April 2008 Archives

Well, it certainly didn't take long for someone to leverage AOL's Open Voice APIs featuring full SIP support. TringMe is apparently the 'first' out of the gate announcing support  to millions of AIM call-out users to make calls directly from TringMe. AIM users can use TringPhone - TringMe's fully web-based SIP phone to make calls directly from the browser.

According to TringMe, "with TringMe’s MobileVoIP solution, AOL/AIM users can use a mobile device (e.g. Symbian devices) to make VoIP calls from a mobile device. If they desire to use Gtalk to make VoIP calls over this service, that’s supported too. In general, AOL/AIM users can use any of TringMe’s supported originating devices to make calls (say Gtalk)."

Apparently it's pretty easy to setup. You just login to your TringMe account, enter your AIM or AOL screen-name (AOLScreenName@aol.com or AIMScreenName@aim.com) and SIP password in the TringPhone settings. Make sure to specify “AOL” in the Domain or Proxy setting as well. That’s it! Now you can use TringPhone for making calls through your AIM call-out account.

Via TringMe blog

Update: 11pm. Figured it was worth sharing some thoughts from around the VoIP blogosphere on the AOL Open Voice API news. Obviously, the main gist of the news is that you can now use any SIP-based device and register it with the AOL SIP registrar. TringMe was first to promote succesfully doing this. I thought about trying to register one of my spare Aastra phones or an X-Lite client, but Dan beat me to do it by getting X-Lite to register on AOL.

http://www.disruptivetelephony.com/2008/04/aol-launches-op.html
Dan York gives some good details on how the AOL Open Voice APIs allow you to use any SIP client, such as X-Lite. He also writes "Does accepting SIP connections at your SIP proxy constitute an "API"? Does providing SIP termination services to the PSTN constitute an "API"?" He has a valid point. I thought about that myself, but assumed there was an API in addition to the SIP support, which again TringMe was so quick to leverage.

Alec Saunders has a Squawk Box on the news and also emails fellow VoIP bloggers hinting the news is a non-event, while simultaneously discussing AOL's starts & stops in the VoIP space which directly affected Alec's company.
http://saunderslog.com/2008/04/30/squawk-box-april-30-trust/

Mr. Blog responds, "I agree that it is not an API, by any stretch. But I disagree that it is a non-event"
http://mrblog.org/2008/04/30/aol-open-voice-program-works-with-phonegnome/

One last thought on my end... I'm glad AOL is opening up their network to allow any SIP device to connect. I wish Skype would be so open. Heck, I wish Vonage, which is SIP-based would allow you to have open SIP credentials and use any SIP device. Whether this is enough to get people to switch from using SkypeOut minutes to AOL's PSTN termination remains to be seen. In theory, I can configure an Asterisk server to use AOL as an ITSP. But then AOL just comes another SIP termination service provider, which are a dime-a-dozen these days.

While researching for my VoIP call screening post earlier today, I came across a patent for "call screening". Curious, I decided to check it out the filed patent and found it was filed by Nortel Networks in July 2004. Interestingly, the patent application agrees with me that hosted voicemail needs call screening and goes as far as to say service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when they don't have call screening. The patent app reads as follows:

The present invention relates to telephony communications, and in particular to allowing a user to screen calls by listening to a voicemail message being left in a hosted voicemail system from a telephone device.

Background of the Invention [0002] Telephone users with personal telephone answering devices can listen to callers leaving messages thereon, and during the call, decide to take the call. This highly desirable technique for screening calls is unavailable in hosted voicemail systems, because the voicemail system is a separate entity in the telephone network and is not directly associated with any individual's telephone device. In a hosted voicemail system, incoming calls that are not answered are forwarded to the voicemail system. Since many users, especially residential users, rely on the ability to screen calls, service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when trying to market hosted voicemail services to their subscribers.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide call screening for users subscribing to hosted voicemail services.

Yeah, no kidding 'call screening' is a desirable feature! What's even more interesting is the patent diagram makes no mention of VoIP, as seen here:

The text of the patent itself makes no mention of VoIP, so this is strictly traditional PSTN hosted voicemail call screening. Earlier today I griped about the lack of real-time call screening in VoIP services, such as Vonage & Packet8. It's not that hard, especially if using software. You should be able to easily setup a 3-way conference call via SIP to enable call screening. That is, one leg is the caller, the second leg is your phone, and the last leg is special call screening software running on your PC. You just send a SIP Invite to the PC, have the software auto-accept the SIP invite and connect legs #2 & #3. If the user accepts the call, simply connect/conference leg #1.

