Info News Pics: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

New BlackBerry Program for Verizon Wireless Indirect Channels

Brightstar Launches New BlackBerry Program for Verizon Wireless Indirect Channels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit www.brightstarcorp.com.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

iPhone Shuffled by INstinctiv!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

Jaxtr Gets New Funding And Goes Beyond Network For Your Calls

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nokia Purchases The Rest Of Symbian And Forms Symbian Foundation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cisco Learning Network

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

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

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

Growing Need for Security, Voice and Wireless Specialists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google Talk Labs Edition, Brings The Web And Desktop Together

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

Google Talkabout: Bringing the web and desktop together

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

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

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

* Jabber ID:

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

* Password: Your password.
* Server: talk.google.com

7. Click Add.
8. Highlight your new account in the Accounts section, and then click Server Settings.
9. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Phone network With Virtual Sticky Notes.

DURHAM, N.C. – The rapid convergence of social networks, mobile phones and global positioning technology has given Duke University engineers the ability to create something they call "virtual sticky notes," site-specific messages that people can leave for others to pick up on their mobile phones.

"Every mobile phone can act as a telescope lens providing real-time information about its environment to any of the 3 billion mobile phones worldwide," said Romit Roy Choudhury, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

A team led by Roy Choudhury has developed a new software system that enables users to obtain location-specific, real-time information – either passively or directly – from other mobile phone users across the world. It will be as if every participating mobile phone works together, allowing each individual to access information throughout that virtual network.

Interested in trying that new Mexican restaurant? Tap into the virtual sticky notes floating in the ether within the restaurant and find what other network users thought of it.

Heading to the airport and need to know where the traffic jams are? Sensors in the phones detect movement and can relay back to the network where traffic is the heaviest.

The potential of this new application, which has been dubbed micro-blog, is practically limitless said Roy Choudhury.

"We can now think of mobile phones as a 'virtual lens' capable of focusing on the context surrounding it," Roy Choudhury said. "By combining the lenses from all the active phones in the world today, it may be feasible to build an internet-based 'virtual information telescope' that enables a high-resolution view of the world in real time."

The application combines the capabilities of distributed networks (like Wikipedia), social networks (Facebook), mobile phones, computer networks and geographic positioning capabilities, such as GPS or WiFi.

"Micro-blogs will provide unprecedented levels and amounts of information literally at your fingertips no matter where you are, through your mobile phone," Roy Choudhury said. "We have already deployed a prototype, and while some challenges remain to be addressed, the feedback we've received so far indicates that micro-blog represents a promising new model for mobile social communication."

Roy Choudhury presented the details of the micro-blog application at the MobiSYS 2008 6th International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services in Breckinridge, Colo.

Mobile phones are already more than just communications devices, Roy Choudhury points out. Increasingly they are coming equipped with cameras, GPS service, health monitors, and even accelerometers, devices which measure speed.

In simple terms, people who use the micro-blog application will enter information – photos, comments, videos – into their mobile phone, where it will be "tagged" by the user's location. Passive information, such as location or speed, can also be recorded. All this information is then sent to a central server, where it is available to all participants.

"So if you're planning a trip to the beach or a restaurant, you can query the micro-blog and get information or see images from people who have been or are currently there," Roy Choudhury said. Another application consists of individual, localized pockets of information.

"Say you are in a museum," Roy Choudhury said. "As you pass a particular painting, your phone could download comments from art experts providing relevant information about that painting."

The current prototype works with the Nokia N95 mobile phone, but Roy Choudhury said the application will eventually be written for any kind of programmable mobile phone. He also believes that these, and other as-yet-to-be imagined applications, will be commonplace within five years.

However, Roy Choudhury said there are three solvable issues that still need some work. The first is the trade-off between precise geographic location and battery power.

"GPS, while it can be accurate down to several meters, can also drain a mobile phone battery in seven hours," Roy Choudhury said. "On the other hand, WiFi and GSM technologies are widely available and don't use as much energy, but they aren't nearly as accurate. We believe that an approach blending these technologies will probably solve that problem." (GSM is an international cell phone standard that enables global roaming.)

Another issue is more societal than technological: What kinds of incentives would inspire users to enter information when queried by strangers, since that would involve their time and battery power.

