VoIP Choice

Anti Voip Blocking by SpeedVoIP

2007-10-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Canadian based company SpeedVoIP has been providing VoIP solutions to geographical areas being blocked from VoIP. Some areas do that to prevent people from having free or very low cost long distance telephone calls.

One of such areas is Korea, where SpeedVoiP's proprietary technology called VGCP (Voice Guard at Control Protocol) has been utilized successfully while enabling high quality internet phone connectivity.

Recently Speed VoIP has extended it's reach to the region of Dubai where the VoIP calls have also been blocked.

New Mobile Internet Phone and MP3 Player Combo

2007-06-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

As for now it is only in Japan but there is a new gizmo combining a Skype and MSN Messenger wireless internet phone with an MP3 player compatible with both iTunes and Windows Media player. It has been released in Japan just 4 days ago.

The way it communicates wirelessly is through a long range, class one Bluetooth providing a range of up to 100 meters (or around 300 feet) in open area. That is for both cords free Skype-ing MSN-ing and uploading of tunes from the Bluetooth linked computer around.

The batter life of the unit is up to around 72 hours of continuous usage.

Cisco IP Phone

2007-06-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Cisco IP Phones are still quite popular in the corporate world even though in many places folks are moving into the open voice architectures like Asterisk.

Here is a couple popular Cisco Internet Phones:

Cisco IP Phone 7912G

This is an entry level Cisco VoIP Phone. The navigation on this phone is accomplished via the four soft buttons placed underneath its pixel LCD display on top. It has a good sound quality and carries a small build in speaker phone. With the Menu button one can easily show info like voice mail calls tracking for incoming and outgoing calls, including incoming calls, outgoing calls and missed calls.

Cisco 7936 Conference Station

This Cisco Phone as well as its predecessor the Cisco 7935 are well known in the business teleconferencing circles. It supports an external microphone as well as an external microphone kit also from Cisco. The unite sports full duplex operating allowing for a loud and clear two way conversation without distortions. The integrated keypad is handy and that along with the triangular shape gives the phone something of a spacey look.

Vonage Expands Its Internet Phone Service in Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan Canada

2007-06-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Vonage has expanded its services again. This time to the city of Brandon in Manitoba as well as Regina and Saskatoon in the Saskatchewan province of Canada.

This no doubt, gives move internet calling options to folks living in these places. As usual, the internet phone service requires a high speed internet access.

In the words of Joe Parent, vice president of marketing and business development for the Canadian branch of Vonage "I am excited that consumers in Brandon can now cut the cord with their existing phone company, and experience the freedom that Vonage phone service provides and enjoy great savings on their monthly phone bill"

New US Court Ruling On VoIP Internet Phone Companies

2007-06-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

The US court ruled that US VoIP companies like Vonage or SunRocket need to pay Universal Service Fund (USF) fees. It will apply only to those Internet Phone companies that hook into the PSTN (Public Service Telephone Network - meaning the regular phones).

Currently regular phone company fees of that sort are around 12 percent of their long distance income. But since VoIP traffic is not categorized that way the FCC ruled it to be around 65 percent for VoIP companies. You can also compare that to some 37 percent of revenue that cellphone providers pay there.

In the words of FCC chairman Kevin Martin: "I am pleased that the court has affirmed the commission's action, which ensures that USF contribution obligations are administered in a competitively and technologically neutral manner on all phone providers, including interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers"

So what does it mean to an average VoIP consumer? Well, it's estimated to add around $1.30 to monthly subscription internet telephony fees. That sounds like reasonable, not making a huge difference in comparing VoIP to PSTN costs of operation.

Pentagon installs voip internet phones too

2007-05-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Now the army boys and girls are getting into the internet calling too. Will that make them more peaceful? I don't know :-) But for sure it is another indicator of the voip's ever wider spread and acceptance across all areas of endeavor.

The company who got contract to install the internet phone voip system for this fighting oriented department of US government is General Dynamics. As this department is very money rich so will this voip system be also one of the most fully featured and elaborate.

To paraphrase Dan Busby at General Dynamics Information Technology it will be a voice centric, 21st century IT infrastructure for the Pentagon. Well, I'd say that what that basically means is that it will be cool and both parties look like quite happy with the tax payers sponsored deal. Now, if all they did was buy stuff like internet telephony then maybe we would have no wars :-)

Voice Over IP Is Spreading

2007-03-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

There is currently, as of this writing, over 10 million voice over IP users in the US. Cable companies find themselves rivaling for the market share with dedicated voice over IP companies like Voip.com or Sunrocket. These companies target mainly local calling market, offering 50% or more savings compared to using regular PSTN phone services.

The so called free VoIP companies are doing well as well targeting the international market. I said so called because you still pay with these long distance fees while calling to regular phone numbers and there's extra fees for regular incoming number and other extras like voice mail that comes free with the paid voice over IP telephone services. Also with the 'free services' you need to supply your own VoIP phone hardware like regular phone to internet adapters. Meantime Sunrocket for example offers free VoIP phones with one year money back guarantee and the lowest fees in the industry, starting at $9.99 a month.

Long Distance Telephone Bill Tax Refund

2006-12-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

If you live in the US then you can qualify for a special one time tax refund of approximately
$30 to $60. The estimated total amount to be refunded is reported at around $10 billion.

According to the Internal Revenue Service "The telephone tax refund is a one-time payment available on your 2006 federal income tax return, designed to refund previously collected federal excise taxes on long-distance or bundled services. It is available to anyone who paid such taxes on landline, wireless, or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service."

Expert Help Through Jyve ViOP Internet Phone And Instant Messenger

2006-12-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been looking for a fast answer to a question and was not quite not sure where to find it? Are you wondering how can you share what you know and also be paid for it? If you have answered in the affirmative to one or both of the above questions questions then you might be interested in seeing what Jyve is and what it does.

Jyve is an international, Internet community based, information and knowledge search platform run through the proprietary Jyve hub platform. One of the pleasant things about it is that it offers virtually instant access to answers through Skype VoIP voice chat or internet messenger typing chat.

It offers a broad base of categories, each one including several sub-categories:

• Arts & Creative Services
• Business & Finance
• Computers & Programming
• Education & Tutoring
• Health & Medicine
• Home & Leisure
• Legal Services
• Professional Counseling
• Spirituality & Religion

The interface of the system is very simple. First you type in your question then click "Get a Live Answer". And for those looking for another venue of monetizing their knowledge Jyve also provides an excellent opportunity to do just that. The fee for using Jyve as an expert looks also reasonable at around 20% If you are interested in that there three ways of doing it:

• Use the SkypeNet and SkypeWeb buttons on your web or blog pages. After the caller likes what he or she hears - you can ask to initiate the paid part of the call with a simple button push.
• Install the JyvePro buttons on those web or blog pages if you prefer to initiate pre-authorized VoIP calls.
• Get listed in the JyvePro directory of experts.

Full privacy is also assured there through the ability to use any name that you set your Skype VoIP phone . And as for availability it allows for full flexibility. For example, if the expert’s Skype phone is set to ‘busy’ then no calls will be routed there. Also the calendar feature allows for an easy visual setup of available time periods when the calls can be taken.

Which Is Better - Paid VoIP or Free VoIP Internet Phone Calls?

2006-12-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Paid VoIP internet phone plans start at around $20 a month which comes to about $250 a year. So why would one want pay for it if you can get it for free? But before I delve into that let me notice that even with the free VoIP to landline or cell phone offers – there are usually small long distance charges with common exceptions often dealing with free promotional offers. And with many free offers going around one can keep calling for free whether PC to PC to PSTN phone or in combintions of these involiving Wi-Fi internet phone connectivity - throughout many areas of the world.

