Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) is a protocol optimized for the transmission of voice through
the Internet. VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband.
Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers.
Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network to carry voice and data.
VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public phone networks may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user.
VOIP Services
VOIP often has a large set of functionality that is free (whereas the normal public phone system must charge for each of these
functions to allow for the added cost they must go through in order to provide the functions):
extra telephone line
3-way calling
call forwarding
automatic redial
caller ID; features that traditional telecommunication companies (telcos) normally charge extra for.
secure calls
can be used from anywhere you have an internet connection (location independence)
integration with video, data, audio conferencing, managing address books, and others
Directions
We have looked and selected a number of voip carriers that meet your needs and provide voip service.
The voip providers are grouped by functional category and coverage area.
The different voip service categories are listed below center.
Logitech said in their February corporate report that "Some of our other peripherals product categories are experiencing significant market challenges. As the quality of PC-embedded webcams improves, we expect future sales of our PC-connected webcams in mature consumer markets to continue declining. We intend to address this market decline by enhancing our webcam product line-up to enable experiences that cannot be easily achieved with an embedded webcam and by targeting webcam applications on non-PC platforms."
Indeed standalone webcams have been declining because desktops have been replaced with laptops that usually have an embedded webcam that is "good enough" for the consumers needs. So how does Logitech diversify or differentiate from embedded webcams?
One answer is unified communications (UC) which targets businesses and not consumers. UC solutions in the enterprise command a premium price if it results in higher employee productivity. A more expensive UC product can pay bigger dividends over the long haul and easily meet ROI expectations. Further, webcams embedded in laptops are often 2MP at best with only a 65 degree viewing angle and don't handle backlight or low-light situations very well. Enterprises want high-quality video for their corporate laptops to use with their enterprise UC solution, such as Cisco Jabber or Microsoft Lync.
This is where the Logitech UC Solution for Cisco 725-C plays quite nicely. The solution is tightly integrated with Cisco Jabber, a popular UC platform and comes bundled with a C920-C HD 1080p Webcam, wired UC Keyboard K725-C with call control keys, and a M525-C wireless mouse. The C920-C webcam offers a 78 degree field of view (FOV), compared to 67-degree FOV in most webcams. It also features Logitech's RightLight 2 technology which improves visual quality in low light and reduces overexposure due to backlighting from a ceiling light, lamp, etc. The wireless optical mouse uses 2.4Ghz and it's laser-grade precision technology tracks on surfaces that are normally problematic for standard optical mice.
But the real story is the Logitech UC Keyboard K725-C. The keyboard features several call control functions, including answer call/hangup, hold, volume up/down, audio mute, and video mute.
Further, you can change which audio device you are using on-the-fly in the middle of a call. You can select speakerphone, headset, or handset by pressing the corresponding button near the top of the keyboard, which are clearly labelled with appropriate icons, as shown here: When you press on of these buttons, it simply leverages the appropriate USB HID device classification to switch to speakerphone, headset, or handset. Now you may be thinking, who uses a handset these days? Certainly, I can't remember the last time I used or saw a handset tethered to a USB port. I guess it was the Plantronics .Audio 1100M USB phone in 2009 or the IPEVO USB phone I checked out in 2005.
Ah, but there are wireless handsets leveraging Bluetooth, such as the Pyle PITLBT20 Bluetooth Wireless Charging Retro Handset. Stick a USB Bluetooth dongle into your PC and pair with the Pyle PITLBT20 Bluetooth handset and you got yourself a wireless handset. As popular as headsets are, the vast majority of enterprise users still prefer a handset when talking, partly because you can cradle the handset between your shoulder and neck, leaving your hands free to multitask, such as type, use mouse to bring up a presentation, etc.
Consider that desktop phones cost anywhere from $100 - $300 and UC solutions eliminate the need for desktop phones through the use of softphones. However, employees still love their desktop phones. They like being able to just pick up the handset to answer the call or make a call, which is why even in UC deployments that employees still have a desktop phone. Softphones also suffer from a major drawback in that if your screensaver is on, your screen is locked, or your softphone is behind another window, you have to spend time getting to the softphone to answer the call before it goes to voicemail and you have to spend time getting to the softphone to make a call. It may only be seconds, but we are trained to want instant satisfaction when we want to make a phone call. This is where the beauty of the Logitech UC keyboard comes into play. Whether your PC is locked or not, you can still press a button on your keyboard and the softphone will answer.
Further, if you want to change the audio device, you don't have to click a menu option, then Preferences, then Audio options, then change to the audio device you want, click Ok, then Apply, etc. Just press a button on the keyboard and you're done. Instant satisfaction!
Cisco and Logitech collaborated to bring tight integration between the keyboard and Cisco Jabber. A plugin is added to the Jabber client to provide communication between the keyboard and Jabber. One nifty feature is hot desking. You can sign into Jabber at any workstation with your credentials and Cisco will send calls there. I spoke with Mike Langberg, Sr. Public Relations Manager and he said the reason why they were able to integrate relatively easy with Cisco Jabber is due to their experience building gaming keyboards which supported gaming macros that gamers required. I asked if Microsoft Lync was a possibility and he was relatively coy in his response, but he did say it wouldn't be that difficult to support Lync. In other words, they're working on it. My words, not Logitech's.
I also asked about supporting the #1 phone system in the world - namely SIP-based PBXs, which is probably 90% of all new installs, and a good portion of existing installs. Mike said it probably wouldn't make sense to make a generic SIP integration since their are no standards for call control. I proposed Logitech working with CounterPath, which is well known for their SIP-based softphones. There are standards within SIP signalling for call control & message waiting (MWI), so I imagine it wouldn't be that difficult for someone like CounterPath to integrate with the Logitech keyboard and then this would blow the door wide open for Logitech to hit the millions of IP-PBXs out there running SIP! There are also open source SIP softphones like Linphone, Ekiga, and more -- though that would require the open source community to work with Logitech to get it to work with their keyboard.
We believe the recent disappointing sales results for Harmony reflect the aging of our Harmony products at the mid- and high-level price points as we previously directed significant digital home engineering and marketing resources towards our Logitech Revue and related peripherals for Google TV. We have since exited the Google TV product category. We recently released two new products, Logitech TV Cam HD with built-in Skype capability as well as our long-awaited Harmony Touch remote control which features an intuitive, color touch-screen enabling users the ability to personalize their screens. During the third quarter of fiscal year 2013, we identified a number of product categories that no longer fit with our current strategic direction. As a result, we made a strategic decision to divest our remote controls and digital video security product categories, and we plan to discontinue other non-strategic products, such as speaker docks and console gaming peripherals, by the end of calendar year 2013.