Finally, location privacy needs to be addressed. Since mobile phones are transmitting data – including location – back to a central server, users must trust the administrator to keep this information private. Roy Choudhury believes that these issues can be addressed by assigning different modes – private, social or public – much like social networks already do.

Contact: Richard Merritt
richard.merritt@duke.edu
919-660-8414
Duke University

Monday, June 23, 2008

Andriod Delays May Shine iPhone Further. Can Sprint Challenge with Instinct?

Even though Google is not going to have significant financial problems due to Android delay, an article on WSJ makes have set the news world afire. Everyone is reporting that it might be the closest thing to the end or worse.
Android based phones were to come to market in second quarter of this year and now it seems it might get delayed until 4th quarter. But reading the article, I was not convinced that it might not either.
In any case sprint would have love to have some thunder to dim the iPhone news that is reverberating in the mobile world and die hard sprint fans will have to do with Samsung Instinct. I do not see too much difference between iPhone and the instinct but the hype.
Another matter is of course Android is an evolving platform and the base system changes and revamps may add to the developers working with brand new platform. WSJ also mentions developers feeling at ease with iPhone SDK due to familiarity with MAC OS X, well in that case Linux was not born yesterday. It is the SDK that matters and the recently released Android SDK is not prime time material either.
So we may have to wait a little longer to see an Android based phone. Unitil then it is the iPhone and somewhat the instinct that may have to market.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Open Telephony Training Seminar At Digium Head Quarters!.

UPDATE:
The dates have changed for this seminar. Please refer to this newer VoIP IP Telephony post

I have writen earlier about OTTS, Open Telephony Training Seminar by the people (Organizers) at FreePBX. After the recent hula hoop dance by Fonality crew, it is music in your ears to hear that Digium is hosting the next OTTS and it's headquarters building in Huntsville, Alabama!. I think it is very good and very good reason for you to take a trip to Alabama, you can hit two birds with one stone. You get the trining on telephony and you get to see the Digium people!.
Anyway It is a good feeling when people communicate, coherently.

Open Telephony Training Seminar
Where: Digium Headquarters, Huntsville, AL
When: August 12-15^th, 2008

This is what Philippe posted;
"Today I bring you more evidence of the synergy by announcing our next seminar to take place at the one an only, Asterisk Ground Zero, at Digium’s Headquarters in Huntsville, AL. “One of Digium’s primary goals is to expand the use of the Asterisk telephony engine and to be a good corporate citizen within the Asterisk ecosystem. To further this aim, we have contributed to the FreePBX project in various ways, including taking an active role in supporting their OTTS training program. We are happy to strengthen the relationship with the FreePBX project, and are proud to host their next seminar in our state-of-the-art training facility.” says Jared Smith, World Wide Training Manager for Digium, Inc. and co-author of the one and only Asterisk: The Future of Telephony (O'Reilly Media). We are thrilled to have this opportunity and have appreciated the support Digium has provided and the training material and presentations that Jared Smith has delivered in our sessions."

FreeSwitch Gets A Web Based Management Portal From Wiki PBX.

FreeSwitch, another big player in the open source IP PBX arena has got a web front end for management. I have a copy of FreeSwitch running (actually a dormant VM image) which I will be using to test the PBX Management front end. It is available from Wiki PBX and if you are a FreeSwitch user, I think you will be a happy camper.
According to the site, following are the prominant features!;

Multiple 'accounts' per server instance - each account is effectively a completely independent PBX. (multi-tenant)
Layered configuration - XML files goes on top of what is stored in database. Allows you to use a database, but stays out of your way if you choose to use flat files.
Configure extensions, SIP endpoints and gateways via web interface
Simple Voicemail system written in Python as an IVR (w/ source code)
View/hangup/transfer live calls
View call history (CDR records) over the web interface
Web interface for managing (add/edit/update) IVR's written in Python, Javascript or Java
Easily record "sound clips" for use in dialplan or IVR's
Inject audio or text-to-speech into live calls

Here is the link to wiki pbx.
Of course you can find FreeSwitch here.

NextPhase Wireless Adds A Wired Mesh Private Network To Network Services Portfolio.