There are certain features that the paid internet phone provider might supply which a free one might not. One such feature is the 911 emergency call service functionality. This particular issue has to do with the difficulty of pinpointing a geographical location of a call that is being routed through the Internet. FCC has regulated in 2005 that all VoIP providers hooking up to PSTN network are required to comply with providing full 911 call compatibility or otherwise not to obtain new customers in areas where it is mandatory.

Sometimes there is also raised a question of a voice transmission quality difference between the two types of VoIP internet calling, although in my personal experience that has not been an issue.

Next there is the local phone number availability. Some free internet phone providers offer it as an add-on paid feature. The same may apply to extras like caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding and voice mail. Others allow you even to have more then one local number and in remote geographical locations.

If you are a business VoIP user the ability to send faxes over VoIP connection might be important to you as well. Or if you are using VoIP for conference calling with large number of simultaneous participants then it is definitely something to find out – how far will your VoIP provider be able to accommodate you with that.

The final answer to which type of VoIP is better will depend on whether you need these extra internet phone features. Also many paid internet phone providers have signup specials offering either free VoIP phone sets and/or interface boxes for regular corded or cordless phones . So if you are planning on using regular phone sets for dialing up to VoIP network that might be then also something to consider.

And if you are not depending on free long distance VoIP to PSTN offers from the free internet phone providers then the amount of time you spend on the phone can also be a factor in deciding which type of VoIP is best suite to your needs.

Free VoIP Internet Phone Calling With Free Call Planet

2006-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Free Call Planet allows VoIP calling to 39 countries fro free from within the USA. Here is the list of these countries as of the writing:

Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil (only cities with these call numbers 55 21,55 31,55 11)
Canada
Chile
China (including mobile phones)
Chech Republic
Denmark
France
Germany
Guam
Greece
HongKong (including mobile phones)
Ireland
Italy
Korea(South)
Malaysia
Mexico (only cities with these call numbers 52 33,52 55,52 81)
Netherlands
Norway
Panama
(only Panama City 507 2)
Portugal
PuertoRico
Russia (only cities with these call numbers 7 095,7 812)
Singapore (including mobile phones)
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand (including mobile phones)
United Kingdom
USA(except Alaska)
Venezuela (only Caracas 58 212)
US Virgin Islands

For mobile phone users additional fees from their cell phone providers might apply. On unlimited minutes the call should be free although one needs to be carefull not to press the 'send' or 'call' button or retreive the number from the cellphone's directory - after calling the gatewa number - otherwise one can be billed the high rates by the given mobile phone provider.

The way to use this internet phone service is by calling one of the so called gateway numbers placed throughout the states. If one lives outside toll free zone for that number then there is naturally a charge for calling it from the local phone company - unless one has a domestic or cell phone plan that covers that. Otherwise, say if one lives in the same city where the gateway number corresponds to then the call to it is automatically free.

On December 6th, this year - there is also to be released a list of additional 40 or so countries to which unlimited VoIP calling can be done for a flat fee of $10 per month, paid monthly.

Some other details include being able to call only from a pre-specified by user IP or phone number as well as $0.25 per minute charge to most countries not listed in the free call plan and $0.75 per minute to special access countries - when subscribed to their Free Call Planet Plus plan.

According to the company the free call plan has no termination point at this time although it is a part of their promotion program and can be withdrawn at any time.

A unique and nice feature of the Free Call Planet service is that it allows originating the calls through regular PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) service. In other words you can make the internet phone VoIP call by using regular phone - no computer or IP phone is needed.

VoIP Internet Phone Calling For Free

2006-11-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

One way of calling for free is through achievement of mastery in mental telepathy and clairaudience :-)

But also, much more easily, you can accomplish that feat these days through the means of widely available technology. And while long distance physical travel is usually accompanied by monetary spending and sometimes a lot of it - these days your voice can be tele-transported to most destinations on Earth for free.

It is being done through the utilization of Internet. Once you are connected to the Internet then there need to be no extra fees for transferring of information. So yes, there is often a charge for the hooking up to the Internet itself but aside of that the data travels for free. And once voice is digitized on computer it is also treated as any other computer data. And then, by tapping to a public wireless connection - even that charge can be circumvented.

Technically speaking the procedure at hand here is called VoIP or Voice over the Internet Protocol. So practically speaking - what is needed is just the mentioned here Internet connection, then a computer with headset or microphone and speakers. And if you don't already have it - you just download and install a free piece of Internet phone software and off you go calling for free.

Going with the newest advancements in the field of Internet telephony - it is also possible for you to skip the computer part of the free phone call equation entirely. There are small, routers like gadgets, to which you can plug in your regular phone and go calling for free as well. And as I mentioned before there is also the option available through using the newest generation of Internet phones that allow you to call for free from within any so called hot spot, or public wi-fi wireless Internet zone. Some of such devices also work as both cell phone and wifi Internet phone all in once - smoothly switching from one to the other, depending on whether you happen to be within a hot spot zone or out of it.

These type of calls that we have described here are then between voice over IP devices. It is also possible and very easy to call from such units to regular phones and the other way back as well. As a rule there are some very low nominal per minute charges associated with that. Although there are several exceptions which include promotions that allow even some of these kind of calls to be carried without paying long distance charge or having to pay installation or monthly telephone fees with local phone company.

New Cisco Linksys CIT310 Cordless Internet Phone

2006-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Cisco's division Linksys has released released its new entry into the arena of cordless internet phones. It is called CIT310 and is particularly designed to inerface the best with Yahoo messenger VoIP service.

For under $80 it is a good value - already available on the Internet.

This phone allows you to call for free to other Yahoo Messenger voice users and you can see your Yahoo buddies list right there on the phone's display. It also works as a regular cordless phone.

Vonage partners with HP

2006-10-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Vonage has announced a new partnership with Hewlet Packard.

As a part of this agreement each new HP and Compaq computer is going to be bundled with a special offer from Vonaga offering discounted rates on their VoIP internet phone plans. The computers will also come with the relevant Vonage VoIP software.

China to become biggest broadband market in 2007

2006-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

According to the Ovum analytics company China is poised to have the largest number of broadband subscribers by some time in 2007. That is despite of the currently still very low broadband market penetration there amounting to some 3.4% Naturally that is because of the large population of China and the booming economy.

According to the same forecast the number of Chinese broadband users is to reach 139 million by the year 2010. That will surely increase the penetration of broadband based internet telephony as well as of all manner of WiFi VoIP applications.

VoIP Calls Steady On The Increase

2006-08-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Worldwide number of Internet phone users as well as VoIP revenues have roughly doubled. The VoIP spread is commonly predicted to be on an increase through the year2010.

In the United States the VoIP Internet phone usage has been evenly split between commercial and private, individual users. Meanwhile in Europe business VoIP users accounted for about a quarter of the Internet phone calls.

Also in the US, currently the biggest VoIP customer base belongs to the cable companies, standing now at around 39 percent and ahead of the biggest VoIP names like Vonage and Packet 8.

Skype on USB stick

2006-07-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Skype has just pertnered with SanDisk in releasing a new product to the market.

SanDisk, the well known maker of USB memory drives will be releasing new USB drives ranging in capacity from 512Mb to 4Gb and suggested retail price from $39.99 to $199.99. Nothing real new there - but these drives are going to be embedded with the full Skype internet phone software for VoIP calls on the go. Just plug in one of those to any windows 2000 or XP computer connected to the internet and off you go Skype calling.

The new USB memory sticks are of the Cruzer Micro and Cuzer Titanium lines and as a bonus they will also come with one month free of Skype voicemail for voice messaging on the go.

