VOIP IP Telephony

Got Six Figures? Register Domain Name .Phone or .VOIP

2008-07-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

The decision by ICANN to relax the rules governing top level domain names, gTLDs are changing the picture of the domain playing field. The setting up of a new TLD will be in low six figure (= more than $100,000). A 30 min ICANN meeting Video is also ready for you.
Rebirth of Million Dollar Domain Names | MyADLETS, The Viral Frontier.

Tags: New gTLDs, New TLDs, Domain names, New ICANN Domain TLDs

Nostradamus And Star Trek In social and visual networking?

2008-07-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Doug Webster from Cisco Worldwide Service Provider Marketing thinks yes they can, and invites us to indulge. I did and I think you might enjoy as well! Here is the article;
Visual Networking - A Communications Mode-Meld

iCall On iPhone, The VoIP App You Get From Apple App Store!

2008-07-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

iCall, a free VoIP phone service provider is getting ready to deliver VoIP application for iPhone over the Apple's own delivery system for iPhone applications, App Store.
The application is developed using the Apple iPhone Developer Kit and does not use any undocumented API calls like the old jailbroken iPhone applications did.
iCall is a registered Apple Developer.
I have seen the iCall application for PC and I think it is very well designed. Also the iPhone application that you can see below in the video, is no different. According to the site, the application will be availble directly to your iPhone via the App Store.

Here a preview of the iCall application for the iPhone, the video shows receiving a phone on your regular cell number, while connected to a free wi-fi service, and switching the call to VoIP (free) seamlessly. Neat.
iCall infrmation is here.

iPhone Ruined In Canada! iPhone 3G At That!

2008-07-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

New iPhone 3G and Canadian Provider Rogers have spurred up controversy and a web site called ruined iPhone asking Apple to step in. Here is a video! Enjoy Canadian telecom freedom.

Laughter Chain From Skype Should Bring A Smile To Your Face

2008-07-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

I like to laugh as it relieves stress and tension that we gather at various occasions and incidents that are not really nice. Perhaps it is a call that made you feel so. If you are a Skype user, the new service Skype Laughter chain may help you to laugh it out right at your desk. And if you are in a cubicle or area in the office you may have the viral effect that Skype is also trying to gain with this product. You may have a happy office!

So all of you who think that I only have bad things to say about Skype, like Uninstall Skype, This should prove otherwise.

So it is even more attractive if you use, LOL (Laugh Out Loud) acronym on the web. Now you can do it really true to the meaning of LOL, if your collegue or friend also has a Skype Video connection. Laughter will bring us closer together no matter what language you speak – it’s a language we all understand and everyone loves a good laugh. So Laugh in English, Laugh in French, Laugh in Dutch, Laugh in Japanese (now I ran out of languages I know) and laugh in Swaihili, laugh in Hindi or Just laugh! I am sure you will make someone laugh.

I like the idea of this type of advertising that lead to creation of this Laughter Chain to promote Skype's free video calling feature. The other thing is you can make as many free video calls as you want. Seeing the person you’re talking to makes a big difference, you can share expressions.

Learn all about free video calling

Create Telephony Mashups And Win At BroadSoft Xtended Voice Mashup Contest,

2008-07-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Gaithersburg, md, July 8, 2008 — BroadSoft Inc., the leading provider of VoIP application software, today announced the BroadSoft Xtended Voice Mashup Contest to create telephony mashups that provide new, valuable services for businesses and consumers.

Running through Sept. 2, the Xtended Voice Mashup Contest challenges Web 2.0 and telecom developers to combine the multitude of BroadWorks® VoIP features with other applications, including customer relationship management, business collaboration and social networking. Telephony applications such as SMS, voicemail, fax and mobile clients also qualify for submission. Developers will have access to the Xtended Services Interface (Xsi) RESTful API during the contest.

Developers will compete for the top three prizes, which are valued at $15,500, $5,500 and $3,500. A panel of experts will select the winners, who will demo their mashups to hundreds of telecom executives from around the globe at the BroadSoft Connections 2008 executive users conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona from Oct. 5-8. Noted author Tim O’Reilly, who is credited with coining the phrase “Web 2.0,” is the event keynote speaker.

The contest winners will be announced at the Web 2.0 Expo New York 2008, which takes place Sept. 16-19.

”BroadSoft is committed to bringing voice to Web 2.0,” said Leslie Ferry, Vice President of Marketing for BroadSoft. “This contest will spur the creation of even more innovative telephony mashups using the new REST-based API. Our customers are eager to find new services to offer to their millions of enterprise and residential end-users.”

The prizes are:

First Place – $5,000 in cash, and an all-expenses-paid trip to BroadSoft Connections 2008 with a free Solutions ShowCase booth (valued at $10,500).
Second Place – $2,000 in cash, and an all-expenses-paid trip to BroadSoft Connections with a complimentary pass (valued at $3,500).
Third Place – $1,000 in cash, and a complimentary pass to BroadSoft Connections 2008 (valued at $2,500).

