First of all, here’s the link to the official Z-340 website:
Z-340 - ZVRS
Secondly, I don’t have a relationship with Z-VRS, or any other relay company for that matter. I do know quite a bit of people working in Z-VRS, though.
I just got this unit in the past week. Turns out that it’s an ‘InPerson’ videophone produced and marketed by Creative Technology. At first blush, the build and feel of the unit seems to be excellent. I love the form factor! The unit is small and portable. The carrying case seems to be a little bit too ’snug’ if you include the unit with its battery. Battery life seems to be quite good, although I really haven’t put it thru its paces yet. The unit folds; protecting its screen.
The video quality, while clear, is on par with ‘webcam quality’, and the interface seems to be somewhat intuitive. The camera’s angle of view can be adjusted. If one desires, this unit can be hooked up to a TV via A/V cables. In addition to Wi-Fi, the unit can be hooked up via Ethernet. There is a numeric keypad, a top row of color-coded navigational buttons, a navigational keypad, and a couple of other buttons. “Installation” of the videophone was quick and sweet, lasting 10 minutes. The videophone, thanks to its SIP protocol, easily connects to the Internet. It was definitely nice to have my own 10-digit phone number! No more proxy numbers.
Here’s the links to two high-resolution images of the Z-340;
http://ll.51f.us/images/Z340.jpg
http://ll.51f.us/images/Z340_back.jpg
I have used it a few times, but was disappointed in the performance of my DSL line. My video output was blurry; however incoming video was nicely rendered. I liked the fact that I could update my address book, info, etc. via the web interface at Z-VRS’s website. An upgrade to cable internet service is definitely in the cards for me!
There are two shortcomings to the Z-340, though. One, it has a limited keyboard. It doesn’t have a web-browser built-in. It means that you can’t ‘activate’ Wi-Fi hotspots at business establishments such as Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles, Panera Bread, etc. quite easily. You would have to ask the manager/clerk for the actual network numbers to access the Wi-Fi hotspots. According to my installer, he has had no problem in securing Wi-Fi access at these places, but your mileage may vary.
Secondly, it has no flasher unit. I have no way of telling if someone’s calling me, unless I happen to be looking at the unit while someone’s calling. However, the unit will alert you that there’s a missed call (or two!) and has a call history feature. According to Z-VRS’s website, they have this service called ‘Z-Alert’, which will send you a message on your messaging pager if someone’s calling you. I haven’t signed up for Z-Alert yet, but I suspect that it only works for Z-VRS calls placed to your videophone. Peer to Peer (P2P) calls will not send an alert to your messaging pager via Z-Alert. I would love to be corrected wrong on this one!
I intend to use this Z-340 videophone for my work, and I hope to give a more complete report on the Z-340 in a few months. (I start work in mid-August.) Overall, this is a nice unit, despite its shortcomings, and one I expect will easily serve my needs at work.