ANAHEIM, Calif., June 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NextPhase Wireless (OTC Bulletin Board: NPHS), a nationwide developer of WiMAX-ready networks and a provider of advanced broadband solutions, today launched a suite of wired private network services, geared at offering affordable, fully meshed private point-to-point networks, minimizing downtime and providing businesses, agencies and schools with 'peace of mind'.

"With every day that passes, businesses grow more and more reliant on their ability to access infrastructure applications, carry their VoIP and Video traffic, and to communicate and collaborate with satellite offices, regional headquarters, suppliers and partners. In building these networks, businesses want a design that allows for any-to-any connectivity, but the costs of this sort of network design is often cost-prohibitive," said Tom Hemingway, Chairman and COO of NextPhase.

Continuing, Hemingway said, "NextPhase solves this problem with a unique, hosted solution that allows for a fully-meshed design eliminating network congestion allowing for greater network efficiency and bandwidth utilization over a secure private network."For more information, please visit http://www.npwireless.com.

Distributed Presence For Asterisk in Asterisk 1.6.1.

There were many occasions that we wanted presence information across multiple Asterisk servers. In the past we had to do various gimmicks to get that done ;). But going over the new Asterisk 1.6.1 Now I see that it has been made available to us, mainly due to lot of hard work by Russell Bryant.
According to a post by him on his blog, Asterisk 1.6.1 will have the ability to share device state between servers using a new module, res_ais, which uses the SAForum AIS to share events between Asterisk servers. It has been tested with and developed against the openais implementation of AIS.

You can read his post to find links to the code and follow comments that request (demand) DUNDi over XMPP and vice versa.

AA300 Appliance Added To Digium | Switchvox™ IP PBX Line

This is something I missed posting due to being busy getting ready for the NXTCOMM and since I think it is very important move in the Digium | Asterisk, I decided to publish their press release regarding the product.
I have not used the product but I will be able to witness the product being deployed in very new future at a branch office of a company I consult. If this deployment goes well, mixture of products will be deployed at other branch offices located nationwide and a few international offices.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 9, 2008—Digium®, Inc.,, the Asterisk® Company, today announced that it has executed on the initial planned build-out of the Switchvox™ appliance family with the release of the Digium|Switchvox AA300 appliance. The new product, a flexible, easy-to-use IP PBX, gives companies with up to 150 users a turnkey business telephone solution based on Asterisk software. It is the latest offering from Digium following that company's fall 2007 acquisition of Switchvox. The AA300 is available immediately and is backed by Digium's Exceptional Satisfaction Program (ESP) guarantee. Digium has also recently delivered two other Switchvox appliances, a free, downloadable version of the Switchvox IP PBX software and a combined reseller program.

Digium created and is the driving force behind the open source Asterisk telephony project and Switchvox is the most widely used IP PBX based on Asterisk. Last year, Digium acquired Switchvox and has quickly integrated the two companies' offerings to provide customers with a wide range of options for benefitting from the power, flexibility and feature set enabled by Asterisk. By implementing Switchvox software on Digium appliances, customers now have the ease of use and rich feature set of Switchvox, plus the reliability and convenience of appliances. The Digium|Switchvox appliance family provides options for businesses with up to 400 users, plus an easy upgrade path for growing companies, a money-back guarantee, and subscriptions for professional support and maintenance.

"The integration of Switchvox into Digium has moved ahead quickly, and the AA300 with SMB 3.5 software is the latest result of our continuing progress," said Joshua Stephens, Digium's General Manager, San Diego Operations. "Customers and our channel partners are benefitting from the rapid delivery of Switchvox on appliances that can be up and running supporting calls just about as soon as they come out of the box and that can be easily upgraded as customers need more features or add users. The result of all our work is more options for customers that let them get rid of expensive phone systems, yet keep all the functionality of a PBX designed for the largest businesses."

A Switchvox IP PBX for Every Company
The introduction of the Digium|Switchvox AA300 appliance provides a mid-sized solution for the Switchvox product family. Digium|Switchvox appliances are now available on three systems that provide a fit for a wide range of companies:

The AA60 appliance, which features Switchvox SOHO or Switchvox SMB, supports up to 30 users and is ideal for demanding small offices or home offices that need a professional phone system in a small form factor.

