Tom Keating : VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Tom Keating
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| VoIP & Gadgets blog - Latest news in VoIP & gadgets, wireless, mobile phones, reviews, & opinions

Longview IoT Boosts Energy and Wireless Efficiency

Some of the biggest challenges slowing down the adoption of IoT are security, efficient battery usage and optimized wireless communications.One company has...

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Hallmark's Simple, Inexpensive Way to Boost Customer Satisfaction

In an effort to boost margins, companies often push more users to automated solutions such as FAQs, chatbots, voice bots and anything...

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Huawei Places the World's First 5G VoNR Video Call

Huawei recently completed the world's first voice over NR (VoNR) call. The voice and video call service was made using two Huawei...

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IGEL Advances Future of Work

IGEL is a provider of a next-gen edge OS for cloud workspaces. The company’s software products include IGEL OS, IGEL UD Pocket (UDP) and Universal...

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Tata Communications and Cisco Collaborate on SD-WAN

Tata Communications and Cisco have extended their partnership to enable enterprises to transform their legacy network to a customized and secure multi-cloud...

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How to Win the 50-Year-Old China Trade War

Today and this week in-fact is historic - the left and right in the U.S. agree that we have a major trade...

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Extreme Elements Enables The Autonomous Enterprise

Extreme Networks just announced Extreme Elements which in-turn enables the autonomous network and subsequently the autonomous enterprise. In a dynamic webinar, Dan...

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The Fall of Vonage and Net2phone?

September 7, 2004

I recently discussed the possibility of the "Death Knell for Vonage, Net2Phone, Packet8, Broadvoice, Lingo"

This news story makes a similar analysis:
CableFAX's CableWORLD:Meet the System-Rock Hill, S.C.: Rockin' With a Five-Pack

One quote from this article says, "Sounds like no need for Vonage, Net2Phone or any middleman vendor here."

I still think Vonage, Net2Phone, etc. are here to stay - at least for a little while. But certainly the "triple play" bundled offerings that cable companies can provide does not bode well for ITSPs that only provide "voice".

Then again...

AT&T suckers the Cable Companies on VoIP broadband service

September 7, 2004

I've been meaning to comment on this Cnet article from last week:
AT&T won't mess up again - News - ZDNet

It's an interview with AT&T's David Dorman where he talks about AT&T's future direction with VoIP and their recent deals with cable companies.

Here's a quote that really stuck in my craw:
AT&T David Dorman:"It's a battle between the cable guys and the Bells. People talk about it being a duopoly. It's not a duopoly.

VoIP, Where are you IBM?

September 7, 2004

Dial-Up VoIP

September 7, 2004

In the VoIP Forums there has been a lot of requests for help in finding Dial-Up VoIP products.

While broadband has recently surpassed dial-up users in the U.S., (see http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/voip/archives/broadband-overtakes-narrowband-dialup-woohoo.html), there still are millions of dial-up users that would love to use VoIP over their dial-up connection.

Go check out these two VoIP forum threads that discuss dial-up VoIP products:
VoIP Forum Call Center Forum other Forums: Dial-Up VoIP Part 1
VoIP Forum Call Center Forum other Forums: Dial-Up VoIP Part 2

Skype certainly is one option that works pretty well over dial-up.

To really make VoIP over dial-up a common occurence, AOL, the largest dial-up provider in the U.S., if not the world, needs to offer dial-up VoIP.

Using PSTN Acces Numbers to dial SIP address

September 6, 2004

Packet8 VideoPhone review

September 3, 2004

To borrow a quote, "Beavis, this is the coolest thing I have ever seen".

I got a sneak peek at the Packet8 VideoPhone, which has an embeded RTOS (UNIX/OSIX compliant) and I was quite impressed! It supports CIF (352 x 288 pixels) and QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolutions, and it uses SIP. According to the specifications, it uses G.711, G.723.1 for the audio, although when I spoke to Packet8, they said the videophone also uses their own "flavor" of G.729a.

Hooking up the Packet8 VideoPhone was a breeze.

VoIP SPIT spam

September 3, 2004

Worlds's First Internet Television Network

September 2, 2004

Check out this release:
PRESS RELEASE: GET READY! THE NEXT REVOLUTION IN TV STARTS LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

wIPphone VoIP service offers unlimited numbers worldwide

September 2, 2004

wIPphone is offering unlimited numbers free of charge to select cities (over 900) in the U.S. and countries worldwide. Thus, you can for instance have the ever-popular New York number, as well as a number in California, or wherever.

There FAQ states:
Can I get a regular or toll-free US phone number attached to my wIPphone?

South Africa - Welcome to the VoIP Revolution Man!

September 2, 2004

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