VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Microsoft is putting its touchy-feely side to the test at the Sheraton Hotel.

The software giant recently showed off its new Surface technology at five Sheraton hotels nationwide. The demonstration allowed the public to get a feel for Microsoft's first fully touch-screen computer.

The table-like Surface computer operates entirely through a 30-inch interactive screen, which works along the same lines as Apple's iPhone. But the Surface also recognizes and interacts with objects such as iPods and digital cameras that it comes in contact with, allowing users to edit photos or play music on the spot. The display, which rotates, can also recognize multiple hands or fingers. 

NewsFactor's got more.

American Airlines began offering Internet access on long-haul domestic flights today, making American the first U.S. airline to offer full in-flight broadband, according to a Reuters report.

The world's largest airline said its passengers on Boeing 767-200 aircraft can pay $12.95 for Internet access on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami. 

Airlines have been racing to get reliable Internet access on their flights in hopes of gaining a competitive edge in the troubled airline industry. (And making some money since the cost of fuel is sucking the life out of the industry.)

Other carriers like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have made strides in that direction. (When you charge for everything -- why not?)

Delta said this month it soon will start rolling out broadband Wi-Fi access for its entire domestic mainline fleet of more than 330 planes.

Experts have said they expect in-flight Internet to become common in the industry.

American's mobile broadband service, which is called Gogo, is provided by AirCell. Each Gogo session includes full Internet access. Cell phone and VoIP are not available. (So you can't call the pilots directly ...)

Hillcrest Labs has apparently filed a complaint for patent infringement with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, D.C., and a separate patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, against Nintendo, related to the Wii video game system.

At issue are Hillcrest's U.S. Patent Nos. 7,158,118, 7,262,760, and 7,414,611, which relate to a hand-held 3-D pointing device, and U.S. Patent No. 7,139,983, which relates to a navigation interface display system that graphically organizes content for display on a television.

Since 2001, Hillcrest Labs has pioneered technology that allows consumers to interact with digital media on television using motion-control and pointing techniques. The company holds 29 patents in this area worldwide and has filled for more than 100 related patents.

Let's see how far this one goes. And why didn't they file it when the product first came out -- don't ya think ...

GigaOM has more.

Remember not all that long ago when just about every computer notebook manufacturer was having problems with batteries -- like catching on fire! 

Now we have battery problems with cell phones!  

Apple is blaming a problem its problem with overheating iPods in Japan on faulty batteries.

In response to reports that Japan is investigating incidents of iPod nanos getting hot enough to scorch paper placed nearby, Apple acknowledged that "in very rare cases" first-generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat.

Extremely rare, Apple said it has received reports about less than 0.001% of first-generation iPod nano units acting in this way, and has traced the problem to a single battery supplier. Apple did not name the supplier. 

Lots more at Macworld.

The music has stopped at Muxtape.com, the free, online music site that allows users to create a playlist or mixtape of up to 12 songs and share the list with friends. It was temporarily shutdown as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) flexed its copyright protecting musclea.

The Manhattan-based startup has informed users that it "will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA."

The RIAA has been cracking down on illegal sharing of copyrighted music on the Web for the past few years. Muxtape has previously said that it does not violate any copyright infringement laws because it is not an online service that allows consumers to illegally download music. It only allows users to listen to songs on the site.

In fact, Muxtape recently launched a service that allowed users to buy music they discovered on the site at Amazon.com's music store. However, computer hackers have been finding ways to make unauthorized copies of songs from Muxtape.

More at Crain's New York Business here.

And lots more here!

Who would have figured that Wal-Mart would have become the exclusive retailer for classic rock bands coming back to life?

In the latest news in this area, the king of retailers revealed that the new AC/DC album, Black Ice, will be sold exclusively in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores starting in late October.

The deal is part of a wider strategy for the world's biggest retailer to get exclusive deals to sell CDs. It is the latest album to be sold under such an arrangement, as Wal-Mart got exclusive rights to sell albums by the Eagles and Journey in recent months.

(And don't forget that AC/DC has one of the all-time top selling albums -- can you believe it? Back in Black sold more than 22 million copies!)

The AC/DC deal was made in conjunction with Columbia Records.

The album is the band's first containing all-new material in eight years. It will cost $11.88. The CD will also be available online at the Sam's Club and AC/DC Web sites. 