After winners are announced, completed entries will be posted on the Xtended Marketplace (http://marketplace.broadsoft.com), an online portal where service providers and their end-users can download mashups. Developers can generate revenue by charging a fee for their applications or by building customized versions of their apps for service providers.

“I was able to sell my app to a major service provider in the U.S.,” said Joseph Farrar, president of JoeDeveloper.NET, who created the Click2Message application that integrates BroadWorks calling features with the Facebook social-networking site. “By working with BroadWorks through the Xtended program, I have access to a global pool of service providers who could try out my mashup. For the opportunity to sell more mashups to service providers, I will definitely be entering the Xtended Voice Mashup Contest.”

“The applications on the Xtended Marketplace have already given us a competitive edge,” said Dave Gilbert, president of SimpleSignal. “By offering the salesforce.com mashup—the Unified Connector for Salesforce—we were able to win a contract over a Tier 1 competitor. Xtended and voice mashups are the obvious next evolutionary phase of telephony services.”

BroadSoft Xtended Marketplace, the first of its kind for the telecommunications industry, was launched in March to drive the integration of voice with Web 2.0 technologies. The initiative has spurred the creation of voice mashups with leading business and consumer applications, including Facebook, WebEx, Lotus Notes, ACT! by Sage and GotVoice. Newly created mashups are available to BroadSoft's nearly 300 service providers in 59 countries.

For rules and prize details for the Xtended Voice Mashup Contest, visit http://developer.broadsoft.com/contest.
The contest is free to enter. Developers can register at http://developer.broadsoft.com/contest.

Google Talk voicemail? What Do You Do With It?

2008-07-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need to get in touch with your friend or friends but invariably they may have walked out from the desk or very busy (palying one of those games) and do not want to be disturbed. So chat is off but all is not lost if you have the googletalk client. You can leave a leave a voicemail!
Google Talk allows you to leave a voicemail for any of your contacts, whether they're signed in to Google Talk or not. Your meesage can last up to 10 minutes, and your friend willl be able to retrieve the message from their email account at any time. You can even send a message straight to their voicemail without first ringing them.To leave a message, call a contact and let it ring - voicemail will pick up after 4 rings. Or, click the down arrow from any profile card or chat window to access the options menu and select Send voicemail.

Jajah To Provide Call Termination and Other Backbone Services To Gizmo5

2008-07-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

JAJAH, one of the managed services provider in IP-telecommunications, about whom we have posted articles since it's inception, announced that its platform has been selected by Gizmo5, a widely used free mobile and computer-based VoIP service, to provide handling of all call termination for Gizmo5 as well as additional tailored services including customer care and billing.

Softphones, that people use to make IP-telephone calls (VoIP Calls) directly from Internet-connected computers or mobile devices, and are increasingly being used as an alternative to landline phones by telecommuters and mobile users. The softphone market is poised for significant growth as competition heats up and global unified communications take hold. The ability to connect a handset to a computer via devices such as Bluetooth Headsets, USB Phones as well as wireless phones have made softphones a part of regular computer application, just like internet browser. Mobile users just use their phones, just like any other phone call.

A recent Frost & Sullivan report finds that the percentage of the total VoIP IP Telephony market that softphones represent will increase from 5 percent to 20 percent by 2014. Softphone sales rose to 416,000 units, worth $18.9 million in 2007, a 30 percent increase in dollar terms over the previous year.

Congratulations Jajah and Gizmo5.

The Jajah announcement could be found here.

User Replaceble Battery In iPhone 3G?

2008-07-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

Apple has put out a walk through for iPhone 3G and I think it is worth watching. The other thing about the new iPhone 3G is that it sports what looks like a hex screw in the back. So this article made the suggestion that it might be there to help users replace the iPhone battery if needed. I am waiting to see the insides!

Happy 4th Of July America!

2008-07-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Of July America!

Tags: 4th of July, America People We See, Independence day

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

VoIP IP Telephony @ http://snapvoip.blogspot.com

Second Annual Digium Innovation Awards, Call to Entry.

2008-07-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

The First Digium Innovation Awards was an overwhelming success for both the groups around Asterisk, Digium and developers, customers and partners. Again this year the awards are ready to be bestowed to deserving individuals and or companies. But you need to act on it, soon. Nominations will be accepted until Aug. 1, 2008.

Last year's winners of the Innovation Awards include Aheeva for the Big Business category, OneBizTone for the ROI/Cost Savings category, Shelton|Johns for the Pioneer category, iPLATEu for the Most Unique category and Super Technologies for the Service Provider category.

Please visit innovations at Digium for more information.

