Tom Keating : VoIP & Gadgets Blog
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Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones, cell phones

Google Building Skype-like App in the Browser

June 22, 2011


Look out out Skype, Google Chrome is looking to add voice & video capabilities to the Google Chrome browser. Shortly after releasing WebRTC audio and video chat software as open-source, Google has begun to integrate WebRTC into Google Chrome. They're leveraging Global IP Solutions (GIPS) for the VoIP and video codec pieces. As you know, GIPS used to be the packet loss concealment and VoIP codec used by Skype before Skype dropped them in 2006. Google acquired GIPS in May of 2010.

Gmail currently has audio and video capabilities but it requires the use of a proprietary plug-in, so it can benefit from this as well.


Nimbuzz Still Growing - Even Without Skype

June 20, 2011


According to Nimbuzz, since July of 2010, more than 28 million new users joined Nimbuzz. That amounts to an impressive 100,000 new users every day and they've doubled in size in year to 50 million users. That's even with Skype telling Nimbuzz to buzz off and remove Skype integration.

Of course, even with Skype integration removed, Nimbuzz still supports Facebook, Yahoo, Windows Live, Google Talk, AIM, and others. So it's still a popular mobile VoIP and instant messaging app.

Still, without Skype support, I'd expect Nimbuzz's growth to slow a bit.




Cotendo Accelerates Mobile Content Delivery Via Mobile Acceleration Suite

June 15, 2011


Companies are struggling to keep up with their customer’s mobile browsing usage, which is one of the fastest growing data consumption segments. Problems include limited bandwidth on mobile devices, smaller screens, and limited capabilities, such as no Flash on the iPhone. Companies can lose out on financial transactions if the user experience isn’t good. Part of the challenge is different devices have different capabilities.

Upgrade to iOS 5 Now via Ridiculously Easy Hack

June 7, 2011


It appears iOS 5 has already been jailbroken and you can even install it now without a developer account, which costs money. First, go download the iOS 5 IPSW file. Then update your iPhone using typical iTunes method - connect your iPhone, click on the Check for Update button holding the Shift key on your PC or the Option on the Mac. Then you can select the iOS 5 IPSW file you downloaded. iOS 5 is still in beta, but it has 200+ new features, so you may want to be on the bleeding edge.

Windows 8 Preview Video - I hate it already!

June 2, 2011



So Microsoft announced a Windows 8 Preview video. I hate it. It's designed with a touch Windows tablet (i.e. iPad) in mind. The Start Menu is replaced by these humongous graphical tiles taking up way too much screen real-estate.

CounterPath Hosted Service Delivers Over-the-Top Fixed Mobile Services

June 1, 2011


Today, Counterpath launched a hosted service that enables wireline operators to deliver voice and SMS to any mobile phone on any mobile network. Their NCG Exchange product gives telcos, cable operators, hosted VoIP providers, Internet Telephony service providers, CLECs and other Wireline Operators with a cost-effective solution for enabling Over-the-Top, Fixed-Mobile Services. One of the features includes Voice Call Continuity (VCC), which Counterpath's Todd Carothers demonstrated to me at ITEXPO

With NCG Exchange, wireline operators can immediately provide their enterprise, SMB and SOHO customers with mobile VoIP and messaging services that are delivered over-the-top (OTT) of mobile networks, regardless of which carrier the customer uses.


CounterPath Partner Program for ITSPs Aims to Simplify Mobile VoIP Deployments

May 23, 2011

Tomorrow, CounterPath Corporation will announce their ITSP Partner Program for mobile softphones. Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) will now be able to certify their service with CounterPath's Bria iPhone Edition Softphone and an added benefit is simplified provisioning for customers. (i.e.

Blue Jeans Network Bridges Skype, SIP, H.323 for Multipoint Telepresence Solution

May 9, 2011

Blue Jeans Network has been quietly developing a new cloud-based video conferencing and collaboration service that bridges H.323 and SIP end-points, PSTN — and even Skype, with the goal of allowing users to connect everything from high-end video telepresence systems like Tandberg/Cisco and Lifesize to web cams running Skype to desktop IP videophones from Polycom, Grandstream, Cisco, and others. This solves a major problem with video conferencing and telepresence since interoperability, while it has improved, still doesn't take into account legacy H.323 end-points or users that only have inexpensive webcams. Blue Jeans Network plans to support Google and Microsoft Lync as well. Their cloud-based service handles the transcoding of audio and video codecs as well as manages the meeting IDs, PINs, etc.

Viber for Android Beta Launches

May 4, 2011


Viber today announced Viber, a mobile VoIP app was available for the Android. Viber lets users make free phone calls and send free text messages with their mobile phone. I've written about Viber in the past, but didn't initially see the convenience factor of using a person's regular phone number to dial someone using Viber. That is, the Viber dialer would automatically detect if the other person is also a Viber user to route the call.

Skype Fixes Privacy Vulnerability in Skype for Android

April 20, 2011

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