Guest Post: Relieving Stress The Luxurious Way

No doubt technology advancements have been phenomenal so far but people love it for the fact that it makes their lives so relaxing and easy. And given that they have the cash to spend, tech can make their lifestyles luxurios as well. This certainly wasn't possible a decade or two ago. You can setup your home in such a manner than you can get a better than a five star hotel feeling.
Even though everyone has their own way of setting things up to reach their comfort zone, one upbeat way which was recently seen in a magazine was as follows. With a hot tub setup in the backyard or balcony, yes it does start with a hottubs believe it or not, facing a LCD TV is a sure shot hot way to kick things off.
Next buy a linksys wireless router and get WiFi running through your house. This will ensure that your laptop, emails and browsing are well connected to the world while you sit back and relax in your hot tub. But this is just the warm up phase. Though by doing this you have ruled out almost a million reasons to get out of the hot tub. From sending or checking important emails to simply ordering food.
Next with a little bit more investment you can setup up wireless media as well and listen to some jazz or whatever else catches your fancy. To get in the zone fully, setup a nice pair of BOSE 7.1 Surround Sound Speakers. Though this may cost a few hundred bucks easy. Finally if its the football season you are in luck. Turn on the TV (might want to hook one up across hot tub) put it on mute and get ready for laid back easy going football night.
So as mentioned earlier, this really wasn't possible a decade ago (well not possible now for everyone either since it's probably really expensive to setup). Back then Wifi internet was too expensive to setup let alone the wireless media, TV's weren't as portable, surround sound systems didn't even come close to the quality we get today and finally hot tubs weren't even very affordable at a hot tubs spas let alone homes.
With something like this setup, no ones going anywhere for a while .

Thoughts about Skype's SILK giveaway.

There has been lot of positive reviews ever since Skype decided to share its new wideband auido codec nicknamed SILK with the world for free. SILK debuted last month with the release of Skype 4.0 for windows, it is the default audio codec for Skype-to-skype calls. According to Angela Gunn of BetaNews, "It scales its bandwidth usage in real time between 6 Kpbs and 40 Kbps, and in 'superwideband' (best) mode samples at 24 KHz. Likewise, bit rate scales from 6-40 Kbps as dictated by connection conditions."
SILK is definitely an improvement over existing audio codecs, it increases audio quality without increasing the bandwidth usage and the improvement can be noticed on the latest version of skype, Skype 4.0 for windows. The question then is that why is skype giving up what is potentially its competitive advantage ?. The answer is not far fetched as most analysts agreed that the main reason is that it will enhance skype's effort in encouraging device manufacturers to integrate skype more into things like smartphones, cell phones and mobile internet.
It is estimated that Skype now have an installed base of about 500 million majority of which are desktop computer users. So the company has been trying really hard to make sure that its service are installed in as many devices as possible and giving away SILK royalty-free will surely help in that direction.

