VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Adobe Surrenders Mobile Flash - Steve Jobs FTW, Users FTL! - Nov 09, 2011

RingCentral Cloud Touch Platform - Configure Phone System from iPad, iPhone, or Android - Apr 18, 2012

Vonage Attacks Skype with 30% Price Cut and Free App-to-App Calling & Texts - Feb 08, 2012

Winter Wake-up App Wakes You Up Earlier If It Snows - Dec 29, 2011

Microsoft Lync Mobile Client Launches in 3 Days! - Dec 09, 2011

Samsung Mocks Apple Fanboys in Hilarious Galaxy S II Ad - Nov 23, 2011

With Steve Jobs' Passing is Flash for the iPhone/iPad Now Possible? - Oct 11, 2011

XSS Exploit in Skype Lets Hackers Steal iPhone Address Book - Sep 20, 2011

Home Surveillance using Dropbox Catches Possible Thief in the Act - Aug 20, 2011

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SimpleSignal Brings Mobile Enterprise Video Conferencing to Apple & Android Mobile Devices

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:11:12 -0500

SimpleSignal, a cloud-based Unified Communications and Collaboration provider announced today that they are bringing mobile enterprise video conferencing to Apple's iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android mobile devices. Their cross-platform video phone compatibility works across a variety of mobile, desktop and telepresence/video-enabled devices, via a WiFi connection or a 3G/4G network.

I've said in the past that I predict Apple iPads (& Android tablets) will be your next enterprise desktop phone because of their UC and video phone capabilities. SimpleSignal also believes tablets and other mobile devices will be game changers when it comes to UC. Hookflash is another interesting player in the mobile UC space.

According to SimpleSignal, "The seamless integration of iOS and Android operating systems into SimpleSignal's Unified Communications platform, coupled with the mobile video capabilities of these devices, means that advanced enterprise communications capabilities are no longer confined to the desktop."

"This new mobile video service is the biggest breakthrough in SimpleSignal history," said Dave Gilbert, CEO of SimpleSignal. "It's revolutionary to experience video conferencing with our customers connecting over their own mobile devices, as well as a variety of desktop and teleconferencing video equipment including Polycom, Tandberg, Cisco, InFocus, LifeSize and more."

Hundreds of advanced calling features available at the mobile device level include:

One number for everything, including text/SMS
Instant video phone calls without a bridge
Multi-point video conferencing
Four-digit dialing between extensions
Swap calls between mobile and desktop phones
Call recording

"This is a killer app for the way businesses are being built in today's economy. No longer is business about a specific location," continued Gilbert. "Companies are being built virtually with no limitations on geographic location. It's now really more about unifying your network. Adding iPads, iPhones and Android devices through this new mobile video application is the final piece in the puzzle to doing just that."

Tags: android, cisco, hookflash, ipad, iphone, simplesignal, tandberg, telepresence, uc, unified communications Related tags: mobile devices, video conferencing, mobile video, video phone, android mobile, mobile

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Polycom UC Intelligent Core Platform Supports TIP Standard - Interoperable with Cisco - Feb 09, 2011

RingCentral Cloud Touch Platform - Configure Phone System from iPad, iPhone, or Android - Apr 18, 2012

HP Aims to Simplify Unified Communications Deployment - Mar 26, 2012

Apple Planned the iPad BEFORE the iPhone. Who knew? - Feb 10, 2012

Microsoft Lync Mobile Client Launches in 3 Days! - Dec 09, 2011

Cisco UC320W Review - Oct 05, 2011

Hookflash for iPad Launches - Sep 13, 2011

Blue Jeans Network Bridges Skype, SIP, H.323 for Multipoint Telepresence Solution - May 09, 2011

Cisco Cius HD Android Tablet - Jun 30, 2010

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OPNET Technologies, Inc. Acquires Clarus Systems, for Unified Communications Management

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:45:12 -0500

OPNET Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPNT), a provider of solutions for application and network performance management, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Clarus Systems, Inc., a privately held software company headquartered in Redwood City, California. The acquisition expands OPNET's product portfolio for application and network performance management by adding Unified Communications (UC) to the management mix.