It looks like after being acquired by eBay last year, Skype continues expanding very nicely. Remember also that all Skype calls to landline phones are free in the US and Canada till the end of this year 2006 as a part of special promotion.

New Philips Internet Phones

2006-06-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Phillips Electronics has announced a new VoIP phones. One that works with Skype, called VOIP 321 and one for Microsoft's Live Messenger, named VOIP 433. The names of these devices are not too sleek but the looks are :-)

Both Internet phones work also as regular, PSTN land line cordless phones. These also include big back lit, monochrome LCD screens displaying among other things - which contacts are currently on or off line. The buttons are back lit too and the color of the display model at the Las Vegas 2006 Consumer's Electronics Show - is a nice metallic silver.

Microsoft has released the MSN Live Messenger with VoIP

2006-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

MSN Live Messenger is finally and officially out of beta and released to the public for free as it was with its previous version.

The new messenger sports a new graphics design and layout while keeping its previous cool functionality. The new awaited features include the VoIP internet phone to and from landlines and cell phones, synchronized audio and video and one click access to blog and email.

This messenger is a part of the slew of new Microsoft products being gradually released under the name Live which is going to include the all new 64 bit Windows Vista , Office Live, new Hotmail email and new Outlook Express.

The software engine in the messenger is based on code designed by Logitech International SA.
The Live Messenger is available for download from http://get.live.com/messenger/overview

Skype getting activated on eBay

2006-06-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

It has been nine months since eBay has purchased Skype for $2.6 billion. And yesterday eBay has announced that it is ready to include the Skype phone on 14 of its auction listing categories. These were selected to be those that might demand the biggest amount of interactivity between the buyer and the seller which could be facilitated by a quick and free computer phone conversation.

Many eBayers are excited about the new internet phone feature while some are apprehensive about putting the Skype button on their listings because of the prospect of being flooded by phone calls.

Another service that eBay is currently testing, called eBay alerts,will be able to place cellphone calls to buyers, alerting them to status of their bids.

Google is also currently testing a 'click-to-call' advertizing service.

Cheap VoIP From Voipcheap

2006-06-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a new twist on the free internet phone calls to landline phones. A company called Voipcheap gives certain amount of free landline calling to the following destinations:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

So these internet call landline destinations qualify for 300 free minutes a week once the user deposits some real money to their Voip Cheap account. That amount expires after 90 days and is not refundable or transferrable.

The system requirements for Voip Cheap are very basic:

Minimum System Requirements:

PC with Windows XP or 2000 (with Service Pack 2)
300 Mhz speed of the central processor
128 Mb RAM memory
10 MB free hard drive disc space
Sound Card
Headset or microphone and speakers
Internet Connection with minimum 64 Kbit/second up and downstream.

Optimum System Requirements:

PC with Windows XP or 2000 (with Service Pack 2)
1 Ghz speed of the cnentral processor
256 Mb RAM momory
30 MB free hard drive disc space
Full duplex sound card (most cards made after 1998)
Headset or microphone and speakers
High Speed internet connection (such as Cable or DSL)

The Voip Cheap internet calling software is free to download and the dialing out very simple: 00 + Country Code + Area Code + Local Destination Phone Number

NetGear Wi-Fi Internet Phone for Skype

2006-05-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

NetGear has just announced the upcoming in July 2006 release of a brand new WiFi internet phone for Skype. Yay, for all the mobile internet users. Now all you need to call for free to any PC, anywhere in the world is a WiFi hot spot and your brand new shiny Skype enabled internet phone. Isn't life good? :-)

This Netgear's internet phone is going to be selling directly from the Skype website for about $250 to start. It sports a nice color display, weighs 2.2 lb in the gift box with batteries and got the looks too.

Of course you can use this internet phone for calling to any regular landline or cellphone as well with the regular low cost Skype rates or for free this year, as a promo - within the United States and Canada.

VoIPCom Internet Phone Corporation

2006-05-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I heard recently the name VoIPCom. Curious what that was I did a little research and found that AmeriResource Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, purchased 23 million shares of VoIPCom which makes up for roughly 97% of the outstanding common stock, for $80,000 in April of 2005.

The name VoIPCom is a brand name of Voice over IP Communications Limited. And the company itself is apparently co-located within London, England and operating a carrier-grade VoIP platform allowing to send and receive traffic from VocalTec, Cisco and Clarent switches anywhere in the world.

Plantronic offering new internet phone bloototh headset

2006-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

It is called Voyager 510 and it is Plantronics' newest entry in to internet phone accessories arena. This bluetooth headset technology is compatible with AOL, Avaya, Cisco, MSN, Skype, Yahoo and other internet phone software applications. Also it requires no installation, jut plug and play. It is currently being listed at around a hundred dollars.

Some of the Voyager 510's other attractive features also include:

built in wind noise reduction technology.
regular outside noise reduction circuitry.
stylish, compact and light weight design.
one touch call control buttons.

Skype partners with SPIRIT DSP

2006-05-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Skype has established now a core voice partnership with SPIRIT DSP. The later is a leading world provider of embedded voice conferencing, currently employing over 120 people.

With TeamSpirit (TM) being SPIRIT's key product and also the world's fastest voice engine for mobile applications - Skype is positioning itself strongly in the mobile and conference calling market. TeamSpirit (TM) 2.0 is a conference calling engine being targetted at business needing voice collaboration with wide band voice quality and sophisticated featureas at a competitive price point. Currently it is being bundled with products from Adobe, HP Open Call, Oracle, Paltalk and other ones.

Phillip Zimmermann's new Zfone VoIP encryption

2006-05-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Phillip Zimmerman, known for his Pretty Good Privacy encryption coding protocol has just released his beta Zfone - a new free Voip encription protocol.

The coding algorithm is called ZRTP and operates without reliance on the variety of current often overcomplicated and outdated coding algorithms.

The core of the Zfone technology is peep to peer based and executed over the RTP packets.
Meantime the protocol has been submitted to the IETF for consideration in use as a new public standard

Free Skype PC To Phone VoIP Calls

2006-05-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Skype has now begun ranning promotion offering free PC-to-phone internet phone calls anywhere in the United States and Canada.

Skype has currently about 100 million registered internet phone users. The biggest concentration of them is in Europe so the move is designed to widen the North American user base. It might also relate to some recent internet phone entries from the likes Yahoo and VoIP Stunt that come competing directly with Skype.

The new promo calls are being accessed from Skype's own Skype Mate software just as usual by dialing +1 area code and then the local phone number.

New Skype Voice Translation Service

2006-05-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Skype has announced a new service for on the go translating of voice from englisht to and from 150 other languages worldwide.

The service is available around the clock, every day through Skype teaming up with Language Line Services. The current fee for it is marked at $2.99 per minute.

In the words of Saul Klein, Skype's vice president of marketing: "Language Line's 'Personal Itnerpreter Service' greatly enhances the Skype experience for our growing multilingual customer base. Our consumer can now use the Skype technology to easily communicate in the languages their customers and friends prefer to speak."

AOL Opens Its Own VoIP Internet Phone Service

2006-05-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

The new AOL internet phone service is going to be called AOL Phoneline and its area is to be first released in 50 US metropolitan areas.

The monthly charge for unlimited outgoing VoIP calls is set to $14.99 a month and iclueds incoming phone number. The unlimited calls will apply to US, Canada and 30 other countries.
Other features will include caller ID, call blocking, click to call and 911 calls support.

AOL is also counting with this new internet telephony develpment here on the support of the 80 million registered users of its AIM accounting for around 38 percent of the Instant Messenger market.

