Info News Pics: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

Make your Network Green With Cisco Energywise!

Cisco Energywise that expanse the entire Cisco Catalyst switching portfolio, is helping to save energy used by networked devices like IP PHones, Wireless Routers or any other device that is network connected and designed for energy management.
We all know that we like to keep our networks on all the time at full power and find out how to do that while saving some energy, and making this world a little greener.
Solarion: Cisco Energywire Makes Networked Devices Green

Free Virtual Workshop On Cisco's Application Extension Platform (AXP)

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Cisco is hosting a free virtual workshop for developing applications on AXP, Application Extension Platform to educate application developers, solution architects and any one interested in in depth knowledge on AXP. Following is the Cisco Press Release;

WHAT: Cisco Systems will host a free virtual workshop in which application developers, network and IT solutions architects can gain in-depth knowledge of Cisco's Application Extension Platform (AXP), the company's new application development and hosting platform.

WHO: Please join Cisco's TechWise TV host, Jimmy Ray Purser, and other Cisco experts in a free virtual workshop as they discuss developing applications on the Cisco AXP and answer your questions in a live Q&A session.

Cisco customers and partners interested in exploring application development and hosting solutions on the Cisco Integrated Services Router via Cisco AXP are encouraged to attend.

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at 8 a.m. Pacific time.

ATTEND: Please listen and watch via the Internet live at:
http://tools.cisco.com/cmn/jsp/index.jsp?id=82666

No RSVP or registration is required for the free virtual workshop.

If you cannot participate on Feb. 2, a video-on-demand replay of the Cisco virtual workshop is scheduled to be available on the Cisco Innovation blog after 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

If you can't attend the workshop live and have questions, you may continue to interact with Cisco technical experts via the Cisco Innovation blog.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Skype For Sale? Again

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
This we keep hearing over and over agin and today I saw another article on Times Online speculating on the same issue. But what ever the business case that Ebay/Skype has, I doubt they will be able to find someone to pay 2.6 billion for Skype Aquisition, (article suggesting that Google might suit the mold). But if they do, I will be glad, because there is still a chance that I could be a say millionaire!
Times online article, "Speculation grows over eBay plan to sell Skype internet telephone division"
Tags: VoIP business, skype, Ebay

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Asterisk Asterisk Security Upgrades Spanning Versions 1.2.X To 1.6.X

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

The Asterisk development team has released Asterisk 1.2.31.1, Asterisk 1.4.22.2, Asterisk 1.4.23.1, and Asterisk 1.6.0.5. The updates are available for download from Digium download site. These updates are a fix to a previous security release (released as versions
1.2.31, 1.4.22.1, and 1.6.0.3).

A security fix for chan_iax2 accompany this update and you can find the information about the
associated security advisory could be found at the Asterisk Security.

ChangeLogs for the various releases are available at:

http://downloads.digium.com/pub/asterisk/ChangeLog-1.2.31.1
http://downloads.digium.com/pub/asterisk/ChangeLog-1.4.22.2
http://downloads.digium.com/pub/asterisk/ChangeLog-1.4.23.1
http://downloads.digium.com/pub/asterisk/ChangeLog-1.6.0.5

Build A House With Verizon VoIP Bricks.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
No sooner than I read Tom Keatings article on Verizon dropping the VoiceWing Like a hot brick, Ata Brick Hmm VoIP brick, Andy Abramson pointed to me to a new VoIP device called Verizon Hub.
This is actually a device that integrates landline and wireless cell services. They are integrating VoIP to this device but no femtocell like recently misannounced AT&T Microcell device.
That itself ring a bell to say that this might be another brick!
So this brick, by the way of an article on DSLReports, going to cost you some money because according to Verizon, this is "a dynamic move sure to rattle devotees of plain old home phones." The price tag may have something to say about that -- particularly during a tight economic downturn. The device will cost $199 after a $50 rebate, require a two year contract -- and will require a $34.99 Verizon Hub and Digital Voice service plan. The device launches Februay 1, and we'll be sure to post user impressions.
Save your money! Or ask to exchange for earlier VoIP Bricks.