Now most people don't want to perform call screening on their PC. Most would want to do it via the phone, especially since the PC may not be on or nearby. Well, that's easy enough as well. First, you ring the user's phone, then after X number of rings, the phone stops ringing and the hosted voicemail system prompts the caller to leave a message. Simultaneously, the hosted voicemail system calls the phone again (via another SIP Invite) and this time tells the phone to play a special ringtone to indicate a caller is leaving a message. Hearing the special ringtone, the user can pick up the phone, be conferenced into the voicemail message being left (with mic muted) and if the user presses a touch-tone they can instantly pull the caller out and their mic is unmuted. Simple!

Damn, between the "special" ringtone to indicate the opportunity to screen the caller and the "instant" ability to pull a caller out of a hosted VoIP voicemail system, I should patent these! The special ringtone can even work with analog phones connected to ATAs simply by varying the length of the ring voltage, i.e. two super-quick rings.

Now while I didn't go crazy searching the patent database, I did look around and didn't see a patent for "VoIP call screening". Hmmm. Very interesting... Ok you patent trolls, here's an opportunity for you. File a patent for "VoIP call screening". In fact, file one for "hosted VoIP call screening" and another one for "customer premise VoIP call screening" that works on customer premise Voice over IP phone systems (IP-PBXs), such as Asterisk. Then when you rake in millions from patent extortion, just make sure you show me some lovin'. After all, I did give you the idea. If you don't show me some lovin' then may your guilty conscience eat you up. Oh wait, patent trolls with a guilty conscience? What in blazes am I thinking?

Update: (12:20pm)
I neglected to mention that there are some hosted voicemail providers offering call screening. They aren't necessarily VoIP or leveraging VoIP technology though. Some examples include CallWave, GrandCentral, and Ring Central. Figured they were still worth mentioning.

Robert Traphan, a college friend of mine stayed at my house last night and we were talking about the various VoIP products and services. Robert is a former SunRocket customer until the SunRocket implosion. Robert was a huge fan of SunRocket over both Packet8 and Vonage. One of his favorite features was SunRocket Signature Message Screener, a piece of software that runs on your PC and allows you to see who is calling (Caller ID with Name) via a TOAST icon in the System Tray. Even cooler, SunRocket Signature Message Screen lets you screen the voicemail message on your PC speakers as it is being left in real-time and it allows you to redirect the call to a predefined number (such as your cell phone).


SunRocket Signature Message Screener image courtesy of MyDigitalLife.us

Because it automatically plays out your PC speakers, the software gives your hosted VoIP voicemail service the feeling of a true home answering machine. Robert's only complaint he told me is that when the caller is leaving a message and you decide to redirect them they hear a ringing tone, which can be disconcerting to the caller.

Still call screening on broadband VoIP service is a must. Why oh why Vonage, Packet8, and all the others haven't copied this feature yet is beyond me. When I did have Vonage, I disabled their hosted voicemail because I like to screen callers and used a Uniden 5.8GHz TRU8885-2 multi-handset phone system which features call screening on any of the phone handsets. After all, the call could be a telemarketing call, or it could be family or friends calling. Without live call screening to me and to many people the voicemail system is useless. I should also point out that CallWave can be used as a hosted voicemail replacement and they support not only call screening but also Voicemail-To-Text transcribing. (See: Rich's post on CallWave) Why don't any of the major broadband VoIP service providers offer this functionality?

Robert was very sad to hear SunRocket was ceasing operations, which meant he was losing call screening. He asked me for advice on which VoIP service provider I'd recommend he switch to. However, we both learned that Teleblend was going to take over SunRocket's operations and maintain the existing feature set, including SunRocket Signature Message Screener. He's been a happy Teleblend user ever since. His only complaints about them is they don't seem to update their website very often and they started a blog, which also isn't updated.

Then Robert started talking about the big hoopla surrounding the Skype outage. Robert said, "Did you hear about the Skype outage? Apparently, Microsoft Windows Update caused the Skype supernode network to crash."

