Source: www.voip-news.com

VoIP Watch says that Google Voice is going to support local number portability. YAY! That’s a good move on their part.

Smith on VoIP wonders which you’d prefer: good service or good pricing for VoIP … since you just can’t have both. Or can you?

A new smartphone that supports Skype video conferencing? Yep. Elektrobit MID Reference Device does that. Read about it on VoIP & Gadgets Blog.

Source: www.voip-news.com

KT Networks is adding a new VoIP feature to its Windows Mobile smartphone. The company is using HD voice technology from Global IP Solutions.

“We knew it was necessary to use a VoIP product for KT Networks’ smartphone that would provide our customers with superior voice quality, especially under challenged network conditions. GIPS was able to handle all the complex voice processing tasks that met KT Networks exacting standards,” said Kim Young-Joo, Vice President, KT Networks. “KT Networks is a company that creates value for our customers and we are committed to developing high-quality products that exceed our customers’ expectations.”

According to the companies:

GIPS VoiceEngine can provide HD voice quality on mobile phones enabling clear, consistent conversation in addition to optimizing bandwidth on congested networks. GIPS has set the standard for the industry’s highest level of voice quality over IP networks. The Company’s cutting-edge technology for processing real-time voice and video over IP is used globally by hundreds of millions of users every day.

“KT Networks is a company with a reputation for excellence. By selecting GIPS VoiceEngine technology, KT Networks has validated the quality of GIPS’ products above all our competitors,” said GIPS Chief Executive Officer, Emerick Woods. “Here at GIPS our customers are the first priority and we always strive to deliver the best products and services to them. Our technology and skills will enable KT Networks to clearly differentiate themselves from the competition by providing HD voice capabilities on a mobile phone.”

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

AT&T has  announced the launch of the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8110 smartphone, which includes built-in global positioning system (GPS) support for location-based applications and services. Combined with navigation and mapping applications such as AT&T Navigator, the handset provides turn-by-turn voice and on-screen directions with colorful 3-D moving maps that can be used in vehicles or while walking. AT&T Navigator also alerts users through voice and on-screen prompts to traffic slowdowns and incidents along their programmed travel route, and it provides customers with the option to choose an alternative route.

3Screens News Summary:

• The small and stylish BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone from AT&T measures just 4.2 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.5 inches, weighs approximately 3.2 ounces and is available in a glossy titanium or rich red finish.
• It features the popular BlackBerry e-mail and messaging capabilities, including RIM’s SureType® QWERTY keyboard system for easy typing and phone dialing — enhanced with word completion and a spell-checker with a user-customized dictionary. The smartphone features a display that supports more than 65,000 colors and automatically adjusts brightness based on surrounding light levels. The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 also is the first BlackBerry that enables users to wirelessly download AT&T’s popular — and free — YELLOWPAGES.COM Mobile application directly from an icon on the smartphone.
• Customers can easily find and map local businesses, save favorite listings and get step-by-step directions to or from any location.
• The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 also features impressive multimedia capabilities, including an advanced media player that is ideal for users who want easy access to music and videos while on the go. It also includes a 2-megapixel camera that supports video recording,1 a 3.5-mm stereo headset jack, externally accessible microSD™/SDHC memory slot for additional storage, high speed USB and Bluetooth® 2.0 with support for headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth accessories.
• The global capabilities of the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone from AT&T utilizes AT&T’s industry-best domestic and international wide area wireless data coverage.
• The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is powered by AT&T’s nationwide2 EDGE network — the largest high speed national wireless data network in the U.S. — with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along almost 40,000 miles of major highways.
• The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 can also keep users who are abroad connected with wireless e-mail, Internet access and other mobile applications through data services in more countries than any other U.S. carrier, with data-roaming in more than 145 countries.
• Customers can also use the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 to make or receive voice calls in more than 200 countries.

Pricing and Availability

The new BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone from AT&T is available now at AT&T retail stores nationwide, via and through AT&T’s business-to-business sales teams for as low as $149.99, with a two-year contract, unlimited data plan and $39.99 voice plan. Customers who want personal e-mail access and Web browsing with BlackBerry® Internet Service can choose the BlackBerry Personal Unlimited data plan for as low as $30 a month with a qualified voice contract. Unlimited corporate e-mail and data access via BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® Professional Software are available for as low as $45 a month when a qualified voice plan is also chosen. Customers who travel overseas can select the BlackBerry International Unlimited data plan for as low as $65 a month with a qualified voice plan. AT&T Navigator requires a separate subscription of $9.99 a month.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 also supports AT&T Mobile Music subscription services and AT&T unlimited Push To Talk for walkie-talkie-like communications; both services are an additional $9.99 a month with a qualifying voice plan. Small business customers also can couple their BlackBerry data plans with AT&T’s new BusinessTalk voice plans, which start at $60 a month for five users and 700 Anytime Minutes and can be expanded for $9.99 a line to accommodate up to 40 users and 20,000 Anytime Minutes. When combined with BlackBerry Professional Software, BusinessTalk provides small businesses with a complete voice and data solution. Companies may also choose BusinessTalk with either unlimited Mobile to Mobile or Push To Talk features.

