Source: www.voip-news.com

The new Packet8/Microsoft Response Point small business phone solution was awarded Best In Show at Technology Marketing Corporation’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West 2008, for Best SMB Solution.

To read more about the solution, click here.

“The presence of outstanding companies like 8×8, Inc. with their award winning solutions help to validate ITEXPO’s status as the leading forum for the VoIP and IP communications industry,” said TMC President and Conference Chairman, Rich Tehrani. “Service providers, enterprise buyers, developers, and resellers come to ITEXPO, because they know they’ll find solutions, from innovative companies like 8×8 that can help their businesses today.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

There is now a conference phone available for the Microsoft Response Point phone system. ClearOne’s MAX IP Response point system offers high performance audio quality.

“ClearOne is a market leader in high performance group audio and we are excited to offer Response Point users a quality phone conferencing system,” said Xuedong Huang, General Manager, Microsoft Response Point. “The MAX IP Response Point from ClearOne is a great option for small businesses who want advanced conferencing capabilities.”

According to the company:

MAX IP Response Point contains ClearOne’s sophisticated HDConference(TM) advanced audio processing technologies. Originally developed for professional conferencing systems, HDConference produces crystal-clear audio through technologies such as Distributed Echo Cancellation(TM), noise cancellation, full-duplex audio, first microphone priority, adaptive modeling, and ClearEffect(TM). By simply pressing the blue Response Point button on the phone’s keypad, users are instantly connected to the voice-activated phone system.

“We are extremely happy to be first to market with a conference phone developed for Microsoft’s Response Point phone system,” said Zee Hakimoglu, CEO at ClearOne. “Small businesses comprise the vast majority of U.S. enterprises and the Response Point phone system brings these business owners tremendous cost, performance, and support benefits. The MAX IP Response Point conference phone is the perfect add-on to these systems, giving businesses a powerful audio collaboration tool. We look forward to working with the Microsoft small business channel partners to bring the MAX IP Response Point conference phone into this growing market ecosystem.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

Microsoft and 8×8 Inc. have created an agreement to allow 8×8’s Packet8 to be used for Microsoft’s Response Point small business phone system.

“We are very pleased to provision Packet8’s broadband agnostic VoIP phone service for Microsoft’s innovative Response Point platform,” said 8×8 chairman and CEO Bryan Martin. “Our combined solution will allow small businesses, regardless of location or network configuration, to experience the benefits of advanced IP telephony technology while dramatically reducing recurring monthly phone charges. With accessible and compelling telecommunications alternatives like this, no company should feel forced to settle for inadequate, high priced or overly complex telephony systems from legacy telecom providers.”

The two companies plan to jointly market the solution.

“As a leader in VOIP telephony, 8×8 has been providing small businesses with affordable, easy-to-use voice services that match the needs of Microsoft Response Point customers,” said Xuedong Huang, general manager for Microsoft Response Point. “Businesses choosing the Microsoft Response Point phone system with Packet8 service are assured reliable, high quality, fully compliant phone service provisioned by one of the industry’s most respected VoIP providers.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

Microsoft Corp. has released Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1) for the general public. SP1 can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint.

“Small businesses want the same powerful, productive and cost-saving features that big businesses enjoy, but tailored to their needs,” said Xuedong Huang, general manager of Microsoft Response Point. “By aligning with industry-leading vendors, SP1 delivers improved performance with many new features like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calling, in a complete phone system that can help small businesses and channel partners grow their businesses.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

Milk, butter, eggs . . . VoIP?

Costco.com, the online division of the warehouse club, has begun selling Microsoft Response Point. Well, not exactly. Actually, it’s carrying Syspine Digital Operator Phone System, which has Response Point software.

“A small-business owner does a little of everything — CEO, accountant and IT trouble-shooter — all before lunch,” said Richard Sprague, senior director, Response Point at Microsoft Corp. “Costco.com’s easy online purchase process, combined with Response Point’s easy setup and intuitive magic blue button for voice dialing, gives the small-business owner another easy way to gain a powerful communications tool to help grow his or her business.”

According to Microsoft:

The Syspine Digital Operator Phone System with Response Point features a powerful voice-recognition system that can be linked with a company’s internal phone directory, as well as an individual’s Microsoft Office Outlook address book. Syspine includes a base unit appliance with a four phone-line analog telephone adapter, four desktop phones and Response Point phone system software. Businesses can add up to 50 individual Syspine IP310 business phones to create a complete, integrated small-business phone system with no additional licensing fees.

“The Syspine Digital Operator Phone System has been a real hit with small businesses, and this new relationship with Costco.com will offer prospective users yet another easy purchase method,” said Mike Yang, Vice President of Quanta Computer, Inc. “We are very pleased and fortunate to be associated with such a respected and reputable company like Costco.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

Microsoft Response Point is gettings its first feature up date in Service Pack 1. The download will hit this summer and improve VoIP phone service on Response Point phone systems.

“Small businesses rely heavily on the phone to communicate with customers and want a solution that allows them to reliably reach as many customers as possible at a low cost,” said Xuedong Huang, general manager for Response Point at Microsoft. “Response Point SP1 will make it easy to transition from traditional analog service to the promise of digital voice services.”

Response Point SP1 allows small businesses to supplement phone service with VoIP without requiring telephony expertise. It will also allow businesses to retain local telephone numbers that can be used in remote locations.

“Response Point is a great complement to our portfolio of enterprise and enterprise IP communications products,” said Yves Laliberté, executive vice president at Aastra. “We chose to incorporate Response Point into our line because we believe that Microsoft has done a very good job of designing the software from the ground up to address the unique needs of small businesses and it will be well supported by Microsoft’s channel partners. The integration of Response Point’s system software with our scalable and flexible corded and wireless SIP phones will allow us to offer compelling desktop and mobility solution to small-business customers.”

Source: voipcentral.org

Microsoft has made a beta release of a new IP-based phone system, code-named as Response Point, which will work as an alternative to the PBX solutions and provide small and mid-sized business enterprises a number of VoIP functions including voice mail, auto attendant, voice recognition and voice-activated user interface.

The Response Point can also be dubbed as Microsoft IP PBX software, which will support the devices such as D-Link DVX-2000, Quanta Syspine and Uniden Evolo. The software giant is now discussing with these hardware companies.

Based on Micorsofts upcoming Office Communications Server 2007, the Response Point handsets will support SIP VoIP, Instant Messaging, Presence and Conference Server. It also supports Microsofts Office Communication soft clients.

The latest PBX software also enables customers to configure new phone lines or set up call distribution lists that direct incoming calls to certain lines.

Response Point-enabled phones will also be programmable to auto-dial other internal phone lines or numbers from a users Outlook contact list.

Microsoft plans to official release the new IP-Phone system by the end of this year.