Unified Communications

Unified communications news, solutions, reviews and analysis, covering VoIP, videoconferencing, messaging, and collaboration.

The enemy of SMS is my ... ?

Posted May 14, 2012 - 10:58 am

As previously noted in this space, text messaging, or SMS, is a scam and it needs to die. I suggested that Google Voice, Kik Messenger, and Apple’s iMessage could help kill it off. Yet it’s really a fourth, much more obvious service that will be the death of SMS.
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Senator asks DOJ for information on its cellphone tracking practices

Posted May 11, 2012 - 2:39 am

U.S. Senator Al Franken has in a letter asked the Department of Justice for information on its practices in requesting location information from wireless carriers, following reports that law enforcement agencies are requesting such information sometimes without warrants.
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Study: iOS surpasses Android in enterprise usage

Posted May 10, 2012 - 8:42 pm

Consumerization trends in the enterprise shifted dramatically in the first quarter of 2012, with mobile devices running Apple's iOS operating system showing more activity in the workplace than those running Google's Android, as well as end users migrating from Facebook and toward Twitter.
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Google revamps Google+ for iPhone: Android OS gets cold shoulder

Posted May 10, 2012 - 11:38 am

Google released an overhauled version of its Google+ app for iPhone, but Android users will have to wait “a few weeks,” said Vic Gundotra, the company’s Senior Vice President. The updated app has a new user interface with large photos and sleek animations, but not much new in terms of functionality.
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Small cells could raise big problems

Posted May 10, 2012 - 10:52 am

Amid growing interest in small cells, widely seen as an inevitable tool for carriers to deal with booming mobile data demand, there are now signs that it may be hard to derive the expected benefits from them in some cases.
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EU roaming charges to be sharply capped starting in July

Posted May 10, 2012 - 10:43 am

European phone roaming charges will be capped as of July 1 this year, the European Parliament decided on Thursday, saving business travelers an estimated €1,000 (US$1,300) each year, the Digital Agenda for Europe said.
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Review

Samsung Focus 2: first impressions of a $50 Windows Phone

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:50 am

AT&T and Samsung Monday showcased the latest Windows Phone, the Samsung Focus 2, in an old colonial mansion in New Orleans' Garden District during CTIA 2012.
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How to edit office documents on your smartphone

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:50 am

Although office suites have been available on mobile phones for more than a decade, touch interfaces have made them much simpler and more efficient than before. Now, iPhone and Android users wanting to work with office documents while on the go have at least three great options each, and two of them in common. This guide will walk you through the process of choosing an editor and getting started in editing documents on your smartphone.
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Facebook Messenger gets more transparent

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:35 am

Facebook Messenger is increasing transparency and at the same time making it harder to ignore someone's text message without the other person knowing.
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Nokia loses UK patent appeal against IPCom, repercussions debated

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:32 am

London's Court of Appeal has dismissed Nokia's attempt to overturn a ruling that it infringed on an IPCom patent. Nokia said the decision won't affect its current products, but IPCom doesn't agree and is continuing to seek an injunction against all Nokia 3G phones, it said.
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Wireless carrier CEOs focus on spectrum and trust

Posted May 9, 2012 - 9:07 pm

Leading mobile carrier CEOs at CTIA Wireless 2012 say trust is central to consumer/carrier success and argue for improved customer relations. The looming shortage of spectrum and the need for more wireless capacity was also a hot topic of discussion. Meanwhile, T-Mobile is trying to get back in the pack.
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IP voice security: are you susceptible or strong?

