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  • BlackBerry Bold 9650 Coming to Verizon

    Verizon announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be available for online ordering from Verizon beginning June 3 and in Verizon stores beginning June 10.

    The new BlackBerry Bold is the first global phone from Verizon to support GlobalAccess Connect, allowing customers to tether their BlackBerry Bold to a notebook or netbook and use it as a modem for wireless internet access.

    Key features:

    • Optical trackpad for easy and fluid navigation
    • Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
    • Push to Talk feature – allows customers to leverage Verizon’s 3G network for instant two-way communication with up to 50 people
    • VZ Navigator version 6 – gives customers access to free mapping and integration with Bing to sort searches by relevance and a new option to choose day, week or monthly subscriptions
    • VZ Navigator Global capabilities – Provides turn-by-turn directions and maps in English while navigating through more than 20 destinations

    Additional specifications:

    • Mobile e-mail and messaging capabilities
    • 2.45" high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi)
    • 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
    • support for the Bluetooth Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
    • BlackBerry Media Sync
    • Support for BlackBerry App World
    • 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB microSD HC cards (a 2 GB card is pre-installed)
    • Full HTML Web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
    • Built-in GPS with support for location-based applications and services as well as geotagging
    • Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America as well as single band UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
    • 1400 mAhr battery

    The BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be available for order for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. A non-camera version of the phone will also be available for order online beginning June 3.

    GlobalAccess Connect plans are available for $65 monthly access for 5 GB allowance in the US and Canada ($0.05/MB overage) and 100 MB allowance in select countries ($5.12/MB overage). There is also a $155 monthly access option that offers 5 GB allowance in the United States and Canada and 200 MB allowance in select countries, with the same overage rates as the $65 monthly option.

  • IPsmarx Adds German IVR to Its Calling Card Solution

    IPsmarx announced that it has added German IVR (Interactive Voice Response) language as an option to its Calling Card Platform, making 13 total IVR language options to choose from.

    Because the IPsmarx solutions are SIP Based, Calling Card Operators and Pinless Service Providers can offer their services worldwide, without having to install costly hardware and landlines in each country of operation.

    With the addition of the German IVR language license, IPsmarx’ client base, which consists of hundreds of VoIP service providers, can now offer their services in Germany and to German speaking callers worldwide.

    The IVR languages IPsmarx offers include:

    • German
    • English
    • British English
    • American English
    • Spanish
    • Korean
    • Mandarin
    • Cantonese
    • Greek
    • Albanian
    • French
    • Farsi
    • Hindi

    “Multiple IVR languages can be added to the IPsmarx platform, giving end users the flexibility to choose the language they prefer to hear when using a calling service and enabling service providers to expand internationally,” according to the company.

    IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Platform was named our “Product of the Year Award” in 2008 and 2009.

    Related articles
    Winning VoIP Philosophy: Interview with Arash Vahidnia, CEO of IPsmarx
    IPsmarx and Superb Internet Announce an Alliance to Offer Turnkey VoIP Solutions
    IPsmarx Introduces IP-PBX And SIP Trunking To Its “All In One” Solution
    Winner of the Biz-News.com "Product of the Year Award 2009” Announced

  • Cortado Delivers Mobile Desktop Solution for Android

    Cortado has announced that it now offers its Cortado Workplace, a free cloud desktop solution for mobile applications, for Android OS.

    Cortado Workplace allows users to remotely store, access, view and manage documents through a smartphone (BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android devices are already on board), PC or Mac. The solution provides users with a 1GB online storage space where documents can be saved using a mobile file manager.

    In addition, documents can be printed to any local or network printer. In order to use the printer, the user simply needs to connect, through Cortado Workplace, with the relevant Wi-Fi network.

    “Since its entry into the market, Google’s mobile operating system has steadily increased its market share,” stated Dirk Löwenberg, business director online sales & services at Cortado.

    The ever increasing number of Android devices, including the popular Motorola Milestone and Google’s Nexus One, as well as the convincing usability of the system, lead analysts to believe that Google Android devices are destined for a large market share.

    "We are sure that aside from its foreseeable success, Android is ideal for enterprise solutions. For Cortado as an innovative provider, it is important that this operating system is compatible with our cloud printing function. At the same time, we have come closer to our goal of offering cross-platform solutions,” said Löwenberg.

    Cortado is the mobile business division of the printing specialist ThinPrint AG. According to the company, they already have 15,000 smartphone users.

    Related articles
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  • Elektrobit Delivers Its VoIP Solutions to Finnish Army

    Elektrobit has announced that its EB Tough VoIP system has been delivered to the Finnish Army, who will commence a series of field trials on the system during 2010 to evaluate its performance in varying military scenarios.

    EB Tough VoIP will operate under demanding environmental conditions for the Army branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. It will work with the Finnish Army on various testing phases throughout this year “in order to ensure proper usage and meet system requirements.”

    “With new components such as broadband data communications, enhanced voice over IP services, and advanced functions designed specifically for ground forces, the system provides significant levels of increased performance and operational capabilities,” as the company claims.