Clarus software provides end-to-end service management for Enterprise Voice over IP (VoIP), Unified Communications, and TelePresence video. Clarus's suite, ClarusIPC Plus+, maximizes service performance and availability through automated testing, performance monitoring, configuration management, and business intelligence reporting. Clarus's customers include Global 100 enterprises in financial services, healthcare, energy, communications, as well as system integrators, and managed service providers.

Marc Cohen, OPNET Chairman and CEO, added, "Unified Communications is important to our customers as the workplace is becoming more distributed. There is an innate expectation in enterprises that voice services should be flawless and always available. However, when these services are implemented over a converged network, the only way to meet this requirement is with a powerful management solution that is able to comprehensively test, monitor, and troubleshoot the entire infrastructure and its configuration. ClarusIPC is unique in its ability to address these requirements. We are excited about expanding our capabilities in this area and look forward to introducing the Clarus offerings to our customer base. Furthermore, the new solution OPNET is acquiring is ideally suited for delivery via partners and managed service providers, and we expect it to perform well in our expanding channel program."

Alain Cohen, OPNET President and CTO, stated, "Voice and video are increasingly becoming integrated into business applications, and teleconferencing is providing enormous cost savings by reducing the need for enterprise travel. These are among the factors driving a strong need for UC management capabilities. ClarusIPC is the only solution on the market combining pre-deployment, continuous testing, production monitoring, help-desk capabilities, and business analytics. ClarusIPC's centralized, efficient management approach provides broad visibility without requiring widespread placement of probes throughout the enterprise. The solution is complementary with OPNET's real-time monitoring of signaling as well as voice and video quality. We are confident that the combination provides the most complete UC monitoring solution on the market today."

Brendan F. Reidy, Clarus Systems' Chairman and CEO added, "We are proud to become part of the OPNET Technologies portfolio of application and network performance management solutions. The combination of OPNET and Clarus provides our clients and partners with the most comprehensive suite of converged network offerings in the market. OPNET's vision and impressive product portfolio, combined with our expertise in Unified Communications will continue to ensure our customers have the highest quality end user experience possible."

"IP voice and video communications are becoming a mainstay in today's converged IT environments," said Jim Frey, Managing Research Director, Enterprise Management Associates. "With the convergence of the delivery plane comes a parallel demand to converge both planning and operations from a management tools and practices perspective. By adding the Clarus Systems VoIP and videoconferencing management tools to its substantial existing network and application management portfolio, OPNET is expanding the breadth, depth, and completeness of the solutions it can offer and closing the loop for an increasingly critical category of IT services."

Tags: clarus systems, conferencing, management, opnet, performance, telepresence, unified communications, video, voip Related tags: unified communications, clarus systems, application network, performance management, opnet technologies, management

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Polycom Launches CX7000, Microsoft Lync Telepresence Solution - Jul 11, 2011

Kaspersky Kills Microsoft Lync - No Audio or Video - May 03, 2011

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Cisco Responds to Polycom's Adoption of TIP and Interoperability - Feb 10, 2011

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Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 7.0 with WebEx integration Review - Feb 05, 2009

Sametime and Microsoft OCS integration - Nov 10, 2008

Packet8 Videophone update - Oct 12, 2006

SightSpeed 5.0 VoIP and remote TV (Slingbox) functionality impresses - Jul 24, 2006

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Skype Integration with Microsoft Xbox 360 & Lync is Slow Going

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:36:29 -0500

Microsoft's purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion was considered a risky move considering the failure of eBay's acquisition of Skype, which did not result in any synergies between these two companies. The New York Times gives some interesting insights into the inner workings of Skype within the Microsoft juggernaut. For one, the article states, "Microsoft gave Skype a longer leash than it grants most of its divisions, even allowing Mr. Bates to work in Silicon Valley." Apparently, Skype is the only Microsoft division located almost entirely outside Microsoft's Seattle-based headquarters.

