VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Amazon.com today announced it will launch a digital music store later this year offering millions of songs in the DRM-free MP3 format from more than 12,000 record labels. According to Amazon, every song and album in the Amazon.com digital music store will be available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. A major corporation (Amazon) convinced the record labels to offer their music with no digital rights protection? Unbelievable! I"m speechless. So while the RIAA continues to sue college kids for downloading DRM-free MP3s off the Internet, the RIAA (supported by record labels) is going to allow DRM-free MP3s to be sold? What"s to stop these "legally" downloaded MP3s from then being uploaded onto P2P networks? Perhaps since that is being done already en-masse, the record labels figure "if you can"t beat em" join em"".

Amazon"s DRM-free MP3s will free customers to play their music on virtually any of their personal devices -- including PCs, Macs, iPods, Zunes, Zens -- and to burn songs to CDs for personal use.

Perhaps the nicest thing about DRM-free MP3s is that there are no restrictions on its personal use. Apple on the other hand with all music sold through iTunes uses the FairPlay system that restricts the use of the downloads. Purchased music can only be moved between five computers and played on an Apple iPod. Amazon"s MP3 songs can be played on any MP3 player (including the iPod) as well as burned to a CD, or copied to as many PCs or Macs that you want.

Whether that is enough to knock Apple iTunes off their digital music download throne remains to be seen.

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Tags: Amazon.com, Apple, DRM, DRM-Free, iTunes, MP3, music
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Comments on this Entry:

(Ryan Hamilton on May 16, 2007 2:58 PM) Did you miss that Apple already has plans to sell DRM free songs as well? http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html

(Andrew on May 16, 2007 3:48 PM) Apple offers DRM free music (for a few months now) on a large selection of music as well. Isn"t Amazon just following Apples initiative?

(Tom Keating on May 16, 2007 5:52 PM) I stand corrected. Thanks guys. Now that you mention it, I have a vague recollection about Apple doing this. I think I saw the headline but didn"t click through to the story. Wonder how Microsoft will respond to this considering they"ve invested so heavily into their own DRM protection. I guess we"ll still see a combination of DRM and DRM-free content for the foreseeable future. Just glad to see some major digital distributors (Apple & Amazon) are offering DRM-free content.

(Andrew on May 16, 2007 5:59 PM) It is a major disruption for sure, and a welcome one. AllofMP3.com offered the best service (even if it was slightly illegal) hopefully reasonable pricing will follow this push to eliminate DRM.

NaviGadget reports on the "GPSMirror" from SpeedCheetah, a rear-view mirror with integrated GPS that uses its built-in database to look for "accident black spots, common mobile cameras, and fixed safety camera locations," to help you avoid getting one of those nasty speeding tickets from one of these fixed camera locations. It also shows your heading and speed and warns you if you are above a predetermined speed.

The $400 price tag is definitely a bit steep especially since my Garmin 2720 and my other GPS units allow you to download speed camera waypoints from the Internet for free - and these are fully functional GPS navigation units to boot, where as this GPSMirror is a one-trick pony. Still, if you have a heavy foot, some cash to burn, or just love gadgets, then it can"t hurt to get one of these.

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Tags: GPS, GPSMirror, NaviGadget, speed cameras, speeding ticket
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Skype today released Skype for Mac 2.6, which includes improved quality, stability and more features. But more interesting is that for the first time, Mac users will be able to enjoy a new Skype feature before it"s available to Windows users. Pretty soon, us Windows users will be 2nd-class citizens.

Skype added a new call-transfer feature that is exclusive to the Mac platform. Users can now select More > Call Transfer to transfer an ongoing call to another Skype user on their contact list. As Skype stated in their news release, this will be a useful feature for businesses.

"Mac users have very high expectations," said Carter Adamson, Skype’s general manager of desktop products. "So we take the time to get things right. Whether it‘s quality, stability or choice of features, we try to deliver exactly what is important to them. With 2.6 we have launched a new feature on Mac first, demonstrating our commitment to this fast-growing segment of Skype users."

Other features in the latest release:
•    join public chats
•    chat typing indicator: see when others are writing a message
•    Skype Prime: call a premium-service provider and pay for their advice and knowledge with Skype credit
•    automatic updates: get new features and updates without having to go to Skype’s website
•    DTMF tones for automatic answering services available also during Skype-to-Skype calls

Other improvements include tweaks in the way Skype handles birthday reminders and other notifications.