The AA300 appliance, which features Switchvox SMB, supports up to 150 users and is ideal for medium-sized businesses that want the power of a server-class PBX.

The AA350 appliance, which features Switchvox SMB, supports up to 400 users and is a redundant rack-mount server that is ideal for larger customers that want the highest level of performance and peace of mind.

The newly introduced AA300 is a medium-sized appliance that can be used on a tabletop or in a rack. It supports up to 150 users and up to 45 simultaneous calls. It also supports up to 10 recorded calls and up to 15 simultaneous conference calls.

Highlights of the new Digium|Switchvox AA300 include:

Full coverage by the Digium Exceptional Satisfaction Program, the strongest guarantee in open source telephony, which gives customers their money back if the product is defective or fails to perform as described. VoIP ready—No extra hardware is necessary to connect to SIP or IAX voice over IP trunks.

A standard one-year warranty and optional three-year warranty. Support for analog and T1/E1 interfaces gives customers flexibility in working with their existing network.

A choice of three subscription plans to suit every company's support and service needs.

Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the Digium|Switchvox AA300 with SMB 3.5 software begins at U.S. $4,240, with substantial discounts available when customers purchase the product from Digium partners. It is available immediately.

Two New Mail Domains From Yahoo! YMail.com and Rocketmail.com

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today announced the global availability of two new e-mail domains that will give users the chance to register for the e-mail address or Yahoo! ID they have always wanted. People can finally say goodbye to CutiePie4Ever80 or mattclark1977@yahoo.com and get a new Yahoo! e-mail address at

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jun 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today announced the global availability of two new e-mail domains that will give users the chance to register for the e-mail address or Yahoo! ID they have always wanted. People can finally say goodbye to CutiePie4Ever80 or mattclark1977@yahoo.com and get a new Yahoo! e-mail address at ymail.com and rocketmail.com.

Yahoo! Mail is the number one Web mail service in the world with more than 260 million users worldwide(1). As a result of its global popularity, many desirable e-mail addresses have already been taken for the yahoo.com domain, as well as for localized versions of the namespace in countries around the world. With the two new e-mail domain choices, Yahoo! will make millions of new e-mail addresses available to the online community.

Yahoo! recently commissioned a survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) to determine what online adults look for when choosing an e-mail address and found some noteworthy results:

-- The majority of online adults (59 percent) consider the most important attribute of an e-mail address to be that it is easy to remember.

-- When asked if they could choose any e-mail address for personal use, seven in ten online adults (70 percent) would opt to have some portion of their name included - 31 percent would want their last name included, 27 percent would choose their first name, while 28 percent would prefer to have their nickname as part of their e-mail address.

-- Of online adults who indicated that they are not currently using their first choice e-mail address, over half (54 percent) agree that they want their e-mail address to reflect who they are, and about half (48 percent) would be at least somewhat likely to change addresses should their preferred choice become available.

"We recognize that people want an e-mail address that reflects who they are, whether they are signing up for an e-mail address for the first time, or simply updating their e-mail pseudonym to reflect the stage they are at in life," said John Kremer, vice president, Yahoo! Mail. "We are thrilled to be able to offer new Yahoo! e-mail domain choices to Internet users, along with the same great Web mail experience that hundreds of millions of people have already come to expect."

E-mail addresses at the new domains will have the same great Yahoo! Mail features as addresses at the yahoo.com domain, including:

-- Unlimited storage - Yahoo! Mail provides all users with free unlimited e-mail storage(2)

-- Integrated Instant Messaging and Text Messaging - Users can connect in real-time to their contacts with Yahoo! Messenger or Windows Live(R) Messenger and send text messages to friends on the go, right from their Yahoo! Mail inbox

-- Protection from spam and viruses - All of the same great protection that is built into Yahoo! Mail will apply to these new domains. Yahoo! uses advanced technologies and data from numerous sources to dramatically reduce the delivery of spam and phishing e-mails

-- Country-specific e-mail account - When signing up for an e-mail account, users have the option of choosing localized country versions from each of the Yahoo! domains: yahoo.com, ymail.com and rocketmail.com

As always, a Yahoo! ID will work for everything across the Yahoo! Network, from checking e-mail to checking out Messenger, Flickr, Groups, Sports, Finance and more.

