VoIP

VoIP news, trends, and opinions, VoIP reviews. Covering Asterisk, Cisco, Grandstream, Polycom, Microsoft, Vonage, Packet8, etc.

Skype for Windows 8 Metro / Modern UI Leaks

August 17, 2012

Microsoft / Skype is hard at work developing a cool Metro "Modern UI" version of Skype, the new Windows 8 tile-based touch-enabled interface. An image of the Skype Metro style app leaked to Twitter demonstrating how the Microsoft/Skype team has optimized Skype for Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets coming to market.

Cult of Mac likes it, but isn't pleased Apple tablets will be getting the short shaft and not be able to leverage this new UI. It sports the usual voice and video features, but also pinned favorites and a sidebar to display status and message history.

According to Neowin, "The UI is fluid and dare we say fast too.

Posted in Microsoft, Skype, TMCnet, Tablets, Video Conferencing, VoIP

Auto-Provision VoIP Softphone with QR Code

August 10, 2012

Zoiper, creators of SIP and IAX clients for Apple iOS and Android. has a novel idea of leveraging QR codes to auto-provision VoIP softphone clients. No more typing the SIP registrar, username, password, etc. Their softphone client allows end users to self-provision their VoIP service accounts simply by taking a picture with the device camera to scan a QR code.

From the Ziper mobile app you click the QR icon and the screen then switches to “QR scan mode” where it can capture the image generated by the VoIP provider.

Posted in Android, Apple, SIP, VoIP, Wireless

Microsoft Surface = Threat to IP Phone Market

August 6, 2012

Microsoft has already irked some of their hardware partners with Microsoft getting into the hardware business via their pending Microsoft Surface product launch later this year. Perhaps lost in the battle between Microsoft and their PC/laptop/tablet hardware partners is the pending battle that I predict between Microsoft and their Lync phone hardware partners, such as snom and Polycom.

In 2011, I wrote an article discussing how the Apple iPad (and also Android tablets) will be your next desktop IP phone. More recently, last month I wrote how the Microsoft Surface tablet could also be a game changer in the IP phone market:

This touch support [in Windows 8] will give Microsoft an advantage is fulfilling my prediction that tablets will replace the desktop phone. Windows 8 tablets running Lync will become the ultimate unified communications device, performing everything from your traditional voice (VoIP) to HD video conferencing, as well as collaboration, instant messaging, and all the other typical UC features.

Posted in Cisco, Lync, Microsoft, SIP, ShoreTel, Skype, TMCnet, Unified Communications, Video Conferencing, VoIP, Wireless

FreedomPop for iPod Touch - Free 4G Internet Coming!

July 25, 2012

Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom's new FreedomPop, a 4G broadband "free" wireless internet provider, which recently announced FREE 4G wireless internet for iPhone using the Freedom Sleeve 4G for iPhone 4/4s will soon launch the Freedom Sleeve for the iPod Touch. Yeah, that's right, I said FREE 4G wireless internet - with some small caveats of course...

Posted in Apple, Internet, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless

Kerio Operator 2.0 IP-PBX Integrates with CRM

July 24, 2012

July of last year Kerio launched a new Asterisk-based distribution and now almost exactly one year later Kerio Operator 2.0 is being announced with support for integration with popular CRM solutions, including SugarCRM and Salesforce.com. Kerio Operator 2.0 now enables access to the Asterisk Management Interface (AMI). The open API allows 3rd party applications, like customer relationship management (CRM) systems and desktop-based dialers, to be integrated with Kerio Operator.

Posted in Asterisk, SIP, Unified Communications, VoIP

Lync Server 2013 Adds Skype Federation & Many Other New Features

July 23, 2012

Lync Server 2013 can federate with Skype, which is huge new feature that greatly enhances Microsoft's UC portfolio and may explain the $8.5 billion premium Microsoft paid for Skype. You can now fully integrate Skype contacts into Lync and call or instant message anyone on Skype. Alas, only voice and no video support yet. In May I discussed how Xbox 360 integration with Skype was slow going, so Skype federation with Microsoft Lync is welcome news.

Posted in Lync, Microsoft, SIP, Skype, TMCnet, Unified Communications, Video Conferencing, VoIP

New Lync 2013 Tracing Folder Location

July 19, 2012

If you're looking for the tracing logging files in Lync 2013 you're likely looking in the wrong place. In prior versions of Lync it was located here:

%userprofile%\Tracing
i.e.
C:\Users\<username>\Tracing

In Lync 2013, the client tracing folder in now located here:
%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync\Tracing
i.e.:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync\Tracing

It makes sense that they'd move it here since Lync 2013 is tightly integrated into Office 2013 and that is where the Office suite has kept its data files for years. I've always preferred to have my root (C:\) folder as clean as possible will minimal subdirectories and the same goes for my user profile (c:\Users\tkeating) folder. So glad to see the change.

Well, this has been your helpful Lync 2013 tip of the day!

Posted in Lync, Microsoft, Unified Communications, Video Conferencing, VoIP

Polycom Launches SDK, Doubles Scalability, Better Tablet Video Conferencing Support

July 16, 2012

I spoke with John Antanaitis, Polycom VP of Marketing to discuss the news about their various news announcements made today. One of the announcements is a new version of RealPresence Mobile (1.3) which now runs on HTC One smartphones and the HTC Jetstream tablet, along with the new Apple iPad. This version adds far end camera control (FEC) to allow users to control the camera. RealPresence Mobile 1.3's camera control feature enables you to remotely control the camera on the other end of a video meeting allowing users to pinch-to-zoom, pan, or tilt the camera to get a better look at the subject or the environment. This feature is especially important in many vertical market applications such as healthcare, for more in-depth patient consultations; educational settings, for panning the classroom or zooming in on a speaker or presentation; and manufacturing plants, to closely examine the products on the factory floor.

Posted in Apple, Polycom, SIP, Tablets, Unified Communications, Video Conferencing, VoIP

Maaii VoIP app Now on Android - Free Voice and Texts

July 9, 2012

Maaii, the app for free talk and text is now available on Android. Maaii, allows users to make calls and send text messages to contacts and social network friends for free, today announced the launch of its beta on Google Play. As you may recall from my review, Maaii gives you 100 free minutes per day, which is great for low volume users.

According to Maaii, in the six months since Maaii’s iOS launch, the mobile app has signed up more than 1 million registered users.

Posted in Android, Apple, Gadgets, Google, Mobile Phones, VoIP, Wireless

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