VoIP (ATA) Bricks Due To Verizons VoIPWing Takes Off To Sunset!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
I had to use the word VoIP Brick once I read the Tom Keating's article on closure of Verizon's VoiceWing. They have sent notices to VoiceWing customers anouncing;
""We regret to inform you that effective March 31, 2009, Verizon will no longer offer VoiceWing. At that time, all VoiceWing service will be terminated""
Well that led to Tom earlier predictions (2005) about VoIP, actually ATA Bricks;
"VoIP providers will continue to harp that the government shouldn't impose any regulations on VoIP and that the industry should be open & free, while simultaneously VoIP providers will continue to alienate their customers by password-protecting and locking the customer's ATA (analog telephony adapter), thus preventing customers from easily switching to another VoIP provider and using the same ATA. This is hypocrisy at its worst! Customers will continue to be left with useless ATA "bricks" which eventually will make it the local landfill when they switch to a better VoIP provider."
You can read the rest of his article Verizon VoiceWing Exits VoIP Business at TMC Blog.
If yours is an Cisco 186 ATA, you might be able to unbrick it. Google!

APP Store Comparison, Apple vs BlackBerry vs Nokia vs Android Shootout

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
TechRadar did a App store shootout about a month ago. With All the App Stores currently running to keep their clients coming back. and staying, do wonders to the stores. But according to the author, the race is a two horse race.
iPhone (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Android Market) easily being ahead of the other two major stores, Nokia (Nokia Download) and Blackberry (blackberry Application Center).
The Apple app store seem to be doing well and that is where we spend most of the time. (We just got the iPhone 2.2.1 update and seem do do good to the phone, iPhone 3G). Few days ago, I visited Android Market with a Google Phone (Android Developer Device) and seem to be pretty busy with a lot of very good free mobile applications.
I have seen both the Nokia and BlackBerry stores but have not spent much time as the former two. So the article on techradar was a good read. So go find out how the other app stores doing!

Acer SmartPhone To Be Unveiled At Mobile World Congress.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Acer has sent and invite to Pocket lint attend an event that will be held in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress. They will be introducing Acer smartphone/s by Acer and from what I know of Acer, it could very well be a Linux based phone which leads us to think that it will be an Android based phone. Android Acer with black and white tones, perhasps an undistilled version of DSTL1?
According to the invite Gianfranco Lanci, Acer's president and CEO, will speak at "smartphones launch - Acer press conference".
Will see, one us will be there.

Firefox Mobile Aka Fennec Debuts For Windows Mobile.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Fennec the mobile version of Firefox browser has been around for a while and I tested earliest on a Nokia. But then the regular windows and Mac versions of the Mobile Firefox, Fennec came to be and I did all my fennec testing from the desktop.
So far I really like the browser as I do the regular firefox. But you will notice Google Chrome stuff if you dig deeper. Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and Answers are default search plugins and the browser relies heavily on touch sliding and on windows you just click and drag.
One can use fennec to see how the mobile web page behaves, if one is developing one. But I am looking forward to the day I can run fennec on iPhone!
The planned next weeks release for windows mobile devices like HTC Touch will have have a big impact on mobile browsing but you do not have to wait. You can down load the current version from the Fennec Project page.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

DSTL1 Android Phone From General Mobilie, Brings Power To You

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
If you have seen many people running back and forth trying to focus a subject with iPhone camera, you know how silly it is. So a phone camera with auto focus must be a real good solution. It is even better, if it is a Android phone encased in an attractive case like DSTL1 from General Mobile. I absolutely love the look of it. But the internals are not bad either. Radio, Video Chat support, 624 MHz processor speed, memory card support up to 8GB, Bluetooth, JAVA and EDGE support are only a few of DSTL1's superior features. The rest follows;

Technology	Double SIM, Linux 2.6 Kernel
Platform	Marvell PXA 310 (624MHz)+NXP 5209
Frequency	900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
Screen	TFT/ WQVGA/ 260K Colors/ 3.0" Sharp Brand Touchscreen Display/ 240 x 400 pixels
Wi-fi	Yes - 802.11 b/g
GPRS	Yes
EDGE	Yes
WAP	Yes, HTTP/WAP2.0 support
MMS	Yes
E-mail	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes / BT 2.0 + EDR, SPP, A2DP, AVRCP, OPP, HFP
FM Radio	Yes
TV	-
Java	Yes ( MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 )
MP3/MPEG4	Yes/Yes
Face to Face	Yes
Phonebook	2000
Weight	135gr
Dimensions	112x54x16mm
Memory	4GB internal memory, 256MB flash + 128MB SDRAM ,"Up to 8GB T-flash Card Support"
Camera	5MP Auto Focus with Flash Sharp Brand Camera
Voice Recorder	Yes
Vibration	Yes
Handsfree	Yes
Talk Time	240 minutes
Standby Time	150 hours
Battery	1200 mAh
Accessories	Extra Battery, USB Cable, Earphone, AC Charge Adaptor
Others	Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF document view MP3/ WAV/ MIDI/ AMR support 3GP, MPEG4, AVI (DIVX),QVGA recording 30fps, decoding 30 fps JPG/GIF/BMP/PNG Business card reader support Anti theft support Video chat support

