January 2009 Archives

Image is of the IPEVO Solo Desktop Skype phone not the forthcoming product. But picture something like this device that supports SIP, Skype, and has a color LCD

A source has told me about an interesting new VoIP/Skype product that is coming to market in Q3 2009. It's your typical desktop IP phone supporting the standard SIP stack, however it has an interesting twist - it also supports the Skype protocol.

The product is a dual-stack desktop phone supporting both the SIP and Skype protocols. Picture a Cisco, Polycom, or Aastra SIP-based phone that also supports Skype! Essentially, each desktop IP phone becomes a Skype endpoint with the ability to receive Skype calls to the Skype username (i.e. tomkeating) or the SkypeIn number (i.e. 212-555-1000).

My first thought when I heard about this product is why would you want Skype installed on the desktop phone endpoints? Why not just use one of the several Skype appliance or software gateways out there (Actiontec/VoSKY, Callfree, SimplyExchange, SkyStone, Skype for Asterisk), which gives you centralized administration of the Skype accounts and can interface with any SIP-based IP-PBX for Skype-based trunking (outbound & inbound dialing). The manufacturer of this device says their phone is more cost-effective than a Skype appliance since it's simply a software load on an existing IP telephone. Further, you can slowly add additional SIP/Skype-enabled phones as your business grows or as needed. They'll also sell a SIP-only IP phone that can later be upgraded to also support Skype via a license key.

Additionally, he pointed out that many employees telecommute with a remote IP phone, but also use Skype with a PC headset to stay in touch with business associates and friends. Using their IP phone you don't need to purchase a headset since you can use the IP phone handset instead to answer or make Skype calls. Also, no need to worry about running Skype or missing a call if you reboot your PC.

One major consideration is that Skype is very CPU intensive requiring a hefty processor, which obviously adds to the cost. My source tells me that they have done some extensive benchmarks to ensure the voice quality is good and are in the final stages of deciding between two well-known processor chips.

He explained the phones can be programmed via its web interface such that a certain prefix goes through SkypeOut, (i.e. '8') while other calls by default are routed to the SIP-based IP-PBX. I mentioned the difficulty of dialing Skype usernames using just a numeric keypad and he stated they are considering adding a full alphanumeric keypad to the phone, but it would increase manufacturing costs. They are strongly considering a "lite" (standard numeric pad) and a "pro" version (full alphanumeric keyboard). Both phone models will have a color LCD but they haven't finalized the dimensions yet.

He said the phone's web interface will have some rudimentary call history and a contacts database of your Skype buddies and imported contacts. You will be able to click on a contact hyperlink and initiate a Skype or SIP-based call.

He claims the IP phone will be price comparable to Polycom and Aastra IP phones. My only thought now is why hasn't someone thought of a dual-stack SIP Skype desktop IP phone before? Come to think of it, I've thought of this idea many times over the years, but figured only tech-savvy VoIP geeks would want such a desktop phone. But with the cost-saving potential such a phone would bring, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few dual-stack SIP Skype IP phones come to market in the next year.

According to The Times of London, rumors are that eBay wants to sell Skype after paying $2.6 billion to acquire Skype back in 2005. I wrote back then a few times that I thought eBay overpaid for Skype.

Let's assume the rumors are true. Who would be a potential buyer? Microsoft? While Microsoft would be an interesting buyer, they just laid off 5,000 employees. Laying off 5,000 people only to turn around an shell out hundreds of millions of dollars for Skype just doesn't make sense.

Who else in the tech sector might be plausible then? Of course the obvious answer is Google, but even they had a terrible 4th quarter and are rumored to have cuts/layoffs in the works. Besides, what would Google do with Skype? Google already offers Google Talk, even though it doesn't nearly have the penetration that Skype does. Google also loves standards and hates proprietary software/hardware with a religous zealotry. So buying Skype, with it very proprietary software architecture would be an anathema to Google.

Still, Skype could finally give Google a huge userbase in IP communications. I guesstimate at most Skype is worth maybe $250 million, but I'd have to run the numbers again. I honestly haven't looked at Skype's profit and gross numbers in awhile. But with voice minutes rapidly approaching "free", the real value for whoever buys Skype might be "paid" enhanced services and applications. But then Skype has to be careful not to tick off 3rd party developers by competing against them.

Perhaps the best buyer for Skype just might be Apple. I've written about a possible Apple/Skype partnership before, but it bears repeating:

Perhaps in partnership with Skype, Apple could allow VoIP over a 3G/4G data connection but Apple gets a cut of all revenue generated. Apple tends to change industry paradigms and break new ground. Certainly, Apple enabling a wide-scale VoIP over 3G/4G data connection would be a huge paradigm shift. Doubt AT&T would be happy though - nor other wireless carriers for that matter.

