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April 2008

You are browsing the archive for April 2008.

TringMe Now Works with AOL/AIM

April 30, 2008

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.

Posted in SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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Call Screening Patent

April 30, 2008

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.



Posted in SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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VoIP Call Screening

April 30, 2008

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.




Posted in Packet8, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP, Vonage
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OnState, the Skype Call Center functionality Enabler, Used by B4 Consulting

April 30, 2008

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.

Posted in Skype, TMCnet, Unified Communications, VoIP
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DVD Book Type Setting - Troubleshooting DVD Burning Problems

April 29, 2008

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.




Posted in Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Video Hardware & Software
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3 Comments

Skype 3.8 for Windows

April 29, 2008

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.

Posted in Skype, TMCnet
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Rev B of Astfin's BRI (ISDN) Asterisk Appliance Arrives

April 29, 2008


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.
Posted in Asterisk, TMCnet, VoIP
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AOL Launches Open Voice APIs

April 29, 2008

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.



Posted in SIP, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP
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New iMac Specs Are Good To Have ...

April 28, 2008

Posted in Computer Hardware
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Is Mother's Day 2008 Gadget Day?

April 28, 2008

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IRS Rebate Checks Crash Major Banks?

April 28, 2008

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.

Posted in News, TMCnet
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7 Comments

Cisco and Microsoft in Clash of the UC Titans

April 24, 2008

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.

Posted in Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, TMCnet, Unified Communications, VoIP
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3 Comments

Ring Voltage, REN, VoIP and a Bolt of Blue

April 24, 2008

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.


Posted in Personal and Humor, TMCnet, VoIP, Vonage
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SPOT Watches R.I.P.

April 24, 2008

Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, Microsoft, TMCnet
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Zultys & Aastra Telecom Partner

April 24, 2008



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.

Posted in SIP, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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Microsoft's Tellme Cool BlackBerry voice search

April 23, 2008

Posted in GPS, Gadgets, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, Wireless
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Empire Cinema Deploys VoIP - Movie Ticket Prices go Down?

April 22, 2008



Computing UK has an interesting article about Empire Cinemas using VoIP in their movie cinema chains. What better things in life are there than VoIP and movie theater popcorn? Not many... But maybe I'm biased...

Posted in TMCnet, VoIP
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WD VelociRaptor Hard Drive

April 22, 2008

Western Digital (WD) released their latest VelociRaptor 300GB hard drive. The WD VelociRaptor hard disk drive (HDD) is one scary looking beast! This puppy spins at 10,000 RPM - fast enough to tear through your gigabytes of naked flesh in nanoseconds. Did I say gigabytes of 'naked flesh'? 
Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, Technology and Science, Video Hardware & Software
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BroadSoft and JoeDeveloper.NET Debut Facebook VoIP App

April 22, 2008

JoeDeveloper.NET has quickly developed a Facebook VoIP app called Click2Message that uses BroadSoft’s carrier-grade Broadworks Platform. BroadSoft aims to have developers use their platform to develop VoIP applications. Comparisons of course will be made with Ribbit, which launched late last year and which also is targeting developers. And then of course there are plenty of companies out there offering VoIP widgets & call me buttons that you can place on a website - including but not limited to Skype, Jangl, Jaxtr, and TringMe. Lypp, run by former TMCnet SIPThat blogger Erik Lagerway also offers a development platform for VoIP applications.

So while what BroadSoft has done is nothing new, BroadSoft has certainly been on the leading edge of offering VoIP integration into business applications.

Posted in ITEXPO, SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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SightSpeed Light Flash Video on MySpace

April 22, 2008

SightSpeed just launched a new “SightSpeed Light” widget for MySpace, which adds two-way voice and video to the popular social networking site. If you recall, I wrote the following about SightSpeed Light:

The obvious question that came to my mind when I was thinking about embedded Flash VoIP applets is "what about Flash video conferencing applets that do both voice & video?" Imagine simply visiting a website, and initiating an ad-hoc videoconference with other visitors to that same site. I should mention that there already exists tons of Flash video applications used by popular sites such as YouTube and LiveLeak. The video codecs at least exist within the Flash player. Though, YouTube uses buffering that isn't real-time, so Flash-based videoconferencing would most likely use a different codec that performs better during real-time communication.