Following is the press release;

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.— July 1, 2008— Digium®, Inc., the Asterisk® Company, recently announced the official call for entries for the second annual Digium Innovation Awards, designed to recognize Asterisk developers, customers and partners for outstanding achievements that are improving business processes, overcoming technology challenges and delivering record return on investment.

"We had an overwhelming response to the first Digium Innovation Awards and we look forward to hearing about the creative and innovative implementations of Asterisk from this year's submissions," said Bill Miller, VP of product management for Digium. "With the millions of downloads of Asterisk to date, we continue to be impressed with its applications and the impact Asterisk is having in both business and society."

Pioneer Award — most innovative Asterisk implementation;
Big Biz Asterisk Award — largest Asterisk enterprise-class installation;
ROI Award — best measurable ROI from implementing Asterisk;
Inside Out Award — best use of Asterisk in a business outside of telecommunications.

Winners from each category will be announced Sept. 22-25 at AstriCon 2008, www.astricon.net, in Glendale, Ariz. Benefits from being named a Digium Innovation Award winner will include a congratulatory press release from Digium, Inc., a listing on the Digium Web site and an invitation to present at Astricon '09.

Last year's winners of the Innovation Awards include Aheeva for the Big Business category, OneBizTone for the ROI/Cost Savings category, Shelton|Johns for the Pioneer category, iPLATEu for the Most Unique category and Super Technologies for the Service Provider category.

"We were honored to have received the inaugural Innovation Award in the Pioneer category last year," said Bryan Johns, managing member of Shelton|Johns. "It is our goal to provide customers with efficient and innovative solutions of VoIP networks that are powered by open platforms and this recognition validates our contribution towards the Asterisk project."

To submit an entry and view last year's winners, please visit http://www.digium.com/en/company/awards/innovation.php. Nominations will be accepted until Aug. 1, 2008.

Verizon Awaits Steve Jobs Demise To Compete With iPhone!

2008-07-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

From this hilarious interview, via the FT:
via the FT:

While describing Apple as a "great company", Mr Seidenberg highlights its small market share of global handset sales. He scoffs at suggestions that the iPhone is about to become a mass-market handset because Apple has accepted mobile operators' pleas to subsidise it.

"There goes the conspiracy again," he says of Apple. "You're declaring them a winner before they've earned it on the field."

Mr Jobs has no monopoly on innovation, says Mr Seidenberg, whose bullishness about Verizon Wireless' future rests partly on his assertion that the mobile phone is "the most disruptive thing in business".

As handsets become banking tools and games controllers, he argues, mobile operators can up-end other companies' business models. "It's very cool. And Steve Jobs eventually will get old . . . I like our chances."

May be he will not have much hair left over, unless he stops for the pulling them, in the bathroom!

Tags: iphone, steve jobs, apple Phone

New BlackBerry Program for Verizon Wireless Indirect Channels

2008-06-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Brightstar Launches New BlackBerry Program for Verizon Wireless Indirect Channels

Partnership Leverages Long-Standing Relationships to Increase Product Access for Agent and Retailers

Miami, FL and Waterloo, ON –Brightstar and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX:RIM) announced today that they have expanded their existing distribution relationship, launching a dedicated program to increase availability of BlackBerry® smartphones in Verizon Wireless indirect channels.

R. Marcelo Claure, Brightstar's president & CEO, said "RIM is a phenomenal success story and their smartphones are in high demand by our customers and by consumers. RIM has tapped Brightstar to help increase access to their extremely popular products, strengthening their distribution strategy and improving their speed to market."

The new channel program launched by Brightstar delivers innovative marketing, sales, inventory management and credit management programs to national retailers and local agents of Verizon Wireless, one of the nation's leading wireless carriers serving over 67 million customers. The program will help bring BlackBerry smartphones to thousands of additional indirect points of sale faster, to better meet the high demand for BlackBerry products by consumers throughout the U.S.

Agents and retailers expressed excitement about the new program. "BlackBerry smartphone sales are the fastest growing opportunity for our business, and with those devices now being a part of the overall product portfolio at Brightstar, we will have better access and unmatched support for our BlackBerry sales," said Kevin Elder, president and CEO of Go Wireless, a major Verizon Wireless indirect agent.

This latest program builds on the significant success the two companies have achieved working together since 2005. To date, Brightstar and RIM have increased availability and penetration of BlackBerry smartphones serving both network operators and independent agents. Among the regions Brightstar currently supports on behalf of RIM are Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S.

Mark Guibert, vice president, corporate marketing at Research In Motion said, "Brightstar and RIM have a successful history of working together to expand the reach of BlackBerry smartphones. Brightstar's excellent customer relationships and logistical efficiencies have been of great benefit to RIM."

