VoIP telephony company JAJAH is making another splash in the industry with its latest technology dubbed as JAJAH Direct. It is a powerful service enabling callers to make VoIP calls even without a PC or even Internet.

With so many VoIP startups competing, Direct is an innovation that can give this growing company a big advantage. Since the Internet is a major element of VoIP, most calls now are initiated from a web browser or mobile internet. A recent improvement in this arena is the launch of Skype mobile phone named as 3 Skyphone.

JAJAH Direct is a direct invasion of international calls commonly initiated in landlines and mobile phones. In just 3 simple steps, you can make cheap international calls:

1. You dial a local access number
2. You then enter the international number you want to call
3. JAJAH connects you.

In your first call, you will receive a text message containing a unique local number for your contact. You can store it in your phone book for future calling. The only time you will need an internet connection is when you check the local access numbers available in JAJAH’s website.

“Jajah Direct eliminates complicated VoIP solutions and archaic offline pre-paid calling cards single-handedly,” said Roman Scharf, cofounder of Jajah.

Aside from savings of up to 95%, there are other advantages of using this service:

1. International Internet calling without Internet access
2. From any phone to anywhere in the world
3. No monthly fees, no connection fees and no hidden costs
4. Use your existing landline or mobile phone
5. No PIN codes, no pre-paid calling cards, no lengthy access numbers, no contract
6. No additional hardware or installation needed

If this is a taste of the collaboration between JAJAH and Jangl then it is indeed a very good start.

Global telephony platform JAJAH has entered into a strategic partnership with similarly confusing name Jangl, a social communications leader connecting phones and online identities, to explore new opportunities and expand worldwide communications.

Some industry analysts believe this is a win-win proposition for the two companies. Leveraging on the expertise of each can result to a revolutionary technology aimed to further bridge the already close gap between the internet and mobile phones. More importantly, this will result to better functionality and lower cost for the general consumers.

Under this partnership are the following agreements:

This kind of collaboration is practically a first in a dynamic landscape called Voice 2.0. Depending on the results of this tandem, it can either set the pace of future partnerships or discourage leadings players from combining their resources.

Via VoIP News

The Linksys SPA962 is a 6-line VoIP telephone with 2 port Ethernet Switch, PoE and Color display that enhances Business Communication Requirements with color. This VoIP phone leverages industry leading VoIP technology to deliver a high quality phone that is unparalled in features, value and support. If you want a durable and effective VoIP phone, The Linksys SPA962 would certainly please you.

The Linksys SPA962 has standard features that you would normally found in VoIP phones. It has:

• 6 active lines,

• dual switched ethernet ports,

• 820.3af PoE support,

• a high resolution color display,

• speakerphone and

• 2.5 mm head-set port.

But aside from these standard features, the SPA962 offers a comprehensive interoperability and SIP based feature adds to the SPA962’s value as a VoIP phone. It has been tested to ensure comprehensive interoperability with equipment from VoIP infrastructure leaders. These enables service providers to immediately roll-out competitive, feature rich service to the VoIP consumers.

The SPA962 answers the requirement of traditional business users while leveraging the advantages of IP telephone. Other remarkable features of the SPA962 are easy station moves, presence and shared line appearances.

Aside from this, the SPA952 employs a standard encryption protocols that enhaces provision of secure remote provisioning and unobtrusive in-service software upgrades. Detailed performance measurement and troubleshooting features that enables network providers to deliver high quality supports to their customers.

And lastly, with the SPA952’s provisioning features, the SPA952 could also result perform remote provisioning. Remote provisioning also saves service providers the hassle and expense of managing, pre-loading, and re-configuring customer premise equipment (CPE).

Top U.S. data, voice and video service provider Qwest has added OneFlex Hosted VoIP to the services it offers to small businesses U.S.-wide. With the aim of helping its small business customers to increase productivity and performance, Qwest has combined the simplicity and functionality of a your regular landline phone with the flexibility of the internet.