SS7 still Relevant in the communication Industry

Signaling System Number 7 also known as SS7 is a set of telephony signaling protocols which are used to set up most of the world's public switched telephone network telephone calls. The main purpose is to set up and tear down telephone calls. Five years ago industry pundits prophesied the death of SS7 by now. That was premature. Granted, SS7 is no longer the only signaling protocol in town and there are more efficient ways of supporting new IP opportunities, but attempts to rip-out and replace SS7 in its entirety over-night would be disastrous. There are certain functions that are better fulfilled by SS7, and will continue to be so in the short to medium term, but it is the ongoing evolution of IP, in contrast with the solid but staid SS7, that makes it the signaling technology of the future.
SS7 has been the gold standard underpinning the world's telecommunications signaling infrastructure for over 20 years, but IP provides operators with the tools to exploit the emerging revenue opportunities and make significant cost savings. This makes the migration from SS7 to IP inevitable, but the ways in which operators are approaching this process are as varied as they are complex. Timing, approach and the business case for making the transition are rarely consistent from one operator to the next, yet these are the vital elements that will determine the extent of the project’s long-term success. Get it wrong and they will fall behind the competition. Some have even argued that SS7 is too old, too expensive and not advanced enough to cope with the changes that were predicted to revolutionize telecoms such as convergence; a move to all IP; and increased video consumption over the Internet. However, as Robin Kent, director of operations at Adax Europe explains, SS7 hasn’t laid down and died.
While many predicted its demise, SS7 now underpins the delivery of many so-called ‘next generation’ fixed and mobile services. There is no doubt that IP offers a more cost-effective infrastructure than SS7 and is better equipped to deal with the demands of the 21st century network. By the same token there are already significant market opportunities for the savvy operator to exploit with this technology in place. Value-added services are a clear example of a killer revenue opportunity. Staple mobile functionality such as voicemail and SMS has already been complimented by roaming, MMS and, more recently, video calls. Those operators with the most flexible infrastructure will be in a far stronger position to add and develop new services and stay one step ahead of the competition.
Emerging markets also offer huge opportunities. As identified at last year’s 3GSM World Congress, the expansion of mobile usage in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) continues unabated and it is estimated that the second billion global mobile users will accumulate in less than a quarter of the time taken to build the first. Throughout other parts of the globe mobile usage also continues to grow. A report by technology research group Gartner in November 2005 showed that global mobile phone sales in the third quarter have risen by the greatest proportion for four years (22 per cent).
The report also estimates sales will hit 810 million by the end of 2005 and highlighted a 40 per cent growth throughout Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The lower cost of implementing and running an IP infrastructure compared to SS7 means that smaller operators are able to take advantage of the new technology and capitalise on these emerging market opportunities before the larger operators have a stranglehold.
The days of relying on SS7 are not over, all will not be for a long time to come. As indicated from the emerging markets like India, China, Brazil and Africa which will drive continued growth in SS7 as a result of a possible expansion in the number subscriber base.

IFA Firms Cautioned Over Fake Sales

There is indication that some unethical communicartion providers are taking advantage of the regulations enacted by Financial Services Authority (FSA) to scam IFA firms by asking them to install new telephone systems, costing as much as £30,000 in order to comply with the new regulations.
In a statement by Séan Ryan, a director of major supplier of telephony equipment 500 Limited, who said it is very important for IFA to seek for the correct interpretation of the regulations. He said lack of understanding of the new regulations meant that some unethical suppliers could take advantage of the situation and push some companies who did not require the new equipment into unnecessary purchases.
Citing the recent installation of an upgrade undertaken by 500 Limited to the Hertfordshire law firm, SA Law, which not only met the conditions of the new regulations, but vastly improved the firm’s productivity, Ryan said the new system from 500 Limited allowed SA Law to not only install a more efficient system, but to save money via lower rentals of lines and calls that were much cheaper. This system is claimed to comply fully with the new regulations.

Truphone Launches AOL IM for iPhones and iPod Touch

Announcing the integration of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) into its iPhone and iPod touch applications, Truphone is ready to offer its customers on both devices a better way to reach their AIM friends via their AIM identity.
Besides being able to place VoIP calls, users can now log in to AOL and instant message other AIM users through the Truphone app. The software already includes support for Google Talk, Skype, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. All these blend a combination of voice and instant messaging across multiple IM platforms within one application, thereby combining both instant and voice messaging facilities within one single application.
With Truphone Anywhere service, users can exchange calls and messages with Skype and Google Talk users even when they are not in the Wireless Fidelity range. Truphone Anywhere, unlike traditional calling card, doesn’t require a user to remember ‘what to do.’
While speaking on the core reason why the application was introduced, Geraldine Wilson- Truphone CEO, stated that the comapany's goal is for mobile phone users to be able to reach any contact on their buddy lists, at any time and at no cost, using just one application. She promised that Truphone will continue to integrate services and functionality until users have everything they need to stay in touch just by using Truphone.
Using Truphone to communicate with any of the supported IM services is free over the Internet. When not in Wi-Fi, Apple iPhone users can also make and receive calls and messages to and from Google Talk for the cost of a local call, using the Truphone Anywhere feature. And to give its users more reason to stay hooked with them, Truphone is making arrangement the inclusion of voice calling over 3G data connections for AIM, Windows Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger within the next couple of weeks.
In another development, Truphone announced that it has started accepting PayPal credit as a method of prepayment for calls out of its network. With this service, even people who do not have major credit or debit cards will be able to make calls to over 200 countries.
About this Wilson said, “With PayPal we found not only a payment processing service, but also an addressable community that matched up very nicely to the typical Truphone customer.”