AT&T 3G MicroCell Out But Where?

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
There is a page for registering and managing the device, 3G MicroCell. (The page says it is under maintenance when I visited it last) but I have not been able to uncover any more information than the photo and some operational information.
If you are wondering what the 3G MicroCell is, it is your own little micro cell tower to be placed at home or at office. It covers 5000 foot square area and gives you to talk without doing those funny (sometimes not so funny) acts you do when there is no signal.
AT&T 3G MicroCell is capable of servicing upto 4 cell phone connections via internet if the reception is weak in any area. The internet connection has to a broadband connection to support the bandwidth needs. The femtocell device is supposed to have been made by Cisco.
Following the practice of Sprint and Verizon, AT&T allows you to configure the 3G Microcell to select which phones will be able to access the service and the service is supposed to provide unlimited talk time if the calls are made throught he device. But if you were thinking of using it abroad to make cheap calls, forget it. It is supposed to carry a GPS device and only allowed to use within AT&T service area.
BGR has some screen shots related to this device and some more information.

iPhone 2.2.1 Upgrade For iPhone And iPod Touch.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Apple has released a new update to the iPhone 3G, iPhone and iPod Touch. This version is is iPhone software version 2.2.1. The iPhone upgrade is said to fix Camera, Mail and Safari bugs.
The update itself is bigger chunk of 245.7 and as I type this is being downloaded. So I will not be able give more information until I complete the update.
So be aware those who were naughty and running flash on iPhone with jailbroken iPhones or jailbroken iPods.

Android Cupcake Upgrade Screens Captured!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Intomobile's Simon Sage has gone about finding more info on Android Cupcake Upgrade. In the process he also took some fine screen shots, one of which I have reproduced here. The Cupcake upgrade itself is a nice story. It has been a path that the Android development team took while the Google turned Android code in to the open source product. The internal developers continued their version while the open source version took root. Once that was established, the two development paths were merged and we have the Android cupcake upgrade that we wrote about weeks ago.
I specially like the rotating Earth, Global Time Application.

Versatile Wireless Router EnGenius ECB3500

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Versatile Wireless Router from EnGenius, EnGenius ECB3500 (Which I learned about from Asterisk VoIP News) seem to be an ideal wireless router for Office, Multi home units, Apartments, Coffee Shops and Internet Kiosks.
The router has an attractive features;

High 600mW Wireless Power

Ensures robust signal to overcome long distances
Offers superior WiFi coverage than leading brands

Multi-Functional Device

Offers multi operation modes for different network topologies
7 Modes: Access Point/Client Bridge/Repeater/Router/Client Router/WDS
Flexible solution for various wireless applications

Multiple Wireless Names (AP mode)

Broadcasts multiple SSID’s in one device
Permits different levels of network access (VLAN Tagging)

Dual High Gain Detachable Antenna Design

Features Antenna Diversity technology to enhance wireless traffic
5dBi antenna for wireless power up to 2000mW EIRP
Upgradeable antenna to increase range and receive sensitivity

Intelligent Quality of Service (QoS) Technology

Facilitates bandwidth priority for VoIP, video streaming, online gaming

Power-over-Ethernet (802.3af) Capable

Power and data over one single cable for convenient installation

SuperG 108Mbps Support

Enables high transfer speed ideal for large data payloads (with SuperG Client)

You can lear more about it at product site and the datasheet (PDF) is here.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Asterisk Release Candidate 1.6.0.4-rc1 Is Available For Download

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
The Asterisk Development Team has announced the first release candidate of Asterisk 1.6.0.4, which is now known as version 1.6.0.4-rc1. Release candidate Asterisk 1.6.0.4-rc1 could be downloaded from Digium Downloads.
The team has also released of Asterisk 1.4.23. This release is a significant bug fix update for the 1.4 release series, which is also downloadable from the above link.