VoIP Stunt Offering Free Calls To Selected Landline Phones

2006-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Voip Stunt is a new internet phone application that operates much like Skype. Although one bit difference between Voip Stunt and Skype as of now is that with Voip Stunt you get some free incoming and outgoing calls to and from selected countries.

Here is a list of countries where Voip Stunt supports free calls to any regular landline:
Andora, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

And here is a list of countries in which Voip Stunt offers free regular phone numbers:
Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and United Kingdom. A fine print is that only accounts with positive balance are eligible for a personal phone number.

VoIP Stunt is free to download and the minimum system requirements for it are:

PC with Windows XP or 2000(with Service Pack 2)

300 Mhz CPU processor

128 Mb RAM

10 Mb free hard drive disc space

Sound card and headset

Broadband internet connection: Cable, DSL, with minimum 64 Kb/sec

Although to take advantage of all the features of Voip Stunt the recommended system requirements are:

PC with Windows XP or 2000(with Service Pack 2)

1Ghz CPU processor

256 Mb RAM

30Mb free hard drive disc space

Full duplex sound card (that includes most sound cards made after 1998)

Headset

Cable, DSL or equivalent broadband connection to the Internet

Vapp Offering VoIP Conference Calling

2006-04-22T02:22:00.000-07:00

Vapp is offering now it’s high speed internet based conference calling through its VoIP infrastructure compatible with Skype and regular phones. It allows for up to 500 conference call users to communicate simultaneously.

This VoIP communication undertaking is being accomplished together with salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM)

In the words of Ben Lilienthal, the CEO of Vapps: “The flexibility of our VoIP conferencing calling platform will greatly benefit AppExchange users, enabling them to conduct multi-user conference calls from any location worldwide. Our technology, partnered with other AppExchange applications, is the ultimate business collaboration tool for any member of a sales force."

This high speed conference calling is one of over 200 applications created by salesforce.com, its partners and customers. It is also the first multi party audio conferencing service available to Skype users accessing it through any communication network. And it offers full featured, unrestricted conference calling globally.

The teleconferencing is available to Skype users for free. If the VoIP call is made to the regular landlines then regular Skype Out prices apply, except for the US and Canada current Skype promotion going till about the end of this year where the calls even to landline phones are free too.

The basic free teleconferencing includes:

play menu of features
line mute and unmute
info on number of callers on the VoIP line

There is also a premium version of the Skype internet phone conferencing available and it includes , in addition to the above:

lock out feature, to stop more people from joining the given conference call
unlock feature, to allow again more people to join the given conference call
'lecture mode' meaning muting all participants except oneself
and then unmiting of all the participants

Skype VoIP On Palm Treo Through Conference Call Java Linking

2006-04-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

You can now Skype talk and VoIP all you want on your Palm Treo 650 thanks to Vancouver, BC based EQO Communications company. It is the first internet telephony interface for the Palm OS users.

Technically it is made possible through utilizing Skype’s conference call capability to connect a thrird party through your computer. And practically it is accomplished through a simple java applet.

Jajah Ready To Expand With Conference Call Services

2006-04-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jajah new internet phone service is already getting ready to expand it with its premium version. The nice thing about it is that it is going to offer a conference call service. It is going to be schedule-able with time and date easily assignable to each conference call.

According to the company spokesman “The conference could be for next Tuesday, and until then you don’t have to write a Post-It or enter a reminder in your calendar, because it happens automatically. Conference calling and text messages are premium features that our best users will have available to them.”

Skype Dominating The VoIP Market In Britain

2006-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

According to recent data from Britain Skype is there the leading internet telephony provider with around 48% market share. Following behind is the MSN Messenger with close to 20% of internet calls being conducted using it and then Vonage and British Telecom tying with 6% internet phone market penetration each.

The total number of internet phone users in Great Britain is currently poised at around 2 million and with the current trends projected into the future it is poised to double within a year.

Vonage Biggest Internet Telephony Advertizer

2006-04-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

According to recent survey Vonage is currently the biggest online advertiser for internet telephony, having delivered 16.6 million ad impressions last month followed by Verizon with 6.2 million ad impressions.

As of the end of 2005 Vonage’s subscriber base has reached 1.25 million VoIP customers.

Apple's iPhone with VoIP

2006-04-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Apple is to soon release it's new iPhone. It is to be accomplished through Apple's ties with Helio, a US mobile virtual network operator.

Helio is a partnership between Earthlink, SK Telcom and US ISP. Accordking to Visiongain, Helio's CEO, Todd Tappin stated that the company is to generate more than 2 billion dollars in sales by 2009. The plans also include distribution of subsidized iPhone handsets.

Barabu Enters The Wi-Fi VoIP Market

2006-03-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

Barablu, a new British VoIP company is offering now Free calls for Mobile to Mobile, PC to Mobile, PC to PC, IP phone to Mobile and IP phone to IP phone.

The offerings are aimed at mobile internet phone users with the Wi-Fi internet hotspots becoming ever more popular means of establishing free internet calls.

The Barablu software supports the Microsoft as well as the Symbian mobile platforms and the system has been already tested with several portable phone platforms including the Nokia E60, 9300i, 9500 as well as i-mate SP5 and SP5s.

New Research Shows VoIP On An Uptrend

2006-03-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

According to Juniper Research the sales of VoIP hardware are on the uptrend and to peak around the year 2007 with 5.5 billion dollars in sales after which a gradual leveling off to 3 billion per year is to occur towards the end of this decade.

The market for IP-PBX is to surpass $1.6 billion in 2007 while the sales of VoIP internet phone apps are to pass the $500 million mark by 2010.

Lycos Introduces Its New VoIP Application

2006-03-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Lycos Phone is the name of the new VoIP service and it comes with several features. In addition to the basic stuff it will also have video on demand and a built in MP3 player.

Also, it will bundle in for free some features that other VoIP providers like Skype, Yahoo, or MSN charge for. These include a US phone number, voice mail attachments and a fax function.

Lycos is also offering 100 free minutes of PC to phone time with incoming calls free and anything over that is to be under 1 cent per minute which is even less then Yahoo’s rate.

Partnering with Lycos is also Globe7, which provides sports news highlights, movie trailers and current video content from Bloomberg and Routers news services.

Global Crossing Upcoming Conference Call

2006-03-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

There is a conference call scheduled for 30 March 2006 at 11 am Eastern Standard Time, in which Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBC) will present fiscal results for the fourth quarter of 2005 as well as the whole year 2005.

You may join on the call by dialing 212-231-6046 preferably 15 minutes before the start. The conference call will be also webcasted at http://www.globalcrossing.com/xml/investors/index.xml. And the replay of the call will be available till 6 April 2006 at 402-977-9140 or 1-800-633-8284 with reservation number being 21283306.

Global Crossing is a British telecommunications company offering full range of managed telecommunications services, particularly for IP based business applications. Global Crossing does it by utilizing first in the world integrated global IP based network. In its core it links over 30 countries and 300 big cities worldwide. The company caters to 36 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. It also offers a full range of managed data and voice products with Global Crossing IP VPN Service, Global Crossing VoIP and Global Crossing Managed Services.

New Yahoo VoIP Messenger Beta

2006-03-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! has just released its new messenger with voice. It allows calling as usual with the messengers – for free PC to PC and for a fee to landline and mobile phones. The rates look great with 1 cent per minute in the US and 2 cents per minute to over 30 other countries. And to receive calls from regular phones the cost is $2.49 a month.

