According to Paul D. Kretkowski, Voice 2.0 is an umbrella term for a loosely defined set of technologies and ideas that let people transmit voice, data, video and instant messages via IP, anytime, from anywhere. It also implies a world where users, rather than a central authority, will have much greater control over who they communicate with, how and when. He says that the Voice 2.0 applications would bring down telecom bills significantly. However, the implication of Voice 2.0 applications needs a lot of hard works and efforts. Some of the technocrats consider that we are in the Voice 2.0 era. Andy has asserted that we are in the Voice 3.0 Era. He claims, In essence I think we are headed to Voice 3.0, which as pal Jeff Bonforte at Yahoo likes to say, brings 2.0 approaches to a 1.0 world. In my interpretation that’s taking Yahoo Voice or AIM PhoneLine and all they have to offer and applying them to a 1.0 world. That’s where friend and client David Beckemeyer’s PhoneGnome falls in my book. I would have previously thought of them as a 2.0 solution but really PhoneGnome is in the space of bridging both worlds and providing the first and true Voice 3.0 solution even before 2.0 was fully baked.
Skype to charge more fees from customers
After reading the headline, you might think that I am repeating Skype’s recently announced annual fee plan for the unlimited calling offer. You are wrong. Here I am talking about the new price structure of Skype, which is to be introduced January next year. Come New Year, Skype will be pricey for you than before. You will have to pay more for the SkypeOut calls and even connection fees for the calls using Skype services, the new price structure explains. According to TMCnet, eBay-owned Skype has announced a new pricing structure for its SkypeOut calling plan worldwide that include a connection fee for users. It would be implemented during the mid of January next year. Under the new plan, the subscribers need to pay a connection fee of 0-0.039 euros per calls. It will be in affect from 18th January 2007. However, the calls between Skype to Skype would remain free. The company will disclose a detailed price structure very soon.
Vonics intros WorldFone VoIP service
As this site says, Vonics goes big. In fact it is. The California-based telecom giant has made a distinction in the VoIP market for its innovative VoIP service. Vonics has come up with a new kind of VoIP service ‘WorldFone’ to lure the customers ahead of holiday season. WorldFone as the name suggests enables the US customers to connect the world in low cost VoIP calls. Under WorldFone plan, Vonics provides US customers two telephone numbers, a local phone number and second number can be selected from any of 37 foreign countries including Pakistan, Mexico, Germany and Israel etc. With WorldFone, the customers can make unlimited calls within USA and outside USA. Suppose you want to contact any USA friends, simply select an USA number and go with that. Select international phone numbers to call your foreign friends. There are 300 US area codes in WorldFone list covering major areas of USA. It comes for $29.99 per month. In the second category, there are telephony numbers from a selection of 37 countries. Vonics CEO Babar Hamirani has rightly pointed out, This time of year is a special time throughout the world. Families come together and just reaching out to say hello to a loved one overseas takes on special meaning. Because we don’t have to think like a regular phone company, we don’t! Our WorldFone service is making it that much easier for friends and families to communicate.
Firebox announces availability of VoIP Cyberphone
See the image above. It is the latest version of VoIP Cyberphone that stands unique in the current VoIP market because of its elegant design and unique features. The corded phone comes with a cradle, which we rarely find in other VoIP phones. Firebox has added a number of features in Cyberphone to make it a perfect Skype phone. The handheld device is now available in the market, reports VoIPweblog. It is a fully functional USB-powered telephone equipped with Skype software to enable users to make free VoIP calls to other VoIP Cyberphone users. However, you have to make a small payment to call landline users. There is no LCD screen in Firebox VoIP Cyberphone due to which it is a cheap phone. Generally, almost all the VoIP phones that are available in the market have LCD screen. The features of VoIP Cyberphone are WAV ring tones to screen inbound calls, voice and name recognition for outbound calls, speakerphone to make hands free calls. The last but not the least is free SkypeOut calls for thirty minutes and free Skype Voicemail for two months.