The Harmony One is my universal remote of choice for any and all home entertainment systems. With one touch of a button on the touch screen it can turn on all the relevant A/V equipment, change inputs on your receiver and/or TV, and more. This one remote replaces ALL your home remotes that would litter your coffee table. With complicated home theater setups, the Logitech Harmony line of remotes make it easy for anyone to pick up the remote, watch a Blu-ray, play a video game (PS3, Xbox 360), or watch regular TV. Wives, children, babysitters, non-techies, visiting friends, etc. didn't have to bother the "man cave" owner how to turn on the TV, start a DVD, etc. It was a sad, sad day in gadgetland. Forget Conan loving the lamentations of their women, and hear grown men cry as they begrudgingly unretire their old remotes forcing them to toggle between them for various functions. The all-powerful god remote is dead.
Personally, I'd like to see Microsoft's consumer division buy this line of remotes when Logitech divests it. Would fit into their Xbox One strategy of being the "all in one" entertainment system, not to mention the near identical names - Harmony One and Xbox One.
The telyHD appliance brings powerful, affordable HD video conferencing to SMBs and larger enterprises, rivaling high-end telepresence platforms from Cisco, LifeSize, and Polycom. Further, TelyHD sports Skype integration, granting it access to perhaps the largest videoconferencing user base, which includes Skype clients running on desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The Enterprise Edition enables the telyHD appliance to also join a BlueJeans meeting. I was an early beta reviewer for BlueJean's videoconferencing and HD content sharing service back in 2011 and was impressed with their service. They offer support for H.323, SIP, Cisco (Tandberg) Skype, and more recently added support for Microsoft Lync. Importantly, telyHD includes 4 noise-cancelling microphones specifically designed for conference rooms, eliminating the need for a separate speakerphone.
I took the telyHD appliance for a test drive with both Business Edition and Enterprise Edition activated using a simple serial key activation method. This is worth noting, since companies can start with the less expensive version, then simply pay for an activation key to unlock additional features. The telyHD comes with 90 day trials of both versions allowing companies to try them out.
What is telyHD? First, as they say, a picture is a thousand words, so here's the telyHD sitting on top of my HDTV next to a Microsoft Kinect. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear they were long lost brothers!
The telHD is on the right, Kinect on the left
Installation Hooking up the telyHD was a snap. It can fit on top of any TV due to its patent-pending sliding mount mechanism and you can also adjust the tilt very easily. After mounting it, I simply connected an HDMI cable, which thankfully telyHD includes in the box (no cheapos here), to a free HDMI port on my Denon receiver. I connected power and the telyHD immediately powered up. Since I didn't press anything I immediately searched for a power button to see if one was available and there isn't. It's always on. If you ever have to reboot the unit, you'll have to recycle the power. It's worth noting however, that in the 20 days I've had the unit installed and running, it hasn't locked up or needed a reboot. Chalk it up to the rock solid Android operating system running underneath I suppose.
Nevertheless, vampire power is a concern for many, especially in Europe, so I inquired on power usage and was told it only has 5W of power draw. It's worth noting that 5W is exactly how much power USB ports put out. Tely Labs plans to allow the USB port on the back to power the device. So you can connect a TV's USB port to the telyHD sitting on top to power the device. This cable can be snaked behind the TV and hidden negating the need to run an AC adapter and cable from the floor (surge protector) up to the telyHD.
After booting up, I began by setting up my Skype credentials. First, I tried using my Hotmail account, which I had linked to my Skype username. Microsoft/Skype has been pushing people to sign-in to Skype using their Microsoft account. (i.e. tomkeating@hotmail.com, tomkeating@outlook.com.)
Windows 8 – love it or hate it also pushes the use of Microsoft accounts for everything from bookmark syncing to Skype authentication. I don’t think Microsoft/Skype is going to phase out the usage of Skype usernames. However, I had forgotten my Skype password (it’s saved on my PCs, tablet, phone) when I was setting up TelyHD. When I check my Hotmail, I always type my password, so it's fresh in my memory.
When I tried signing in with my Hotmail account linked to my Skype username, the TelyHD system didn’t like the ‘@’ symbol and said it was invalid – obviously since it’s expecting a Skype ID and not my Hotmail account. You can see the error message here:
In any case, I had to look up my Skype password and was able to sign-in just fine. Should Microsoft ever switch to Single Sign On (SSO) completely, I'm sure Tely Labs will release a firmware update to allow Hotmail.com or outlook.com sign-ins.
Remote Control Once logged in I was able to easily peruse my Skype contacts using the included 7-button remote control. I did feel the remote control had a slightly narrower field of view than I would have liked. I found myself having to aim the remote up for the telyHD to receive the infrared signal. It's not terrible, but could be improved.
The remote control itself functioned quite well. I liked its small form factor and is very light weight. It uses a watch battery and I'm told the battery can last for months.
I initially used the remote control along with the on-screen keyboard to enter my Skype credentials. However, I discovered they have an iOS and Android remote control app. You could connect a keyboard to the telyHD's USB port, but that's overkill with the iOS and Android apps available. I loaded their iOS app and after launching, the app auto-discovered the telyHD appliance and displayed a virtual touch-friendly remote control that mimicked the physical remote control, making the learning curve much easier. From the app I was able to more quickly type text and configure other settings, like SIP credentials. A definite time saver!
Speaking of SIP, when I initially started testing the unit, the firmware only supported SIP trunks and not registering to a SIP-based PBX. It also appeared that they were only supporting SIP port 5060 over TCP and not UDP. Putting aside the whole rancorous SIP TCP vs. UDP debate, Asterisk-based PBXs use UDP, so I was concerned if they ever added SIP registration support that Asterisk would be left out in the cold. I reached out to Tely Labs and their superb technical support team and said they were working on adding SIP registration. I mentioned UDP support required in Asterisk and they hinted that TCP support was their focus doubling my UDP SIP concerns.
Well, worry no longer my friends. As of my testing two days ago with new firmware I installed on the unit I was able to register to my Asterisk-based PBX via SIP over UDP and make extension-to-extension calls and dial out while sitting in front of my TV using just the telyHD remote control!
SIP Video Calls Next, I tried making some SIP video calls. I installed two free iPhone softphones - LinPhone for iOS and Zoiper for iOS, since they both support SIP video. Alas, Linphone for iOS only includes VP8 codec and not H.264. Zoiper includes VP8, but you have to pay for H.264 ($1.99) and it also has H.263+ support. I paid the $1.99 to get H.264 and made a test call, but I only got audio. I asked Tely Labs what sort of hardware/software they have working with the telyHD and they said "I have tried LinPhone to telyHD calls (P2P), it works with telyHD, it supports H.264 on Windows, its free, you may have to install msx264 plugin from http://www.linphone.org/eng/download/." I didn't try this, but I'm told the telyHD SIP supports H.264 and H.263. Not sure why Zoiper didn't work since it supports H.264.