Brightstar is also an authorized distributor of BlackBerry Authentic Accessories throughout the Americas. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Brightstar helps bring BlackBerry smartphones to 65 network operators in 36 countries, streamlining the supply chain and delivery of BlackBerry products.

For more information, visit www.brightstarcorp.com.

iPhone Shuffled by INstinctiv!

2008-06-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Instinctiv™, a company dedicated to changing the way that consumers experience their entertainment, emerged from stealth mode today to announce its financing and the launch of its first product, Instinctiv Shuffle™. The round was funded by Cayuga Venture Fund, Rosetech Ventures and a group of strategic angels.

Ithaca, NY (PRWEB) June 26, 2008 -- Instinctiv™, (www.instinctiv.com), a company dedicated to changing the way that consumers experience their entertainment, emerged from stealth mode today to announce its financing and the launch of its first product, Instinctiv Shuffle™. The round was funded by Cayuga Venture Fund, Rosetech Ventures and a group of strategic angels.

Instinctiv Shuffle, which can be downloaded to the iPhone, helps consumers to rediscover their music libraries by learning what individuals want to hear in the moment. Consumers simply download the application, start iTunes, select Instinctiv Shuffle, skip the songs they don't want to hear at that time, and Instinctiv Shuffle does the rest, learning what consumers want to hear next.

"People's musical moods are not random and therefore we felt like their shuffle experience shouldn't be either, which is why we created the Instinctiv Shuffle," said Justin Smithline, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Instinctiv. "Instinctiv's goal was to create a way to to help consumers find enjoyable music instantly, without all of the skipping. Our application improves upon the iTunes Shuffle feature, getting smarter with every skip."

Instinctiv was founded in August 2007 by Justin Smithline and Peter Brodsky who met while earning their graduate degrees from Cornell University years earlier - Smithline an MBA and Brodsky a PhD in Neuroscience.

"We believe that Instinctiv has the potential to change fundamentally the way consumers interact with their entertainment," said Zachary Shulman, Managing Partner at Cayuga Venture Fund. "Instinctiv Shuffle is only the first of a suite of applications that will help consumers to discover and rediscover their entertainment in a new, more intuitive way."

"Cayuga Venture Fund, Rosetech Ventures and our angels have been tremendous supporters who have grasped our vision of leveraging our ground-breaking machine learning technology to deliver information in simpler, more efficient and more meaningful ways, starting with the Instinctiv Shuffle." says Smithline.

For more information on Instinctiv and its groundbreaking new iPhone application, Instinctiv Shuffle, visit www.instinctiv.com

T-Mobile @Home, A $10 Home Phone Service From T-Mobile.

2008-06-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

BELLEVUE, Wash. – June 25, 2008 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a groundbreaking new home phone service that enables customers to make unlimited nationwide calls from their home phone for just $10 per month*. Beginning July 2, T-Mobile will breathe new life and value into the home phone by launching nationwide T-Mobile @Home®. The service allows customers to keep their home phone number, ditch their high phone bill and save money by adding their home phone line to their T-Mobile service.

According to a 2007 Scarborough Research¹ report, families spend an average of $65 per month on home phone service. However, for just $10 per month, T-Mobile customers can add T-Mobile @Home service to a qualifying T-Mobile wireless plan² and get unlimited nationwide long-distance calling, plus call waiting, caller ID, three-way conferencing, voicemail, call forwarding and other features. In addition, customers will have the opportunity to use features typically associated with wireless services—for instance, CallerTunes™ (ringback tones)—and port their existing home phone number so family and friends can continue to call them at the same familiar number.“For years, the traditional landline companies have been great at consistently delivering one thing to their customers—a high monthly bill,” said Robert Dotson, president and CEO, T-Mobile USA. “T-Mobile is now delivering the best priced home phone service in America for our existing and future customers. In addition, we are not only delivering the traditional features of a landline service, we are also including the innovative features consumers love in their more widely used mobile phones.”

Previously available in two test markets, Dallas and Seattle, T-Mobile @Home has proved to be a great solution for families looking for a way to save money without sacrificing a home phone. According to an internal T-Mobile study in these test markets, virtually all customers (97 percent) who had a traditional landline phone service reported dropping that service since adopting T-Mobile @Home.

To use the service, customers simply need the touch-tone corded or cordless phone they currently use, an existing broadband Internet connection, and the T-Mobile @Home HiPort™ Wireless Router with Home Phone Connection, available from T-Mobile for just $49.99 with a two-year service agreement. T-Mobile @Home is designed to be easy to set up and running in a matter of minutes. “Unlike VoIP, no special phone is required, allowing the family’s center of communications to stay in the kitchen,” Dotson added.T-Mobile @Home is available exclusively for T-Mobile customers, and will be offered at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide and online at www.t-mobile.com. For more information visit www.tmobileathome.com.