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Tags: Mac, Skype, VoIP
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Some interesting news from the Communications Developer show. SPIRIT"s TeamSpirit Mobile Voice Engine (similar to Global IP Sound"s solutions) is now shipping in Aliantiz soft-phone on Microsoft Windows Mobile devices.  Here"s the news...

Santa Clara, CA - Communications Developer Conference - 16 May, 2007 - SPIRIT DSP (www.spiritDSP.com), the world"s leading provider of embedded voice, video and audio software products, and Aliantiz, a French provider of application software, announced today that TeamSpirit Mobile Voice Engine has been integrated into Aliantiz" BeWip™ soft-phone. Developers of mobile soft-phones can benefit from SPIRIT"s low-MHz high-quality mobile voice engine solution.

TeamSpirit Mobile is the world"s most reliable and compact voice engine running on mobile devices today.
Thierry Zucchi, CEO of Aliantiz stated: "Thanks to SPIRIT"s highly-optimized voice products, our soft-phone applications can run even on inexpensive low-MHz mass-market VoIP-enabled handsets. To promote our soft-phone in the best manner, we needed a solution that would meet the tightest quality requirements. We are looking forward to bringing SPIRIT unprecedented voice quality to the millions of WiFi users worldwide."

"Millions of users of WiFi-enabled handsets will get the utmost of WiFi communications, enjoying Aliantiz service with SPIRIT voice quality," affirmed Alex Kravchenko, VP Sales & Marketing of SPIRIT DSP. "According to In-Stat, the markets of PDA phones and smart-phones will continue to increase at CAGR of 40% per year."

The BeWip™ soft-phone runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile and can be installed both on smart-phones and pocket PCs. BeWip™ users are free to use WiFi hot spots and SIP-based providers, as well as use VoIP calling.

TeamSpirit Voice Engine is already deployed in many applications of global service providers, as well as in millions of mobile devices of major OEMs, including Compal, Quanta and HTC. SPIRIT engine delivers the industry-standard voice quality and best-in-class video performance.

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Tags: Aliantiz BeWip, Microsoft Windows Mobile, mobile phone, TeamSpirit Mobile Voice Engine, VoIP
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Remember the original Slip "n Slide, a yellow & blue piece of plastic, that when wet becomes very slippery, enabling you to dive head first onto the plastic so you can slide the length of the sheet until you reached the grass in less than 1.5 seconds? It was a very short-lived thrill ride. Funny how in the commercials they make it seem like the slide lasts like 10 seconds. Can"t recall if they used slo-motion or if they took several clips and spliced them together to make it appear like a longer ride. Does this photo bring back the good ole days of being a kid and having not a care in the world?

Now you can buy themed Slip N Slides, including Spidernan, Superman, or even a double-slide - the Double Auto Racer. Well, kids today can have an even cooler water slide - one with actual elevation. No need to get a running start and belly-flopping onto the plastic like you had to with the original Slip N Slide! With the Banzai Falls Twin Blast Rapids you can race your friends down this twisting double slide.

This massive, twisting slide inflates in less than 3 minutes with the included continuous-airflow blower motor and easily attaches to any hose. It"ll set you back $599.99, but your kids will love you since they"ll be the most popular kids on the block.

 Features

• Inflates in less than 3 minutes
• Heavy-duty Dura-Tech construction ensures lasting strength and durability while the constant airflow helps resist small tears and puncture
• Safe Soft-Bottom Landing Pad
• Detachable Water-Spraying Rail
• Waterslide Weight Limit - 400lbs
• 14" Blower Motor with 24" Power Cord and GFCI for maximum safety and convenience

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Tags: Banzai Falls Twin Blast Rapids, Slip N Slide, waterslide, water slide
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Remember my SIP to Skype gateway breaks Skype"s Great Wall article, which explained how you could make a SIP-to-Skype call using the PSGW gateway? One of the knocks against Skype was that it uses a proprietary protocol, which makes it difficult to use with SIP-based IP-PBXs used in the enterprise. Thus, if you want to use Skype in the enterprise you either have to use the Skype software or buy a separate Skype-capable handset device from SMC, Linksys, NETGEAR, etc. Well, some exciting news from of STONEVOICE. Today they announced SkyStone, what appears to be a software-based IP Skype gateway designed to sit between a traditional PBX or IP-PBX and the Skype network, thus bridging the two. Actiontec is one other solution - via their VoSKY FXO/FXS gateway, which also integrates Skype with a PBX, but it requires hardware, where as according to STONEVOICE, their solution is 100% software.

