The Chatter bug

Just when you thought things couldn’t get simpler, Chatter Bug comes up with an innovative “personal long distance” calling device. The Chatter Bug, which looks like a cross between a handheld scanner (of the olden days) and a mouse, serves as a conduit between any regular telephone unit and the phone line. The apparatus basically routes your long-distance calls through their own server via the Internet. Wait,...

Google getting into VoIP telephony?

There is talk that search giant Google, Inc. is getting into the commercial Voice-over-Internet Protocol business. Judging from a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing by Florida-based VoIP, Inc., the software and services provider has inked a deal with Google to provide a large-scale VoIP offering, similar to that of various carriers such as Vonage and Packet8. While the search leader currently has its...

Want secure communication? Use VoIP

Maybe you’re a businessman concerned about trade secrets being leaked. Or maybe you’re secretly corresponding with a hot fling (shame on you if you’re married). Perhaps you’re just another of the millions of paranoid people who don’t want Big Brother listening in. Are you aware that with today’s technology, telephone conversations—yes, even with supposedly secure digital cellular networks—can be...

Research says VoIP may be a security risk

Yet another way for malicious hackers to commit cyber offenses? Researchers at the Communications Research Network (CRN) has warned that the security protocols used by VoIP networks may prove to be a potential security loophole, in that cyber criminals can use these to hide their identities. The Network, jointly funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Cambridge University, claims that encryption...

Should VoIP users be charged more for Internet use?

I say no. However, several internet service and bandwidth providers are considering charging more from users who consume a higher amount of bandwidth. This stems from the fact that while users may pay a fixed amount of money for internet service, the bandwidth use varies. And since ISPs pay their bandwidth providers according to consumption from the network of users, they are considering passing this on as a...

The UFO Skype phone

OK, it’s not really an unidentifiable flying object, but it sure looks like one! USRobotics has announced earlier this month the 9610 USB Speakerphone. This is USR’s latest addition to its growing number of VoIP-related gadgetry. The UFO Phone (as it’s fondly called) features a nifty echo-cancellation technology that gets rid of echo and feedback that’s common among speakerphones. This allows for clear and...

Free calls to the US with SkypeOut

Did you know that you can call 1-800 numbers free with Skype? A few months after announcing SkypeOut, the pay service that lets Skype users call regular telephones and mobile phones around the world, the leading software VoIP provider opened up free calls to toll free numbers, including 1-800 numbers. And the great thing about this is you can actually call any listed telephone number in the USA for...

A Closer Look at VoIP Devices (Part 5)

Another device is called the “firewall”. A firewall is actually a system that is made in order to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls may be operated in hardware and software or even both. Firewalls are commonly used for security reasons, to keep unauthorized Internet users from getting into private networks connected to the Internet, particularly intranets. All messages that...

Wiretapping the Wireless?

VoIP has no wires. It isn’t connected to the Public Safety Answering Point System (911) and a local operator using switchboard technology can’t trace it. It is a completely different infrastructure than PSTN- the Public Switched Telephone Network. Yet, the FCC and the FBI would like to apply the same rules to VoIP as it does to every other telephone service. What would Alexander Graham Bell say? The monopoly is...

Wireless VoIP

Wireless and VoIP have joined forces. Installing a WLAN network card into your computer uses wireless technology. After installing the card, your computer will become “wireless”. This means that you will be able to enjoy an Internet connection without the use of cables and cords. VoIP is the technology that allows the transmission of audio files by transmitting them into data packets across the Internet. By...