Source: www.voip-news.com

3CX has unveiled a free VoIP softphone for businesses.

Yes, free.

“3CX VoIP Phone is great for businesses that wish to have an easy to deploy, business-level VoIP soft phone. Because it is free, the usual hassle of administration of client licenses is avoided. The free editions of other VoIP phones do not have key features such as call transfer or the ability to put a call on hold,” said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX.

The user-friendly phone allows users to review their call history, put calls on hold and accept, reject or ignore calls./

“VoIP Phones are an interesting option for businesses – they are easy to administer and environmentally friendly. Hardware phones require additional electricity, administration and desk space,” Galea said.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Having 911 services for VoIP is without a doubt extremely important. In fact, 911 is an essential service for winning over new customers. Vixxi Solution’s E-911 service for their VoIP network will come from Level 3.

According to the companies:

Under the terms of this agreement, Vixxi will leverage Level 3’s extensive geographic presence to route 911 calls to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) over the nationwide 911 infrastructure, thereby expanding Vixxi’s coverage to provide FCC compliant nomadic E-911 capabilities to service providers. Vixxi’s database capability will identify the customer’s location and then send the call to Level 3 with routing instructions to terminate the call to the geographically relevant PSAP.

“Aligning ourselves with the Level 3 network enables expanded coverage of our Enhanced 911 services to customers across the nation,” said Christopher Camut, Chief Executive Officer of Vixxi Solutions. “With a comprehensive solutions portfolio and proven E-911 expertise, Level 3 will help us to provide a better, more extended reach in support of public safety.”

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Telecompetitor’s Bernie Arnason has a very good take on how Apple and AT&T "own" the term 3G - at least in terms of the noise level they have created for this term.

Read Bernie’s insightful post here.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Are we a bunch of weenies? 

As of 10:30 PM tonight, not only single person was standing in line for the new iPhone at the AT&T Experience store in my neighborhood in San Antonio.

Will check back early in the morning to see waz up….

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

This video of the new iPhone 3G being delivered is actually my local Experience store at the Quarry Market in San Antonio.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

With so much noise and misinformation about the upcoming release of the 3G iphone, here is what should be the most accurate information I have been able to

collect:

• Pricing and Eligibility

AT&T is making it easy for customers to prepare for their iPhone 3G purchase by posting "Get iReady" tips and frequently asked questions at www.att.com/iphone. The site also will include a link for customers to check their upgrade eligibility and other wireless account information.

iPhone 3G will be available for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. These prices require two-year contracts and are available to the following customers:

• iPhone customers who purchased before July 11

• Customers activating a new line with AT&T

• Current AT&T customers who are eligible, at the time of purchase, for an upgrade discount

Existing AT&T customers who are not currently eligible for an upgrade discount can purchase iPhone 3G for $399 for the 8GB model or $499 for the 16GB model. Both options require a new two-year service agreement. In the future, AT&T will offer a no-contract-required option for $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB).

Current customers may also choose to wait until they become eligible for an upgrade discount. Eligibility is generally determined by amount of time remaining on a current contract and payment history.

Current AT&T customers who are upgrading to iPhone 3G will pay an $18 upgrade fee and new AT&T customers will pay the standard $36 activation fee.

• Voice, Data and Text Messaging Plans

AT&T brings iPhone 3G customers the best coverage on the globe and the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community with unlimited calling to AT&T’s 71.4 million wireless customers. iPhone 3G customers can choose from four individual AT&T Nation plans, which bundle voice and unlimited data (e-mail and Web browsing).

• AT&T NationSM Unlimited: Includes unlimited Anytime Minutes for $129.99 a month.

• AT&T Nation 1350: Includes 1350 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $109.99 a month.

• AT&T Nation 900: Includes 900 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $89.99 a month.

• AT&T Nation 450: Includes 450 Anytime Minutes and 5,000 Night & Weekend Minutes for $69.99 a month.

• All AT&T Nation and AT&T FamilyTalk® plans for iPhone 3G include nationwide long distance and roaming, Visual Voicemail, Rollover®, unlimited Mobile to Mobile calling, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Three-Way Calling and Caller ID.

• AT&T will offer FamilyTalk plans, with bundled voice and unlimited data, starting as low as $129.99 a month for two iPhone 3G lines. Up to three additional iPhone lines can be added for $39.99 each.

• Unlimited text messaging can be added for an additional $20 ($30 for FamilyTalk plans of up to five lines); $15 (1,500 messages), or $5 (200 messages).

iPhone for Business

Business customers interested in iPhone 3G should contact an AT&T business sales representative or review their account information online to determine their eligibility for upgrade pricing. Corporate e-mail and other business applications require the Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone, which is $45 a month and bundled with an eligible voice plan. Small business customers may qualify for AT&T BusinessTalk, the industry’s only shared plan specifically for small businesses. Additional details on iPhone business offerings are available at www.att.com/iphoneforbusiness.

iPhone 2.0 Software

All iPhone customers will benefit from the iPhone 2.0 software, which will be pre-loaded on all iPhone 3Gs and available as a free download for current iPhone customers.

The new software will include numerous enhancements, such as business-class e-mail access via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync; the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows a business to easily create applications customized to its needs; and the App Store, which offers a wide-range of applications — from games to business, education to entertainment and productivity to social networking.

For example, AT&T has developed YELLOWPAGES.COM Mobile for iPhone, which takes local mobile search to a new level by allowing users to discover businesses and local events based on their popularity among other iPhone users, get directions and access business reviews.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

So the news today broke that AT&T was moving it’s global headquarters to Dallas.

On the same day they made the announcement, I got an email from Mathew Grand,who notified me of the new and improved Olmos Bharmacy web site.

The "old" Olmos Pharmacy has served as the editorial headquarters for this blog.  And while AT&T may be leaving town, I’m not.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Dameon at The VoIP Weblog got to play with Jazinga, a new IP-PBX that boasts the ability to be up and running without a IT staff’s help . . . It’s not quite market-ready yet, but Dameon predicts it could be huge when it is. Read about it here.

3CX has released a new version of their VoIP PBX. Read about it on VoIP News of the UK.

Hey Mac users, you needn’t be restricted to poor quality video calls anymore. Logitech has come out with a Mac-specific camera. Read about it on VoIP Watch.

Source: www.voip-news.com

There’s a new mobile VoIP service available from MediaRing. Read about it on The VoIP Weblog.

Backtrack 3 is out and there are some new VoIP security tools. SIPvicious tells you about what’s out there and where to find it. Read it here.

If you are using the VoxSwap social network, you now have two new features: video and Skype. Read about it on the VoIP News of the UK.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

1. How much does the iPhone really cost?
2. How much will my new service cost?
3. What’s the deal on upgrades?
4. How does the GPS work?
5. What’s inside the box?
6. What the heck is MobileMe?
7. What can I do with my old iPhone?
8. When is it available?
9. What’s AT&T’s return policy?
10. I’m a Verizon customer.  Can I use the iPhone on their network?

Read all about it- and more over at Gizmodo.

Great job GizGuys!