Camrivox and Snom Partner to Develop Snom Flexor CTI for Dynamics CRM

Camrivox Ltd based in UK has entered into partnership with Snom Technology, leading developer and manufacturer of advanced VoIP, to develop snom Flexor CTI for Dynamics CRM. This software integrates Dynamics CRM with snom IP telephony to deliver a comprehensive CTI-CRM solution for small and medium businesses (SME) intent on maximising their return on investment (ROI).
Delivering an enhanced CRM experience, Flexor CTI for Dynamics CRM enables call logging, call reporting, click-to-dial, contact screen pop-ups, and on-screen call control – meaning you can easily view and report on all call activity for any period or customer. All of these CTI features are directly integrated within the CRM application to enhance ease of use and simplify customer transactions.
Both hosted and on-premise based versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM are supported, and with Flexor CTI uniquely delivered at the desktop, businesses can bypass costly system and equipment upgrades. With no CTI server required, and no costly administration or IT support, Flexor CTI maximises customer investments in CRM. “Partnering with snom technology means that we have been able to simplify how CTI is configured at the desktop,” commented Malcolm Wood, CEO for Camrivox. “Flexor CTI talks directly to the snom IP handset removing any complex setup with a PBX.” Snom Flexor CTI for Dynamics CRM on Stand C42 was demonstrated by Camrivox and snom at the just concluded CeBIT held in Hannover, Germany.

Telent Chosen to Upgrade Serco Docklands Network

As a major step towards upgrading its network system by integrating VoIP technology in its public address (PA) system, Serco Docklands has chosen Telent to install the new high performance LAN infrastructure that will make VoIP announcements possible in the public address system.
Once installed, the high-performance infrastructure will be will be run by a Linux-based control centre, and integrated with customer display systems. This is to ensure that conflicting messages in public announcements and on display screens are prevented.
The network will cover all 32 DLR stations, and uses ASL iPAM public announcement systems and Cisco gigabit ethernet switches. iPAM systems are already used on 76 London Underground stations. There is also plan to bring other key systems across to run over the new network and these include passenger information displays on station concourses, and a train management computer system, according to the company.
"Serco Docklands is also looking to deploy IP-based control systems for its numerous video recorders and CCTV cameras, which are expected to total nearly 1,000 by 2012," comments Michael Evans, communications engineer at Serco Docklands.
The project, which is on-going, is expected to be completed later this year.

A New Partnership Formed between Snom and SmartShare

The saying that two heads are better than one cannot be better explained as it is seen in the VoIP industries. Companies are joining forces to ensure that they come up with the best of the services available in order to attract more users. The latest partnership deal is the one that involves the award-winning phone handset manufacturer Snom and innovative WAN optimizer SmartShare.
This agreement will allow Snom to use SmartShare’s StraightShaper innovation to be able to offer cheap VoIP calls with the quality and reliability of landlines. This ensures that Snom's handsets of superior quality with equal reliability. Snom also boasts of green credentials with the release of a study from a research group at Frankfurt am Main’s University of Applied Sciences, which tested 23 VoIP phones from a range of leading manufacturers.
From the research carried out about power usage involving three modes namely; idle, before, while conversations were taking place, and idle after a conversation had finished, tested in a 3-way teleconference.
In all the three modes, Snom’s product proved to be the most energy efficient.

