Oh Mother!

Oh yea, baby. That’s what I’m talking about.

Intel is working on four new motherboards that will feature a wake when VoIP rings feature. Nice. So you can let your computer sleep without worrying about missing phone calls. Talk about good news in a trying financial time — after all, energy costs are on the rise.

According to ExtremeTech:

The new addition to the technology is the ability for a VOiP call to wake up the PC, a feature that’s obviously geared toward Skype and other VoIP providers. VoIP provider Jajah announced support for the technology. However, both Orb Networks and CyberLink did as well, evidence that Remote Wake will be used for media management, such as recording TV shows, in addition.

Intel spokesman George Alfs confirmed the capability, and named the motherboards, which use either the G45 or G43 chipset: the DG45FC, the DG45ID, the DG43NB, and the DP43TF. Mor details on the new boards may be found at Intel’s Web site.

Published on August 14th, 2008 under MOT, T

U-verse Voice Apty Named, U-verse Voice. Sort of Like Having A Residential PBX That You Manage and Control With Your TV Remote Control or Your Computer

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Today, I had a demo of U-verse Voice, AT&T’s consumer VoIP phone service.

Where AT&T’s U-verse Voice stands out is in its integration under the U-verse brand name and its robust services.

You have to re-think the way you use your phone because your new world being delivered is through your big screen and / or on your computer- and not your phone.

The functionality of the phone (making and receiving calls) stays in place, just like it has since the day that Alexander Graham Bell told his assistant to come into the room.

I think the service is important for several reasons:

1. It gives AT&T a compelling reason for consumers keep their residential land lines even though trends show that while AT&T’s wireless business continues to grow, the residential land line business is slowly declining.

2. If you have a home based business and need a land line phone, then this type of service lets you combine the best of both worlds with having a central portal in which to manage your calls both at home and away from your home office.

3. It further differentiates itself away from cable and satellite.

TV is the center of millions of American’s digital lives. Now with voice being integrated as part of your TV service’s user-interface, the nature of, and the way you think of and mange "voice" totally changes.

Yes, a phone is a phone is a phone. But now the phone itself become secondary to the real value of managing and controlling your family’s voice services.

4. It becomes a precursor to having what will one day be some similar to a small-scale enterprise network in your home. (Think HomePNA and ultimately G.hn)

No matter where you work, chances are your company is on some type of enterprise network. The bigger the company, the more complex and carrier grade your network might be. Something similar is evolving in the home: you now have voice, data and video over one phone line that is being trafficked and managed by the phone company.

Coming soon: my own real world review.

I’ve decided to order my service and once its up and going, look for a future post (hopefully next week) once I have had a chance to play with it.

Published on August 4th, 2008 under GE, ICE, MOT, PBX, S, T, TV, U-Verse, Voice

Remotes Working. All is Good.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

6:30 PM CST

Ok— so the remotes are now working. So, all is good.

I remain baffled as to how they scheduled me service call for August 16 and how they dispatched the call to another technician who was on vacation this week.

Regardless, a few phone calls later, it did get fixed, though 2 hours late.

Published on June 23rd, 2008 under MOT, S, T

AT&T Helps Connect Military Families for Mother’s Day, Supports the USO and Military Moms with Free Phone Calls

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

AT&T will donate more than 30,000 prepaid phone cards in 2008, with a retail value of more than $200,000, to be distributed to military personnel stationed overseas with the help of the USO. This donation builds on more than 85 years of AT&T support for U.S. military families and a 20-year partnership with the USO. The company also recently provided a $315,000 sponsorship to support USO events and entertainment tours in 2008.

The donation program will begin with the first 10,000 prepaid cards distributed on overseas military bases and during USO entertainment tours slated for the weeks surrounding Mother’s Day. According to AT&T, this donation is in honor of U.S. military moms, whether they are on active duty or whether they have a son, daughter, husband or loved one who is actively serving.

In the coming weeks, the USO will help AT&T distribute the first 10,000 phone cards to troops throughout Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Italy and Germany, including personally handing cards to wounded military members at Landsthul Regional Medical Center. Each donated phone card will provide military members with 20 minutes of free talk time from Iraq to the U.S.

The donation builds on AT&T’s commitment to help keep military families connected: In the past two years, AT&T has donated prepaid phone cards with a retail value of over $4 million to help support U.S. military members and their families. In the past 20 years, AT&T has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the USO in support of the Operation USO Care Package and USO Operation Phone Home® programs as well as USO entertainment tours; and has helped the USO boost troop morale through funding regional operations in Europe, Southwest Asia and the Pacific.

Since 1941, the USO has provided morale, welfare and recreation-type programs and services to enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families around the world. The USO currently operates more than 130 centers, including 10 mobile canteens, offering free Internet and e-mail access, prepaid international phone cards, entertainment and lounge areas, libraries, travel assistance and refreshments. USO entertainment tours bring celebrity volunteers to entertain and lift the morale of troops and to express the gratitude and support of the American people.

For more than 85 years, AT&T has remained dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions, sponsorships, the hiring of military veterans and maintaining policies that support reservists who are called to duty. Since 2000, AT&T has donated free prepaid phone cards with a retail value of nearly $8 million to military members and has provided nearly $6 million in grants that support military members and related nonprofit organizations. The company has also built 70 calling centers for military members stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, so that they may stay in touch with their families.