This release candidate is packed with fixes for OS build compatibility, terminal compatibility, documentation updates, and it also resolves several crash issues experienced and reported by developers and users. Issues found in this release candidate can be reported at http://bugs.digium.com/.

Tags: Asterisk Beta, Asterisk 1.6.0.4-rc1, Digium

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Asterisk Training At Digium|Asterisk World Conference (ITEXPO) in Miami

Here is a press release regarding the new training courses by Digium to be held at the Digium|Asterisk World Conference in Miami this week. The conference is collocated with ITEXPO, the most prominent IP Communications Conference. In addition to Asterisk Training, there are lot of other events taking place at ITEXPO.
http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Digium to Host Two New Asterisk Training Courses at Digium|Asterisk World Conference in Miami

One-Day Courses Added to Program at Open Source Conference Collocated with ITEXPO, World's Leading IP Communications Conference

Norwalk, CT - January 21, 2009 - Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®) and Digium®, Inc., the Asterisk® Company, announced today that they have teamed up to host two new training courses at Digium|Asterisk World, February 2-4, 2009 in Miami, Florida.

Digium|Asterisk World is collocated with TMC's popular INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East 2009 (ITEXPO) at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The two new training courses offered by Digium are as follows:

Tuesday, February 3, 2009: Switchvox Training

This course serves as a one-day introduction to the Switchvox system. The goals and objectives of this class are to:

Explain the role of a Switchvox system within a corporate IT/telephony infrastructure
Familiarize the student with the initial setup and configuration of their Switchvox system
Describe the telephony connections which Switchvox supports and identify the hardware needed to effect this connectivity
Identify the basic characteristics of analog and digital PSTN connections and how VoIP compares and contrasts with these
Configure Switchvox to deliver basic PBX functionality including basic call routing, voicemail and directory services
Connect Switchvox to a Voice-over-IP service provider
Show how to use the Switchboard application to give users a rich interface with which to interact with the telephone system l

Wednesday, February 4, 2009: Asterisk 123

The Asterisk 123 course is a gentle introduction to the Asterisk Open Source PBX. It introduces the student to the many roles that Asterisk can play and walks them through setting up Asterisk for the first time. At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Identify the purpose and primary functionality of Asterisk as a PBX and as an application development platform
Describe the telephony connections which Asterisk supports and identify the Digium hardware needed to effect this connectivity
Identify the basic characteristics of analog and digital PSTN connections and how VoIP compares and contrasts with these
Configure Asterisk to deliver basic PBX functionality including basic call routing, voicemail and directory services
Learn the basics of becoming an Asterisk administrator

For both classes, each participant receives a student kit which includes:

Digium TDM411B Analog card (1 FXO port + 1 FXS port)
Polycom SoundPoint® IP 330 SIP Phone
Asterisk Tote Bag
Asterisk T-shirt
Asterisk SWAG Kit
Calculator, pen, mouse pad, etc.

Attendees can sign up each training course at the Digium|Asterisk World Web site.

No Agora Android Phone For Aussies?

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Disappointing everyone who were waiting for the Android based Agora phone, Kogan the supplier has announced that there is an indefinite delay. According to a post on Kogan site, the delay comes due to potential future interoperability issues.

"The Agora did reach a very late stage of development. Manufacturing had commenced and it was a matter of days from being shipped to you. However, it now seems certain the Agora in it's current form will limit its compatibility and interoperability in the near future."

Basically Agora not fitting the Android Bill. (I liked the look of the Agora Android Phone.) All is not lost as there is news that Android G1 is coming shortly to Australia. Optus has been preparing to deliver the HTC Dream (G1) support and service with it's technical and support staff according to ZDNET article. According to the same, following is a picture of the HTC Dream (G1) Manual cover.

SIREMIS Project, Web Management Interface For Kamailio (OpenSER).

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Kamailio has announced SIREMIS - new web management interface for Kamailio (OpenSER) and SIP-Router.org. The project is headed by up to this point by Apisto, utilizing OpenBiz PHP framework. The idea behind the plan was to make it easier to involve developers from all walks. Following the open source nature, the project sources will be hosted on sourceforge.net and developers will have access to SVN code repository. (project name: siremis). Currently the project is hosted at Asipto.
I have not used the product but have seen some screenshots which to say the least, very promising.
The beta release include following features:
- subscriber, database aliases and speed dial management
- location table view
- dispatcher, prefix-domain translation and least cost routing (lcr) management
- access control lists (user groups) and permissions management
- accounting records, missed calls and call data records view
- hash table, dial plan table and user preferences table management
- off-line message storage view
- it was tested with MySQL but should support other sql-like DBs
Release note.

