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Filed under: Business, VoIP, Beta

Skype goes corporate, allows Skype calls from SIP phones

Skype for SIP
Skype has launched a new beta service that allows businesses using SIP telephone systems to make and receive Skype calls on their regular telephones. No headphone and computer needed.

Skype for SIP beta works a lot like Skype, in that you can call and receive calls from other Skype users for free, and pay Skype rates to make calls to domestic and international land lines or cellphones. Customers can also purchase Skype phone numbers that people can use to call in from traditional phones.

The service is aimed at medium to large sized businesses tht use PBX phone systems with Session Initiation Protocal, or SIP. Because the service hooks right into the PBX, users will be able to use their phone hardware to do things like route calls, engage in conference calls, record calls, and record voicemail.

Filed under: Audio, Commercial, Freeware, Mobile Minute

SlyDial: Leave voicemail without actually having to talk to anyone


It's 2am and you really, really, really need to get in touch with your significant other to let them know how sorry you are about the thing you said earlier that night. But you're a bit tipsy, and they're probably asleep and you don't want to wake them up. So what do you do? Make a call that goes directly to voicemail of course. Because nothing says "I'm sorry babe," like a rambling voicemail message. And that's where slydial can help.

Slydial lets you make a call to any landline or cellphone number in the US and go straight to voicemail. Just call 267-slydial (that's a Pennsylvania area code, in case anyone was wondering), and while listening to the somewhat amusing, somewhat offensive introduction, just enter the number of the person you want to call. Slydial will play a rather obnoxious ad and then connect you to the voicemail. The person you're calling will then get a missed call and/or voicemail message, but their phone will never ring. It's sort of like sending a text message. But with voice. And without the SMS fees.

If you want to avoid the obnoxious advertisement part of the equation, you can also register for an account and pay $.15 per call or $4.95 a month for unlimited calls. You know, in case you like to leave a *lot* of voicemails, but can't stand actually speaking with people in real-time.

[via Webware]

Filed under: Internet, Web services, VoIP

Jaduka launches web telephony widgets and browser toolbar

dukaBUZZ
Web telephony service Jaduka has launched a bunch of new tools that make it easy to initiate telephone to telephone calls over the web. The most basic service is called dukaDIAL, and it allows you to enter any two phone numbers to initiative a phone call. DukaDIAL will call one number and then the other and initiate a connection. No computer headset or microphone required. Jaduka doesn't charge anything for these calls, but your telephone provider might.

Jaduka offers several other services that use the same basic technology. For example, dukaBAR is a browser toolbar for Firefox or Internet Explorer. Once it's installed you can click a button and automatically detect any phone number on any web page. A telephone icon will show up next to those phone numbers, and if you click on that icon, Jaduka will initiate a phone call between your number and the number on the page. Skype offers a similar browser plugin, but with Skype you're making a PC to phone call, while Jaduka initiates phone to phone calls.

There's also a dukaBuzz widget which you can install on any web page to allow visitors to leave listen to voice comments, and a dukaLINK tool for creating clickable links that will initiate phone calls.

Filed under: Symbian, Productivity, VoIP

Fring adds Yahoo! and AIM support, FWD connectivity

FringWe introduced you to Fring earlier this year, and now it has become even more useful. You've always been able to use Fring with Skype, Google Talk, Twitter, ICQ, and MSN Messenger; but now the application has the added ability to use AIM and Yahoo! Messenger.

Fring doesn't support voice calls on the new services, but does allow for IM conversations. You can, however, use Fring to make VoIP calls on Google Talk and Skype, along with Fring to Fring calls. With the new service additions, Fring is now a premier universal IM client for the mobile platform.

To use AIM or Yahoo!, simply load up Fring on your cellphone and go to settings -> services and add your AIM and/or Yahoo credentials to hop on those networks. No update to the Fring application is required.

In other Fring news, you can now connect with Free World Dialup (FWD) users using Fring.

Because Fring supports SIP, FWD can easily be used to connect via VoIP to your FWD friends. Details are a little sketchy on how to make mobile FWD calls, but details can be found on FWD's website. You will need to have a supported handset and your FWD# and password.

Note: you must have a Symbian or UIQ handset to utilize Yahoo/AIM.

Filed under: Internet, VoIP

Vonage V. Verizon update: Vonage gets to add new subscribers

Vonage It looks like a federal appeals court has issued a permanent stay on a lower court ruling banning Vonage from signing up new customers.

Earlier this year a jury found that Vonage's internet telephony service violates patents held by Verizon, kicking off a whole slew of legal troubles for Vonage.

Today's ruling came just two hours after the appeals court heard arguments from the two sides.

The stay only applies while Vonage is appealing the initial ruling. If Vonage loses the appeal, the company could be finished. That said, Vonage stock jumped closed to 50% today on the first good news the company's had in months.

Filed under: Business, News, VoIP

Vonage told to stop using Verizon patents

VonageA federal judge has given internet telephony company Vonage two weeks to stop using technologies that infringe on voice over IP patents held by Verizon.

Earlier this month, a jury found that Vonage had violated Verizon's patents. Vonage lawyers tried to argue that any harm to Verizon was outweighed by the public good of providing competition in the telephone industry. An appeal is likely.

In the meantime, Vonage says customers should not expect interruptions in service. It's not clear if that means the company expects the two week stay to be extended pending appeal, or if Vonage is readying new technologies that don't violate Verizon's patents.

[via GigaOM]

Filed under: Internet, News, VoIP

Skype changing SkypeOut prices (again)

SkypeSkype is set to announce yet another change in its pricing strategy for SkypeOut calls.

In December, Skype announced that it would no longer offer unlimited free PC to telephone calls within the US and Canada. Starting this week, users have to pay $29.95 for a yearlong calling plan (although it's only $14.95 if you purchase a plan by January 31st).

On January 18th, Skype will unveil the next part of its new pricing strategy. It's not clear exactly what that means. It could be a yearly or monthly service plan for calls outside of the US and Canada. Or it could just be a drop in the per minute rates. The only clue on Skype's web site is that the new plan will include "a connection fee of 0 – 0.039 € per call (exclusive of VAT) effective from 13.00 CET, January 18th, 2007."

Of course the easiest way to continue using Skype without paying fees is to make free PC to PC based calls.

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