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  • Clearwire and Sprint to Launch 4G in NYC, LA and SF This Year

    Clearwire and Sprint today announced plans to launch their respective 4G mobile internet services in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco later this year. Each of the companies will offer 4G services under their own 4G brand.

    Clearwire, Sprint and Time Warner Cable will each launch commercial 4G service in New York City on November 1. The service in Los Angeles will be launch on December 1. In cooperation with Comcast, the companies will launch 4G service in the San Francisco Bay Area in late December.

    The 4G customer experience from Clearwire and Sprint is similar to Wi-Fi but without the short-range limitations. The network uses wireless 4G technology that differs from Wi-Fi because it provides service areas measured in miles, not feet. Outside the 4G service area, dual-mode 4G/3G modems keep users continually connected by leveraging Sprint’s 3G data network.

    According to the companies, customers in these three cities “will now be able to increase their mobility and productivity in many ways: from instantly downloading large files to get work done on the run, to browsing the web just like at home from across the city, or watching online videos and movies nearly anywhere around town.”

    Subscribers will also be able to purchase a wide range of 4G devices, including: compact USB modems, numerous Intel embedded WiMAX laptops and netbooks, portable Wi-Fi/4G hotspots, and other wireless devices, all aimed at making lives in 4G cities more mobile and efficient.

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  • Broadvox and Cypress Communications Announce Merger Agreement

    VoIP and unified communication service providers – Broadvox and Cypress Communications – announced the signing of a merger agreement.

    While both companies deliver a hosted VoIP and hosted unified communications solution, neither customer base is expected to be affected by the merger. Customers using Cypress’ C4 IP product and those using Broadvox’s GO!VBX will see no changes in their current feature sets, phones, or technology platforms. The Cypress C4 IP solution is ideally suited for enterprises, while GO!VBX primarily targets SMBs.

    According to Stephen L. Schilling, CEO and President of Cypress Communications, “The merger positions the combined Broadvox and Cypress company as a broad-based market leader, serving both carriers, SMB and SME VoIP segments. The combined company will boast one of the largest VoIP networks and will continue to provide 24×7 support and service for the more than 10,000 business customers and hundreds of thousands of users each and every day.”

    Cypress will gain access to Broadvox’s network backbone for direct origination and termination of voice traffic to more effectively serve the needs of its expanding customer base.

    Broadvox will benefit from the increased utilization of its network backbone and the ability to enhance its carrier, SMB and SME offerings with the Cypress Communications’ unified communications suite of services.

    The closing date of the merger is subject to certain terms and conditions customary for transactions of this type, including regulatory approvals. The companies announced that the finalization of the transaction is expected within 60-90 days. Because the two companies are privately held, no other merger details will be made available.

    "We are excited about this opportunity to enter into a merger agreement with a leader in unified communications as a service," remarked Andre Temnorod, Chairman and CEO at Broadvox. "The new, combined company will be in a position to expand its ability of providing high-quality and innovative services to our target markets and this strength will be a key to our continued future success. While we look forward to finalizing the transaction, it’s important for our customers, partners and other stakeholders to know that it is ‘business as usual’ at both Broadvox and Cypress Communications."

    Hosted unified communications provider Cypress Communications is known for helping to define the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) category and has been providing hosted communications to small and mid-sized businesses and enterprises (SMBs and SMEs) for more than 25 years.

    Broadvox has nearly a decade of experience in providing SIP Origination and Terminating services to carriers. In 2007, Broadvox began offering SMBs and SMEs various SIP Trunking products and this year expanded the offering with virtual PBX hosted services.

  • snom technology Releases snom ONE IP-PBX

    snom, a German developer and manufacturer of SIP devices, has announced the release of snom ONE – a new family of IP PBX systems that runs on standard servers. According to the company, snom ONE will provide customers with an IP telephony system which supports all the functionalities of snom IP phones.

    snom ONE is the result of thorough field tests and optimisation activities, taken out on the market. It is available in 3 versions: snom ONE free (downloadable free of charge for up to 10 extensions) and the two resale systems snom ONE yellow (for up to 20 extensions) and snom ONE blue (unlimited number of extensions and multi tenant up to 5 companies). All versions offer the same features and only differ on the maximum supported quantity of extensions.

    All versions offer the full feature set, including hunt and ACD groups, mailbox, auto attendant, conference rooms and paging, and are designed to take full advantage of the hardware features of snom’s suite of desktop phones and endpoints. snom ONE blue also allows up to five separate corporate tenants, supporting multiple organizations to operate using a single IP PBX.

