!
You can surf it from your Windows Mobile phone at www.getcomo.com
Some new features of the latest CoMo client:
Windows Mobile 6.5+ today screen integration:
Faster login:
With Windows Mobile 6.5+, there is a ‘Call via Work’ feature on the Phone Dialer to hide your cell phone number with Single Number Reach where OCS will call the number in your contact list and call you back using your corporate number (e.g. they will see ‘Microsoft Corporation’ calling them vs. my private cell number).
The number one feature I love in this release. ‘Join Conference’ to join an OCS audio conference right from your meeting request! This new feature is worth the upgrade alone:
Auto answer for OCS callbacks:
Other fixes:
Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 now recognizes when the phone is roaming, and by default does not sign in to roaming networks.
It’s out!!! So many of you have asked about it’s availability. It’s here as of today. No more WebDAV. Entourage now uses Exchange Web Services. This will provide our academic customers with Macs a better Exchange experience.
Some highlights:
Enhanced Autodiscover service to easily configure account and automatically keep settings up to date.
Download here.
This was something I came across for customers who are buying non-certified UC endpoints since this has been a popular direction in Education:
What does it mean to for a voice endpoint to be certified for OCS 2007?
The OCS Voice endpoint needs to have the logo above for it to be certified for OCS 2007.
This is an excerpt from the UC product team:
Where are the certified OCS devices listed?
As part of a customer's OCS voice deployment, Microsoft recommends telephony devices that carry the "Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator" designation. Microsoft has certified these devices for use with Microsoft Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office Communicator. Certified devices offer plug-and-play installation, seamlessly integrate with Office Communicator, and support wideband audio to deliver an optimal end user communications experience. The current list of certified devices can be found at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ocs/bb970310.aspx
How do non-certified devices work with OCS?
We understand that some IP phone vendors are offering IP phones that are advertised as working with Office Communications Server as native endpoints. This is possible because Microsoft has published the open-standards-based interoperability specifications for Office Communications Server and Office Communicator as a part of the Office Protocol Documentation found here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc307282.aspx
Any IP phone advertising OCS compatibility that is not listed at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ocs/bb970310.aspx is not a certified device. Because these IP phones have not gone through the certification process, Microsoft takes no position on the level of compatibility that these phones offer with OCS. Non-certified IP phones are neither guaranteed nor supported by Microsoft to work with Office Communications Server or Office Communicator. Further, they may not offer the benefits of plug-and-play, wideband audio and tight hardware/software integration of certified devices.
What should I be aware of with Non-certified Voice Endpoints?
Microsoft recommends the purchase of certified devices. Microsoft cannot offer any support or assurances as to the compatibility of non-certified devices with Office Communications Server. Ultimately, it is a decision between the customer and the vendor whether to utilize non-certified devices. Microsoft cannot participate in this process in any way beyond what is outlined above.
What else should I consider?
Current and Office Communications Server Future Feature Support
- Upgrade path and compatibility with future releases of Office Communications Server
- Unified Messaging
- Voice Mail integration
- Multi-party ad-hoc conferencing
- Desktop integration
User Support
- PIN based provisioning
- Remote-troubleshooting
- Device manageability
Telephony Services
- E911
- Call Parking
- Malicious Call Trace