In any event, I knew it wouldn't be long before someone took Flash VoIP to the next level and offered Flash videoconferencing.



Posted in Home Entertainment, SIP, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP
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Voxeo Adds VoIP Party Line App to Facebook

April 22, 2008

Thought I'd share some interesting Facebook VoIP application news from Voxeo. Their Voxeo Prophecy Platform is being deployed by Equals in conjunction with the popular social networking site, Facebook. Equals Party Line adds voice to social networking by enabling group phone chats that can be instantly launched with a mouse click right from Facebook. Facebook members can alternatively dial 877 4 BUZZ ME (1-877-428-9963) from their mobile phone and Equals will dial out and add the other users to the Party Line. Full news after the jump...
Posted in SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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Skype Launches Unlimited Flat-Rate International Calls

April 21, 2008

Today, Skype announced its first-ever, flat-rate international calling subscription. Sure, Skype has had unlimited flat-rate calling to the U.S. and Canada for some time, but today marks the first time Skype has given some non-North American countries (minus Mexico) some unlimited lovin'. As of today, Skype now offers unlimited international calling to 34 countries.
Posted in Skype, TMCnet, VoIP
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Enkin combines GPS, Camera, Google Maps, 3D and Live Video

April 21, 2008

Enkin is a developer of a location-based content that bridges the gap between reality and classic map-like representations using Google Android. It combines GPS, orientation sensors, 3D graphics, live video, several web services and a novel user interface into an intuitive and light navigation system for mobile devices. This project is a submission for the first round of the Google Android Developer Challenge. Their product is similar in concept to Wi-Fi Army that I wrote about.

Enkin's Rafael Spring and Max Braun created a new 3d-navigation system for Android phones that even includes a "radar" map of POIs (Points of Interest) that changes orientation as you change the orientation of the Google Android mobile device.

Posted in Android, GPS, Gadgets, Google, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet
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1 Comments

AT&T to Lay Off 1.5% of Workforce

April 18, 2008

Posted in Home Entertainment, News, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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Microsoft Response Point Announces SIP Trunking Service Providers

April 18, 2008


In March Microsoft announced Microsoft Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1), which adds SIP trunking support. Today, Microsoft is announcing that they have selected NGT and Cbeyond as recommended service providers for Response Point to offer SIP trunks. NGT became the first certified, Microsoft recommended service provider offering SIP phone services that works seamlessly with Response Point.

Today, Microsoft announced that Cbeyond and New Global Telecom (NGT) will offer their VoIP (SIP trunking) services for the Response Point phone system. Small business customers will be able to take advantage of simple, fully integrated VoIP service from these providers on Microsoft Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1) when it is released this summer.

I spoke with Microsoft and NGT and one of the questions I asked was if CallerID support would be supported on the Response Point phones transmitted via the SIP trunks.




Posted in Microsoft, SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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Podcast Interview with Digium CEO Danny Windham

April 17, 2008

Just want to point you to Rich Tehrani's interview with Digium CEO Danny Windham. He covers everything from open source to Web 2.0 & mashups. Digium is the 'heart and soul' of the Asterisk movement, so when their CEO speaks, I listen.

Truth be told, I haven't listened to the podcast myself yet, so I wonder if Rich mentioned to Danny my humorous Hulk post from yesterday, which is about Digium. Well, my attempt at humor.

Posted in Asterisk
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Hulk Smash Asterisk 1.6!

April 16, 2008

Nerd Vittles had been lamenting the fact that the "Asterisk 1.6 development seemed to be on a collision course with the dinosaurs because of developer insistence on deprecating and removing commands from the application programming interface (API) in the name of technology enhancement."

Nerd Vittles then explains why this is a bad idea.

The problem this poses is that applications and dialplans written for previous versions of Asterisk no longer function even though the code is barely a year old. In the corporate and government sectors, this would mean major, costly (annual) rewrites of code just to keep a functioning phone system. And, as we noted, these organizations buy phone systems to last a decade so such a development strategy would all but rule out use of Asterisk in the Fortune 500, medical, and government sectors.