Posted May 9, 2012 - 8:54 pm

Undoubtedly, corporations are realising the benefits of IP voice systems. Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) can bring substantial cost savings and productivity enhancements to a business by transforming its circuit-switched networks to IP packet switching networks and running voice and data applications over a single infrastructure. However, businesses need to be aware that there are potential risks involved, they need to take some necessary steps to protect their interests.
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For LTE network slow but thorough will win the day, Sprint says

Posted May 9, 2012 - 2:19 pm

Sprint Nextel's methodical rollout of new cell sites with LTE may not win the deployment race, but each market that gets the upgrade will see competitive speeds and more complete coverage than other carriers may offer, executives said Wednesday.
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Flipboard China downloads expected to soon surpass U.S. downloads

Posted May 9, 2012 - 11:34 am

Flipboard expects the daily number of downloads coming from China for its popular personalized news reading app will very soon surpass its U.S. downloads, following the company's entrance into the Chinese market last December.
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Ericsson lets operators speed up mobile, fixed networks using caching

Posted May 9, 2012 - 10:42 am

Using caching technology from Akamai Technologies, Ericsson's Smart Cloud Accelerator, announced Wednesday, is designed to allow operators to improve performance in both fixed and mobile networks.
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Screen-sharing BlackBerrys, face-tracking Apple TVs, and more

Posted May 9, 2012 - 9:09 am

BlackBerry 10 devices could let you show people what you’re seeing on your screen. Apple’s purported HDTV offering could see what you’re looking at. And you may not see any Verizon representatives pushing an iPhone on customers any time soon. This week’s Rumor Roundup is all about vision.
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Sony launches 13-megapixel smartphone with LTE, but only for Japan

Posted May 9, 2012 - 5:52 am

Sony Mobile Communications has launched two new Android-based LTE smartphones for the Japanese market; the light-weight Xperia SX and the Xperia GX, which has a 13-megapixel camera, the company said on Wednesday.
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AT&T sees an end to Wi-Fi-only tablets

Posted May 8, 2012 - 8:50 pm

Tablet makers are moving toward selling only models equipped with cellular radios and away from having separate Wi-Fi-only units, as the added cost of 3G hardware falls below US$30, an AT&T executive said Tuesday.
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Verizon not launching voice over LTE anytime soon

Posted May 8, 2012 - 8:30 pm

Verizon may be heavily promoting LTE for data, but that doesn't mean it's going to start pushing it for voice services anytime soon.
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BlackBerry 10 OS will have multi-layered security model

Posted May 8, 2012 - 8:28 pm

RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system is intended to be as secure, if not more so, than the OS running on RIM's current crop of BlackBerry devices. Mobile security could become a major selling point for the new platform, for enterprises, carriers and end users alike.
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Why will IT STILL not support BYOD?

Posted May 8, 2012 - 4:08 pm

Despite years of experience showing cloud and mobile computing not only increase productivity, but make end users happier and reap otherwise-lost hours of work while employees are at home, many IT shops still won't support work using personal devices.
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Microsoft pitches SkyDrive over iCloud to Mac Office users

Posted May 8, 2012 - 3:24 pm

Microsoft is pitching its SkyDrive online storage service to Office for Mac users, calling Apple's iCloud offering "not enough" for collaboration, file sharing and anywhere-access to documents.
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FTC seeks to recover $52.6 million in alleged phone cramming charges

Posted May 8, 2012 - 3:16 pm

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is seeking a civil court contempt ruling against the largest third-party billing vendor in the U.S., alleging that it placed more than US$70 million in unauthorized charges on telephone bills in violation of a previous court order.
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Genachowski lays out plans for more spectrum, lays into AT&T

Posted May 8, 2012 - 3:04 pm

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined several agency initiatives to open up more spectrum for mobile services, as well as improve spectrum efficiency, in a keynote address at CTIA Wireless on Tuesday.
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Cisco offers API to fight call fraud

Posted May 8, 2012 - 1:36 pm

Cisco this week at Interop 2012 released an API for its branch routers designed to enable third-party developers to write applications to enhance the security of phone calls over the router network.
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Unified CommunicationsWhite Papers & Webcasts

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Farmers Triples Email Usage and Meets FINRA Requirements with Integrated Messaging Solution

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The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's Good Bones

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Telecom and Network Infrastructure Company Improves Inventory Accuracy with Help From a Custom BlackBerry Application

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