Check out this video posted on youtube.com that shows a tester from the web site Qusers.com watching his Tivo content streaming over the Internet via his Slingbox to a Motorola Q smartphone connected to Verizon's EVDO service. Pretty cool!
June 2006 Archives
It seems that as soon as I posted my "first take"on the eMachines T6532 PC, the company refreshed their product line and introduced a new "high-end" model, the T6536, and in keeping with their big bang value for the bucks strategy, this replacement is even a better value.
The main difference with the T6536 is the processor has been upgraded to the AMD Athlon 3800+ (from the T6532's 3500+ processor), and the hard drive has been upgraded to 250 GB (from the T6532's 200 GB drive). Looks like all the other components are the same, and the price is even $10 lower at $539 (after a $50 mail-in rebate.)
Ayalogic, an Akron, Ohio-based, privately held business communications software company founded in 2002, just received a vote of confidence by its investors with the announcement of an additional $1.25 million, on top of the original Series A investment of $2M in October 2004. Most of the additional investment came from current Ayalogic investors, including Early Stage Partners LP of Cleveland, and Draper Triangle Venture LP. Both contributed about $500,000 each, and Northeast Ohio’s own non-profit venture development group, JumpStart Inc., added $168,500 to the investment. The company appears to be meeting a number of benchmarks for actual deployments and customer acquisition.
Ayalogic sells Qmunicate™, a SIP and presence-powered business communications solution, that helps transform the way users interact across their professional relationships. Continue Reading...
An announcement from Avaya highlights how important third-party applications developers have become in terms of adding new value and functionality to IP phones and other IP-PBX equipmen -- in this particular case for Avaya's new one-X Desktop edition IP phones.
In this latest release, a number of companies in Avaya's DeveloperConnection program were singled out, including Citrix, CalAMP, and Millenigence.
Here's the release copy:
In this latest release, a number of companies in Avaya's DeveloperConnection program were singled out, including Citrix, CalAMP, and Millenigence.
Here's the release copy:
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Members of the Avaya (NYSE: AV - News) DeveloperConnection program are bringing to life applications for the new Avaya one-X(TM) Deskphone Edition IP Phones. The applications, which take full advantage of the phones' simplicity and flexible functionality, include time reporting, automated conference call reminders, integrated corporate directory access with contact search and solutions designed specifically for education and healthcare environments.Continue Reading...
Innovative enterprise applications from third-party developers and Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, will play a central role in expanding and redefining the role of the deskphone. Accessing these applications directly from the phone's simplified user interface opens a new world of real-time, intelligent communications; increases productivity, and maximizes the benefits of an IP solution.
The new line of Avaya one-X Deskphone Edition IP Phones, which were introduced today, optimizes applications to help make deskphones as easy to navigate as a cell phone, as expandable as a personal computer, and as functional as both. Easy-to-access features, wide band audio and a flexible platform enable businesses to meet specific workplace and technological needs.
Citrix, CalAMP and Millenigence are three DeveloperConnection member companies that have already developed applications for the new phones.
Lately, I've been on the hunt for a cheap, yet meaty, workhorse PC that could serve as a replacement for a couple of aging PCs at home and work -- a PC that has the chops to do everyday multitasking, can double as a media PC, and has some upgrade options in case I wanted to tinker (like add more graphics umph, etc.). I'm willing to reuse monitors, possibly speakers and keyboards, so this would also keep the price down.
My research took me to all the likely suspects: Dell, Gateway, HP, etc., and to many other second tier vendors: then I stumbled on eMachines -- the in-store brand that CompuUSA, Circuit City and Best Buy stocks (and, fyi, that is also owned by Gateway), and I came away very impressed by the package:
The T6532 is currently on sale for $549 at CompUSA (with a $50 rebate), and includes what might be the best value out there for the money (if you know of a better deal, please -- I'm all ears!) Notable features include AMD Athlon 64 3500+processor, 1 Gb SDRAM, 200 Gb 7200 RPM HD, double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Windows XP Media Edition, nVidia® GeForce® 6100 graphics, and 9-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader (no floppy drive), and 5 USB 2.0 ports. For upgrades, there a freePCI Express x16 slot open for a graphics card, and 2 DIMM slots open for more memory.
