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Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband Headset

VoIP Gadgets - Fri, 04/11/2008 - 10:12

Rich and I reviewed the Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband headset, featuring wideband codec support for use in VoIP applications such as Skype and Microsoft Office Communicator. Rich actually got two pre-production models and was kind enough to give me one of the SupraPlus headsets. Actually, he wanted me to be his guinea pig to test the audio quality since I get to hear and review quite a few VoIP products.

We tested the monaural style Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB using both Skype and Microsoft Office Communicator. The audio quality was quite good. I believe the microphone captures a wider range of frequencies to enable the wideband support. The noise-canceling microphone filters out excessive background sound.

The Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB features inline button controls. The headset itself features volume up/down buttons, mute, and even a disconnect/end call button that works with Microsoft Office Communicator. Interestingly, if Skype is running and if you press this disconnect/end call button you get simulated dial-tone. Not sure what that was about.

I noticed one end of the headset actually uses a RJ45 clip to connect into what I believe is the DSP processor. I've never seen Plantronics use a RJ45 clip for their headsets, but in theory they must be making some of their components more modular for interchanging various headset components. Or at least, one can hope. Nothing worse than having an incompatible base unit to a headset.

The headset is wired (to your USB port) and I'm much more a fan of wireless headsets even for desktop PCs. The Plantronics Voyager 510-USB Bluetooth headset is one of my favorites (see my review) and it works with your mobile phone and your desktop PC with the Bluetooth USB dongle. Of course, the 510-USB isn't a wideband codec headset, so if superior voice quality is your gig, then the SupraPlus HW251N-USB might be a better choice. Certainly organizations using wideband VoIP applications that have call center agents that don't roam around while on phone calls will find the SupraPlus HW251N-USB a good choice.

Lastly, go check out Rich's in-depth review here for his thoughts on this headset.

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ISPBX Launches Asterisk appliances with CogoBlue Asterisk GUI

VoIP Gadgets - Thu, 04/10/2008 - 14:37
ISPBX launched a family of Asterisk appliances with CogoBlue Asterisk GUI tools. The CogoBlue GUI enables the configuration of a complete PBX using simple “drag and drop” icons. So simple even grandma can setup an Asterisk system. This drag-and-drop telephony brings back memories of my days testing CTI application generators from Envox, Pronexus, Artisoft, and others in CTI Magazine & Communications Solutions Magazine. Ah, those were the days... Before this whole VoIP thing got started you had PC-PBXs, TAPI, and TSAPI to provide computer telephony integration. Now it's so much simpler. The PBX resides on the IP network so application development and integration is so much simpler.

Anyway, according to ISPBX, "Programming a pbx is now as simple as selecting an object and dragging it into the ‘viewing pane’ in the position you want. This includes trunks, handsets, voicemail boxes, ring groups, conference rooms, auto attendants." They went on further to explain:
What this means is that it’s visually impossible to make a mistake. Installations will always be 100% right first time every time; and that when someone is called in to make a “small change” at a later date – there will be no unintended consequences.

All our sleek, compact hardware utilizes solid state, no-moving-parts technology, making it trouble free and energy efficient. No drives, no motors, no failures. Ever. That’s how we can promise the most reliable phone systems in the industry. And none of our equipment requires buying specialized, overpriced phones. Every ISPBX unit supports nearly every VOIP phone on the market or even your easily retrofi tted analog phones. Our entry-level model accommodates 15 simultaneous calls and 30 extensions. It supports any VOIP phone that utilizes SIP protocol (nearly all of them do) or even your existing analog phones with an inexpensive adapter.

There are several models, including the 500 Series IP-PBX, 800 Series IP-PBX, and the 1000 Series IP-PBX. Here's a picture of the 1000 Series IP-PBX:




Here's some screenshots of this new easy-to-use Asterisk front-end GUI. I have to admit this is one of the prettiest Asterisk front-ends I've seen.
<click any image for larger images>






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Comments on this Entry:

(Gerry Gilmore on Apr 10, 2008 5:02 PM) Tom, With all due respect - you've got to be kidding! While the cutesy icons are, well, cutesy, there is absolutely ZERO intuitiveness to this. I can't imagine a normal user (defined as one who has not built CTI applications before, but just wants to build an Auto Attendant Menu)being able to create a simple "Play this prompt and route the call here" menu. The form MUST follow the function, not the reverse, as appears to be the case here.

(Tom Keating on Apr 10, 2008 5:24 PM) >>With all due respect - you've got to be kidding! While the cutesy icons are, well, cutesy, Yep. Exactly. Which is why I said they were pretty. Almost called it cute as well. Course Microsoft Bob was cute and we all know how that turned out. Hard to say how easy it is without actually playing with it hands-on. But it does look fairly easy to add an IVR/auto-attendant tree. But then again, maybe I've just been in telephony far too long... ;)

PhoneFromHere.com & Digium Ink 5 Year Deal

VoIP Gadgets - Wed, 04/09/2008 - 12:59
PhoneFromHere.com today announced a 5 year agreement with Digium. They have been working informally in the past. The goal is to improve and commercialize the embedded Java softphone created by Digium engineers. PhoneFromHere.com creates web call me button widgets for use on websites, blogs, social networking sites, etc. that not only enables visitors to call you but it protects your privacy as well.

Also, PhoneFromHere has a cool iGoogle 'Phone Home' widget currently in beta. Simply add the PhoneFromHere.com widget to your iGoogle homepage and use your laptop, headset and internet connection to place calls.