There are several reasons why you would want to get Qwest’s OneFlex Hosted VoIP for your business. For one, Qwest has been known for its expertise and high quality of service backed by high-quality connection, fast speed and up-to-date voice and messaging features and functions. The new hosted VoIP service frees the customers of the worries of installing both hardware and software at home. With OneFlex Hosted VoIP, Qwest hosts the voice server and messaging offsite but at the same time providing its customers with continous high speed internet connections.

Qwest’s OneFlex Hosted VoIP can be availed in two basic packages, the Office Package and the Enhanced Office Package. OneFlex Office Package has the following key features:

• unlimited local and 8xx outbound calling,
• unlimited on-net calling,
• personal online dashboard with call logs, contact manager, click-to-call, and click-for-voice mail,
• voice mail with e-features, indicator and one-push button,
• office administrator account profile,
• distinctive ring

and a many more features and functionalities.

The OneFlex Enhanced Office Package on the other hand, has all the features and functionalities of the Office Package plus additional features, Microsoft Outlook integration, unified messaging and remote calling.

Small businesses wanting to minimize its operational cost without sacrificing productivity and performance could benefit well with OneFlex Hosted VoIP. It’s a great service from Qwest which would integrate small business’ phone and internet system, give ease of hardward system needs and provide more control on the telecommunications systems of small businesses through an easy-to-use web interface.

Internet video communications provider SightSpeed Inc. aims to add mobility and flexibility to video conferencing service with the help of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.

More importantly, SightSpeed Business will enable small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to communicate and connect face-to-face with clients, customers, and colleagues without investing thousands of dollars on room-based vide conferencing hardware systems. Instead, business owners need to pay only $19.95 per month.

They must have a PC or laptop with speaker, webcam and broadband connection, giving them the flexibility and mobility to hold video conferences anytime, anywhere.

To date, more than 30,000 businesses are already using SightSpeed for video conferencing even before they created the business service.

Among its numerous advantages, here are the important ones:

Via mobility site

Skype enters into the mobile market arena with the launch of its 3 Skypephone, a mobile phone which lets you make free Skype to Skype mobile calls and Instant Messaging with a touch of a button on the 3 Skypephone.

The Skype to mobile to PC call works the same way as making Skype calls on a PC, which is what Skype originally does. 3 Skypephone users must have an existing Skype account to make a mobile to PC calls or send instant messaging via the internet. If you don’t have an existing Skype account yet, you can create a new account directly from your mobile phone.

What use to be an internet telephony service being offered by Skype is being made available on mobile handsets via the 3 Skypephone. This mobile handset was developed by Skype in partnership with 3 Mobile Operator and Qualcomm. 3 Skypephone has the core handset features of mobile phones such as address book, messaging, 3G, 2 megapixel camera, mp3 player, mobile TV and internet. The mobile handset comes in black or white with blue or pink trim.

The 3 Skypephone allows Skype users to make free calls over the internet from a mobile phone. Michael van Swaaij, acting CEO at Skype said that the release of 3 Skypephone paved the way for Skype being a truly mobile service. “This new handset is incredibly easy to use and lets you make free mobile Skype calls when you are on the move to other Skype users all over the world no matter where they are,” says van Swaaij.

The 3 Skypephone is to be release in UK, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau and Sweden this year. While it will be available in the UK market from November 2.

VoIP company Vonage has waved the white flag and agreed to settle the patent dispute with Verizon Wireless. Buying peace is a very expensive proposition. In the case of Vonage, it can go from $80 to $120 million, depending on the final decision of the lawsuit. The consolation is it will free Vonage from shutting down its network and sharing monthly revenues with Verizon.

At this time, payment remains variable and depends mainly on the decision of Court of Appeals on how many patents were really infringed by Vonage. The latest decision came on September 26, 2007 with a verdict that Vonage violated 2 Verizon patents. Vonage has filed a petition for a rehearing on October 10, 2007 and the outcome of this event will be the basis of the payment.