Here are the PC's full specs:
Processor Brand: AMD
Processor Class: Athlon 64
Processor Number: 3500+
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Bus Speed: 2.0 GHz
L2 Cache Size: 512 KB
Memory Speed: PC-3200 (400MHz)
Memory Technology: DDR-SDRAM
Installed Memory: 1 GB
Maximum Memory: 4 GB
Memory Slots Total: 4
Memory Slots Available: 2
Hard Drive Capacity: 200 GB
Drive Controllers: IDE (Ultra ATA/DMA)
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Optical Drives: Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive:
Create a Double Layer DVD+R at a maximum 4X Write speed
Create a DVD-R at a maximum 16X Write speed or a maximum 6X Rewrite speed
Create a DVD+R at a maximum 16X Write speed or a maximum 8X Rewrite speed
Play a DVD at a maximum 16X Read speed
Create a CD-Rom at a maximum 40X Write speed
Create a CD-RW at a maximum 24X Rewrite speed
Play a CD-Rom at a maximum 40X Read speed
Card Slots: 1 x CompactFlash Card
1 x MicroDrive
1 x Memory Stick
1 x Memory Stick Pro
1 x SmartMedia Card
1 x Secure Digital(SD)/MMC
1 x xD-Picture Card
Sound Support: 6 Channel Premium Audio
Video Chipset Brand: NVIDIA
Video Chipset: GeForce 6100
Video Bus: PCI Express x16
Video Integration: Motherboard
Shared Video RAM (Max): 128 MB
Monitor Included: No
Port Connectors: 5 x USB 2.0 (1 in Digital Media Reader, 4 in back)
1 x VGA External Connector
1 x Parallel
2 x PS/2 (Keyboard and Mouse)
1 x RJ-11 Modem
1 x RJ-45 Ethernet LAN
5 x Audio (2 in front, 3 in back)
PCI Slots: 2
PCI Express x1 Slots: 1
PCI Express x16 Slots: 1
Slots Notes: 1 PCI, 1 PCI Express x16 and 1 PCI Express x1 open
Additional Drives: DL DVD+/-RW
Expansion Bays: 4 x 3.5-inch and 2 x 5.25-inch total
2 x 3.5-inch and 1 x 5.25-inch available
Network Support: Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)
Modem Speed: 56 Kbps
Input Devices: Keyboard
2 Button Wheel Mouse
Installed Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Microsoft Vista Capable: Yes
Included Software: Productivity Software:
Microsoft® Works 8.5
Microsoft® Money 2006
Microsoft® Encarta Online
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7
Digital Media Software:
CyberLink® PowerDVD™ (DVD Play)
CyberLink® Power2Go™ (DVD Burn)
Microsoft® Windows Media Player 10
RealNetworks RealPlayer®
Quicktime
eMachines Internet Security Bundle:
McAfee® Internet Security Suite™ (90-day complimentary subscription)
eMachines BigFix® –identifies and resolves problems that affect the system before they occur
In the Box: Hardware Items:
Premium Multimedia Keyboard
PS/2 2-Button Wheel Mouse
Amplified Stereo Speakers
Power Cord
Modem Cable
Operating System Recovery CD/DVD
Documentation:
Setup Poster
Getting Started Guide
Non-Microsoft EULA
Registration / Limited Warranty Card
COA Label for Microsoft® Installed Software
Online Documentation:
User’s Guide
eMachines Limited Warranty and EULA
Chassis Style: Tower (Mini)
Height: 14.3 in
Width: 7.3 in
Depth: 16.0 in
Weight: 22.5 lbs
Limited Warranty: 1 Year (12 Months)
Word has it that Mitel Networks is deep into their required quiet period in anticipation of an upcoming IPO. This will mark the second time the company has gone public (founder and uber-entrepreneur Terry Matthews took the company private again after it first became public.)