Posted in Asterisk, Avaya, Linux, TMCnet, VoIP
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4 Comments

TringMe opens platform API to developers

April 16, 2008

Some great news for VoIP developers. Today TringMe announced it has opened up its platform APIs for developers. According to TringMe's blog, TringMe’s open API will allow developers of Adobe Flex, AIR, Symbian S60 or even a pure web platform like PHP, AJAX to create web based, mobile or standalone voice enabled applications easily.

TringMe supports an alphabet soup of standards. In fact, they boldly state, "Our modular structure allows us to offer APIs to be used by any kind of application and not tie us to Adobe Flex, AIR, PHP, AJAX or any such technology or platform.

Posted in Mobile Phones, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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PIKA T1/E1 and analog boards now compatible with FreeSWITCH

April 15, 2008

PIKA T1/E1 and analog boards are now compatible with FreeSWITCH.

Some good news for PIKA this morning worth reading...

PIKA Technologies Inc., a developer of media-processing hardware and software, today announced that its entire family of analog and digital host media processing (HMP) boards is now compatible with FreeSWITCH, an open-source telephony platform typically used by large telecommunications companies deploying soft switches and other voice applications.

This is the latest partnership that PIKA has announced as part of its mission to support open-source-telephony application developers, having previously announced compatibility with the Asterisk platform.

"PIKA is thrilled to be partners with the FreeSWITCH community. This will mean more options for application development companies across the globe who are building FreeSWITCH-based solutions," said Terry Atwood, vice president of sales, marketing and customer care at PIKA. "Now, FreeSWITCH users will have access to PIKA’s robust media-processing software and hardware, and as a result, be able to stabilize as well as add incremental value to their applications."
FreeSWITCH is designed to facilitate the creation of voice and chat-driven products scaling from a soft phone up to a soft switch. It can be used as a simple switching engine, a PBX, a media gateway or a media server to host IVR applications using simple scripts or XML to control the call flow.

"I was really excited to get PIKA hardware working in FreeSWITCH," said Anthony Minessale, Lead Developer and author of FreeSWITCH.










Posted in Asterisk, Linux, VoIP
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trixbox 2.0 launches

April 15, 2008

trixbox version 2.0 launched today. Current trixbox customers will automatically receive their upgrade to 2.0 between today (Tax Day) April 15th and Wednesday, April 16th, and best of all, it's 100% FREE. trixbox Pro Version 2.0 is a big release for trixbox, in fact Fonality boldly claims it as "actually our biggest ever, adding over 120 enhancements to your phone system."

Here are some highlighted new features:

All Editions 
FONcall™
FONcall™ is a plug-in for the Firefox web browser which turns any phone number on any web site into a link. Just click the link and your phone will automatically dial -- it's that simple. 





Posted in Asterisk, Mobile Phones, Polycom, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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1 Comments

XO Anywhere Enhanced Mobile Features

April 14, 2008

XO Communications has enhanced it's mobile worker feature-set on their XO Anywhere platform. It bundles mobility and Unified Communications for customers with XOptions Flex, IP Flex, and IP Flex with VPN service. XO Anywhere allows your remote workers to work from anywhere as if they were in the office. It simplifies communications for mobile workers with a single Flex number that makes it easier for contacts to find them.
Posted in SIP, TMCnet, Unified Communications, VoIP
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Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband Headset

April 11, 2008


Rich and I reviewed the Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband headset, featuring wideband codec support for use in VoIP applications such as Skype and Microsoft Office Communicator. Rich actually got two pre-production models and was kind enough to give me one of the SupraPlus headsets. Actually, he wanted me to be his guinea pig to test the audio quality since I get to hear and review quite a few VoIP products.

We tested the monaural style Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB using both Skype and Microsoft Office Communicator. The audio quality was quite good.