A couple miscellaneous features worth mentioning. One, you can share pictures loaded onto an SD card with the remote party. Two, the unit has built-in speakers, which ring on an incoming call, so you don't have to worry if your A/V system (TV, audio receiver) has the volume turned down or is off. Another nice feature is videomail, which allows you to leave a video message if a fellow telyHD user is not available.
The telyHD Business Edition sports application and desktop sharing. The telyShare App, included with telyHD Business Edition, allows live, secure sharing of images or documents with up to 5 remote participants, along with video and audio communications. You can think of this app as a wireless projector enabling a Windows PC to perform wireless presentations to any telyHD-connected HDTV. Very cool feature and all you need to do is install a small application on your PC.
I did a live video conference call and demo with Dave Crilley Vice President, Enterprise Marketing for Tely Labs. Besides the four microphones and Android operating system I asked Dave what sort of hardware and software was running in the telyHD. He told me it's running on a Dual-Core Cortex-A9 with a H.264 encoder and an nVidia graphics processor. In fact, here's the exact specs:
Camera: HD camera with wide-angle lens and privacy shutter sends up to 720p HD at 30 frames per second.
Operating System: telyHD is an intelligent stand-alone device that runs on the Android operating system from Google.
Processing: NVIDIA’s powerful Tegra 2 with Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9, On-chip GPU with H.264 encoder/decoder; 512MB RAM; 2GB EMMC.
Networking: Connect via WiFi (802.11 b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA and WPA2 support for password encryption or via 10/100 Base-T wired Ethernet.
Audio: Four directional beam-forming microphones capture and isolate the conversation in both small and large rooms.Two built-in speakers ring when someone calls and the video call audio is routed through your TV or home AV system via HDMI.
Photo Sharing: Share photos from a SD card or USB memory stick (feature only available if both parties have a telyHD).
Power: External power supply. Input:100-240V AC, Output: 5V DCAC.
Size: 7.6 (H) x 27.3 (W) x 10.5 (D) cm.
Audio Features: Built-in ringer Acoustic Echo Cancellation Full-duplex audio Automatic Gain Control Automatic Noise Suppression Packet Loss Concealment Jitter Buffer
Audio Codecs: SILK, G722, G722.1
SIP: SRTP for media encryption, tLS for signally encryption, SDP for key exchange SIP Resolutions: 1280x720 1000 kbps
Video standards: H.264, H.263
How does it look and sound? During my ~55 minute demo with Dave I was very impressed with the video and audio quality. My home 55" HDTV was essentially turned into a high-end telepresence system for just $229.99 (base licensing)! Check out the video below where Dave gives an overview of telyHD along with a brief demonstration of its features. You'll have to excuse the audio quality of the recording. My voice is super loud because I had to amplify Dave's voice using Handbrake, since my iPhone mic didn't pick up his voice very well. This is the fault of the iPhone and not telyHD. I assure you the audio quality was amazing and it was like Dave was in the same room with me. So if my voice sounds like I'm shouting, it's because I increased the audio for the whole recording by several decibels so Dave's voice could be heard clearly:
Importantly, he called me using my Skype username and not some proprietary username database maintained by Tely Labs. But even more critically, after the initial call setup via Skype, the rest of the video call for a "telyHD user-to-TelyHD user" is maintained through Tely Labs network and not Skype.
This allows Tely Labs to control the HD video quality and allow for multiparty video - up to 6 participants leveraging Tely Labs' Virtual MCU Mesh (VMM) technology. Their MCU can do all of the audio and video muxing and ensure a high-definition video conference experience. It's worth mentioning that Skype does allow group video calling, but it's a paid service. Importantly, the TelyHD will detect if it's not a "telyHD user-to-TelyHD user" call, such as a Skype-to-telyHD or telyHD-to-Skype call where it simply uses the Skype network. The video quality for direct Skype calls was also excellent.
The echo cancellation of the telyHD was fantastic. I had it hooked up to my 7.1 surround sound setup and even with 8 speakers there was no problem with echo or feedback on the system. Similarly, the microphone pick-up was very sensitive and was able to pick up my voice from over 10 feet away - no doubt due to the four directional beam-forming microphones. The camera features a wide lens, but it doesn't move. However, it features digital pan/tilt/zoom, so you zoom in on a specific area digitally using the remote control or mobile app.
I really liked the UI in the telyHD - it was clean, easy to navigate, and didn't require cracking open a manual to figure it out. Even technophobes will have no problem picking up the remote control and making their first video call using telyHD without any training.
Ratings
Score
Installation
Features
Usability
Interoperability
Overall
A+
Conclusion I'm told that 40,000 telyHD units have been sold, mostly by Amazon. After experiencing telyHD for myself I can see why it's a popular product. Since the underlying operating system is Android, I'm told by Tely Labs that the telyHD can potentially add Android apps. Angry Birds on the big screen anyone? Or how about co-watching a Netflix movie with the other person overlaid picture-in-picture in lower-right hand corner - or just audio to not interfere with the movie picture, but allowing you to make comments during the movie. They're looking to add enhancements that will pull Dropbox files or other cloud-based services for more collaboration capabilities. The support for Skype, telyHD network, SIP, and Bluejeans gives them excellent interoperability. The one notable missing piece is Microsoft Lync, which I'm sure isn't that difficult to add to an Android device since there are Lync Android apps. The telyHD is a very versatile video conferencing unit and at a very attractive price point, so I give it the highest marks and it earns my recommendation.
TMC, Systemwide Media and PKE Consulting announced an expanded expo showcase at WebRTC Conference & Expo has sold out. The event, to be held June 25-27, 2013, at Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Ga., is focused on exploring Web-based real-time communications (WebRTC), how WebRTC is enabling true browser-to-browser communications and what that means for the technology industry. WebRTC Conference & Expo will host over 40 industry-leading exhibitors that are helping to shape this evolving market.
Although the exhibit space has sold out, attendees are welcome to come learn all about WebRTC. Companies such as Google, Tokbox, Ericsson, Mozilla, Oracle, Digium, Avaya, and others will be there.
Just click here and receive a special 50% discount using discount code WRTCTom.
Related: Google & Facebook - But Not WebRTC" href="http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/voip/nsa-can-wiretap-skype-google-facebook---but-not-webrtc.asp">NSA Can Wiretap Skype, Google & Facebook - But Not WebRTC
According to the Guardian, the NSA has the capability of tap in to user data of Google, Skype, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and more. This is disturbing on so many levels, especially after revelation that Verizon gave the government access to over 100 million Americans' phone records. A friend suggested.
So now that P2P Skype is not as "secure" as many were led to believe, what sort of secure P2P VoIP is available? Well, there is Phil Zimmerman's Zfone Project, which Zfone uses a proprietary protocol called ZRTP. Phil Zimmerman is the founder of PGP, the most popular email encryption method. But few people use Zfone, perhaps due to its proprietary encryption
WebRTC on the other hand is a P2P VoIP solution that leverages industry standards and is more importantly, it's already deployed in all the latest major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. sRTP-DTLS + WebRTC P2P = NO NSA intercepting your intimate VoIP phone calls! So you are free to chat away. Unless of course, the U.S. government secretly demands Google, Microsoft, and Apple preload spyware into their browsers to be able to intercept WebRTC traffic, not to mention keystrokes and everything else.