Interestingly, PhoneFromHere doesn't use SIP - instead they use Nomasystems' IAX2 opensource library. The IAX2 protocol was of course developed by Asterisk guru Mark Spencer from Digium with the goal of being able to traverse firewalls more easily & interconnect multiple Asterisk IP-PBXs in branch offices. But lest I fall into a SIP vs. IAX2 debate let me just share the rest of the news after the jump...

Continue reading PhoneFromHere.com & Digium Ink 5 Year Deal...



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Blu-ray DVD - Buy 2 Blu-ray DVDs Get 1 Free on Amazon

VoIP Gadgets - Wed, 04/09/2008 - 10:26
Amazon is offering a buy 2 Blu-ray DVDs get 1 Free Blu-ray DVD now that the Blu-ray vs HD DVD war is over.

I just got this email now. Funny how Amazon was very diplomatic when they wrote "Now that all major studios have expressed their support for Blu-ray as the ultimate high definition entertainment experience" as opposed to saying "Now that Blu-ray has whooped HD DVD's arse and we now have a single standard." Guess Amazon didn't want to tick off Toshiba, one of the biggest losers after HD DVD's demise. Oh and speaking of The Biggest Loser, I'm down to 169lbs or 29lbs from my original 198lb weight.

In any event, if you're looking for a free Blu-ray DVD, check out this Amazon.com promotion:
Blu-ray DVDs: Buy 2, Get 1 Free Event

Dear Amazon Associate,

The Associates program is excited to announce a special Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion on select Blu-ray titles through April 18. Now that all major studios have expressed their support for Blu-ray as the ultimate high definition entertainment experience, this is a fantastic opportunity for your customers to start building their Blu-ray libraries with Amazon’s great selection of titles, including “300”, “The Fifth Element”, and “Bladerunner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition).”

In addition, Amazon.com is currently offering an exclusive bundle of the hit movies “National Treasure” and “National Treasure 2 – Book of Secrets” on Blu-ray, now available for pre-order ($39.99). Check out our Blu-ray store to explore the hundreds of titles available on Blu-ray, all at least 30% off.

To link directly to the Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion page and earn referral fees on the subsequent qualifying purchases, use the following link format, substituting your Associates ID: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000214241&tag=YOUR_ID_HERE-20

Sincerely,

The Amazon Associates Team

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Packet8 Virtual Office Adds Salesforce.com VoIP Plugin

VoIP Gadgets - Wed, 04/09/2008 - 10:10

Packet8 has always been at the leading edge of cool VoIP applications and products. Packet8 was the first to offer a videophone for their residential VoIP customers (see my review of the Packet8 Videophone) They're had several other firsts to their name along with several patents to boot. Packet8 is like the dark horse when it comes to VoIP. While they don't have their name in lights like big bad Vonage, Packet8 has been slowly growing their customer base while adding cool new features. One advantage Packet8 has over Vonage and other VoIP broadband players is that Packet8 has gone after both the residential and business phone market simultaneously. These are vastly different markets, and would seem to many that Packet8 is biting off more than they can chew. But again, they keep steadily adding more customers. You know what they say - slow and steady wins the race.

Well, today I learned about another interesting VoIP application that Packet8 is offering - namely integration with Salesforce.com. You can call any of your Salesforce.com contacts to your Packet8 Virtual Office extension with the new salesforce.com plug-in application, which is available free to Virtual Office subscribers. Simply click the link next to a contact in the Salesforce.com browser window and you can instantly call your contacts. Just as nifty, incoming calls are displayed with pop-up screens based on the user's Salesforce contacts (using CallerID info).

Packet8 Virtual Office and salesforce.com partnered together to offer small businesses an integrated CRM telephony solution that lets subscribers place calls over the Packet8 Virtual Office service directly from their Salesforce application by either clicking the contact's phone number or using the dialpad on the Packet8 interface window.



The Packet8 Virtual Office Interface for Salesforce is currently supported by Internet Explorer 6.0 or later on Windows XP or Vista - sorry Mac fans. It also won't run on other browsers such as Opera, Firefox, or Opera. Limited browser support aside, Packet8 continues to add interesting VoIP applications that make VoIP a much more compelling argument to switch from PSTN other than simply cheaper voice minutes. Well done Packet8.

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C2Call - New browser-based Java VoIP app

VoIP Gadgets - Thu, 04/03/2008 - 12:10

C2Call (C2Call) lets you make web-based P2P VoIP phone calls direct from your browser whether you're using Linux, Windows, or an Apple Mac. The software is a Java widget that is loaded temporary from the C2Call web page into your browser each time you use C2Call. Using the C2Call Java widget I spoke with Martin Feuerhahn, Director of Actai Networks Pte Ltd Taiwan Branch. The voice quality was excellent and the latency wasn't too bad either considering I'm in Connecticut and he's in Taiwan!

In Internet Explorer when you first load the widget you'll see that the application has a digital signature that has been validated by a trusted source:


Actai Networks GmbH, the company mentioned in the above screenshot is the parent company of www.c2call.com. In Firefox the app just ran without showing the digital signature verification message. The client is just 1.1MB in size so it's fairly small.

The beauty of C2Call is that you can send a call invitation to anybody you want to talk to simply by sending an email invite directly from the www.c2call.com applet. The recipient can click on the link and can instantly talk to you. This is a really great viral feature that is especially good for non-technical people. For instance, you can invite your grandma to talk simply by emailing her. Unlike Skype which would require her to install the software, register a username, configure Skype, etc., grandma can just click a link and speak to you almost instantly. Here's a sample email invite being sent out to my boss and industry-leading VoIP pundit, Rich Tehrani.