With a big grin on my face, I responded, "Did I hear about the Skype outage? I broke the story about the Skype outage and I theorized what the cause was - Microsoft Patch Tuesday and I was right. I was linked to by several bloggers & websites, including Computerworld, PC World, GigaOM, and Good Morning Silicon Valley. A couple mainstream media outlets linked to it and the San Francisco Chronicle called me for an interview on this major news since I broke the story. (SFC article is here.)"

I thought to myself, "Sheesh, don't you read my blog? [sigh] With friends like these..."

I always find it fascinating to read about companies that take standard Skype and add additional features that make it a great solution for various business processes beyond just VoIP. One such company is OnState, the creator of OnState ACD for Skype, which adds ACD & call center functionality to Skype. They recently announced support for Zimbra,  a popular open source server and client software for messaging and collaboration - email, group calendaring, contacts, and web document management and authoring. The mashup of Zimbra and Skype will delivers a low-cost Unified Messaging solution.

Today, OnState has announced their multi-modal solution is being used by B4 Consulting. Specifically, B4 Consulting's tech support uses OnState chat and call center capabilities to deliver 24x7 customer support globally featuring VoIP, chat, voicemail, call recording, callbacks, CRM integration, and more.

To be honest, this is the kind of functionality that Skype should offer to businesses themselves instead of that joke known as Skype for Business. Skype gets a bad rap for being too consumery - and deservedly so because they haven't added any features to Skype for Business worth mentioning. Fortunately, third-parties like OnState are extending Skype and adding business-class features. Another example is VAPPS, which offers high-definition conferencing that works with Skype. But Skype shouldn't be relying on third-parties for business-class features.

In any case, check out the news...

OnState Communications, innovating new-generation contact center solutions, today announced a multi-modal call center solution for technical support services. The solution has been adopted by B4 Consulting, an SAP® channel partner that has achieved gold-level status, which uses the OnState CallCenter for Skype to deliver real-time customer support. The OnState CallCenter for Skype™ is integral to B4 Consulting’s delivery of its global Application Management Services for the SAP Business One application, SAP’s affordable business management solution for growing businesses. B4 Consulting’s Web-integrated call center capitalizes on the full range of OnState’s multiple communications modes and customer contact options. This includes concurrent Skype chat and voice, Skype voicemail, dynamic call recording, and callbacks. Customers can initiate contact with agents via live chat, free inbound Skype calls, toll-free inbound lines, as well as non-Skype traditional landline and email. Additionally, the OnState CallCenter is integrated with B4 Consulting’s customer relationship management system.

“To deliver technical support services on a global basis, B4 is leveraging nearly every feature within OnState’s portfolio of customer contact solutions,” said Pat Kelly, president and CEO of OnState. “And, they are using them in a completely integrated manner and sometimes simultaneously to deliver highly-responsive support services to their customers using SAP Business One.” Moreover, as call center and support portal functions are Skype-based and Web-enabled, support can be delivered from anywhere at anytime. Therefore, B4 Consulting’s support customers can rely on call center agents who are subject-matter experts in SAP Business One.

“When we launched our Application Management Services [AMS] for SAP Business One, we couldn't afford the time and resources to establish a traditional call center – yet we wanted to provide premium, enterprise-level services on a global basis," noted Frank Paetzold, vice president of delivery and AMS at B4 Consulting. "Establishing a sophisticated call center was quick, easy and affordable with OnState. The beauty of OnState, however, goes beyond affordability. Implementing OnState requires no server hardware or software and minimal agent-based client software installation. OnState eliminates barriers to communication, enabling us to give customers the freedom to decide how and when they want to communicate with us as well as the option for self-service through our online knowledge portal.”

B4 maintains that most customer conversations begin with voice and evolve to other communication modes, principally chat. “Currently, live chat is most often used by customers," noted Paetzold, "it's a quick way for customers to communicate issues and an efficient information-gathering mechanism for our agents.” All customer contact, conversations, email, and chat exchanges are easily recorded in B4 Consulting’s CRM system for historical reference. “As the market matures, I'm sure customers will use a wider variety of communications methods,” continued Paetzold, “and find a lot of creative ways to use them.”