It's ironic, that in America, the land of the free, that Americans have to find methods of avoiding the NSA from eavesdropping without a warrant - or some blanket warrant that covers everybody. The Fourth Amendment specifically offers protection against such “general warrants.” This is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue or a George W. Bush vs. Barack Obama issue. All Americans should be outraged at this.
In the meantime, if you're interested in learning more about WebRTC, you should go to the WebRTC Conference & Expo in Atlanta from June 25-27th. I was able to get a promo code to get a 50% discount on registration, so just click here and learn how WebRTC will be a gamechanger in the VoIP & VoIP security space.
I reviewed CertainSafe for TMC Labs to be published in TMC's Internet Telephony Magazine. Check out an early sneak peek here...
TMC Labs learned about a new product launching by TransCertain called CertainSafe that could be a game changer when it comes to cloud-based collaboration. Fortune 1000 companies and indeed even smaller companies are reluctant to put their most sensitive and confidential data in the cloud to be shared with their partners and customers. But what if you could encrypt the data in the cloud using AES256 encryption or any encryption algorithm of your choice, and combine that with “Tokenization”? Further, what if you could share certain folders and files with specific people using just a browser and with no plugins required and what if you could set an expiration date of how long a folder is shared and maintain an extensive audit trail?
TMC Labs spoke with TransCertain’s CIO David Schoenberger about CertainSafe, along with their current product CertainStore, which is the engine that drives the security behind CertainSafe. David started by giving a history on TransCertain along with a technical description of CertainStore…
David: Four years ago, when we founded this company, my partner Tim Reynolds and I both came out of payment processing background and we worked with a couple of payment processors before. We had built some remarkable payment processing technology - highly secure processing and working directly with the Federal Reserve system and to the backbone of VISA and MasterCard. Direct high speed volume processing. We had to have high speed, high security, and high availability. Those were our three foundational hallmarks for the technology we built.
While we were in this payment processing business, our clients kept coming to us and saying hey, great, we understand you have fantastic security, you’ve got great speeds, but we’re also concerned about some other pieces of our data. What do you guys do for social security numbers or what about this documents that go along with the payment transaction? Can you secure that stuff too? And we couldn’t. The growing concern in the marketplace was that we’re not just concerned about payment data. In fact we might be more concerned about these other pieces of data than we are around the payment data.
So that’s what we did. Tim Reynolds and I left the company we were with and founded TransCertain with the idea that we can take any data from any platform and secure it. But not just secure it make it available. This availability is very revolutionary for us. We’ve bridged the gap between data security and data integration and availability and we have created a technology that secures data at very high speeds and very securely and at the same time makes it available.
Unlike bulk database encryption solutions which encrypt everything, CertainStore helps companies identify which items in their database would give the company heartburn if there was a breach. What CertainStore does is take those elements from their database and provide the customer a “token” just as a reference or placeholder. They take the secret data and put it in CertainStore’s cloud through a proprietary algorithm to generate the token, which importantly has nothing to do with the source data. So if someone hacks in and finds those millions of tokens sitting in the client’s database, they won’t be able to reverse engineer the originating data.
TMC Labs: What about a rogue employee that attempts to contact TransCertain with all of the tokens and asks for the data back?
David explained that programmatically, even if they contact TransCertain, they cannot give the data back unless the permissions have been granted in the business negotiations to say what needs to happen to the data.
David: Typically, when we have the data, we’re doing something with the stored data. We can hand it to a vendor, to a bank, to the other doctor, the other insurance company. Typically speaking, we never hand the data back to the merchant. When they tell us to do something with the data they’ll hand us the token with the rule that’s already built into our platform called process on time that says ‘here’s what needs to happen to the data when it needs to happen. So if a hacker says hand the data back to me, our system will deny it.
TMC commented how this essentially eliminated “social engineering hacking” and David agreed that due to their “one way streets” or “one way rules”, it’s impossible to gain access to the data even if the tokens are acquired by a hacker or rogue employee. CertainStore spreads the data around to multiple hard drives in separate physical locations.
David: Even if the hacker figured everything out and broke through all the rules and understood every nuance of our technology, which I’m telling you this is impossible- and he took the token and hacked in and unencrypted this data represented by the Token and the hacker has found in the thousands of different hard drives where that piece of data lives, MicroEncrypted™ on that hard drive and took the data out. The best thing - which is still impossible – that they can ever do and if they are able to hack through the encryption algorithm, which standard ships with AES256, instead of unlocking an entire encrypted database, they’ll only be able to unlock one single element of that data.
He added that they can use whatever encryption algorithm a client wishes, including proprietary encryption algorithms.
TransAct is the final step, an adapter system they’ve built that unencrypts, transforms the data into a format the receiving side is expecting and then a Just in Time (JIT) sort of method, for the first time it unencrypt the data using the token and use the receiving side’s proprietary method of transmitting that data to them. The receiving side can use standards such as SSL for the transmitting of the data.
David mentioned that their solution completely relieves their clients of the burden of securing the data, any fines or penalties or media embarrassment if a client’s systems were hacked since no sensitive data was stolen. Their platform gives them complete control and freedom over what happens to that data and because CertainStore does not ever hand back that data to the client it eliminates the liability of “holding” that secret data locally. CertainStore acts as the go-between pushing the data where the client needs it to go without the client ever having to store sensitive data in their own IT infrastructure.
If the client wants the data back, CertainStore will give it back to them. In fact, there are cases where fields need to be updated or compared. CertainStore offers APIs to expose the data and allow the client to update records and re-encrypt and re-tokenize that data without clients having to do anything on the front-end.
CertainStore leverages Server-to-Server communication using standard Web Services so that their database communicates with TransCertain’s servers to provide the field-level encryption and what TransCertain calls “MicroTokenization”. These connections are completed utilizing technology that can connect any platform to any other platform quickly, efficiently, and cost effective.
David: All of our services – CertainStore, Process on Time, and TransAct are all wrapped with APIs, both XML and JSON APIs so any organization regardless of their front-end platform or regardless of their database can send and receive tokens from us, can send and receive the data that they need, can make the requests that they need programmatically at the server level. Which means from an integration standpoint the integration is a piece of cake. They don’t have to change their front-end software, or change their database, or change their legacy system, etc. All they have to do is make an XML or JSON call into our platform.
I've written about WebRTC screen sharing, but today I came across another WebRTC screen sharing solution leveraging Openfire and using WebSockets and JingleNodes (XMPP) plugins. If you're not familiar with Openfire, it's a real time collaboration (RTC) server licensed under the Open Source Apache License. It uses the only widely adopted open protocol for instant messaging, XMPP (also called Jabber).
