VTech is already the world’s leading manufacturer of cordless phones, and now they would like to expand their presence in the VoIP industry.

On October 20th, both VTech and Snom Technology AG announced that the two companies have made an agreement which will allow VTech to acquire 100% share capital of Snom.

Snom, which is a German based company founded in 1996, is recognized as the world’s first brand of professional and enterprise VoIP phones.

The combination of the two company’s is expected to focus on both VoIP hardware and software development.

The acquisition is still pending based on the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.

Mitel made the announcement at their Mitel Next event in Paris yesterday.  The VoIP communications company is offering a new platform that will target multinational businesses by simplifying the management of cloud communications.

With the launch of World Cloud, Mitel will now have a cloud presence in more than 40 countries worldwide and will virtually bridge offices to eliminate barriers to international communications.

This new service will save businesses on international calling costs, and also offer a true local experience for their customers.

Mitel is able to deliver such services by using its 14 data centers that are strategically located across the globe. This will ensure highly reliable service and makes it easy to adhere to country-specific data requirements.

Is this something that your business can benefit from? How much do you think this will impact the VoIP world?

Leave your comments below!

Everyone knows that the workplace can sometimes get a little, germy.  We routinely empty the trash can, wipe down our desks, and Purell® our hands in an effort to keep our workspace clean and looking fresh, but with flu season right around the corner, it is especially important to take extra measures to ensure the cleanliness of your workspace!

Amidst all of the things that we use and touch during our day at work, the one thing that can really collect dirt, dust, fingerprints, and germs is your phone! We all love VoIP phones, and all of the features that come with having VoIP service, but unfortunately there is no difference between a POTS line phone and a VoIP phone when it comes to keeping sanitary.

There are several different things you can use to clean your phone and most of these can be found at any office supply store.  Typically you want to use a microfiber cloth.  Basically, the same thing you would use to clean your computer monitor or TV.  This especially goes for phones that have a touch screen.  An example would be the Polycom VVX 500.

This phone will actually have a screen clean mode that will allow the phone to remain functional while you clean it!

To enable Screen Clean mode, all you have to do is tap Settings from the Home view.  Once you are in Settings, you will then tap Basic, followed by Screen Clean.

Doing this will disable the touch screen on the phone so that you do not activate unwanted functions while you are wiping down your screen.  If you wind up receiving a call while you are in the middle of cleaning your screen, you can still answer.

When a call is coming in, you can take the call by either picking up the handset or by pressing the Speakerphone button or the Headset button, then tap Answer.

Once your phone is all cleaned up, you can then press any key on the phone console to enable the touchscreen again.

Was this helpful? Leave a comment and let us know how you like to clean your desk phone!

If you currently do not have the latest version of the Switchvox server (6.3 or later) then now is a better time than ever before to upgrade.

Digium is planning to release a new version of the Switchvox Softphone App for iPhone.  This update will move the app to 3.0 and will need the latest version of Switchvox for it to be supported.

Updating to Switchvox 6.3 will not only allow you to run Switchvox Softphone App 3.0 smoothly, but it will also be able to support previous versions of this app as well.

The new version of this app will provide a better user experience by having better call handling so that Switchvox calls are not interrupted by an incoming iPhone call, and will also have improved communications with the Switchvox Server.  This will help save on data and battery life.

Switchvox 6.3 or later will be required to run the latest version of the Switchvox Softphone App for iPhone.

Jabra announced just this morning that they have acquired VXi Corp, which also includes the BlueParrott brand.

VXi was founded in 1989 and is one of the top leaders in professional headset solutions. VXi is most known for their noise suppression technology, and have a big presence in communication environments that experience high levels of background noise.

Perhaps one of VXi’s most popular line of headsets is their BlueParrott line.  These headsets are preferred for truck drivers, and people who spend most of their workday on the road because of its ease of use and noise cancellation.

Jabra instantly increases its portfolio of professional audio solutions with this acquisition and expects to see an increase in the size and reach of its sales team as a result.

Zorawar Biri Singh has stepped down after being named Cisco’s Chief Technology Officer last summer by the company’s CEO Chuck Robbins.

While Cisco has not officially said why Singh is parting ways, it is believed that his departure is due to an “updated alignment” of the company’s engineering teams last week.

Singh’s background is impressive having been a partner at Khosla Ventures and also the general manager of Hewlett-Packard’s cloud division.

This will have an effect on Cisco’s 25,000-person engineering team, especially after announcing in August that it will cut up to 5,500 jobs to help concentrate on top priorities including security; among other things.