Essentially, Apple and Skype would form their own large-scale worldwide carrier network (using VoIP with termination) without all the fuss of maintaining an expensive carrier infrastructure nor customers dealing with yearly contracts, early termination fees, etc. Apple and Skype would be very competitively priced versus the traditional wireless carriers. Although Skype has been hugely successful, it still primarily is software app that runs on computers. Sure there are plenty of Skype hardware devices, but nothing of the scale that Apple could bring to bear. Apple and Skype working together is the perfect partnership in my opinion and it would send shockwaves throughout the entire wireless industry.

If eBay is indeed shopping Skype around, I think that's great news for Skype. I never thought much of the eBay/Skype deal and I think Skype lost their mojo soon after the deal. I heard the corporate cultures were just too different. It'll be interesting to see is Skype can "mesh" with another tech company's corporate culture.

With ITEXPO just one week away, Rich has a good roundup of some of the happenings going on at Internet Telephony Conference & Expo taking place in Miami, Florida. Aastra, Adtran, Dialogic, Digium, and Microsoft are just some of the companies exhibiting at the show. And don't forget Digium Asterisk World is co-located with ITEXPO!

Several prominent VoIP bloggers will be there, including Andy Abramson, Dan York, Jon Arnold, Ken Camp, Greg Galitzine, Rich Tehrani, and of course, yours truly. I'm sure there are others as well, but I'd have to check the press registration list and I'm pretty busy today.

Hope to see you in Miami!

Verizon VoiceWing customers received letters in the last couple of days saying, "We regret to inform you that effective March 31, 2009, Verizon will no longer offer VoiceWing. At that time, all VoiceWing service will be terminated". Rumors of VoiceWing's demise have been circulating, especially with Verizon FiOS (Voice, Video/TV, data) a much more profitable long-term business than single-play VoIP. I should add that Verizon stopped marking VoiceWing last year.

Verizon VoiceWing uses a locked Linksys PAP2 ATA, but the letter says they don't want the ATA back, once again fullfilling prediction #2 in my 2005 VoIP predictions.

I wrote:

2) VoIP providers will continue to harp that the government shouldn't impose any regulations on VoIP and that the industry should be open & free, while simultaneously VoIP providers will continue to alienate their customers by password-protecting and locking the customer's ATA (analog telephony adaptor), thus preventing customers from easily switching to another VoIP provider and using the same ATA. This is hypocrisy at its worst! Customers will continue to be left with useless ATA "bricks" which eventually will make it the local landfill when they switch to a better VoIP provider.

It would be nice if Verizon included the PIN for the ATAs to allow customers to switch to another VoIP provider. Of course many VoIP service providers offer free ATAs with a one-year contract. Still, do we really need millions of working ATAs sent to the landfills? No very green if you ask me. I should point out that VoiceWing is actually a cooperation service with Deltathree.

Perhaps not so coincidentally to Verizon killing off VoiceWing, is this lawsuit filed on December 5, 2008 by Centre One against VoiceWing for patent infringement. Oh the sweet irony if Verizon, the ones who sued Vonage practically to death, would themselves have given up on the VoIP industry over a patent lawsuit! Still, I'm doubtful the patent litigation was the cause. I think Verizon sees bigger fish to fry in their FiOS fiber-to-the-home offering and single-play VoIP just isn't that profitable to them.

A source tipped me off to a Packet8 VoIP service outage last night & today caused by a DNS issue. I contacted 8x8/Packet8 and Joan Citelli, Director, Corporate Communications for 8x8, Inc. to find out what caused the VoIP outage. Joan told me the following:

"We are providing all subscribers who experienced this issue with the following explanation and resolution procedure via email and customer support calls. Let me know if you have any further questions."

At 7 pm last night (January 22, 2008) Register.com changed the DNS for www.packet8.net and www.packet8.com by omitting the DNS and substituting a landing page in its place.  The net result was call failure and inability to find Packet8 website. Our telephones and DTA's have several hard coded fail-over processes built into them.  However, due to the landing page put up by Register.com, the end points were given a false signal of success and did not fail over to the backup IP addresses built into each device.

Within minutes Packet8 engineers saw the issue, contacted Register.com and got the issue resolved with proper routing instructions broadcast to all DNS servers on the Internet.

Most Internet Service Providers updated to the correct DNS routing instantly.  However, we have reports that ATT, ATT-Mobile and Time Warner Roadrunner on the East coast have not updated DNS servers with the correct information.
If you are having issues with the Packet8 service or reaching our self-service portal, please provide the solutions below to renew the DNS information in your modem, router, and computers.

If the solutions do not work, your ISP may be providing the outdate DNS information.  Please call Packet8 support with the following information and we will contact your ISP regarding the issue.