Codeguys.rpc1.org is a popular website run by C0deKing and Kanalratte that offers crossflashing and overclocking of your DVD±RW drives using "hacked" firmware for your DVD burner. Often the hacked firmware enables missing features such as overclocking the speed of the DVD burn and more importantly, setting the 'book type' permanently to "DVD-ROM". (more on that later) RPC1.org also offer "autopatchers", which are are easy do-it-yourself tools with an easy-to-use GUI to patch DVD burner firmware.

I recently bought a Sony DRU-840A DVD burner and when I tried to burn a home movie I noticed Nero didn't list the booktype setting under the 'Options' button. (Here's a screenshot of the book type setting in Nero on my Vista PC with a different DVD burner:)


The Book Type setting, also knowns as "bitsetting" allows you to change DVD+R media's default book type of "DVD+R" & "DVD+RW" to "DVD-ROM" more more compatibility with home DVD players which are looking for this particular book type. The Book Type is four bits at the start of every DVD disc (in the physical format information section of the control data block), which indicates what the physical format of the disc is.Many DVD players will refuse to play burned DVDs without the proper book type. Changing the book type works on both single-layer (SL) and dual-layer (DL) DVD+R media but not on DVD-R or DVD-RW media. In other words, minus (-) is bad for compatibility and plus (+) is good.

So in any event, the reason I bought the Sony DRU-840a was because it was supposed to support bitsetting/book type. I had Nero 7 installed which should have recognized the drive as supporting this. So then I figured I may have had old firmware. I went to Sony's support page and couldn't find any new firmware for this drive. I knew there was "hacked" firmware out there and have gone to the RPC1.org website in the past to add "features" missing in my DVD burner. So I headed on over to codeguys.rpc1.org to see if I could find better firmware for my drive only to discover the site was down. I tried several days in a row and it was still down. The last Google cache is 5 days ago. Not good. Seems like a permanent outage to me. Wonder if they were shutdown for illegally distributing hacked firmware? Yeah well maybe if the original manufacturers didn't cripple the firmware users wouldn't resort to hacked firmware. Fortunately, after some creative Googling I found a RPC1 mirror here:
http://codeworks.cdfreaks.com/cgmirror/

I thought perhaps my Sony drive was a LiteOn OEM, since LiteOn is perhaps the largest OEM manufacturer of DVD drives that do not carry the LiteOn label and past Sony DVD burners I used were LiteOn. Generally speaking you can use "real" LiteOn firmwares with these so-called rebadged drives. But when I attempted to try the firmware loaders from the mirrored website, the utilities wouldn't recognize my Sony DVD burner.

I then figured out it was actually an OEM of the Samsung SH-202J DVD drive. I then tried the OmniPatcher utility which is supposed to support Samsung/Sony DVD burners, but it couldn't detect my drive. Back to square one.

I then said the hell with Nero 7, I'll just use ImgBurn, a popular freeware DVD burning software utility that has a very powerful book type setting utility that works with virtually any DVD burner. It even features an Advanced tab for configuring settings manually. I selected the 'Samsung' tab, and it gave me a warning "Unknown (Drive doesn't report it!)". I read you can just ignore this message as long as you are selecting the correct OEM company. I changed the drop-down box to 'DVD+R DL Media' and then changed the book type to "DVD-ROM". I then clicked 'Ok', and received a "Success!" message, as seen below.


As long as you get this "Success!" message you are good to go. In my experience with multiple burners, I find that you can try each of the tabs with the various models and try to change the book type. At worst you'll get a "Failed!" message. In any case, I burned a DVD and then verified the booktype was correctly set to DVD-ROM by clicking Drive Info in Nero.

Curious if the book type setting I set in ImgBurn would work in Nero, I then burned a second DVD and Nero correctly set the book type. So the bitsetting  change made by ImgBurn is global to all your DVD burning apps. Unfortunately, the setting isn't permanent. If you reboot your PC you have to go back into ImgBurn and change the book type setting again. Using "hacked" firmware would have saved me the trouble of doing this step.

Just when I was going to give up on Nero 7, I decided to see if any updates were available. I downloaded and installed the latest version from Nero 7 from Nero's website. I went back to the Options section in Nero and voila' the Book Type setting was there!

