Jabra Discontinues Headsets, Migrating To Jabra PRO 9450

June 17, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski
Migrate to the Jabra PRO 9450

Migrate to the Jabra PRO 9450

Say farewell.

Jabra is discontinuing a few headsets starting June 30, 2013:

If these are your favorite headsets, be sure to order now while supplies last.

Jabra will make sure that accessories and full maintenance for the discontinued models will be available until the end of their product warranty.

Jabra Replacement

After the above models are gone, your best option is the Jabra PRO 9450 Mono Wireless Dual-Mode Headset :

  • Price and Features: Similar price point (Currently $313.95) with additional features
  • Future-Proof Investment:  Field upgradable for easy installation and upgrades and users can make calls from either a desk phone and/or softphone.
  • Unified Communications (UC):  The PRO 9450 is UC ready
  • Dual Use:  Your Jabra PRO 9450 can be used with both your desk phone and softphone.
  • No Interference:  DECT 6.0 connection allows for higher wireless headset  density in confined spaces with no interference.
  • Wearability and Range:  Choice of (3) wearing styles with a 450 foot range from the base.

Questions?

If you have any questions, contact a VoIP Expert today.

10 Best Education Apps for Android and Apple

June 15, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski

Wonders of the Universe App

Parents and teachers are looking to their phones and tablets to help teach kids.

But, where do you start?

There’s almost too many choices on iTunes or the Google Play store.

From the writers at eSchool News come 10 of the best Apple and Android apps for education in 2013.

The list includes some of the highest rated apps, as voted by parents and teachers, with information on features, price (some are free), compatibility, and even suggested uses.

There’s a surprising  range of functions:

  • Video editor
  • Math tutors
  • Picture dictionary
  • Educational games
  • Poetry
  • Mobile learning
  • Flash cards
  • And more…

All the apps seem pretty comprehensive so if you’ve forgotten more than you’ve learned, you might find yourself using them more than your kids.

Via eSchool News

How to Set Up Wireless, Mobile VoIP Systems

June 14, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski

Wireless VoIP Guide

VoIP Supply’s Guide to Wireless VoIP Solutions is now available to download.

Like most people you’re probably accustomed to using cell phones. So, why not have that same freedom of movement in the workplace?

Mobility is one of the major benefits of a Wireless VoIP solution.

This educational guide will walk you through:

  • Explain the how wireless VoIP works
  • Discuss the benefits of wireless VoIP
  • Describe the different wireless options
  • Provide insight on how to select wireless IP phones
  • Show you how to design a wireless VoIP system
  • Give you a comparison of wireless phone choices

Types of Wireless VoIP Phones – DECT vs WiFi

One of the major things that you’ll learn in this guide is that there are two basic types of wireless VoIP phones. Which type you choose will determine how it is connected to your network:

  1. WiFi VoIP Phones: A wireless access point is needed to connect and register with a service provider or PBX. These phones normally work with the 802.11b/g standard and will scan to find the nearest access point.
  2. DECT VoIP Phones: Operating with a wireless handset but, these phones have a base station that is hardwired to an internet connection and then the signal is transmitted wirelessly to the handset. These are single line phones, have a range of 300 square feet from the base station, and signal repeaters are available if you need to increase the handsets range from the base station.

Why Virtual Workplaces Need Video to Establish Trust

June 13, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski

A new Frost & Sullivan whitepaper was shared by the Polycom Video Conferencing division that shows how video can be used by businesses to gain a competitive advantage.

Click here to check out the tips in Video Collaboration in a Virtual Workplace that explain:

  • Benefits of Video Collaboration
  • Power and Value of Video shown in Frost & Sullivan data
  • How to Match Technology to Business Needs
  • How to Choose a Video Partner

Frost & Sullivan Video Collaboration Data

Trust in a Virtual World

The Frost & Sullivan research shows that fact-to-face meetings are more important than ever.

You need to trust who you’re dealing with in a virtual world. Using video allows you to “read body language and facial expressions and deepen [your] relationships” in a way that’s cost-effective.

