Official VoIP Blog by VoipReview.org

IPhone, Fring and Skype - a great combo for free calls

webmaster — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:34:59 -0500

Since the launch of IPhone 3G, developers have been racing to come up with new applications for their big break. I found this is a rather interesting phenomenom, where developers from all over the world give IPhone 3G a lot of attention as never before. It was always been the case where in-house developers came up with application under companies' guideline.

Steve Jobs firmly announced that VoIP application is allowed on IPhone, but ONLY on WiFi network. Came along Fring, a free mobile internet service community,who developed Fring an application to let IPhone users get connected to popular instant messenger network like Gtalk, MSN Messenger, Skype, Twitter , AIM and Yahoo!.

At first,IPhone users would say: "oh, sweet, we can chat, text message, using WiFi network with our buddy list." With a closer look, Skype is the keyword we should pay more attention to. Skype has not come up with native application for IPhone. May be it's under development, or may be they just don't care about IPhone users, no one knows.

Anyway, now, we have IPhone, we have Fring, and we have Skype. If you start connecting the dots, IPhone users can have free VoIP calls or relatively inexpensive international calls. How so? In the nutshell, use IPhone on a free WiFi network, download Fring application from Apple Apps Store, sign up an account with Skype, and voila! You get yourself free calls to others skype users. This would be a good way around for those who want to save money on long distance or international calls, but would not want to invest on actual VoIP service.

If you are an IPhone user and a regular long distance and international caller, this setup would actually work for you perfectly.Give it a try and let us know what your experience.

Our own VoIP Hardware section

webmaster — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:06:52 -0500

What has been missing from our beloved voipreview? We have the reviews, we have ratings, we have great deals on business VoIP, residential voip service and if you can't find one that fits you, we'll find one for you! So still what's missing?

Thank you for all of your support and suggestions, we have decided to create a new section for Equipment. This is for those of you who want something more than standard equipment from providers. We have partnered up with amazon.com to bring you great deals on VoIP equipment, while bringing you peace of mind by shopping from a highly reputable online merchant.

Voipreview is proud to present you with our own hardware section. We recommend a variety of voip equipment ranging from VoIP Phones, Wireless VoIP Phones, headsets and VoIP Router.

Visit and support our hardware section, so we can continue to serve you and save you hundreds of dollars on your phone bills.

Thank you,
voipreview.org

Telco, Verizon loses suit against Cable, Cox

Audrey — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:32:12 -0400

Verizon Communications lost a battle in court to Cox Communications earlier this week. The two mega providers have been playing a mega tug of war over technology designed to speed up voice and data service to users. Verizon claims that Cox took stole their lunch money or cash cow or call it what you want, by infringing on a patent they had first. It sounds to me like the two mega providers are having a childlike fight over who had the ball first.

Verizon claims that they own patents which give them the rights to information sent over packets which translates into ip telephony service and ultimately telephone, internet, and television service. The company originally filed suit against Cox in January of this year requesting that Cox be blocked from using the patents in the future. What does all of this mean to the end user; it could potentially be keeping competition alive and fostering a breeding ground for better cheaper service. I know, always the optimist.

Previously Verizon didn’t only pick a fight with Cox, they also went after VoIP provider, Vonage claiming that Vonage had infringed on the very same patents they accused Cox of infringing on. Vonage took the blow and settled out of court and ended up paying the Telco $117.5 million as part of their settlement, ironically which could have been the pre-cursor to the Cox claim. Time Warner and Comcast can breathe a sigh of relief for a while and continue to offer VoIP services without worrying about big bad Verizon. Our guess is that the recent ruling will keep Verizon quiet until they can at the very least bolster a different angle on the same claim.

A Virginia district court jury found that Cox had provided “clear and convincing evidence” that Verizon’s claims on two patents were unfounded. Those patents were for “Enhanced Internet domain name server” to translate information from a public, packet-based network; and “Method, server and telecommunications system for name translation on a conditional basis and/or to a telephone number,” an extension of the earlier patent.

We will continue to keep you informed on the cable, ip-telephony, internet service, television, FiOS, and VoIP tug of war. My vote is for whoever can provide the best service at the most competitive price.

Leap Wireless and Metro PCS Agree to Share Network Traffic

Audrey — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:54:24 -0400

Leap Wireless and MetroPCS Communications announced a national roaming agreement yesterday. Last year Leap turned down a $4.7 billion buyout offer from MetroPCS which could be one step closer to a potential merger of the two companies. The deal covers the carriers' existing and future coverage areas, and could potentially enable the carriers to offer free roaming on each other's networks.

As mobile operators continue to expand during an economic crisis deals similar to the one between Leap and MetroPCS could become more common. The deal and expanded coverage could be a valuable tool in attracting new customers. Their combined networks create a larger footprint for a fraction of what it would take if they had attempted the same coverage independently.