Here's proof:


Conclusion:
So you are having problems with the book type settings in your DVD burner, try these steps:

• Re-install Nero or other DVD burning software with the latest updates.
• Use ImgBurn instead to set the booktype. Here's a good tutorial with screenshots explaining how to do it.
• Go to the RPC1.org mirror and try crossflashing your DVD burner or installing "hacked" firmware. Be aware this will void your warranty and could break your burner!
• If none of these work, it's possible your drive doesn't support setting the book type. Time to go buy a new burner! Try Googling your DVD model + "book type" and see if any discussions are out there mentioning if it supports it.

Hope this info helps someone else since I wasted a couple hours trying to solve this book type setting problem.

Skype 3.8 for Windows was just released with the main improvements in the audio engine. Skype claims the new version significantly reduced background noise, less delay, fewer call drops, and fewer cut-outs, especially when both sides are using Skype 3.8 for Windows. According to a Skype spokeperson, another improvement is if you change your headset, headphones or microphone, "there's no need to mess around with sound settings. Skype 3.8 for Windows takes care of it behind the scenes."

If you've been offended by the profile images that popup that are certainly NSFW (not safe for work), you'll be happy to know the new version no longer displays profile images by default. You can still see the hidden avatar if you click on it.

The release also includes a number of video-related bug fixes, Skype's own UPnP implementation and other tweaks.

Download Skype 3.8 for Windows at skype.com/go/download

Rev B  of Astfin's BRI (ISDN) Appliance has just arrived. The BR4 appliance (or BRI Appliance) is an open hardware BRI Asterisk Appliance running Astfin. I've written about this Asterisk-based appliance before. The Astfin.org blog author writes how he used the popular USB jtag (ICEbear) to connect to the new BRI Appliance rev B board. He then gives the blow-by-blow account of his experience, including running dumpreg & flashload. If you love to flash (memory that is - get your head out of the gutter) or if you're an Asterisk techie, it's a worthwhile read.

Some background - uCasterisk (you-see-Asterisk), which is a set of scripts, makefiles and patches to build Asterisk for uClinux and targeting Blackfin hardware. I should mention Digium's Asterisk Appliance is also based on Blackfin hardware. Also, uCasterisk was deprecated in favor of Astfin. The BRI Appliance certainly is more of an Asterisk fan's hobby rather than a direct competitor to Digium's Asterisk Appliance, which obviously is backed by Digium's technical support, customer service, warranty policy, etc.

Today, AOL will launch Open Voice APIs to enable developers to integrate the AIM Call Out Service into softphones and SIP-enabled devices. According to AOL, the APIs will "provide third-party developers and VoIP device manufacturers with open standards protocols that will enable them to easily integrate the AIM Call Out service into softphones, as well as SIP-enabled hardware and cell phones with wi-fi connectivity."

The APIs directly integrate with AIM Call Out, which is AOL's "SkypeOut" PSTN low-cost dialing service. AIM Call Out is built right into AIM, a popular instant messaging client that used to be and perhaps still is the #1 IM client. Skype may or may not have surpassed AOL in total users, but regardless, AOL dropped the ball when they let Skype's voice functionality help erode into AOL's formerly dominant IM market share.

Many users are loathe to run multiple IM clients, so many switched from AIM to Skype because they could get IM, plus voice & video -- all in a single client. Why bog down system resources with multiple IM clients? I will say AOL has done a good job of beefing up the feature-set of AIM, but one has to wonder if Skype's momentum is unstoppable. That said, there are still several popular IM clients hanging around, including Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger, which added interoperability / federation a few years back. What I'd really like to see is interoperability & federation between all IM clients, VoIP clients (using SIP), video clients (using H.264), etc. But that may be a pipe dream, especially since Skype, Inc. doesn't want to jump on the SIP bandwagon anytime soon.

In any event, Steve Murphy, Senior Vice President, AOL said, “By opening up our voice communications gateway to developers we’re furthering the mission of AIM which is to facilitate the world’s real-time conversations. We’re building on the popularity of the Open AIM program and opening up the AIM Call Out platform, enabling open standards voice communication services to proliferate in the marketplace."

The AOL Developer Network provides third-party developers with direct access to AOL's technology platforms and open APIs. AOL stated the available open APIs, tools, and documentation for services such as AOL Video Uploads, Open Xdrive, Truveo, Userplane, MapQuest, Winamp, OpenAuth, and others, can be viewed at http://dev.aol.com.