Call Packet8 Support at 1-888-898-8733 or, if outside the US, call 1-408-687-4120
Solutions
1.  Point the DNS server settings of your Packet8 endpoints and telephones to 63.209.12.18 or set your router's DNS settings to Open DNS with 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.
2.  Edit your hosts file to force www.packet8.net to 63.209.12.100
3.  Provide a network power cycle with step by step instructions shown below
Network Power Cycle
Power cycling the entire network refreshes and re-syncs all network devices with the most current network information broadcast from the ISP.
1.       Unplug power from the back of all network devices (modem, router, & Packet8 device) & shutdown any computers.  Then wait one minute.
2.       Plug the power cord back into the modem and wait one minute to let the modem synchronize with the ISP. (Check for ONLINE/Internet light)
3.       Plug the power cord back into the Router and wait one minute.
4.       Plug the power cord back into the Packet8 device and wait 30 seconds
5.       Check the Packet8 phone for a dial tone.  Also, the PHONE LED on the Packet8 device should come light up when the receiver is picked up or turned on.
6.       Check lights: solid POWER LED & an occasionally flickering LINK LED
If no dial tone, turn on a computer and make sure the customer can browse the internet.
Clear computer of old DNS information:  Start -- Run -- cmd  --  ipconfig /flushdns

Goes to show you that DNS is critical to VoIP availability. Register.com is a popular site, I'm surprised they made such a big mistake. I would think Packet8 would have to request a DNS change before Register.com would do it on their own. Actually from the explanation, it sounds like Packet8 did request a DNS change, but Register.com just pointed it to the wrong location (a Register.com landing page).

As I wrote a few days ago, Verizon plans to launch the Verizon Hub. I just learned the Verizon Hub will launch February 1st. As I also was the first to point out, my source told me that the Verizon Hub is essentially the same thing as the Verizon One (created by OpenPeak), which I wrote about in March 2007. In my post from a few days ago, I wrote, "One of my sources told me that the Verizon Hub is the same thing as the Verizon One, but apparently Verizon changed the name to the Verizon Hub deskphone."



The Verizon Hub is the evolution of the Verizon One. As part of that evolution, I hope they no longer restrict you to surfing specific websites. Or if they do have to limit it, I hope the list of allowed websites includes YouTube, Digg, Yahoo! + Mail, Gmail, Google, MSN, and Hotmail. The device sports a touch-screen interface for surfing, checking the weather & traffic, and more. It also allows users to make PSTN phone calls via its POTS connection (no VoIP ), access email, search the web, view a calendar, stream music from the web, and view photo images from a digital camera - essentially making it double as a digital photo frame when not in use.

Update: It is VoIP. I found some documentation that mentions attaching a 911 sticker to the phone (E-911 compliance laws) as well as how to hook up the device. It only mentions Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity - no mention of connecting a RJ11 wire to a wall jack. So obviously it is VoIP. My source says is it is VoIP using SIP on the backend.



It sports a WiFi and an Ethernet connection, so I'm not sure why they didn't include VoIP support. At least make it work with Verizon VoiceWing, which is Verizon's VoIP broadband service. Though I have heard from another source that it will support VoIP. I'll get to the bottom of this and let you know. As mentioned in the above update, it does do VoIP. My source says they are leveraging SIP and he believes it is using VoiceWing, but needs to confirm.

It also has visual voice mail, an address book, and even audio directions which the Hub can send to Verizon Wireless phones.

I was hoping it might include a femtocell to improve signal bars in locations with a weak Verizon signal, but alas my sources tell me it won't include femtocell. It will however run on any broadband connection and features tight integration with Verizon Wireless services. It also can integrate with Verizon FiOS and let you control your FiOS TV service from this device.



Update: 2:50pm Just to reiterate - it is VoIP. I found some documentation that mentions attaching a 911 sticker (E911 compliance laws)  to the phone as well as how to hook up the device. It only mentions Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity - no mention of connecting a RJ11 wire to a wall jack. So obviously it is VoIP. My source says is it is VoIP using SIP on the backend.

Price: $199.99 after $50 mail-in rebate. $34.99/month fee with unlimited calls anywhere in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Update: 1:58pm: Found some more info from a source
It appears that the Verizon Hub will have the ability to upload photos to http://verizonwireless/hub (currently unavailable). You will be able to port your existing number by calling 800-922-0204. The home screen widgets will give you quick access to Missed Calls, Voice Mail, Messages--Text, Picture and Video, Call Forwarding, and Time & Weather. You will also be able to view movie listings, showtimes, and even video trailers. Yup, the Verizon Hub supports video. You'll even be able to purchase movie tickets from the phone. It also supports Verizon V Cast, which enables you to watch popular video clips of news, sports, and more. It also sports a Chaperone feature that lets you track where your kids are via their cell phones.

Update 11:47am They just put this on the news wires. No mention of VoIP.

