HelloSoft announces that Skype has licensed HelloSoft's Internet-Telephony technology which will be incorporated into Skype's communication software. HelloSoft's technology will allow consumers to enjoy free, high-quality voice calls anywhere their smartphones and Pocket PCs can connect to the Internet.

"HelloSoft products being a low-footprint design are extremely cost-effective and power-efficient," said Krishna Yarlagadda, HelloSoft's President and CEO. "Our technology will support today's mobile and wireless generation as they use Skype on the go. We are excited to be working with Skype to enhance the performance of Skype for Windows Mobile."

SIPphone the makers of Gizmo Project, announced the launch of its web-based VoIP product Gizmo Call, located at gizmocall.com. Gizmo Call lets people call any type of landline or mobile, anywhere in the world, from any web browser, for free. No traditional software download and installation is required, just a simple, lightweight Adobe Flash plug-in that works with a web browser. No registration or account setup is required.

Gizmo Call makes it easier than ever to make free long distance calls. It’s an online service that people can use from any web browser. Gizmo Call is a fantastic solution for users calling from internet cafés, kiosks, traveling laptops, as well as from home and work computers. It’s possible to even make calls simply by typing a number into a field in a browser. Users can use urls like: http://gizmocall.com/18005551212.

Nuvoiz launches the company's first products, the Nuvoiz SoftPhone and the Nuvoiz VoIP Network Controller at the DEMO 07 conference in Palm Desert, California.

"Nuvoiz's CEO and founder Jin Koh has a focused and passionate vision for VoIP in the enterprise, particularly mobile VoIP, and we are thrilled to have him launch Nuvoiz's first products here with us," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO.

Enterprise Solutions for VoIP

While gaining in popularity among consumers, VoIP in enterprise settings is often problematic. In the enterprise, VoIP must meet more extensive user and network management requirements especially in the areas of mobility and integration into enterprise networks.

Nuvoiz believes it has successfully addressed these requirements with a complete VoIP system that finally enables wide scale adoption of VoIP in the enterprise.

"A consumer product like Skype just doesn't work for the enterprise," said Chong-Jin Koh, founder and CEO of Nuvoiz, Inc. "Enterprise users want a VoIP application with terrific sound quality that is IM-based, intuitive, and mobile, while enterprise IT executives demand a scalable, secure, and easy-to-deploy VoIP system. Nuvoiz is the first to deliver on both imperatives."

Andy Abramson and Om Malik talk about GizmoProject's release of GizmoCall, a new web based calling service, which is now live.

Andy Abramson says, "So what does this mean? Well for starters since you can point any SIP service to GizmoProject it means that the idea of a softphone as a piece of software becomes unneeded, because any browser now becomes a softphone. That's very similar in approach to VoIPster and Abbeynet, but with a difference. GizmoPoject already has hundreds of thousands of users and they have built some telco relationships with carriers such as SingTel. Gizmo also leverages Level3's network and capabilities and since migrating away from some Tier 2 carriers here in the USA has seen their quality steadily rise."

Om Malik gives GizmoCall a big thumbs up, "From a usability standpoint, this one gets a big thumbs up from me. After installing this tiny plugin, you are given a screen that is pretty much a Flash-based replica of the Gizmo Project soft client."

Raketu announces the immediate availability of its Chinese language version. Currently, all pre-paid customers of Raketu’s "RakOut" dial-out voice over IP (VoIP) service enjoy free calling to over 40 countries. This same service offer will now be available for Chinese speaking consumers, wherever they live in the world, as all calls to locations in these countries are free regardless of where they originate.

“In response to the tremendous interest in Raketu from China, Raketu has released its Chinese language version,” said Greg Parker, President of Raketu. “With our Chinese language release of Raketu, we are continuing to deliver on our promise of localization, enabling our users to use Raketu in their native language.”

Digium and Polycom announce a high-quality VoIP solution for small and medium-size businesses that simplifies the technical aspects of purchasing, configuring and deploying a complete VoIP phone system. The integrated solution, featuring the Digium AsteriskNOW software appliance and Polycom SoundPoint IP desktop phones can significantly lower the time and technical expertise needed to deploy a high quality VoIP solution; enabling more small and medium businesses to enjoy the cost savings, enhanced quality and productivity benefits of advanced IP telephony.

The simplified purchasing, configuration and deployment process is enabled by new capabilities in the Digium AsteriskNOW software appliance, including a one-click function called BuyNOW that enables customers to purchase Polycom SoundPoint IP phones, and an intuitive configuration process that automatically provisions the phones for immediate customer use. In addition, Digium's Asterisk software now supports Polycom HD Voice technology that enables calls with twice the clarity and sound quality of traditional analog calls.

Eyeball releases AnyFirewall Engine, a firewall and NAT traversal SDK that incorporates the most comprehensive implementation of STUN, TURN and ICE. Together with AnyFirewall Server, AnyFirewall Engine ensures 100% seamless call completion for VoIP phones, services and applications.

The growth of the Internet has created a global shortage of IP addresses. ISPs, enterprises and home routers bypass this problem by using Network Address Translation (NAT) to hide many private addresses behind one single public address, which interferes with VoIP calls.

Telrex releases CallRex Professional 3.5 featuring an advanced distributed-services software architecture. CallRex 3.5 delivers greater scalability, high reliability and additional security, plus new features for multi-site deployments, including enhanced multi-site call recording and monitoring, advanced file transfers, flexible storage and streamlined archiving. CallRex was the first VoIP call-recording solution verified to record encrypted VoIP calls for Cisco CallManager 5.0, and CallRex version 3.5 now provides additional security to ensure that call recording files cannot be secretly altered.

