Internet and VOIP phones

An exact date for the iPhone’s launch into Canada has finally been confirmed: as of July 11, the latest, 3G iPhone will be available through Rogers Wireless stores.

The new 3G model, debuted at the Apple Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, CA today, includes features like built-in GPS, compatibility with “hundred” of third-party applications built with the new iPhone SDK, and 2.0 software with support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, which could help to make it a fierce competitor to the popular BlackBerry. Anotherr feature that will appeal to the business customer is called MobileMe, which will effectively “push” e-mails, contact, and calendar information from an online “cloud” to native applications. A MobileMe gallery served as a repository and sharing site for photos snapped using the iPhone. As icing on the cake, a new “App Store” includes various applications, ranging from gaming to business, sports, health, and travel-related activities.

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1. GPS
As the owner of a first-gen iPhone, I’d say the feature it’s most calling out for is GPS. If I was forced to choose between 3G data speeds and GPS tracking, I’d opt for GPS and tolerate EDGE data speeds. Maps on the iPhone is awesome - although admittedly slow over EDGE so, yes, I’d really like GPS *and* 3G. I love the way Maps integrates Google Maps with my address book and then lets me generate turn-by-turn directions, but GPS for proper satellite navigation is the missing piece in the puzzle. Hopefully first-gen iPhones upgraded to 2.0 firmware will be able to access an external GPS adaptor for in-car navigation, perhaps via Bluetooth.

2. Tethering
3G is kind of a given in the new iPhone, but why can’t I use my first-gen iPhone as a broadband modem for my notebook? The practice is known as tethering and practically every other high-end phone on the market supports this feature. Some say the lack of tethering is so AT&T users in the US don’t take advantage of the unlimited data plans, but how about thinking about the rest of the world for a change? If this is the reason behind disabling tethering, the move to 3G isn’t likely to encourage Apple to change its mind. While they might be generous with mobile bandwidth in the US, telcos in most other countries (like Australia) are highly unlikely to offer unlimited data plans with the iPhone, so they’d probably see tethering as a great way to sting users for excess data charges.

3. Option to disable data connectivity
One of the biggest risks for iPhone users is data bill shock - not only because the iPhone makes mobile data services more tempting to use, but because the iPhone starts chewing through mobile bandwidth as soon as you take it out of the box. When the phone goes to sleep it shuts down wifi to save power and uses the mobile phone network to monitor your email and run other background processes - racking up your data bill. On an unhacked first-gen iPhone there is no way to disable this (short of changing the APN), which is a huge problem if you’re not on an unlimited data plan. On a hacked iPhone, an app like Boss Prefs lets you disable data access yet still make calls and send SMS.

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VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service provider Jajah Inc. is offering its subscribers toll-free call buttons that they can place on their web sites, enabling site visitors to immediately set up phone calls to Jajah subscribers in 122 countries.

In contrast to other “call me now” services, calls via Jajah can be completely free for both parties if the website owner and visitor are Jajah subscribers and live in the right countries, according to Jajah’s website.

The buttons could be used by companies wanting to provide a free contact point for customers service. Other likely uses of the buttons are on social networking sites, blogs, and emails, said Trevor Healy, CEO of Jajah.

Source and more info: pcworld

8×8 has signed an agreement with a service provider that will be exiting the VOIP market, calling for the recommendation of Packet8 as the replacement VOIP service for its subscribers, reports CNN Money.

According to the agreement, Packet8 will be the only brand presented and promoted to the 12 000 subscribers who will be left without VOIP phone services.

8×8 will offer subscribers a specially-priced Packet8 monthly service plan, along with a free month of service, free activation, free shipping and a free Uniden 165P 5.8GHz cordless phone to transition to its award-winning VOIP phone service.

Source and more info: itweb

“The Boy Genius Report says it has seen documents that suggest the launch will occur on June 27,” smartphonetoday recently reported on its website. However, T-Mobile USA is being tightlipped on the matter.

The new wireless service, which underwent trials in Seattle for longer than a year, lets T-Mobile’s subscribers make free phone calls using their at-home WiFi (News - Alert) network or from any public WiFi hot spot.

Earlier, subscribers using the Nokia 6136 and the Samsung T709 dual mode phones could only place free calls over WiFi. T-Mobile has since moved to the newer Nokia 6086 and Samsung (News - Alert) t409 for HotSpot @Home.