TynTec to Support Jaxtr's Global SMS Service

With the aim of supporting its global SMS service, Jaxtr-one of the world's largest and most innovative social communications companies, has entered into a partnership with TynTec. Under the deal, TynTec will be the provider of SMS capabilities for Jaxtr's consumer-facing web-to-SMS service.
Jaxtr offers users free and low-cost local and international calling and SMS via its website. It supports more than 10 million customers in 220 countries and its free, text-advertising supported international SMS service has already generated millions of messages.
Jaxtr selected TynTec for its unparalleled delivery quality and international reach. Using its proprietary SMS-C and multiple points of connectivity into the deep-level (SS7) global mobile network, TynTec can offer its customers high-speed, guaranteed delivery SMS to more than 400 networks in 160 countries.
"We always look for providers that can offer our customers great international reach, timely delivery and utter reliability, and Tyntec is just such a company. TynTec's technical infrastructure means that it can offer this combination and that made them a great partner for this project," said Phillip Mobin CTO of Jaxtr. Jaxtr works with any mobile or landline phone, and no download is required even if calls are initiated from a mobile phone. Last month Jaxtr opened up free, international mobile calling to all users, rather than just registered users of it site. The service works by providing a local number to both the caller and the recipient. The caller enters their own number, and the number of the person they wish to call, on the Jaxtr website. The site generates a local phone number, and when the caller dials it, a text message is sent to the recipient containing a number that is local to that person.
With this recent deal, it is hoped that a more sophisticated service, which allows their cutomers to benefit from low cost overseas calls without the recipient having to call a local number woulkd be available.

Ixia Unveils New VoIP Service

Ixia is a well known name when it comes to supply of IP test systems and today the company has unveilled the next generation in residential and business VoIP testing. This service, called the IxLoad Voice, is the industry-leading VoIP testing and comes with the ability to emulate up to One million concurrent endpoints. With its ultra-high performance, IxLoad Voice matches the capacity of modern media gateways with an unprecedented 1 million SIP- and RTP-based endpoints per chassis five times the capacity of its nearest competing product, that is about 200,000 endpoints. IxLoad tests VoIP network components, including IP-based PBXs, softswitches, call managers, session border controllers, and media gateways, using highly realistic scenarios involving multiple voice protocols, complex calling sequences, and triple-play mixes of voice, video and data traffic.
Speaking on the relevance of this new service is the Ixia vice president of marketing, Anupam Ahai, who said “VoIP protocols and technology may be well understood, but there are a host of potential problems when a high number of calls are mixed with large volumes of data and video traffic. “We developed IxLoad Voice to emulate city-scale communities of real-world users – allowing our customers to discover and solve their device and network problems before their customers do.” IxLoad's unique subscriber modeling emulates user communities that vary in service usage and timing. This approach yields performance results that accurately predict live-network capacity allowing service providers to correctly provision their networks. Ixia supports all of the essential VoIP signaling and transmission protocol and delivers real-time evaluation of end-user quality of experience (QoE), such as PESQ scores for 300 simultaneous calls - making it unnecessary to wait for time-consuming, post-test analysis.
It is anticipated that, there would be a 25% compound aggregate growth in residential and SOHO hosted VoIP subscribers through 2011, when they are expected to number over 187 million. To meet this growing demand, network equipment manufacturers must deliver VoIP devices that can handle more calls and a complex array of protocols and services.
Supporting this claim is market analyst Matthias Machowinski, who said “VoIP services have already been widely adopted by consumers, but we expect the next growth in adoption to come from SMBs. For them, service reliability and voice quality will be key buying criteria.”
Ixia is a leading supplier of test, measurement and service verification solutions to Internet equipment manufacturers, carriers, service providers, government agencies and enterprises.

Vonage Faces Tough Time

With a net loss increased to $41 million, and subscriber numbers decreased by 14,700 despite a three percent increment in revenue in the fourth quarter last year. Vonage lost 26 cents a share in the quarter, but noted that it posted an operating profit of $2.8 million, its first quarter ever that far in the black. However, Vonage lost a net 14,700 subscribers, to finish with 2.6 million lines in service.Some attributed this loss to pressure from cable companies.
One of them is AllThingsD's Eric Savitz who asked rethorically, "Wait, wasn't VoIP supposed the change the world and cripple the Bells?" He quickly added that "Well, it certainly has made a dent, but the damage is being done largely by the cable companies, rather than Vonage."
Vonage has long been the leading indicator of the health of the standalone Internet VoIP industry. Analysts and pundits have repeatedly predicted its demise in the face of increasingly fierce competition from cable companies' telephony services. Robert Poe stated that its future looked particularly dark in 2007 after several major phone companies sued it for patent infringement, but Vonage cleared up the last of its legal hurdles late that year.
Silicon Alley Insider's Dan Frommer warned that "It's going to be very hard to significantly grow Vonage's customer base with its current business model - given the shift to wireless and rapid growth of service bundles (including phone service) from cable and telco giants."

