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The Golden Group announced that members of the media will have an exclusive opportunity to have an early look at the hottest announcements being made at ISPCON Fall 2006, during its second annual “Sneak Peek Press Preview.” ISPCON Fall 2006, “The Internet Industry Event,” is being held at the Santa Clara Convention Center from November 7 – 9, 2006.

After reviewing the numerous news announcements planned for release at the event, ISPCON show management hand-selected its “Top 10” most newsworthy developments, which will be unveiled during the special “Sneak Peek Press Preview,” to be held on Tuesday, November 7 at 4:30 pm, inside the Demo Theatre on the show floor. Exhibitors selected to participate in this special press event include:

I came across this review by David DeJean of TechWeb on Netgear's Skype Phone Model SPH101 and found it to provide some helpful insight.

"Even though the Skype Voice-over-IP (VoIP) service lets you talk to other people just like you would on the telephone, it still requires a computer to make it work. However, a new generation of Skype handsets is changing all that. The Netgear Skype WiFi Phone gets you off your computer entirely: If you've got a WiFi network and this handset, you've got all the equipment you need."

This mouse phone offers a flip open to reveal a nifty VoIP handset. Inside this toy-like design you will be pleasently surprised to find many technological treats.

There's a Skype-friendly caller-ID display for the phone and a 800dpi optical sensor for the mouse. Of course there's always that question of what happens when you pick up your cursor to answer a call? Accuratus sensing this dilemma has included a loud speaker allowing you to continue using your mouse while taking calls at the same time.

Taiwanese handset maker E-Ten Information Systems has released a new mobile-based smartphone with GPS, computing capabilities with Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS, and VoIP software from Skype.

The Glofiish X500 has a slim design at just 15.5mm, which is a big selling point. The voice functions are also very nice. Glofiish offers quad-band GSM and EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), as well as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EGPRS (Enhanced GPRS). It enables users to bypass their mobile phone company and use Skype when in a Wi-Fi hot spot.

Vonage recently added their 511 service to allow customers to get assistance with traffic tie-ups. Now Vonage customers have the option to dial 811 to find out if it is safe to dig before starting on that big project. I guess it's better than cutting some essential cables or even worse cracking a sewage line. The real question is will Vonage users dig the new service?

Vonage's President, Michael Tribolet, said in a statement, "Vonage is pleased to offer its customers the convenience of 811 dialing to help ensure their excavation will be safe. This is just another example of Vonage answering its customer's needs."

Vonics Digital has launched a new VoIP service geared for the international crowd called WorldFone. The company claims it is the first VoIP service which allows users to have two phone numbers – a local number in the United States and another number in any of the 37 countries where the service is available.

Basically, the second phone number lets a user in a foreign country call your US phone number for free, and talk as much as they want … and vice versa.

TalkPlus announced plans to revolutionize the way people use mobile phones by offering new and innovative Voice 2.0 calling services that work with existing mobile phones globally. Under development for more than two years, TalkPlus’ patent-pending technology will provide customers a wide array of new and advanced calling services previously unavailable from mobile phone carriers.

“We are very excited to unveil our new offerings, which will expand what people can do with their phones,” said Jeff Black, founder and CEO, TalkPlus. “TalkPlus has invested a significant amount of time and thought into creating robust solutions that meet people’s needs for greater flexibility and privacy in their mobile lives.”

VARBusiness Magazine, a leading publication for the computer channel sales profession, has honored D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, with the "Tech Innovator Product of the Year" award for its flip-style Wi-Fi phones. The D-Link Wi-Fi Phone gives users low-cost worldwide calling flexibility, secure wireless network access and many value-added features.

Winners in the data/voice products category, D-Link was presented the award in a gala ceremony Monday evening at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Introduced earlier this year, the industry's first flip-style Wi-Fi phones (DPH-540 for black casing and DPH-541 for silver casing) earned top honors in the competition's data/voice product category. A panel of nine information technology (IT) industry experts judged the products for their usefulness, innovation, price/performance, revenue potential and their "coolness".

Skype, the global Internet communications company, announced the results of its Talk for Britain survey. According to the research, almost three quarters of respondents admitted talking to friends and family while on the toilet and 17 percent have actually fallen asleep while chatting on the phone to someone else.

The survey also revealed a number of other results suggesting that Britain is a nation of obssessive natterers. Even a small percentage of respondents admitted to talking on the phone while driving a tank!

Alistair Shrimpton, Skype’s Market Development Manager for the UK, says “The bathroom seems to be a popular place for Britain to do most of its talking. And that goes for both men and women! People love talking on the phone as well as guessing which celebrities are the biggest chatterboxes. Of course, Jonathan Ross was crowned king of chitchat but Graham Norton was relegated to third position.”

EQO Communications, a leading developer of platforms for mobilizing VoIP, Instant Messaging and online social networks, announced immediate support for RIM BlackBerry and Windows Mobile powered devices. The addition of the BlackBerry Pearl and other powerful smart-phones brings the number of EQO-supported handsets to more than 400 devices from major manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Palm, LG, Panasonic, Phillips, RIM, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, and Siemens.

"We're rapidly evolving toward a world of ubiquitous connectivity in which we will be connected to each other all the time, everywhere we go," said Jill Aldort, Wireless/Mobile senior analyst for Yankee Group. "One of the most important elements in achieving this vision is the ability to deliver an easy to use, communications service that can reside on a broad range of handsets."

More than 113 million registered Skype users will now be able to purchase premium Internet conference calling services through Highspeedconferencing.com. The service will offer unique features such as recording and downloading, moderated question and answer services, and hand raising for people using conference calling on Skype. The rapid adoption of the product has resulted in increased demand for additional services available through the website.

Fusion, a global VoIP service provider, announced that its Efonica Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) products and services will soon be available in Jordan with the creation of Fusion Jordan. As the Company continues to strengthen its worldwide market reach, Fusion has signed an agreement to secure the exclusive use of a license to offer a full suite of Efonica VoIP services throughout Jordan. With a population of over five million and nearly 400% growth of Internet users over the last five years, Jordan represents a key market experiencing dramatic growth among Internet communities in the Middle East.

The 3Com 3108 Wireless Phone allows users to roam a building or campus environment and stay connected with customers, partners and co-workers while utilizing VoIP, wireless email and data applications. The 3Com 3108 Wireless Phone delivers reliable and secure voice communications over any standards-based IEEE 802.11b/g wireless LAN infrastructure.

Features:

• Sleek clamshell flip form factor with a high-quality color display
• Keypad and intuitive four-way cursor lets users manage calls
• Access their phonebook
• View call logs and view e-mails
• Personal settings, such as ring tones, speed dials and connectivity settings, can be configured on the phone or via a Web browser-based management tool.

"The 3108 wireless phone is also the newest addition to 3Com’s broad portfolio of IP phones. It works with 3Com NBX and 3Com wireless networking solutions as part of a complete VoIP solution. 3Com VCX is scheduled to support the 3108 wireless phone in early 2007. The phone is currently available through 3Com channel partners and distributors at a list price of $415 USD."

"Fluke Networks announces the new NetTool Series II Inline Network Tester with NetProve diagnostics to identify and isolate enterprise network and application connectivity problems more than four times faster than traditional methods."

This provides you a front-line VoIP management tool for verify link readiness during pre-deployment planning, as well as troubleshoot problems on active networks by monitoring real-time VoIP traffic. Simple inline connectivity provides visibility into VoIP calls to quickly diagnose both IP phone boot-up and call control problems, and to measure key call quality metrics. Series II adds H.323 to existing SIP and SCCP support.

You can read more about the NetTool Series II here