Thanks to ZDNet for publishing a quick rundown of the specs for the new iMacs launched today. Having moved from PC to the now almost-current iMac and the fabulous new MacBook Pro, you have to tip your hat to Apple for just getting better and better ...

With Mother's Day fast approaching, what will be the gadget of choice to give the electric mom? She's probably already got an iPod, digital camera, GPS -- or maybe this is the year of GPS? What do you think? The suggestion box is open ...

Today, I was downloading my financial information from various banks and credit cards and had difficulty loggiing on or downloading information from several of them. On Citibank's website I was able to logon, but couldn't successfully download the Quicken Web Connect file containing my 'recent activity'. This has never happened to me in the 8 years I've used Quicken with Citibank. About 15 minutes later I tried again and it worked.

However, I then logged onto Bank of America where I have a few accounts. I was able to logon, but when I try and view detailed account info, I get this web server error:

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@mbna.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Yeah, just what I want to see. My bank running a web server that "encountered an internal error or misconfiguration". Yeah, I know this is a generic error message, but still, banks of all websites should have 100% uptime with no errors.

So anyway, I then try my other Bank of America account and same error as above. Frustrated, I head on over to Discover to download it's account info to Quicken. This website wouldn't even let me logon! Now what in blazes is going on here? This is THREE major financial instutions that I'm having trouble with ALL ON THE SAME DAY. That's when it hit me. Today, the IRS is wiring out the tax rebates to millions of Americans (early I might add). My guess is that the government's computers are overwhelming the banking network or the bank's computers. Gee isn't that special? Hope my tax rebate doesn't get lost in the digital ether.

Anyone else experiencing issues? Let me know.

According to a new study by analyst firm Infonetics Research, Cisco and Microsoft are locked in a "battle of the titans" for the unified communications (UC) market, with both vendors currently favored by buyers as Unified Messaging and Communicator suppliers. As almost an aside, the news release on the study says, "Avaya and Nortel also fare well as current UC suppliers." I'm sure Avaya and Nortel are thinking -- and to quote Rodney Dangerfield, "I get no respect."

According to Infonetics, "It's no secret that Microsoft is predicting the death of the PBX, to be replaced by a software-based communication approach like OCS 2007; but we didn't find many people convinced that this is yet the way to go. What we're seeing instead is companies keeping their IP PBXs, and layering unified communications applications on top. Microsoft is seeing early success by leveraging their leadership in e-mail messaging and desktop environments. The incumbent IP telephony players are also faring well. There are still opportunities ahead for vendors looking to get into or ahead in the unified communications market, because many buyers don't yet know who they will be buying from two years from now," said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise voice and data at Infonetics Research.

Infonetics' study, "User Plans for Unified Communications: North America 2008", is based on interviews with 80 medium and large organizations based in North America to determine the market potential, product requirements, and implementation plans for unified communications products and services. More than 80% of those interviewed have already adopted either unified messaging or communicator, and all will adopt both by 2009, by study design.

The study features buyers' ratings of 5 UC vendors--Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, and Nortel--on a number of criteria, including reliability, value, pricing, features, innovation, integration with third party vendors, and financial stability. According to respondents in the study, there are no clear ratings winners, with all manufacturers fairing well in some areas and not others. For example, Cisco rated high on reliability but low on pricing, and Microsoft rated high on financial stability but low on reliability.

Almost all vendors got docked for interoperability, indicating this area could use some serious improvements, and likely will be a major barrier to adoption of unified communications.

Other highlights from the study:
- The number-one reason given by study respondents for adopting
UC is improving employee productivity
- UC will start as a convergence of voice and e-mail, the most
widely used communication services, involving a single in-box for different message types, contact management, click-to-communicate capability, and presence
- Over time, companies will take on more complex projects; for
example, by adding new communication modes like video and new devices like mobile, or by integrating communications with business processes
- VoIP is not a requirement for UC, but there is a strong
correlation between the two; not having VoIP deployed pervasively is a barrier to deploying UC, and many respondents want to deploy VoIP first, then UC.
For more info on the report, head on over to Infonetics.

In 1999, I wrote a humorous article for CTI Magazine, the precursor to Internet Telephony Magazine, about my adventures with a power outage at TMC that took out our Dialogic MSI analog cards in our PC-PBX. The MSI cards are responsible for providing ring voltage to the phones, but the quick power outage blew the ring voltage generators on the cards resulting in phones that wouldn't ring on an incoming call.