The widget is SIP-based and importantly it uses the Speex codec, which gives the software its very good voice quality. So you're probably wondering how a Java-based VoIP app fares versus a Flash-based VoIP app, such as the Flashphone app I've written about. Well, for one if you decide to use an Adobe Flash-based solution, you have to use the Nellymoser codec, which is not a free codec. Second, Adobe Flash requires the use of a media server, which Martin claims is not as scalable as their true P2P (peer-to-peer) VoIP solution.

Another feature of note is that C2Call can traverse about 90% of firewalls using standard SIP technology. The official launch isn't for another couple weeks, but if anyone wants an invite give me a shout (Contact link above).

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JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone

VoIP Gadgets - Wed, 04/02/2008 - 09:21
JAJAH, today announced that it is building on its current Apple iPhone call-back offering by participating in the iPhone Developer Program "to create possibly the first native global VoIP application." Sorry, Jajah, but truphone beat you to it with their 100% native VoIP solution for the iPhone. The new JAJAH VoIP application is expected to be available this summer, close to the iPhone 2.0 software release.

JAJAH already supports its web-activated telephony call back solution on a custom-skinned website for the iPhone, accessible via the integrated Safari web browser at http://iphone.jajah.com.

The new JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone will enable two ways to make free or low-cost global calls to any phone in the world:
1) JAJAH's known callback service ideal for low bandwidth locations
2) the sole use of a Wi-Fi network. Steve Jobs will only allow VoIP on the iPhone over WiFi and not over the cellular network (EDGE & soon GSM).

"JAJAH was one of the first in line to support the launch of the iPhone. Now with the release of the iPhone SDK, we are excited to develop a native VoIP application that will improve productivity and enhance the communication capabilities of mobile professionals with added security," said Frederik Hermann, Director, Global Marketing. "JAJAH adds global mobile VoIP functionality and with enterprise level support, soon companies will give employees a choice of an iPhone vs. the BlackBerry."

JAJAH has proven to be ahead of the curve with its Mobile VoIP offerings, including enhancing the world's first mobile broadband operator EMobile with a pre-installed native VoIP SIP client on all of EMobile's EM One handheld devices, as seen here:



All third-party Apple iPhone applications will be made available exclusively through the Apple App Store which can be accessed over-the-air on the iPhone itself, or loaded via iTunes on a computer. Until the date of the new VoIP application release, users can already enjoy JAJAH's existing callback service through http://iphone.jajah.com

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Windows Mobile 6.1 Update

VoIP Gadgets - Tue, 04/01/2008 - 22:55
Microsoft has announced plans to rollout an updated version of its Windows Mobile platform called Windows Mobile 6.1. The new updates include enhancements to existing features as well as some new ones. Features include e-mail, Web-access, instant messaging, traffic updates, photo capabilities, music and the ability to edit documents. One nice feature is a new zoom capability that lets you view an entire Web page or picture and zoom in up on a portion of a page. The new IE Mobile browser should help Microsoft compete with the "wow" factor of browsing on the Apple iPhone.

It also features a new Getting Started Center designed to make it a snap to set up e-mail, Bluetooth devices, and Wi-Fi. Other major enhancements include Adobe Flash Support, H.264, and Silverlight support, as well as a new camera interface. You'll now be able to play YouTube videos (Flash).

Lastly, they added the Microsoft Live search engine. Whoopie. Microsoft stated the updated software is scheduled to be available in late spring of 2008. The update announcement was made during the CTIA convention in Las Vegas.

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Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth

VoIP Gadgets - Tue, 04/01/2008 - 13:43
Say hello to the new Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece Collection! According to Plantronics, the Plantronics Discovery 925 "blends Distinctive VFrame™ Design with award-winning audio technology for the ultimate in Bluetooth performance."

Plantronics, Inc. today unveiled the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece collection, a signature line of designer headsets for both men and women. Delivering exceptional audio performance, complemented by bold lines and distinctive finishes, the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece represents a technical craftsmanship previously unseen in the mobile accessories category.

The revolutionary design of the Plantronics’ Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece provides outstanding incoming and outgoing audio clarity in any environment. Central to its performance is the unique VFrame™ design, structured to follow the contours of the face and draw the microphone closer to the mouth for a headset that is as much objet d’art as it is audio ingenuity. The signature elongated design, housing an extended microphone, enhances audio performance and connection range. Plantronics’ AudioIQ noise reduction technology adds to the Discovery 925’s performance by removing background noise while simultaneously adjusting the incoming volume – ensuring crystal clear sound on both sides of the conversation.

“When designing a Bluetooth headset, it is critical to fully understand the physical and emotional relationship between the product and the end user,” said Darrin Caddes, vice president of Industrial Design at Plantronics, Inc. “Similar to high performance watches or automobiles, our Bluetooth headset is designed to deliver a first-class experience - in this case to permit clear, wireless conversation without the distraction of background noise. It is equally imperative that the product expresses individual taste and style and is comfortable and easy to use.”

Plantronics’ inaugural collection of Discovery 925 earpieces includes a unique palette of colors for both men and women: Onyx Black, Alchemy Gold and Cerise Pink. Each earpiece is treated with glass beads and fire-blasted for a deep, enamel-like finish.

Features:
  • VFrame™ design captures your eye as well as your voice
  • Rechargeable case keeps you in charge
  • AudioIQ® noise control technology for clear calls
  • Three sizes of self-stabilizing eartips let you tailor the fit
  • Quick and easy set up with Bluetooth phones
  • Available in metallic and jewel tone colors
  • Enjoy up to 5 hours talk time or 7 days standby from a single charge

Each Plantronics Discovery 925 comes with a matching, soft textile carrying case that recharges and stores the earpiece. The Discovery 925 earpiece supports up to five hours of talk time, while the charging case provides an extra five-hour charge on the go. Self-stabilizing, custom-fit eartips create a light, perfectly balanced fit without the need for an earloop. Plantronics QuickPair™ greatly simplifies pairing with most Bluetooth phones.