The article goes on to explain that Tony Bates, the head of the Skype division, uses a Apple MacBook Air and not a Microsoft operating system. While it isn't unheard of for Microsoft employees to use other operating systems, certainly Tony Bates's high profile and allowing the NY Times to see he's using a non-Microsoft operating system certainly shows Microsoft is not as controlling as they were back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In fact, Tony Bates said that when new Skype hires get their new security badges from Microsoft, Bates insisted they have the Skype logo. He said, "We’ve kept our identity and our autonomy."

The article then discusses integration between Skype (consumer) and Microsoft Lync (enterprise). I've also covered the possibilities of this integration of Skype and Lync through the use of a web-based HTML5 app. Also, on the consumer-size they are hard at work at making Skype video conferencing work on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. Still, Tony Bates said this integration is not likely this year. So that is a bit troubling, since the release of Windows 8 is this year and a lot of consumers will be buying Windows 8 tablets for the holiday season. Having Skype ready for Windows 8 before Christmas could be a huge driver of sales. Further, I can see a Windows 8 tablet having a huge enterprise play replacing expensive telepresence room-based systems and using a Windows 8 tablet running Skype and/or Lync. Nevertheless, Microsoft is committed to the Skype acquisition with 400 new job openings at Skype. Oh and if you cannot wait for Skype/Lync integration, you could try Blue Jeans Networks, which I reviewed.

One important benchmark Skype is aiming for is a preliminary version of Skype that runs on Windows 8, a touch-sensitive operating system with a cool Metro interface. I've already made a prediction (agreeing with Daring Fireball) that Windows 8 will rival the iPad. A Skype makeover that leverages some of the cool touch capabilities of Windows 8 just might be one piece of the puzzle Microsoft needs to take on the mighty iPad tablet.

Tags: blue jean networks, interoperability, lync, microsoft, skype, tony bates, video conferencing, xbox 360 Related tags: operating system, microsoft operating, windows tablet, skype microsoft, skype, microsoft

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It's Official - Skype Now Part of Microsoft! - Oct 14, 2011

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Why the Cisco Cius Failed & Why Microsoft Might Beat the Mighty iPad

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:17:23 -0500

Rich Tehrani has a good post today on why the Cisco Cius failed. He put it succinctly and with a nice metaphor when he writes:

Company after company is learning what most of instinctively know already – competing with Apple head-on is like trying to tackle a freight train with your bare hands as it is barreling down the tracks in your direction. Amazon with its Kindle Fire competed on price and used its services to subsidize the device. Other tablet makers are finding it virtually impossible to compete without such advantages.

Rich is exactly right. He goes to explain, "So finding out the news that Cisco is discontinuing its Cius tablet isn’t a surprise. I have mentioned before that Cisco is not good at consumer products and although the Cius was targeted at the enterprise, we know IT has become “consumerized” meaning the CIO doesn’t drive tablet decisions. As a result, Cisco has to compete with Apple head-on which as described above is virtually impossible to do."

Rich mentions the Kindle Fire's success in taking on the iPad in the tablet arena, but one area Rich didn't touch upon is the forthcoming Windows 8 tablets. No, I'm not talking about Microsoft's Steve Ballmer's 80" Windows 8 tablet that according to Wired.com, "He's got rid of his phone, he's got rid of his note paper. It's touch-enabled and it's hung on his wall". That's a very niche application, but I see Windows 8 tablets dominating the enterprise for several reasons, but the big one is Active Directory support. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is great for employees, but not so much for IT managers who want tighter control on devices brought into the office.

When an employee leaves the company and they have an iPad, yes IT can lock out their Active Directory accounts so they cannot access new email, but they can still view a month's worth of old emails and any Contacts they've synced using ActiveSync/Exchange Server. Further, there might be a corporate app or data on the iPad that is not easily wiped. Windows 8 tablets will be tightly integrated into Active Directory and I presume will offer the ability to wipe sensitive corporate data.

