VOIP

Buffalo WSKP-G WiFi Skype Phone
The latest addition to the W-Fi Skype Phone market comes from Buffalo. The Buffalo WSKP-G Wi-FI Phone for Skype allows user to send an receive Skype calls from any 802.11 b/g wireless hotspot. The device looks to have a color LCD (I do not know for sure as I can’t read Japanese), and supports WEP, […]

Your Cellphone Is Really Yours
In what will make many a cellphone owner, the U.S. Copyright office ruled yesterday that it’s a consumer’s right to be able to unlock their cell phone whenever they want to, including before paying off their contract….

Three great bits of information for you. First, Yahoo is opening (somewhat) its I.M. and voice applications platform based around Yahoo Messenger with Voice to application developers. C++, JavaScript, AJAX, and ActiveX are all supported frameworks for the fruit of your API labor. The extensions you’ll create are known as “plug ins”. However, the “plug ins” that you can apparently develop might bear some resemblance to the following plug ins, available now:In the beta version, a suite of third-party plug-ins will be available for Amazon.com, AmericanGreetings.com, Coupons, Inc., eBay, HedgeStreet, Inc., Jeteye, NewsGator Technologies Inc., Pando Networks Inc., 30Boxes, as well as plug-ins from Yahoo!’s leading Web services including Yahoo! Answers, Calendar, Finance, Music, News, Sports, 360 .This can mean one of two things–either Yahoo Widgets (Konfabulator) has gone full circle in Yahoo’s programming department, OR the failed I.M. robots idea got carried over from AIM (actually AIM I.M. bots are really a carryover from IRC’s heyday, but whatever). Also new is a 1 GIGABYTE file transfer limit (YAY!) and sound effects (YAWN). Still apparently missing from Yahoo’s consciousness is Mac OS X sensibilty. I really don’t believe Yahoo has any desire to deliver on the Mac client they’ve been unofficially promising for the last several years.Here’s Yahoo’s Dev Site.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Vonage intros portable phone
It looks like Vonage is getting into the portable VoIP phone marketplace with the introduction of their new V-Phone. According to the company, the phone can be activated by being plugged into any PC with a broadband intenet connection The V-Phone is being aimed mostly at business users since it can potentially reduce voice communication costs including cellphone roaming charges. The phone comes loaded with Vonage Talk software and includes 250MB of memory that can be used to store files such as MP3s and digital photos. The device is priced at $39.99.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When it comes to VoIP, there are two issues related to burglary alarm systems. The first is that alarm monitoring itself is moving to IP. This eliminates the need for a POTS line or dry pair for monitoring. Over time, alarm systems will use IP as the new standard for communicating with the monitoring station. So the monitoring mechanism will become the Internet, not a phone line from Ma Bell.The second issue relates to power. The power required to keep an alarm brain running, 12 volts on a lead acid battery usually, is quite similar to the kind of power required to backup an IP router and cable/dsl modem. In fact, some customer premise devices only require 9 volts on low current, so the possibility of equipping a cable modem with a very inexpensive DC backup is quite good. For now, however, I advise most people to invest in some kind of UPS (uninterruptable power supply) for their cable modem and broadband router.Finally, most VoIP telephone service providers are incapable of providing reliable alarm notification service because the modem in the alarm system doesn’t communicate well over the VoIP link. It is for the same reason that FAX machines can’t be used to transmit reliably over VoIP links. This is why alarm systems and FAX applications will themselves transition to IP based solutions within several years. Look for the manufacturers your alarm system firm represents to begin offering IP-based monitoring solutions. Also, check out some IP-based alarm system monitoring firms and equipment vendors that already have this capability:UHSNextAlarmAlarm.comSome of the implications are covered in my book, Switching to VoIP.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Finnish mobile solutions provider Nokia is to launch Peer-to-peer Traffic Control, a solution that helps mobile operators better manage their data traffic by controlling the use of network resources by bandwidth hungry applications such as file sharing and voice over IP telephony (VoIP).

Get AsteriskNow, Not Later
Digium, the creators of Asterisk, have released AsteriskNow, their response to TrixBox. AsteriskNOW V1.4.0 is a Software Appliance; a GUI implementation with the open source Asterisk distribution. AsteriskNOW includes all the Linux components necessary to run, debug and build Asterisk, and only those components, so installation is easy. You no longer have to worry about […]

Telco sector opening up (AME Info)
The opening up of the telco sector in Qatar and the offering of a third mobile licence in Saudi Arabia will drive the next phase of telecom liberalisation in the region, according to Gulf News. But changes that will see the introduction of VoIP, local loop unbundling and the involvement of mobile virtual network operators in regional markets will take some time even in more open markets like the

VOIP Consultants

RTX Dualphone 3088 Cordless Skype Phone
The RTX Dualphone 3088 is the latest Skype phone from RTX. The RTX Dualphone 3088 is different from previous models, in that it is as standalone unit so you can send and receive Skype calls without your computer. The RTX Dualphone 3088 also allows you make calls over your existing landline making it an excellent […]

Free international calling service.

About two or three months back Michael “Golden Boy” Robertson, the king of disruption clued me in on some of the goings on with Nokia and Gizmo Project that goes beyond the Nokia Internet Tablet project. Specifically he let me…

VoIP Quality on Executive’s Mind
A study out of Europe shows that IT executives have a concern about VoIP quality. I do too. The problem seems to be in my mind a lot of hopping back and forth between networks, both PSTN and VoIP that…

Is Yahoo All Jammed Up?
Pal Brad Garlinghouse had an internal memo about reorganization get leaked out to the Wall Street Journal. Tabbed the Peanut Butter Manifesto, Garlinghouse has basically called Yahoo one big disfunction in action. Citing duplication of effort and a evenly spread…

According to Skype’s PR people, a new beta version has been posted today that adds ALSA driver support to the Linux version of the program. This is important for users of outboard audio gear like USB microphones, which utilize the ALSA framework. In addition, Skype has added mood icons and a new getting started wizard (just what Linux users need).Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The new efonica service from Fusion Telecommunications is promising users that its features will allow them to place and receive calls from either a PC, landline phone, or cellphone over dialup or broadband connections. According to the company, the offering also features voicemail and the ability to call both landline and mobile subscribers in at least 46 countries. Because efonica is based on the SIP protocol, users will not have to use a PC and can just purchase standard telephone equipment.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The security threat from voice over IP (VoIP) systems is still unknown, but the risk is real and enterprises must start planning now, analyst firm Ovum has warned.