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October 2011

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Digium (Unofficially) Announces R-Series Redundancy Analog & PRI Appliances

October 27, 2011


Today, at a standing room only session presented by Digium's Jason Parker he discussed Digium's R-Series (R = Redundancy) appliance, which adds redundancy to analog & PRI trunks. It comes in two models - an analog model supporting 8 analog trunks and a PRI model supporting 8 PRIs. Interestingly, both will be priced at $995. I would have expected a premium on the 8 PRI model. The products will be generally available on December 9th of this year.

Asterisk 10 - The Inside Story

October 27, 2011



At AstriCon, I sat down with Digium's Steve Sokol, Asterisk Marketing Director, to discuss the big Asterisk 10 release. It's quite the version leap from 1.1, 1.2, 1.4 , 1.6, to 1.8 - and now to 10.0. Ironically, I knocked Asterisk's small version increments when I spoke with Mark Spencer 1-3 years ago. I asked Mark why the version numbering scheme was still less than 2.0.

AstriCon Party - Last Shuttle Out Sure is a Rowdy Bunch

October 27, 2011

Everyone seemed to have a great time at the AstriCon Conference Party which took place at Fat Cats, a bowling alley and video game establishment. The last shuttle left around 11:35pm and it sure was a rowdy bunch (but in a good way). Fellow co-worker Alan Urkawich was ribbing me from the back of the bus while I was riding in the front. We had some back and forth ribbing and some of the other shuttle bus riders joined in and joked with other passengers as well.

Digium's Mark Spencer Questions Panasonic About Android APKs/Apps

October 26, 2011

Mark Spencer, Allison Smith & the AstriCon Luncheon - Humor Alert!

October 26, 2011


Today's luncheon at the AstriCon conference was packed to the gills. I saw an open seat at Mark Spencer's table and some Digium folks. But the tables were so crammed close together that I couldn't figure out how to traverse the maze to their table. It didn't help that I was lugging a heavy laptop bag with iPad, laptop, and other gadgets.

AstriCon VoIP Security - $400,000 toll fraud - YIKES!

October 26, 2011


During an AstriCon session on VoIP security the speaker discussed how easy it was to hack voicemail PINs, but not to listen to your voice messages but to initiate "call backs" using spoofed CallerIDs. Essentially, this leverages the "call back" feature that many voicemail systems have to call back the person that left the message.

He then asked the audience for any real world examples of how they were hacked. Several volunteered their stories. I captured one of them where their Elastix server was hacked - due to their parent company locking them out of the server and not updating /patching the server. This resulted in the hackers racking up toll fraud (Korean calls) of $400,000!


Snow at AstriCon

October 26, 2011

Switchvox 5.5 - Sneak Peek!

October 26, 2011

I caught the tail half of Digium's Tristan Barnum's AstriCon session. Tristan Barnum is the Director of Product Marketing for Switchvox at Digium. In her AstriCon session, Tristan stressed how she never ever tells what Switchvox is up to and certainly not what features to expect.

"Switchvox 5.5 is due out the first quarter of the year [2012].

AstriCon Video Snippet of an AstriCon Session

October 25, 2011

360° Panoramic of Astricon Exhibit Floor

October 25, 2011

Digium's Shaun Ruffell, Linux Kernel Developer Speaking at Astricon

October 25, 2011

AstriCon - Panoramic Image of 1st Session

October 25, 2011

LOREX Live Connect Wireless Skype Home Surveillance Review

October 25, 2011

The LOREX Technology Live Connect LW2031 Series is a cool Skype-powered home surveillance system sporting night vision (via IR LEDs) and full color H.264 video. It can be used both for home surveillance, but also as a baby monitor due to its night vision and its portable handheld monitor sporting a color 2.4" LCD. It seemed like an interesting Skype product so I had LOREX send me a LW2031 to review.



Installation
Installing this was pretty straightforward. Two of the three devices - camera & handheld monitor use mini-USB power adapters, which are included.




View from my hotel at Astricon

October 24, 2011

Arrived in Denver for Astricon

October 24, 2011

Quantum Levitation = Back to the Future Hoverboard?