Posted in Call Center and CRM, Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Headsets, Reviews, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP
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ISPBX Launches Asterisk appliances with CogoBlue Asterisk GUI

April 10, 2008

ISPBX launched a family of Asterisk appliances with CogoBlue Asterisk GUI tools. The CogoBlue GUI enables the configuration of a complete PBX using simple “drag and drop” icons. So simple even grandma can setup an Asterisk system. This drag-and-drop telephony brings back memories of my days testing CTI application generators from Envox, Pronexus, Artisoft, and others in CTI Magazine & Communications Solutions Magazine.
Posted in Asterisk, Linux, TMCnet, VoIP
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4 Comments

PhoneFromHere.com & Digium Ink 5 Year Deal

April 9, 2008

PhoneFromHere.com today announced a 5 year agreement with Digium. They have been working informally in the past. The goal is to improve and commercialize the embedded Java softphone created by Digium engineers. PhoneFromHere.com creates web call me button widgets for use on websites, blogs, social networking sites, etc.
Posted in Asterisk, Linux, SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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Blu-ray DVD - Buy 2 Blu-ray DVDs Get 1 Free on Amazon

April 9, 2008

Amazon is offering a buy 2 Blu-ray DVDs get 1 Free Blu-ray DVD now that the Blu-ray vs HD DVD war is over.

I just got this email now. Funny how Amazon was very diplomatic when they wrote "Now that all major studios have expressed their support for Blu-ray as the ultimate high definition entertainment experience" as opposed to saying "Now that Blu-ray has whooped HD DVD's arse and we now have a single standard." Guess Amazon didn't want to tick off Toshiba, one of the biggest losers after HD DVD's demise. Oh and speaking of The Biggest Loser, I'm down to 169lbs or 29lbs from my original 198lb weight.

In any event, if you're looking for a free Blu-ray DVD, check out this Amazon.com promotion:
Blu-ray DVDs: Buy 2, Get 1 Free Event

Dear Amazon Associate,






Posted in Home Entertainment
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Packet8 Virtual Office Adds Salesforce.com VoIP Plugin

April 9, 2008


Packet8 has always been at the leading edge of cool VoIP applications and products. Packet8 was the first to offer a videophone for their residential VoIP customers (see my review of the Packet8 Videophone) They're had several other firsts to their name along with several patents to boot. Packet8 is like the dark horse when it comes to VoIP. While they don't have their name in lights like big bad Vonage, Packet8 has been slowly growing their customer base while adding cool new features.
Posted in Call Center and CRM, Packet8, Reviews, TMCnet, VoIP
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2 Comments

C2Call - New browser-based Java VoIP app

April 3, 2008


C2Call (C2Call) lets you make web-based P2P VoIP phone calls direct from your browser whether you're using Linux, Windows, or an Apple Mac. The software is a Java widget that is loaded temporary from the C2Call web page into your browser each time you use C2Call. Using the C2Call Java widget I spoke with Martin Feuerhahn, Director of Actai Networks Pte Ltd Taiwan Branch. The voice quality was excellent and the latency wasn't too bad either considering I'm in Connecticut and he's in Taiwan!

In Internet Explorer when you first load the widget you'll see that the application has a digital signature that has been validated by a trusted source:


Actai Networks GmbH, the company mentioned in the above screenshot is the parent company of www.c2call.com. In Firefox the app just ran without showing the digital signature verification message. The client is just 1.1MB in size so it's fairly small.

The beauty of C2Call is that you can send a call invitation to anybody you want to talk to simply by sending an email invite directly from the www.c2call.com applet.







Posted in Apple, Linux, SIP, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP
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8 Comments

JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone

April 2, 2008

JAJAH, today announced that it is building on its current Apple iPhone call-back offering by participating in the iPhone Developer Program "to create possibly the first native global VoIP application." Sorry, Jajah, but truphone beat you to it with their 100% native VoIP solution for the iPhone. The new JAJAH VoIP application is expected to be available this summer, close to the iPhone 2.0 software release.

JAJAH already supports its web-activated telephony call back solution on a custom-skinned website for the iPhone, accessible via the integrated Safari web browser at http://iphone.jajah.com.

The new JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone will enable two ways to make free or low-cost global calls to any phone in the world:
1) JAJAH's known callback service ideal for low bandwidth locations
2) the sole use of a Wi-Fi network.





Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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4 Comments

Windows Mobile 6.1 Update

April 1, 2008

Microsoft has announced plans to rollout an updated version of its Windows Mobile platform called Windows Mobile 6.1. The new updates include enhancements to existing features as well as some new ones. Features include e-mail, Web-access, instant messaging, traffic updates, photo capabilities, music and the ability to edit documents. One nice feature is a new zoom capability that lets you view an entire Web page or picture and zoom in up on a portion of a page.
Posted in Microsoft, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth

April 1, 2008

Say hello to the new Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece Collection! According to Plantronics, the Plantronics Discovery 925 "blends Distinctive VFrame™ Design with award-winning audio technology for the ultimate in Bluetooth performance."

Plantronics, Inc. today unveiled the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece collection, a signature line of designer headsets for both men and women. Delivering exceptional audio performance, complemented by bold lines and distinctive finishes, the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece represents a technical craftsmanship previously unseen in the mobile accessories category.

The revolutionary design of the Plantronics’ Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece provides outstanding incoming and outgoing audio clarity in any environment. Central to its performance is the unique VFrame™ design, structured to follow the contours of the face and draw the microphone closer to the mouth for a headset that is as much objet d’art as it is audio ingenuity.



Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, Headsets, Mobile Phones, VoIP, Wireless
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2 Comments

D2 Technologies Releases Mobile Handset Solution Powered by Google Android

April 1, 2008

D2 Technologies today released their mobile handset solution powered by Google Android.

D2's mCUE mobile convergence software solution combines a communications user interface with the company’s vPort MP VoIP software platform and is targeted towards OEMs and service providers to help deliver integrated Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and Unified Communications (UC) functionality.

mCUE provides a complete embedded software framework for multi-mode mobile handsets for enterprise and consumer use, such as dual-mode cellular plus Wi-Fi phones. Its completely Java-based user interface framework for Linux can be ported to other GUI platforms.

“mCUE revolutionizes mobile communications by tying together the best aspects of PC-based communications, such as VoIP, instant messaging and presence support, with the roaming benefits of mobile cellular and connection speed and quality of in-building wireless,” said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing at D2 Technologies. “It is a complete turnkey solution for multi-mode mobile communication devices.”

mCUE is interoperable with enterprise IP-PBXs and unified communications systems. Looking at the GUI and the feature-specs, this definitely seems like a pretty cool product that I need to get my hands on and test.

Check out the news today.

LAS VEGAS, CTIA Wireless 2008 (Meeting Room 355) — April 1, 2008 — D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded software platforms that power IP communications, today announced that its mCUE™ converged communications client for mobile devices and handsets now supports Google’s Android, one of the industry’s first open-source mobile platforms.











Posted in Android, Google, Linux, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Unified Communications, Wireless
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Skype and other VoIP Apps on Mobile Phones

April 1, 2008

It seems new software comes out daily that enables you to run a VoIP application, such as Skype, on your mobile phone natively, through a bridged gateway, or using the Skype API. While Skype is certainly the most popular VoIP application, other software solutions exist that use the SIP standard. Still others provide SIP-to-Skype bridging capabilities. I thought it would be useful to have a rundown of the various solutions out there.
Posted in Computer Software, Gadgets, ITEXPO, Mobile Phones, SIP, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless
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VoIP Supply Grants No-Questions-Asked 3-Year Warranty on All VoIP Hardware

April 1, 2008

VoIP Supply announced a three-year, no-questions-asked, guaranteed replacement warranty, called Go3. As long as you purchase your VoIP hardware (IP phones, ATAs, SIP WiFi phones, IP-PBXs, etc.) from VoIP Supply they'll replace the VoIP equipment no questions asked. Hmmm. Considering I'm constantly in the labs "kicking" the tires of various VoIP equipment and I have on occasion spilled Diet Coke on equipment , I wonder if they'd still replace a 'sticky' IP phone that was drowned in Diet Coke? How bout if I drop kick it across the lab breaking the plastic?
Posted in SIP, TMCnet, VoIP
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