Focus Enhancements today announced it has received FCC approval for its Ultra Wideband (UWB) DS-OFDM modulation scheme. The approval was granted without the waiver restrictions that are currently being applied to the WiMedia Standard UWB technology.
DS-OFDM UWB radios will be able to use all or any part of the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz spectrum allocated by the FCC. Focus said "UWB rates and distances will be significantly increased using DS-OFDM architecture".
Skype has officially released version 3.0 of its popular Internet chat program. Skype 3.0.0.190 is now available for download and includes several new features. The program now plugs into Internet Explorer and users can make Skype calls to regular phone numbers with one click. Skype has also added a Skypecast feature where users can participate … Read more
With its free Skype Out promotion due to end in a few weeks, Skype today announced a new Skype Unlimited Calling plan. This is a paid annual subscription service that allows registered users to make 12 months of unlimited SkypeOut calls to any phone within the U.S. and Canada. This is the first time that Skype is making an annual subscription calling plan available anywhere in the world.
Microsoft today opened a private beta of its new enterprise voice communications server, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, to 2,500 IT professionals. The new server is aimed at allowing companies to integrate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology into existing telephony infrastructure and is the successor to Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005.
Sometimes you just need an operator. It’s not often, but there are services that a real, live operator can perform that you just don’t get when you subscribe to one of the popular VOIP services such as Vonage. Of course, you’re not gong to make collect calls from your VOIP line, and international calls likewise need no operator intervention. But what happens if you need to check the status of a line? That was the scenario I recently faced.
HP and Cingular Wireless today announced availability of what is claimed to be the first notebook PC in the United States to feature built-in global mobile broadband capabilities.
HP said its Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC with integrated Cingular Wireless UMTS/HSDPA-based technology is the first notebook with a tri-band UMTS modem supporting data rates of up to 3.6 Mbps. It can access mobile broadband service in the United States via Cingular Wireless BroadbandConnect or high-speed EDGE services and in more than 115 countries where UMTS or GPRS/EDGE networks are available.
Our reviews of the SMC and Netgear versions of this phone have shown them to be less than impressive. But Tim Higgins found that Belkin’s version is the one to get.
BitTorrent today announced it has acquired µTorrent, a lightweight and efficient implementation of the BitTorrent protocol. The objective is to combine BitTorrent’s expertise in networking protocols with µTorrent’s high-performance design and compelling user interface (UI).
Following the acquisition, patented content delivery innovations made by BitTorrent will be integrated in the µTorrent client in a "seamless" manner. Ultimately, the integration of best-of-breed BitTorrent technology will result in an improved client and an "enhanced user experience".
InterWorking Labs today announced Mini Maxwell, a portable, low-cost network emulator. The product is a Layer 2 network emulator with the ability to apply packet impairments including drop/lose, duplicate, delay and reordering to five user-defined traffic “bands” in both transmit and receive directions. A variety of packet filters can be applied including IPv4 source/destination address, … Read more
Belkin today announced that it has added support for using its Wi-Fi Phone for Skype with Boingo Wireless hot spots. This makes Belkin the first company to address one of the weaknesses of the current crop of Wi-Fi Skype phones; the inability to be used with wireless hot spots that require browser-based authentication. A Belkin … Read more
With computer VoIP services like Skype and Vonage continuing to build consumer base, Truphone is a new London-based start-up going a slightly different route – bringing the same technology to cell phones to enable free or inexpensive calls on the go. The technology behind Truphone, which is currently only available for select Nokia handsets, is … Read more
Intel has announced that it built its first WiMAX baseband chip for laptops. The WiMAX Connect 2300 chip, combined with a radio antenna, could be a long-range replacement for 802.11 Wi-Fi and cellular networks by providing multi-megabit speeds over several kilometers. Intel has also incorporated multiple antennas to increase speed and signal strength. The chip … Read more