In the words of Yahoo’s Vice President of communications Products, Brad Garlinghouse "Yahoo's top priority is to provide a stellar communications service through a variety of easy, fun and inexpensive ways to stay connected with others around the world. We look forward to further incorporating voice features into Yahoo's global services, from communications to search, to help simplify and improve the Internet experience for our hundreds of millions of users around the world."

As it is now the service is in beta and available in the US with calls to over 180 countries
Similar to Skype, the user can also have local phone number in one of selected world locations. Also for now the Messenger is available for Windows only and does not offer video chatting or conference calling.

Blackberry goes VoIP

2006-03-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Research In Motion has acquired Ascendent Systems, the maker of voice mobility software.

With that being done Research In Motion is getting ready to release a version of its ever popular Blackberry cell phone PDA that is also going to function as a fully featured Wi-Fi VoIP phone.

The new Blackberry integrated system is said to run smoothly with both the traditional PBX systems and then new IP based IP-PBX ones.

US VoIP Business Rapidly Expanding

2006-03-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

In 2005 the VoIP subscribers list has grown in the US from 1.3 million to 4.5 million. Also in the first three months of this year now, the subscribers base has increased by 900,000 people, according to survey by TeleGeography.

The share of the internet phone market has also increased in the US cable companies sector, from 45 to 52 percent, making them currently the larges voice over internet providers in United States.

The US VoIP market is predicted to expand by another 3 million subscribers by the end of this year.

Sabeer Bhatia's New VoFi VoIP Software

2006-03-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Sabeer Bhatia, well known for the development of the Hotmail email system has now developed a new VoIP software to be released under VoFi Technologies label.

The VoFi internet telephony application is designed to operate much like Skype, Google Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger and with a twist incorporating a gaming platform into the application.

The release of this internet phone bundle is being conducted from India and run by the VoFi’s current 25 employees.

Star Talk Long Distance VoIP Phone Card

2006-03-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

Northstar Communications has announced a new phone card that links over the VoIP to provide very discounted long distance rates to and from over 200 countries from any landline phone.

'StarTalk brings a new entrant into what is a highly competitive marketplace. Northstar Communications is dedicated to ensuring that we offer the most competitive rates available in the market and are committed to ensuring that we lead the rest in terms of price, quality and availability.' – said Jubran Abdulrahman, the director of Northstar Communications,

New Bluetooth Skype VoIP Phone

2006-03-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Elite Devices is readying to release to the market in April a brand new Bluetooth VoIP phone called Trendnet Clearsky. It will be compatible with Skype and major Internet Messengers such the MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.

The batteries on this internet phone are to be very good with 60 hours standby and 6 hours talk time. And the range of the Bluetooth transmission is rated at up to 100 meters (around 300 feet).

Unlimited VoIP in Central America with DigiLinea

2006-02-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

DigiLinea is now offering unlimited VoIP internet phone calling to the US and Latin America starting at $29.95 per month including local Latino countries phone numbers.

It offers a nice hardware based VoIP alternatives to the traditional telecom monopolies in these geographical areas; similar to say the Packet8 or Sunrocket networks in north America. For more information please refer to www.DigiLinea.com website.

VoIP, WiFi, WLAN, oh my

2006-02-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

I wrote this week about new Nokia new breakthrough VoIP cellphone. This technological convergence is sure the way of the future. For a change of pace you are invited to a guest editorial visit below from ZDNet, expanding a little on that topic.

VoIP to cell to WiFi to WLAN on one device? Yes! by ZDNet's Russell Shaw -- Image is from the Mobile & Portable Radio Research Group at Virginia Tech. At an Internet telephony conference last month, I wound up talking to a guy about mobile devices."What would be your ultimate handset," I asked him.He said something to the effect of a device that could seamlessly switch call and transmission modes to the [...]

Nokia unveils new UMA VoIP cellphone

2006-02-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

Nokia has partnered with France Telecom SA for the first release of their new UMA phone. It is going to be packaged under Orange brand along with LiveBox – a service offering phone, TV and internet in Belgium, Britain, France, Poland, Spain and Netherlands.

It is going to offer a smooth switching between the public, free wifi VoIP calls and the traditional cellular phone calls.

"Then you walk out of the door and the call is seamlessly handed off to the cellular network," said Nokia Executive Vice President Kai Oistamo. "There are no dropped calls — it‘s like moving from one cell to another one in a cellular network today."

New Skype 2.0 for Pocket PC

2006-02-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

Skype has just released the new 2.0 version of its SkypeMate VoIP software for Pocket PCs and as always its nice and free.

Among the Skype Mate VoIP application's new features the software includes support for Windows Mobile 5.0, new set of additional languages, enhanced voice quality and support for screens with 240x240 resolution.

"Skype for Pocket PC 2.0 delivers greater flexibility for callers who want to make free calls or chat without the need for a desktop PC," said Niklas Zennstrom, Skype CEO and co-founder. "Together with our efforts to incorporate Skype into mobile phones, this next generation version of Skype for Pocket PC devices extends the reach of our popular software to an even broader market segment."

DIDX becoming the largest peering VoIP

2006-02-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

DIDX services of Super Technologies Inc has just surpassed 1600 members becoming so the largest VoIP and peering service provider.

Current membership of DIDX features telcoms from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, United Kingdom and more.

VoIP PC Keyboard

2006-02-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

A4 Tech company is preparing to release to the market its PC keyboard with integrated VoIP handset compatible with the popular internet phone applications such as the VoIP MSN Messenger, Skype and Yahoo Messenger. It also functions as a regular audio in and out portal.

Skype and Warner ring VoIP tones together

2006-01-31T01:13:00.000-08:00

Skype has signed a deal with Warner Music in which it will licence all of the Warner's music to make any of it available as Skype ring tones.

Each 30 second ringtone will sell for US $1.5 These are to be available within the next 2 months with the first 'featured artist' being Madonna.

Banks banking on VoIP

2006-01-27T00:56:00.000-08:00

It is readily apparent that internet telephony is clearly advantageous to regular home user but VoIP for business is quickly becoming the preferred way of carrying business phone calls as well.

A clear case in point are banks with Bank of America (BOA) and investment bank Merril Lynch reorganizing their internal bank telephony to be carried through the means of voice over IP calling. BOA is now deploying 180,000 Cisco equipment based IP phones

This VoIP trend is clearly global, for example the Chinese internet telephony market is predicted to grow by some 25% by the year 2011, including that way over 60 million people.

Philips' new cordless VoIP video internet phone

2006-01-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

It is called VP5500 and can function both as a Wi-Fi internet phone or videophone with a click of a button. The video-phone utilizes Linux operating system and is intended for use through high speed internet connection at home with or without a computer.

The camera on it rotates 240 degrees, sports a zoom feature and captures still images in addition to the video.

New Sony mouse-phone

2006-01-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sony Japan has made a mouse that is also an internet phone handset to be used with internet phone services like Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, etc.

The design of it is similar to the Sysgration one, which I mentioned here. It doesn’t feature a dial pad but comes in assorted colors featuring blue, black, red, silver and green.

Google Talk joins Open Federation

2006-01-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Google has announced today on their blog that is has joined open federation' which is a term referring to a VoIP standard allowing the sharing of voice data between otherwise non compatible computer messenger programs.

The federation supports the industry standard XMPP protocol which includes Earthlink, Gizmo Project, Tiscali, Netease, Chikka, MediaRing and number of others.

Google is also planning to be supporting the SIP standard for internet calls sometime in the future.

Skype now selling $318,000 a day

2006-01-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Since the acquisition of Skype by eBay in October last year it has sold $24.8 million worth of VoIP servicing in 78 days.

Skype, founded by a Luxemburg company is still most popular in Europe with 87% of users being outside of the United States. The total number of Skype users has also climbed a little in the fourth quarter of last year to 74.7 million.

