telephony

Landline or Skype? Netgear lets you have both.

Netgear announced today a dual-mode cordless Wi-Fi phone that supports both traditional landlines and Skype VoIP calling. The Netgear SPH200D Dual-Mode DECT Cordless Phone With Skype has a base unit that plugs into both your network router and a phone jack, allowing you to switch between Skype calls and traditional calls. It uses the 1.9GHz band, which should keep it clear of interference from your (or your neighbor's) wireless network. You can view your regular contacts and your Skype contacts, on the handset's screen, and when making a call to a non-Skype user, you can choose whether … Read more

The iPhone is here!

It's true: the iPhone is here--but not the one everyone's been talking about. Linksys announced today its family of Voice over IP and Wi-Fi phones, called iPhone.

The purveyor of home networking equipment has been shipping several flavors of VoIP and Wi-Fi phones since 2004 and announced two new products today, but branding them under the iPhone moniker is a new move. The two new members of the family are the iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype (CIT400) and the iPhone Wireless-G Phone for Skype (WIP320). The former is targeted for the home: it includes a cordless … Read more

Jaxtr makes click-to-call really, really simple (updated)

There's a new click-to-call service launching soon: Jaxtr. Like Jangl, Jaxtr is a way station for phone calls that gives the person being called a lot of control over who can reach them.

The Jaxtr team is pitching its widget technology as the main differentiator of the service. Each Jaxtr user can put a box on their blog or their social network page that allows anyone to connect to them by phone. The reader puts in their phone number, and then Jaxtr calls both parties and connects them. Or--more likely for Jaxtr widgets posted on blog pages--Jaxtr connects the … Read more

Qwest?s CEO: stalker or hopeless romantic?

Qwest Communications Chief Executive Officer Richard Notebaert just doesn??t know when to give up.

Earlier this week, MCI accepted Verizon??s new and improved acquisition offer for the third time. Notebaert graciously said he was pulling out of the three-month bidding war. But now, the Denver Post is reporting that he may still try to pursue a deal with MCI. The paper reports he has not ruled out the option of a hostile takeover by the shareholders.

In dating circles, Notebaert could be labeled a stalker. The guy just doesn??t take "no" for an answer.

Here … Read more

SBC confirms 'naked' DSL plans

SBC is going to get "naked." An SBC spokesman confirmed comments made by the company's chief financial officer at an investor conference this week that SBC is planning to trial "naked" DSL. He said testing will begin this summer in select locations, and the service will be rolled out more widely later this year. A story will be posted on News.com shortly that discusses "naked" DSL in more depth.

SBC fights regulations

SBC Communications is working the regulatory circuit as it tries to avoid complying with federal and local regulations on its next-generation services.

On Thursday, the FCC rejected the Baby Bell??s request to have its voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, service freed of traditional phone regulation, reports Reuters. The FCC rejected the request based on procedural issues, but it could take up the issue again at a later date, said Reuters.

SBC is also looking to be exempt from regulation on its proposed Internet Protocol TV service. The company has been publicly pushing its stance, saying that its new … Read more

BellSouth touts video IM

Soon customers of BellSouth??s DSL service will be able to chat face to face with their friends and family over the Internet. The regional phone company announced yesterday that it is trialing a video chat service that allows customers with a Webcam and microphone to chat through the BellSouth instant-messaging client.

Call me old fashioned, but I think I??d rather stick with the kind of IM where no one has to know that I am sitting at my computer in my pajamas.

SBC promises to get 'naked'

SBC Communications is going to start testing 'naked' DSL, according to Dave Burstein in his latest DSL Prime newsletter. CFO Rich Lindner supposedly told analysts at a conference that he "expects [SBC] will do trials of naked DSL, especially bundled with wireless."

SBC hasn't yet confirmed these comments. And the company isn't saying yet when testing is likley to begin or when the service might eventually be available.

'Naked' DSL has become a hot topic, especially in light of the recenty proposed mega mergers between SBC and AT&T and Verizon and MCI. Consumer advocates … Read more

Verizon ups bid for MCI

Could the third time be a charm for Verizon?

MCI has once again accepted Verizon??s offer to buy the troubled long distance carrier. On Monday, Verizon said it would increase its bid for MCI to at least $26 a share, bringing the total price tag to $8.4 billion. Even though this price is still lower than Qwest??s latest offer, MCI??s board has once again agreed to go with Verizon??s offer. Qwest??s most recent offer is valued at round $9.74 billion.

This is the third time the board has accepted Verizon??s offer to … Read more

MCI?s top shareholder scores big

Carlos Slim Helu is slick.

The Mexican telecommunications magnate, who is the largest shareholder in MCI, has managed to sell his minority stake in the company to Verizon for a price that??s 11 percent above what Verizon plans to pay the rest of the company??s shareholders.

And while everyone else will take their money mostly in stock, Slim will walk away with cash. Verizon also threw in another little perk. In one year, it will give Slim an adjustment based on appreciation of its stock price. In the end the price tag could exceed $27 per share, well … Read more