“From the onset, our vision for the Discovery 925 was to deliver remarkable audio clarity from within a supremely comfortable and distinctive package,” said Renee Niemi, general manager and vice president, Mobile and Entertainment at Plantronics, Inc. “Plantronics leveraged the talents of its Industrial Design team to create the Discovery 925 as a true ‘tech-cessory,’ and bridge the gap between high-grade audio performance and high-fashion – a gap that has previously eluded most headset designs."

Introduced at an exclusive showing during the Spring 2008 New York Fashion Week, the Plantronics Discovery 925 has received rave reviews among fashion press, stylists and celebrities.

Here's a few more photos of the stylish Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece







Pricing and Availability:
The new Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece in Black Onyx (MSRP $149.99) will be available at major consumer electronics retailers, www.amazon.com and www.plantronics.com in April 2008. The Plantronics Discovery 925 in Alchemy Gold and Cerise Pink will be available in May 2008.

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D2 Technologies Releases Mobile Handset Solution Powered by Google Android

VoIP Gadgets - Tue, 04/01/2008 - 13:21
D2 Technologies today released their mobile handset solution powered by Google Android.

D2's mCUE mobile convergence software solution combines a communications user interface with the company’s vPort MP VoIP software platform and is targeted towards OEMs and service providers to help deliver integrated Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and Unified Communications (UC) functionality.

mCUE provides a complete embedded software framework for multi-mode mobile handsets for enterprise and consumer use, such as dual-mode cellular plus Wi-Fi phones. Its completely Java-based user interface framework for Linux can be ported to other GUI platforms.

“mCUE revolutionizes mobile communications by tying together the best aspects of PC-based communications, such as VoIP, instant messaging and presence support, with the roaming benefits of mobile cellular and connection speed and quality of in-building wireless,” said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing at D2 Technologies. “It is a complete turnkey solution for multi-mode mobile communication devices.”

mCUE is interoperable with enterprise IP-PBXs and unified communications systems. Looking at the GUI and the feature-specs, this definitely seems like a pretty cool product that I need to get my hands on and test.

Check out the news today.

LAS VEGAS, CTIA Wireless 2008 (Meeting Room 355) — April 1, 2008 — D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded software platforms that power IP communications, today announced that its mCUE™ converged communications client for mobile devices and handsets now supports Google’s Android, one of the industry’s first open-source mobile platforms. D2’s mCUE product line, coupled with Google’s Android software development kit, now enables OEMs to rapidly develop handsets powered by Android that offer a premium,
graphic- and media-rich user experience.  The mCUE solution delivers device interoperability with enterprise IP PBXs, Unified Communications
(UC) systems and service provider networks, integrating all session types including voice, IM, SMS and email messaging through a converged presence-based communications user interface (CUI).

D2 is unveiling the integration solution at CTIA Wireless 2008, being held at the Las Vegas (NV) Convention Center April 1-3 (Meeting Room 355).

“This offering will give developers a complete turnkey solution for developing multi-mode mobile communication devices based on Android,” said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing and sales at D2 Technologies.
“There is considerable market anticipation around Google’s Android platform, and our goal is to make it as fast, easy and affordable as possible for OEMs to deliver converged, unified communications devices to meet that demand.”

D2’s mCUE pairs an innovative, patent pending communications user interface with the company’s vPort MP VoIP software platform to address the needs of OEMs and service providers delivering integrated Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and UC functionality. mCUE provides a complete embedded software framework for multi-mode mobile handsets for enterprise and consumer use, such as dual-mode cellular plus Wi-Fi phones.

Mobile devices with mCUE provide users with advanced presence-based and push-to-x control of cellular and VoIP calls, PBX extension feature activation, IM, email, SMS and other features typically only available on PC-based unified communications soft clients. Its revolutionary user interface, built on top of a multi-identity, multi-session, multi-protocol engine, enables users to simultaneously utilize multiple different communications services such as enterprise IP PBXs and UC systems, and commercial VoIM services like Google Talk, Yahoo!, MSN, AIM, and others.

Developed by the Open Handset Alliance, the Android platform is a Linux-based software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.

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Skype and other VoIP Apps on Mobile Phones

VoIP Gadgets - Tue, 04/01/2008 - 13:09
It seems new software comes out daily that enables you to run a VoIP application, such as Skype, on your mobile phone natively, through a bridged gateway, or using the Skype API. While Skype is certainly the most popular VoIP application, other software solutions exist that use the SIP standard. Still others provide SIP-to-Skype bridging capabilities. I thought it would be useful to have a rundown of the various solutions out there.

SoonR Talk - I broke the news about this first software application to enable VoIP on the Apple iPhone. It features a nice clean interface that emulates the Skype client look and feel, as seen in the screenshot to the right. The way it works is that the AJAX interface acts as a remote control for your computer where the SoonR service is installed along with Skype. There is nothing to install on your phone because SoonR Talk uses a browser that supports AJAX. You simply login into SoonR website.

Shape Services' IM+ for Skype - lets you run Skype on the iPhone with their IM+ for Skype application. IM+ for Skype, also works on the iPod touch. The beauty of IM+ for Skype is that it doesn't even require Skype to be running on your PC - it leverages the Skype API and servers run by the IM+ for Skype folks (Shape Services). You can find out more info in my Skype on the Apple iPod touch article.

SIP to Skype calls - Check out my article here for a how-to step-by-step guide that lets you deliver SIP calls directly to Skype. Essentially you can have a SIP DID number ring your Skype client. The workaround uses Net2Max.com's One Click Contact number (1CC number) to make this possible.