According to news reports, T-Mobile HotSpot @Home costs $20 a month on top of your regular cell phone plan. It delivers unlimited Voice over WiFi calls from over 8,000 hotspots as well as your home through a WiFi access point.

As the service is based on Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology, it allows users seamlessly switch voice calls and data connections between a WiFi and cellular, depending on which is available and which is most cost effective at a particular moment.

Another advantage for users is that once they are in a hotspot, they gain access to a higher speed network, which allows them to download mobile content including Web pages, music files, video files, and games - much faster than they can from a 2G, or even 3G wireless networks.

Source and more info: tmcnet

VoIP phone manufacturer snom technology AG and SOA-based business communications solutions provider BlueNote Networks (News - Alert) announced on Monday a strategic partnership. The two companies are, after extensive certification procedures, are now marketing solutions involving BlueNote’s SessionSuite software and snom’s VoIP phones, which are proven interoperable.

Alan Rosenberg, director of product management at BlueNote, said that the company’s customers are accustomed to flexible solutions that are easy and fast to deploy. This partnership with snom extends that winning recipe by ensuring that BlueNote solutions work with snom’s entire product line.

“Now, we can easily incorporate snom phones into our overall solutions,” Rosenberg said in a statement.

That product line includes all of snom’s telephones, including the 300, 320, 360 and 370 models. Each of these products is designed easy configurability and manageability—using a keypad-cursor, dedicated function keys and menus, or Web browser. The phones include user-friendly features such as programmable keys and downloadable ringtones.

Further, the phones comply with the IETF’s latest recommendations for authentication and security using industry standards.

These phones can now be paired with BlueNote’s SessionSuite family of solutions, which are designed to integrate voice, video and other interactive communications functions with business applications using Web services. These solutions help improve collaboration, productivity and business agility.

Source and more info: tmcnet

VoIP phone manufacturer GenNext Technology has announced the worldwide launch of its new small business network solution.

Specifically created for the small office/home office (SoHo) market, the system includes a cordless phone and wireless router which works with both web-based and SIP-based VoIP services.

Additionally, users get piece of mind that their service will not drop out due to power failure as the system comes with an uniterruptible power supply, which is monitored to protect against spikes which might damage the system.

Source and more info: telappliant

VOIP phones have been a benefit to me for a while now and it’s great to see more new hardware like this product “The Kensington Vo200 Bluetooth Internet Phone”.

The Kensington Vo200 is different in a few ways to other VOIP phones as it slides into your laptops PC Card slot to store and recharge.

Your able to make clear calls, get 3 hours of talk time and up to 30 hours of standby time with the Vo200, the blinking light lets you know when you have only 10% of talk time left and this internet phone is also compatible with your favorite Internet phone services Google, Yahoo, MSN and Skype.

Source and more info: product-reviews

EarthLink is expected to announce a beta test for Accton Technology Corp’s WiFi phone as early as tomorrow. Beta testing on the phone has been in the works on EarthLink’s municipal wireless network in Anaheim and it seems to be working very well. Like any WiFi phone, you’ll be able to make VoIP calls from your home network or on EarthLink’s Municipal WiFi network. As soon as you power on the phone you’ll be able to make quick and cheap phone calls over the internet without sacrificing voice quality.

Source and more info: crunchgear

The Taiwan-based Accton Technology Corporation, one of the world’s leading suppliers of network technology, has won orders for WiFi wireless phones from the U.S.-headquartered EarthLink Inc., which is expected to help jack up its sales revenue from the beginning of the second quarter of this year, according to company sources.

Winning EarthLink’s orders for session initiation protocol (SIP) WiFi wireless phones has proven that Accton is capable of producing high-end products meeting advanced communication technologies and tapping into the field of “Voice over IP (VoIP)” telephony, according to Lu Kun-jui, general manager of Accton.

The WiFi phone allows easy access to the Internet directly through EarthLink’s metro network or through household broadband network by wireless routers. Besides, the phone can work as a conventional telephone, mobile phone, or VoIP telephony, saving a considerable amount of communication expenses.

The wireless phone differs from other similar models in the market by its direct linking with EarthLink’s metro network, allowing the user an economical telephony service. EarthLink is scheduled to officially start testing the phone through the metro network system in California in March, according to EarthLink.

Source and more info: emsnow