    EB Tough VoIP can be used as a stand-alone system or the solution units EB Tough VoIP Terminal and the EB Tough VoIP Network Extender can be integrated to a customers’ existing communications infrastructure. According to the company, the products can be leveraged in many ways, including:

    • Rugged and secure VoIP clients for military communications
    • Radio over IP clients
    • Tactical data radio environment
    • Demanding environments where limitations in communications can greatly affect operational capabilities

    The EB Tough VoIP Terminal can be used with application specific headsets and handsets that are commonly used with tactical radio or digital field telephony equipment.

    The EB Network Extender is an integrated unit that provides the functionalities of a VoIP terminal, Ethernet switch and multi-channel SHDSL (Single-Pair High-speed Digital Subscriber Line) modem and it can be used to provide broadband wired connectivity, and VoIP services to the field, in LAN or WAN configuration.

    "EB Tough VoIP was designed to fulfill the communications needs of military units, and we continue to strive towards achieving that goal," said Mikko Viitaniemi, senior manager, Defense Products, Wireless Solutions at EB

  • NVIDIA Demonstrates Streaming 3D Video Using Microsoft Silverlight

    NVIDIA today demonstrated 3D video streamed live over the Internet using an NVIDIA 3D Vision PC, Microsoft Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming technology. The demonstration, which streamed the music video “We Are the World” 3D, at a press conference at Computex, comes at a time when consumer interest in seeing 3D movies is at its highest level ever.

    “We’ve been collaborating with Microsoft to enable 3D in an Internet browser so that it’s very simple to use,” said Phil Eisler, General Manager of 3D Vision technology at NVIDIA.

    “Just click on a 3D video and it plays in 3D, using the latest 3D Vision Silverlight-based video player and NVIDIA 3D Vision. Internet users can now enjoy 3D video content streamed in high-definition (HD) quality and viewed at full resolution. This is another great benefit of having a 3D PC.”

    To take advantage of this technology, consumers will need an NVIDIA 3D Vision-based desktop or notebook PC equipped with the latest 3D Vision drivers and the Silverlight browser plug-in. Once these are installed, consumers can then navigate to any Web site hosting 3D Vision-based content.

    For content owners, this milestone provides a secure path to distribute and monetize 3D video over the Web with Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming. Movies, trailers, sports and any form of 3D video can now be hosted and streamed over the Internet to a growing market of 3D PCs, most of which ship with Windows 7.

    “Customers have a peaked interest in 3D entertainment experiences, and Microsoft is looking forward to working with NVIDIA to bring these experiences to users through their PCs,” said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Division at Microsoft Corp.

    “Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming together deliver the highest quality HD video experiences over the Web and, with NVIDIA 3D Vision, will now provide consumers with a way to watch their favorite movies, sporting events, music videos and more, all in 3D from their own computer.”

  • Netsize Trends Survey Tracks Fast-Growth in Independent Application Stores

    Netsize has released “Application Store Billing”, a report that analyzes the wave of recent application store developments and reveals the business models and billing methods that will bring application store mass-market success.

    The report concludes that credit card billing is by no means the way to reach a large and global audience. According to the analysts, to achieve this respondents agree application stores must harness a variety of billing mechanisms. Chief among these is operator billing, indicated by 85 percent of respondents as a key enabler for application store mass market appeal. Almost half (46 percent) of respondents believe operator billing alone will dominate; 39 percent also include credit card billing in the mix. A minority of 15 percent of respondents indicated only credit card billing.

    “The survey shows providers will need to develop much more than a me-too application storefront modeled on the Apple blueprint,” noted Stanislas Chesnais, CEO of Netsize.

    “Clearly, to guarantee a seamless user experience and a ubiquitous quality of service, application store providers must support a variety of payment mechanisms including operator billing,” he said.

    The research also presents substantial proof that a long tail of application stores is indeed emerging. To illustrate this key trend Netsize has identified and ranked the top 52 application stores by size and the number of applications on offer as of May 2010. Predictably, application stores linked with the Apple iPhone and Android platforms lead the list. However, a substantial number of independent application stores run by mobile operators and independent providers also hold top positions.

    “New entrants are breaking on the scene with niche application stores that target geographies and vertical markets, such as retail, enterprise, and even cars,” Chesnais explained.

    “There is huge opportunity ahead for applications stores providers, but the bulk of their business growth will be driven by freemium-type models that offer consumers free applications as a means to cross-sell or up-sell consumers to a variety of paid content and services, ranging from real-world physical goods to digital services. Making money in this new ‘Application Economy’ will therefore require providers to employ in-application billing and solutions that allow them to sell content, virtual goods and add-ons from within their app,” he said.

    This conclusion is further supported by the report findings, which show that 28 percent of respondents deem in-app billing to be a key factor for application store success.

    Related articles
    NPD: 75% of US iPhone and iPod Touch users Download Apps and Games
    Gartner: Consumers Will Spend $6.2 Billion in Mobile Application Stores in 2010
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  • Voice Monitoring Solution Now Available In Middle East

    VOIPFUTURE, a vendor of voice monitoring solutions for the connection quality in IP networks, has partnered with GMS VOIPMONSTER, a Dubai-based provider of telecom and IP consultancy, VoIP system integration and IP provisioning — the partnership includes the sales and services of the monitoring solution in the region.

