Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • Digium Adds New US Features To Latest Version of Switchvox IP PBX


    Digium has introduced a new version of Switchvox SMB, its IP PBX designed for small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). 

    Switchvox’s web-aware capabilities allow its integration with web and back-office applications, effectively turning the phone system into a unified communications (UC) platform. 

    Switchvox SMB 4.0 adds various UC capabilities, including support for fax, chat and video calling, which the company says improve users’ productivity and efficiency. 

    Josh Stephens, general manager of Digium’s San Diego operations and a co-creator of Switchvox, said the IP PBX has always leveraged web technologies more than other competing products. 

    He said they had integrated Switchvox with Google maps and web-based CRM software such as Salesforce and SugarCRM. 

    "We’ve also provided easy-to-use APIs that enable businesses to quickly tie together their back-office software that they rely on day to day with their Switchvox IP PBX," he said. 

    "Now, support for instant messaging, fax and video calling, plus additional IVR functionality and a range of new benefits for administrators and users alike make Switchvox SMB 4.0 a truly web-aware UC solution." 

    To add to the appeal of the latest version of Switchvox SMB 4.0, it is available free of charge to customers with a current Switchvox SMB software subscription. 

    For new customers, Switchvox SMB USD $3,390 for a 10 user system, including hardware, software, a one-year subscription and warranty. 

    The entire line of Switchvox SMB appliances, the largest of which scales to serve 400 users, will be available from Digium and partners world-wide beginning on 3 March, 2009. 

    Danny Windham, CEO of Digium, said Switchvox is the first time that advanced unified communications features have been made available to SMBs that might not have big-company budgets. 

    He said these organisations are as reliant as anyone on their phones, e-mail, fax, chat and video and on the web to improve employee communications and efficiency. 

    "With Switchvox SMB 4.0, Digium brings all of these elements together and significantly integrates the business phone system with web applications in a way that we believe is unique today."

  • Toshiba Offers New Smartphone With 1GHz Snapdragon Chipset


    Toshiba could well steal the spotlight away from some bigger smartphone names with the launch of its latest high-end handset at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    Called the TG01, it’s the first announced device with Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon QSD2850 chipset with dynamic speed control to ensure good battery life.

    The super-slim 9.9mm device has an impressive 4.1 inch WVGA resistive screen and features a virtual trackpad.

    As the successor to the G910, it also features Toshiba’s own 3D user interface, which boasts vertical blinds and swiping gestures.

    Phone calls can be answered by shaking the phone, and the accelerometer can also be used to rotate the screen.

    Armed as it is with the 1GHz chipset, it will runs Windows Mobile 6.1 at pace, as well as full Flash.

    The device has the standard Windows Mobile feature set: HSDPA, WIFI, GPS and microSD memory expansion.

    The smartphone is expected to be available in Europe in Q3 2009, but may be exclusive to some carriers.

    Pricing should be similar to the HTC Touch HD.

  • Samsung Primes App Store and 12-megapixel Camera Phone


    Samsung is to launch a mobile applications online store later this month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    It also has a host of handsets lined up for their debut in Spain, including what is being touted as the world’s first 12-megapixel camera phone.

    The app store is expected to launch with 1,100 applications for Samsung S60 and Windows Mobile devices.

    It will initially only be for UK customers.

    In a refreshing move, the online store will have no initial or ongoing costs for developers associated with marketing or hosting software.

    Samsung will allow freeware to be distributed at no cost to the developer.

    If or when the app store is to be enlarged to other markets is not clear, nor are Samsung’s plans to support other platforms.

    As well as the launch of the 12-megapixel camera phone in Barcelona, Samsung is expected to announce an upgrade to its 8-megapixel Innov8 camera phone, possibly with a nifty 3.5" zoom lens.

  • Is The Glofiish DX900 Really Acer's First Smartphone?


    With anticipation growing about Acer’s entry into the smartphone market later this month, there are suggestions its first offering might simply be a rebranded Glofiish DX900.

    The Taiwanese computer giant acquired E-Ten in mid-2008 – maker of the DX900 – a handset that includes dual-SIM support, a 3-megapixel camera, a 2.8-inch VGA quality touchscreen display, GPS, Wi-Fi and runs Windows Mobile 6.1.

    Reports have also suggested that the new Acer smartphone will in fact be a totally new design and come with a rotating swivelling hinge for the keyboard.

    Whether this is the case or Acer is simply going to unveil the Glofiish smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with its own badge remains to be seen.

    If the latter were the case, it would be a little disappointing.

    But the MWC invite did specify there would be a "launch" – so hopefully that’s what we are going to get.

  • France's Digital Switchover Begins


    The city of Coulommiers near Paris is the first in France to make the switchover to digital TV as part of a pilot project ahead of the full national transition.

    France Télé Numérique said 94 per cent of households in the city of 14,700 were equipped with at least one digital TV set 20 days before the switchover.

    As the figure suggests – US authorities take note – a scheme to help people update their TV equipment from old analog televisions has proved very succesful.

    The signal was cut by French minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, newly named Secretary of State for Prospective and digital economy development, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and CSA president Michel Boyon.

    The digital switchover will continue in the other pilot cities of Kaysersberg (Alsace) and Cherbourg (Cotentin), where 200,000 people will be affected.

    The process will then roll-out through 2010 with a completion date set for 30 November,2011.

    Launched in 2005, DTT currently covers 87 per cent of the population but analog television is still a reality for 29 per cent of French households.

  • DiBcom Launches Programmable Mobile TV Solution


    DiBcom is to launch a new platform that offers device manufacturers a solution to the problem of multiple standards worldwide for fixed and mobile TV.