Verizon Wireless Reimagines the Home Phone

In a dynamic move sure to rattle devotees of plain old home phones, Verizon Wireless will introduce the new Verizon Hub on Feb. 1. Only Verizon Wireless can launch a new touch screen home phone system designed to replace old-style home phones with a souped-up home communications system, bridging wireline and wireless connectivity in one simple service, that runs on any broadband connection whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.

Innovative Verizon Hub Helps Manage Busy Lives and Helps Users Stay Connected to Family and Community

In a dynamic move sure to rattle devotees of plain old home phones, Verizon Wireless will introduce the new Verizon Hub on Feb. 1. Only Verizon Wireless can launch a new touch screen home phone system designed to replace old-style home phones with a souped-up home communications system, bridging wireline and wireless connectivity in one simple service, that runs on any broadband connection -- whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.

Families with active lifestyles and virtually anyone who wants to stay current and connected need a tool that helps manage their communications, contacts and calendars simply and smartly -- all from one easy screen. The Verizon Hub is poised to help pave the way for people to stay in touch and up to date with the information they need to navigate their increasingly busy days and nights.

"The Verizon Hub reinvents the home phone system that's been centered on your kitchen counter for years. We're bringing huge new functionality to a common household device that will unlock its true potential. And in the process, Verizon Wireless is updating the tools busy families can use to manage their lives," said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. "The Verizon Hub is going to change the way you think about what you want and need your home phone to do. Whether you're thinking about getting rid of your home phone or can't live without it, now is the time to try out the Verizon Hub."

The Verizon Hub uses your existing broadband connection, and it's quick to get it up and running. It will work with any open broadband connection from virtually any broadband provider -- telecommunications or cable -- anywhere in the United States.

Out of the box, the Verizon Hub will have all the calling features users expect from the most advanced home phones, plus visual voicemail and robust contact list management. Verizon Wireless has also added exciting messaging options, including text message calendar alerts and audible turn-by-turn directions delivered to Verizon Wireless phones from the Verizon Hub -- with just a few simple taps on the screen.

Information will be at a family's fingertips, literally from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons on the Verizon Hub. Families will start and end their days with nuggets of customized information from the Verizon Hub:

• Check local traffic and weather in the morning before leaving the house
• Update your calendar and automatically receive a text when an appointment changes or as a reminder not to be late
• Get directions to the new site when the location for soccer practice is moved
• Find the number of the new pizza parlor to order a pie
• Preview the trailers from an upcoming movie that you might want to take the family to over the weekend, then purchase tickets using the Verizon Hub

Families on the go can access all the information and functionality of the Verizon Hub remotely from a companion Web site, even adding calendar entries for family members and inputting new contacts from the Web site. The home-based Verizon Hub is instantly updated.

Verizon Wireless customers who bring the Verizon Hub into their homes can connect to popular applications including VZ Navigator(SM) and Chaperone(R), as well as incorporate their wireless devices through text, picture and video messaging between wireless phones and the Verizon Hub. New and exciting V CAST content will also be available on the Verizon Hub, and when not in use, the Verizon Hub doubles as a digital picture frame displaying all of your favorite photos.

More details on the Verizon Hub, including pricing and service plans, will be available in the coming days. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, please visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 83.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

HTC today announced the HTC Touch Cruise, a mobile phone that is optimized to run as a personal navigation handset with its inbuilt GPS and ability to geotag places you go with a photo and audio notes. The new HTC Touch Cruise is an update to last year's popular HTC Touch Cruise model, but it sports a more compact design and several new features.

Of particular note is HTC Footprints, an application that enables you to chronicle places you visit by capturing "digital postcards" on the phone that includes a 3.2MP photo, along with the ability to attach notes and an audio clip to remind you of the location's significance. Footprints will automatically geotag the specific GPS coordinates, and even auto-names each "postcard" with its general location or area.

The HTC Touch Cruise can also be used as an advanced in-car navigation system.  Just stick it into its car cradle and the HTC Touch Cruise automatically transforms its user interface into an easy-to-use, one-touch interface with turn-by-turn directions.

It sports a decent 2.8 inch QVGA display along with HTC's TouchFLO technology. Because it's only QVGA, tt's not TouchFLO 3D, but rather TouchFLO 2D.  Still, the TouchFLO 2D UI for Windows Mobile 6.1 is an improvement over the regular UI. It also has a built-in good quality 3.2MP camera, Bluetooth, 512 MB flash ROM & 256 MB RAM, and a Qualcomm MSM7225 processor running at 528 MHz. No slide-out keyboard though. Personally, I'd like to see HTC build the HTC Touch HD with a slide-out keyboard. There are rumors that HTC is building the HTC Touch HD Pro with a slide-out keyboard.