SippySkype - Java software that allows you to make and receive Skype calls from your SIP/VoIP adapter or SIP softphone. Basically it's a Skype/SIP Bridge/Gateway/Proxy. You'll need a SIP client on your mobile phone for this to work. But assuming your mobile phone can run a SIP client, you can make SIP-to-Skype calls.

iPhoneGnome, enables PhoneGnome calling from your iPhone. You can call other PhoneGnome numbers as well as anyone using SIP-based services, FWD, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, and any other numbers that you can call from your PhoneGnome account.

I should stress that there are non-Skype VoIP apps that run on mobile phones, many of which target the Apple iPhone, but not all. This next example, Jajah does support the iPhone, but they actually support any mobile phone.

Jajah - They have several mobile phone-to-VoIP solutions available. There's the JAJAH Apple iPhone and iPod Touch App. There's Jajah Direct, which allows you to simply dial a local access number to talk globally - no Internet or data access needed and you can skip having to dial from your PC using VoIP software (i.e. Skype). There's also the Jajah native SIP client. And of course there's Jajah Mobile Web (http://mobile.jajah.com) which gives you one-click access to their free or low-cost global calling service, directly from the browser, which works with any mobile phone with web access since no application download is needed.

truphone - truphone has native VoIP applications for several mobile phones. It currently works on many of the popular Nokia N-series (eg, N95) and E-series phones (eg, E90). truphone leverages the SIP standard for all of their softclients. Also, truphone supports the Apple iPhone and was the first to offer a true 100% native VoIP application on the iPhone. You have to jailbreak your iPhone to install it though.

Sipcall - This is an exciting new offering currently in beta. They offer a free Skype and SIP calling service called Hipsip that works from any mobile phone's web browser. You simply install their bridging software on your PC and then from your mobile phone you can access Hipsip and call any Skype or SIP user. The software will make a cell phone call to a local Hipsip number automatically. Hipsip converts the call to VoIP and bridges the call with the Skype or SIP user you dialed. (Hat tip to Markus Göbel for discovering this software and for the screenshot. Go check out his recent write-up!)

Talkplus - unique mobile phone service that leverages VoIP, identity management, scheduling/contact rules, and other advanced business/personal processes that make your mobile experience more productive while enabling privacy controls. TalkPlus gives cell phone users a 2nd virtual phone number with powerful accessibility and privacy rules while leveraging the cost savings of VoIP termination. TalkPlus's patented technology is network agnostic, and supports standard cell phones that support the BREW and JAVA platforms. They also support native clients for Nokia phones, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Palm. TalkPlus is also WAP compliant which virtually all mobile phones support. One interesting thing I talked about at ITEXPO with Talkplus CEO Jeff Black is that TalkPlus has built their own Skype gateway. In fact, when pressed further, Jeff mentioned they actually reverse engineered Skype's protocol. Although the Skype gateway isn't part of TalkPlus's launch today, Jeff explained that they have tested it in their labs and it's working very well.

iSkoot  - lets you call your buddy list from your mobile phone without needing your PC. iSkoot software is simply a software download to your mobile phone to enable you to make Skype calls. Supported phones include Nokia Series 60 handsets: 6600, 6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6682, 7610, N70. They also support Motorola
RAZR, Treo, and Nokia Series 40 handsets. Windows Mobile and Blackberry phones are also supported. iSkoot Mobile Network allows consumers to place and receive Internet calls with their mobile phones without the need for PCs or Wi-Fi hot spots.

Mobivox - Mobivox allows you to make free calls to other Skype users as well as free calls to other Mobivox users. What's unique about Mobivox is they offer 3 ways of initiating a call using ANY mobile phone. First, you can call a local access number and VoxGirl asks you which number you want to dial. Using speech-recognition it will connect the call. Second, you can use web call back. Logon to your Mobivox account and click who you want to call and Mobivox will connect you both. Third, using SMS you can 'text' MOBIVOX the name of the person or number you wish to call. VoxGirl will call you back and connect you.

fring - It's a thin client that allows you to talk & IM via your handset's Internet connection to other mobile phones and PC-based services such as Skype, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, SIP and Twitter for free. It also unifies all of your various contacts across all of these IM/VoIP networks so you can use a single app to view presence and initiate chat sessions or voice calls. It works on Nokia and Windows Mobile phones. You can also share files using fring.

eqo mobile-to-Skype solution - Essentially, eqo acts as the "glue" betwen online communities such as LinkedIn, MySpaces, orkut, or Skype with mobile carriers such as T-Mobile, Cingular, Vodaphone, etc. Their architecture is a patent pending core IP that uses proprietary call signaling, that is P2P-based and cross device/network domain. It leverages mobile data (SMS) to control the signalling and the mobile voice network for the media stream to the mobile phone, so you don't need the Skype client running on your cell phone. Essentially, their software client is a J2ME application that resides on your cell phone and which keeps your buddy list synched with Skype. eqo did a good job at keeping the application small since it's only a 121k JAR file, most of which is the graphics for the user interface. Their latest client, which still runs on Java compatible phones, lets you make VoIP calls, as well as instant message across networks (MSN, Yahoo, AIM, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber).

And there you have it. Several ways to VoIP on your mobile phone using both Skype and non-Skype VoIP solutions. What's your favorite mobile VoIP application? Post a comment...