Jaxtr Gets New Funding And Goes Beyong Network For Your Calls

2008-06-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

MENLO PARK, CALIF. - (June 24, 2008) – Jaxtr™, the company that links your phone to the Web, today introduces the freedom for members to call anyone in the world on their mobile phone without the worry of a huge bill, the hassle of calling cards, or downloading software to their mobile phone. In addition to the ability to make free in-network calls, jaxtr members can now call anyone in the world from their mobile phone for substantially less than the rates charged by most calling cards. In addition, members can make calls with the convenience of direct-dial numbers, which eliminate the hassle of access and PIN numbers required by calling cards. Jaxtr is currently used by more than 10 million users in 220 countries.

"Making international calls to friends, family, and business colleagues on your mobile phone has never been cheaper or easier. With jaxtr, it's just like calling a friend down the street," said Konstantin Guericke, CEO of jaxtr. "You simply dial a local number on your mobile, press the green talk button, and your friend's phone rings overseas. You'll never have to hassle with the inconvenience of calling cards again."

$10 Million Series B: Jaxtr also announces the completion of $10 million in Series B financing, a round led by new investor Lehman Brothers Venture Partners. "Jaxtr's market potential is extraordinarily large as the company is able to acquire millions of customers per month without spending any money on marketing. And it succeeded in monetizing its offering within 16 months of launch through two revenue streams, first advertising and now premium services," said Ben Boyer, partner at Lehman Brothers.

More Powerful Jax Credits: In jaxtr 1.5, members can now use their credits, called "jax," to call non-members. And when members run out of jax, they can now purchase more in order to meet all of their international calling needs. Since the company has grown to over 10 million users purely by word of mouth and enjoys a healthy advertising revenue stream, jaxtr can profitably offer the best rates in the business:

Canada: 1 jax/minute ($.01)
China: 1 jax/minute ($.01)
India: 6 jax/minute ($.06)
United Kingdom: 1 jax/minute ($.01)
United States: 1 jax/minute ($.01)

New Premium Memberships: Active members will now have the opportunity to earn access to new premium features, such as customizable contact pages, enhanced digital voicemail features and higher allotments of free international SMS per month. Additionally, active members will continue to receive free jax, which now can be used to call any number worldwide.

The Jaxtr Difference: Jaxtr helps users' link their phones to the Web to connect with friends worldwide, control their calls and talk at great low rates from any phone. With a personalized jaxtr link, members enjoy many benefits:

Community: Meet new people online, with whom you can actually talk, in café jaxtr.
Cost Savings: Bypass expensive international phone charges and send free international SMS.
Control: Forward in-bound calls to any phone, get PrivacyShield^TM to keep your number private and a global voicemail box online.
Convenience: Place a call from any mobile or landline phone. No need to download software to your mobile phone or to have an Internet connection to make a call.

Cisco On Cisco, A Free Quarterly Publication

2008-06-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

A a free quarterly e-newsletter with exclusive articles on how Cisco IT uses its own products and solutions to enable the business. Get an insider's view on the business reasons for Cisco implementations, including best practices, lessons learned, and tangible benefits. Find out first what is new in the world of Cisco on Cisco.
Qualify for Your Free Digital Subscription!

Gain an insider's perspective on how Cisco uses its own technology.

Geographic Eligibility: Selected International

Publisher: Cisco

Motorola, Inc. Gains complete DOCSIS 3.0 and PacketCable 1.5 certification for the Motorola SURFboard® SBV6220 digital voice modem.

2008-06-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

HORSHAM, Pa. – 24 June 2008 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that it has achieved PacketCable™ 1.5 certification for the Motorola SURFboard^® SBV6220 digital voice modem. Certified during CableLabs® Cert Wave 59, this certification marks one of the first complete DOCSIS 3.0 and PacketCable 1.5 certifications of an embedded multimedia terminal adapter (eMTA) in the industry, continuing to fill out Motorola’s industry-leading suite of customer premises equipment (CPE).

In response to the demand for integrated voice and data applications, cable operators are looking to optimize their networks by delivering DOCSIS 3.0 and PacketCable 1.5 certified technologies for subscribers’ homes. Built on the TI Puma 5, the Motorola SURFboard SBV6220 digital voice modem supports DOCSIS 3.0 data functionality and enables MSOs to provide their customers with advanced multimedia services through additional upstream and downstream bandwidth availability.

“TI is dedicated to helping Motorola and MSOs achieve quick, industry-wide adoption and deployment of standards based DOCSIS 3.0 and PacketCable technology,” said Brian Glinsman, TI's Communications Infrastructure and Voice general manager. “Motorola has reached two significant certification milestones leveraging TI’s Puma 5 DOCSIS 3.0 chipsets in the past month that will help MSOs meet the large demand for higher speeds, high quality VoIP and next generation services.”