HTC Touch Cruise Specifications

• Size: 102 x 53.5 x 14.5mm
• Weight: 103 grams
• Connectivity: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
• Control panel: HTC TouchFLO™, 4-Way navigation wheel with Enter and HTC Footprints™ buttons
• Camera: 3.2 MP, with fixed focus
• Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM, 256 MB RAM
• Expansion Slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• GPS: GPS/A-GPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
• Battery: 1100 mAh
• Talk time: GSM: up to 400 minutes
• Standby time: GSM: up to two weeks
• Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz

Check out Mobile-Review's full review of the HTC Touch Cruise here.

Back in March 2007 I wrote about Verizon VoiceWing VoIP FiOS service with a brand new phone called Verizon One, sporting a touch-screen, stylus, Internet access, VoIP, and more. It's pictured here:



Well, according to Boy Genius Report, it appears that a new product called the Verizon Hub deskphone is launching and is even in Verizon stores with a "do not open until further instructions order". I looked at the Verizon Hub pictures and it looked identical to the Verizon One. One of my sources told me that the Verizon Hub is the same thing as the Verizon One, but apparently Verizon changed the name to the Verizon Hub deskphone. It's possible it has additional features. Building in a femtocell into the device would be nice, to help extend and improve the range of your cell phone in poor coverage areas. My source wouldn't confirm nor deny that it has femtocell capabilities.

As I previously wrote about the Verizon One/Hub, unfortunately, the Web browsing experience is tad limited, since you can only get specific Web content that Verizon has enabled. Some of the approved web content includes categories such as news, weather, and movie listings. But if you try and browse a site not listed, you're out of luck. I even joked, "perhaps Verizon doesn't want people going to Yahoo! Yellow Pages and bypassing Verizon's 411 directory assistance at $1.75 a pop! (not sure exact figure). But I'm sure there plan is to find partners and advertisers for the Verizon One device. Still a neat little gadget even if they do "lock" down the browsing experience."

The Verizon Hub (formerly Verizon One) will handle regular phone calls, but it was designed for VoIP.  The cordless phone, which doesn't look nearly as "cool" as the rest of the device, will work with Verizon's upcoming VoiceWing VoIP service for FiOS. It also sports a touch screen with stylus and it will require a two-year contract at $29.99/month as seen by this Verizon Hub search.

TechCrunch has a prototype of their tablet PC featuring a touchscreen, Wi-Fi, an accelerometer, a camera and a four cell battery running on a stripped down version of Linux. Well, actually they're running the prototype on full-fledged Linux, but they promise better performance once they strip out all the extra stuff.

According to TechCrunch:

The device has a 12-inch touchscreen with a 4:3 aspect ratio (which is ideal for web browsing in my opinion). It is powered with a Via Nano processor, which has performed at par with the Intel Atom in our testing. 1 GB of ram (its more than we need) and a 4 GB flash drive to store the OS and browser and any cache. Resolution is 1024×768, which means the vast majority of websites are viewed in full width without scrolling.

So what's missing from this Techcrunch tablet gadget? Well, how bout a PCMCIA slot for inserting an EVDO/3G/4G card. Forget Wi-Fi - that's so 2005. We need to be able to roam and happily surf the web when outside earshot of a Wi-Fi access point. Although it does have a USB port, so maybe it will support USB-based EVDO/3G/4G dongles. PCMCIA is pretty large come to think of it, taking up a lot of internal space. A touch screen tablet optimized for web surfing needs to be as thin and as light as possible.

It should also support Skype, including Skype videoconferencing using the embedded camera. Maybe it will and maybe it won't, but surprisingly no mention of Skype in the article. It should also support some SIP softphone client for those that like to BYOVA (Bring Your Own VoIP Access).

What else would you like to see?

There is a potential problem where Office Communicator Phone Edition powered devices can't update to new firmware versions hosted on a OCS 2007 R2 Enterprise Edition pool running on Windows 2008. You'll see HTTP Error 500 19 errors in the Internet Information Services (IIS) logfiles when attempting to upgrade Office Communicator Phone Edition firmware URLs on Windows 2008

Jens Trier Rasmussen has the workaround.

According to a Skype spokesperson, at Lotusphere 2009 in Orlando, FL, IBM and Skype previewed the planned integration of Skype functionality with LotusLive, IBM's new cloud services which are designed to "help individuals build communities to work smarter, more effectively and more efficiently across and beyond their own companies." To be honsest, I'm not familiar with LotusLive, but effectively this sounds like collaborative cloud computing with Skype capabilities thrown into the mix. Skype's voice & video capabilities will be added to the Borg LotusLive Collective.

Here's the full details:

Skype and IBM collaborate on LotusLive Integration for the Enterprise
Skype voice and video calling to be available for global businesses via IBM Cloud Services

Skype today announced it will integrate Skype™ functionality with LotusLive (www.lotuslive.com), IBM's new cloud services which are designed to help individuals build communities to work smarter, more effectively and more efficiently across and beyond their own companies. Skype's voice and video calling will add rich, real-time communications capabilities to LotusLive, making it even easier for enterprises to collaborate in the cloud.