SIP Print Announces VoIP Call Recording Platform

SIP Print has announced the availability of its award-winning voice recording appliances for the UK financial services market. SIP Print’s systems are fully compliant with the new call recording mandate set forth by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), including a future requirement to record calls originating from mobile phones.
This marks the preliminary entry into the UK market for SIP Print. In a policy statement by the FSA and effective from March 6, 2009, all UK financial institutions must record and archive all telephone conversations and electronic communications relating to client transactions for a period of no less than six months. The new regulations apply to any UK firms participating in the equity, bond and derivatives markets.
The FSA has applied an 18-month exemption for the recording of voice conversations from mobile phones and other hand held devices. Financial services providers utilizing VoIP phone systems are encouraged to contact SIP Print for details about evaluating SIP Print’s award-winning call recording solutions.

Skydeck Brings Your Cell Phone Online

Skydeck recently announced an update for their application, which allows their customers to access provider's call data, as well as text messages and voicemail. Skydeck is a service for smartphone users who depend on their device the same way they depend on email, and need a smart way to manage and search conversations, voicemails and text messages.
Skydeck's most interesting new feature is probably its ability to make calls right from the web browser. Skydeck not only lets you access and respond to all your text messages and voicemails, but also lets you sync the contact data on your cell phone to the web. Skydeck's interface is similar to a standard email interface, with your messages displayed in chronological order, no matter if they were calls, text messages, or voicemails. At regular intervals, Skydeck syncs up with your cell phone accounts and downloads the relevant information to its servers.
According to Geeksugar"Signing up for a Skydeck account means you get a backup of your data in a webmail-like interface where you can find your important numbers, read texts, and even make calls (for a charge) if you are ever without your cell." Skydeck has three monthly plans. The free demo account lets you manage your contacts, and access your basic call data, but you won't be able to make calls, access your voicemail, or get transcriptions of your voicemail. For $9.95 a month, you get all of these features, but you pay 3 cents per minute for every call within the U.S. and voicemail transcriptions cost 20 cents each. Skydeck's unlimited plan, with unlimited calling and as many voicemail transcriptions as you could ever want, will set you back $29.95 per month.

Bad Economy will Spur Faster VoIP Growth, says Expert

It sounds too good to be true, but that is exactly what Don Witt, President of cyLogistics, said when he predicted that the economic meltdown will actually spur faster VoIP growth during 2009.
Witt supports his theory with many of the same arguments used to promote the idea of a VoIP explosion in the years before the economy started to crumble, namely that competition would lead businesses to cut costs and that one of the easiest places to cut costs was to look to the company phone bill.
In his statement, With said "The stock market meltdown will increase VoIP growth. More and more executives will be under the gun to cut costs. There are a number of ways to cut costs but one way to cut costs tends to jump out at you: the PHONE BILL. This will force many companies to take the digital/VoIP plunge. As a result, VoIP sales will increase significantly over the next year or two."
Witts also added that it will be too early to give actual numbers to support his theory, he however believes that the channel activity tends to indicate this trend as a reality. "Reseller and carrier activity has increased significantly. The increase in VoIP sales will increase on a worldwide basis. We think that this will continue through 2009, making 2009 an incredible growth year for VoIP communications," he said.
In his response, TMCnet's Tom Keating holds that there are indications that not only enterprises, but also municipalities and schools are deploying VoIP to save on costs. "In fact, I recently came across one town right here in Connecticut (Enfield), which recently deployed VoIP, resulting in dramatic savings... while one example doesn't make it the rule, I do think companies, municipalities, etc. are looking to cut costs, and VoIP is one sure-fire way to do just that," he concluded. As it is, we all need some good news right now, so let’s hope Witt is right.

