Smith On VoIP
Rhino Debuts Ceros Desktop Telephony Appliance
I can still remember the first conversation I ever had with a manufacturer about “appliances.” I’m not talking about my Maytag. I’m talking about the product that today is about as pervasive in the open source telephony space as voice itself. The year was 2004 and I was fresh off a brow-beating from a relative who... »
Video call your relatives (for free)
If you’re like most you’ve got family spread across the country. Or even across the world. Distance often makes it difficult to stay in touch. Let alone enjoy some quality “face time” with loved ones. Heck, with many still hampered financially seeing everyone during over the holiday’s is no sure thing. Flights aren’t getting any cheaper. But... »
New Polycom 335 brings HD voice to SMB’s
One of the biggest hurdles confronting the HD voice movement is no longer. (more…) Get more Free VoIP information like this at Smith On VoIP. New Polycom 335 brings HD voice to SMB’s … >>> Rest of the Story Related Topics: free, free VoIP, Google, Info, information, LEC, Polycom, telecom, voice, VoIP,... »
From potential to promise: high definition calling today and tomorrow
Call it wideband telephony. Call it HD Voice. I doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s here and it’s here to stay. But where did wideband telephony first emerge? Where are we really at with HD calling today? And most importantly, what does the future for High Definition calling hold for us? And with Phone.com’s recent announcement... »
Aastra debuts color touchscreen VoIP phone
Move over snom 870. The Aastra 6739i is here. Earlier today at the BroadSoft Connections executive conference Aastra formally announced the 6739i, a SIP based color touch screen. The latest desktop VoIP phone to hit the market touting a color touch screen. (more…) Get more Free VoIP information like this at Smith On VoIP. Aastra debuts... »
Providers should look into 8×8’s new patent
Earlier today leading VoIP provider 8×8 (Packet8) announced that they had been award a new patent. Typically when I see news like this I pass. But when I read through the release, I became much more interested. I became interested in 8×8’s new patent because it could potential impact other VoIP providers and VoIP equipment manufacturers... »
Some quick hosted VoIP notables
Hosted VoIP providers sell a lot of endpoints so I’m always keeping tabs on what’s going on in the hosted VoIP provider space. With small medium offices loosening up with the stabilization of the economy, many hosted VoIP providers are coming with new offerings and promotions to capitalize on the opening wallets. Nextiva launches vFAX... »
Sangoma releases B601 series connectivity card
There’s nothing sexy about PSTN connectivity cards. But that’s not stopping the folks at Sangoma from making them a little more attractive for do-it-yourself and professional open source PBX systems builders. Announced last week at Astricon, Sangoma’s new B601 series cards are based off the Sangoma B600 series. The B601 series cards feature one T1/E1/J1... »
Reliable Fax over IP
When I first started selling and marketing VoIP equipment one question I fielded quite often was, “How can you get Fax over IP to be reliable?” The answer was always the same, “Well, you can’t really. Some times it works. And most of the time it seems it doesn’t.” That was over six years ago. (more…) Get... »
The BYOD missed opportunity
VoIP hardware sucks. Well at least for many VoIP providers. It’s often troublesome to standardize on. It’s costly to purchase in volume and warehouse. Plus there is that whole “logistics” thing (including returns). As a result many VoIP providers have decided to simply stick with what they do best – sell service – and allow customers to... »
Nextiva Review
Every now and again I’m afforded the opportunity to spend a lot of time using a service before writing a review. For the past five months I’ve been using the hosted VoIP phone service from Nextiva, one of the fastest growing hosted VoIP providers in the US. What follows is my review of Nextiva’s service... »
The DECT opportunity for VoIP providers
I’ve written a few times about the growing popularity of DECT based endpoints. Thanks to the combination of familiar form, features and performance many consumers, home office and small office professionals are selecting SIP based DECT phones for use with their BYOD VoIP service. It’s a trend that continues to growth month over month. Yet there... »
“Garrett Smith’s blog should be mandatory reading for those interested in VoIP”
At least that’s what Tsahi Levent-Levi, RadVision’s product manager, system architect and author of the VoIP Survivor blog. Wow. Thanks for the kind words Tshai. Get more Free VoIP information like this at Smith On VoIP. “Garrett Smith’s blog should be mandatory reading for those interested in VoIP” … >>> Rest of... »
Quality Vs Reliability
Late last week while enjoying some fantastic Mexican food for pal Cory Andrews‘ birthday, a discussion about high definition (HD) calling broke out. Likely spurned by the recent completion of VoIP Supply’s own internal HD voice implementation, the discussion centered on the current applications and future promise of the technology. You’re sure to bet that... »
Aastra releases new WiFi VoIP phone
It’s been a year and a half since I first laid eyes on the Aastra 312W. Once only available through Aastra channel partners in Europe, the 312W has finally made its way stateside. The Aastra 312W is the latest in a string of new WiFi VoIP phones to hit the streets in 2009. Designed for consumers... »