October 18, 2011

Tel-Aviv University recently demonstrated quantum superconductors locked in a magnetic field causing a superconducting disc to be suspended above or below a set of permanent magnets - seemingly defying the laws of gravity. But unlike other magnet tricks, you can move the object and it stays in the new position. Or you can spin it and it seems to spin endlessly due to near zero friction.

The magnetic field is locked inside the superconductor - a phenomenon called 'Quantum Trapping'.

Yankees Cup Stolen!

October 18, 2011

Damn it all, my lucky 2000 Yankees World Series souvenir cup was stolen (similar to one on right). The large soda cup was from the first ever Subway Series World Series game against the New York Mets. The game was a classic and was won by the Yankees in the 12th inning. The Yankees won it on a liner to the left field stands where I was sitting. I used this large cup as my daily water cup at the office since it was large and only need refilling once per day.

Polycom VVX 500 Launches

October 17, 2011


In 2009, Polycom announced the Polycom VVX 1500, a touch-screen business media phone, that combines IP telephony with business-class video and the ability to integrate with business applications. It was a little bit clunky to be honest, so I'm intrigued by the new Polycom VVX 500 that was just launched, especially since it's slimmer and sexier than the VVX 1500. The VVX 500 has a 3.5-inch TFT (320 x 240 pixels) touch screen.

It has built-in Web applications and a Digital Photo Frame. Polycom’s “My Info Portal” serves up stocks, news, sports, weather, and other streamed content directly to the phone’s screen.


Interactive Intelligence launches Quick Spin, a Cloud-based Unified Communications Trial Program

October 17, 2011



Interactive Intelligence today launched Quick Spin, a trial program that enables organizations to try their communications-as-a-service (CaaS) service for free. Interactive Intelligence gave me a demo of Quick Spin last week and I was pretty impressed. It features unified communications (UC), auto-attendant, presence, conferencing, desktop call control, unified messaging, ACD, skills-based routing, call and screen recording, workforce management, and more.

One really interesting feature included in Quick Spin is negative and positive word/phrase analysis. Using in-house developed real-time word spotting technology, Quick Spin can flag/route a negative call ("Speak to your manager", "Cancel service") to an appropriate agent or manager.



It's Official - Skype Now Part of Microsoft!

October 14, 2011

Rebtel Mobile VoIP app hops between 3G and WiFi/data Networks

October 14, 2011

Rebtel just launched version 2.0 of its free iPhone app, which allows users to make and receive free international calls using WiFi, 3G, or local minutes. TechCrunch discusses Rebtels's "new proprietary technology called “KeepTalking”, which allows users to transition (mid-call, mind you) from WiFi/3G to local minutes." VentureBeat also writes about them with this headline: "Rebtel’s Voice-over-IP app hops between data/voice networks, a first". Actually, they're not the first. Back in 2010 at ITEXPO Counterpath's Todd Carothers demo'ed switching a 3G voice call automatically to WiFi and a VoIP call to the cellular network.

Nimbuzz launches Video calling for iPhone and PC

October 13, 2011

Nimbuzz today launched video calling for the iPhone and PC. You can download them here:

The Nimbuzz video calling works over 3G/4G as well as WiFi. Interestingly, they are also offering video chat, which is the same as video calling except no audio. Be sure you've got good miming skills if you plan to video chat with no verbal communication!

With Steve Jobs' Passing is Flash for the iPhone/iPad Now Possible?

October 11, 2011


Everyone in the technology world - and the world in general - mourns Steve Jobs' passing. My Facebook News Feed is still filled with friends who changed their profile photo to something Apple or Steve Jobs related. But I do have a bone to pick with Steve Jobs' decision to block Flash on Apple's iOS devices.

Steve Jobs gave his thoughts on Flash back in 2010. When Steve Jobs and Apple blocked Adobe Flash from Apple's popular line of mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), Steve's main claims against Flash were that it was too processor-heavy, a battery hog, security issues, performance issues, and that HTML5 was a better standard for the future.