    VOIPFUTURE specializes in VoIP monitoring and test equipment. Their solution enables communication service providers to monitor the quality of voice traffic crossing their IP networks, and use the data to troubleshoot problems, optimize the performance of their networks, and document the quality of individual call minutes exchanged between peering partners.

    The technology of VOIPFUTURE is based on its own unique speech recognition algorithm which delivers precise information on the voice quality within a telephone conversation and on the service quality status for an entire network.

    The company’s Smart RTP Monitoring Probes are passive, non-intrusive measurement devices located at demarcation points in the network, such as SBCs, gateways or peering points. According to VOIPFUTURE, the integrated solution for network optimization, SLA verification and troubleshooting shows superior performance for full line rate analysis at 1 Gbit/s.

    “The integration of this unique monitoring solution in our portfolio, allows us to offer our customers an effective tool for monitoring their voice services and network infrastructure. It will strengthen the existing VoIP networks and optimize the new ones” stated Reza Mamati, CEO of GMS VOIPMONSTER.

    George Lunguran, Sales Director at VOIPFUTURE said the company were very delighted to expand their work in the fast growing Middle East VoIP market. “This partnership offers strong support for our business,” he added.

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  • Mobile Location-based Service Revenues in Europe to Reach €420 Million by 2015

    According to a new report from Berg Insight, mobile location-based service revenues in Europe are forecasted to grow from € 220 million in 2009 at a CAGR of 12 percent to reach € 420 million in 2015.

    The research group estimates that one third of all mobile subscribers in Europe will use some kind of location-enhanced application on a regular basis by 2015.

    Local search, navigation services and social networking are believed to become the top applications in terms of number of users. The social networking category is forecasted to experience the highest growth in the coming years.

    According to André Malm, Senior Analyst at Berg Insight, location-based services are finally on the verge of mainstream acceptance. “Increasing sales of smartphones are driving end-user awareness of mobile Internet services and applications in general. On-device application stores enable access to mobile services for a broader audience at the same time as flat-rate data plans make pricing more transparent. More and more developers are now adding location support in their applications to enhance the user experience”, he said.

    He added that integration of GPS in handsets is an important driver. “The installed base of GPS handsets in Europe has recently surpassed 15 percent of total handsets and will increase to 50 percent three years from now.”

    The report shows that the revenue model for many mobile applications in the consumer segment is shifting from premium fees to ad-funding. This is especially the case for location-based services where now also navigation services are becoming free for end-users and developers monetise their offerings through ads and various bundles.

    “However, revenues may not grow at the same rate as usage because the mobile advertising ecosystem is still nascent. It will take some years before a successful model has been established that allows advertisers to reach out to a critical mass of active users. This is especially the case for emerging location-based advertising,” as the analysts claim.

    Related articles
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  • Skype 2.0 Brings 3G Calling to the iPhone

    A long after its competitors had brought 3G VoIP calling to the iPhone, Skype has finally announced the launch of the new version of its iPhone app that allows to make and receive Skype-to-Skype calls, and to call mobiles and landlines over 3G data connection.

    The company informed that Skype-to-Skype calls on 3G will be free for a trial period which will run until the end of 2010. Details of pricing will be announced in the coming months. Skype-to-Skype calls over WiFi will still remain free.

    Russ Shaw, General Manager for Mobile at Skype said that using Skype on 3G “has been the number one request among our iPhone customers”.

    According to the company, additional new features of the Skype for iPhone application include:

    • Near CD-quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls using wideband audio on iPhone 3GS or 2nd generation iPod touch and onwards.
    • Enhanced call quality indicator, which will help customers choose the best moment to call.
    • Improved start-up time
    • Rapid access to the dial pad from the home screen

    Unfortunately, the app doesn’t support Bluetooth audio and call waiting.

    The new version is compatible with the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch and iPad. Skype requires iPhone OS version 3.0 and above.

    Calling functionality is available on iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and 2nd generation iPod touch onwards. iPod touch requires a compatible headset with a microphone.

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  • fring Gives Android Users the 1st Mobile 2-Way Video Calls

    fring just announced the release of the world’s first mobile video calls over internet on Android devices.

    “Now we know iPhone will push video calling with its new 2-camera phone. But before they do, fring is launching today 2-way video calling over IP, across a whole host of Android devices – old and new,” said Gil Regev, Director of Marketing Communications at fring.

    According to recent NPD’s wireless market research, the Android OS continued to shake up the U.S. mobile phone market in the Q1 of 2010, moving past Apple to take the number-two position among smartphone operating systems.

    Android device owners now join Nokia (Symbian S60) and iPhone/iPod touch users who are already making free mobile video over internet calls with fring.

    Regev said fring believes that mobile video calling will change the way people call and communicate with each other. “It will impact the way they shop or kiss their kids goodnight from the road,” he added.

    According to Avi Shechter, fring’s Co-Founder and CEO, the demand for this feature has been “overwhelming”.


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