Additionally, “Video collaboration can also be a boon to corporate training, saving employees and trainers time, and delivering content on demand as needed.”

Via Polycom and Frost & Sullivan

Pay Phone Makes Comeback in Saudi Arabia

June 8, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski
pay phone

Lonely Pay Phone (Courtesy: Eric Hauser)

If you’re trying to make a free phone call using Viber or Skype in Saudi Arabia, forget about it.

Dig up some change and use a pay phone.

The telecom regulator in Saudi Arabia has suspended use of the Viber web-based communication service, which normally allows users to make free calls and send free texts and photos.

The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) is the regulatory agency that issued this ban and the one who sent a warning back in March to Viber, Whatsapp, and Skype for breaking “local laws.”

The thought is that “the kingdom appears to be pushing for greater control over cyberspace as Internet and smart phone usage soars.”

Could it just be about money, like a lot of things usually are?

Nandagopal J. Nair at Quartz comments that:

In the neighboring United Arab Emirates, many features of Skype and Viber are already blocked, but WhatsApp isn’t. That might be a hint that, at least in the UAE, business interests are at play: Skype and Viber, unlike WhatsApp, allow users to make voice calls for free, and international calls are where the telecom operators are likely losing most of their revenue.

Via Reuters and Quartz

The New Standard Features of VoIP Phones

June 7, 2013 by Tom Costelloe

In almost every field that involves technology the standard expectations of what’s included changes with time. Whether by popular demand, to keep up with competitors or by legal requirement, what was once a new shiny feature only available to few will most likely become the standard.

Next time you are in a car take a look around it at some of the features that have become pretty standard: seat belts, airbags, radios, GPSs, power steering, cruise control, and the list could go on for quite some time. If a car manufacturer was to release a new model and not have power steering or cruise control as an option, if not standard, I think people would be taken back and confused.  While the VoIP Phone industry hasn’t been around as long as the car industry it too has certain features that have become standard.

To get a better idea of how the standard features on VoIP phones have changed over the years I took a trip to the VoIP Supply library to pull some older datasheets. If you’re imagining dust covered shelves of datasheets on rolled parchment you couldn’t be further the truth. How we store things has evolved and now within a few clicks I was able to pull up all the information I needed.

With a few datasheets in hand for both old and new VoIP phone models I took a look through to see how the standard features have changed.

IP300 vs VXX300

For my side-by-side testing I looked at the Polycom IP300 vs the . I thought they were two good examples of phones from a manufacturer that had a shared lineage that could be used as an example of an entry level phone for the time they were released.

  • Power over the Ethernet (PoE) – If you want to get an idea of how great support for PoE is in a phone do a quick experiment. Ask all your employees to move their phones from one side of their desk to the other and watch how many power supplies go missing. Like socks in a dryer, power supplies just seem to disappear. In all seriousness the two biggest advantages of PoE are convenience and cost. With a PoE enabled phone you don’t have to worry about being near an outlet or making sure you don’t lose the power adapter. Additionally you don’t have to check the power adapter to see if it will support the voltage coming from the walls when deploying outside the US. The only caveat is to make sure you are using them with a PoE enabled switches. Another huge benefit of PoE phones is the cost savings. If you are deploying 200 phones and you don’t need power supplies that can mean the savings of couple thousand dollars. By my quick back of the napkin math depending on the phone this could be a savings of 8-10%. For our side by side comparison: IP300 – I am going to say no because it required a special cable that still had to be plugged into the wall vs VVX 300 – Yes

I’ll hold my hands up and admit that my findings might not have been derived using the most scientifically accurate processes and that my methods may have been slightly skewed to get the results I wanted . . . isn’t that what all scientist do anyways; but, I think my findings are pretty accurate. In my opinion the features listed make up what I feel should be the minimum requirements for a new VoIP phone.

Now this isn’t the definitive list to end all lists of VoIP phone features that is to be carved in stone and passed down from generation to generation of VoIP phone designers. Far from that it is a small snapshot of where things stand now that is going to change with time. If I was to rewrite this piece in three or five years I am sure the features I’ve listed above would be as standard as a dial pad or handset and I’ll be talking about Gigabit ports, color displays and maybe some features that haven’t been created yet as the new standard features of VoIP phones.