Verizon Wireless Unveils Verizon Hub

Verizon Wireless has announced the released of a new product called the Verizon Hub, a touchscreen VoIP system for the home. Verizon Hub is an easy-to-use system that puts a communications command center in the home. It bridges wireline and wireless connectivity and runs on any broadband connection.
The Verizon Hub is poised to help pave the way for people to stay in touch and up to date with the information they need to navigate their increasingly busy days and nights. The Verizon Hub gives busy families information at their fingertips from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with on-demand access to an array of services. From fabulous Food Network recipes to HGTV experts' design tips, Verizon Hub users will be able to sample video from Scripps' wide array of lifestyle programming.
As put by TechNewsWorld's Chris Maxcer, "In an effort to rekindle some love for the old-school kitchen telephone, Verizon Wireless is getting set to roll out a brand-new touchscreen VoIP phone that offers visual voicemail, calendaring, text alerts, local traffic, weather reports and the ability to send turn-by-turn directions to Verizon Wireless phones."
Computerworld's Matt Hamblen writes that this new product will provide integration of VoIP calls with wireless phones and run on any broadband wired connection, regardless of whether it is supplied by Verizon FiOS, DSL or any other high-speed service provider.
Customers need a wireless line of service from Verizon Wireless to purchase the communications command center. In addition, customers need a Verizon Digital Voice plan for the Verizon Hub, which is $34.99 a month and offers unlimited calling in the U.S., Canada, and U.S. Territories, including Puerto Rico, as well as unlimited messaging to and from Verizon Wireless phones. All of these services will appear on the customer's Verizon Wireless monthly bill.
The Verizon Hub is available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement; additional cordless handsets, which can be placed throughout the home, are available for $79.99 each. For customers who do not own a wireless router, Verizon Wireless also offers a router to work with the Verizon Hub for $69.99.

JAJAH application turns iPod to a VoIP phone

JAJAH Announces Complete Revamp of the iPod Touch
VOIP provider Jajah on Thursday announced a application that will allow the iPod touch to be used as a VOIP phone, essentially giving it iPhone-like functionality. This software allows users of the iPod touch to make phone calls and send SMS text messages anywhere in the world, as long as they are in range of a Wi-Fi connection (and have a microphone headset).
Using the application requires downloading the client software from Apple Inc.'s App Store to a recent-model iPod touch equipped with a microphone headset. JAJAH plans to offer the application as a "white label" service, allowing carriers or other entities to sell it to end users under their own brands. The application delivers calls over JAJAH's international VoIP network. The company said it can cut calling costs by up to 98 percent.
According to the company CEO, Trevor Healy, "Millions of people around the world already have an iPod touch in their pocket. With JAJAH's solution, any company can turn their customers' iPod touch into a fully functioning mobile phone. The device is particularly popular amongst students, who live in a world where Wi-Fi access is always available and, like everyone, they are looking to save costs, so this is a perfect solution."
Roy Marks of eWeeks also remarked that one of the differences that exists between Apple's iPhone and its iPod Touch ( iPhone is a telephone while iPod Touch is not) seems to be fading away with the introduction of all kind of applications.

Skype under the Scrutiny of NSA

Skype under the Scrutiny of NSA
Over the year, Skype has distinguished itself as one of the formidable name to reckon with when it comes to internet telephony. Millions of people have patronized this company because of its relatively low cost telephony rate it offers on the internet. Realizing the need to give their customers more valued services, the company has introduced several innovative products that ensures that they remain on the forefront of telephony via the internet.
Unfortunately, all these "goodies" Skype believed would keep them in business have not found favoured in the eyes of some authorities who insinuate that Skype has encouraged perpetration of criminal activities on the internet. In fact, it was alleged that Skype has become nothing less than a private channel for criminals to plot mayhem without detection.
Top in the list are the Italian Police and the UK police, so is the German Police. With the concerns from this international agencies, the US National Security Agency is now so obsessed with it that they have put its breaking ahead of the next watching North Korea and Iran in terms of computing priorities. This is more apparent by several steps taken by the NSA over the past few months.
Skype is using an encryption that makes it difficult to crack the source of all calls made through thier platform, well this is not really the issue. That Skype refuses to disclose the type and scheme being used has become worrisome to these agencies. And the application itself has a long history of stealthiness designed to stop it simply being blocked as it opens a channel.
Indeed, the issue has become so big that some people including journalists alleged that being able to report that someone has comprehensively broken its inner workings has taken on a status not far short of finding a unicorn in the Amazon or photographing the abominable snowman.
Skype in particular is a serious problem for spooks and cops. Being P2P, the network cannot be accessed by the company providing it and the authorities cannot gain access by that route. The company won't disclose details of its encryption, either, and is not required to as it is Europe based. This lack of openness prompts many security pros to rubbish Skype on "security through obscurity" grounds: but nonetheless it remains a popular choice with those who think they might find themselves under surveillance. Rumour suggests that America's NSA may be able to break Skype encryption - assuming they have access to a given call or message - but nobody else.
There is currently a rumour that the NSA would pay  any company able to hack Skype "billions" for its trouble. The idea that any breaking any encryption scheme is merely a matter of money is naïve, and that's before you even point out that there might be easier ways to destroy it such as just firmly asking the engineers at Skype. Not far behind in the silliness stakes was a suggestion in the same story that the NSA might be on the point of 'cracking' Skype, as if cracking competent encryption was just a matter of having some magic key or a big enough supercomputer to plough through all the possibilities in real time. This indeed is taking a much more interesting dimension.
It is very obvious that Skype is not the problem, and as a matter of fact, there are plenty of other IM and voice software systems that are encrypted in the like manner. And going by the words of von Neumann, encryption is and it's been out the bag for many decades to the extent that it can't and won't be put back using a magic wand.
Obiviously, Skype would resist any attempt to break it no matter the amount of price put on the company. It is therefore advisable for the authorities to work together with Skype in order to ensure that criminal activities via this system are minimized.