New Aastra 600D series DECT phones
Aastra has been on a roll the last two weeks. Especially with the growing popularity of VoIP mobility solutions. Fresh off announcing stateside availability of the 312w wireless VoIP phone last week, Aastra has announced that three new DECT VoIP phones will be hitting the streets soon. (more…) Get more Free VoIP information like this at... »
5 Trends Spotted at IT Expo West
There was a lot going on last week at IT Expo. From the interesting talks about smart grid technology to well trafficked expo floor it was evident that the industry at large is still alive, kicking and poised for more growth. There were also a five trends that I spotted after three days of meeting and... »
Desktop VoIP phones still highly relevant
You’ve got to hand it to Dave Michels. He’s got a way with words. His cryptic prophecy for the desktop VoIP phone has many within the VoIP equipment space talking. Being heavily entrenched in the equipment space, I’ve been asked by many executives what I thought about Dave’s prophecy. Rather than respond individually, I figured I’d... »
15 NEW VoIP headsets hitting USB ports (and desktop phones)
There’s 15 new VoIP headset models hitting the USB ports of softphone users and the 2.5mmm jacks of a desktop VoIP phones with one model that’s set to drop this September from Jabra that’s sure to be an instant hit. VXI Corp looks to the mid-market with latest offerings Popular, yet perennial underdog VXI Corp has... »
Cisco unveils new small business VoIP phones
Never one to be outdone, Cisco Systems has joined the bevy of VoIP equipment manufacturers to announce new VoIP phones. First hinted at last week on the VoIP Insider, yesterday word broke that perennial VoIP powerhouse Cisco Systems will be releasing five new VoIP phones aimed at the small medium business sector. Part of the... »
Nimbuzz gains a step thanks to Voxbone
Tobias Kemper, Nimbuzz’s head of communications, says Nimbuzz wants to be a truly mass-market application. But before they can get there, they’ll need to increase the number of ways folks can access and use the service. One step in that direction was their recent tapping of Voxbone, a provider of worldwide telephone numbers and origination services for voice carriers, to... »
VoIP phone market heating up
It looks like this summer is shaping up to be a hot one for VoIP phone manufacturers. Thanks to the rapid adoption of standards based open source and open source based VoIP systems, the emergence of HD Voice and the rebounding of prosumer spending, a plethora of manufacturers will have a new VoIP phone hitting... »
Where’s the cash at?
A recent IDC survey has shed some light on just how bad the lack of credit availability has affected VAR’s. It’s an unfortunate consequence of the spoiled economy. One that has affected every level of the channel – from manufacturer to the end user. Ironically enough the middleman is actually being squeezed at both ends. As VAR’s... »
What’s a name anyways?
A few weeks back TMCnet Executive Editor Richard “Zippy” Grigonis interviewed VoIP Supply CEO Ben Sayers (boss and friend). I was on the call that day and it was great to hear Ben recount VoIP Supply’s history. It was good that Richard got to hear why VoIP Supply has been so successful. What I found most... »
Windows market still attracting interest
With the long term future of Microsoft’s Response Point software still unknown one would think that it’s a signal that the Windows Telephony market is dud. And while Microsoft’s attempt to capture a juicy chunk of the massive small business market seems to have hit a snag, it’s not deterring other VoIP industry players... »
Cisco SPA8800 Released
Earlier today pal Cory Andrews broke the news about the newest SMB VoIP product from Cisco, the SPA8800. The Cisco SPA8800 is an affordable VoIP Gateway option for small medium businesses and VoIP service providers. The Cisco SPA8800 is SIP based and features four (4) FXS ports for connecting traditional telephones and or fax machines. The... »
eBay’s mishandling of Skype continues
eBay’s inability to fully integrate and maximize the potential of Skype within it’s core offerings has been well documented over the last few years. And even in prepping Skype for sale or an IPO, eBay continues its string of boneheaded moves when it comes to the world most popular voice and video service. According to... »
Vonage does sound good
Here goes Vonage again. The oft criticized VoIP provider recently launched their latest ad campaign. And they seem to gearing up for a push on none other than call quality. Gone are the heavy “save money” overtones in favor for a message of “sounds good”, an obvious play on the combination of savings AND call quality. (more…) Get more... »
Four keys to a successful VoIP gateway purchase
VoIP gateways have steadily grown in popularity over the last six months. As businesses have been scrambling to reduce costs and stretch budgets, VoIP gateways have emerged as a low cost way to leverage VoIP using existing infrastructure. Unfortunately, purchasing the right VoIP gateway isn’t always that easy, especially for small medium business owners and... »
The game is changing…
A day or so ago I read a post over at No Jitter by Matt Brunk that cast the IP communications channel as an eroding numbers game. The post was interesting to me as I’ve experienced the continual squeeze on margins through the years. Plus I’ve witnessed the frustrations of channel sales and marketing... »