In many markets, Yahoo! will also help users transfer their e-mail and contacts to their new address and notify friends of their new e-mail address.

In addition, Yahoo! has reserved a number of desirable e-mail addresses - all related to charitable organizations - using the new domains and will put these e-mail addresses up for charity auction beginning on Thursday, June 19, 2008. Yahoo! is working with auction partners eBay Giving Works and Auction Cause. The proceeds from the auction will benefit the following organizations: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Ocean Conservancy, Point Foundation, Right To Play and World Wildlife Fund. To participate in the online auction, please visit http://www.ebay.com/ymail.

Users can learn more about and register for a new e-mail at ymail.com and rocketmail.com at http://mail.yahoo.com.

Yahoo! recently commissioned a survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) to determine what online adults look for when choosing an e-mail address and found some noteworthy results:

-- The majority of online adults (59 percent) consider the most important attribute of an e-mail address to be that it is easy to remember.

E-mail addresses at the new domains will have the same great Yahoo! Mail features as addresses at the yahoo.com domain, including:

-- Unlimited storage - Yahoo! Mail provides all users with free unlimited e-mail storage(2)

As always, a Yahoo! ID will work for everything across the Yahoo! Network, from checking e-mail to checking out Messenger, Flickr, Groups, Sports, Finance and more.

In many markets, Yahoo! will also help users transfer their e-mail and contacts to their new address and notify friends of their new e-mail address.

Users can learn more about and register for a new e-mail at ymail.com and rocketmail.com at http://mail.yahoo.com.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Yahoo! Go 3.0, Mobile Yahoo, Expands In Asia-Pacific.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. & SINGAPORE, Jun 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced several new mobile initiatives for the Asia Pacific region, including five new Yahoo! oneSearch partnerships with leading mobile operators including Mahanagar Telephon Nigam Limited (MTNL, India), Hong Kong CSL Limited (CSL), Smart Communications Inc. (Smart, Philippines), Digital Mobile Phlis, Inc. (SUN Cellular, Philippines) and Vibo Telecom Inc. (Vibo, Taiwan), as well as strategic mobile advertising partnerships with Idea Cellular Ltd. (India) and Maxis Communications Bhd (Malaysia).

Additionally, Yahoo! announced localized versions of Yahoo! Go 3.0 for India, Australia and Southeast Asia, including a local language version for Indonesia, and an English version of Yahoo! oneSearch with voice that recognizes regional accents. The company also announced the launch of new mobile widgets for the Asia Pacific region including Yahoo! Cricket, Yahoo! Answers and Showtimes (Yahoo! India Movies), as well as a MTV Asia mobile widget featuring news updates and music charts.

These announcements further demonstrate Yahoo!'s global momentum and unveil the next phase of the company's mobile strategy for the Asia Pacific region. Today's Yahoo! oneSearch partnerships announcement brings the total number of mobile search deals signed by Yahoo! worldwide in the last 18 months to over 60.

"Sixty signed Yahoo! oneSearch partner deals is a great milestone, putting us on our way to our goal of ultimately connecting the billions of mobile consumers around the globe with the best possible Internet experience," said Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Connected Life, Yahoo!. "Today's partnerships and product launches further Yahoo!'s global momentum and serve to reinforce our strong position in the mobile industry."

Monday, June 16, 2008

NXTcomm08, Microsoft Corp And Transition to Telco 2.0

LAS VEGAS — June 16, 2008 — This week at NXTcomm08, Microsoft Corp. will showcase its platforms and services that enable the transition to Telco 2.0, a new era of communications in which service providers will deliver hundreds, if not thousands, of new services. Through its portfolio of screens, services and service delivery infrastructure offerings, Microsoft will demonstrate how it helps service providers increase efficiency, rapidly create and deliver innovative new services, and improve the customer experience.

“Our vision for service providers is to deliver the converged lifestyle to their customers, where they can access any content, over any network on any screen,” said Martha Béjar, corporate vice president for the Communications Sector at Microsoft. “By providing the three critical components — screens, services and service delivery — we are helping meet the needs of the industry that is driving toward Telco 2.0. We believe that this combination of software plus services will offer the best business case to operators and deliver the best choice to consumers and businesses.”