Free International VoIP Calls with Opomi

Joining the race to offer affordable international calls via the internet is Opomi, the company recently announced its cheap international internet phone service aimed at bringing the highest quality phone calls at the lowest price.
One amazing development is that the company has decided to offer free international calls to about 26 destinations around the world. However, you can only enjoy this offer if you sign up for their service and buy credit. Each time a credit is bought, Opomi will give you free talktime minutes, the company promised.
Opomi offers free international calls to following destinations (Landline only)Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada(+mobile), China(+mobile), Denmark, Greece, Hong Kong(+mobile), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico(+mobile), Singapore(+mobile), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand(+mobile), UK and USA (+mobile).
For each of the destinations above, you can enjoy 2 free trial calls of 15 minutes. However, the free minutes expires after a certain period of time and for you to be able to enjoy this offer, you must register with them.
Those who have tried out the service reported that it is quite satisfactory. If you would also want to give it a shot, why not go to www.opoomi.com.

IndiaLD Offers Low rate Wholesale VoIP

Nothwithstading the world's economy crisis, the VoIP in India appears to be shooting up with the emergence of several VoIP companies that offer cheap internet calls. One of such companies is IndiaLD which offer one of the cheapest call rates in India, giving consumers more value for every rupee spent. With India LD, high volume callers can now pay wholesale costs to call India.
At 1.9 cents per minute for long distance calls, IndiaLD offers one of the lowest VoIP call rate in the India market when you buy credit in bulk.  India LD offers a hassle free 30-day money back guarantee from the date of activation of your Service. The money back guarantee applies only to the first-ordered line, not to additional or secondary lines.
When a customers buy 2000 minutes per month for example, he would be charged a meager rate of 1.9 cents per minutes.IndiaLD has set the minimum package for 1.99 cents per minute and it necessary that such users buy at least 1000 minutes. Also, the maximum is set for 3000 at 1.9 cent per minute and just incase a user consumes more than the stipulated rate, such user's calls will be charged at 3.9 cent per minute.
The IndiaLD is particularly a better option for those users who would prefer not to use a softphone based service such as Mediaringtalk that offers a cheaper rate of 1.7 cent per minute. Another limitation about IndiaLD is that only works for USA. They give you 10 US phone numbers that you can program to automatically call numbers in India. Once you set them up, you just need to dial the US number and it automatically rings the number in India. This function is very similar to LocalPhone which offers up to 5 free numbers.
India LD offers Phone to Phone service with access numbers in USA . If you don't like the service you can get your money back.It has 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. This 30 day money back guarantee is for first time customers only. The money back guarantee only applies if you have not exceeded 50 minutes of calls. Refunds can be requested by contacting their customer service department. The two access number in USA are; (424) 757-1111 and (530) 645-5555.
With IndiaLD, there are here are no hidden fees, no connection fees, or other tricks up their sleeves, according to the company.