A recent blog post at Phone.com notes that yes, there is "no question that VoIP providers are making moves to make their services friendlier for companies of all sizes."
This is the good news. But, as the blog asks, "what about the non-profit companies?" Phone.com officials say they are, in fact, doing something about it.
They've formed a partnership with a company called Grassroots.org, which will make the VoIP service - "including its list of features," Phone.com officials say - available to non-profit businesses.
Who is Grassroots, you ask? Good question - we had no idea either. Phone.com officials say it is the mission of Grassroots, a non-profit in itself, "to assist the efforts of non-profit businesses by offering useful business-related services at little or no cost to the non-profit."
They do this by focusing on web tools and IT needs "that can otherwise be costly to secure for a business that has little to spend," Phone.com says.
Read more here.
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Looking for a business VoIP phone system, but concerned that your infrastructure might not be ready?
In fact, say officials of VoIP Insider, ascertaining that your Internet connection and network infrastructure can handle VoIP isn't as hard as you might think.
Well, unless you've got one of those huge, incredibly complex networks. Then yeah, you might need professional help. Even then it helps to have some glancing familiarity with what you're talking about.
But you should be considering it. As TMC's Stefania Viscusi wrote recently, "It's hard to believe that at a time when cost savings are most vital for any business, and especially those smaller operations, that Voice over IP technology is still not in place for some."
Read more here.
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The latest version of Google Earth now can display real-time rain and snow 'in certain parts of the world.'
According to industry observer Stan Schroeder, if you want to try to see it, 'enable the clouds layer, and then zoom in to a location where it's raining or snowing.' It only works in certain parts of North America and Europe. If you want to see where the new feature is available, enable the radar layer, Schroeder says.
'Version 5.2 of the popular global mapping product delivers the real-time effects, allowing users to keep tabs on the progress of tropical storms or check out the current weather at their favorite weekend getaway before they embark on a long drive,' reports industry observer Andy Carvell, who adds 'Of course, there are plenty of dedicated weather websites and software products, but the inclusion into Google Earth adds another cool effect to the popular application.'
Coolness seems to be the prevailing forecast for the new feature. The weather simulation 'adds another layer of coolness' to Google Earth, Schroeder thinks, and "since it displays rain and snow in real time, the feature can be a precise visualization of what weather is like in a certain place."
Read more here.
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Snom officials have announced that the company's full line of IP desktop phones has been certified interoperable with the MX250 and MX30 IP PBX platforms from unified communications systems maker Zultys. The snom 3xx and 8xx series IP phones and the m3 wireless DECT phone "give customers a broad range of options in deploying an IP telephony system enabling both voice services and UC applications," company officials say.
Earlier this month TMC had the news that snom technology AG, developer and manufacturer of voice-over-IP telephones, is expanding its product portfolio with the launch of the DECT telephone the snom m9, which company officials characterize as a cordless IP phone that can be integrated with the snom OCS edition in a Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 environment.
"Like snom, Zultys has built its product suite on the promise of interoperability in SIP environments," said Michael Knieling, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for snom technology AG. "This premise has seen the company gain a strong following on an international level, particularly in North America and Europe."
Read more here.
