Digium unveils the “Digium|Asterisk Marketplace” to give the Asterisk community of end-users, developers, small businesses and enterprises a one-stop online destination for all their open source VoIP deployment needs. Located at www.digium.com/marketplace, the Digium|Asterisk Marketplace enhances Digium’s Technology Partners web portal to allow companies that are not yet Digium partners to advertise their products to the Asterisk ecosystem.

NextAlarm announces two major new security features for its VoIPAlarm 2 IP alarm signal transmission platform. VoIPAlarm 2 is centered around the VoIPAlarm ABN adapter, an IP communicator which connects to any Contact ID compatible alarm system. Signals from the alarm system are received by VoIPAlarm over broadband Internet, and retransmitted over PSTN phone lines or IP to the central station of the alarm installer's choice. VoIPAlarm 2 is intended as a low-cost, high-reliability alternative to cellular dialers, proprietary IP communicators, and other solutions to the growing number of end users who do not have the traditional phone service required by most alarm systems.

SpinVox has used its expertise in mobile phone and voicemail etiquette to name America's top ten most annoying voicemails.

"In the US we spend almost 100 billion minutes each year leaving or listening to voicemail so most people will have received one or more of these types of messages. At best they are annoying and at worst couterproductive, using up the valuable time that people increasingly don't have to spare in their busy lives," says Christina Domecq, SpinVox co-founder and CEO.

According to SpinVox, the following are the worst offenders -- voicemails that people should avoid leaving at all costs.

Find out the top ten after the jump.

Packet8 introduces the Virtual Office Tango Video Terminal Adapter, a convenient and affordable desktop videoconferencing solution that enhances the functionality of the Packet8 Virtual Office hosted iPBX phone system, now in use by over 10,000 U.S. based small businesses.

In addition to unlimited local and long distance calling, enterprise class PBX features and on-demand hosted call center capabilities, Packet8 Virtual Office subscribers can now experience the valuable benefits of worldwide videoconferencing directly from their personal Virtual Office extension. These include a reduction in travel expenses and time spent out of the office, increased worker productivity, more efficient and effective meetings, better support for remote workers and the ability to maintain close day to day contact with important clients.

Raketu debutes its VoIP calling web application optimized for the BlackBerry. The new web-based application allows business users of the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry 8800 Series, and BlackBerry Pearl to make international calls totally free or at Raketu’s ultra-low cost VoIP calling rates. Additionally, business users can send SMS Text Messages globally, and send email all from within the Raketu BlackBerry Application.

Raketu’s BlackBerry Application Features

Raketu’s new BlackBerry Application is entirely web-based and does not require consumers to download any software. BlackBerry users can sign up and access the service via their BlackBerry web browser at http://BlackBerry.raketu.com. Using Raketu’s BlackBerry application, users can call Internationally for free or at Raketu’s ultra-low cost VoIP calling rates. Raketu users who sign up and make a payment of $9.95, $24.95 or $49.95 to their Raketu account are eligible for up to 600 free calling minutes per month towards BlackBerry initiated phone-to-phone calls.

Acme Packet announces three service provider customers in the Caribbean and Latin America are deploying its Net-Net session border controllers: Amzak International, IPLAN Telecomunicaciones and WorldNet Telecommunications. Acme Packet SBCs are now helping service providers in 18 countries throughout the region control their IP network borders, enabling their customers to fully leverage a wide range of trusted, first-class IP communications.

These new customers have deployed Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBCs to support two primary applications: enterprise hosted voice services and VoIP peering between service providers. With Acme Packet’s SBCs deployed, Amzak, IPLAN and WorldNet benefit from Acme Packet’s Net-SAFE® architecture, which provides protection to the SBCs themselves, softswitches and other elements of the service delivery infrastructure, with access control, topology hiding and denial of service attack protection.

US National Telecom reached an agreement to purchase Packetrino Technologies. The transaction is scheduled to be finalized before January 31, 2008, the same month as USNT's approved 3-for-1 stock split effective for January 18, 2008. Packetrino is an early stage software development company focused on VoIP and IP switching solutions. The Company has agreed to pay cash, stock and earnings payout of as much $650,000 for a large ownership position and Packetrino will become a subsidiary of USNT.

The Packetrino line of products, most commonly referred to as SBCs, or Session Border Controllers, will include CoreAccess and CoreSwitch, providing more advanced features than many other SBCs. Packetrino will introduce the product line, priced from $19,750 to $84,750, January 24, at the IT Expo Show, Miami, FL. By way of reference, already well established companies that provide technology solutions with similar features include Foundry Networks, Acme Packet, Sansay and NexTone, among others.

Able Planet announces that the company’s Clear Voice VoIP Headset will be showcased at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The headset, along with the company’s Telecom CV300T headset, was selected as an Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award winner in the Telephone product category. The awards are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association, and recognize the most innovative consumer electronics products in the industry's hottest product categories.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of “Success Factors for Hosted and Managed VoIP in Europe” to their offering.