    The snom ONE integrates with snom desktop and DECT phones and features all the functionality of standards-based IP PBX platforms, including simultaneous ringing of desktop and cell phone, multiple extension aliases, centralized address book, hot desking, voice mail, shared line emulation and a web interface for provisioning and management.

    The ONE is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac environments and is equipped with robust web security through HTTPS and call security through TLS and SRTP. It supports mixed IPv4/IPv6 LAN and WAN environments and comes with an automatic blacklisting feature that makes it possible to expose public IP addresses.

    "In the past we’ve experienced problems with customers missing out on some of the key features delivered by our phones, due to the installed IP-PBX systems," explains Jonathan Greenwood, snom ONE Product Manager and Managing Director of snom UK Ltd.

    "With snom ONE, our customers can continue to install and run our VoIP phones on every SIP based PBX, whilst having additional access to a series of easy to install telephony systems, perfectly tailored to our phones. This is our response to the many compelling requests by resellers and users in recent years,” he added

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  • 8×8 Partners With Polycom

    8×8 announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Polycom enabling it to offer Polycom’s IP telephony and conferencing solutions to 8×8 Virtual Office hosted VoIP subscribers.

    8×8’s initial offering features the Polycom SoundPoint IP 335 desk phone. According to the company, the SoundPoint IP 335 is “a high quality, entry-level SIP phone that seamlessly integrates with 8×8’s systems to deliver advanced telephony features such as auto attendant, voicemail, Caller ID, call forwarding, conference bridge and Polycom HD Voice at an affordable cost.”

    In addition, these phones also include a capability called Voice Quality Monitoring (VQMON), which gives 8×8 the ability to monitor in real-time the quality of a customer’s call. This feature helps the company quickly diagnose customer issues, provide faster problem resolution and ultimately deliver better service.

    8×8 also informed that they will be introducing additional SoundPoint IP desktop phones, SoundStation IP conference phones and Polycom KIRK wireless phones and accessories in the coming weeks and months.

    "8×8 is very pleased to be working with Polycom as we fulfill our separate, but common, commitment to deliver affordable, high quality voice solutions to businesses of all sizes," said 8×8 Chairman & CEO Bryan Martin.

    "Polycom’s reliable, cutting edge offerings will be a valuable addition to our IP phone portfolio and a tremendous vehicle for enabling our Virtual Office customers to experience and benefit from technological advancements such as HD Voice," he said.

    "8×8 has established itself as an innovative and successful provider of hosted PBX and unified communications services and we look forward to working together to offer cost-effective, high-quality voice solutions," said Jim Kruger, Polycom vice president of Solutions Product Marketing.

    He added: "With more and more businesses gravitating toward cloud-based solutions, features like HD voice, integration with key business applications, and other powerful IP-enabled features have become an increasingly important component of any communications solution."

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  • Mobile Navigation Users Increased 57% in H1-2010 to 44 million

    According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of mobile subscribers using a turn-by-turn navigation service or application on their handset grew 57 percent from H1-2009 to H1-2010 and reached 44 million worldwide.

    The subscriber base is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 33.1 percent to reach 195 million users worldwide in 2015.

    Broad availability of GPS handsets and attractive pricing are key factors for widespread adoption of mobile navigation services. In the US, where GPS handset penetration is above 70 percent, navigation services for mobile phones has already reached about 8 percent of the total mobile subscriber base. A large share of these users gets navigation as part of a service bundle together with a voice and data plan from their mobile operator.

    As a response to the launch of free navigation applications for smartphones by Nokia and Google, more and more operators worldwide are now introducing bundled navigation services to offset the cost for end users. Navigation service providers and mobile operators are also trying to monetise services by introducing various feature and content up-sells that allow users to customise navigation applications to suit their personal needs.

    “Mobile operators and service providers are now accelerating their efforts to create differentiated navigation experiences with unique local content to compete against free services”, said André Malm, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight.

    He added that integration of navigation services with other applications to stimulate usage will become increasingly important for mobile operators that seek additional revenues from location-based advertising. Since relatively few subscribers need turn-by-turn guidance on a daily basis, complementary features such as social networking, restaurant and event guides improve stickiness.

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  • Seagate Announces Interest Regarding A Going Private Transaction

    Seagate has announced that it has received a preliminary indication of interest regarding a going private transaction. The company is in discussions with the party from whom it received the indication of interest, and its board of directors is evaluating the indication of interest and other strategic alternatives.

    The company has retained Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Perella Weinberg Partners LP to provide financial advice and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Arthur Cox as legal counsel.

