VoIP Product Reviews

SIPphone Releases Gizmocall

SIPPhone, the company behind Gizmo Project, the open standards VoIP soft client today launched GizmoCall, a browser plug-in that allows use to make calls via a web browser. The premise behind the service is pretty simple: go to the site, dowload the browser plug-in, enter the phone number you want to call, hit call, and the call is initiated. All you need is a headset/microphone plugged into your computer. Nothing else is required.

More About GizmoCall

The GizmoCall service is so simple that is not much to it, but currently, there is one limitation. Call length limited to up to 10 minutes per day to most landlines & select mobile phones around the world. Hopefully, in the future, you will be able to purchase “credits” in order to utilize the service for more then 10 minutes a day. Also, a la Skype and Sitfono, they are offering a “Click to Call Me” button for your website.

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Linksys WIP300 Review

The Good: Easy web based cofiguration and set-up, excellent range, acceptable call quality.

The Bad: Difficult menu navigation, low battery life, back cover falls off easily, forget about sending emails from it.

The Bottom Line: Unless you are a huge Linksys fan and are unable to afford the higher priced Linksys WIP330, there are better choices on the market. Don’t let the color screen and slick design fool you; the Linksys WIP300 leaves a lot to be desired.

Linksys WIP300 Overview

The Linksys WIP 300-NA Wi-Fi IP phone enables high-quality voice over IP (VoIP) service through a Wireless-G network and high-speed Internet connection. Connect at home, your office, or at a public hotspot, and make low-cost phone calls through your Internet Telephony Service Provider.

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Mvox, makers of the MV100 and the MV900, announced today that the Mvox Duo will debut at DEMOFall06. The Mvox Duo is the world’s first wearable Smart Communicatorâ„¢, an advanced hands-free communicator with one-touch voice dialing. Mvox Duo Smart Communicator is an all-in-one, wearable communications platform, which combines a cellphone headset, hands-free car kit, and mobile conference speakerphone and VoIP headset or speakerphone.

The Mvox Duo near 100% voice recognition rate powered by extremely accurate speech recognition algorithms, superior noise and echo cancellation through patent-pending small array microphone (SAM) technology, and can instantly convert into a high-performance speakerphone for on-the-spot mobile conference calls. The Mvox Duo also connects to a PC via USB or Bluetooth as a speakerphone or wireless headset for VoIP applications, including AOL, Avaya, Skype, Yahoo, Gizmo Project, and Google Gtalk making this device a must have for any business professional!

“We researched what road warriors need for day-to-day mobile communication, during the commute, in the office, and while traveling for business, in order to deliver a product that would help them communicate more effectively,” said Sally Li, VP of Marketing at Mvox. “Today, users complain about poor voice quality caused by severe echo and noise interference, and the inability to have one device that works across all typical communications platforms. The Mvox Duo creates an entirely new platform for high performance, wearable, and voice-controlled communications that also eliminates the need to alternate between four different devices.”

The Mvox Duo is set to hit the street sometime in November with a retail price of $199.99. For more information on this product click here.

Motorola annnounced the newest addition to their cable modem family, the Motorola SBV5100. The Motorola SBV5100 and the next generation of Motorola cable modems will be based on SIP, the most widely used VoIP protocol. The Motorola SBV5100 supports full-featured primary Voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone service for up to two telephone lines that are terminated in two RJ-11 connectors. In addition, its integrated cable modem connects to a computer through either a 10/100Base-T Ethernet or a USB data port. The Motorola SBV5100 will be available later this year.

What interests me the most about this product is the movement by hardware manufacturers towards VoIP as a standard feature in home networking products. Numerous companies have added RJ11 FXS ports to their SOHO routers, but now it looks like the focus will be on enabling the SOHO modem for VoIP. I am sure Linksys, D-LInk, Zoom, and Westell will soon follow with their own VoIP enabled cable modems.

Thomson and Skype are teaming up to release a family of new products for use with Skype service. The first product to be released, under the GE brand name, is the GE 28300EE2. The GE 28300EE2 is powered by DECT 6.0 technology built into Thomson’s new wireless handset offerings, delivering interference free calling with exceptional voice quality. DECT 6.0 permits delivery of calls without the static, pops, hiss and buzz which severely hinder the performance of most wireless home and small office telephones. Widely used throughout Europe and Asia, DECT 6.0 solves many of the most common consumer complaints in the use of cordless telephones.

The GE 28300EE2 was created with convienence in mind. The GE 28300EE2 features a built-in speakerphone, color lcd screen, Skype & land-line conferencing capability of up to four users simultaneously from the handset, integrated Skype caller ID, and Easy one-touch link for powerful wireless home networking capabilities.

The GE 28300EE2 will carry an MSRP of $149.99 and will be available through Skype’s online store.

US based Paragon Wireless recently released the world’s first SIP-Based Windows Mobile 5.0 dual-mode handset, the hipi-2200. The hipi 2200 is a next generation dual mode phone utilizing VoWlan/ GSM dual-mode voice technology. What makes the hipi different from other dual-mode phones, is the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.

The Windows Mobile 5.0 OS expands the usability and functionality of the phone making it more then “just a phone” allowing user to access the Internet and send/recieve emails. In addition to dual-mode voice calling and data transfer, the hipi 2200 features a built in 2.0M pixel camera, the MP3/MP4 player, and a camcorder. The hipi 2200 gets up to 4 hours of talk time, or 100 hours of standby.

According to Ilkka Pouttu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Paragon Wireless, “the hipi-2200 changes the way enterprises—and individuals—communicate with each other. Organizations can immediately measure their ROI, while workers can access all the information they need from one handset. The hipi-2200 joins our product line as a result of our commitment to dual-mode product development, our experience in the handset market, and our continuous improvement to dual-mode technologies such as FMC features, security, power management, roaming, and over-the-air management of handsets. Paragon is able to offer a family of dual-mode handsets which are cost-effective technology leaders,” said Pouttu.

There is currently no information on MSRP or when the hipi 2200 will be available.

It will be interesting to see when cellular carriers, wireless carriers, and VoIP providers will decide to support seamless mobility for all of the dual-mode phones that have come out recently. For the business user, as Pouttu remarked below, the ROI of carrying one handset that leverages the best of all communication technologies is not only immediate, but extremly compelling. Unfortunately, “making it work correctly” (as no carrier in the US currently supports seamless handoffs between GSM and VoIP) is not an easy undertaking for the majority of businesses, which therefore dilutes its present effectiveness.