Of course, Microsoft will have to offer 'partial' wiping, since these Windows 8 tablets are also personal devices that the employee purchased themselves. Leave the apps and the employee's personal photos, etc., but wipe corporate contacts, email, etc. BYOD isn't going away, but IT administrators do need more control. Rich did touch upon a related topic on how VMware mobile virtualization is helping secure consumerized IT, that is worth a read. In that article, VMWare's Hoofar Razavi Director of Product Management, Mobile Solutions explained to Rich that smartphones are becoming data endpoints and virtualization will allow the separation of work and personal usage on the device. Perhaps virtualization is an enterprise solution that Apple tablets can also employ, but if I were a betting man, I'd say Windows 8 tablets will give the Apple iPad a run for their money. Mark my words...

Tags: active directory, byod, cisco, cius, ipad, it, microsoft, rich tehrani, tablet, windows 8 Related tags: windows tablets, active directory, virtually impossible, windows, tablets, tablet

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Say it With Skype Facebook app Wants to Be American Idol

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:09:00 -0500

Skype announced a new contest to find the next great music band using their Say it With Skype Facebook app, an engaging-group video greeting app that lives on both Facebook and Skype.com. Simply use Say it With Skype to record your music band on video and you could be the next ~~American Idol~~ Skype Music Super Hero! Hey, it worked for Justin Bieber, who was discovered via a YouTube video.

Similar to American Idol, there will be some relatively well-known judges in the music industry to judge the entries, including Pete Wentz of Black Cards, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and MTV music personality and host of "120 Minutes" and MTVHive.com Matt Pinfield. As an added bonus to joining the app as the 'house band,' the winning band is to receive one-on-one mentoring time with the celebrity judges and paid studio time to not only record the song which will be featured on the Say it with Skype app, but also the chance to record their own song to use however they please.

Here's me rocking out to the #1 downloaded iTunes song of all time - Journey's Don't Stop Believin' using the Say it With Skype Facebook app.

Ok, maybe not. I can't sing worth a lick, but this is a screenshot of my trying out the app:

It's pretty simply to use. You simply press the Record button and it asks permission to use your camera & microphone. Then you press Done or Record again if you think your performance wasn't up to par. Interestingly, it doesn't use Skype for the video recording, but some sort of Flash app, but then I remembered my interview with Jonathan Rosenberg, Skype's Chief Technology Strategist where he explained how Facebook uses a stripped down version of Skype within Facebook. Nevertheless, the use of Flash means you won't be recording your band's audition using your iPad due to the lack of Flash (don't get me started).

Anyway, according to Skype, "The 'Join Say it with Skype' competition is an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, while providing an example of the convergence of music, technology and the power of social media. Skype is giving up-and-coming artists the chance to showcase their musical talent and bring them the exposure that may not be as easy to come by. Providing the opportunity to receive guidance from music experts such as Matt Pinfield, Ryan Tedder and Pete Wentz, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many unsigned bands or musicians."

Bands may submit entries on the Skype Facebook page, until Thursday, June 14 at 11:59 P.M. EDT: https://apps.facebook.com/jointheapp. Winners will be chosen and notified on Tuesday, June 19 via email, and will be announced publicly on Monday, July 9 at 9:00 A.M. EDT.

"Music has the uncanny ability to reach and join people on multiple levels — time, language, and now with technology, there are no barriers. It was one of the very reasons why I wanted to participate in this program and work with Skype," said Pete Wentz.

"Today's emerging artists are embracing old and new sounds, and using various tools and technology to create and share. As a musician, I am honored to participate alongside Skype in such an exciting competition that embodies this, and will showcase the next generation of emerging artists and talent in the world today," said Ryan Tedder.

"This competition is not only an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, but it is also a way to enable the winning band to teach tomorrow's youth about the importance of 'the power of music and technology' to connect people here in the U.S. and around the world," said Matt Pinfield.