OpenSIPS 1.4.4 And A OpenSIPS Bootcamp, Awaits you.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
In the footsteps od OpenSIPS 1.4.3 (production) release, OpenSIPS is offering us a new minor release, OpenSIPS 1.4.4. This release fixes a set of major and minor fixes on the OpenSIPS 1.4 branch.
The OpenSIPS team recommends to upgrade to this release, as it brings stability improvements to the already a fantastic system.
For those who are interested, complete change log could be found here.
OpenSIPS 1.4.4 is now available for download at OpenSIPS and Sourceforge.

For those interested in training on the OpenSIPS system, there is a OpenSIPS Bootcamp in sunny Brazil, 16-20 February, 2009, Florianopolis.

New HTC Touch Cruise Leaves Footprints

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
HTC has released an upgrade/update to its 2008 HTC Touch Cruise, popular HTC GPS device, boasting a compact design and a bunch of new capabilities.
Of all the features, one stand out and that is HTC Footprints. HTC Footprints enables people to chronicle their special moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone. This includes Photo, Text notes and an audio clip of the special place with geotagging the location. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area.
In the car the device turns another corner to provide an advanced in-car navigation system. When placed into its accompanying car cradle, the HTC Touch Cruise automatically transforms its user interface into an easy-to-use, one-touch interface that provides seamless turn-by-turn directions.
Following are the released specifications;

Key HTC Touch Cruise Specifications

Size: 102 x 53.5 x 14.5mm
Weight: 103 grams
Connectivity: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
Control panel: HTC TouchFLO™, 4-Way navigation wheel with Enter and HTC Footprints™ buttons
Camera: 3.2 MP, with fixed focus
Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM, 256 MB RAM
Expansion Slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
GPS: GPS/A-GPS
Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Battery: 1100 mAh
Talk time: GSM: up to 400 minutes
Standby time: GSM: up to two weeks
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz

BlackBerry Storm New OS 4.7.0.90 Out In The Wild!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
According to news all over the net, BlackBerry Storm's new OS is out there and people are loving and hating it. We did not have a chance to check the OS 4.7.0.90 out as we do not have a BlackBerry Storm among us. So we had to hit on the Engadget post which led us to crackberry. At crackberry you may read more and even download the OS.
The OS said to have fixed some BlackBerry Storm issues and given users a keyboard in protrait mode and taken care of charging issues. But some users are complining about mutimedia features. Perhaps those will get fixed by the time official release comes..

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Voice RSS Reader From TringMe Gives Speaking Blogs

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
TringMe and Speaking Blogs, the VoicePHP page by Tringme has a bit of code that helps you to make your blog speak out, via phone to the reader err.. listener. Or lets you listen to blogs that have implemented the feature. It will be a nice experience to catch some of my RSS feeds while I code etc, also it will also be a break from listening to the music while I do the same.
The code on the site is a simple implementation of an Voice RSS Reader.
Here are the key steps of this application:

Specify the URL for the RSS feeds you are interested in.
Ask the user to select a feed by pressing the appropriate keys on the keypad
Fetch the RSS feeds using a helper function
Speak the title of the feeds and if user is interested, the description of that feed

There is an example running at the site for you to check out!

JailBroken iPhones Get Copy And Paste.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
According to a post and a bunch of photos, iPhone has got copy and post already. But do not run (surf) to App Store yet because it runs only on jailbroken iPhones, for now. The copy and Paste application runs on both iPhone and iPod touch and once installed seem to be pretty easy to use. Clippy is responsible for the app and if you want to see more pictures and find out how to get the app from iSpazio Repository, visit spazio.

BlackBerry Bold Gets Visual Voice Mail!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
People with BlackBerry Bold on AT&T network are getting their fill of visual voice mail acording to BGR. The VVM is a part of the OS 4.6.0.219 on an AT&T BlackBerry Bold and BGR has gone and filled the site with screen captures to fulfil your desires before the real thing appears. Go see more at BGR.

Android Based HTC G2 Photos?