Using SkyStone, SMBs can leverage both Skype-In and Skype-Out to save on phone charges while leveraging their existing PBX and phone handsets - no need for a separate Linksys CIT200 Skype phone for example. SkyStone, a software-based IP based Skype gateway, can interconnect any IP telephony solution or traditional PBX to Skype. This allows enterprise employees to take full advantage of Skype services using their existing phone infrastructure. SkyStone supports both SIP and H.323 so it can seamlessly integrate with any IP PBX, as well as legacy PBXs using a media gateway. The product doesn"t launch officially until June, but, as of today, it is possible to check out more information about SkyStone or to subscribe to the beta program, on the product page.

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Tags: Actiontec, gateway, H.323, IP-PBX, SIP, Skype, SkyStone, STONEVOICE, VoIP
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Octasic today announced the availability of Adaptive Noise Reduction (ANR), an add-on feature for Asterisk-based IP-PBX systems.  According to Octasic, adding the ANR feature to SoftEcho, an echo cancellation software, makes this "the clearest voice quality in the Asterisk market." That"s a mighty big claim, however Sangoma and Digium, leaders of hardware used in Asterisk solutions, BOTH use Octasic in their hardware for echo cancellation. Thus I have no reason to doubt their claim of the cleared voice quality. Now with this news announcement, you can get echo cancellation and Adaptive Noise Reduction using Octasic. Octasic is speaking at TMC"s Communications Developer Conference, so they probably timed this news to coincide with the conference.  

"Through the addition of ANR, Octasic continues to improve it"s SoftEcho for Asterisk, offering an even more crystal clear, noise-free experience,” said Frédéric Bourget, Director of Product Management for Octasic. "Although we are getting very good feedback from current customers, we will continue to provide added value free of charge.”

SoftEcho ANR will significantly improve sound quality on the Asterisk system, eliminating much of the noise one hears on a phone call, specifically when in a loud environment. Conferencing applications where multiple callers are on the line will benefit tremendously by the noticeable reduction in background noise.

Within this latest release Octasic has also improved performance of the echo cancellation algorithm reducing CPU usage for up to 16 channels while maintaining the same praised quality.  

SoftEcho is available for download, with ANR, for $10 per channel at www.octware.net. For those already using SoftEcho, the ANR feature download is free.

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Tags: Adaptive Noise Reduction, ANR, Asterisk, Digium, Octasic, Sangoma, SoftEcho
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I wasn"t able to attend Communications Developer Conference, so I have to live vicariously though Rich Tehrani and Greg Galitzine. This conference, which was formerly called VoIP Developer Conference is focused on - you guessed it - developers. Since this is a more focused and technical audience than TMC"s Internet Telephony Conference and Expo, obviously it"s going to be a smaller show. But both Greg and Rich emailed me and stated they were pleasantly surprised at just how packed the show was. Greg reports on the Avaya Developer Day, and pulls and interesting quote from Avaya’s vice president of developer relations and technology alliances, Eric Rossman. According to Greg, Rossman finished his introduction and left the developer with this thought:
  “Real estate in San Jose and Basking Ridge is expensive. But ask yourselves this: “How expensive is the real estate on the CIO or CEOs desk?” That’s the development opportunity.

Well said! As a CTO/CIO myself, I rent out my desk at $10,000 per square inch. Any takers out there?   Anyway, go check out Greg"s excellent full report.

Rich, who never leaves his Verizon XV6700 Windows Mobile device is always ready to snap a picture and post it to his blog. So I"ve been waiting for photo reports from the show. Sure enough, he posted this photo on the right depicting the packed Avaya Developer Day conference.

Rich says in his blog post, "Hat"s off to Avaya who now has over 5,000 partners in the Developer Connection program. When they first held this day at the first VoIP Developer show a few years back they only had 250 members. This is dramatic growth in such a short time."

Dramatic growth indeed. I think seeing a strong IP communications conference with a focus on software developers, engineers, MIS/IT, and CTO/CIOs, means we will see some interesting communications applications developed in the near future. With the convergence of voice, video/TV, wireless & cellular, triple/quadruple/quintuple play, the developers have to manage converged billing, video copyright issues, QoS, standards compliance, and a host of other issues. On top of that, developers have to contend with impatient CEOs and sales staff telling the developers they don"t want to hear excuses or why there are delays - just GIT-R-DONE!