Tags: app, band, black cards, facebook, journey, justin bieber, music, recording, say it with skype, skype, video Related tags: skype facebook, opportunity showcase, emerging artists, emerging musicians, music technology, skype

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Skype v4.0.1325 Released for Apple iOS

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:30:05 -0500

A new version of Skype was just released to the Apple App Store. No new major features to report - just some stability fixes and a fix for a sign in issue as seen here:

Certainly if you're having sign-in issues by all means have this version a go.

Tags: apple, ios, skype, voip Related tags: released apple

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The New In Your Face Facebook Ads - Coming Soon!

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:06:07 -0500

After Facebook's disastrous IPO leading some to speculate Facebook's actual worth is in the $16-$24 range, it's worth examining what went wrong. Was it the Nasdaq computer glitches, which some claim resulted in $100 million in losses to investment firms? Perhaps a small factor. Was the initial stock price too high? Probably, but not the most important factor. Is the IPO debacle due to Facebook not monetizing its huge base of mobile users though advertising? Indeed, that is a huge factor. Look at a screenshot of the Facebook app running on an Apple iPhone where there are no ads to be seen:

Mobile advertising is a huge opportunity wasted by Facebook. Around 488 million users accessed Facebook via their mobile device in March. That's a lot of eyeballs that see absolutely zero ads.

If you think Facebook has only a mobile problem, you'd be wrong. I use Adblock Plus for both Firefox and Chrome and it blocks most advertising. Case in point, here's how Facebook looks with no ads under Sponsored (red arrow):

Ad blocking problems isn't necessarily just a Facebook problem - it affects any website dependent on advertising. There are ways around this though. Facebook could stick advertisements within the scrolling News Feed in the middle where most eyeballs are drawn. Everyone that uses Facebook checks out their News Feed the most. I can envision Facebook detecting your "Likes" and then displaying relevant products or services with affiliate links. For instance, one of my Likes is "Star Trek", so why not display a Blu-ray of one of the Star Trek movies or TV series in the News Feed?

Also, the current crop of sponsored links in the right sidebar is boring. It's true that Google Adsense ads are typically boring too, especially the text-only ones. However when you are searching for something, you might see an interesting text link relevant to what you are looking for at that particular time. Facebook is supposed to be exciting with lots of photos and videos in your News Feed. If graphical photo ads are going to compete with other photos on the page they need to be bigger.

The other problem with Facebook using your "Likes" to build your personality & advertising profile, is that it's not time-sensitive like Google (or Bing) searches. For instance, I may have 'liked' Rambo 8 months ago, but it doesn't mean I'm currently interested in buying the DVD/Blu-ray (I already own it). However, when searching on Google for "Rambo" there is a greater chance you are currently interested in buying the DVD/Blu-ray.

Still, knowing your "Likes" is valuable information for advertisers. If you like Mitt Romney, display a Mitt Romney ad or if you like President Obama display one of his ads. With around $1.4 billion to be spent this election season, leveraging the #1 social media site in the world to display an ad could be beneficial.

In fact, Facebook could really make some serious dough "selling" the News Feed space to Mitt Romney or President Obama. There are several viral YouTube videos - often with humor - that can impact people's perception of Romney or Obama. Cases in point, 'Hitler Finds Out Obama Ate His Dog', President Obama: "Dog Eater," the Music Video, or Time for Some Campaignin'. So why not offer photos, videos, or links to propaganda pro-Obama or pro-Romney puff-pieces articles? By appearing as a News Feed item, Facebook users can Like or Share the item therefore leveraging the social media sharing power of Facebook, which can make stories, videos, or photos go viral.

So in summary, here's my proposed mark-up of Facebook ads in the News Feed, right-sidebar, and the the left sidebar. [click for large image]

Tags: ads, advertisements, affiliate, apple, cafepress, facebook, mobile advertising, netflix, ppc Related tags: president obama, however searching, right sidebar, social media, currently interested, facebook

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Comcast Skype on Xfinity $9.95/month - Lame or Cool?