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Gizmodo has some photos of Android G2, from HTC, the company which made Android G1, otherwise known as T-Mobile G1. But we still prefer the Google Phone moniker. Gizmodo says that the source of the news and photos has mentioned the phone to be out by Mid May 2009.
The phone does look nice and shiny from the low res photos which you can see here.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Are You A Successful Asterisk Consultant?

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
I just finished reading an excellent post by John Todd on Digium Blog and the answer to the question may lie there. I have been messing around with Asterisk for eons and it was enlightening to learn what I have been missing.
Asterisk Experience: Yes a lot,
Involvement: Yes to a certain extent,
Training: what?
There are certain procedures and methods to follow if you to become a successful consultant in any field and this article gives you enough information that it is a good read, even if you are not planing to consult on Asterisk. So please follow the link below for the article;
How to be a successful Asterisk consultant
If you are looking to gain some Asterisk training, do not look any further than Asterisk Training at Asterisk World, ITEXPO in Miami.

VoIP & Communications Training, (Asterisk, Trixbox, And Switchvox Training) At ITEXPO East.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Just a quick reminder to inform you that there will be Asterisk based systems training available at the ITEXPO event in Miami. ITEXPO East,(Internet Telephony Expo East) has collocated Asterisk World this time and the TMC team has worked hard to bring you the best possible collection of telephony, collaboration and communications resources to you in one place, including the training events mentioned below.
Breaking the tradition of attending the every ITEXPO, I will hand over the task to my friend and partner Dior to attend the expo this year as I will be in Europe during this time of the expo.
Here is the schedule of training events and this represents only a small part of the overall open source communications content at the show.

Switchvox, Tuesday Feb 3, 8:30-5:00
Asterisk 123, Wednesday Feb 4, 8:30-5:00 (This is the first time this course has ever been available)
Trixbox FtOCC Technician, Feb 2-4

You can find more information about the expo the expo site.

Skype™ 1.0 Beta for Intel-based Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs).

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Basically in other words, that is Skype for your devices like, iPhone, Nokia NXX, Blackberry and UMPCs. But the initial focus seem to fall on Intel Atom Processor and Moblin-based Linux OS (www.moblin.org) As they stand to sell in large quantities, in short time period.
MIDs are an emerging category of small, truly mobile consumer devices enabling a rich Internet experience, coupled with the capability to communicate with others, enjoy entertainment, access information, and be productive on the go - all without sacrificing mobility or performance. MIDs typically come with 4"-7" screens, a camera, GPS and WiFi connectivity. Select MIDs also provide WiMax or 3G/4G support for wireless broadband connectivity on-the-go. ABI Research expects 86 million Linux-enabled MIDs to ship by 2013. For more information about Intel Mobile Internet Devices, please visit www.intel.com/products/mid.

"Today's introduction of the first, complete Internet communications offering for MIDs bridges the gap between the phone and PC and underscores our vision of 'Skype everywhere' and our commitment to open access," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer. "By supporting WiFi, WiMax, 3G and 4G, this development expands Skype's mobile portfolio and further illustrates the broad accessibility to Skype that we offer on a multitude of mobile devices."

"Mobile Internet Devices enable users to enjoy the full Internet experience and stay connected with their friends and family wherever they go," said Pankaj Kedia, director of global ecosystem programs in the Ultra Mobility Group at Intel Corporation. "Our collaboration with Skype to deliver Skype 1.0 Beta for Mobile Internet Devices based on the Intel® Atom™ processor and Moblin-based Linux OS will provide new ways for users to communicate anywhere, anytime."

Skype On the Cloud With IBM Cloud Services.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Skype and IBM announce that they are coming together to provide VoIP and Video Communications to the IBM's LotusLive collaborative services customers. Users, mostly business customers of iBM Lotus collaborative services (LotusLive) will be able to use Skype services simply by clicking on appropriate button on the LotusLive Contacts. The plan to further integrate the services to provide importing of Skype contacts to Lotuslive and improve the collaboration services.

“Our relationship with IBM demonstrates how serious Skype is about bringing the benefits of ‘anytime, anywhere, any mode’ Internet communications to the enterprise environment,” said Scott Durchslag, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer. “During tough economic times, every business is seeking to cut costs while enhancing competitiveness and we look forward to broader, long-term cooperation between IBM and Skype to help businesses of all sizes around the globe save money, save time, and stay ahead.”