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VoIP Supply Grants No-Questions-Asked 3-Year Warranty on All VoIP Hardware

VoIP Gadgets - Tue, 04/01/2008 - 11:18
VoIP Supply announced a three-year, no-questions-asked, guaranteed replacement warranty, called Go3. As long as you purchase your VoIP hardware (IP phones, ATAs, SIP WiFi phones, IP-PBXs, etc.) from VoIP Supply they'll replace the VoIP equipment no questions asked. Hmmm. Considering I'm constantly in the labs "kicking" the tires of various VoIP equipment and I have on occasion spilled Diet Coke on equipment , I wonder if they'd still replace a 'sticky' IP phone that was drowned in Diet Coke? How bout if I drop kick it across the lab breaking the plastic? Or what if I don't like the scratch across my color LCD display and just want a new phone. Can I break it on purpose and get a new one? Wow! This is almost as good as Costco's warranty/return policy!

Well alrighty VoIP Supply. As long as I can abuse my VoIP equipment and you're going to replace it no-questions-asked, you can have my business!

Of course, I get a lot of my VoIP equipment to test for free anyway, but that's beside the point...

Full release after the jump...

Continue reading VoIP Supply Grants No-Questions-Asked 3-Year Warranty on All VoIP Hardware...



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Comments on this Entry:

(Mike on Apr 1, 2008 1:36 PM) This is too good offer by VOIP supply to attract more and more customers.Hope this offer continues after they gain popularity also.

(Cory on Apr 1, 2008 10:12 PM) Tom - I don't advocate the wanton mistreatment of VoIP equipment...but yes, there are no hoops to jump through....if you have Go3 you're good to go....3... We will also be rolling out a transparent, "white label" version of the Go3 program, which will allow our extensive reseller/integrator customer base to offer extended coverage to their end customers on equipment they resell.

Metaaso mermaid IPv6 P2P App

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 16:15
Metaaso mermaid is a line of products based on a Peer-To-Peer (P2P) technology, which is completely server-less and allows users to broadcast data/audio/video/text to millions around the world, without the need for heavy infrastructure, and over their very own private, secure peer-to-peer network.

What's interesting about mermaid is that it's the first IPv6 P2P sharing application that I'm aware of that makes extensive use of the new IPv6 address scheme, which helps get around pesky NAT issues and share data/media with your other peers.

Mermaid can also be used for P2P VoIP that doesn't require centralized supernodes like Skype does. In addition to VoIP you can also broadcast your webcam, and your voice live, to millions of people worldwide in real-time over your own private, secure, P2P network, optimized for webcam and voice broadcast.

What else can you you do with mermaid? They claim the following capabilities:

- The ability to broadcast MOVIES in realtime to millions of people worldwide over a private, secure, server-less P2P network.

- The ability to broadcast and receive NEWS, over a server-less, P2P network spanning the globe, where you can get the news, as soon as it gets published.

- The ability to broadcast ANY audio/video source connected to your computer over your own private, secure, P2P network to millions of people around the globe.

- Multiple people connected to each other, sharing their webcams, their desktops, their voice and files (file sharing) over their very own private P2P network, bringing global, and scalable multi-node video conferencing to mainstream.

How does it work? Well according to their website, the Mermaid products are pure peer-to-peer, and do not require any major infrastructure to scale to millions of people. "What that means, is that you can create your own network, which will be identified with your network-id and password, and over that network, you can broadcast movies, webcam feeds, audio feeds, news, files to all the people connected to your network. What's more, is that you can put your own ads to be shown on your network(s)."

They go on to explain that the more people on your network, the better. In fact, they explain, "No, you won’t need a heavy-tank computer or a gazzilion-terabytes/second network to stream to millions of people. The collective power of all the computers connected to your network will be harnessed. You can easily make do with an average PC and an average network."

Cool!

One one caveat - you need IPv6, as they explain here:
The software works like a charm on office LANs, and campus and other networks. But you want your network to be globally available right? Good, so you need to get IPv6. Call your ISP, and say you need ‘a globally routable I-P-V-6 address’. If they don’t, tell them you’re switching ISP coz they’re so lazy that they can’t click a button on their screens.

That’s pretty much it…

Yeah, cuz IPv6 is being deployed like gangbusters - NOT! I know, they keep saying this is the year of IPv6, but I'm still waiting... Still, once IPv6 does take off, interesting apps like this P2P IPv6 app will certainly take off. No doubt Bittorrent and other popular P2P sharing apps will get on board the IPv6 wagon . Due to the server-less infrastructure, it will be even more impossible to shut down pirated media since there are no centralized torrent trackers. Take that RIAA and MPAA

The software is FREE, but it is advertising supported - apparently to support their beer drinking habits.

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The Biggest Loser Finale

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 15:18
This is the Biggest Loser Finale results week. Hopefully, you've been keeping track of my local gym's The Biggest Loser competition and enjoying my weekly updates. Here's a recap:

Week 1 (Jan 14th) - weighed in at 198lbs (original weight)
Week 2 (Jan 21st) - weighed in at 189lbs (-9 lbs)
Week 3 (Jan 28th) - weighted in at 189lbs (0 change)
Week 4 (Feb 4th) - weighed in at 186lbs (-3 lbs)
Week 5 (Feb 11th) - weighed in at 186lbs (0 change)
Week 6 (Feb 18th) - weighed in at 184lbs (-2 lbs).
Week 7 (Feb 25th) - weighed in at 183lbs (-1 lbs).
Week 8 (March 3rd) - weighed in at 180lbs (-3 lbs).
Week 9 (March 10th) - weighed in at 180lbs (0 change).
Week 10 (March 17th) - weighed in at 174lbs (-6 lbs).
Week 11 (March 24th) - weighed in at 174lbs (0 change).

This week (finale):
Week 12 (March 31st) - weighed in at 170lbs (-4 lbs).