New Worm finds its room in Skype Chat
Until now, we have learnt that Skype is the most effective communication tool that connects us with our friends and relatives of a distant land. However, the security experts at Websense have made a startling revelation that a new worm is traversing computers through Skype Chat. The Skype Worm was first found in Korea, although there is no clear-cut figure regarding the number of computers that have been infected by the new worm. The Websense Security Labs is looking into the matter. The new worm appears as a message via Skype Chat prompting users to download and run a file called sp.exe. When the user opens the file, it sets a password stealing Trojan horse, which sets off separate codes to spread the worm. WebSense confirms the Skype worm appears to be encrypted with NTKrnl Secure Suite Packer that makes the files packaged look unique to various detection engines. The worm steals passwords and other personal information stored at the host computer. More
Nokia to launch E65 WiFi VoIP phone
Nokia will launch its much-hyped E65 WiFi VoIP Smartphone in the second or third half of year. Its photos have been leaked on the web indicating right time to make some pre-review of the device. The E65 is a slider form factor handset with new buttons on the front that are designed for making VoIP calls. Yes, it has WiFi support. It means you can make VoIP calls without requiring an operator network. Come to its basic features. The latest device has a 2 megapixel camera (like other Smartphones). It is slim (1.4cm) and has a RAZR thin slider. The additional features include 70mb of internal memory, high-resolution 352×416 display, microSD/TransFlash card slot, 3G/WCDMA/UMTS support and USB 2.0. Ohh, I forget to tell you that it is operating on Symbian OS.
Iotum Talk-Now requires beta testers
Smith has informed me that Iotum,the Voice 2.0 company is now seeking beta users for its latest product Iotum Talk-Now. The striking feature of Talk-Now is that it can share your contact specific availability to let people know when to reach. It shows the personalized availability of your favored contacts. It also notify you the status of a contact. The Blackberry 8700 and PEARL users can sign up here for the beta test.
Vonage enters into WiFi deal with EarthLink
Vonage has entered into a three-year deal with EarthLink to provide its VoIP services using EarthLink’s citywide WiFi infrastructure. As per the deal, VoIP giant will purchase Internet access from EarthLink on a wholesale basis in cities where EarthLink has built a citywide WiFi network. Vonage would sell them under its own brand in any market where EarthLink has such a network. At present, EarthLink’s WiFi service is available in three markets, Anaheim, Calif., Milpitas, Calif., and New Orleans. It would extend to 12 more markets including Philadelphia later this year. Vonage is yet to fix the price and launch dates for the service. Most probably, the company will bundle the service with its voice services that cost $25 a month for unlimited calling in America and selected European countries.
Symmy VoIP client also supports Symbian Phones
I have come to know from this site about a new VoIP application for Symbian phones. Called as Symmy, the new client enables users to make and receive VoIP calls using Symbian mobile phones including Nokia N Series, Nokia E Series, Samsung and LG. The Symmy site has following words on the new VoIP Client, Symmy is a global communication service via GPRS/3G on your mobile phone. It is completely free application which can be used any time any where all over the world on your mobile phone (now) or your pc (soon). With Symmy, you can get a number of services including free calls to other Symmy members, Instant messages, emails and chats for free. It has high-level security with data encryption. In the coming days, Symmy would have share file and video calls facilities.
Google Click-To-Call service reaches China
Google has taken its Click-To-Call VoIP services to China and eight more international markets using VoIP, Inc.’s network. The click-to-call service enables web browsers to speak directly to the advertisers from their cell phone through Google’s mobile search capability. A Google spokesperson explains China is the eighth and largest international market where Google will exclusively use VoIP’s network to connect calls. In an interview with ceocast.com, Anthony J. Cataldo, CEO of VoIP, Inc. said, The use of Google and ‘Click to Call’ technology in mobile applications represents a logical way for consumers to access information and contact merchants at a time when they desire to shop for products and services. We are excited to work with the leader in search technology as it enters the next frontier in search technology. Google’s association with VoIP Inc., is not new. The US-based search engine company has been using VoIP Inc.,’s network in America, England, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, India, Australia and the Netherlands.