After going private, the company transformed itself from a vendor of legacy/digital TDM-based phone equipment to an IP Communications solutions company -- supposedly 98% of the stuff that goes out the door to customers now is IP-based phone gear and software.
My sense is that the timing is right for this second IPO -- with a completely revamped, IP-based product line, large and loyal installed base, strong distribution channels, and mushrooming demand for IP-PBXs from the enterprise marketplace, this could make for a strong showing that helps, in part, to offset the VoIP market jitters that the Vonage IPO has generated.
Continue Reading...According to TeleGeography's comprehensive new U.S. VoIP 2006 study, VoIP service providers have a lot to cheer about, while incumbent RBOCs won't be celebrating any time soon.
According to the study, the market is changing at a stunning pace: in the first quarter of 2006, US RBOCs lost about 150,000 fixed lines per week, while VoIP based service providers gained about 100,000 subscribers each week.
For more information about this great resource, contact Stephen Beckert at TeleGeography at 202-741-0042, or email info@telegeography.com.
Here are some nuggets from the Executive Summary of the study:
In the four years since Voice-over-IP pioneer Vonage introduced its service, consumer VoIP has developed from a niche service aimed at price conscious technophiles into a mainstream challenge to incumbent carriers. The number of VoIP subscribers grew 189 percent in 2005, from 1.9 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2005 to 5.5 million by Q1 2006.Continue Reading...
Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I hate waiting 3 or 4 months for my Mind Share 2.0 columns from Internet Telephony magazine to appear online on TMCnet.com, so I've decided to give my blog readers a little treat -- I'm going to post my July column here so you can get a sneak peek at it. I look forward to your comments.
An IP communications specialist’s idea of nirvana might be a place where all networks, all systems and devices, and all applications are completely IP-based - where the pure waters of IP course through the land, nourishing all manner of rich multimedia, multimodal, and multipurpose services and applications.Continue Reading...
Of course, nirvana is still a dream, and the land of IP is still a work in progress. A number of direct IP and SIP peering initiatives point the way to a world where legacy TDM network infrastructures are a thing of the past, and where conversions from TDM to IP and back again are the thing of nursery rhymes.
The reality, obviously, is that we’re living in a mashed up world, where both legacy and new must coexist with each other for some time, and we must find innovative ways to disrupt the status quo and deliver the next great killer app. It may come as a surprise, but this state of coexistence - the crossroads if you will where the Internet and Web, corporate LANs, PSTN and wireless voice and data networks meet -- is actually proving to be a great fertile ground that is spawning a host of new, innovative companies, technologies, products and services.
I’m thinking of companies like EQO, Iotum, FruCall, and Tello - companies that have come up with products or services that not only bridge the old with the new, but also innovate brand new capabilities that make communications more manageable, more efficient and more informative.
M5 Networks -- a young, energetic hosted IP-PBX service provider based in New York City, just announced that it will be providing service for reporters covering President Bush's keynote address at the commencement exercises for the graduating class of 2006 at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on June 19. Apparently, this marks the first visit to the institution by a sitting president.
In order to assist the press corps reporting on this event, the Academy is working with M5 to quickly and rapidly deploy 150 secure VoIP phone lines and Cisco IP phones for use by members of the media in attendance.
Perhaps while the President is there, he'll check out the setup and pass along a good word to the directors of the Dept. Continue Reading...
Here's some breaking news from Frucall, the free phone-based comparison shopping service I wrote about recently, that has just announced an agreement with Yahoo! that allows them to tap into Yahoo!'s shopping inventory, allowing users to listen to prices coming from the Yahoo! Shopping price comparison engine on their cell phones.