I worked my tail off this weekend, including a 3.5 hour workout on Saturday that included over 5 miles on the treadmill as well as weight training. The gym owner noticing my lengthy workout commented "You've been here almost 4 hours? You really want to win the free gym membership, don't you?"

Well, as of 3pm today, everyone has weighed in for the final time. And the winner is...

[drumroll please]
...
...
...

I won the gym's Biggest Loser contest with a 14.14% percentage loss and 28lbs! My wife came from behind to tie for 2nd place with a 9.6% loss, which means the Keating family dominated The Biggest Loser contest. Too bad this wasn't The Biggest Loser Couples.

Ok, and now the Final Top 6 Leaderboard (15 total contestants):

1) TOM 28 lbs lost = 14.14%
2) NICOLE (18 lbs lost) and JOAN (14 lbs lost) = 9.6%
3) KIM 19 lbs lost = 7.7%
4) SHAWN 11.5 lbs lost = 6.7%
5) MARY 10 lbs lost = 4.7%
6) ERIN 7.75 lbs lost = 4.4%

Not only did I win 1st prize (free 1-year gym membership), but my wife and I were on the same team with 3 other players and we also won the "team prize" ($50 AMEX gift card) since we had the largest percentage loss as a team as seen here:

Team Leaderboard by Trainer:
Team One Lisa's Team (includes Nicole, me, and 3 others): 7.6%
Team Two Sally's Team: 3.9%
Team Three Danielle's Team: 2.9%

But it's not over... While the gym Biggest Loser competition is over, the race goes on. I still have to win the TMC Biggest Loser competition which ends May 1st. Reminds me of a famous scene in Ben-Hur - one of the greatest movies of all time - where Messala tells Judah Ben-Hur that the battle is not over...

Ben-Hur: Where are they? Where are they? (shouting) Where are they?
Messala: (vengefully) Look for them in the Valley of the Lepers, if you can recognize them. (grabbing Judah's clothing) It goes on. It goes on, Judah. The race, the race is not over.



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Comments on this Entry:

(nicole on Apr 1, 2008 10:28 AM) that is awesome tom!!!!! congrats!

(John David on Apr 1, 2008 11:25 AM) Nicely done Tom! Keep us posted on your TMC competition. Hope you kick their asses!

NMS & WITCOM-developed ringback service helps SK Telecom customers save up to 50 percent

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 13:22
I may not be a huge fan of ringback tones or ringback videos, but I do like ringtones. However, today, a partnership between telecommunications services platform provider NMS Communications and Korean mobile services developer WITCOM Co. Ltd., SK Telecom, has launched a new ringback tone service, called T-Ring, which allows its subscribers to know when they are making in-network calls.

SK Telecom's new service automatically sends a special ringback tone that lets the caller know that the call is in-network, meaning that the charges will be lower than an out-of-network call.

This way, for the truly "cheap", they can let the call go to voicemail or answer the call and only stay on for a short while, since they know it's a more expensive call. Personally, I think you already have a bucket of minutes that are "free" as part of your plan, so it doesn't matter if it's in-network or out-of-network. If you're going over your bucket of minutes it's time to change your plan anyway.

Nevertheless, after the jump is the news release which explains it all.

Continue reading NMS & WITCOM-developed ringback service helps SK Telecom customers save up to 50 percent...



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McDonald's Egg McMuffin Inventor Dies

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 13:10

Egg McMuffin Tasty Goodness!

Herb Peterson, creator of the Egg McMuffin, died in Santa Barbara last Tuesday. (image: John Hayes/Associated Press)

Last week, I was listening to Mark Levin on WABC 770 AM radio when I learned that Herb Peterson, the inventor of the tasty Egg McMuffin had passed away at the age of 89. Herb's invention actually paved the way for McDonald's to introduce breakfast to McDonald's restaurants - previously only lunch & dinner were served. Mark Levin interviewed Herb's son David Peterson who explained that breakfast now accounts for 30% of McDonald's business. So McDonald's franchise owners owe a lot to this man. As do I, since Egg McMuffins are one of my favorite foods. Though with my Biggest Loser contest going on, I haven't had an Egg McMuffin in months!

Herb actually began his career with McDonald's Corp. as vice president of the company's advertising firm, D'Arcy Advertising. He even wrote McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day." Peterson then became a franchise owner of six McDonald's restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California.

Per Mark's interview with David Peterson, David explained how his father Herb loved eggs Benedict and then worked on creating something similar for his McDonald's franchises. With that, the Egg McMuffin was born! It made its debut at a restaurant in Santa Barbara that Herb Peterson co-owned with his son David. The Egg McMuffin is a breakfast sandwich that consists of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, and topped with a slice of cheese and a slice of grilled Canadian bacon. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin

I took an excerpt of the Mark Levin show of the David Peterson interview and posted it here as an .mp3 if you want to hear the interesting history of the Egg McMuffin along with Mark's comedic interviewing style.

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Snom VoIP vulnerability resolved

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 11:13
After my Snom VoIP phone hacked article, I received a response from snom indicating that the vulnerability had more to do with a user not setting a password on the IP phone than any sort of bug or vulnerability in the snom firmware itself. Well that's certainly good news. I guess users or IT administrators that don't set passwords on the IP phones have only themselves to blame if their phones are hacked.

This direct from Snom...

CVE-2008-1248:
Yes, you can send an HTTP-POST to the phone and let it dial a number. But you can protect your phone by setting a password. If you set a password then nobody can post an HTTP request to dial a number. The statement in the referred web site that Snom phone don't support passwords is wrong. You can set a password to protect your phone. And you should do it if your phone is connected to the Internet directly.

