Source: www.voip-news.com

VoIP & Gadgets Blog has news about a great offer for Mac users who want to Skype – Free access!

Gigaom takes on building a phone system for your business — for free or almost for free.

Vyke has joined forces with Nimbuzz. Read about it on VoIP News of the UK.

Source: www.voip-news.com

MAC1 Industries Corp has merged with Tycoon Industries, the company formerly known as Tycoon Telecom.

“This is a great day for both companies, our technology, know-how, and intellectual properties that we are bringing to the table to MAC1 will greatly enhance the overall company value of MAC1 and directly increase shareholder value. Most importantly, Tycoon Industries’ financial strength will boost MAC1’s credit worthiness and financial abilities,” stated Mr. Benchimol upon the execution of the merger documents. Tycoon Industries’ D&B credit rating of 1A3 evidences strong sales for 2008 and 2009. Tycoon is projecting $40 million sales for 2009 on mobile VoIP and trading of cellular handsets. Mr. Benchimol went on to say that the merger will prove to be beneficial largely due to the correlation between the two companies. Both companies utilize, advocate, and distribute green technologies.

According to the companies:

According to in-house counsel and director of business development, Eddie Nurieli, Esq. the stock exchange of Mr. Abecassis’ shares were made as a strategic move for the benefit of MAC1 and its shareholders to prevent dilution of the stocks. New board members will be installed from both entities to solidify the board of directors. According to Mr. Nurieli, in the forthcoming weeks, MAC1 will file with FINRA an application for the issuance of a new symbol and name change, and additional information will be released and a new symbol will be issued, representing MAC1 Industries as the parent company of Tycoon Industries, LLC.

Source: www.voip-news.com

There is a new version of Skype for Mac users available. Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac includes several new features like Skype Access, a worldwide, pay per minute Wi-Fi hotspot access service.

“The goal of the major new features in Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac is to makes Skype easier to use everywhere,” said Scott Durchslag, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer. “Skype Access is perfect for those times when you need to make a few Skype calls or send some instant messages or emails while you’re on the go, and screen sharing is a productivity tool that enables collaboration between two parties, regardless of their location.”

According to Skype:

Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac newly incorporates a number of other nice Skype features:

* Improved chat management: you can sort chats in the drawer and set priorities to chats
* Quick Add: it’s now much easier to add people to chats
* Mood message chat: see mood message updates from your friends as chat messages
* Large profile pictures: just like Skype 4.0 Beta 2 for Windows, you can now use images of up to 256 x 256 pixels
* Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests: a small minority of Skype users have profile pictures which others may find unpleasant, and so they’re now hidden by default in contact requests
* Add notes to contacts: you can add notes to a contact in their profile window – handy for keeping track of who’s who.

Source: www.voip-news.com

If you use an iPhone and are interested in what mobile VoIP can offer, then you probably have heard of Fring. Fring is not only one of the few providers that offer a VoIP program for the iPhone, but it’s also a service that can aggragate your content from several IM programs — simplifying your online presence.

But does it work, and does it work well? That’s a good question. Macworld recently reviewed Fring, saying that it struggles as both an instant messaging program and as a VoIP program. It’s not terrible, but it’s not perfect yet either.

According to Macworld:

One issue to consider, though I don’t consider it a negative by any means, is that Fring requires a Wi-Fi connection to make calls. You can’t connect via an over the air signal, be it Edge or 3G, so this isn’t an app that you’ll have good luck with in the field. For use at home or the office, however, it works relatively well. If you don’t have that many minutes in your plan, it might save you some money. If you plan on doing any International traveling, where both voice and data rates on the iPhone are Trump-level expensive, Fring can save you a small fortune in phone bills. And of course, for iPod touch users, it’s a transformational program.

Yet Fring has two major drawbacks when it comes to VoIP, and both are doozies: quality and reliability. Testing calls back-to-back against a desktop version of Skype running on the same Wi-Fi network, I found that call clarity suffered noticeably on the handset. Fring was much more likely to sound digital, with more distortion and “stuttering” due to latency than when I called the same numbers over the same network connection using Skype and a headset.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Gamacom will soon be able to offer internet, VoIP, video and data services thanks to a new contract it just signed. Brightstar Corp. just inked a deal to provide Redline’s RedMAX WiMAX systems in Central Peru.

“Brightstar, a distributor of Redline WiMAX technology, was awarded the contract to provide WiMAX systems to Gamacom as a result of both companies’ commitment to WiMAX interoperability. Additionally, Brightstar’s significant local presence, as well as its global reach and extensive distribution capabilities were critical factors in our decision,” said Carlos Vizcarra Coz, President of Gamacom.

According to the companies:

The Peruvian government will finance 70 percent of the project through the FITEL fund, Peru’s national telecommunications investment fund, which dedicates a percentage of the revenues of the country’s telecommunications companies to develop communications systems in rural regions. Total investment for the initial project will be approximately USD $450,000.

Source: www.voip-news.com

When: Jan. 5-9, 2009
Where: The Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
What: MacWorld 2009

MacWorld is coming! Macworld is coming!

Whether it’s Nikon’s digital SLR cameras that you lust over or NETGEAR’s routers, or even just knowledge (UNIX scripting, anyone?), then Macworld has something for you. The massive conference will span dozens of topics and themes and includeds so many exhibitors that you will go cross-eyed reading the list.

Check it all out here.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Mac and Linux users can now make computer to phone VoIP calls with Raketu’s RakOut WebPhone. The program is in beta. The service doesn’t require any downloading.

To try the service, go to http://www.raketu.com/rakoutweb.html.

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: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

I’ve been a long time .Mac user.  And now with introduction of MobileMe and the new @me.com naming convention, here’s your chance to get in early on having a great email address name.

For me, .Mac has been great place to store content and have an alternative email address (or an alias) when needed.

Now with the changeover to the .Me platform, if you are a .Mac user,
don’t forget that you get an additional 5 alias addresses. 

If you want to get a new alias address, think about what might go well with yourname@me.com.

And if you are not a .Mac user and want to become one soon, sign up now, and create a great name for yourself!

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Carolyn Schuk is no stranger to the VoIP world and her VoIPPrincess blog is going to be one to keep tabs on.

Yesterday she gave a butt whoopin’ to both Yahoo and Jaja…I can only wonder what she’s going to say to AOL!!!

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

According to news site, MacRumors.com, AT&T is giving free WiFi access to iPhone users just by entering in your cell phone number.

I can’t substantiate this because I am already an AT&T customer on the U-verse side, so I get free WiFi by default.

See story and photo here.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

According to this report, the consumer version of Microsoft Messenger 4 Mac is hardly worth downloading.