This planned integration, which was previewed at IBM Lotusphere 2009 in Orlando, FL, will join LotusLive collaborative services with Skype Internet communications to create a seamless communications experience for our mutual customers. Employees of companies using LotusLive will be able to use Skype to initiate voice and video calls, simply by clicking on their contacts' Skype names or phone numbers within LotusLive. Future possibilities include the ability to import Skype contact information into IBM cloud services to enhance online collaboration.

"Our relationship with IBM demonstrates how serious Skype is about bringing the benefits of 'anytime, anywhere, any mode' Internet communications to the enterprise environment," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer. "During tough economic times, every business is seeking to cut costs while enhancing competitiveness and we look forward to broader, long-term cooperation between IBM and Skype to help businesses of all sizes around the globe save money, save time, and stay ahead."

"We recognize that communications is an integral component of collaboration in an Internet-enabled world and that many small businesses have already adopted Skype," said Sean Poulley, vice president of online collaboration, IBM Lotus. "This integration will simplify and improve the way businesses interact with their customers and partners."

For more information, please visit www.lotuslive.com. To manage multiple Skype accounts, purchase and allocate Skype Credit or subscriptions, as well as manage calling activity, businesses can also access the Skype for Business Control Panel (BCP), a free web-based tool, at www.skype.biz.

AT&T sent me their new TL7610 DECT 6.0 headset for review last month and I finally got around to writing up the review. My first impressions were very positive. It sported a nice sleek and ergonomic headset base with well-labeled buttons and LEDs for figuring things out without need for the manual. Like the base, the headset piece was also sleek and ergonomic with a slight curve to the microphone piece. What's most interesting is that this headset marks AT&T's foray into the business headset market. When I think of business headsets I think of Plantronics or GN Netcom, which is now Jabra. The AT&T brand name recognition certainly will certainly cause many prospective buyers to give a closer look. Technically, the TL7610 is a Vtech product branded as AT&T. Vtech is pretty well known for their home cordless phone systems and even some home VoIP systems that work with popular VoIP providers such as Vonage.

I was curious how the TL7610 headset would stack up against the GN 9350 headset, which I reviewed. Both are DECT 6.0 headsets, however, the GN 9350 headset doesn't seem capable of "pairing" with home DECT 6.0 phone systems, which was a minor complaint for some. The AT&T TL7610 headset on the other hand does allow you to at least wireless pair with any 2008 AT&T DECT 6.0 cordless products . Curious if it supported the GAP standard and registration with 3rd party DECT phone systems, I asked an AT&T spokesperson who responded, "The headsets are not GAP compliant. GAP compliance does not really exist in North America. We are simply able to program our handset registration algorithm into the cordless headsets, so our cordless telephones see it as an accessory headset." Well, 3rd party DECT phone systems aren't supported, but at least it can pair with AT&T DECT products. 

Another unique advantage of this headset over competitors' headsets is that the TL7610 is the first headset to support both analog lines and desktop corded phones in the same product. Other headset manufacturers use a different model for PSTN connections and corded business systems. I really liked how flexible it is - it can work with a home analog line or a corporate desktop phone (including VoIP phones) using the handset cord. In fact, I first tested the headset by connecting it to an Aastra 57i CT IP telephone and it worked perfectly.

Installing the headset was a breeze and the instructions include a Quick Start Guide as well as a detailed User's Manual. You can configure the headset to work using three options. Option 1 lets you connect the headset base to a corded or cordless phone - including multi-handset cordless systems. All you need to use is a line splitter which is included with the phone and then follow the diagram in the manual which directs you to color-coded dots on the headset base, making it very easy to make the connections. Option 2 lets you connect the headset base unit directly to your home/office analog wall jack. You'll be able to answer calls with this option, but you'll need a telephone plugged into the same telephone line somewhere else in the house/office or a dial pad - AT&T sells the TL7601 dial pad separately. Option 3 lets you connect the headset base with any corded telephone for multiple line systems and PBXs/IP-PBXs.

I tested option 1 and option 3 and it worked flawlessly. Option 2 is essentially the same as option 1 minus the splitter, so there was no point in testing it. I really liked the diagrams and the color-coded dots on the headset base which "dummy proofed" connecting the headset using any of the three available options.


                              AT&T TL7610 Side Profile View

The TL6610 supports a "lifter mode" for use when you are connecting the base unit to a telephone handset cord (option 3). I had to turn this mode on in order to answer/make calls. This does obviously require me to manually lift the handset receiver off of the Aastra 57i CT. However AT&T sell an optional automatic handset lifter called the TL7000.