The SURFboard SBV6220 digital voice modem was previously certified for data services in CableLabs Cert Wave 58 last month. It uses industry-standard signaling protocols to provide high-speed Internet access and up to two lines of full-featured digital voice telephone service over cable’s broadband connection to the home. The SBV6220 is backward compatible to DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 and can be deployed without service interruption, thus maximizing the MSO’s current infrastructure investment while enabling the deployment of value-added services. In addition, it provides MSOs with an economic option for greater than 160 Mbps of user data throughput, without the need for a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) plant upgrade. The SBV6220 supports both IPv4 and IPv6, and Advanced Encryption Services as part of the DOCSIS 3.0 standards.

“Motorola continues to be a leader in DOCSIS technology working with partners like TI to provide innovative solutions that maximize our customers’ investment in their networks,” said Alan Lefkof, corporate vice president and general manager, Broadband Solutions Group, Motorola, Inc. “By combining PacketCable 1.5 and DOCSIS specifications with innovative technology like TI’s Puma chip, Motorola is committed to bringing an unparalleled customer experience to MSOs’ cable customers to provide full-featured digital voice telephone service over their home cable connection.”

Motorola’s SURFboard® SBV6220 digital voice modem enables operators to:

Help protect their installed base of high-speed data customers
Deliver new high-value / high-bandwidth, multimedia services
Deliver competitive, high-capacity commercial services to their business customers

Designed for service assurance, the Motorola SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 SBV6220 is compatible with Motorola’s NBBS device management platform and Motorola’s eCare for remote access customer component troubleshooting and configuration, eliminating unnecessary truck rolls.

Motorola will demonstrate the SURFboard SBV6220 digital voice modem at booth #1251 at the SCTE’s CableTec Expo^® in Philadelphia June 24 – 27.

Motorola Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) and cable modems are being used in successful end-to-end channel bonding deployments worldwide. Motorola enabled the world’s first commercial channel bonding deployment through Starhub in Singapore, supports the first full-field deployment of DOCSIS 3.0 services for J:COM in Japan and delivers 100 Mbps high-speed data service to subscribers for Korea’s largest cable operator. The company continues its leadership in field deployments with the second largest cable operator in the UK, which selected Motorola’s EuroDOCSIS ^® 3.0-based CMTS for deployment in Scotland.

Nokia Purchases The Rest Of Symbian And Forms Symbian Foundation.

2008-06-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced it has launched a cash offer to acquire all of the shares of Symbian Limited that Nokia does not already own, at a price of EUR 3.647 per share. The net cash outlay from Nokia to purchase the approximately 52% of Symbian Limited shares it does not already own will be approximately EUR 264 million.

Nokia has received irrevocable undertakings from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd. and Siemens International Holding BV to accept the offer, representing approximately 91% of the Symbian shares subject to the offer. Nokia also expects Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to accept the offer.

The acquisition is a fundamental step in the establishment of the Symbian Foundation, announced today by Nokia, together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Motorola, NTT DOCOMO, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone. More information about the planned foundation can be found at www.symbianfoundation.org.

"This is a significant milestone in our software strategy" said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia. "Symbian is already the leading open platform for mobile devices. Through this acquisition and the establishment of the Symbian Foundation, it will undisputedly be the most attractive platform for mobile innovation. This will drive the development of new and compelling, web-enabled applications to delight a new generation of consumers."

"The wide support for this initiative, uniting the industry around the Symbian platform, reflects the strong gravitational pull it has for application developers and other ecosystem players. We will drive efficient, open innovation by unifying the platform and simplifying the software supply chain, leveraging our experience from mobile devices. Nokia is strongly positioned to realize the benefits of open innovation, as well as accelerating time to market, enabling us to meet and exceed consumer expectations for leading converged devices and experiences", Kallasvuo continued.

Symbian Limited is the software company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the market-leading open operating system for mobile devices. User interfaces designed for Symbian OS include S60 from Nokia, MOAP (S) for the 3G network and UIQ, designed by UIQ Technology, a joint venture between Motorola and Sony Ericsson. A privately-owned company established in 1998, Symbian has its headquarters in London, UK and other offices in the United Kingdom, United States and Asia (Bangalore, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo).

"Ten years ago, Symbian was established by far sighted players to offer an advanced open operating system and software skills to the whole mobile industry", said Nigel Clifford, CEO of Symbian. "Our vision is to become the most widely used software platform on the planet and indeed today Symbian OS leads its market by any measure. Today's announcement is a bold new step to achieve that vision by embracing a complete and proven platform, offered in an open way, designed to stimulate innovation, which is at the heart of everything we do."