Screens

Microsoft will highlight the operating platforms that deliver a common experience across all screens — including those on a PC, TV or mobile device — in a user’s life. At NXTcomm08, Microsoft will showcase Windows Mobile, a smartphone platform with phones available from 160 mobile operators in 55 countries. Windows Mobile works with 50 device-maker partners and has more than 140 phone designs shipping worldwide, giving end users and organizations a wide choice of devices and services to fit their individual needs and preferences.

In addition, Microsoft announced it has added several world-class partners to its Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and multimedia software platform ecosystem, further supporting the platform’s progress in helping service providers deliver new connected TV services worldwide:

•	System integrators — HP, Tech Mahindra and 180Squared. The addition of these system integrators means service providers around the world will have various high-quality vendors to assist with deployments of Microsoft Mediaroom-powered service offerings.
•	Quality of Service (QoS) assurance companies — Agilent Technologies and IneoQuest. These companies’ solutions help service providers ensure the highest QoS for deployments of Microsoft Mediaroom without compromising security or network performance.
•	Encoder supplier — Harris. Harris’ NetVX SD video encoding lets service providers deploying Microsoft Mediaroom-powered services offer a high-quality and cost-effective platform for IPTV deployments.

Microsoft Mediaroom is now powering connected TV services on more than 2 million televisions worldwide. It took Microsoft Mediaroom 18 months to reach its first million TVs and only five months — more than three times faster — to reach its second million TVs.

Services

Microsoft will demonstrate a range of business and consumer services that can provide up-sell opportunities for operators across broadband/wireless networks. With the availability of the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration Version 4.5 (HMC 4.5) announced today, Microsoft offers service providers a robust platform to integrate into their networks and deliver streamlined communications services to businesses of all sizes.

Telefónica and Microsoft also announced today a strategic alliance to deliver convergent services for large enterprises in Spain, which will incorporate Microsoft’s unified communications and collaboration solutions into Telefónica’s Corporate IP service. Based on HMC 4.5 and Telefónica Corporate IP, the offering will allow users to easily access services such as directories, calendars, instant messaging, e-mail, presence and multi-conferencing, thereby helping boost their productivity. The alliance includes a schedule for making the new services available throughout 2009.

“The Telefónica and Microsoft joint unified communications services will allow corporations to respond better to critical situations, improve collaboration among professionals and work groups, and help reduce costs and simplify tasks,” said Javier Aguilera, general manager for Large Enterprises at Telefónica España.

Nortel is the first partner who has completed integration of HMC 4.5, and a number of additional partners are working to enhance the platform, including BroadSoft Inc., Ensim Corp., ExtendASP, implement.com Corp., Parallels, Planet Technologies and Sylantro Systems Corp. These partners have built extended solutions, which range from delivering advanced voice capabilities to empowering end customers with hosting automation tools, as well as developing consulting practices for deployments, upgrades and further customization.

At NXTcomm08, Microsoft will showcase business services including unified communications powered by Microsoft and Nortel based on the HMC 4.5 and Nortel CS 2000, an Internet Protocol multimedia softswitch. This demonstration also incorporates Microsoft RoundTable and Microsoft Office Live Meeting, which provide the ability to communicate virtually anytime, anywhere and on any device. Consumer services include Comverse Visual Voicemail integrated with Microsoft Mediaroom, which enables customers to use the remote control to access voicemails through the TV.

Also announced today, Concentric and Microsoft launched new hosted e-mail service offerings for SMBs. Concentric, a large-scale e-mail service provider, is deploying Microsoft Hosted Exchange to expand its product offering by combining the productivity benefits of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook with its easy-to-use Web hosting services.

Service Delivery

At NXTcomm08, Microsoft will also highlight its service delivery platform, Microsoft Connected Services Framework, and its customer care offerings including Microsoft Customer Care Framework and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which, combined, allow service providers to quickly and cost-effectively develop, deploy and manage new services. Additional demonstrations will showcase Microsoft’s architecture for services syndication, and Microsoft Visual Studio with its suite of development tools for the creation of new types of services, including managed network mash-ups that combine traditional telecommunications services with Web services.