Wish I was at the show, but I"ll just have to keep an eye on Rich"s and Greg"s blogs.

Internet Telephony Conference & Expo (ITEXPO), which is being held in the massive Los Angeles Convention Center, is just around the corner. Ok, so it"s not till September, but the summer months for me just fly right by. Can"t wait to cover the latest products at ITEXPO. ITEXPO is where I get my best VoIP news and interviews!

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Tags: communications, developers, Greg Galitzine, Rich Tehrani, VoIP
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Wal-Mart and Skype inked a deal whereby Wal-Mary will carry Skype Certified hardware in 1,800 of its stores throughout the country, Wal-Mart will also carry pre-paid Skype calling cards. Wal-Mart currently has cellular pre-paid calling cards in the most "prime" position - namely in the checkout lanes along with candy and gift cards since these are excellent "last minute" or "spur of the moment" purchases. I was just in Wal-Mart last week and saw some T-Mobile pre-paid calling cards in the checkout lane along with Apple iTunes gift cards further demonstrating Apple"s secret plan to rule the world. (Apple just wanted to give Microsoft a 10 year head-start.)

In any event, if these Skype calling cards are indeed going to be placed in the "prime" checkout aisle location, this could spur some "spur" of the moment purchases from consumers looking to try Skype"s service, which will further cement Skype"s dominant position. Om has some interesting thoughts worth a look and you can read the official news release here.

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Today, Microsoft is announcing several products that are optimized to work with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. As part of today"s announcement, Microsoft has launched a unified communications qualification program – including 15 phones and devices which are on the path to qualification with Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator (now in public beta). These include Internet protocol (IP) phones, Universal Serial Bus (USB) phones, conferencing phones, wired and wireless headsets, Webcams, monitors, PCs and PC peripherals.

Several of these products were already out in the marketplace, but some are brand new, so let"s focus on the "new" phone devices. First, the Polycom CX700 IP Phone is the mystery phone that I discussed previously. It delivers wideband audio and features a sleek design, a full duplex, hands-free speakerphone, but most importantly, the Polycom CX700 IP Phone features a fully embedded Office Communicator 2007 client, providing direct, on-device access to the features and capabilities of Office Communications Server 2007, all using a bright, touch-screen color display. For instance, from the phone you can access your Calendar information. Here"s a picture of it with the Polycom logo:


The CX700 also delivers enhanced presence status information and voicemail indication via an intelligent Windows CE based user interface, and enables users to easily control their calls, including click-to-call, conferencing, transferring, holding, forwarding and ending calls. In addition, the CX700 includes a full telephone keypad, a scroll wheel for navigating the user interface and keys for controlling volume, mute, speakerphone and headset mode. The Polycom CX700 IP Phone is expected to ship in the third quarter of 2007 and will be available worldwide through Polycom sales channel partners.

The CX700 is a standalone IP Phone with the following features:
• Embedded Office Communicator 2007 client which does not require a PC to make calls or to gain access to personal and contact information. High-Fidelity Speaker and Microphone
• High-quality wideband audio for the best possible voice call quality, whether in handset, full duplex speakerphone or headset mode. Personal Configuration
• Users can use the biometric fingerprint reader or the on-screen keyboard to log in and personalize the CX700 with their own communications preferences. Easy Call Management
• Easily monitor and manage your calls through the Windows CE-based touch-screen interface. Click-to-call with name-based calling from a user’s contact list or call logs. Enhanced incoming call information lets users quickly decide how to deal with a caller.

The next product announced as part of the OCS 2007 qualification program is the LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 which is strikingly similar to the Polycom CX700.
The phone"s casing & dimensions look exactly the same and it"s only the button layouts that are different. (compare this with previous photo) Even the button layouts are very similar, so perhaps Nortel OEMed this phone from Polycom or vice-versa. The LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 is an intelligent IP Phone from LG-Nortel optimized to support Microsoft’s Unified Communications solutions. This “People Centric” standalone IP phone is a highly reliable purpose-built terminal that combines advanced voice performance with embedded Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. The LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 helps improve productivity and work performance for information workers by offering a rich communications experience supporting simple operations, easy management, and rich presence awareness. It features name-based dialing, simple conference call setup and powerful presence status. The device includes a 5.7" TFT LCD touch-screen display and a very cool biometric (fingerprint) reader for secure login and quick, easy access to information from the device and server. Users can also login using a PIN, which will automatically load user preferences such as contacts, call logs, voicemail and other settings. When users log in to the LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540, Office Communications Server 2007 provides colleagues’ presence information, allowing users to see the other party’s availability and initiate a voice call simply by touching the screen or wheel. The LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 supports wideband audio technology, enabling generally improved sound quality. It also features Power over Ethernet - IEEE 802.3af Class 2 (7W max)