Andrea SuperBeam Buds Headset review

October 11, 2011

We all have come to love our stereo headsets featuring separate audio channels for both the left and right ear, but what about dual or stereo microphones? If stereo speakers makes 'sounds' better for you, why can't stereo microphones make 'sounds' better for the remote party on Skype or a 3rd party called via your mobile phone?

Well, Andrea believe their SuperBeam Buds answers that question. Featuring a unique boom-less design, each of the two earbuds has a microphone built-in enabling true binaural surround sound recordings. These two mics (one at each ear) leverage Andrea's patented Adaptive Beam Forming to cancel unwanted background noise without the need for a clunky boom mic stretching across your cheek to your lips.

The SuperBeam buds also somes with a HD USB-based sound card, which bypasses a computer's lower-grade sound card for better fidelity and gain.



Facebook for IPad Launches

October 10, 2011

Netflix Abandons Qwikster DVD Name - Goes Back to Unified Netflix Name

October 10, 2011

Quadruple rainbow caught on camera

October 6, 2011

Millions Change Facebook Profile Picture to Honor Steve Jobs

October 6, 2011

Millions of Facebook users have changed their Facebook profile picture to honor Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died yesterday from pancreatic cancer. According to Facebook, 628 million active users changed their Facebook profile picture to a real Apple, the Apple logo, or a picture of Steve Jobs.

Actually, I made that number up. Well actually, I did a rough calculation based on my Facebook Newsfeed which shows that 11 out of 14 (78.5%) users in my Friends' list changed their profile picture to something Apple or Steve Jobs related.

11/14 * 800 million active Facebook users=628 million

I'm sure this is nowhere near accurate, but it does show the love that Steve Jobs has. Below is a screenshot taken at 10:30am today.





Cisco UC320W Review

October 5, 2011


Cisco isn’t known for hitting the SOHO/SMB space of 1-24 users, even with their feature-rich, but not entirely inexpensive Unified Communications Manager Express (UCME) product line.  UCME’s sweet spot is 30-100 users, while Cisco’s new UC 320W product works with 1-24 users, with a sweet spot of 4-16 users. Also, the big brother to the UC320W, the UC500 has a sweet spot of 12-80 users addressing the small to mid-sized market. The list price of a UC320W system with 10 users, including voicemail is just $995, which is under the psychological $1,000 price-point. 

New Xirrus XR Wireless Array - Faster Wi-Fi with Modular Pricing

October 5, 2011


Steven Wastie, Xirrus's Chief Marketing Officer informed me that Xirrus ($70 million annual revenue) today released their next-generation wireless platform, the XR Wireless Array, which is their 3rd-generation Wi-Fi modular wireless switch. Xirrus's goal is to ensure high performance wireless networks, whose explosive growth is being driven by mobile devices including laptops, mobile smartphones and tablets, such as the iPad. Xirrus products are used at high-attendance conference and events, including Dreamforce, ITEXPO, and others.

Unlike traditional APs which use omnidirectional radios, Xirrus combines directional antennas with multiple radios together with a virtualized controller in a unique modular architecture that allows you to go completely down to the number of radios installed. The It enables you to have anywhere from 4 to 16 modular 802.11n Access Points with 450Mbps throughput Access Points. Modular XR platforms supports up to 32 total internal plus external remote radios for extended coverage.


Apple iPhone 5 Coverage Brings down Engadget

October 4, 2011

Google Bankrolls $100M to Get into Video Entertainment Biz

October 4, 2011


Last week I reported how Amazon should buy HBO or at least start creating their own TV shows and movies so they can be in control of their own destiny. I also mentioned last week Apple and Google as also potentially getting into the entertainment content creation business. Well it turns out I was prescient since it is now being reported that Google is getting into entertainment content creation. So Hollywood there is a new sheriff in town!

From The Next Web:

According to a recent tweet by Wall Street Journal’s Marketplace Editor, Dennis K. Berman, Google is reportedly putting up $100 million for new, original content on YouTube, including a big deal with Tony Hawk, the retired professional skateboarder and actor.





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