Code as simple as this allows you to share any video device, whether it's your webcam or your screen:
Here's a screenshot of me sharing two screens between two Windows 8 computers. (click for larger view)
Here's a full screen view after double-clicking the thumbnail real-time view of the other PC's screen (click for larger view):
The demo leverages Openfire using the WebSockets and JingleNodes plugins, which uses a simple XMPP Jingle library. Interestingly, it has support for Jingle Relay Nodes to bridge the media when both peers cannot communicate directly with each other. No email registration is required so you can instantly try this demo without signing up for anything, though you do need to register a temporary username.
All you need is two PCs running Chrome version 26 stable or Firefox (Nightly build), both of which now support full desktop screen sharing. In Chrome, you have to enable "Enable screen capture support in getUserMedia()" via the chrome://flags URL for this to work.
The Logitech Wireless Headset H820e targets the UC space nicely, sporting an amazing 300 foot wireless range, call indicator LED to let co-workers know you're on the phone, and wideband audio. The H820e is available in mono and dual versions and I took the dual version for a spin.
After initially charging up the headset I made a test call using Skype. After putting on the headset the first thing I noticed was how well this headset seems to block out ambient noise. They did a good job with the speaker padding and it's also worth mentioning they were kind enough to put padding on the underside of the TOP of the headset so you have some cushion and comfort when the headset is on your head all day. The call quality was very good.
The boom sports a mute button that I didn't even notice since it's recessed into the boom's rubbery and flexible material. The mute button is also black like the boom, so it really blends in. If not for the 6 small bumps I may not have noticed it all. The 6 slightly raised bumps make it easy to be on a call and slide your index finger and thumb down the boom mic until you feel the bumps, allowing you to mute/unmute without taking your eyes off your computer screen. Very handy. Some headsets you start pressing the wrong button thereby increasing or decreasing the volume, causing the headset to enter pairing mode or do some other function you didn't intend. I know I've had to remove headsets in the past just to look at the button labels and then put it back on. There's no mistaking where and how to mute with this headset! Also, when you are muted, a red LED mute indicator lights up at the end of the boom.
Although the 820 has an in-call indicator LED light, it didn't work with Skype. Apparently, it only works with Microsoft Lync and other leading enterprise UC software. Bummer.
Curious if this headset had decent bass response for music I played some Journey and noticed the low-end was definitely missing. Definitely sounded a bit tinny to my ears. I switched back to my Plantronics wired headset which has nearly identical speaker sizes and the full richness of the Journey sound returned. I was a bit puzzled why the decent-sized speaker couldn't handle low frequencies, but it dawned on me that this product was designed with UC in mind - talking to customers and coworkers and not necessarily listening to music. So I can understand designing speakers optimized for voice. Still, I'd imagine executives are loathe to want to switch headsets just to listen to music. Having two headsets when discussing "unified communications" seems like a contradiction to me.
But I cannot fault Logitech for this. They are following the TIA/EIA-920 specification for audio wideband, which is defined as 150 Hz to 6800 Hz. The low-end (150 Hz) obviously doesn't touch the bass frequencies and obviously missed some of the higher end frequencies as well that crashing cymbals (& other music instruments) can generate. Although, the specification gives "minimum" requirements, so there's nothing to stop Logitech and others from offering an even wider range of frequency response in their speakers. As telephones and computer entertainment merge, it would seem to make sense to do so.
In any event, I also tested the microphone and it performed very well and it was very good at not picking up ambient noise. It's flexible/bendable so you can bend it left or right and you can rotate the boom up or down for the best voice pickup. It's also worth mentioning that the H820e headsets automatically pair when placed in any H820e charger dock, making it easy to use the headsets with any workstation in large deployment or hot desking situations.
Interestingly, there is a wideband/narrowband switch on the base. Why would you ever want narrowband? Well, you can switch to narrowband for even longer talk time.
Features: • Double-ear (dual) or single-ear (mono) wireless design options • Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) spectrum wireless connectivity • In-call LED indicator light • On-boom mute button and mute indicator LED light • Intuitive on-ear call controls • Up to 10 hours of wideband talk time • Up to 100-meter (more than 300 ft.) wireless range • Optimized for Microsoft® Lync™; compatible with most leading UC platforms • Auto pair by docking • Flexible microphone boom • Padded leatherette headband and earpad • Visual incoming call indicator • Acoustic echo cancellation and noise-cancelling microphone • Wide band/narrow band switch • Digital Signal Processing (DSP) • Contemporary, ultra-lightweight design
Product Specifications Part #: Dual: 981-000516, Mono: 981-000511 Dimensions: Headset: 6.75 x 6.5 x 2 in (174 x 165 x 50 mm), Base: 5 x 2.8 x 3.25 in (128 x 73 x 82 mm) Weight: Dual: 4.5 ounces (128 g), Mono: 3.1 ounces (88 g), Base: 16.8 ounces (475 g) System Requirements: Windows® Vista, Windows® 7 or Windows® 8 (32-bit or 64-bit), Mac OS® 10.7 and higher, Linux®, avalable USB port Inside the box: Headset, charging stand, AC power adapter, USB cable, Quick Start Guide and warranty info
Microphone: (Tx) Type: Bi-directional ECM Frequency response: 100 Hz – 7 KHZ Sensitivity: -45 dB +3 dB Distortion: <10% @1kHz, 10dBPa (MRP) input Operating voltage: 1.4 – 5.0V DC
Speakers: (Rx) Frequency response: 150 Hz – 7 kHz (ITU-T TIA920) Sensitivity: 103dB +3 dB at 1KHz, Input 1mW/Type 4153 artificial ear Max output: <100 dB SPL (compliant to EN60950-1) Distortion: <4% @1kHz, 0dBm0, 1kHz 2 yr warranty
Price: Dual: $199.99, Mono: $179.99
Overall, I really like the Logitech 820e. It sounds awesome on a VoIP call using Skype, Lync, my SIP app, or any other voice app. The wideband audio quality really shows - on both legs of the call. I just wish this wireless headset could be my all-in-one headset. Then I can blast Journey in my wireless headset while simultaneously walking 200 feet down to the cafeteria to buy my lunch.
Nokia put up some comparison footage from the PureView 8.7MP camera of the Nokia's Lumia 928, which is rumored to be the Verizon version of the popular AT&TNokia Lumia 920. The video shows how it compares against the iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S III when capturing video on a New York roller coaster. The results show the 928's superior color saturation, sharper focus and fewer overexposures from bright light sources than the competition. You can see how well the optical image stabilization works in the Lumia 920 by checking out this article and video.