VoIP Chips

2006-01-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

The market for VoIP microprocessors is predicted to add $2.4 billion by the year 2009. As it happens the internet telephony feature will become ever more mainstream and embedded into a number of devices like cellphones, PDAs, cars and even cameras, portable audio and video players and the many combinations and variations of such.

Also aiding the integration process will be undoubtedly decreasing cost and ever more increasing sophistication of the processors at the same time. Who knows what's gonna be next - digital telepathy anyone?

Now it's a mouse, now it's a VoIP phone

2006-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

Taiwanese company called Sysgration has developed a device that is both a computer mouse as well as an internet phone. This VoIP compatible prototype model has a turquoise color and a dial up keypad inside the openable mouse top.

Source: Aving.net

Almost Free USB internet phone set

2006-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

Computer Geeks, an Oceanside, California based online discount electronics store has an AU-100 USB VoIP phone going for $39.99 - but till the end of January now, it also offers a mail in rebate for $39.99 - on that same phone. So that comes to zero dollars except for the shipping costs and taxes.

This VoIP phone comes with one year warranty and is fully compatible with Skype, Vonage soft phone, Net2Phone,X-Ten, StanaPhone, SJPhone, MSN Mesenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Firefly and eyeBeam.

It also features a USB 2.0 suppport, built in 16 bit sound card, adjustable volume, echo cancellation, noise reduction and full duplex communication and approvals by FCC (Federal Communications Commision) and CE (Confrormite Europeenne - French for 'European Conformity')

Internet phone wedding

2006-01-13T21:34:00.001-08:00

Wiriadi Sutrisno, a physiotherapist in California and Rita Sri Mutiara Dewi in Indonesia, both in their 50s - exchanged wedding vows using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection.

"We've exchanged photos, chat almost daily and often call each other, but we've never met," said Dewi.

A religious official supervised their exchange of vows, stated Jakarta Post, yesterday.

Video monitors, speaker phones and web-cams were provided by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia

Comcast expecting 1 million new internet phone customers in 2006

2006-01-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

In the last year Comcast added 202,000 new VoIP personal accounts to its payroll while this year their plans are to boost it by another one million.

Comcast begun their internet phone service in June of last year with centres in just two cities. Meantime their plans are to expand their VoIP service to all of their markets totalling some 40 million households, by the end of 2006.

Uniden showcases new wireless internet phone box

2006-01-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Uniden America in conjunction with 8x8 has developed a new household VoIP package, called UIP 165P going for $130. It is a 5.8Hhz cordless communication system having the ability to link up to 10 Wi-Fi VoIP internet phones to a single wireless base station while giving each user their own distinctive ring-tone.

It is compatible with Packet8 VoIP service featuring unlimited North America calling for $20 a month. It is one of the many new joint venture entries showcased at the current Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

WiFi internet phone for Skype

2006-01-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

NetGear Inc., well known for its router related products - introduced a cordless phone for internet voice comunication through the WiFi hot spots connections and Ebay's Skype.

It has been announced now at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Also at that show Panasonic and Phillips announced their own wireless VoIP phones. All these will be simmilar to the Vonage WiFi phone I wrote about here last month.

NetGear is to announce the availability and pricing of this new cool internet phone by the end of March. Yes, WiFi internet phone for Skype beautifully examplifies the future of VoIP technology.

Skype contracts Escalade

2006-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Ascalade Communications Inc., a wireless phone manufacturer announced today having signed an agreement with Skype to develop and deliver multiple Skype certified telecommunications products including wireless VoIP phones.

"We are very excited to announce our partnership with Skype," said Edmund Ho, president and CEO of Ascalade. "Our involvement with Skype signifies our commitment to the development of products in new and growing market segments. With the exponential growth in the number of Skype users, Ascalade is looking to meet a growing demand for innovative Skype products, such as our Companion Series of VoIP phones and next-generation Skype products that are currently under development."

One of the products is already available. It is a cordless internet phone device allowing user an access to Skype contact list, making Skype calls, changing online presence and remote activation of email. The features of it include color screen, speakerphone, polyphonic ring tones, and caller line identification.

"Skype is more than just a company or software phenomenon - there's an entire ecosystem of important companies building products around it," said James Bilefield, vice president of business development of Skype. "Collaborating on development with leading designers like Ascalade will continue to be critical to the success of our business as the Internet communication market grows and matures."

Happy New Year Everyone from VoIP Choice!

2005-12-31T17:11:00.000-08:00

It is going to be a great year and for VoIP too. Internet calling is the future of calling all over the world and before long it will be the global standard for long distance voice and video communication.

I think it is wonderful, with the only cost of a PC to PC VoIP calling being the cost of internet access - internet telephony is another step in making our planet a true global village :-)

Best wishes of most wonderful and very happy New Year Everyone!

Vonage Internet Phone now doing VoIP in BC

2005-12-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Vonage Canada has further extended the reach of its VoIP to now include the province of British Columbia

"British Columbians have had a rough ride when it comes to their phone service, said Bill Rainey - the president of Vonage Canada. "Residents no longer have to feel like they are at the mercy of the whims of a large telephone company. With Vonage residents of BC now have choice for their local phone service. This latest phase of our expansion is part of our overall plan to provide residents across British Columbia with access to local Vonage Internet phone service."

Customers in the communities of New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, andSurrey can have their current phone number transferred to Vonage or choose a new telephone number within the popular 604, and 778 area codes. All available area codes and communities are listed on the vonage.ca website.

All Vonage VoIP service plans currently include:

- Voicemail
- Call Waiting
- Caller ID
- Call Transfer
- Call Hunt
- 911 Dialing
- Caller ID Block
- Call Return
- Call Forwarding
- Area Code Selection
- Repeat Dialing
- Bandwidth Saver
- Online voicemail retrieval
- Real Time Billing
- Real Time Inbound/Outbound
- Call Record Details

Thomson's wideband audio internet phone

2005-12-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

Thomson Telcom has announced their first in the world wireless internet phone having the capability of transmitting voice and music with a near CD quality. It is a standard feature for PC to PC voice over IP telephony but a new one for wireless internet phone sets.

“Wideband audio delivers superior voice quality both compared to regular PSTN and standard IP phone calls. Integrating this feature raises the bar not only in terms of the sophistication of broadband service delivery platforms but also for voice services across the board”, stated Bruno Fabre, vice president in charge of Telecom activities at Thomson. “We believe that in 2007 wideband audio will be implemented in 30% of the wireless VoIP devices dedicated to both the residential and enterprise markets.”

Microsoft and Softbank will VoIP in Japan

2005-12-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Microsoft, Softbank and Japan Telecom announced strategic alliance to offer internet phone service along with email, internet access, instant messaging and more to the Japanese telephone consumers.

Japan Telecom is Japan's largest internet telephone provider and its new cooperative venture here will offer small and mid size businesses an enterprise class internet telephony through its high quality networking infrastructure.

The plans are to begin implementations of these internet phone services in the spring of 2006.

Phone Wizard makes regular phone a VoIP one

2005-12-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Actiontec has introduced to the market a little box called Internet Phone Wizard. It allows user to plug a regular phone to it and to make through it either a regular or VoIP call.

It uses Skype for its VoIP connection and it goes for about US $70. There are two phone ports on its back and it connects to computer, for the internet calls, through a USB cable.

Merry Christmas Everyone from VoIP Choice!

2005-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know yet, here are a few new online messenger programs with VoIP built-in, that you can download for free. Listed here in no particular order.