Mobile devices based on Symbian OS account for 60% of the converged mobile device segment (source: Canalys, 12 months to Q1 2008). Symbian OS represented approximately 7% of all mobile device sales in 2007, up from 5% in 2006 (source: Strategy Analytics). To date, more than 200 million Symbian OS based phones have been shipped, over 235 models, from 8 vendors and on more than 250 mobile networks around the world. More than 4 million developers are engaged in producing applications for Symbian devices.

Nokia expects the acquisition to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2008 and is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. On a reported basis, Nokia expects the transaction to be dilutive in 2009, approximately breakeven in 2010, and accretive in 2011. On a cash basis, Nokia expects the transaction to be dilutive in 2009 and accretive in 2010 and 2011. After the closing, all Symbian employees will become Nokia employees.
More information can be found at www.symbianfoundation.org.

Cisco Learning Network! Because Networking Is More Than Ones And Zeros.

2008-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla., CiscoLive, June 24, 2008 - Underscoring its commitment to accelerate the development of technical talent across the globe, Cisco today unveiled the Cisco Learning Network (www.cisco.com/go/learnnetspace). Designed for both the seasoned professional as well as individuals considering a career in information technology (IT), the Cisco Learning Network is a Web 2.0 community that enables networking professionals to collaborate globally through document sharing, open forum discussions and idea exchanges in a dedicated environment.

Cisco is also announcing a major augmentation to its popular associate-level career certification with the introduction of three concentrations: CCNA Security, CCNA Voice and CCNA Wireless. By expanding on the competencies and skills in the CCNA curriculum, these highly specialized concentrations offer individuals a career stepping-stone into the converged technologies that make up today's sophisticated networks.

"As networks continue to stimulate economic growth, collaboration and human interaction, the need for networking talent will grow in importance. To address the growing global demand for networking talent, we estimate that we will need to double or even triple our certified individuals over the next five years," said Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, general manager of Learning@Cisco. "With the expansion of the CCNA portfolio and the launch of the Cisco Learning Network, we have added two more critical components to our companywide initiative to address the global IT talent shortage, accelerate the development of the information economy and improve the productivity of this vital technical community."

Cisco Learning Network

Providing social networking features such as blogs, wikis and forums, the Cisco Learning Network enables individuals to discuss top-of-mind issues and interact with thought leaders in network design, implementation and operations. The community will also directly contribute to the continued development and co-creation of Cisco's education strategies by providing real-world community feedback that can be used for training development and assessment.

With the built-in document-sharing tool, there is now a single source for the certified community to seek out product documentation, configuration and troubleshooting advice as well as expert opinions on networking challenges. As the community develops, it will become an important resource that can be taken advantage of by IT professionals to increase productivity and address critical issues in the networks they administer.

"With the demand for IT professionals on the rise, it's great to find a centralized resource that unifies industry trends, developments and certification opportunities," said renowned author and networking expert Terry Slattery, CCIE® #1026. "The Cisco Learning Network is a great tool for individuals who are looking to learn about new technology, stay in touch with colleagues, or pursue certifications."

Growing Need for Security, Voice and Wireless Specialists

A recent study commissioned by Cisco and conducted by Forrester Consulting found that there is a pervasive need for specialized networking skills. In fact, 36 percent of the global companies surveyed reported that they have dedicated wireless specialists in their IT organizations, a number that will almost double in the next five years. Dedicated network security specialists were found in 46 percent of the companies surveyed and that number is expected to increase to 80 percent in five years. Additionally, 69 percent of the companies surveyed expect to have a dedicated voice specialist in their organizations within five years up from 40 percent currently. The survey respondents also cited the importance of certifications in their professional development. In their own career history, the IT decision-makers surveyed indicated that professional and technical certifications were second only to a four-year college degree in the qualifications needed for their position.

Reflecting the increasing specialization within networking job roles, these concentrations provide a "lifecycle of learning" blueprint for career advancement. Following are the new CCNA concentrations:

CCNA Security - This certification confirms an individual's skills for job roles such as network security specialist, security administrator and network security support engineer. The certification validates the candidate's skills in the installation, troubleshooting and monitoring skills of network devices to maintain the integrity, confidentiality and availability of data.
CCNA Voice - This certification confirms a candidate's skills for job roles such as voice administrator, voice engineer and voice manager. It also validates skills in voice over IP (VoIP) technologies such as IP PBX, IP telephony, handset, call control and voicemail solutions. Candidates also get exposure to the Cisco Unified Communications architecture and design for mobility, presence and TelePresence applications.
CCNA Wireless - This certification confirms a candidate's skills for job roles such as networking associate/administrator, wireless support specialist and WLAN project manager. CCNA Wireless validates a candidate's skills in the configuration, implementation and support of Cisco wireless LANs.

