While many people regard the phone as more of an emergency tool than anything else, some phones, such as VoIP-500 series from Talk-A-Phone (News - Alert), are specifically meant to be just that. Yesterday, it was revealed that they got a shot of utility by bringing in OnSSI's Ocularis platform to make them not only voice transmission devices, but also video transmission to help provide that bit of extra information for those receiving, and thus responding to, the call in question.

The integration of the OnSSI Ocularis system with Talk-A-Phone's VoIP-500 phones allows its users to actually see a telephone distress call as it's happening from the VoIP-500. When a distress call occurs, the VoIP-500 can send what's called a "generic event" over an ASCII output to the OnSSI Ocularis. The Ocularis can then link up with nearby cameras to present a video of what's going on in the immediate area of the call, as well as an event list to log the event and allow for later viewing. The Ocularis can even allow for the viewing of related, archived, video.

OnSSI's President and CTO, Gadi Piran, described the partnership and the benefits it will have for customers, saying, "The open architecture of Ocularis expands IP functionality based on intelligent management of standardized inputs, and our integration with Talk-A-Phone and similar communication systems demonstrates real benefits to our customers."

Chairman and CEO for Talk-A-Phone Co., Samuel Shanes, rang a note of assent by saying, "Talk-A-Phone and OnSSI offer complementary products in the same market verticals. This partnership is a natural fit for both companies and will offer tangible benefits to our shared client base."

Indeed, the ability to have "eyes on" an emergency event is priceless for emergency responders, who require the most information possible before responding to an event. Being able to respond is obviously crucial, but being able to respond correctly is even more so. The extra information that Ocularis provides gives responders the best chance of being able to not only respond, but respond correctly, with a package that provides the most necessary response, be it medical or otherwise.

The combination of Talk-A-Phone and Ocularis allows those responders to get that extra information, and improve the chances that they will make the correct response in time of emergency.

In other related news, another big contender in the VoIP arena, Patton (News - Alert) Electronics, continues to provide best-of-breed products and solutions – ranging from VoIP routers to gateways to ruggedized Ethernet Extenders. Patton’s award-winning solutions have remained indispensable in today’s age to provide users with optimum efficiency, productivity and performance. The company also continues to enjoy its successful stride after revealing that its SmartNode Product line has been made certified with Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.