voip phones

BlackBerry 9000 specs leaked

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

The specifications for the highly anticipated BlackBerry 9000 have reportedly been leaked, and surprise, it looks a lot like the iPhone. However, the device will run on HSDPA networks and sports a more powerful processor than the iPhone. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, WiFi and GPS capability and 1 GB of on board memory. No one is sure when the 9000 hits the streets.

To read more about the BlackBerry 9000:
- check out this Boy Genius report

Related articles:
- Ten mobile VoIP phones
- Blackberry tops smartphone user survey

Editor's Corner

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Speculation has been swirling as to whether Internet search behemoth Google will come to market with its own branded mobile phone. Guesses have run the gamut, ranging from a strategy of making a phone and selling its own service as an MVNO to producing a low-cost handset for emerging markets. Certainly the mobile market is not one to ignore as it represents billions in revenue for a company like Google, but Google has been facing an uphill battle with operators in the U.S. These customer gatekeepers have opted to stay away from Google search services, preferring to make deals with white-label, pure-play mobile search companies to power their offerings. Operators want a cut of the revenue from search services rather than offering them for free with a Google service. Operators in both the U.S. and Europe will try to hold on to their strategy of owning the customer until customers finally demand an open Internet model.

Until then, it seems to me that Google might be better off looking to a WiFi handset, offering a VoIP client and a decent Web browser to make some money on search-based advertising--exactly how it makes money in the wired world. The timing is right too. Municipal mesh networks are proliferating with every major city in the U.S. building one along with even small communities getting into the act too.

And at least one major ISP is looking at the opportunity for selling WiFi VoIP phones over mesh networks. EarthLink announced last week it is beta testing phones on the company's municipal wireless network in Anaheim, CA. EarthLink WiFi phones will allow consumers to make Internet phone calls from a wireless handset to any traditional landline, cell phone or VoIP phone. The handsets will work directly on EarthLink's municipal wireless networks and can also connect via a wireless router attached to the user's wired home broadband network.

VoIP could very well be one of the biggest benefits of a muni-WiFi network. A wireless phone that can be used citywide that connects to free or very low cost VoIP services is quite desirable from a consumer standpoint.

Certainly Google could leverage its muni-WiFi offerings in its hometown of Mountain View, CA and its network in San Francisco that it runs with partner EarthLink. Tack on some location-based Google searching capabilities and the Internet search giant has a pretty compelling offer. -Lynnette

ALSO NOTED: Birdstep is showing SmartConnect; Taiwanese company Accton has selected CSR's single-chip WiFi device for new wirel

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:01:31 -0500

> Birdstep is showing SmartConnect, aiming to simplify connection and mobility management to WiFi/WLAN-enabled smartphones. Release

> Taiwanese company Accton has selected CSR's single-chip WiFi device for new wireless VoIP phones based on UniVox design. Release

> SunCorp Technologies, too, has selected CSR's UniVox design for its first generation of WiFi handsets. Release

> Subscribers to London-based Truphone mobile VoIP service can now use dual mode, GSM/WiFi phones to make VoIP calls--either for free or for a really cheap rate--over WiFi connections. Report

> The WiFi Alliance says that during the last two years it has certified about 100 WiFi phones, the vast majority of which are dual-mode with cellular. Report

> When it comes to troublesome Linux peripherals, WiFi takes the cake. The Linux wireless developer community tackled this problem at its second Linux Wireless Summit last month in London. Report

> Now, here is a sentence you never thought you would read: "The recent vote of the IEEE 802.11n Task Group to move forward with a second draft was, well, anticlimactic." See this useful report on the state of 802.11n, and this discussion.

> Polycom is bolstering its drive into the VoWiFi market with its $220 million acquisition of SpectraLink. Report

And Finally... In case you've lost sleep over this, the bad news is in: Microsoft's Xbox 360 is incompatible with Apple's Airport Extreme 802.11n. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Slow to take off

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:01:33 -0500

For years frequent fliers have been looking forward to the day when they can settle in their seats, flip open their laptops, surf the Net, download email, even use their VoIP phones. Airlines' financial woes, bad in-flight connections, and regulatory and technical obstacles have always interfered to delay the arrival of such a day. You know what? They will have to wait just a bit longer. Analysis