OUT OF THE BLUE — A BOLT OF BLUE
Rather than working on the Dialogic boards during work hours, I decided to come in on a Sunday, when incoming phone traffic would be minimal. Then, I would be free to pull out both Dialogic boards and replace them with the new boards Artisoft had sent me.

While pulling out one of the faulty boards, I saw a blue arc of electric current, half an inch long, pass between the two boards! Since the boards were so close together, a soldering pin on one of the boards must have touched the other board. “Well,” I thought to myself, “if it wasn’t broken before, it’s definitely broken now!” I had that odd, giddy sensation you sometimes get when you think you may have destroyed something expensive.

Dialogic explained they had some issues with the BlackBox ring voltage generators and that they solved the issue, but not before I nearly fried myself.

Well, I bring this all up because I just came across a great article from the Michigan Telephone, VoIP, and Broadband Blog...

Microsoft is giving up on the SPOT watch which leverages MSN Direct (FM frequency transmission) to send stock quotes, news, and even sync your Outlook calendar with your watch.

The only person who I know owns one is Rich Tehrani, who reviewed one here. He will be so upset to hear the news. Well, least his wrist will be 3 pounds lighter so his typing should improve.

You know what the problem was? They didn't have VoIP on the watch. Now if you could talk to your watch - ala Dick Tracey (see image) then this product may have succeeded. Then again, maybe not...

Via Engadget
Watch Image Top - Credit to Engadget

Zultys and Aastra Telecom have reached an OEM pact to delivery the next line of ZIP Phones. As part of the announcement, Zultys and Aastra announced full interoperability between the Aastra 5i Series and the Zultys MX (Media eXchange) line. I'm a huge fan of Aastra SIP-based VoIP phones and they are perhaps my favorite of any brand due to their XML capabilities and extensive customization capabilities. I have one sitting on my desk right now. The 57i CT in fact, which comes with a cool cordless handset that communicates wirelessly with the desktop IP phone.

"In Zultys, we are delighted to find a SIP PBX partner that shares our core underlying philosophy that open standards should afford customers an easy-to-use, cost-effective communications solution that offers the maximum flexibility," says John Drolet, Vice President of Sales at Aastra Telecom USA.

The interoperability testing involving the Aastra 5i Series, which consists of a line of SIP-based desktop and wireless telephones and expansion modules, including:
• 51i - Entry level single line set with 3 line/16 character display and 9 configurable speed dial keys using the number keypad
• 53i - Featured set with 3 line/16 character display and 4 programmable keys; compatible with up to three 536M expansion modules
• 55i - Advanced Featured set with 144 x 75 backlit LCD display, up to 26 programmable function capability; compatible with up to three 560M or 536M expansion modules
• 57i - Full Featured set with 144 x 128 backlit LCD display, up to 30 programmable function capability; compatible with up to three 560M or 536M expansion modules
• 57i CT - All the features of the Aastra 57i plus integrated cordless base providing VoIP mobility employing secure 2.4GHz Frequency Hopped Spread Spectrum technology
• 536M - Expansion Module with 36 programmable keys
• 560M - Expansion Module with LCD Screen and 60 programmable keys

Using any of the Aastra 5i series phones paired with the latest build of Zultys' MX software (version 3.2 or higher), gives some cool "out of the box" advanced functionality. In fact, Zultys told me, "MX software tightly integrates a suite of predefined critical features, including the so-called "Four P's" – that is, Paging, Parking, Pick-Up and Provisioning."

As a result, Zultys will soon make available the following additions to its portfolio of award-winning phones: the ZIP 53i, ZIP 55i, ZIP 57i, ZIP 57i CT as well as the ZIP 536m and ZIP 560m expansion modules. Under the terms of the OEM arrangement, those phones will be rebranded by Zultys and made available to its distributors and resellers.

"The addition of the Aastra 5i Series to our Zultys community creates a truly unique opportunity for organizations of all size migrating to pure IP or a converged IP environment. This further reinforces our commitment to offering customers unprecedented freedom of choice in finding a solution that is perfectly suited to meet their needs," explains Jonna Paquette, VP of Sales and Marketing at Zultys.