Best of the rest:
The Polycom CX100 is a small portable (pocketable), USB-based speakerphone that interfaces seamlessly with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 to enable high-quality hands-free calls with excellent wideband voice quality. The CX100 is identical to the previously released Polycom Communicator, a model designed to work with Skype.

Interestingly, the CX100 won"t be available until 3rd quarter 2007 when in theory it should work now, since as far as I can tell both models simply using the standard Microsoft USB audio class, so it isn"t a matter of the software being ready. Heck I have a Polycom Communicator sitting on my desk now that I installed (with no drivers needed) and used it as a speakerphone device from everything from Skype calls to Windows Media Player streaming radio. It works as an audio device for any application.  Although I should point out that the Communicator has a blue Skype button on it to launch the Skype application, so perhaps it"s a matter of getting the units manufactured with a Microsoft Office Communicator button instead. Also, for the Skype integration I did need to install Polycom"s software, so it could be a combination of hardware and software.


The Jabra GN9350 (see me review on the 9350) is among the first wireless headsets for VoIP on the market that features wideband audio. It has an impressive 6.8 kHz audio bandwidth that is more than twice that of conventional telephones and leverages DECT 6.0 for excellent voice quality, distance, and long battery life.

Others in the OCS 2007 qualification program:
- Polycom CX200 Desktop Phone Wired USB phone with speakerphone, aka "Catalina"

- Polycom CX400 Cordless Phone, aka "Orca" - roam up to 30 feet (10 meters) from their computer. The CX400 handset contains a high-resolution color display that provides enhanced presence information and call status details. The CX400’s base cradle connects and powers through an integrated USB cable for easy installation, and charges the CX400 handset battery for up to 10 hours of talk time. The CX400 is fully Plug-and- Play compatible, requiring no special drivers or software includes keys for controlling volume, mute speakerphone mode and use of an external headset. LE D indicators provide the user with call forwarding status and message waiting indication. A large LE D conveys the presence status of the user. The Polycom CX200 Desktop Phone connects and powers through an integrated USB cable

- LG-Nortel Bluetooth Headset (IP8502) is a Bluetooth wireless solution (with USB-to-PC connectivity) that is "optimized" to work with Microsoft Office Communications 2007. It"s just your standard USB/Bluetooth wireless device, that allows you to make or receive calls on your PC without speakerphones as well as hear any PC audio applications wirelessly, but Microsoft has stamped it OCS 2007 "optimized".
- Jabra GN2000 - Wired USB headset with on/off hook and volume control
- Jabra GN9330 - Wireless USB headset
- LG-Nortel USB Phone (IP8501) - Wired USB handset with speakerphone, aka «Catalina»
- NEC UC Phone – USB phone device 
- Plantronics - Bluetooth headset
- Vitelix VX-100 - Wired USB phone without dialpad
- Vitelix VX-200 & VX-200 duo- Wired USB phones with additional features over VX-100 model 9i.e. LED indicators and keypad); VX-200 duo is a dual-mode phone (VoIP or PSTN, and other advanced features)


- The ASUS S7F is a new laptop with a built-in 1.3 megapixel 235° webcam that is optimized to work with OCS 2007.
- the SyncMaster 225UW is a new flatscreen LCS monitor that comes equipped with a built-in 2.0M pixel high-resolution webcam, dual-array microphone and speakers. It too is stamped as OCS 2007 "optimized". It features a 5ms response time, a 700:1 contrast ratio and 300cd/m2 brightness, the model is equipped to produce crisp, true-to-life images, while the wide 170/160 viewing angle further enhances the overall viewing experience. The monitor also incorporates a 2 port USB hub and dual inputs (DVI-D & Analog).

One final point, beginning this week, customers will be able to order partner-built Microsoft Unified Communications phones and devices to evaluate alongside the beta version of Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007.

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Tags: ASUS, Jabra, Microsoft, NEC, Nortel, Office Communications Server 2007, Office Communicator 2007, Plantronics, Polycom, Unified Communications
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