Recently we've been working hard to provide users with expanded VoIP content here at VoIP Monitor. You may or may not have noticed some of the changes. Having just received 8 inches of snow with 40 mph winds outside (what some like to call a blizzard); I figured why not stay warm by the fire and shed some light on changes made over the past few months.

• New logo - Introduced in Feburary 2007, since we felt our old logo had out lived its life and this one was more suited for the site.
• Search button moved - We moved the search button to the top right of the page (above sponsored events) to help free up some space on the right side.
• Recent comments - Added last month and I wish more people commented on articles here. This allows you to track the last comment quickly and easily.
• VoIP jobs - Looking for a job dealing with VoIP? We've got the solution to that. Jump over to our VoIP Job listings powered by careerbuilder.com. This makes it simple for you to search eight VoIP job categories we've filtered for you. So post your resume today!
• VoIP Providers page - Has a new look and feel to it. It's currently a work in progress and we plan on making it easier for you to pick which VoIP Provider works best for you. Currently you can view voip providers by country and see their price for unlimited residential calling plans. We also provide you with their ranking 1-5 stars and whether or not they have an activation/cancellation (hidden fees) attached to their contracts. Special deals or promotions offered by the company are also highlighted so you can decide how it might impact your decision.
• VoIP Monitor RSS Feed - Got and RSS feed reader? Get VoIP Monitor's RSS feed with the click of a button.
• VoIP Monitor newsletter - We offer a daily newsletter via feedblitz. So subscribe today and receive the latest VoIP news to your email of choice. Just enter your email and hit subscribe on the right-hand side.

Coming soon!

• VoIP Products - It's currently in the works and look forward to bringing you sometime early this month.

PhoneGnome is using Tellme Networks products to provide PhoneGnome users with in the ability to just say what they want and get it, while making free calls anywhere in the world.

Instead of the annoying buzz of the traditional dial tone, Tellme's technology provides PhoneGnome users with an intelligent menu to direct the experience using their voice. The caller is greeted by name, and asked what they would like to do. PhoneGnome users can call any contact in their PhoneGnome address book simply by speaking the contact's name. The resulting call will be made using whatever telephone service the PhoneGnome owner has subscribed to, such as the local PSTN telephony company, or a PhoneGnome-enabled Internet telephone service provider. The caller has the option to use the telephone keypad to dial any phone number, as usual.

"By leveraging Tellme's network we are able to create a great user experience combined with the ease of use and mobility of PhoneGnome, delivering greater freedom of access to PhoneGnome owners," said David Beckemeyer, CEO of TelEvolution and developer of PhoneGnome.

Global Crossing is making it easier for enterprises to migrate from traditional telephony to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) by introducing Global Crossing Managed IP Telephony Solutions. The service enables customers to take advantage of VoIP's enhanced capabilities and more predictable cost structure.

Using Global Crossing Managed IP Telephony Solutions, enterprises can bundle and customize the company's VoIP service elements to save money and simplify the transition to an integrated VoIP solution. As part of the company's VoIP Professional Services portfolio, Managed IP Telephony Solutions integrates the Global Crossing Enterprise VoIP Services portfolio with Avaya Inc.'s IP telephony hardware and software components. These bundled -- yet customizable -- solutions include equipment selection, procurement and installation; local, long distance, international and toll-free calling; private numbering plans, collaboration tools and other advanced features; on-site technical assistance; and remote support. Global Crossing will serve as a single point of contact for the entire cutover, including switching from existing services to VoIP and conducting employee training.

Woize partners with Sting Networks AB to enhance the IP-telephony services of both companies. The partnership includes mutual services as well as joint sales and marketing efforts.

Both Woize and Sting Networks offer brandable communications services to businesses who wish to provide IP-telephony services to their customers. The partnership creates a new exciting blend of Woize's and Sting Networks' services, allowing Woize's communications services to satisfy even the most advanced business and enterprise needs.

"Sting Networks has a unique platform for offering complete IP-communications solutions to business customers. It comes extremely useful when expanding IP-telephony services as Woize currently does," says Anders Halldin, CEO of Woize.

SIPBox changes the company’s name to NeoPhonetics. “Neo” is a prefix derived from the Greek language meaning a revival in modern form. “Phonetics” is the science that deals with the production, transmission and perception of the spoken language.

“We wanted a name that better communicated our full range of services for the long-term,” said Chad Agate, co-founder and CEO of NeoPhonetics. “The combination of ‘Neo’ and ‘Phonetics’ best reflects our main objective – to design and build the most advanced phone systems, based on the latest, most cost-effective technology available.”

Working with the flexibility of Asterisk, NeoPhonetics engineers and integrates new and hybrid telephony solutions for customers who want to make a seamless transition to VoIP. The open standards nature of Asterisk enables a variety of technical combinations that would not be possible when working within the restraints of proprietary solutions. This provides tremendous cost savings and ease of management when moving employees, upgrading equipment, programming conferencing capabilities and establishing remote facilities.

“NeoPhonetics is taking a strategic stance in the open source telephony market,” said Krithi Rao, Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst. “As more companies adopt open source platforms, there is great potential for NeoPhonetics as one of the few integrators with enough expertise to offer a complete VoIP solution based on Asterisk – from the engineering phase and through on-site implementation. The new name suits NeoPhonetics’ next-generation objectives.”

Comcast has surpassed the two million customer milestone for Comcast Digital Voice, the company's innovative home phone service. Comcast Digital Voice is a fully featured, reliable and less expensive alternative for traditional telephone service. The company celebrated by awarding a customer in southeast Michigan with a digital home makeover to take advantage of the new integrated features that are available through its Triple Play package of phone, high-speed Internet and video services.

Surpassing two million Comcast Digital Voice customers underscores the record growth Comcast continues to experience across all cable products as it aggressively rolls out its Triple Play package of services.

"The momentum our voice product has experienced since it was launched is simply staggering," said Cathy Avgiris, senior vice president and general manager of Voice Services for Comcast. "We anticipate continued growth for the Digital Voice product and look forward to unveiling additional innovative features and services to our customers."

In addition to the cost savings and convenience of using one company for all services, the bundle provides further value and simplicity because customers benefit from the value-added features and integration of the products and services.