    Known as Octopus, the platform is based on a programmable architecture that enables one design to be seamlessly and cost-effectively targeted at many existing and upcoming mobile TV standards.

    DiBcom said the first commercialised version is fully compliant with the most widely deployed standards today: CMMB, DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-SH, ISDB-T (1SEG & Full-SEG) and T-DMB. Other emerging standards such as ATSC M/H, DVB-T2, and any others, will follow.

    Khaled Maalej, CTO of DiBcom, said existing multi-standard components combine the circuitry of some standards in one chip with minimum optimisation.

    He said Octopus, however, is based on one programmable, broadcast specific, vector signal processor (VSP) and is able to handle any standard by adapting its microcode.

    The VSP engine is integrated with a multi-mode channel decoder and MAC, memory and a power management unit (PMU), therefore offering optimal power consumption for each standard.

    Manufactured using 65nm technology, the Octupus platform comes with a multi-band RF tuner in two package options, and in either single or diversity (dual-antenna) configurations.

    DiBcom said the advantages offered by the new platform include:

    • A universal and cost-effective architecture ideal for a one-to-many strategy (all regions, all applications addressed with one device)
    • High performance at low power consumption in all functional modes
    • An integrated PMU for a simpler system design (one voltage input), efficient power consumption and longer battery life
    • No unnecessary hardware duplication or reliance on powerful CPU’s as required by other multi-standard solutions
    • Embedded descramblers for all conditional access (CAS) protected content

    Possible applications for the Octopus platform include the automotive, PC/notebook, PMP, PND, mobile phone as well as LCD TV and Set-Top-Box market sectors.

    Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom, said handset manufacturers now had the opportunity to increase their volumes of mobile TV terminals based on the Octopus platform since they can ship them to any region in the world by simply loading the appropriate software.

    "Availability of a large choice of terminals is a major market enabler," he said.

    Octopus component samples will be available in early Q2 2009.

  • WD Launches 2TB Hard Drive


    WD has announced the first 2 terabyte (TB) hard drive – the world’s highest capacity drive.

    The device is the latest addition to WD’s environmentally friendly Caviar Green hard drive family.

    This new 3.5-inch platform is based on WD’s 500 GB/platter technology (with 400 Gb/in2 areal density) with 32 MB cache, producing drives with capacities of up to 2 TB.

    Mark Geenen, president of Trend Focus, said there were some in the industry who wondered if the end consumer would buy a 1 TB drive.

    He said that already some 10 per cent of 3.5-inch hard drive sales are at the 1 TB level or higher.

    They served demand from video applications and expanding consumer media libraries.

    "The 2 TB hard drives will continue to satisfy end user’s insatiable desire to store more data on ever larger hard drives," he said.

    External storage solutions are a common place for extreme-capacity drives to help consumers manage these media libraries.
    The WD Caviar Green 2 TB will be available later this month at select resellers and distributors for Euro 299.00.

    This week, WD also reported revenue of USD $1.8 billion, on shipments of approximately 35.5 million units and net income of USD $14 million, or $0.06 per share, for its fiscal second quarter ended 26 December, 2008.

    The company’s results include charges of USD $113 million associated with the restructuring plan announced on 17 December.

    Excluding the restructuring charges and the related tax benefit of USD $4 million, non-GAAP net income was USD $123 million or $0.55 per share.

  • Snom To Reveal First Touchscreen VoIP Handset


    Snom Technology is to unveil the world’s first touchscreen VoIP handset at this year’s CeBIT tradeshow.

    Called the snom 870, the German VoIP telephone maker said the device has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

    This allows users to easily connect calls and set up telephone conferences.

    The latter are set up by dragging and dropping the button icons of contacts onto the relevant area of the display.

    Snom will also be exhibiting its entire VoIP product suite at CeBIT, which runs from 3-8 March in Hannover.

    This includes the MeetingPoint model, snom’s first VoIP conference handset.

  • Bid To Delay US Switch To Digital TV Fails


    A bill intended to delay the US’s transition to digital TV has been defeated in the House of Representatives.

    An estimated 6.5 million Americans are not yet prepared for the switch, which now reverts back to the original date of 17 February.

    The action comes less than two days after the US Senate unanimously voted to move the switch date to 12 June.

    The House blocked the bill, saying postponing the action would only cause confusion for consumers and increase costs for broadcasters.

    It needed two-thirds of the votes of the House under "special rules adopted for the vote," but the result was just 258 to 168 in favor of changing the date.

    From 17 February, all television broadcasters are legally required to shut off analog signals and air only digital programming.

    Viewers using analog TV sets and antennas to receive broadcasts will need to upgrade to a digital TV set or install a converter box to get signals.

    Funds totalling USD $1.34 billion for government-issued vouchers to help consumers pay for digital TV converter boxes has been used up.

    The converter boxes cost between USD $50 and USD $80.

  • Acer Smartphone(s) To Be Unveiled in Barcelona


    Acer is to announce its entrance into the mobile phone market with the launch of at least one smartphone at next month’s Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona.

    The company confirmed the move through press invitation that announced a "smartphones launch" – suggesting there could be more than one device released.

    Acer first mooted the ideal of a smartphone a year ago so its entry into the mobile market is not unexpected.

    Especially as the computer giant recently acquired the Taiwan-based mobile manufacturer E-Ten.

    The invitation shows that Acer’s president and CEO, Gianfranco Lanci, will be speaking.

    While no details are being given about the launch the expectation is that the Acer device(s) will run Microsoft’s as yet unannounced Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

    Last April, when Acer announced its acquisition of E-Ten, he indicated the phone would be Microsoft-based.

    Now we will just have to wait until 16 February in Barcelona to find out for sure.