Archive for June, 2004
Jun
30
SIP pundit fires broadside at Skype
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By Faultline
Published Tuesday 22nd June 2004 11:40 GMT
Last week we carried our thoughts and impressions from the VON (voice over networks) conference in London and focused on the difference between the instantaneous gratification of Skype for private individuals and the safe and efficient enterprise wide VoIP implementations, reliant mostly on the SIP protocol.
Rohan Mahy, co-chair IETF SIP and SIPPING Working Groups, took issue with some of the things that Niklas Zennstrom of Skype and Kazaa fame said at the conference, and although enterprise VoIP isn't a central technology to Faultline, it is a valid and radical cost pressure on telcos and an opportunity for various vendors.
more...
Jun
30
Klaus Schulz makes history by making the first ever VoIP call
on a commercial airline flight using Xten software.
Xten® Networks, Inc. (OTCBB: XNWK) yesterday announced that VoIP history was made when Klaus Schulz, a former 3COM® Chief Technology Architect, boarded Flight 452 from Munich to Los Angeles on May 17th. Mr. Schulz did not know that he was going to make history on that day, however, he knew that he was going to be able to use the Internet on Lufthansa®s first commercial production flight with the very much touted new service from Connexion by Boeing®, this, because he helped with the overall implementation of the system.
Mounted on the fuselage of these Airbus® A340 longhaul aircraft is the cornerstone of Lufthansas broadband Internet system: The Connexion by Boeing antenna. It sends and receives data via over 10 geostationary satellites at 36,000 km up said Klaus Schulz in a recent telephone Interview.
At cruising altitude of 40,000 ft., Klaus opened up his browser and was presented with the Lufthansa FlyNet® broadband Internet service, offering him access to a free Information Portal and also access to a fee-based Broadband Internet connection from Connexion by Boeing. After basic registration with Connexion by Boeing, Klaus set up a user profile and logged on.
The most astonishing and remarkable connection Klaus made was with his SIP softphone for Microsoft® Windows® by Xten Networks, Inc.
After testing just about all the SIP softphones out there, Klaus explained I kept the Xten SIP phone on my desktop, because it was the only SIP phone, I could actually take with me when I travel. It was just there on my notepads desktop waiting for me.
Within a few seconds of launching, the Xten softphone started to discover the firewall and the SIP compatible router and tunneled through symmetric NAT, before coming back with a crisp and clear public phone number, reachable from any phone in the world!
That was awesome! Unbelievable! Had no one else discovered this wonder of technology on board? was Schulzs reaction to the surprising discovery, I started to dial up and talk to my friends and co-workers as if I was in my office, with the same crisp and crystal clarity I am used to on the ground.
The surrounding passengers almost spilled their coffee, when they started to hear Klaus talk back to his computer, and flooded him with questions in between calls.
This is very exciting! I spend a great deal of time on commercial flights and for the most part my time is wasted because I live on the Internet, explained Erik Lagerway, President and Chief Operating Officer of Xten. Now I can make and receive phone and video calls, use my e-mail and Instant Messenger, all for the price of the in-flight Internet Access. Well worth the $30!
Xtens softphones are carrier-grade IP telephony SIP endpoints, delivering the quality of service and features large providers require for their customer base.
Xtens feature-rich FREE SIP softphone X-LiteTM does not include some of the advanced features found in our commercial software but still provides superior call quality. Xtens softphones are fully RFC3261 (SIP), RTP/RTCP (RFC 1889) and SDP (RFC 3264) compliant. They are available for Windows (Windows 98SE/ME/NT 4/2000/XP/CE), Mac OS X, Linspire and Pocket PC operating systems.
It was my Dad's birthday today so I thought it would be a good day to launch free calling on myPhoneBooth.com.
Free 1 Minute Calls To:
United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore
Taiwan, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom
I called my Dad in Cranbrook, BC from Santa Clara and wished him a Happy Birthday. I then called my brother in Australia and give him crap for not calling my Dad yet and then he called him using myPhoneBooth.com as well.
Pretty cool! Now that they have Wifi on comercial flights I can see that myPhoneBooth.com might get some real traction. Soon it will have Acoustic Echo Cancellation so you don't even have to use a headset!
There is also Free Unlimited Calls To US 1-800 Numbers
and
Free Unlimited VoIP Calls on These Networks:
Call any SIPphone Account (1-747-XXX-XXXX)
Call any Free World Dialup Account (1-393-XXXXX)
Call any Iptel.org Account (1-477-XXXXXX)
Call any Iaxtel Account (1-700-XXX-XXXX)
The PSTN connectivity is provided by SIPphone, which was founded by Michael Robertson the founder of MP3.com.
Have Fun!
Xten(R) Expands SIP Softphone Offering to include support for Wireless CDMA Networks, Video Conferencing and Instant Messaging
Xten demonstrates its newest SIP softphone eyeBeam(TM) at Supercomm eyeBeam is slated for commercial release in October 2004
SUPERCOMM '04, McCormick Place, Booth No. 13840O. SANTA CLARA, CA, June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Xten (OTCBB: XNWK - News) today announced the upcoming release of its newest carrier-grade SIP softphone - eyeBeam. eyeBeam will offer significant enhancements to Xten's current commercial SIP softphones, delivering features not yet seen in the VoIP and IP telephony industries.