“We’re pleased to put this dispute behind us and believe this settlement is in the best interests of Vonage and its customers. This settlement removes the uncertainty of legal reviews and long-term court action and allows us to continue focusing on our core business and customers,” said Vonage Chief Legal Officer Sharon O’Leary, in a press release.

This is the 2nd time Vonage settled. Recently, it paid $80 million to Sprint Nextel for another patent case. Still, the road is still bumpy for this VoIP company. It will face another big carrier, AT&T, for allegedly violating one of its Internet telephone patents. To make matters worse, AT&T is also requesting for an injunction to shut Vonage’s networks.

It’s sad to see a revolutionary company poised to lower our call rates being bullied by the big bad phone carriers.

NoiseFree VoIP is not another Internet telephony service. Rather, it is the first support software offering a noise management capability. It uses a patent pending technology that automatically detects and blocks out background noise to give users a near landline quality experience.

It is compatible with popular VoIP software like Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, and leading soft phones available in the market. It is currently in beta version so you can download and try it for free.

However, this offer is limited only until December 31, 2007. There’s also no further information about its future price range. Additional features include:

1. Low power consumption
2. Very low memory requirement
3. Advanced Voice Activity Detection
4. Fast Echo Cancellation
5. User-friendly installation
6. Readily available through download

With many noise cancellation solutions you can find in the market like the one used in audio conferencing, you might be wondering if there is any significant advantage for using NoiseFree VoIP.

NoiseFree claims users do not need to buy additional hardware devices or other expensive solutions to support the laptop or soft phone.

According to Noise Free Wireless, Inc. President and CEO Alon Konchitsky, this software also reduces the packet load on a network, resulting to enhancement of overall bandwidth availability.

But do you think a noise cancellation software is important enough for people to pay extra bucks just to get one? If so, is there a substantial market for this? Based on my experience calling from different VoIP software like Skype, Google Talk, and Yahoo! Messenger, the idea of using a noise cancellation device never crossed my mind.

Then again, the potential might lie heavily on enterprise markets like the growing contact services outsourced from different countries in Asia. Only if the price is reasonable enough.

MySpace members now have the power to engage in voice chats with its new partnership with eBay’s VoIP provider Skype. Dubbed as MySpace IM with Skype, it interconnects the existing MySpace IM service with the communication services of Skype.

Considering the poor performance of this VoIP company, this tie up can help Skype increase awareness and improve the number of active users. Currently, only 4% are active Skype users or 7 million out of 200 million registered users.

What makes this one-click calling option unique is that Skype users need not download any software to connect with other users. This is a fairly similar concept with the controversial Jajah Buttons.

This service is currently in beta version and will launch officially this coming November. It will also give MySpace users the flexibility to link their profiles with their Skype accounts.

This service is now available in 20 countries worldwide. On the other hand, the linking of profiles will be launched around the globe except in China, Japan, and Taiwan.

On top of this free service, users can call mobile phones and landlines for a fee. Revenues generated from this partnership will be shared between Skype and MySpace. However, ad revenues generated from MySpace IM service will not be shared with Skype.

What’s in it for MySpace? This is one opportunity to further differentiate its brand considering it is behind Facebook in terms of offering applications to customize user profiles.

Via Mashable

UK-based VoIP company Truphone is stirring the mobile industry once again with its new price cut to bring what they claim as the best-ever rates for calling mobiles. Starting today until December 31, 2007, Truphone users can enjoy the following benefits:

However, you need to check first if your mobile phone is compatible with Truphone before sending an SMS with the word ‘Tru’ to +44 7624 000000 to activate this service.

Last month, Truphone has wowed the mobile industry when it has successfully made the first-ever call over WiFi using an iPhone, without unlocking it. Knowing it will definitely vex Steve Jobs, it clearly stressed that it was intended for demo only and not for commercial use.

In the latest Truphone 3.3 version, users can text other Truphone users for free and also make VoIP calls in more places.