"The expanded coverage which MetroPCS and Leap can offer as a result of this agreement will be a major benefit to our customers," said Roger Linquist, chairman, president, and CEO of MetroPCS, in a statement. "These agreements benefit both parties and allow each of us to focus on the growth of our respective businesses."

Both wireless companies target young and often credit-challenged customers with pre-paid service that doesn't require a contract. A merger could be on the horizon but experts agree that it is unlikely to be any time soon since both companies are currently building in competing markets.

VoIP Revolution at Internet Telephony Conference

Audrey — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:53:31 -0400

VoIP is revolutionizing the way the world communicates and gathered right now at the Internet Telephony Conference in Los Angeles, California VoIP leaders are discussing how to transform the way we think about our existing communication devices and what we pay to use them. Remember when cellular phones first came onto the scene?

Technically, I don’t think most mobile phones qualify as cellular anymore but the point is that so much has changed in such a short period of time that even our language can’t necessarily keep up with the technology. When cell phones 1st came onto the scene I remember hearing people talk about how phone companies were probably shaking in their boots because of the competition but people spend more time on the phone than we ever have.

At the Internet Telephony Conference in Los Angeles the discussions are focused on how best to leverage the tools on the market, remote-communications, software application development and voice recognition.

In fact the keynote address by Microsoft General manager, Xeudong Huang talked about how regular objects like a wall could possibly become an interactive tool. He also talked about how Microsoft is planning to expand their Response Point telephone system into a full blown digital voice solution that will link into the SIP-based VoIP service from such partners as Cbeyond and New Global Telecom.

The Response Point system includes a “magic blue button” which uses speech recognition technology in the IP-PBX system to enable speech recognition call transfers, directory lookups, and even free411.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled to hear more about the awesome developments as a result of the mega conference.

Internet Telephony Conference, 2008

Audrey — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:44:03 -0400

Later this month in Los Angeles, California the well known ITEXPO Internet Telephony Conference where IP-based voice communication professionals and those looking for information and the latest in telecommunications will come together and share cutting-edge knowledge on VoIP. Service providers will share trade secrets and techniques on more reliable service, better ways to serve the end user, and how to maintain a profitable business in a fast changing environment.

Over 7,000 attendees are expected from all sizes representing all sectors of the IP Communications industry including service providers, carriers, enterprises, government agencies, resellers, manufacturers, developers and possibly even many end users. The majority of attendees are reported to be high-level executives many of whom are probably looking for a way to stay lean using the challenging dollar.

The keynote speakers listed for this popular event are, CEO’s for Broadsoft, and 8x8, GM’s for Skype, and Microsoft, the VP of Audio Codes and the CTO for Sonus. The keynote sessions are free as are several other talks.

Other free talks will be given on SIP Trunking hosted by InGate® together with Avaya©, Reseller Solutions presented by Interactive Intelligence and sponsored by Telecom Reseller. Lastly the speakers for the free talk given on Voice Peering have yet to be announced.

The SIP Trunking session is highly recommended as SIP trunking is quickly becoming the norm and the chosen way to broadcast audio and video for VoIP. The step by step session will cover the W’s – what, when, why, and how on SIP trunking architecture and SIP Trunking Boot Camp for basic training on SIP trunk installations. The interesting feature of this session is a case study seminar on how American Idol’s production company installed a SIP trunk for their huge phone service.

Spend Wednesday networking with potential new partners, and learn from other VoIP professionals on how to effectively sell IP Communications Equipment and Services at the Reseller Solutions day long seminars. After attending the 9:00am panel on ‘Making Money in IP Communications,’ be sure to attend ‘Say Yes! To Unified Communications from the Beginning,’ and learn how Interactive Intelligence© binds loose ends of communication with their innovative call center software. Then Axiom© will share ‘AXIOM© Selling Sciences Program,’ followed by a talk by Jeanne Leckie who will tell you how to uncover gaps, realign your business and your clients’ business model at ‘Best Business Practices for Resellers.’

On Thursday a team of experts from the telecom, hardware and software industries will discuss their business strategies and technical insight relating to voice/video routing and interconnections at the workshop panel discussions, ‘State of VoIP Peering,’ ‘Automating Voice Bilateral Interconnections,’ and using Enum to Optimize Call Routing.

The 3-day long conference is sure to be a great place to schmooze, exchange business cards and help VoIP professionals deploy new communications solutions, deliver new services, develop new applications, and sell new and pre-existing applications. It will be exciting to see what new developments come after the event.