    Seagate said that there is no assurance that the company will receive a formal offer or that any transaction will take place.

    According to a report by Reuters, last month, TPG Capital LP and Silver Lake held early stage talks about buying Seagate, but it then appeared unlikely to result in a deal, a source familiar with the situation said at the time.

    Seagate also said that neither the company nor its representatives will be providing any additional comments regarding the preliminary indication of interest.

  • 3D TV Not Growing as Fast as TV Makers Expected in 2010

    3D TV is now readily available in retail, but the uptake among consumers has been limited by high prices and lack of content. However, with falling prices, increased content availability, and improvements in technology all expected, there will be tremendous growth in 3D TV shipments over the next few years.

    DisplaySearch forecasts that 3.2 million 3D TVs will be shipped in 2010, with growth to over 90 million in 2014. Based on this forecast, 3D will grow from 2% of all flat panel TVs shipped in 2010, to 41% in 2014.

    “While TV manufacturers have bold plans and a lot of new products, consumers remain cautious,” said Paul Gray, Director of TV Electronics Research. “Consumers have been told that 3D TV is the future, but there still remains a huge price jump and little 3D content to watch.”

    “North American consumers in particular appear to be playing a waiting game,” noted Paul Gagnon, Director of North America TV Research. “Set makers have trained consumers to expect rapid price falls for new technology, and consumers seem happy to wait a little.” As a result, DisplaySearch forecasts that 3D shipments in North America will be just under 1.6 million this year.

    The Quarterly TV Design and Features Report results also found that sales of 3D glasses in Western Europe remain low, with most countries failing to achieve 1:1 sales of glasses to sets.

    “This is particularly disappointing,” noted Gray, “A healthy level would be closer to two pairs of 3D glasses per TV, so it’s clear that these sets at best are being chosen for future-proofing, and at worst it’s an indication that consumers cannot buy a premium set without 3D.”

    Nevertheless, 3D is a feature that set makers are determined to develop. 3D product choice is expanding fast with increased product launch plans and more set makers adding 3D. Rapidly expanding product offerings and 3D TV set prices have led DisplaySearch to increase its forecast for 3D in later years, with an anticipated 90 million sets being shipped in 2014.

    “TV manufacturers strongly believe in 3D and are driving its cost downward, but its value to consumers relies strongly on the availability of quality material to watch,” Gray concluded.

  • Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Global Portfolio

    Microsoft announced nine new Windows Phone 7 handsets that will be available this October and November from over 60 mobile operators in 30 countries in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

    Windows Phone 7 will be available in a variety of form factors from device-makers such as Dell, HTC Corp., LG and Samsung, and from mobile operators including América Móvil, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, Telstra, TELUS, T-Mobile USA and Vodafone.

    All Windows Phone 7 phones will include the Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm. A broad selection of phones will begin shipping in October 2010 with more arriving in 2011, including phones from Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

    The following devices will come to North America, Europe and Asia Pacific in the holiday 2010 timeframe.

    In North America:

    AT&T
    • HTC Surround, United States
    • Samsung Focus, United States
    • LG Quantum, United States

    T-Mobile USA
    • HTC HD7, United States
    • Dell Venue Pro, United States

    TELUS
    • HTC 7 Surround, Canada
    • LG Optimus 7, Canada

    América Móvil
    • LG Optimus 7, Mexico

    In Europe:

    O2
    • HTC HD7, United Kingdom, Germany

    Orange
    • HTC 7 Mozart, including France, United Kingdom
    • Samsung OMNIA 7, including France, United Kingdom

    SFR
    • HTC 7 Trophy, France
    • Samsung OMNIA 7, France

    Movistar
    • LG Optimus 7, Spain
    • HTC HD7, Spain
    • Samsung OMNIA 7, Spain

    Deutsche Telekom AG
    • HTC 7 Mozart, Germany
    • Samsung OMNIA 7, Germany

    Vodafone
    • HTC 7 Trophy, including Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
    • LG Optimus 7, including Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

    In Asia Pacific:

    SingTel
    • HTC HD 7, Singapore
    • LG Optimus 7, Singapore

    Telstra
    • HTC 7 Mozart, Australia
    • LG Optimus 7Q, Australia

    Vodafone
    • HTC 7 Trophy, including Australia

    “We have a beautiful lineup in this first wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience — one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.”

  • IPsmarx and VoIP Innovations Announce Partnership and API Integration

    IPsmarx Technology and VoIP Innovations have announced compatibility and API Integration for local and toll free DIDs. According to the companies, this integration will enable VoIP service providers to easily and quickly offer services to a new market.