The TMC Labs 2013 Award Winner is….

The upcoming July issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine will be featuring several cool topics, but possibly the coolest is the winner of the TMC Labs Innovation Award Winner for 2013.  This award is granted to “products that have demonstrated innovation, unique features, and noteworthy developments toward improving communications technologies.” It is not based on best sellers or name brands, but on actual, innovative improvement.  And we know who won it.

This year the Grandstream GXV3672 Series of infrared IP cameras has taken the prize.

TMC’s CEO Rich Tehrani announced, “We’re pleased to bestow Grandstream with a Unified Communications TMC Labs Innovation Award.  The GXV3672 IP Video Camera has show true innovation and is deserving of recognition.”

“Businesses are investing in IP video surveillance as a way to affordably add applications for physical security monitoring as well as assessing human behavior and market research purposes,” said Grandstream Networks CEO David Li in a press release on the topic. While IP Surveillance might not strike everyone as a communications technology, Grandstream has made their IP Surveillance equipment unique in that the video phones will connect with all of their cameras.  Not only can you view your security video footage from any web browser, but with a push of a button you can check it on your desk phone!  Cool, right?

Grandstream offers two cameras from the GXV3672 Series.  Both models offer IR LED lights and IP66 weather-proof casing, providing excellent outdoor surveillance in even low or no light. They’re also ready to install with included mounting brackets with the PoE cabling already strung through.  The GXV3672_HD offers a 1.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor for 720p HD surveillance and the GXV3672_FHD comes with a 3.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor for 1080p Full HD.  Both stream in real-time, compress video in H.264 and MJPEG formats, offer pre/post event recording buffer, and support video motion detection and SIP/VoIP support.

 

Grandstream’s line up is a great choice for any business looking to have high technology for a low budget.  Be it IP Voice Telephony, Video Telephony, or Video Surveillance, Grandstream is committed to offering a complete set up for any business while being affordable.  They’ve also considered those who are making the gradual transition to the IP world from analog by providing ATA’s and Analog Gateways for phones, video encoders/decoders for surveillance, and several means of support.

TMC is a global integrated media company that strives to support client’s goals by building communities through all means of media, including several magazines they publish and the industry trade events they sponsor or produce.

“Grandstream has displayed its commitment to quality and innovation in the development of the unified communications industry,” said Tom Keating, CTO and TMC Labs Executive Editorial Director at TMC, in the same press release, “I look forward to more innovation from Grandstream and continued effort toward improving the future of the UC industry.”

More from: VoIP News Taylor Hamp

VoIP Supply’s Guide to IP Paging Systems

June 6, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski

VoIP Supply’s Guide to IP Paging Systems is now available to download.

IP Paging Guide

IP Paging Guide

This educational guide will walk you through:

  • What is IP Paging?
  • How to use IP Paging features
  • How to install IP Paging Systems
  • How to converge IP Paging with your existing network and VoIP phone system
  • Using adapters to get new IP Paging features while keeping existing legacy (analog) systems
  • How to buy

Read, enjoy, learn – Download the IP Paging Guide today.

Cisco Sponsors VoIP Supply’s 2013 Corporate Challenge Team

June 5, 2013 by Nathan Miloszewski

VoIP Supply Corporate Challenge

Thank you to Cisco for sponsoring the VoIP Supply team running in the 2013 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Buffalo on Thursday, June 5th.

Don MacKinnon from Cisco will also be joining our team to compete for our Top 3 Runner prizes. Thanks to his sponsorship we’ll not only have food and drink, but these wonderfully vibrant t-shirts too:

Please feel free to join us at our tent in the Green section (map) – Just follow an orange shirt and introduce yourself.

Good luck to all the runners, may the wind be at your back.

 

 

  • Featured Posts

  • Popular Posts

  • Read Our Feed

  • Latest

  • VoIP Post Categories

  • Archives