Microsoft’s exhibit will also feature its development environment, Connected Services Sandbox, including a number of partners that have created new services in the Sandbox, including Artilium Plc, Schakra Inc. and Tech Mahindra. To further promote innovation in service creation for telecommunications providers, Microsoft recently announced the Connected Services Accelerator Program, a series of projects that uses the Sandbox to incubate, and ultimately commercialize, new types of consumer, business and mobile services through collaboration with independent software vendors, developers and partners. Microsoft will collaborate with SingTel on the program’s first project, the Mobile Connected Services Accelerator, to develop a new, cutting-edge mobile application for a vertical industry.

Microsoft continues to build a thriving partner ecosystem, providing new levels of guidance, resources and support for the Sandbox. Nearly 30 premium partners have joined the Sandbox since February, including industry leaders such as Avanade, Logica, MetraTech Corp., SingTel and Wipro Ltd., which bring functionality ranging from location services and network management to billing. When combined with third-party services that also have been added to the Sandbox, such as Geocoder, ClearForest Sematic Web, Urban Dictionary, Microsoft MapPoint or LyricWiki, the partner portfolio now offers unparalleled potential for innovative new services.

Microsoft Participation at NXTcomm08

Microsoft executives will participate in the following educational sessions at the conference:

Tuesday, June 17

•	1 p.m. — ATIS TechThink 2008 conference, “Full-Scale Convergence: What Does It Look Like and How Do We Get There,” Steve Zimba, managing director for Microsoft’s Global Telecom Business
•	1 p.m. — ATIS TechThink 2008 conference, “IPTV Implemented and Deployed — Now What,” Edwin Lau, group product manager for Microsoft Mediaroom
•	4 p.m. — IEC Communications Forums, “An SDP for the Telco 2.0 World,” Steve Zimba, managing director for Microsoft’s Global Telecom Business

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

•	10:55 a.m. — NXTcomm Programming, “Connected TV — Why TV Is Joining the Internet Revolution,” Christine Heckart, general manager of marketing for Microsoft Mediaroom
•	1 p.m. — IEC Communications Forums, “Converged TV: Delivering Rich TV and Video Experiences on a Converged Platform,” Edwin Lau, group product manager for Microsoft Mediaroom
•	2:30 p.m. — IEC Communications Forums, “New Service Launches: Service Provider Lessons Learned,” Derek Turner, senior product manager for Microsoft Mediaroom

Attendees who want additional information can visit Microsoft in booths SL5916 and SL5923 at NXTcomm08.

The public transport authority of the Frankfurt, T-Systems, Nokia, And Venyon Takes Mobile Ticketing To A New Level.

RMV, T-Systems, Nokia, and Venyon set mobile ticketing to a new level of convenience
June 13, 2008

Frankfurt am Main, Germany - The public transport authority of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main region (RMV), T-Systems, Nokia and Venyon have announced the next phase for RMV mobile ticketing at the international NFC Forum meeting in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The new mobile ticketing solution based on Near Field Communication (NFC) will offer a wider variety of mobile tickets as well as improved user experience.

RMV introduced its mobile ticketing scheme in 2006 and is one of the pioneers in this area. The main target of this enhanced ticketing solution is to enable customers to purchase mobile tickets even more spontaneously and easily. The ticket will now be stored in the embedded secure element of the NFC- enabled mobile phone, and can be inspected just by holding the device close to the inspector's reading device, which checks the validity of the ticket. This takes only a few milliseconds without any further interaction from the customer.

Soon it will be possible to store the ticket in the SIM card of the mobile phone, and then the ticket will be removable and re-usable in case the customer switches to another NFC-enabled mobile phone.

The new RMV mobile NFC ticketing solution is based on the German-wide e-ticket standard (VDV), to be used with NFC-enabled mobile phones. Thus the tickets in mobile phones and in plastic smart cards can be inspected by the same control device and the ticketing systems aligned with VDV standard allow buying tickets also in other regions in Germany. The same consistent user experience applies to the public transportation in all participating cities in Germany, which brings significant benefits for travellers who frequently use public transportation in different cities.

The mobile NFC ticketing now introduced in Frankfurt is based on the common NFC standards and enables wider selection of tickets, like single tickets, daily tickets and monthly tickets for the RMV transport network. Based on NFC standards, the new Nokia 6212 classic as well as the Nokia 6131 NFC can be used for mobile ticketing in this project.