The website also confirms rumors that it will feature 8.7 megapixel resolution and optical image stabilization, which surprisingly is identical to last year’s Lumia 920. I would have thought Nokia would have beefed up the camera specs if this will indeed be a Verizon exclusive phone. Many Verizon fans have envied the AT&T Lumia 920 and have been awaiting the Verizon equivalent for close to a year. To see how Nokia's 928 stacks against the competition, check out the video below.
SIP trunking is one of the best ways for businesses to save money on telecom costs, but it's not without its pitfalls, including: not all SIP trunking providers are created equal, latency / QoS issues, SLAs, and more. If you are the decision maker trusting your critical business phone calls it's perhaps easier to choose an expensive PRI over SIP trunks because you know it will work. It's like the old adage "No one ever got fired for buying IBM", which was later adopter by Cisco. The fear of choosing a SIP trunk, even if it saves hundreds of dollars may be too much for a decision maker to put their neck on the line if voice quality issues crop up.
TMC in conjunction with Sonus Networks is putting on one-day "Putting SIP to Work" seminars across the country. These one-day seminars teach businesses the advantages of SIP trunking while offering examples of how it differs from the widely used PRI (primary rate interface) trunking. Sonus Putting SIP to Work events have offered sessions which discuss why companies should switch to SIP technology, SIP architecture options, implementing a SIP migration strategy, and panel discussions which allow those in attendance to ask questions easily.
You don't have to put your head in the sand when it comes to SIP trunking and pay a premium for PRI trunks. Come to one of these sessions and talk with some real experts in SIP trunking that can help alleviate your fears and save your company money. SIP trunking even has some disaster recovery advantages over traditional analog and T1/PRI trunks.
»8:45 - 9:00 am: Introduction [Presented by Sonus]
»9:00 - 9:45 am: Outlook 2013: Trends and Technologies to Watch in Telecom [Presented by Phil Edholm] The Outlook 2013: Trends and Technologies to Watch in Telecom session will focus on how the large IT megatrends of cloud computing, ubiquitous bandwidth and device growth are transforming the information industry and the Enterprise IT and Telecom environment. Discover the link between these changes and the massive growth in SIP and Lync deployment, increased mobility, and the need to re-think key elements of your communications strategy. Examine new ways to think of your organization and how to successfully plan for Unified Communications deployment. You will also get a sneak peek into emerging technologies that will make the next five years in telecom dramatically more transformational than the last ten years and how they change the walled garden approach to managing enterprise security and operations.
»9:45 - 10:15 am: Save More / Do More with SIP – Now [Presented by Sonus] Today, enterprise communication is disparate, ranging from UC and video to plain old PSTN. Each communication type has its own set of requirements. SIP unifies and enhances enterprise communication. SIP Trunking is a critical element of SIP based enterprise communication, offering significant benefits for both service providers and enterprises. SBC is an integral part of SIP Trunking and plays an important role in enabling SIP based enterprise communication. This session will explore the ROI benefits of SIP Trunking, and also help you understand the features and capabilities that an SBC must support for SIP Trunking.
»10:15 - 10:30 am: Break
»10:30 - 11:00 am: Lync Your Enterprise [Presented by Sonus] When it comes to cutting-edge Unified Communications technology like Microsoft Lync, the choice of session border controllers (SBCs) is a critical one for both enterprises and the operators who service them. While SBC adoption rates continue to illustrate the value of this technology, not all SBCs are created equal. Decision-makers must carefully weigh factors such as real world session performance, robustness of features, resiliency, scalability and customization before choosing an SBC for their network. This session will help you evaluate an SBC appropriate for your Lync deployment and business needs as well as distinguish the differences between those that deliver superior performance and features.
» 11:00 am - 11:30 am: Moving to the Cloud: All or Nothing? As companies strive to preserve cash, hosted and managed Unified Communications (UC) services continue to gain traction in the market. From audio and video conferencing solutions to virtual contact center offerings, enterprises today are turning to service providers and new cloud-based services for a wide range of IP communications needs. By leveraging the expertise and capital investments of an experienced service provider, enterprises can improve business agility while reducing Capital Expenses (CapEx) and Operating Expenses (OpEx) using private, public or hybrid cloud models. This session will explore key considerations and opportunities for service providers and enterprises alike.
» 11:30 am - 12:00 pm: Panel Discussion/Closing [Presented by Sonus & Contributing Speakers]
After 12 years as a voice-only business, Vonage is finally making its first foray into video conferencing with the announcement of free video calling for Vonage Mobile. The app now features voice & video calling, texting, photo sharing, and location sharing.
Vonage Mobile video calling works over both Wi-Fi and 3G/4G and on Apple iOS and Android platforms. Features include the ability to toggle back-and-forth between video and voice, flip camera views and mute your call. The app also features limited time free calling to U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
The Grandstream GXP2200 Gigabit IP phone is another Android-based IP phone in a growing line of Android-based IP phones that includes the Panasonic KX-UT670, CloudTC, and the ESI 250. A couple years ago I espoused the benefits of a tablet-based desktop phone running either iOS or Android, so that this "universal" device becomes your portable tablet/computer and your desktop IP phone. We're not quite there yet, since all the Android desktop IP phones are not battery powered and require either a Power over Ethernet (PoE) or AC adapter for power. Further, as with anything, cost will play a role. While a large 10+" tablet acting as both your desktop phone and computer is nice in concept, the larger screen adds a premium to the price-tag, not to mention higher processor requirements, more memory and storage, etc. The Grandstream GXP2200 on the other hand retails for just $229, which is pretty reasonable.
The Grandstream GXP2200 supports 6 lines and runs Android 2.3. It features HD audio, which is becoming more standard in all IP phones now, sports a 480x272 capacitive touch screen TFT LCD, dual Gigabit network ports, integrated PoE and Bluetooth.
Getting in Sync What I really liked about the GXP2200 was how easy it was to sync my Exchange Server Contacts so it populated the phone's address book. It supports the standard Android "Accounts & Sync" capabilities, so you can add a corporate (Exchange) account as well as your Google account. Nice! Even cooler, I went into Grandstream's Android marketplace called GS Market and installed a 3rd party Android app called Voice Dialer. Then I was able to press the Voice Dialer icon, speak the name of one of my Outlook Contacts and it would recognize the name remarkably well, allowing me to dial by voice.
I did however discover a minor bug which I reported to Grandstream. The Voice Dialer recognizes the names just fine. The problem is it seems to stick parentheses around the phone number’s area code and a dash after the phone exchange, i.e. (203) 555-1000. The parentheses (and dash) then get passed to our Asterisk-based IP-PBX which causes a message “Sorry, invalid extension. Please try again.” It's obviously tripping up the Asterisk dialplan.