* Yahoo Messenger Free PC to PC calls, as it is with all the featured applications here plus calls-out to regular phones with rates as low as US 1 cent per minute. It is also soon to be compatible with the MSN Messenger (which will have full VoIP in and out built into its next version).

* Skype Many features could be added to its current version messenger but the VoIP is superb.

* ICQ in it's current version 5.0 sports a VoIP plus a features packed messenger.

* PalTalk It combines MSN, AOL, ICQ and Yahoo all in one. Some of its features are paid premium but the basic stuff is free as in the other messengers plus there is a nice selection of free radio content to choose from.

And these ones so far have just the PC to PC feature of VoIP while the in and out calling to regular phones feature implementation is in the works.

* MSN Messenger
* Google Talk

Phillips releases VoIP microchip

2005-12-24T03:40:00.000-08:00

Royal Phillips Electronics has reported releasing a VoIP enabled microchips for cordless phones. These are part of Phillips PCD8072x group of chips and will offer cordless phones manufacturers a wideband VoIP capability implementation without the use of computers.

“With Philips VoIP enabled system solution, we were able to speed development time for our next generation cordless phone,” said Dr. Edmund Ho, President, CEO and chairman of Ascalade Communications, a partner supplier with Philips Consumer Electronics, a division of Royal Philips Electronics.

The microchip can handle WiFi, DECT, Bluetooth and also high end high-end ARM7 and DSP technologies.

Phillips is to exhibit the product for internet phones at the January 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Gingerbread adds Vlog VoIP to SweetTalk

2005-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Media, a division of Appian Media announced today the release of Vlogs to their SweetTalk VoIP service geared for moms. Vlogs is adding a internet video chat functionality within the existing SweetTalk softphone.

The company, noticing the widespread of VoIP technology into ever more households, is targetting mothers through the use of custom themes and graphics reltaing to the new internet phone application.

Google and AOL new VoIP cooperation

2005-12-21T19:03:00.001-08:00

Google will invest US 1Billion in America Online Inc. It will Give Google 5% stocks share of the company. Currently AOL is a wholy owned subsidiary of Time Warners.

The investment will be part of those companies' stratedic advertizing alliance which will include VoIP internet telephony. The agreement will include creation of a broader market place through white labeling of Google technologies, expansion of display advertizing through Google's network, making AOL content more accessible to Google crawlers and cooperation on expanding the video search.

Pakistan's Telcom to provide VoIP through iBasis

2005-12-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

iBasis announced on Monday it will be providing VoIP infrastructure for the Pakistan Telecomunications Company Ltd. (PTLT). It will enable PTLT to engage in direct IP connection between its Huawei IP Backbone infrastructure and IBasis' global VoIP network providing direct VoIP access to over 100 countries.

"PTCL is an innovative incumbent carrier embracing the benefits of VoIP to enhance the Pakistan's communications capabilities," said Ofer Gneezy, president and CEO of iBasis. "We look forward to helping them to expand their VoIP services even while we leverage this relationship to grow our traffic to Pakistan."

My People VoIP launches in Kansas

2005-12-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

A new and innovative residential phone service by company called My People has been announced to begin running in Kansas.

For $15 a month it will feature musical dial tone, voice prompts and voice activated dialing. Among extra features there will be general, weather and sports news as well as wake up call service.

"My People has taken a dramatic step towards attracting the next generation VoIP user through its voice activated content retrieval and other lifestyle features," said William Stofega, Research Manager for VoIP Services, IDC."My People exemplifies the type of Internet phone service that will replace land lines over the next few years. It's simple to use, has a catchy brand, and offers useful features. Being able to access Internet information by just picking up your phone is just plain cool."

New Skype 1.2 Beta VoIP for Pocket PC is here

2005-12-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

Skype has released its new VoIP software version 1.2 beta for Pocket PCs. It allows free PC internet calls over IP in the WiFi hotspots in a fashion analogical to the new Vonage mobile phone I talked about here five days ago The cool thing about it though is that if you have a WiFi enabled, Pocket PC run, PDA you do not need to buy a new phone - neither does the person you call - if she or he is a PC or Pocket PC user. And all the PC to PC calls on Skype are free.

There are two versions of it - the 1.2.0.89 for users with devices running CPU with clock over 400Mhz and the 1.2.0.91 for all the others. Otherwise both versions are the same.

Some of the new features in this first in 8 months version release are:

- Windows Mobile 5.0 support
- Landscape mode support and support for 240x240 and 480x480 screens
- New languages (Danish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese Brazil, Russian, Spanish, Swedish)
- New EULA text
- Call forwarding icon added

Related links for the new software release:

Complete specifications list

Download page

Skype Internet Phone Toys For Christmas

2005-12-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Skype now has a page listing a hoard of companies partnering with them in delivering Skype related products. These include stuff like Bluetooth headsets, USB phones, phone adapters and other. If you want to check it out - here is the link http://www.skype.com/partners/current/index.html

New WiMax VoIP Network

2005-12-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Atlanta based Verso company partnered with Telekom South Africa in deployment of WiFi compatible PDA access to public telephone network using WiMax technology. In its trial version, the deployment of it has been accomplished through the use of class 4 and 5 softswithing and gateway technologies.

In the words of Monty Bannerman - Verso's CEO "This trial demonstrates Verso's ability to provide carrier grade VoIP solutions and application and specifically demonstrates that Verso can successfully deliver voice and data over WiMax network".

WiMax is a wireless standard (IEEE 802.16) simmilar to the WiFi (IEEE 802.11) one used in the popular wireless home and office routers. It has a longer range and is being propagated over a higher (microwave) range of electromagnetic frequencies. Theoretical range of it is up to 30 miles but practically and particularly in dense urban settings it is about 4 to 5 miles.

It is possible though to extend the range of WiFi reception considerably as well, even up to 5 miles through the usage of a small parabolic antenna.

Poland's Biggest Telcom Company To Join The VoIP Wave

2005-12-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

Telekomunikacja Polska (TP) - Poland's major telcom carrier approached Itatel and Cisco Systems to receive help with flowing into embracing the VoIP future. Plans are to deploy solutions based on Itatel's Softswitch i-SSW and the Cisco AS 5400 Series Universal Gateway.

Poland's broadband internet has so far only some 10 percent market share. However it is predicted to double or triple in the next three years.

As a side note - 47.5 percent of TP is currently held by France Telecom.

New WiFi VoIP phone through Vonage

2005-12-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today Vonage has made available to its subscribers a new WiFi portable phone called UTStarcom F1000.

What is it exactly? You know how you can say drive your car to a parking lot where there is a public access wireless internet beaming from some nearby building. You then just open your laptop computer and you are on the net. Well you can do sort of the same thing with that phone now, just instead of having a fully featured web browsing experience you will be able to use that internet access to make phone calls using your VoIP provider - in this case company called Vonage.

This phone has standard VoIP calling features including three-way calling, voicemail and caller ID. The talktime on one charge of its batteries is about 5 hours, standby time 2 to 4 days and the recharge time approximately 3 hours. Vonage sells that phone from its website for US $79.95 (price after a $50 instant rebate).

And in the words of Bill Huang, chief technology officer and senior vice president of engineering at UTStarcom. "We believe the affordable price point and extensive features of the UTStarcom F1000 offered through Vonage will be a disruptive force in the telecommunications service marketplace. Consumers with Wi-Fi access in their home can replace their traditional home phone with the F1000 and start reaping the benefits of wireless VoIP phone service right away."

Microsoft Getting Ready For New VoIP Messenger

2005-12-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

It has been reported that Microsoft is soon to release Live Messenger beta - a new version of its ever popular MSN Messenger currently sporting over 185 million active accounts worldwide. According to a Messenger enthusiast site Mess.be that is scheduled to happen today. It is to include calling in and out to regular phones for a fee, much as in the recently announced Yahoo Messenger expansion.