The eyeBeam feature set includes all of the robust SIP telephony features expected from Xten, plus H.263 and H.264 IP video conferencing, CDMA cellular network support and a host of new IP telephony features.
The eyeBeam production software and low-level SDK will support wireless CDMA cellular networks, like those offered by Sprint, Verizon and Telus. Wireless Carriers will be able to provide direct calling from eyeBeam SIP softphones to cellular phones, and visa versa, without any transcoding. To see the eyeBeam CDMA network diagram visit www.xten.com/cdma.jpg.
"The implications of our recent achievements are far reaching! Based on our research, eyeBeam is the first SIP softphone in VoIP history to complete bi-directional full duplex voice calls to and from a wireless CDMA cellular phone without the aid of a Media Gateway," explains Erik Lagerway, President and Chief Operating Officer of Xten. "Wireless carriers could realize significant reductions in equipment costs alone, not to mention the flat-rate revenue potential for calling plans which offer calls between Internet-based SIP softphones and wireless cellular phones. Wireless VoIP suddenly has a whole new meaning!"
The upcoming Beta release of eyeBeam will only be available to select Xten partners, with the commercial release scheduled for October. Open standards based Instant Messaging and Encryption will be available later in the fall.
Xten's softphones are carrier-grade IP telephony SIP endpoints, delivering the quality of service and features large providers require for their customer base. Xten's feature-rich FREE SIP softphone - X-Lite(TM) - does not include some of the advanced features found in our commercial software but still provides superior call quality. Xten's softphones are fully RFC3261 (SIP), RTP/RTCP (RFC 1889) and SDP (RFC 3264) compliant. They are available for Windows (Windows 98SE/ME/NT 4/2000/XP/CE), Mac OS X, Linspire and Pocket PC operating systems.
About Xten®
Xten is a provider of award-winning, high-quality, carrier-grade SIP- based Voice and Video over IP software and softphones. Xten's goal is to be the primary choice in SIP-based client-side audio and video IP communications software for Telecoms, Cable Providers, Internet Telephony Service Providers and OEMs.
Those who are interested in Xten products should visit http://sales.xten.com. On the Web: www.xten.com. Visit Erik Lagerway's blog: www.sipthat.com
Vonage(R) Releases Xten's X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X. Vonage's cutting edge Voice over IP service now available for Mac users
Vonage, the leading broadband telephony provider in the U.S., and Xten Networks (OTC Bulletin Board: XNWK - News), publisher of the award winning X-PRO SoftPhone, announced today that Vonage and Xten have completed interoperability testing of an OEM version of Xten's X-PRO SIP SoftPhone for Mac-based Vonage subscribers.
Mac users can now download the Vonage X-PRO for the Mac OS X SoftPhone to start making and receiving telephone calls immediately on their computers, while maintaining the same quality of service they have come to expect from Vonage.
Road Warriors using the Vonage X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X can access the Vonage service from almost any Internet connected personal computer. The Vonage X-PRO SoftPhone provides increased mobility of the Vonage service; this along with the feature-rich X-PRO's ease-of-use, make it a winning combination.
"We are really excited to partner with Xten to offer our Mac-based customers the best soft phone on the market," said Michael Tribolet, Vonage's executive vice president of Operations. "This offering underscores our commitment to our customers who requested Mac availability for one of the most cutting edge applications, which is replete with great features and prices."
"VoIP services have come a long way since the mid-nineties and to see them replacing circuit-switched primary line services marks a new era for the telephone," said Erik Lagerway, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xten Networks, Inc. "Xten is proud to have Vonage as a customer and we are excited about the opportunities this new partnership will foster."
About Vonage®
Vonage is redefining communications by offering consumers and small businesses an affordable alternative to traditional telephone service. The fastest growing telephony company in North America, Vonage's service area encompasses more than 1900 active rate centers in over 125 North American markets. Vonage is sold directly through http://www.vonage.com and retail partners such as Amazon.com, RadioShack, Best Buy and Circuit City. Wholesale partners such as EarthLink, ARMSTRONG®, Advanced Cable Communications and the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities resell the Vonage broadband phone service under their own unique brands. With more than 175,000 lines in service, Vonage continues to add more than 20,000 lines per month to its network. Over 5 million calls per week are made using Vonage, the easy-to-use, feature-rich, flat rate phone service. Vonage is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage's products and services, please visit http://www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage®, Vonage Digital VoiceTM, Toll Free PlusSM and Virtual Phone Number(SM) are trademarks of Vonage Holdings Corp.
About Xten® Networks, Inc.
Xten is a provider of award-winning, high-quality, carrier-grade SIP-based VoIP software and softphones. Xten's goal is to be the primary choice in SIP- based client-side audio and video IP communications software for Telecoms, Cable Providers and Internet Telephony Service Providers. Those who are interested in Xten products should visit sales.xten.com . On the Web: http://www.xten.com .
Jun
24
I can safely say that Supercomm 04 was a great success for Xten. We made contact with some great potential customers and met with some existing customers we had not had the chance to yet.
SIPop! was a little poorly organized, namely the lack of signage caused problems but all in all it turned out well and Xten SIP Softphones received a clean bill of health and played well with all the other participants.