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:18:21 -0500

Comcast today unveiled their Skype video calling service, Skype on Xfinity which directly integrates into your HDTV. The beauty of the system is you can make and receive Skype video and audio calls from your TV. Users can send instant messages via Skype, while watching TV at the same time.

The only problem is Skype on Xfinity costs $9.95 a month extra. We saw what happened to the $599 Cisco Umi, which Rich Tehrani and I rightly predicted would fail. Rich also pointed to Panasonic's Blu-ray Skype-enabled players as another reason why Cisco Umi would fail. Well, the $10/month premium is likely to pay for the "free" adaptor box, HD camera, and remote they send you. Yeah, that's right you need a separate adaptor box - it's not integrated into Comcast's cable box. As if my home entertainment setup wasn't a spaghetti mess of various devices and cables

I suppose $10/month is better than Umi's $599 pricetag and the integrated experience of Skype directly while watching TV is pretty cool.

Here's the rear of the adaptor box showing the connections:

The service is now available in Boston and Seattle. It will roll out in eight additional markets by the end of the week, including Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., Chicago, Detroit, Harrisburg, Pa., Indianapolis, Miami, and Pittsburgh. Additional markets are coming this summer.

It includes a remote control with a full QWERTY keyboard for typing Skype IMs and making calls as seen here:

Here's the front of the remote:

Features of the HD camera:
• High-Definition camera supports up to 720p @30 frames per second (requires both users to have
consistent 1.5Mbps+ upload/download speeds)
• On/Off Indicator
• Digital/Optical Zoom Lens With Shutter
• Built-In Directional Microphones
• Adjustable Clip for Secure Placement

I'm still skeptical customers are willing to shell out $9.95/month just to have Skype on their TV. I have my Windows 7 Dell Zino hooked up to my HDTV over HDMI for free. That along with a wireless keyboard and mouse and I can Skype on my HDTV for free. Granted, I have to have my TV on PC input mode, so I cannot watch TV simultaneously. That is until I purchase a TV tuner card for the Zino! Take that Comcast!

Lastly, check out their video promo:

Tags: cisco umi, comcast, hdtv, skype, tv, video conferencing, voip Related tags: skype xfinity, additional markets, skype video, while watching, skype, month

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Plixer Scrutinizer Network Traffic Analyzer Preview

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:55:00 -0500

I've been testing Plixer Scrutinizer, a network traffic analyzer product for several weeks now. It's a great product that supports NetFlow used by popular routers and switches, including the popular Cisco ASA series of firewall/security routers, Checkpoint, Adtran, Riverbed, and more. It also supports Juniper Jflow and Juniper IPFIX, SonicWALL NetFlow and SonicWALL IPFIX and Citrix AppFlow. It also supports sFlow.

Having insights into your network is critical as time-sensitive network applications such as VoIP, video conferencing, and unified communications are deployed. Scrutinizer is an excellent tool to monitor your network infrastructure and pinpoint problems. Scrutinizer can be used to analyze and monitor the overall network health, determine top talkers, discover most popular ports being used, and more. Using the software I was able to easily create customizable reports to determine which hosts, applications, protocols, etc. that are consuming network bandwidth.

You might think of Scrutinizer as akin to the popular Wireshark network packet sniffer and indeed in some ways they are similar. However, Scutinizer is designed to monitor dozens if not hundreds of routers across LANs and WANs giving a more holistic view of a large corporation's entire network. Wireshark is great at monitoring raw packet traffic on a local network or even a single WAN link, but it isn't designed to monitor multiple remote routers. Essentially, packet analyzers like Wireshark are complimentary tools to NetFlow analyzers like Scrutinizer.

Scrutinizer supports a customizable interface that lets you add additional tabs and then add various widgets to these custom tabs. I hope to have a full-fledged review of Scrutinizer in a few weeks. But for now, here's a teaser screenshot of the user interface showing a report: (click for larger image)

Tags: cisco asa, flow analytics, netflow, network traffic analysis, plixer, scrutinizer, sflow, wireshark Related tags: traffic analyzer, plixer scrutinizer, designed monitor, network traffic, network, scrutinizer

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Netflix Temporarily Offline? On Movie Night? Ahhhh!

