News Archive - June 2010
US VoIP subscribers 21 million strong
June 30, 2010
The US Federal Communications Commission reports that there are 21 million VoIP subscriptions stateside, and that the vast majority of them are residential customers. But it didn't count Skype subscribers.
Private cloud computing: Pitfalls and advice for avoiding them
June 29, 2010
While small and midmarket businesses gobble up public cloud services, enterprises are experimenting with private cloud computing to gain efficiencies from existing resources. The exercise has resulted in some best practices — as well as some pitfalls.
Cisco introduces Cius Android tablet PC
June 29, 2010
Cisco Systems plans to offer an Android-based tablet PC to its business customers with integrated video conferencing and other communications tools built in.
Amazon EC2 Creators Pull Curtain Off Of Nimbula
June 23, 2010
Two of the forces behind Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) have launched their own company bent on blending the agility and ease of public cloud computing with the security and peace of mind of private cloud computing, further blurring the lines between public and private.
Polycom CEO says looking to buy, not to be bought
June 22, 2010
Polycom new chief executive said the videoconferencing company was not in any talks with potential buyers, but instead expects to become more active in pursuing acquisitions of its own.
Vonage believes the iPad could be its cure
June 22, 2010
Vonage thinks the answer to its ongoing recovery will be found in new devices including Apple's iPad device. After hitting a rock bottom low last year when it stock plummeted to 33 cents, Vonage is now trading at more than $2 and even saw a profit in Q4.
Videoconferencing Comes of Age, Again?
June 16, 2010
For most of the last 40 years, videoconferencing has been the wave of the future. With every new generation of technology, the latest invention is the one that’s going to make videoconferencing take off. But the advent of the Web and iPhones may turn such meetings into everyday events, replacing many face-to-face gatherings.
AT&T suspends iPhone 4 preorders
June 16, 2010
Citing extremely high demand, AT&T has been forced to stop taking preorders for Apple's iPhone 4 after just one day.
Verizon to Tie Cloud Storage With Computing
June 15, 2010
Verizon Business is set to announce a cloud-based storage service on Tuesday, leveraging the formidable Verizon Communications global data network as a draw for large enterprises to subscribe.
VMware in Talks to Acquire EngineYard
June 10, 2010
VMware is back on the hunt for new startups as it looks to further raise its profile in the platform-as-a-service market. Sources tell me its latest target is EngineYard, the Ruby on Rails cloud provider that’s raised $37 million.
Steve Jobs Delivers a Surprise with iPhone 4 — Videoconferencing
June 7, 2010
Apple CEO Steve Jobs displayed his showmanship at the WWDC10, unveiling the iPhone 4 as expected, but with a kicker ending — videoconferencing capabilities.
AT&T to halt unlimited iPhone data pricing
June 2, 2010
AT&T said it will no longer offer its $30 unlimited-pricing plan for new smartphone customers who access Internet and e-mail on their devices. AT&T will offer plans to new customers that cost $15 monthly for 200 megabytes of data traffic or $25 monthly for 2 gigabytes. A $10 monthly charge will be levied for each additional gigabyte.
Skype to start charging for iPhone VoIP
June 1, 2010
Skype has launched a new iPhone version, enabling calls over the 3G data network, but come 2011 users will be expected to start paying for those calls too. — And that brings the value of Skype down quite substantially. Just imagine roaming outside one's home network and getting charged by Skype and the foreign carrier for data usage.