ClearSight Networks announces the availability of ClearSight Analyzer 6.0, the newest software solution in ClearSight’s award-winning Analyzer product line. CSA 6.0 provides comprehensive analysis of VoIP performance issues and unrivaled ease of use for monitoring and visualization of live network environments.

“VoIP business success depends upon honoring the levels of quality and service that business and consumer customers have come to expect with competitive public switched telephone networks (PSTN) offerings,” said Dr. John Kenney, vice president, marketing for ClearSight. “ClearSight Analyzer 6.0 helps service providers and carriers, and business enterprises offering VoIP services, reduce the loss of customers at every stage in the customer lifecycle, from acquisition to retention to up-sell to loyalty, by monitoring and analyzing, investigating and resolving VoIP delivery issues to meet pre-existing expectations of standards before customers are adversely affected.”

Dash911 announces improvements to their Dashboard management module. In the last five months, Dash911 has added to its E911 offering by making it easy to obtain other products including DIDs, 411, CNAM and PSTN call termination. So it became necessary to find a way to give customers a way to have a "bird's eye view" of all their services activity in one place with one login.

According to Michael Giagnocavo, Chief Software Architect for Dash911, "The new features include the ability for a VoIP provider to truly have one view and unified access to all the products and services we provide."

Dash91 expects that not only will current customers appreciate this new management interface, but that prospective customers will recognize the advantage of dealing with one company for all their wholesale VoIP needs, and the ability to manage all their services with one interface.

Dash911 is a privately held company based in Denver, CO. Dash911 offers wholesale VoIP services to VoIP providers around the world.

Nimbuzz launches its voice enabled mobile and PC clients, designed to support more than 500 mobile phone models and Windows XP/2000 for the PC client. Additionally, Nimbuzz is now also made available for all Internet capable mobile phones where users cannot or will not download software to their phones. Instead they simply use their mobile browser.

Nimbuzz is free to download. No monthly charges. No credits needed. Nimbuzz users just pay the lowest local rate to their mobile operator. The mobile service is available in 35 countries.

Nimbuzz is now mobile connected to Google Talk and MSN / Windows Live Messenger for Chat and Voice. This means that mobile Nimbuzz users can call their buddies on these communities on their PC against their cheapest local rate. They Chat with them on their mobile for free.

With Nimbuzz you can also make international calls from your mobile to other mobile phones at the cheapest local rate. The only condition is that both phones have the Nimbuzz software installed. Nimbuzz eliminates the high roaming tariffs operators are charging

CounterPath comments on the recent announcement made by its customer British Telecom, the leading UK-based telecommunications provider, indicating BT has reached the milestone of one million VoIP customers. BT's VoIP offerings include the BT Broadband Talk Softphone, developed by CounterPath.

Based on CounterPath's award-winning technology and using an intuitive, BT-branded user interface, the SIP-based BT Broadband Talk Softphone allows subscribers to make low cost calls over the Internet, enjoy high-quality video calls, and use IM while managing their online presence. Additional features include simplified contact management, Hi-definition Sound and three-way audio/video conference calling.

The confirmation that BT has gained more than one million registered consumer customers for its VoIP services, made ahead of its projected spring 2007 goal, demonstrates the rising trend of Internet telephony adoption among consumers in the UK, many of whom are choosing a softphone solution.

Verb Exchange has announced that it is offering a package of 100 free minutes of long distance calling to anywhere in the world with the Beta release of its CoPilot Console product. CoPilot has also been integrated with HüPad, a vertical search tool that returns a more relevant and efficient search result on the Web.

CoPilot Console is Verb’s proprietary desktop based application that allows users to place phone calls over the internet without the need for any specific hardware, effectively allowing users to make cheaper long distance calls without a VoIP device (phone or gateway). CoPilot eliminates the need to carry extra devices when traveling, allowing the user to capitalize on the cost effectiveness of VoIP while still utilizing their cell phone, or any land line, anywhere in the world. CoPilot also allows the user to send SMS (Short Message Service) text messages from their desktop.

SpectraLink has extended its Wi-Fi telephony capabilities to third-party mobile devices by introducing the NetLink Softphone application. The NetLink SP application allows voice-enabled mobile devices to function as full-featured business telephones integrated with an enterprise telephone system. NetLink SP operates as a thin client, offering optimized performance both over the wireless LAN and on the handheld device.

NetLink SP is a simple, easy-to-use mobile application that runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and PocketPC operating systems. It works in conjunction with SpectraLink's NetLink Telephony Gateway using SpectraLink Radio Protocol, a lightweight protocol developed specifically to provide optimal performance and voice quality over converged wireless networks. The NetLink Telephony Gateway's unique digital interface technology makes it possible to extend the advanced features and functions of a company's telephone switch, such as call transfer, conferencing and voicemail integration, to the end-user device. The NetLink SP softphone also supports text messaging through SpectraLink's Open Application Interface, integrating with applications such as customer service call boxes and inventory management systems.

iSkoot client software has been Skype Certified.

This confirms that iSkoot meets Skype's standards for usability and quality, making it the first third-party mobile client software to be certified by Skype. iSkoot allows mobile phone users to place and receive Skype calls from their handsets, without the need for PCs, special hardware, or WiFi hot spots. Users simply use local rates or minutes from their plans to speak to Skype contacts or use SkypeOut to make inexpensive calls to any phone from their mobiles. This will initially be made available in the US with more markets to follow.

"Skype's endorsement of iSkoot represents a significant benefit for the 136 million plus Skype users who can now enjoy Skype on their cell phone, without needing PCs, special hardware or WiFi hot spots," said iSkoot CEO Jacob Guedalia.