“We recognize that communications is an integral component of collaboration in an Internet-enabled world and that many small businesses have already adopted Skype,” said Sean Poulley, vice president of online collaboration, IBM Lotus. “This integration will simplify and improve the way businesses interact with their customers and partners.”

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Press release by Businesswire

IBM Builds Communities In the Cloud To Promote Smarter Workforce.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
IBM which was side lined for a while in the social, communication and the general what is hot computing arena came out waving victory flags today. The new flagship product in the cloud, Lotuslive brings together most business related online users by integrating, it's own Lotus Online with Linkedin, SalesForce.com and Skype. This is taking a front seat at cloud applications like Google Apps (which we use) and Microsoft Office Live, under the moniker, LotusLive. Given that the clouds are nothing new to IBM, I think they will move ahead, faster in the business face of it. If they are to present the product in an attractive manner, say free Lotuslive Lite, there might be other users like, SMBs who wants to take a taste of the lotussphere.
Another feather in the cap is the effort to work closely with Blackberry to provide business services through mobile Web. See another post on Skype and IBM Collaboration.
Following is the press release by IBM.

ORLANDO, FL - 19 Jan 2009: LOTUSPHERE -- At the annual Lotusphere Conference, IBM (NYSE:IBM) unveiled plans to help businesses build a smarter workforce by providing software services to help people work together across the enterprise, on the move and via the cloud.

IBM today announced IBM LotusLive (www.lotuslive.com), a cloud-based portfolio of social networking and collaboration services designed for business. LotusLive.com will serve as a single destination for all IBM Lotus online collaboration tools, including social networking, e-mail, file sharing and Web conferencing. LotusLive will help businesses of all sizes simplify and improve the way they interact with their customers, partners and suppliers.

LinkedIn, an online network of more than 34 million business professionals, today announced a partnership with IBM Lotus to integrate LinkedIn's functionality and networking capabilities with IBM Lotus Notes, IBM Lotus Connections and LotusLive.

With the planned Lotus Notes integration, LinkedIn members will be able to keep track of their professional network via a Network Updates feed. Users will also have seamless access to LinkedIn profiles from within their Lotus mail and applications.

IBM intends to combine the best of business and professional social networking sites allowing people to expose LinkedIn information from the millions of LinkedIn public profiles directly into Lotus Connections.

The planned LotusLive integration will connect the LinkedIn network with LotusLive. LotusLive users will be able to search LinkedIn's public professional network and then instantly collaborate with members using the LotusLive services.

Salesforce.com plans to integrate LotusLive services with its CRM applications, helping simplify and improve customer interactions. Businesses will be able to extend the customer and opportunity management work done in the Salesforce CRM applications with the Web conferencing and task management capabilities of LotusLive.

In addition, Skype has announced plans to integrate its voice and video service with LotusLive collaborative services to create a seamless communications experience. This level of integration can allow LotusLive customers to have the convenience of being able to call Skype contacts from within their LotusLive contacts.

Making New Connections with Micro-Blogs and Wikis
The latest version of Lotus Connections takes popular features from consumer social networking sites and puts them to work for business. A new personal "posting wall" and micro-blogging capabilities will make it easy for people to quickly share short, yet critical pieces of information. Based on customer demand, IBM plans to add a new wiki service to Lotus Connections. Wikis are Web pages that quickly and easily allow people to create and modify content in real-time.

Lotus Connections is being used by industry leaders worldwide. McKesson, the world's largest healthcare services company, chose Lotus Connections for enterprise social networking to improve workforce efficiency and attract and retain top talent who expect advanced collaboration tools. McKesson also sought to be among the first pioneers in the healthcare industry to adopt social networking and benefit from the open extensibility of Lotus Connections, allowing integration with Microsoft SharePoint and Vignette Portal.

"We're excited to broaden our collaboration tools to help encourage information sharing and idea generation across our diverse workforce," said Anand Srinivasan, development manager at McKesson. "With hundreds of facilities across the country, our use of Lotus Connections technology will enable us to more effectively tap into our collective intelligence to continue helping our customers improve health care."

