Recently in VoIP Category

I thought I'd seen it all. But then a friend of mine told me about a unique "half-suit" called the Businessbib created by Tucson-based designers Brad Denboer and Jeff Adkins. Their company, Klosk, operates under the philosophy that many everyday "objects can be re-invented."

If you're looking for a special something for a friend or family member who enjoys being a talking head during videoconferences, this just might be the perfect gift!

According to the designers, "the Businessbib allows you to look perfectly put-together in a fraction of the time it takes to boot your computer. You can work from home in your underwear while presenting a polished appearance to the people that matter most. Using a simple abbreviated design of the traditional business suit eliminates the time and effort that goes into primping for more formal meetings. It frees your time and allows you to continue uninterrupted with your casual lifestyle.

In a word, the Businessbib is a halfsuit. Each sturdily stitched ensemble is stylishly appointed and hand made from recycled materials. No two Businessbibs are the same. In fact, each one is christened with it’s own name based on it’s overall aesthetic. With its split back Velcro-sealed design, the short-sleeved Businessbib can easily be worn and removed with comfort and ease. Just slip it on over your tee shirt and shorts- no one will ever be the wiser. Appearing to others in your video domain to be fully prepared for the business at hand with little to no preparation may soon be considered the most important freedom of all."

In an effort to compete with Wal-Mart and other retailers, electronics retailer Circuit City has announced that it is offering a $99 Compaq laptop for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. According to a copy of the Circuit City flyer posted on the bargain-hunting site Black Friday 2006, Circuit City is selling a Compaq notebook for $299 after instant and mail-in rebates, or $99 with rebates and a 12-month subscription to Vonage.

The laptop comes with an Intel Celeron processor, 512MB of memory, a 15.4-inch screen and a 60GB hard drive.

According to a posting on Slashdot, the Web celebrated it's 16th anniversary yesterday. According to W3.org, the first Web page was "http://nxoc01.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html" -- but alas, the site is no longer active. For those of you interested in the history of the Web, the W3 has a neat timelime of Web milestones.

SoliCall, a privately-held company, has developed new, real-time software that's designed to reduce background noises -- like screaming kids, barking dogs, weed wackers and lawn mowers --  during PC-based VoIP calls, based on personalized algorithms. The software is supposedly patent-pending, and promises to improve both the incoming and outgoing audio streams.

The SoliCall software is free, and according to company sources works with all the major softphones, including Skype, Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, and Google Talk.

The latest version of the software also includes an option for the users to see live graphs of the incoming and outgoing audio before & after SoliCall’s filtering to demonstrate the differences between the original audio and the new audio.

After a short installation process, the user can improve the noise reduction ability by recording a sample of his or her voice. This will allow SoliCall to recognize parameters of the speaker’s voice. The software can be turned off at any time, if the user wants the other party to hear the background noise.

Finally, another feature enables users to record their calls in MP3 or wav file formats.

Global IP Sound (GIPS) is making a GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile Lite software platform available for free to the GIPS Developer Community.

Based on the VoiceEngine Mobile platform, VoiceEngine Mobile Lite includes some components of the core GIPS technology used by many leading VoIP solutions providers including Skype, Tencent, and Inter-tel. With VoiceEngine Mobile Lite, developers can implement GIPS codecs as well as NetEQ, an advanced jitter buffer and packet loss concealment module, without having to license the solution. GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile Lite today supports Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5.0 and 5.0 Smartphone devices with real-time performance Wi-Fi.

GIPS is partnering with a number of companies to offer additional mobile VoIP development tools. For example, members of GIPS' Developer Community can access Googles' Libjingle application for mobile phones. VoiceEngine Mobile Lite is also interoperable with Google Talk's peer-to-peer and voice calling capabilities.

The company's Developer Community web site currently features software, demo applications, and an online forum for members to provide peer-to-peer development support, discuss ideas for products, and chat about VoIP and related technologies. Developer Community members also have access to VoIP test tools and a video tutorial.

To register, visit http://developer.globalipsound.com.

All self-respecting geeks know about the great value and selection of tech products that are available at newegg.com -- the site is a bonanza for deals, especially if you're a DIY (Do It Yourself) type of person. I've bought countless gizmos, cables and adapters, printers, and other essential and just plain cool tech items from them for years, and I think they have the best and deepest selection in many hard-to find-categories. The site is also a treasure trove for customer ratings, feedback and tips relating to the products in stock.

After checking the latest deals, I came across some great VoIP Open-Box specials (products that have been opened or returned but work just fine) -- specifically the NETGEAR SPH101 Skype WiFi Phone, on sale for $209.99 -- a savings of about $100.

Get 'em while you can!

Snom recently demonstrated compatibility with it's SIP-compliant IP phones and Microsoft's Exchange Server 2007.  What do users gain? Simply, users can access Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 services and hear messages with the touch of a key on a snom phone. The automatic speech recognition function lets users remotely control all features, and provides users with the ability to listen to e-mails, journal entries, contact data, and calendar entries through the snom phone.

Om Malik has built up quite a little blog empire, and for good reason: he consistently comes up with timely and interesting posts.

One such post back in September caught me eye, as it is an explanation, in large part, as to why Vonage and other "third-party" broadband VoIP service providers are having such a tough slog in the consumer marketplace (exempting Skype and other PC-based IM/Web telephony services).

According to Cable Data News, and reported by Om, North American cable operators (including those from North of the border) are signing up nearly 11,000 customers a day, and now have close to 4.7 million subscribers. Other notable stats include losses at AT&T of 426,000 lines due to this migration to broadband VoIP service.

In an effort to serve up information about new gizmos entering the rapidly expanding Skype product ecosystem, the company has created a new blog called Skype Gear, dedicated exclusively to the world of Skype-related hardware.

A cursory look at the site reveals some useful news, comments, reviews and behind-the-scenes information related to some of the more interesting Skype gadgets, including the new Belkin WiFi Skype Phone, the cordless Philips VOIP841, and NetGear's SPH101 WiFi phone.

According to a new study from Insight Research entitled “IP-Based Application Services Market 2006-2011" a wide array of new Internet-enabled communications services geared to the needs of consumers is expected to generate nearly $265 billion for phone companies and other telecommunications carriers worldwide over the next five years.

These new Internet-enabled services include residential video telephony; fixed-mobile convergence; file sharing services; streaming services; location-based services; and presence-based services.

What's more, the study notes that wireless and mobile telecommunications carriers seem to be making the most headway when it comes to offering these new services, mainly because they tend to have greatest amount of control over the content in their networks as well as more flexible billing platforms. Wireline carriers expect operational and infrastructure savings by deploying the new IP-based services, and are initially choosing to rollout the new services as an overlay on their existing network.

For more info, including an excerpt, table of contents, and ordering information, go to: http://www.insight-corp.com/reports/ipapps06.asp.