"VoIP has become mainstream and customers of all kinds are deploying hosted and managed VoIP services to make their voice networks more flexible and solve their business communications problems. Unified communications are not a priority for many of them.” - Margaret Hopkins

VoIP is now accepted by businesses as the way forward for voice infrastructure; whenever a new system is required, both in-house and hosted VoIP solutions will be considered. While a number of providers, notably BT, have been offering outsourced VoIP services for some time, the market is still getting established and there are a wide variety of providers and an even wider variety of types of offering. Customers range from large multinationals to the smallest start-up. Marketing strategies vary from those that boast the exciting new features of unified communications to those that emphasise a simple message about flexible phone systems.

Packet8 announces the launch of a no obligation, no fee trial program that lets customers of any U.S.-based wireless carrier experience the dialing simplicity and call quality of the Packet8 MobileTalk mobile VoIP international calling service at no charge.

Introduced in late 2007, the Packet8 MobileTalk service removes the barriers associated with existing carrier, calling card and call back services that often discourage the use of cell phones for overseas calling. These include obstacles such as costly per minute rates, poor call quality, cumbersome dialing procedures and unreliable service availability.

CallWave partners with JAJAH to deliver advanced global Internet telephony solutions for mobile professionals, entrepreneurs and small businesses. The two companies will jointly develop and market Internet telephony applications and services that will make global communications easier for people and businesses to communicate and collaborate. Initially, the services will enable both global outbound and inbound call capability as well as message management from one place serving as the unified communications solution for the mobile professional.

CallWave has pioneered the development of many Voice 2.0 technologies including the worlds first speech based, voice to text "summarization" application for mobile users. By leveraging its CLEC, CallWave has the unique infrastructure and experience to deliver traditional telephony services layered with Internet applications creating seamless interoperability between the mobile, PC and landline phone.

After three years of development, personal investment and beta testing, telecommunications veteran and founder of YMax Corp. Daniel Borislow introduces the 1.0 version of his prized invention, the magicJack. You simply plug the magicJack into your computer’s USB connection and then plug in any corded, cordless or portable phone. It is up and running in seconds, ready to make and receive free local and long distance calls to anyone in the US and Canada from anywhere in the world. For only $39.95, customers get the magicJack, their own phone number for life, free local and long distance calling on the company’s new nationwide network and a host of valuable features for an entire year. Additional years are just $19.95 per year. This can amount to savings of more than $1,000.00 a year. Since its beta launch in September, magicJack sales have steadily increased by 25% a week.

VoIP Provider ViaTalk has been removed from the Better Business Bureau for a high volume of complaints. Brendan Brader CEO of ViaTalk claims, "The expulsion was due to the influx of customers after SunRocket went belly up." From a post on dslreports forums Brader states, "We've been working with the Better Business bureau since the beginning of ViaTalk, but our membership was revoked recently due to the number of complaints placed against us during the fallout after the demise of Sunrocket. All of the complaints were easily resolved, and we kept in close contact with our contact at the BBB to track and respond to the complaints as they came in. Unfortunately, we're told that the BBB Membership standards include a limitation of the actual volume of complaints over a given time regardless of our proof of resolution. It's a tough penalty, considering the situation and the efforts we made to keep things on the up and up.

Brader insists that the company stayed in close contact with the BBB and tried to resolve customer complaints, but complaint volume, regardless of resolution, resulted in expulsion. The BBB says the expulsion was a result of "unanswered or unresolved complaints, and/or excessive and high volume complaints."

ViaTalk Founders Contribute $20,000 more to the US FIRST Robotics Team at Shenendehowa High School

Iqua announced the arrival of the Iqua SUN (BHS-603) solar-powered Bluetooth wireless headset in the U.S. Following its successful launch in Europe last year, the Iqua SUN will have its debut at next week's 2008 CES in Las Vegas and will hit U.S. store shelves and online retail sites in January.

Based on one of the top-selling headsets in Europe, the Iqua Vogue, the stylish new Iqua SUN is small and lightweight. Even though it measures less than two inches and weighs under an ounce, it incorporates a photovoltaic cell that uses any available light - outdoors and indoors - to extend the talk and standby times of the headset.

Technology Marketing Corporation announces INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine’s 10th Annual Product of the Year Award winners. INTERNET TELEPHONY is the premier publication in the rapidly growing VoIP/IP telephony industry.

INTERNET TELEPHONY recognizes the most innovative products by bestowing this prestigious award to the most deserving companies. The editors of INTERNET TELEPHONY selected the companies which in their view demonstrate the vision, leadership and attention to detail that are the hallmarks of the prestigious Product of the Year award.