New VoIP Applications with Flash

Audrey — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:46:09 -0400

Numerous companies are developing applications for voice enabled communication over the internet. What we know is that they are incorporating VoIP technology and many of them are using Flash® for a fancy cool look. I would go as far as to say that it is a free for all to see who can develop the coolest application and get it to the end user fast enough to make some money with the process. Oddly enough, many developers are using Flash® as a way to create visually interesting and user friendly applications. Flash® is known for enabling interactivity over the web, animating features like a flashing banner or a dancing ad, integrating video on web pages and supporting bi-directional streaming of audio and video. A few of the latest and greatest applications for VoIP and browser based voice communication that employ the usefulness of Flash® are,

Ribbit® for Salesforce.com®

Integrates data, mobile phones, and voice automation into one scalable solution.
Allows users to call clients via the Internet from within the application incorporating VoIP of course
Automatically stores a log and voice mail transcripts
Call in notes for on-the-go reporting instead of typing updates later, attach messages to records (contacts, opportunities, etc)
Automated voice to text feature giving users an option to scan and read a voice message rather than having to listen to long-winded time wasters.

Adobe® Acrobat’s Connect Now

Online Web Meeting Application for use on any browser with no special downloads, all that is needed is Adobe Flash® Player to interact with others
Screen sharing, chat, notes, audio, and video to conduct meetings online with up to three participants

TokBox

Delivers browser-based video conferencing
Allows users to video chat or leave video mail and voice mail directly from a Facebook profile
Makes video chat portable. Video chat can actually be pulled out of the browser and moved to other websites or applications without disrupting a conversation. If someone is available to chat all you have to do is push the “Push to Talk” button and you connect, and if the person isn’t available you can leave them video mail or voicemail.
Privacy Control - You control who can see you and who can't.

Aircell via SightSpeed™

Make WiFi Voip calls on a flight
Audio is embedded inside Flash® making a VoIP call possible

Click2Message

Built on a Broadsoft platform offers Social voice communication widgets

Pacifica

Built on top of the open standard SIP protocol.
Allows point-to-point (P2P) communication of the media channel once the connection is established via a server
In Development

Clearly VoIP is becoming more prevalent with Flash® making the overall experience convenient and pleasurable for the end user. We will continue to follow Pacifica and other applications enabling more ways to enjoy and reap the benefits of a VoIP experience and hope you will do the same. Feel free reply to our blog with any new developments.

Breaking Down the Gates with Internet Explorer 8

Audrey — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It seems as though Mr. Gateskeeper has decided to join in the fun and unveil a browser that is a little simpler and intuitive than Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft’s new Web browser, Internet Explorer 8, is now available for download in a beta version.

Maybe Bill Gates has decided that it’s time fight back and address some of the hits hurled by Apple’s popular commercials attacking Microsoft’s vulnerability with InPrivate. Internet Explorer 8’s cool feature called InPrivate designed to allow users to browse websites anonymously and keep their surfing activities private seems useful but it has upset advertisers. Mike Zaneis, vice president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, told The Washington Post: "It has the potential to undermine the economies of the Internet."

Some of the other new features include a developer toolbar and Accelerators (which were called Activities in Beta 1. Whenever a user highlights text in a Web page the Accelerators icon is activated and appears next to the highlighted text. By clicking on the Accelerator icon or right-mouse clicking, users can carry out a number of actions, including searches, translations and even finding maps, and these activities launch in a pop-up window rather than launching an entirely new Web page. The Accelerators feature is handy and convenient, gone are the days of ‘copy and paste’ into another window. Additionally, the technology is open to developers so any site or company can build custom Accelerators. Microsoft explains Accelerators or Activities on their website as,

"Look up" information related to data in the current webpage
"Send" content from the current webpage to another application

Another new feature called WebSlices provides quick access to data and information previously added to a users tool bar. Microsoft explains the WebSlice feature, users can bring content with them on their links bar wherever they are on the web and receive update notifications when the content changes.

Here comes the intuitive part, IE 8 has improved the use of tabs while browsing. IE 8 color codes groups of tabs all launched from the same Web site, making it easy to identify related groups of tabs. IE8 has also been designed so that tabbed Web sites are isolated. That means a Web site won’t crash the whole browser anymore just that tab.

“In things big and small, it is a better experience,” contends Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer group.

VoIP Provider Spotlight: Smoothstone

Audrey — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:46:40 -0400

Smoothstone is a Managed Communications Provider eliminating the need to buy or maintain separate hardware and infrastructure for voice and data communications. Smoothstone’s strategic approach combines a global MPLS network, multiple data centers, and nationwide local dial-tone to deliver a superior unified communication platform.

VoIP Provider Spotlight: InPhonex

Audrey — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:00:48 -0400

Founded in 2003, InPhonex is a leading provider of proven high quality Internet telephony services and infrastructure for business and consumer end-users and service providers worldwide. InPhonex offers solutions for virtual VoIP companies who want to become independent IP telephone service providers, through the VarPhonex Reseller Program, combining robust network infrastructure and leading edge services with the industry's most customizable private label package.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida USA, InPhonex is a privately held company with technical data centers in Florida and Virginia serving 150 countries.