The headset was already paired to the base but just for testing I followed the instructions and re-paired the device pretty easily. I then roamed to the furthers part of TMC offices and couldn't get the headset to lose connection. I headed outside into the parking lot and was able to get pretty far before losing connection. Definitely superb range on this headset. The headset itself sports 4 buttons: On/off, volume up, volume down, and mute/flash. The on/off button flashes blue, reminding me of most Bluetooth headsets that have a flashing blue light. When charging, the on/off button stays a solid blue. Adjusting the volume on some competing headsets I've tried was a nightmare due to tiny recessed buttons - not so on the TL7610. It was very easy to adjust the volume using the pronounced up & down volume arrow buttons.

Product Features:

• Excellent range - up to 500 feet using DECT 6.0 technology
• Extended battery life of up to 12 hours talk time [Update: I'm now told its 5 days standby and up to 8 hours talk time]
• DSP enhanced sound quality using SRS licensed technology
• Lightweight with multiple wearing styles
• Works with corded and cordless 1-line and 2-line phones
• Works with multi-line business systems
• Expandable to 2 headsets (Uses TL7600 - sold separately)
• Conference capability - up to 2 headsets
• Multiple connection options for home and office use, including IP and digital PBX telephones

Conclusion
Wireless phone capabilities in the office helps improve business productivity in this age of multitasking. Like all DECT headsets I've reviewed, they are a bit larger and heavier than Bluetooth headsets, but the TL7610 is still fairly small and light for a DECT headset. Business executives will surely like the aesthetics of the sleek looking headset base and headset piece, which will fashion their desk. I really like the AT&T TL7610 headset. It was pretty comfortable, had excellent range, and very good battery life. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Relatedly, I look forward to checking out AT&T's TL7650 which adds a USB connection to a PC so you can use it with VoIP applications such as Skype. It's not available yet, but will be soon and I promise to review it as soon as I can get my hands on one.

Pricing for the TL7610: MSRP: $199.95 though this headset can be purchased online for much less.

You can buy the TL7610 headset through www.telephones.att.com, select Best Buy locations, Office Max, and Amazon via this link where I see it available inexpensively for $129.99.

Don Witt, President of cyLogistics, theorizes that the stock market meltdown and slowing economy will actually spur faster VoIP growth in an article he penned for TMCnet.

He writes, "More and more executives will be under the gun to cut costs. There are a number of ways to cut costs but one way to cut costs tends to jump out at you -- the PHONE BILL. This will force many companies to take the digital/VoIP plunge. As a result, VoIP sales will increase significantly over the next year or two."

He adds, "The stock market crash has effectively pulled in the VoIP growth curve by 6-12 months or more! As identified in the Post-Melt Down chart, VoIP sales may increase by 200-300% over previous forecasts. Thus, next year's VoIP growth can be expected to jump from 4% to 8% or 12% or more next year."

Of course theories, and pretty chart graphs can be made to make anything look good. Is the VoIP industry truly headed towards faster growth in this economic climate? I tend to agree with Don. There are indications that not only enterprises, but also municipalities and schools are deploying VoIP to save on costs.

In fact, I recently came across one town right here in Connecticut (Enfield), which recently deployed VoIP, resulting in dramatic savings -- and not just in phone charges, but also in ongoing maintenance costs. According to the article, "Previously the schools and the town each had its own independent tech support team. Today a staff of three network support employees manages a network consisting of more than 29 remote locations and over 4,000 networked devices." Obviously, VoIP isn't just about saving on long-distance charges. A consolidated voice & data network in Enfield, CT has resulted in reduced support costs and lower TCO as well.

While one example doesn't make it the rule, I do think companies, municipalities, etc. are looking to cut costs and VoIP is one sure-fire way to do just that.

President-Elect Barack Obama is planning to send up to $40 billion in grants and loans bailout funds toward improving broadband availability and speeds as part of broader economic stimulus efforts, according to UBS analysts.

According to Telephony Online:

A draft of the proposed $825-billion economic stimulus bill circulating on Capitol Hill today lists $6 billion for expanding broadband "so businesses in rural and other underserved areas can link up to the global economy," adding that this provision could well aid the job-creation goals of the larger economic stimulus effort.

PC World writes: The money will "strengthen the economy and provide business and job opportunities in every section of America with benefits to e-commerce, education and health-care," a House Appropriations Committee document said. "For every dollar invested in broadband the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment."

10X the return? I'm not buying it. My BS meter just went off the scale. Just my opinion here, but I see this as $40 billion in wasted tax payer money. The private U.S. sector already offers high-speed Internet to nearly every part of the country. Where DSL or cable isn't available, American can pay for high-speed satellite Internet access. If it isn't profitable for ISPs to bring high-speed Internet to boondocks USA, then I am very skeptical about the government paying for it. We've been down this road before with the Community Reinvestment Act forcing banks to give mortgage loans to risky  individuals, which turned into a very unprofitable venture with disastrous results.

Let the free market decide where high-speed Internet is profitable. Seriously, why should I subsidize high-speed Internet for Backwaters, U.S.A.?