Our next firmware release will warn the user that no password is set and that his phone is vulnerable.

This is not a real vulnerability, so we can't say a particular firmware is affected, since you can avoid it by setting a password

CVE-2008-1249:
Yes, this is possible right now when the flash plugin is enabled. But the flash plugin is not enabled by default in current firmwares. So a phone is not vulnerable unless you enable the flash plugin. But you can protect your phone by setting a password like for CVE-2008-1248.

Our next firmware release will warn the user that no password is set and that his phone is vulnerable.

Our release after the next will change the flash plugin so that this isn't possible any more.

This is not a real vulnerability, so we can't say a particular firmware is affected, since you can avoid it by setting a password

CVS-2008-1250:
Yes, Snom phone are vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF). All firmware up to V7.1.30 are affected.

We have changed our web frontend. It uses tokens and html-encoding for values entered in input fields now. Our next firmware release will not be vulnerable to CSRF any more.

CVS-2008-1251:
Yes, Snom phone are vulnerable to Cross-site scripting (XSS). All firmware up to V7.1.30 are affected.

We have changed our web frontend. It uses tokens and html-encoding for values entered in input fields now. Our next firmware release will not be vulnerable to XSS any more.

We also created a website:
http://www.snom.com/javascriptsecurity.html

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Comments on this Entry:

(Mike on Mar 31, 2008 12:41 PM) Yes, of course setting the password protects the phones from getting hacked. Its good to have passwords especially for the phones having snom VoIP. This should be done carefully.

(Mike on Apr 1, 2008 11:24 AM) It is a necessary to set passwords to your IP because if not they can be hacked and we face lots of problems.

Asterisk USB Hub

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 10:26
No Asterisk fan can do without some Asterisk paraphernalia such as an Asterisk or Digium T-Shirt, Asterisk book, maybe even an Asterisk coffee mug from ITEXPO where lots of Asterisk happenings take place. Well now you can add an Asterisk USB hub to your collection of all-things Asterisk! This four-port USB hub in the shape of an "asterisk" was created by industrial designer Joel Escalona

He writes:
Some of these designs have been fortunate enough to be manufactured, others were just lucky to be prototypes or models and the less fortunate live within a render. So if at some point you are interested in finding out more about any of my projects or you want to produce, buy or distribute one, do not hesitate to contact me to ask for more details about any of my designs.
So Asterisk fanboys (& girls) give Joel a shout if you want to add this Asterisk hub to your desktop. You'll be the envy of all your fellow co-workers that also love Asterisk.


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OctroTalk Launches

VoIP Gadgets - Mon, 03/31/2008 - 09:45
OctroTalk mobile instant messaging client features connectivity to Google Talk/Jabber with MSN, AIM, ICQ and Yahoo, IM capabilities, VoIP, P2P file transfer, folder sharing, quick picture messaging, and more.

OctroTalk works over both low-bandwidth and high-bandwidth connections, including  GPRS/EDGE/CDMA/WiFi/Bluetooth data connections. OctroTalk supports a low bandwidth codec with low CPU usage requirements so it runs quite well on smart phone devices. It currently runs on Windows Mobile smartphones, Windows Mobile Pocket PC, and Symbian S60 3rd Edition. OctroTalk features an easy to use user interface that supports one handed operation and 5-way navigation. OctroTalk currently supports GoogleTalk/Jabber, MSN, AIM, ICQ and Yahoo.

Interestingly, when you logout from the Google/Jabber account, the application will automatically log you off from all your accounts including MSN, AOL, ICQ and Yahoo. You can be connected to MSN, AOL, ICQ or Yahoo! only when you are connected to Google Talk/Jabber. I guess Google Talk/Jabber must act as the mediation to the other IM services.

In any event, OctroTalk allows you to have multiple IM sessions going on simultaneously which will appear as tabs, as seen here:



One cool feature is that If you are using the Google Talk account, then for your Google Talk buddies you can archive your chat conversations and search an information in your Gmail account. Another cool feature is the ability to share a folder as seen here:



Emoticons are supported (comes with the Microsoft MSN Messenger emoticons). Initiating a VoIP call is pretty easy to do. Here's a screenshot of a VoIP call being initiated:


The only limitation is that you can only VoIP someone with a Google Talk/Jabber account. It doesn't support VoIP connectivity with MSN, AIM, ICQ, or Yahoo.

With OctroTalk you can create or join chat conference rooms. It appears that OctroTalk hosts the conference rooms but it can support other services. The conference rooms only support IM and not VoIP. I'd like to see group conferencing with VoIP capabilities in a future release. Of course, that would require MCUs and possibly some heavy transcoding, but it's certainly a feature people want.

Summary of Features:
  • Always on connected to Google Talk/Jabber with MSN, AIM, ICQ and Yahoo transports
  • Complete VOIP product. Access to PSTN.
  • Supports Low Bandwidth Codec (even works with EDGE/GPRS/CDMA).
  • Streamlined UI. Optimized for one-handed operation. Today Screen on Pocket PC. Home Screen support for Smartphone.
  • Extremely fast P2P file transfer. Quick picture messaging. 
  • Low CPU usage. Only VOIP product that works on Treo 700w (300 MHz processor).
  • Secure and Encrypted connection to GoogleTalk. Google Talk messages are encrypted using industry standard TLS/SSL.
  • Message Archiving in your GMail Account.
  • Share files with your buddies (automated file transfer).
  • Access your computer remotely. Install OctroTalk for Windows on your desktop, and share a folder with OctroTalk on your Mobile.
  • Support for GroupChat/Conferencing. OctroTalk lets you create/join Jabber conference rooms.


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