Mobilizing the Worker with Lotus on the BlackBerry®
Another major pillar of a smart workforce is equipping individuals with the power of the mobile Web to innovate and collaborate efficiently anywhere, at anytime. IBM's Institute for Business Value predicts one billion mobile Web users by 2011 and a significant shift in the way the majority of people will interact with the Web over the next decade. Addressing that market opportunity, IBM and Research In Motion (RIM) will bring new advanced social software features to BlackBerry smartphone business users worldwide. The new features will help BlackBerry smartphone users find expertise, form teams, share information and stay in touch in real-time, making them more effective and productive. They will also bring mobile business users far beyond e-mail to live expertise and collective intelligence.

Lotusphere attendees will get a sneak preview and see demonstrations of new capabilities for BlackBerry smartphones which will be available later this year. They include access to open document format-based IBM Lotus Symphony documents, presentations and spreadsheets; IBM Lotus Quickr Web 2.0-based team software to help individuals find, access, share and work with business content such as documents, photos and videos; enhanced Lotus Connections functionality for access to activities, blogs and communities, augmenting the access already available to profiles and tags; enhanced Lotus Sametime capabilities; and new tools for developers.

SAP and Lotus Notes Make Core Data Easy to Use
IBM and SAP announced the planned March release of their first joint software product, called Alloy™. IBM and SAP showcased successful early results of this product with several customers, including Colgate-Palmolive and Arla Foods.

Alloy by IBM and SAP connects IBM Lotus Notes software with SAP Business Suite. Providing workers with access to critical business information in an intuitive, easy-to-use interface, it will enable timely, more informed business decisions. Employees can benefit from increased business analysis, information in context and the power to run their business operations directly from their Lotus Notes desktops.

For more information, including product and service availability, visit www.ibm.com/software/lotus.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

pjsip 1.0.1 Released

pjsip version map.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
As you all know, we are fans of pjsip, either directly from pjsip developers or through other developers who used pjsip, we have been using it for a long time and we are certain, we will use it much more in the future.
So we were very glad when they reached the version 1.0 but as the title reveal, they have not stopped at that. The continue to build upon and improve pjsip. To reach the pjsip 1.0 status, they worked for more that three years and gone through 250,000+ lines of code. There is also a growing community gathering around pjsip as well.

With the version 1.0, the team promise us that they will work with the mibile side of the development deligently. So look forward to mobile support starting with Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile.

Also a visit to Teluu, as the company behind pjsip, would be a nice geture. Teluu provides lternative licensing, direct developer-to-developer support, and customization work.
Here is pjsip's own announcement; "We Made It: Release 1.0.1 Available"

Saturday, January 17, 2009

iPod Touch 2G Jailbroken!

iPhone Dev Team

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
iPod Touch 2G has been Jailbroken by iPhone dev team. iPod Touch 2G was a tough egg to boil as you can see, it is quite edible now.
Yjey also mention that the procedure to boil the egg (jailbreak iPod Toch 2G) is far too cumbursome for us regular folks. But the good news is that once they got the taste, they will never stop and pretty soon we will have easily jailbreakable iPod Touch 2G. They unearthed this during yellowsnow research! (They also not giving us a hard fast ETA for the iPod Jilbreak but knowing them, It will be around the bent soon). Man no wonder Steve Jobs has health problems!
They had the following update on the Dev Team blog; regarding the the broadcast they were planing!

Update 3: It looks like we’ll do the Qik broadcast on Saturday afternoon (California time). It’ll be announced through MuscleNerd’s twitter. Unfortunately the Qik chatroom seems unmanageable, with no way to control the nicknames being used. So we’ll avoid it altogether — nobody on the Qik chat claiming to be us is actually us, so please don’t be fooled.

Record Skype Calls For Free! With Skype Recorder Plus

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Since we wrote about recording Skype calls on Mac a few years ago, We have not visited the subject. But we have been using Skype for calls, interviews and even to conduct long distance classes.
There were many ocations that we wished to have a tool to record a Skype call. Specially those distance teaching classes with skype, for our students. They needed more time and to listen more to our speeches to understand better or to form questions for the next class.
We were searching and we did find find a product, Powergramo Skype Recorder +, that worked on PC! Before going in to details, let me tell you that we love the product. It does what it says it does and more. The product is amazing!
It integrates with Skype seemlesly and all the calls are encrypted as well as there is an option to add password protection as well.
The recordings which are in proprietary pga format are easily exportable to common audio formats for sharing with others.
One othe important factor is that you can use it as a Skype Answering Machine! I think that is great too. So if you want check out this product, you can find it here.