Obviously, this is more of a 3rd party app issue than Grandstream’s issue. However, this app is in the Grandstream Android store on the phone, so I assume it’s been somewhat certified to work on this phone. I did notice that any contacts I add directly on the phone are added without any parentheses or a dash and they dial out just fine. It's only Outlook synced Contacts that fail because Outlook forces formatted phone numbers with parentheses and a dash. Probably a simple software fix to strip out parentheses or dashes.
Fortunately, when using the built-in Contacts app it doesn't have any issues. Just scroll through the Contacts list and press the green phone icon to dial. It's your standard Android Contacts app so you can delete or search for a contact as well.
Angry Birds Benchmarking The GXP2200 supports up to 5-way conference, a phonebook with up to 1000 contacts, call history with up to 500 records, and it comes with 3.18GB of storage giving your some initial room to load up your favorite Android apps, though you can use the USB port to add more memory. I tried out some of the Android apps in the GS Market. I noticed Angry Birds Rio was one of the apps, which I decided to install and play. You're probably thinking why am I playing games on desktop IP phone I'm supposed to be reviewing, right? Well, if any app is the standard benchmark for Android, Angry Birds is it! Angry Birds launched, it started playing some music and then the app closed/crashed. There, see? I told you Angry Birds is a good benchmark and you thought I was only trying to play a game.
Die Process, die! I swiped from the top down on the screen to bring up a screen that allows me to view notifications and processes running. I had quite a few processes running, so I killed a few of them and re-launched Angry Birds Rio. This time it worked. Playability on the ~3.5" screen was pretty good since the touch screen was very responsive and the speakerphone's audio quality was excellent. Here's a snapshot of the game loading:
Skype for the Win! Now onto more business-related Android apps. Skype is hugely popular, and Grandstream was one of the first to support Skype in their products. Skype is available in the GS Market, so I gave it a go. It installed and I made a few test calls. The GXP2200 doesn't have a camera built-in, so it cannot transmit video, but it can receive video. I made a video call and the frame rate and quality on the GXP2200 was excellent. Skype calls default to speakerphone mode. Interestingly, if you pick up the handset to talk you hear dialtone added into the voice conversation, making it impossible to carry on a private conversation with the handset. It's possible you could use the GXP2200's Bluetooth feature with a Bluetooth headset to get around this, but I suspect it would also default to playing dialtone as well.
Update 4/9/13: I was able to get the handset to work while on a Skype call: 1) Pick up handset, wait for dialtone to timeout and go silent OR better option: 2) Pick up handset, hit Home/House icon to silence the dialtone
Then after either method above, swipe from top of screen down to bring up Notification window. Switch over to System Settings. Then change Media Channel from Speaker to Handset. Now I can carry on a private Skype conversation from the handset.
I haven’t tried pairing a BT headset to see if dialtone is also inserted. I get the design decision here though. You want the IP phone, which is primarily a corporate desktop phone, to default to getting dialtone as soon as you pickup the handset. You could be in an Android app such as Google Voice, Angry Birds, or whatever, but as soon as you pick up handset, it gives you immediate dialtone to make a call, or in the case of an inbound call it instantly connects you to the caller. However, I’m wondering if it's possible for the screen to display something like “Mute dialtone” so 3rd party apps such as Skype and others can be played over the handset speaker.
Besides Skype, the GXP2200 works with Google Voice, Microsoft Lync Client, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, and more. They also have an advanced SDK toolkit for custom business application development and deployment control. One other nifty Android app worth mentioning is Blacklist, which comes preloaded. I added my cell phone number as a test, dialed the phone and the call was immediately kicked back to the auto-attendant. Bye bye telemarketers and recruiters! It's this sort of feature that shows the power of Android and its utility in the desktop IP phone space. One other feature of note is you can record calls (SD card required).
Well, it was inevitable - a detailed and possibly first WebRTC research report is out with full analysis of the WebRTC marketplace & value chain. I've been blogging on VoIP since 2004 and writing about VoIP since 1996, when I wrote what I believe was the first VoIP product review (Vocaltec). But I've never been as excited about a new VoIP technology as I am WebRTC. WebRTC is going to be huge, which is why TMC launched a show WebRTC Conference & Expo focused exclusively on WebRTC.
So I'm interested to check out this research report which measures 160 pages in length, including detailed commentary, analysis, forecasts and over 50 tables and charts with over 70 WebRTC companies discussed. Here's a sample chart:
Key takeaways
WebRTC adds easy, flexible voice & video into websites and apps
Applicable across sectors: telecoms, consumer web, enterprise etc
One of most disruptive web/telecoms innovations for years
Extremely fast pace of evolution: weeks and months, not years
Microsoft & Apple slow, but unlikely to cause major roadblocks
3bn capable devices & 1bn individual users by end-2016
-0% penetration of PCs by end of 2013
Smartphone & tablet WebRTC will ramp from 2H 2014 on
PCs adopt WebRTC through browser; phones/tablets more complex
Early use-cases for web calling, conferencing, e-learning & verticals
Strong interest for UC, contact centres & IMS, but will take time...
.... so telcos must start work now, to work through the issues
Magnifies “OTT” threat for telcos, but also helps Telco-OTT
- Numerous “gateway” sub-types for vendors to target
Peer-to-peer use of WebRTC to drive unexpected new web innovations
Monetisation of WebRTC will be heavily use-case dependent
Still early pre-standard implementation. Caution/patience needed
But for once, the hype is justified
Disruptive Analysis writes, "Imaginative prototypes, demos and early commercial offers are appearing, even before the standards are finalised. Problems are being resolved in weeks or months, not years. Unlike most telecom-only solutions, developer interest seems to be accelerating, fed by Google's evangelism and WebRTC's appearance on the list of cool new additions to HTML5." And then adds this teaser, "This report is an attempt to bring together an analysis of the key strategic issues, make some bold predictions about major milestones, and put some first-cut numbers on this nascent industry."
Here's an excerpted breakdown of the report. For the full report summary & to order, head over here.