Source: goebel.net

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Qik is one of the greatest mobile internet applications I know. You just start the software on a Nokia N95, and yet you are broadcasting live video to everyone over the internet. Have a look at my company’s Qik stream at Mogulus if you want to see the next transmission.

I immediately thought that this kind of live video broadcast is the last feature that’s missing on Nokia’s social platform Ovi. There you can already share photos, videos, comments and blog entries in more than 100 file formats. "We support nearly every existing file format, said Serena Glover, Director Service Operations, Connect New Experiences at Nokia and ex CEO of Twango in an interview with me at the Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona. But Ovi always keeps you waiting for your friends to upload a new video. You can’t just tune when it’s still being filmed. It feels more like Blockbuster video than real television. Unlike Qik, which lets you broadcast and see events while they are still happening.

"Absolutely! Qik should be a part of Ovi", therefore said Qik’s VP Marketing and co-founder Bhaskar Roy when we talked in Barcelona. He also related how venture capitalists are competing to do his company’s second round of funding. Our chat was very interesting and insightful. Who had thought that this Silicon Valley company is mostly based in Russia? While India born Bhaskar and his friend Ramu Sunkara run Qik together with some other Stanford graduates from the Californian city of Santa Clara, most of their employees live and work in Moscow. Nilolay Abkairov, who was a former speech codec developer for Skype mobile, and his team are busily porting Qik to all smartphone platforms.

His friend Alexi handles the video streaming issues, which make use of quite nifty technologies: The handset shoots the video as MPEG4 and immediately streams it as H.263 over a 3G or Wifi connection to Qik’s server. There it’s being transcoded into Flash for Qik’s website or into a Realvideo stream for mobile handsets. "Qik is developing a new live streaming to other mobile handsets, says Bhaskar. "You won’t even need a browser to watch a livestream. We send a Realvideo stream directly to your friends’ cell phones."

So soon the cell phone will not only be a camera but also a tv set. Everyone is a sender and a receiver at the same time if he has the right handset. "Qik works on all S60 platforms and a version for UIQ is in development, says Bhaskar. "A version for Windows Mobile will be launched soon. Their aim is to make Qik work on every possible camera phone. That’s why the team in Santa Clara is also developing a Java client for cheaper handsets. They even tested Qik successfully on phones with just 100 Megahertz CPU and only an EDGE connection to the mobile internet. "Qik consist of a layer that’s different for every platform and a platform independent layer, explains Bhaskar. "That’s why it takes only some weeks to port Qik to a new platform."

So while the future looks technologically bright for Qik, I asked Bhaskar how his company wants to earn money. Until now the service is free and Nokia hasn’t made an offer yet. "In this year we will only concentrate on consumer acquisition, is his answer. Advertising on Qik’s website would be easy to implement, like Google does it on Youtube. Also companies could sponsor certain channels on the website. "We could also offer value added services for very cheap prices like $1 per month", says Bhaskar. As an example for a premium service he mentions privacy. Until now every video appears directly on Qik’s starting page as soon as you activate the camera. Every stranger can see it until you switch off or hit the "0 key.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Los Angeles, CA [ January 14, 2008 ]
IVR Technologies, Inc., a leading software developer of IP enhanced services and real-time billing solutions, announced today that they have released several Windows Mobile® Smartphone applications for use with Talking SIP, their fully integrated application, media and billing server. The Smartphone applications integrate tightly and seamlessly into Windows Mobile® 6 powered devices and facilitate calling card and callback calls in order to realize significant cost savings over typically exorbitant mobile international long distance rates. The Smartphone Calling Card and Callback applications are just some of the many in-demand and innovative services offered by the popular and globally deployed Talking SIP solution that drives revenue and higher margin to service providers’ networks.

Today’s mobile calling plans offer economical local and domestic calling plans while international long distance calling is still prohibitively expensive – especially when roaming. Unfortunately, more cost-effective solutions for mobile users, such as calling cards and fixed-mobile convergence, are cumbersome and protract the calling process. On the other hand, the Smartphone applications provide an extremely simple and straightforward way to make long distance calls while, at the same time, realizing significant cost savings.

A User accesses the Smartphone Calling Card and Callback applications through a voice tag, speed dial, or through the Windows® Start menu. Simply select the desired destination party directly from the Contact list or by direct dialing the number to initiate the calling card or callback request. With the calling card application the call is made immediately and the application handles the sending of caller authentication, login and destination information. With the callback application, after the request has been made, in mere seconds the mobile subscriber’s phone will ring and he will be connected to the desired party. By offering applications that are so tightly integrated into the phone, mobile users can now make international long distance calls in the same manner – and with the same quality – as regular calls but at significantly lower cost. In addition, next-generation service providers are able to drive additional revenue and margin to their networks by capturing long distance traffic that is currently being serviced by mobile carriers. The Talking SIP solution can service calling card and callback requests from mobile subscribers located anywhere in the world – thus removing any and all geographic boundaries to the service provider’s target market.
More info at web site http://www.ivr.com.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

A La Mobile, a San Ramon, CA has deployed Google’s Android platform into an HTC Qtek 9090 smartphone. The company says it is the first functioning Android-based handset.
La Mobile, included in the suite of applications a Google browser, phone dialer, audio player, maps, camera, games, calendar, contacts manager, calculator, tasks manager and notes. “While mobile Linux has made steady progress in the industry since 2006, Google’s advocacy with the unveiling of the Android framework further substantiates the position of Linux as a major mobile operating system alongside Windows Mobile and Symbian,” a la Mobile’s president and CEO Pauline Lo Alker said in a statement.