To learn more about the Cisco career certification program, including course and exam availability please visit: www.cisco.com/go/learnnetspace

Cisco Press, the leader in CCNA self-study products, has products for the new CCNA Security exam already available and will publish on all CCNA concentration exams in 2008. All products will be available for purchase at: http://www.ciscopress.com/ccna

bluez-libs-3.34 and bluez-utils-3.34, (Official Linux Bluetooth protocol stack), Released To Address A Potential Security Issue

2008-06-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

The SDP client functionality of the Bluetooth library contains a potential security issue and a new version is released after fixing the said issue. Since Chan-Mobile for asterisk uses this, you may want to check this out. The BlueZ team attribute credits for finding and fixing this issue to Glenn Durfee from the Google Android team.
The new versions are available here.

Google Talk Labs Edition, Brings The Web And Desktop Together

2008-06-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

I just wrote about connecting Apple iChat IM Application to Google Talk and like iChat, there are many other IM clients that are able to connect to Google Talk. The Googletalk team have been working hard and the latest version, Google Talk Labs Edition, has brought forth many new advantages to the users.
The Labs Edition release uses the open source Webkit engine to host the Google Talk gadget. And by doing so the GoogleTalk team was able to bring the Talk gadget out of your browser, and onto your desktop, which is capable of runing in your Taskbar.
"Google Talk, Labs Edition combines “downloadable client behavior”, like stacking notifications and displaying presence outside the browser, with nearly all of the web behaviors of the Google Talk gadget, such as emoticons, multi-user chat, tabbed conversations, etc. It can also natively display web notifications from multiple sources, such as Gmail and calendar alerts and Orkut scrap changes. A few weeks ago we added invisible mode to the Google Talk Gadget, and this functionality immediately extended to Google Talk Labs Edition."
So go check it out! If you do you may be able to catch Diordna, our communications guy, when he is on the net.

Google Talkabout: Bringing the web and desktop together

Configure iChat for Google Talk To Talk To Your Google Buddies.

2008-06-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

If you have got an Google Account and you may know that you can use Google talk for communicating with your pals, buddies and anyone who happened to have a Googletalk acount. iChat from Apple has been in use for ages and most Apple users have it on their desktop. But did you know that you could use iChat to communicate over Google Talk (or Gooletalk as known here!).

To set up your iChat to communicate over GoogleTalk;
1. Open iChat.
2. From the iChat menu, select Preferences...
3. Click Accounts along the top of the dialogue box.
4. Click the + button along the bottom to add a new account.
5. Select Jabber Account from the Account Type drop-down menu.
6. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:

* Jabber ID:

* If you're signing in with a Gmail or Google Mail username, enter your full email address.
* If your Google Talk username isn't associated with any Google email product, add @gmail.com to the end of your username. For example, iloveyoko will become iloveyoko@gmail.com. (it is better to get a Google user account as you could use it for other services from Google)
* If you're a Google Apps user, enter your full email address (gordon@example.com).

* Password: Your password.
* Server: talk.google.com
7. Click Add.
8. Highlight your new account in the Accounts section, and then click Server Settings.
9. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:

* Server: talk.google.com
* Port: 5223

10. Check the boxes next to Connect using SSL and Allow self-signed certificates. You don't need to check the box next to Warn before password is sent insecurely -- your password is always secure with Google Talk.
11. Enter iChat in the Location field. If this field is left blank, you won't be able to sign in.

Congratulations! Now you're now ready to connect to Google Talk using iChat and connect with your friends.
Ref Google talk help.

Uninstall Skype and Encrypt Your VoIP, It Is Not That Hard With Asterisk.

2008-06-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have been preaching about uninstalling Skype (uninstall skype) for many years now, since 2005, How to kill a Skype® / remove Skype® installs from your network!. Even if you are the type that have to live in proprietary software world, I wrote how not to be a Skype SuperNode. There are many a reasons why you want to step away from proprietary software like Skype and here are some given by Software Freedom Law Center;
(a) proprietary software and (b) based on an undocumented protocol, (c) controlled by a company that has less respect for users' privacy than the PSTN companies themselves.
It is from an article about encrypting you VoiP Calls without having to beat a new path in the arena of communications. Like me, SFLC, uses a simple solution using simple tools, VPN and Asterisk with SIP Phones. It has worked for me for years and I preach to anyone who come close to me and utter the word VoIP.
"Specifically, all SFLC users have an OpenVPN connection back to the home office. From there, they have access to register a SIP client to an internal Asterisk server living inside the VPN network. Using that SIP phone, they can call any SFLC employee. That call continues either on the internal secured network, or back out over the same VPN to the other SIP client. Users can also dial out from there to any PSTN DID."

Asterisk has a very stable platform and many supporting organizations and groups have sprung to help you with communications future, convergence. If you care about privacy and freedom, then follow the links below to find some solutions. At least you will learn that they excist.

SFLC Article, Please read. "Stop Obsessing and Just Do It: VoIP Encryption Is Easier than You Think"
Asterisk / Digium