VoSKY just announced the VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX, a SIP-to-Skype gateway product that bridges the Skype network with SIP-based IP-PBXs and SIP gateways. The VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX enables companies with SIP-enabled PBXs to add Skype trunks for inexpensive calling. This isn't the first SIP-to-Skype gateway, I've written about others here, here, here, and here, however, this is the first "Skype-certified", enterprise-grade PBX-to-Skype gateway for SIP networks.

The new VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX is based on the company's enterprise-grade Linux platform and connects an IP-PBX to Skype to dramatically reduce telecom costs up to 90% over traditional telco trunks according to VoSKY.
 
The VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX integrates with any existing IP-PBX through SIP trunk ports and adds up to 30 lines of Skype. Using aVoSKY Exchange gateway, employees can make and receive Skype calls from their regular office phone - no Skype software, computers, or headsets are required.
 
Further, VoSKY Exchange ensures that all inbound and outbound Skype calls are included in the company's Call Detail Records (CDR), which is important from a managerial perspective. VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX can take advantage of Skype's newly launched Unlimited World plans for ultra low cost international and long distance calls.

VoSKY explains, "Businesses can also enhance their online sales efforts by adding a Skype-powered click-to-call button on their e-commerce site, online support portal, or web banner, as well as expand market presence by adding a local number in any country where global SkypeIn is available." They added, "Furthermore, the VoSKY gateway lets telecommuters and traveling workers connect to the company PBX from wherever they are, allowing them to talk to the office for free or place low cost international calls. To add remote PBX access, companies only need to install a free Skype client on the employee's laptop or smart phone."

Yesterday, Digium released version 1.2 for the Digium Asterisk Appliance 50 (AA50). It's been awhile since I've heard any news about the AA50, so I'm glad to see Digium is still developing for the AA50 even with their new Switchvox-based AA60 appliance offering and their even newer AA300 & AA350 offerings. Actually, I discussed whether Digium's AA60, AA300, and AA350 would compete against their original AA50 Asterisk appliance, which might be worth a read. In a nutshell, I stated that they target different sized businesses. Still, there is some overlap, which is why I'm glad to see Digium is continue to develop for the AA50.

So anyway, what's new in 1.2? First this interesting tidbit for Polycom phone fans: "My Polycom 3XX IP phones display acted funny in the 1.1.x firmware releases. Can I have the original, 1.0.x, behavior back?" To which Digium responds, "Yes. In 1.2, on the Options menu, there's a setting called "Enable Idle Image Display." Turn this setting off, Apply Changes, and reboot your phone."

Also new in 1.2 is support for Internet Explorer 7 and numerous usability improvements in the GUI itself. A new System Status page shows "firmware revision, information about your trunks (Did my VoIP trunks register okay?  Did they fail?), and information about your extensions (what's on your system, and where do they point?)."

One important new feature is on the Trunks page. The pre-configured VoIP service providers are now pulled dynamically from a Digium webservice, instead of being hardcoded into the firmware. Thus, the next time one of the pre-configured providers changes something in their required configuration, Digium can automatically address it without requiring users to download a new AA50 firmware.

Another important new feature is that the Outgoing Calling rules page now allows outbound call pattern matches, in addition to a trunk path, to also be sent to a local destination or out via a fail-over trunk if the primary trunk is unreachable.

All AA50 users that purchased their AA50 and registered their subscription before August 13, 2008 will receive an additional free year of subscription. So essentially, Digium is giving away the 1.2 upgrade for free to those who registered.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what's new, so go check of the Digium blog post for more. Lastly, I'm actually headed down to Huntsville, Alabama to meet with the Digium crew at their headquarters to find out what Digium is up too lately. Hopefully, I'll have interesting news to report. Stay tuned!

If you're a member of the press, an independent designer or an engineer, we want you!

(Actually, the International Consumer Electronics Show -- CES -- wants you. And that is some show! This is one that draws hundreds of thousands of people so that the Las Vegas Convention Center -- and some other LV venues -- is filled to overflowing.)

Here's what you need to know for now:

• Are you able to volunteer a little of your time to judge one of the most prestigious awards programs in the consumer electronics industry?
• Do you consider yourself a knowledgeable consumer electronics design professional, with expertise in any of the 34 Innovations 2009 awards categories?
• Do you have at least five years of experience in the CE industry through the media or as an industry analyst or professional?