At the same time with NFC mobile ticketing, RMV will enlarge the availability of so called ConTags, smart tags, which are installed at bus and train stops in Frankfurt. Soon the ConTags will cover all the bus and train stops of all the remaining eleven major cities in RMV service area. Touching ConTags with NFC phone enables quick ticket purchases, online time schedules, journey planners and news services. Travellers can retrieve information on departure times, possible delays or special schedules real-time just by touching the ConTag at the station with their NFC-enabled mobile phones.

Venyon is a global mobile service company which develops and operates a secure and versatile service platform to provision and manage over the air (OTA) consumer applications, such as transport tickets or credit cards on consumers' NFC enabled mobile devices. As a Trusted Service Manager (TSM) Venyon provides over the air (OTA) services to RMV in order to enable the customers from all the mobile network operators to be able to join the pilot.

The new phase for RMV mobile ticketing has been developed by T-Systems in co-operation with T-Laboratories and Deutsche Telekom. This new ticketing solution fulfils all the current requirements and security standards set by public transit authorities as well as mobile network operators.
The Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund (RMV)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Heart Of iPhone 3G, and iPhone Jailbreak Release for 2.0elease for 2.0

Ever wondered what actually will be driving the iPhone 3G? The folks at ZiPhone spotted snippet of code in iPhone 2.0 (link to an image of the code is provided at the end of the article) that points finger at a "SGOLD3," which could very well refer to Infineon's S-GOLD3H chip, which is also known as the PMB8878, a 7.2Mbps HSDPA chip with all the video acceleration and media playback features iPhone users have come to expect. Advantages over its predecessor include higher resolution camera support of 5 MP, a 2x speed MMC / SD interface and DVB-H module support and complete specs are below.

According to a status blog at ZiPhone, Apple's iPhone firmware 2.0 investigation has been very interesting. With ZiPhone Beta 7 (Link below), they've successfully unlocked the iPhone's baseband restrictions. This proves that Ziphone's next jailbreak release for 2.0 will be able to make the carrier lock on the newly announced iPhone 3G useless.
After jailbreaking the firmware prefixed as ICE2 version 1.43, ZiPhone managed to course through a list of carriers officially supported by the iPhone. The list provides all the 3G service carriers in each country that Apple has officially made a distribution deal with. The list matches up with the known Apple carriers.

The PMB 6592 SMARTi 3GE Chip Information

PMB 6592 SMARTi 3GE - One Chip Dual Mode W-CDMA/EDGERF Transceiver, is an industry leading dual mode transceiver based on the SMARTi PM quad-band GSM/EDGE and SMARTi 3G six-band W-CDMA transceiver architecture in a laminate based PG-TFSGA-121 package. SMARTi 3GE offers significant board area reduction for creating the smallest dual-mode mobile solutions. A standard 3-wire bus programming interface, compatible with most basebands, allows easy integration into wireless devices. A p p l i c a t i o n s ■ W-CDMA: multi-band operation for 3GPP bands I through VI ■ Quad-band GSM/EDGE (GSM850/GSM900/GSM1800/GSM1900) ■ HSDPA capable (up to category 8) F e a t u r e s ■ General – 0.13 µm RF-CMOS transceiver – 3-wire bus for control and programming – Power down modes and integrated power up sequencer – Supply voltages 1.4 V ... 1.6 V and 2.7 V ... 2.95 V – Optional additional supply voltage from 1.71 V ... 3.0 V – Operating temperature range -30°C to 85°C – 3GPP standard compliance release 5/6 for W-CDMA part, release 4 for GSM part – Low external component count ■ GSM/EDGE – Constant gain quad band direct conversion receiver – GPRS/EDGE class 1 to 12/type1 – Four integrated LNAs – Fully integrated channel filter – Highly linear RF quadrature demodulator – Automatic DC offset compensation – Very low power budget – Digital Sigma-Delta modulator for GMSK – Polar modulator architecture for 8PSK ■ W-CDMA – Direct conversion receiver, direct modulation transmitter – Independent Rx and Tx operation – Complete Rx analog baseband path including filtering – HSDPA capable

An image of code snippet that I found on the web, http://i27.tinypic.com/15o759x.png
ZiPhone Status Blog