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:22:39 -0500

Oh joy - was checking my Netflix DVD queue to see if any interesting movies to stream as well as which ones arrived in the mail and I got this lovely error message:

Watch as many TV episodes and movies as you want for one low price! One month FREE Trial.

We’re sorry, the Netflix website is temporarily unavailable.

Our shipping centers are continuing to send and receive DVDs, so your movies will be processed as usual. And you can still instantly watch movies via your Netflix ready device.

Our engineers are working hard to bring the site back up as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and, again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1-877-445-6064

Here's a screenshot:

Netflix is not allowed to go offline - ever, but especially on Friday (movie) night.

Tags: down, netflix, outage, unavailable, website Related tags: movie night, netflix, movies

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Telefonica Launches Skype Competitor Tu Me

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:24:55 -0500

Telefónica today launched a new mobile app called Tu Me, which essentially takes the approach if you can't beat Skype, join em'. Tu Me features texts, voice calls, messages, and location and photo sharing - all free of charge, with the caveat that it uses your data plan more, so it isn't technically "free" unless you are on an unlimited data plan or you use free Wi-Fi hotspots most of the time.

The app is currently only available on iOS however Android is coming. Tu Me enables communication and sharing between mobile phones, recording every interaction through a searchable timeline, obviously borrowing some elements from the Facebook social network and others.

There are some major caveats with this app. First, this app requires both caller and recipient to have the app installed. Second, you cannot call phone numbers using this app - it's strictly a P2P VoIP app. Seems a bit limited to me. It also doesn't do video, doesn't do PSTN calling, and only works with other Tu Me users. The only purpose really is for Telefónica users NOT to use up their bucket of voice minutes or pay for SMS messages. Whoop Dee Do! This is less of a Skype competitor and more of along the lines of Viber or Whatsapp.

More here.

Tags: mobile voip, skype, sms, telefónica, tu me Related tags: skype competitor, skype

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Viber Announces BlackBerry Beta and Windows Phone 7 Beta

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:38:08 -0500

Viber today announced the availability of Viber for BlackBerry Beta and Windows Phone 7 Beta.

Both Viber for BlackBerry Beta and Viber for Windows Phone 7 Beta initially offer Viber Messaging, allowing users to exchange text and high-quality photo messages and share locations with other Viber users. The beta does not yet include their HD VoIP calling. Some may call this a bit premature beta since Viber is a known as a mobile VoIP app not a standalone IM app, but I'll give them a pass to bringing some early love to these two platforms.

Viber seamlessly integrates with the devices' interface, with no registration required, instantly identifying existing contacts who already have Viber installed so users do not need to go through a “friend request” process. According to Viber, "the full release for both platforms, including Viber’s signature HD-quality free voice calling, will be released as soon as it meets Viber’s quality standards."

Tags: blackberry, free voice calls, hd, im, mobile voip, viber, voip, windows phone Related tags: windows phone, viber blackberry, viber, users, quality, windows

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Nokia City Lens Augmented Reality Launches on Lumia Phones

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:20:37 -0500

Nokia today released its City Lens app for Windows Phone, an app that is an augmented reality browser. Users open the app, and depending on the phone's angle (landscape [facing away from you], 45 degrees, or parallel to ground) it automatically changes modes - augmented reality, list of locations, and map mode respectively.

The coolest mode is obviously augmented reality where you hold the phone up and scan the horizon with the camera and it shows icons where various points of interest (POIs) are located. You can specify the POI category, such as Food.

Then you can just tap to read reviews and descriptions, or call to get directions. You can also share your location with friends via social networks, SMS, or email.

Play the video below to see this cool augmented reality in action:

Tags: augmented reality, camera, city lens, lumia 800, lumia 900, microsoft, nokia, poi, windows phone Related tags: augmented reality, augmented, reality, phone

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