The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program recognizes the most innovative consumer electronics products in 34 categories and has become a hallmark for the best-designed products in consumer technology.

Download the awards category guide that includes examples of eligible products within a category to assist you in selecting the categories you feel most qualified to judge.  

More at the International CES web site.

Image my surprise to receive this email the other day:
 Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Amazon MP3 is offering free songs and albums as low as $5. All songs can be played on MP3 players, including the iPod and iPhone. Enjoy your music wherever and however you like it. 

I tried it, and I liked it!

(But you will shocked and awed by the number of songs you don't want for free!)

Amazon.com

TV shipments for North America hit record growth levels in the second quarter, despite a weaker U.S. economy.

According to research firm DisplaySearch, TV shipments rose 28% compared to the same quarter last year to more than 9.3 million units, marking the strongest quarterly results since the research firm began tracking TV shipments in 2004.  

(No money to go out, so let's spend more time on the couch ...)

Samsung was the leading brand for the quarter, with a record share of approximately 19% of all TV unit shipments in North America, and Sony took the No. 2 spot. Vizio also saw strong gains in PDP market share, ranking it the No. 3 supplier in total TV shipments.

LCD and plasma TV technologies both had strong sequential gains over the first quarter this year of 30% and 35%, respectively, with PDP growth influenced by strong initial shipments of Vizio's 32-inch HD PDPs and LCD growth also very strong at 32 inches (that's one of them above).

LCD TV shipments rose a stronger-than-expected 52% over the second quarter last year, to nearly 7.5 million units. Much of the growth came from small- to midrange screen sizes, such as 19-inch, 22-inch and 32-inch models, where price points are lower and easier on family budgets. 

Get more at TWICE.

As I predicted on July 3rd, AT&T would soon be dropping its CallVantage broadband VoIP service since they dropped their affiliate marketing channel.

Well, today I learned that AT&T is no longer accepting ANY new orders from ANY source - affiliate or otherwise. The slow death of CallVantage is a bit sad, but it isn't particularly surprising, not only because they dropped the affiliate channel last month but as I have previously indicated, AT&T is heavily promoting their U-Verse fiber-to-copper hybrid service that combines IPTV, data, and U-Verse Voice (in select areas).

It seems a little early to cut the cord on acquiring new Callvantage customers since neither U-Verse or U-Verse Voice are available in most of the country - including my neighborhood where it was promised for this summer. I would think they would want to acquire these customers on CallVantage and then easily port them over to U-Verse when it becomes available in their area. It is much easier and less expensive to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one. But perhaps CallVantage was burning money and wasn't profitable? Unlikely since there isn't a lot of overhead in offering VoIP, especially since AT&T has a vast network they already pay for. My guess is that internal politics played a role more than profitability. It's too bad. Callvantage has some cool features that other broadband VoIP players didn't have. Could be good news for Vonage, Packet8 and the rest - one less single-play provider...

Check out the announcement made on their website:

Thank you for your interest in AT&T CallVantage® service. Currently we are not accepting new orders for AT&T CallVantage service. We will continue to evaluate our AT&T CallVantage service and remain committed to providing leading, next generation voice services for today's consumer and business customers. For information on other AT&T products and service please visit www.att.com

I

I've had the good fortune to give the Jaybird JB-100 Bluetooth Stereo Headset a workout, and it's been a good time.

Now the JB-200 supersedes the groundbreaking JB-100 -- which boldly presented a new design in this field.

The JB-200 offers the same great design, but now with:

• More control of music, with complete AVRCP Music and Call Controls
• Improved fit, with 25% narrower ear-tip
• Sound isolation, with 50% longer sound-isolating ear-tips
• Greater comfort, with higher grade, softer silicon ear-tips
• Enhanced audio experience, with 25% more volume and improved bass performance
• Clearer voice reception on phone calls, with relocated & upgraded mic
• More freedom of movement, with a one-inch longer behind-the-neck cord 

www.jaybirdgear.com

 This was a monster massive online gaming experience not all that long ago, but has RuneScape seen better days?

Is anybody out there still questing?

Last time I looked there were almost 175,000 players online, but were you one of them?

I must know ...