Following is the complete press release by the company.

a la Mobile Demonstrates Android Platform on HTC Qtek 9090 Smartphone

Featuring Smartphone Applications Developed by a la Mobile and the Open Source Community

SAN RAMON, Calif., January 14, 2008 a la Mobile, Inc.,
a la Mobile, Inc., the leading Linux systems platform and open source technology company for mobile devices, today announced the support of Google Android with the industry’s first demonstration of applications based on the open source Android application framework, running on HTC’s Qtek 9090 advanced smartphone. The demonstrated applications, some with enhanced graphical user interface (GUI) developed by a la Mobile, include: browser, phone dialer, audio player, maps, camera, games, calendar, contacts manager, calculator, tasks manager and notes.

Dispelling the Mystery of Android

"While mobile Linux has made steady progress in the industry since 2006, Google’s advocacy with the unveiling of the Android framework further substantiates the position of Linux as a major mobile operating system alongside Windows Mobile and Symbian," said Pauline Lo Alker, President and CEO of a la Mobile, Inc. "However, despite the market enthusiasm about Google Android, many questions remain concerning the technical details, and skepticism exists concerning its readiness. As the leader in mobile Linux, we believe it is our responsibility to take the initiative to allay the ‘mystery’ and dispel any skepticism surrounding Android by first demonstrating a complete mobile Linux system stack, including drivers, middleware, and a suite of Android-based applications running on an existing advanced smartphone manufactured by one of the premier handset vendors in the market."

Building a Complete Mobile Device System Stack

A Linux application platform for mobile devices, Android provides a framework and Application Program Interfaces (APIs) to enable third-party developers to create applications based on a ‘unified application standard.’ While Android’s impending official release of the source code is a great stimulant for popular adoption of Linux and a good platform that enables application interoperability among various mobile devices, it is not an off-the-shelf complete software stack.

A complete system solution for mobile devices consists of numerous software components, including: device drivers, Linux kernel, system utilities, mobile middleware (such as security, device management, provisioning, etc.), an application framework (such as Android) that supports JAVA services, browser, and miscellaneous applications for the end device.

"Despite the open-source nature of the Android framework, developing a complete mobile system solution with customized, differentiated features continues to present major technical challenges requiring considerable time, effort, and resources — a barrier and reach beyond the scope of many handset vendors," continues Alker. "Our mission is to remove the complexity for handset vendors and mobile operators to enable them to accelerate their device time-to-market, ensure high quality while reducing total development and device costs. The experience we have gained in putting together this demo will enable us to trim a device’s time-to-market by at least half!"

"The wireless industry is preparing itself for the growth in the use of Linux as the operating system for smartphones" said Bill Hughes, Principal Analyst with In-Stat. "Some industry participants are seeking to offer mobile Linux platforms that are only partially ‘open,’ with key interfaces being kept proprietary. In contrast, a la Mobile is pursuing mobile solutions that are open and support third-party application developers and network partners to provide solutions that apply across multiple platforms. a la Mobile’s demonstration of the Android framework on an actual smart device is a concrete example of this vision put into practice. Such efforts support the growth predictions In-Stat has made about the smartphone industry as a whole and the mobile Linux platform in particular."

Founded in 2005, a la Mobile has already established itself as the leader in developing and delivering one-stop, commercial-grade complete Linux system stacks for mobile devices: integrated, customized, certified, supported and maintained. The Company’s first Linux system offering – Convergent Linux Platform (CLP) version 1.0 – based on the Qt application framework by Trolltech, was first introduced in 2006 and adopted by several handset vendors.

For Inquiries and Requests for Demonstrations, please contact:
Margie Gong
+1 (925) 242-2008
mgong@a-la-mobile.com

Source: voipcentral.org

Laptop-maker Toshiba has entered into VoIP bandwagon with its two latest VoIP phones, G500 and G900.

G500: It is a slider phone with a two-mega pixel camera. It has a 2.3 inch TFT screen. It possesses 3G capabilities and supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and MP3/ACC. It has VoIP and WiFi functionality. It weighs 135g.

G500 is equipped with strong security feature like Toshiba laptops. There is a fingerprint scanner in the phone. The scanner uses fingerprint for authentication. The device will be available by the end of this month for 300.

G900: It is a Smartphone. It includes G500 features such as two-mega pixel camera, 3G capabilities, VoIP and WiFi support. The additional features are Windows Mobile 6, QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen.

It comes with a three inch TFT screen and weights around 198 grams, which is heavier as compared to G500. The company has not disclosed its price or release date.

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