Title Index:
Executive Summary
- Strategic issues - Use cases - Impact on key stakeholders - Market forecasts - WebRTC industry timeline - Companies
Introduction & Strategic Issues - Structure of this report - What is WebRTC & why is it important? - The web always embraces new capabilities - The analogy with Flash - We already have 2-way in-browser comms: IM chat - Voice is more than just telephony - And there's more.... - WebRTC, RTCWeb, HTML5, WebSocket etc: Acronym Central! - WebRTC APIs - History of WebRTC - Industry dynamics: competition, standards & politics - Which companies are involved in WebRTC & why? - Codec wars - WebRTC vs. Flash / Plug-ins - Microsoft and WebRTC - Apple and WebRTC - Fit with mobile broadband, LTE & WiFi - Regulatory considerations - Developers WebRTC use-cases - Voice or video? - Gaining scale & avoiding the n-squared trap - Use-case evaluation criteria - Web-based "calling" - Enterprise contact centres - Unified communications and collaboration - Conferencing & hypervoice - IMS extension / exposure via WebRTC - Telco-OTT via WebRTC - Consumer social comms / entertainment / education apps - Other use cases
Stakeholders: impacts & recommendations - Overview - Telecom operators - Key background trends for telcos - Current service provider involvement with WebRTC - Overview of WebRTC options for telcos: Not just IMS - Fit with PSTN / IMS / RCS / VoLTE strategies - Fit with enterprise comms businesses - WebRTC + Telco-OTT initiatives - WebRTC + telco developer / API initiatives - Reselling third-party WebRTC services - Internal uses for WebRTC at telcos - Summary, and organisational & executional issues - Network equipment vendors - Gateways at the forefront - Implementation complexities - New product categories - Threats to network vendors - Impact on Enterprise UC/conferencing/contact-centre vendors - Impact on Internet players / developers - Will WebRTC advantage existing web companies or new startups? - Impact on social networking & VoIP "OTT" services - Impact on device vendors
WebRTC market sizing & forecasts to 2016 - Methodology & definitions - PC/Mac support of WebRTC - PCs remain in the vanguard of WebRTC uptake - Post-PC era? - PC browser share and dynamics - PC browser adoption of WebRTC - Non-browser support - Mobile & device support of WebRTC - Installed base of smartphones and tablets - "Native" WebRTC capability in mobile browser or OS - 3rd-party WebRTC support in aftermarket browsers or app SDKs - Overall WebRTC device installed base - WebRTC active device/user base - Scenarios, accelerants & inhibitors
Today, Skype released an update for the Skype for Windows Phone 8 Preview, version 2.4, which for the first time ever adds HD video calling to a mobile version of Skype. This version leverages the hardware acceleration capability of Windows Phone 8 to enable the HD video experience.
It offers VGA video (640x480) on lower end handsets and 720P HD on higher-end devices including the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ S. Importantly, the app can intelligently determines the best quality available based on the speed of your connection. They also added People Hub integration, landscape mode for calls, and the ability to switch between front and back cameras.
Finally, the Microsoft acquisition of Skype appears to be paying dividends. Get the updated version now from Windows Phone Store.
I had a problem with Windows 8 having underscan (& overscan) issue where the screen was not filling entire TV screen over a HDMI connection, resulting in abnormally large black borders. Who wants to watch 1920x1080 (1080p) HD video content with black borders? Well, after some extensive researching I was able to resolve the issue.
The specific computer I'm using is a Dell Zino HD with a ATI / AMD 4330 video card, which was running Windows 7, but I upgraded to Windows 8 and which was when the problems began. On Windows 7, you simply install AMD/ATI's Catalyst Control Center (CCC) and then you can launch CCC and change the underscan/overscan settings to fill your whole screen. Unfortunately, AMD video driver support for legacy video products isn't so great, especially for Windows 8. I did find a supposedly compatible Windows 8 driver and it installed, but launching CCC did nothing. Back to the drawing board.
With the CCC software failing to launch I figured my next step would be to edit the Registry. These steps resolved my underscan issue:
In a recent post WebRTC Test Demo Fun, I gave some real world "working" examples of WebRTC. One of the demos I covered was browsermeeting.com which uses WebRTC and allows for multiple video participants and the ability to share files. BrowserMeeting.com is built on XSockets.NET and is a product created by Team XSockets.NET and their affiliates.
Uffe Björklund, one of the founders of XSockets.NET told me, "We are consultants and XSockets.NET is a sparetime project that we have invested about 8000 hours into. Browsermeeting is an implementation on XSockets.NET. XSockets.NET has previous been targeting realtime communication but mainly websockets (and fallback for it). Since we consider XSockets.NET to be a mature realtime communication platform we also implemented WebRTC into it. A big reason to why we are doing this is our love for technology and also the good feeling of pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a browser. Never the less we would of course love to monetize on what we love to do!"
I asked Uffe to explain XSockets. Uffe said, "XSockets allows websockets (it's one of the built-in protocols), but any device that talks TCP/IP can interact with XSockets. We have used XSockets with Kinect cameras, NetDuinos, From with in compiler trigger and stored procedures, from Powershell etc."
I asked Uffe about screen sharing support last month and he said, "We have talked about screen sharing and that we would implement it as soon as Chrome (and the others) supports it. I think that Chrome 25 will have support for screensharing/tabsharing with WebRTC.(http://updates.html5rocks.com/2012/12/Screensharing-with-WebRTC). But real screensharing will also be included in the future as well as recording and other cool stuff."
Well, he reached out to me and told me that they have a working demo of screen sharing! So I decided to give it a go.
Steps to get it working:
Install Google Canary (developer / bleeding edge release)
You will then be given a 'unique' URL to give to others so they can see your screen. Type this URL on a 2nd PC.
On both PCs you will see a small thumbnail which displays a real-time (small) view of the other PC's entire screen:
Just hover your mouse over the thumbnail in right-hand corner to get option to go full screen.
Overall, the performance was decent, though it was compressed resulting in text and fonts not looking as sharp as I would like. It doesn't appear WebRTC is ready to replace paid solutions like WebEx or GoToMeeting just yet. If I was looking for a free screen sharing solution with video conferencing capabilities and high-quality video conferencing I'd consider using Watchitoo's free Playground web-based solution, which I reviewed. Still, WebRTC is new and Google very quickly removed my gripe about WebRTC only supporting tab-sharing, so I have high hopes for WebRTC.
Logitech said in their 
Ah, but there are wireless handsets leveraging Bluetooth, such as the 
We believe the recent disappointing sales results for Harmony reflect the aging of our Harmony products at the mid- and high-level price points as we previously directed significant digital home engineering and marketing resources towards our Logitech Revue and related peripherals for 
Once logged in I was able to easily peruse my Skype contacts using the included 7-button remote control. I did feel the remote control had a slightly narrower field of view than I would have liked. I found myself having to aim the remote up for the telyHD to receive the infrared signal. It's not terrible, but could be improved.
Or how about co-watching a Netflix movie with the other person overlaid picture-in-picture in lower-right hand corner - or just audio to not interfere with the movie picture, but allowing you to make comments during the movie. They're looking to add enhancements that will pull Dropbox files or other cloud-based services for more collaboration capabilities. The support for Skype, telyHD network, SIP, and Bluejeans gives them excellent interoperability. The one notable missing piece is Microsoft Lync, which I'm sure isn't that difficult to add to an Android device since there are Lync Android apps. The telyHD is a very versatile video conferencing unit and at a very attractive price point, so I give it the highest marks and it earns my recommendation.
TMC, Systemwide Media and PKE Consulting announced an expanded expo showcase at 
Unless of course, the U.S. government secretly demands Google, Microsoft, and 
Definitely sounded a bit tinny to my ears. I switched back to my Plantronics wired headset which has nearly identical speaker sizes and the full richness of the Journey sound returned. 
Today, 