    VoIP Innovations has over 120,000 DIDs available for instant provisioning. Their platform includes a full suite of tools to automate service delivery in one easy to use web portal. They also guarantee “clear call quality” and customer service that is available to assist 24/7.

    The API integration will allow service providers the ability to connect to a live database and view VoIP Innovations current inventory of local and toll free DID numbers. They will then have the ability to purchase right from this database. Service Providers no longer have to purchase DIDs in bulk, in advance.

    The IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card incorporates both Pin & Pinless service management with advanced recharge options, e-commerce, recharge through IVR, as well as marketing features. Servicing the residential market by implementing IPsmarx’ Class 5 Softswitch.

    IPsmarx has also helped revolutionize telecom in Africa by allowing emerging service providers in the Middle East and Africa to provide low-cost alternative calling methods to their customer base without having to install costly hardware and phone lines in their country, itself by implementing the IPsmarx Callback solution.

    “Creating a partnership and implementing the API integration with VoIP Innovations, will allow our customers to have access to quality products and services. This will also provide a great convenience to the customer, having access to the services they need anytime, day or night”, stated William Pourmajidi, Technical Support Manager at IPsmarx”.

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  • Logitech Delivers Google TV to Living Rooms

    Consumers today have access to an enormous amount of content, delivered by a range of sources and increasingly complex devices. To bring this content together through a single interface on the best screen in the house – the TV screen – Logitech has worked with Google on a line of products designed to create the Google TV experience for the U.S. households with an HDMI-ready TV.

    Google TV brings traditional TV programming together with the entire Internet, with the ability to search across them both.

    Logitech yesterday unveiled Logitech Revue with Google TV, a compact, plug-and-play companion box with its Logitech Keyboard Controller, which together provide control over the Google TV experience and home-entertainment devices. The company’s portfolio of products for Google TV also includes the Logitech TV Cam and Vid HD service for HD video calling, Mini Controller as well as other applications designed for the Google TV platform.

    The box is capable of outputing a 1080p (60fps) signal and comes with with HDMI 1.3a in and out, two USB 2.0 ports, audio optical output (S/PDIF), 10/100BaseT Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n connectivity, the Logitech Harmony IR blaster port, and a built-in Logitech Unifying receiver.

    The box ships with a compact keyboard complete with integrated remote and touchpad, HDMI cable, and one IR mini blaster. There is also a selection of accessories: a $149 webcam, and the Revue-specific version of Mini controller for $129.99, as well as Logitech Harmony app for Android and iPhone.

    The Logitech TV Cam lets you make and receive high-definition video calls on your HDTV – no computer required. It has Carl Zeiss wide-angle autofocus lens with 5x digital zoom and two digital, directional microphones and connects with Logitech Revue box using USB. Together, the Logitech TV Cam and Vid HD software enable HD video calls of up to 720p.

    Available for pre-order on Logitech.com, Amazon.com and BestBuy.com, Logitech’s line of products for Google TV are expected to be available online and in Best Buy stores across the U.S. by the end of October. The Logitech Revue suggested retail price is $299.99. The Logitech Mini Controller will be selling for $129.99, and the Logitech TV Cam for $149.99.

    “Just as we have done with the PC and with home entertainment systems, our role with Google TV is to give people the ability to control and interact with their content and devices with unprecedented ease,” said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive officer. “With our line of products for Google TV, Logitech will help redefine the user experience in the digital living room.”

    “Logitech Revue with Google TV makes it easy for people to use just one controller to find and enjoy content from a variety of sources – programs from TV providers; the entire Web, including Flash-based games; music, photos and videos from their personal library; and a growing selection of apps,” said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s digital home products group. “Logitech not only delivers the Google TV experience for any HDMI-ready TV, but we build on it with exceptional interface devices, control of living room components through Logitech Harmony Link and enhanced experiences such as video calling in the living room.”

    “Google TV combines the power of search, a full Web browser, and Android apps with the TV experience you know and love,” said Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management for Google. “We’re proud to be working with Logitech to launch the very first set of Google TV devices, helping you and me easily access great Web and TV content, all on the same HD screen.”

    “Smart TV delivers a truly integrated experience, with broadcast and the Internet united on one screen,” said Wilfred Martis, general manager, Retail CE, Intel Digital Home Group. “The Logitech Revue brings Google TV to existing televisions, and also offers video calling to provide a new dimension to home entertainment. The smart TV experience requires advanced processing performance, as well as outstanding audio/visual capabilities, and we’re proud that Logitech selected the Intel Atom processor CE4100 to power this revolutionary product.”