Shoppers who are not at a computer can call 1-888-DO-FRUCALL (888-378-7467) and type in or read the product's barcode number. Frucall will search the product on both Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon, and will give users the three best advertised prices. Shoppers use a voice menu to “bookmark” items, leave themselves voice notes for later reference, listen to customer ratings, and soon purchase the product from an online vendor. Shoppers can register at Frucall to personalize their Frucall experience and also access more valuable features. Continue Reading...
Matrixstream just released a new IMX4000 standard definition WM9 / H.264 encoder, which apparently completes the company's end-to-end VOD / IPTV platform, giving it everything from software, set top boxes, servers, to encoders. This creates a path for its complete end-to-end 1080P H.264 high def IPTV platform, and should juice interest in its IMX1020 1080P H.264 set top box (available for order on June 30th) and whet operators' appetite for the high-def IMX4500 encoder (available sometime in the 4th quarter 2006.)
You can try out out the company's new XMS-based PC Player -- with fullscreen 1080P instant playing, fast forward, rewind, and seek functions -- which will run over any best effort broadband connection with no quality of service required.
Here's the skinny on download instructions, features, and required PC configuration and bandwidth:
(1) Download the latest pre-beta VOD / IPTV PC Player at www.movie99.tvContinue Reading...
(2) Unzip PC player
(3) Install it
(4) run program and enter your username, password, and website name found in an e-mail in your inbox
(5) click on either VOD or IPTV and enjoy!
Matrixstream xms streaming key features:
1. True streaming server, not progressive download over 1.5mbps+ broadband. You can ff/rw/seek to any point of the video.
2.
Outsmart Telecom touts its new IMS platform as being able to mediate between IMS and legacy networks, thereby allowing service providers to maintain service continuity and offer IMS and legacy services on both networks - certainly a handy capability as a full migration to an IMS network infrastructure will take several years to happen.
As Outsmart tells it, service providers are faced with a number of challenges as to how to best provide new IMS services to users without a complete restructuring of their current network infrastructure, including:
* Introducing new IMS services to current legacy customers
* Allowing existing IN services to be used by IMS customers
* Guaranteeing IMS users service continuity while roaming between different coverage areas
Outsmart is releasing in the coming days an IMS platform that allows for not only voice call continuity over different coverage areas, but also service continuity. Built on three products, the platform mediates between IMS and legacy networks, allowing operators to maintain service continuity with the transition to new IMS network, and offer IMS and legacy services on both networks. Additionally, the platform ensures seamless handoff of calls between coverage areas.
Other news from Outsmart is a new global reseller agreement, in which Siemens AG will incorporate Outsmart's Mobility Management Application Server (MM-AS) into its IMS solution.
Continue Reading...
Seems like the back and forth regulatory tug of war involving the FCC and VoIP service providers has entered yet another round.
According to a report by Paula Musich of PCmag.com, the FCC is once again weighing to tax VoIP services to the tune of 10.9 percent of 65 percent of revenues in order to line the coffers of the Universal Service Fund -- an archaic regulatory remnant designed to protect rural America from the old Bell System monopoly. The fund apparently brings in around $7 billion a year from interstate and international calls and is designed to subsidize the cost of providing phone service to poor and rural subscribers.
Apparently, this move by the FCC is designed to help offset a projected loss of $350 million in the fund due to the coming August exemption for DSL and broadband Internet services.
I expect VoIP providers to continue to wage war over this, and to take strong issue with the suggested contribution percentages...but at some point I believe a deal will inevitably be reached that will require VoIP service providers to ante up something to the fund (unless of course some arrangement can be reached to make this fund go away -- an idea that has been mulled over in the past.)
This will of course mean that the rock bottom, flat rate VoIP calling packages we have come to expect (and love) may be coming to an end.
For Vonage, this news just adds more pressure on their stock price -- so if you were thinking about buying in to take advantage of the current discount, I'd probably wait to see how this plays out. I fear the company's stock price may still go lower before it eventually recovers... Continue Reading...
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