In this tight economy, I'd rather have this $40 billion divided by 300 million Americans = $133.33 back per person.

That's $533 for my 4 person family.

Or if you only count just tax payers it's $40b divides by 136 million tax payers = $294 back per tax payer.

$40 billion doesn't seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but when the government spends $40b on this, $100b on that, $800b on bailouts, etc. soon enough your Federal income taxes starts shooting through the roof - or at least the deficit will until the bill comes due years from now. Average Americans no longer pay attention to how much the Federal government takes out of their paycheck each week/bi-week. It's money they never see, so they don't miss it.

I have a solution for this slow American economy - suspend all federal income taxes (except social security taxes of course) for 1 year. I guarantee that will give the economy a huge boost. It'll never happen though, because my fellow Americans will be shocked how much more dispensable income they will have in the course of one year. Once their eyes are opened, Americans will never allow the federal government to reinstitute the same amount of taxes formerly taken. Congress knows this and will never give up that much money/power.

Now, you could argue that poor Americans could use an Internet access subsidy. However, last I checked, poor people in this country had plasma TVs, PS3s, subsidized housing, free emergency care, and more. We have perhaps the richest poor people in the world or close to it. If they want Internet access, they'll pay for it. Americans work hard and will work to earn things they want. It's the way it's always been.

Unfortunately, we keep hearing these "great ideas" how to offer more services to Americans via the government, and we just think the government can do anything with their "limitless" funds. The U.S government can just print more money - it's just Monopoly money after all. Who cares about the impacts on inflation, which will no doubt hit us in the next 18 months from all these bailouts and new government spending ideas/plans?

So the question is do you want really want your federal taxes to increase and go towards building high-speed Internet access for every American. If you agree to pay higher taxes for that, why not tax the taxpayers even more to give a free car or a free house to all Americans making under $40,000? Bad analogy? Agreed, it is a bit over the top, but you see my point.

I'm all for stimulating the economy, but this seems like yet another wasteful government project.

Let Verizon, AT&T, cable cos, etc. make their own investments in building out their Internet networks. Enough with the government grants, subsidies handouts already!

IT Administrators like to consolidate as many server roles & applications as they can on a single server, while maintaining reliability and compatibility. Of course, Office Communications Server 2007 has many components (Edge Server, Media Server, Director, Front-End Server, Web Conferencing Server, etc.), some of which must be installed on separate servers and cannot be collocated on the same computer. Consolidating as many server roles as possible not only reduces hardware costs, but makes administration and maintenance easier as well, thus lowering TCO. Microsoft has released a useful chart identifying which components that explicitly cannot be collocated and those that can. Any combination that is not identified has not been tested and is not supported.

Via Microsoft:

The following table identifies the Office Communications Server roles that can and cannot be collocated. In addition to the server roles identified in the table, the following collocation scenarios are explicitly not supported for Office Communications Server 2007 R2:

• Any server role on an Active Directory domain controller
• Exchange UM and Office Communications Server

Server Role Collocation

This server role/configuration	Can collocate with this server role	Cannot collocate with this server role
Standard Edition configuration	Communicator Web Access Archiving Server Note: This topology is not recommended. Monitoring Server	Director Edge Server Mediation Server Group Chat Server
Enterprise Edition consolidated configuration	Communicator Web Access	Director Edge Server Mediation Server Archiving Server Monitoring Server Group Chat Server
Enterprise Edition expanded configuration, Front-End Server	Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server Communicator Web Access	Web components Director Edge Server Mediation Server Archiving Server Monitoring Server Group Chat Server
Enterprise Edition expanded configuration, Web Conferencing Server	Front-End Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Web components Communicator Web Access	Director Edge Server Mediation Server Archiving Server Monitoring Server Group Chat Server
Enterprise Edition expanded configuration, Application Sharing Conferencing Server	Front-End Server Web Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Web components Communicator Web Access	Director Edge Server Mediation Server Archiving Server Monitoring Server Group Chat Server
Enterprise Edition expanded configuration, A/V Conferencing Server	Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server Web components Communicator Web Access	Director Edge Server Mediation Server Archiving Server Monitoring Server Group Chat Server
Web components	Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Communicator Web Access Archiving Server Monitoring Server	Front-End Server Director Edge Server Mediation Server Group Chat Server
Director	Communicator Web Access	Any other server role
Communicator Web Access	Front-End Server Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Web components Director Archiving Server Monitoring Server	Edge Server Mediation Server Group Chat Server
Edge Server	Never collocated
Mediation Server	Never collocated
Archiving Server	Web components Communicator Web Access Monitoring Server	Front-End Server Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Director Edge Server Mediation Server Group Chat Server
Monitoring Server	Web components Communicator Web Access Archiving Server	Front-End Server Web Conferencing Server Application Sharing Conferencing Server A/V Conferencing Server Director Edge Server Mediation Server Group Chat Server
Group Chat Server	Never collocated