CounterPath announces a new release of its Bria multimedia softphone. With analysts forecasting that unified communications client shipments will grow 65 percent annually through 2015, Bria 3.1 is ideal for enterprises that want to replace their deskphones or integrate a UC application as an adjunct to their IP phone solutions.

CounterPath's Bria 3.1 is a highly secure, standards-based softphone that enables voice and high-definition (1280x720p) video calls. With this latest version, Bria has expanded its interoperability to integrate seamlessly with a broader variety of enterprise and carrier infrastructure equipment from major vendors including Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, BroadSoft, Cisco, NEC and Nokia Siemens Networks. Bria also supports Asterisk-based telephony systems.

One of the most significant additions to Bria 3.1 is support for multiple accounts, an increasingly common requirement in today's enterprise and government markets. With Bria 3.1, users now can select on the fly which account to use for voice, IM and HD video calling, whether it's over a wired or wireless IP network, including 3G/4G and Wi-Fi.

Bria 3.1 also features an enhanced, streamlined user interface to provide a better overall softphone experience. The improved organization and layout makes it even easier for users to navigate between their preferred methods of communication, such as making a call from the IM window or sending an IM during a call.

The new UI enhances Bria 3.1's expanded conferencing features, including additional multi-tasking options when multiple audio and/or video calls are in progress. Bria 3.1 also supports server-based conference calling using Bria's built-in native contact list and call manager.

Bria 3.1's other major new features include:

• Deskphone mode for using Bria to control basic functions of a deskphone
• Short Message Service support (for custom builds), providing additional messaging capabilities
• User-configurable favorites lists, which provide quick and easy access to preferred methods of communication
• User-configurable keyboard shortcuts for quickly accessing Bria functions (Windows only)
• Additional call-management options, including call hold collapse and streamlined steps for common tasks such as conferencing and transferring
• Bandwidth-saving features, including the ability to select from three levels of performance and codecs depending on a PC's capability to display video
• Improved USB HID support (more devices)
• Embedded Web module support
• Additional languages: Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Russian (Windows only)

"With Bria 3.1, we have enhanced the user experience and broadened the applicability of our flagship softphone," said Todd Carothers, vice president of product management, CounterPath. "Bria 3.1 proves that small and medium businesses, large enterprises, government agencies and other users don't have to compromise on call quality, video quality or usability when choosing to take advantage of all of the bottom-line benefits that multimedia softphones provide. With Bria 3.1, CounterPath is able to extend Bria to more countries, interoperate with a greater number of PBX systems and continues to raise the bar for enterprise-grade, carrier-class softphones that users can bet their business on."

Current Bria 3.0 users will be automatically updated to Bria 3.1 when the new software is available. Regular pricing for a single copy of Bria is $49.95 USD, with additional volume pricing options. The retail version of Bria 3.1 will be available mid-July in CounterPath's online store.