SIPphone today announced the launch of its latest desktop VoIP product. Gizmo Project 3.0 adds "meta-voice" capabilities, which enable free calling to Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live users.

The new capabilities allow users to call four of the most popular voice and IM networks with one client for the first time. All calls to Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live, Google Talk, Jabber, and Gizmo Project users are free. Gizmo Project 3.0 users can also call international Yahoo Messenger users for free in France, Spain, and many other countries.

BitTorrent today announced the launch of the BitTorrent Entertainment Network. The new network features what the company says is the "most comprehensive library of downloadable digital entertainment ever amassed on the Web".

The BitTorrent community will now have the flexibility to rent movies, purchase television shows and music videos, and publish and share their own high-quality content to be displayed alongside titles from the world’s largest studios.

Networked media players are always a compromise among size, price and features. But Jim Buzbee found that D-Link may not have made the right choices with its lower-cost high-def player.

Skype and Symantec have partnered to offer Norton Internet Security and other security products. The products have been "Skype Certified" and will be available through Skype's website at a "special promotion" price.

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Craig Ellison reviews Trendnet's Bluetooth Skype speakerphone that doesn't quite sound as good as it looks.

Axis Communications today announced a video server blade and rack solution for professional surveillance installations.

The AXIS 243Q Blade Video Server is specially designed for the AXIS 291 1U rack. It converts video signals from up to four analog cameras into full frame rate, de-interlaced digital video that can be viewed via an IP network. The server delivers 30 frames a second of video per channel, at 4CIF, in MPEG-4 or Motion JPEG compression.

SIPphone, the makers of Gizmo Project, today announced the launch of its web-based VoIP product Gizmo Call, which lets people call any type of landline or mobile phone, anywhere in the world, from any web browser, for free.

No registration or account setup is required for five minutes of calling per day. Users can double the time if they register with an email address. Additional calling time is available by purchasing "Call Out" minutes in $10 increments.

Actiontec Electronics today announced a new generation of VoSKY Exchange, its Skype Certified family of PBX-to-Skype gateways.

VoSKY Exchange is a rack-mountable, PBX voice gateway that adds up to eight outgoing Skype lines to an office PBX without changes to existing PBX or phone equipment.

Vonage today announced a new calling option that provides inbound calling to Vonage subscribers for the price of a local call.

V-Access provides an access number that enables anyone to call any Vonage phone number (or an 800-number) without paying long distance or international fees. Vonage subscribers simply need to select a V-Access number to enable the service. Callers then dial the local access number followed by the Vonage subscriber number to complete a call. Callers pay only for the local call.

This service is currently available in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and the UK at no additional charge to Vonage subscribers.

If you are using Skype for PC-to-landline calls, you soon could find new and additional charges on your account: The company announced that it will be adding a connection fees to every "SkypeOut" call - in exchange for dropping per-minute charges on a new "SkypePro" package.

The change it usage fees is part of a new strategy to offer "a simple, convenient and cost-effective way for consumers worldwide to call landlines and mobiles over the Internet," Skype said in an announcement posted on Thursday. Initially focused on Europe, Skype decided to apply new pricing models to SkypeOut accounts worldwide during the 2007 calendar year.

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Wi-Fi Skype phones may look like sexy little things, but they're not for everyone. Tim Higgins thinks computer-free Skype phones like Netgear's SPH200D are a better match for home-based callers.

(Las Vegas, NV) D-Link today at CES announced the DSM-750 MediaLounge Wireless Media Player that can display HD video and that incorporates draft 802.11n wireless.

(Las Vegas, NV) Buffalo Technology announced the addition of a dual-band wireless player to its LinkTheater line.

The LinkTheater Wireless-A&G Media Player (PC-P4LWAG) can receive music, video and still image content via 10/100 Ethernet or 802.11a/b/g wireless connections. The player can connect with UPnP AV servers and has certifications for Intel Viiv, DLNA and Dolby Digital.

The player is based on Mediabolic's Media Player software and supports MP3, WMA, AAC, LPCM, JPEG, BMP, PNG, MPEG 1/2/4, WMV 7/8/9, XviD and H.264 file formats. Video output connections include composite, S-video, and D4 component video.

The player will be available in this month at an estimated street price of $249.

Netgear has announced its Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000), a UPnP AV / DLNA networked media player supporting up to 1080p video via its HDMI port.

(Las Vegas) Netgear today announced its Dual-Mode Cordless Phone with Skype.

The SPH200D is a dual-mode 1.9 GHz DECT cordless phone supporting both landline and Skype Internet calls without the need to be connected to a computer.

The base station has an Ethernet (RJ-45) port to connect to a network router and a PSTN (RJ11) connector to connect into a traditional telephone wall jack.

The base can support up to four cordless handsets (sold separately) but only one Skype or PSTN call at a time. The handset has a built-in speakerphone and color display, with an interface similar to that on Netgear's Wi-Fi Skype phone.

The SPH200D is available now at an MSRP of $199.99.

(HUNTSVILLE, AL) Asterisk creator Digium today announced what it calls its "first software appliance", aimed at getting an Asterisk-based VoIP PBX up and running within 30 minutes.

AsteriskNOW is an open source distribution based on the recently released Asterisk 1.4, featuring a Digium-designed GUI. It includes a new setup wizard that guides users through the installation process "regardless of any previous Linux experience" and includes all the Linux components necessary to run, debug and build Asterisk.

(BOULDER, Co) SpectraLink today announced its next-generation Wi-Fi telephony handsets. The new NetLink 8000 Series handsets are said to be the first commercially available "enterprise-grade" handsets to support 802.11a, b and g WLANs. Additional enhancements include a slim, lightweight design and a larger display screen.

Two models are available: the basic NetLink 8020 Wireless Telephone, and the enhanced NetLink 8030 Wireless Telephone supporting SpectraLink's integrated push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities with 24 PTT channels plus a priority channel for emergency broadcast applications.

Axis Communications today announced the company’s first two-megapixel network camera designed for professional security and surveillance applications. The AXIS 223M Network Camera provides high image detail in day or night lighting conditions.

D-Link today announced it has begun shipment of a new networked media player that is Intel Viiv technology verified. The DSM-510 MediaLounge Wireless Media Player supports Ethernet and 802.11b/g wireless network playback of music, image and video files from either Intel Viiv technolgy PCs or devices supporting UPnP AV.

Linksys today launched a new phone that many expected to be announced by Apple in early January: A device with the name iPhone will be available from wireless equipment maker Linksys in the first quarter of next year.

But besides the name, there is little the Linksys device has in common with what we expected the iPhone to be. Instead of a cellphone with iPod functionality, the iPhone WIP320 is a Wi-Fi Skype phone that appears to be a clone to already released models from Netgear and Belkin.

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