The VoIP telephone part of the messenger software is to be supported by the MCI company. In the words of Blake Irving, corporate vice president of the MSN Communication Services and Member Platform group at Microsoft “Our new Windows Live PC-to-phone voice feature requires a partner that shares our vision for connecting people globally. We are thrilled to work with a proven global technology provider like MCI to provide the bridge between PCs and phones with high-quality voice services that enable people to communicate more easily, conveniently and inexpensively. Our customers are going to love this"

During the beta phase calls out to the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Western Europe will start atUS 2.3 cents per minute and totall number of countries to call will be over 220. The pre purchased calls out will be available in $5, $10 and $25 units.

As another improvement, the Live Messenger - as it is to be called - is planned to contain a new file sharing folder, allowing both communicating users to share and edit it's content in real time.

All that is part of a greater Microsoft set of 'Live' products to be released earlier in 2006. It will include Office Live, Live Mail, Live Safety Center and Live Search Mobile among others.

By the way, if you are interested in testing new Microsoft products like this one you can inquire at this site http://connect.microsoft.com

8x8 joins with BellSouth in its VoIP expansion

2005-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

8x8 is a Santa Clara, California, USA VoIP company mostly known by it's over 100,000 subscribers strong VoIP service called Packet8 It will now supply the equipment, service and knowledge base to the Bell South Digital and its existing clients base in 9 US states. The cost of the service will be $29.99 per month for one phone line.

Save on your VoIP with Telebay

2005-12-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

I have recently found that Telebay is offering some good value selection on VoIP hardware and services. You can also get through them broadband and dial-up internet, cellphones and satelite TV.

VoIP for Linux Phone Platform

2005-12-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

Trolltech has announced adding VoIP to its Qtopia phone platform for Linux handsets. It will make it easier for handsets makers to build Linux phones with VoIP capability.

In the words of Trolltech president - Eirik Chambe-Eng "The VoIP system integrates into the phone software. The user does not need to know if they are making a call over a cellular connection or Wi-Fi"

Versions of Qtopia Phone are currently used by Motorola.

'Phone Drive' anyone?

2005-12-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

IOCELL - a South Korean company announced what they call a Phone Drive It is a combination of a USB flash drive and a VoIP headset- all in one. As it is now, the device is tied to their proprietary VoIP setup but it is an interesting example of the USB synergies going on and also of new VoIP devices to come.

VoIP has got a new standard for 911 calls

2005-12-08T17:24:00.001-08:00

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has approved the new VoIP architecture for enchanced 911 services, called i2. It is a first step in redesigning the system around IP numbers, allowing for VoIP calls to be routed through the traditional telephones wiring to 911 call centers also known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

Work is currently in progress on a next generation standard (i3) in that field which will help VoIP providers in further streamlining of the emergency calls routing to proper corresponding local emergency centres.

Yahoo to expand and monetize its VoIP

2005-12-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yahoo has announced today an expansion to its Yahoo Messenger. Much as in the Skype VoIP - Yahoo is going to offer a Phone-In feature for US $29.99 a year or US $2.99 a month which will be for receiving calls originating from the traditional phones. And it is going to have its accompanying Phone-Out service rating at US 2 cents per minute to over 30 countries.

The time of the release is yet to be announced.

SunRocket VoIP for less then $10 a month

2005-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

SunRocket - a Vienna, Virginia, USA company - has just announced its Limited Edition VoIP package for US $9.99 per month. It includes unlimited inbound calls and 200 minutes a month of outbound calls to the US, Canada, Purerto Rico and 41 other SunSpot destinations. Additional minutes go for $0.03 and tax is included while additonal phone numbers and enhanced voice mail go for additional $3 a month.

SunRocket, Inc.

Time Warner reached 1 million VoIP subscribers

2005-12-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Time Warner has announced on Monday that the number of subscribers to its VoIP service has topped 1 million while 75 percent of them also receives a bundled in high speed internet and cable TV.

Over 15 million searches for VoIP in September

2005-12-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

According to VoIPAction there were approximately 15,000,000 searches done on then net in September for the term VoIP.

Skype scored the the highest in the company-specific category with 197,435 searches, ahead of Vonage with 173,892 search entries, while Google Talk had 20,200 and Microsoft finishing last with but 183.

VoIP with a computer or without

2005-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

There's a number of popular computer messenger applets like the MSN or Yahoo ones that also come with free voice chat between computers over the internet - though I find the quality of the voice on Skype to be much better. Skype also comes with the ability to connect with the regular, old fashioned phones. To receive calls that way it costs around US $35 a year and to make outgoing long distance calls, the rate to most countries is around US 2 cents per minute.

There are also regular looking, corded or cordless, phone sets that plug into computer's USB port for making Skype calls. If that weren't enough one can also have a regular phone plugged into computer for use with VoIP throgh USB adapters, which you can get for around US $30. And there are even cellphones coming onto the market, allowing making free VoIP phone calls while being in a public wireless router area.

Another nice feature of Skype is that it allows making VoIP calls even through the slow dial-up internet connections. For those though, who don't want to use computer for their VoIP calls there is a number of companies that allow using regular phones for VoIP calls through an interface box plugged directly to a high speed internet connection and that means without a computer. The annual fee for those starts at around $200 and these often come with bonuses like free telephone sets and a free limited area/time long distance to other traditional phones.
I am gonna say more about that later.

Virgin Mobile to merge with NTL

2005-12-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Just in. Richard Branson, the billionaire 72% owner of Virgin Mobile is planning to merge with NTL - a large British cable company in a £4.5 billion deal proposal.

It would create a £5 billion television, internet and phone company with access to 2.5 million broadband internet, 4.3 million land-line and over 5 million cellphone customers.

Source: Telegraph

If you want to read more about Richard - check out Waikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson

Skype Sounds Great!

2005-12-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Hallo,

For those of you who have not tried Skype VoIP yet, I say this - just do it :-) When I first used it myself I could hardly believe my ears. I found the sound clarity of it to be totally amazing, using my high speed DSL internet connection. It sounds to me as clear as say an FM radio talk show.

Skype goes Video!

2005-12-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Skype, which has been recently bought by eBay for US $2.6 billion - has just released today its new software - version 2.0 beta which enables free video calling, including a full screen video VoIP.

In addition to video, the redesigned Skype software contains a new and improved user interface with customizable ringtones, avatars, skins, toolbar for Microsoft Outlook and grouping of contacts for easier conference calling.

At the same time, Skype has announced it's partnership with Logitech and Creative, makers of webcams and headsets, as well Six Apart which now enables integration of Skype into a number of popular Weblogs including Blogger and Type Pad.

And in the words of Niklas Zennstrvm, Skype CEO "At Skype we want to make talking over the Internet the most natural, simple thing for people all over the world to do. With the release of our new software, it's never been easier for people to talk to one another for free, and now they can see each other with video, as well."

http://skype.com/products/skype/windows/downloading_beta.html

Welcome to the VoIP Choice Blog!

2005-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

This is my first entry in this blog. I am going to be covering here the latest and coolest in VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology solutions for personal and business user.

Let us start then with today's VoIP news. According to Channel News Asia Changi Airport in Singapore has just installed a brand new VoIP service by Media Ring.

It will allow the travelers there to save 80 percent on the cost of their international calls from that airport, as compared to the rates provided by the Singapore Telecommunications (Sing Tel).

There are now 23 individual VoIP booths at this airport. Plans are to install these at other airports as well.

Source: Xinhua