Canadian business mobility company Talkster recently announced their new VoIP service which allows consumers to place calls from mobile phones to traditional and next generation voice services. The Talkster network currently allows people to place free calls from their mobile phones to instant messaging services such as MSN, Google Talk and Gizmo Project.

This new service is the foundation to the company’s enterprise communications service which will connect mobile phones to VoIP networks and devices without phone numbers, such as IP-PBX office phones within a corporate network. Planned for release in spring of 2007, Talkster’s fully-featured enterprise solution will consolidate the many different work and personal communications services used by employees into a centrally managed service used from a basic mobile phone.

“Today Talkster launched its network, but soon businesses will have a comprehensive solution from Talkster to give them unprecedented control over the mobile

…

This is the Luna VoIP phone from Futiro. The Luna really raises the bar in VoIP phone handset design when compared to some of the other VoIP phone offerings. The stylish design of the Luna allows it to become more of a centerpiece than just another industrial-looking piece of technology sitting on your desk.

The Luna offers complete integration with Skype and features that include a full telephony keypad, echo-reduction technology, volume adjustment, and unique ring-tones. The Luna comes with a base which allows it to sit securely while you talk hands-free and use your keyboard or walk about the room during your conference calls.

The Luna is available now from Futiro for $75.

Luna VoIP Phone [Futiro]

Bluetooth headsets are no longer just for cell phones. Sony Ericsson has announced the release of the Bluetooth VoIP HBV-100 Headset kit. The Bluetooth VoIP kit allows you to make handsfree VoIP calls with your PC.

The kit consists of a Bluetooth headset, a Bluetooth USB Adaptor, and a standard charger. The USB Adaptor plugs into your PC (running Windows XP) and requires no complicated installation or configuration to work with most internet telephony software. Once installed, the adapter connects with the HBH-PV705 headset to allow you to communicate wirelessly.

The headset requires the Windows XP operating system. Headset talk time with Bluetooth phone is up to 12 hrs with standby time up to 300 hrs.

The Bluetooth VoIP kit HBV-100 is expected to be available in late December 2006.

Press Release [Sony Ericsson]

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. has announced that the ASUS TeleSky telecom adapter will now be available with the M2N/TeleSky and the P5B/TeleSky motherboards.

The TeleSky adaptor transforms your ordinary house phone into a multi-functional Skype phone. The adaptor allows you to make both traditional PSTN and Skype VoIP calls using your existing home phone.

As illustrated in the following diagram, the system works by having one jack connected to the house phone and the other linked to the ground telephone line. The TeleSky adapter then switches the house phone connection between PSTN and VoIP networks as necessary. Consumers will be able to use the house phone to perform Skype functions such as SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Conference, call waiting, speed-dial, and 3-way telephoning.

The motherboards will be available from ASUS for both AMD (M2N/TeleSky) and Intel (P5B/TeleSky) platforms.

Linksys has partnered with Yahoo! Messenger to offer new dual-mode cordless phone featuring many of the Yahoo Internet services. The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger gives consumers the flexibility to make and take inexpensive VoIP calls as well as place and receive phone calls using their traditional landline connection.

The CIT310 gives Yahoo! Messenger users a convenient alternative for making free internet-based calls to people on their Yahoo! Messenger Contact List. People subscribing to Yahoo! Phone Out can use the cordless phone to make an Internet-based call to any traditional or mobile phone.

The phone gives users access to other Yahoo Internet services like Yahoo! Local Search, Yahoo! Address Book, and Yahoo Weather. Consumers can now search for local business information directly from their phone using Yahoo! Local Search. The next time you need to order delivery just search for a local …

Gennum Corporation today announced the release of the nXZEN VoIP headset, the newest device in its family of Bluetooth products. The nXZEN VoIP headset combines Gennum’s nXZEN 5000 extreme noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset with the new nXZEN USB audio dongle into a Skype certified solution.

“As communication options continue to expand, with Skype and other broadband telephony providers gaining a substantial user base, the demand for wireless VoIP headsets is growing” said Gora Ganguli, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Gennum.

The nXZEN VoIP headset system is a snap to setup as the nXZEN dongle eliminates the need to install Bluetooth drivers directly on one’s PC. The headset allows call, answer/terminate, and last number redial functions up to 33ft(10m) from the PC. The headset provides a full seven hours of talk time with 100 hours of standby.

Gennum is a Canadian designer, manufacturer, …

The new Samsung EX-700 WiFiFONE is the product of a joint effort between Samsung and Eidicom. While it could possibly be a little “easier on the eyes” the EX-700 looks like an impressive product to further enhance and improve the usability of VoIP phones.

Keep in mind that despite its looks this is still a VoIP phone which requires Wi-Fi, so it gets access the same way you would with a PC by using your own wireless network or finding a public “hotspot”. They have also added a lot of cool features not usually found in a VoIP phone to date which makes it somewhat of a hybrid VoIP smartphone.

Some of the features on the Samsung EW-700 on what looks like a custom OS includes a web browser, IM client, multimedia player, a 2 megapixel camera, the ability for video and …

3Com has recently released an addition to the cordless VoIP phone market directed at business customers who want to be able to roam around the building and not be tied to a cord when using VoIP technology.

The new wireless VoIP phone utilizes Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) so it will work with most standard networking equipment and wireless LAN’s just as your wireless PC connection would.

The technology of the phone allows people to transfer calls to other employees with a VoIP phone, reach a central administrative number, retrieve your voicemail and even read email over the phone. The advantage of this along with other wireless VoIP solutions is that you can take advantage of the lower rates of using VoIP services and still have the convenience of a wireless phone. It does however require you to be within …

Looking to use the Internet to lower your phone bills? Well, that just got a little easier with the launch of Auvi’s PHIP65 Dual Mode Cordless Phone. The PHIP65 offers both traditional landline and Internet calling features from a single cordless phone.

The PHIP65 is dual mode, meaning it works as a traditional PSTN phone (RJ-11) and a Skype-enabled cordless phone. The phone is based on the new secure DECT standard which is designed to enhance sound quality while reducing interference with 802.11a/b/g wireless networks, Bluetooth devices, and other home appliances.

The PHIP65 is designed to work with Skype Internet software thus enabling individuals to use their Skype contact list to talk to other Skype users globally for free.

The system is expandable and supports up to 4 additional handsets. The device features an integrated speakerphone, caller …

The SpeedTouch 780WL finally brings support for VoIP into Thomson’s SpeedTouch line of broadband routers. The 780WL is targeted towards residential users and offers wireless connectivity with basic 54Mbps 802.11g operations. Both IADs support ADSL2/ADSL2+ and are backward compatible to ADSL offering auto-negotiation capability.

The SpeedTouch 780WL also supports powerful security mechanisms such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption.
The 780WL may not be packed with the bleeding-edge features but it is one of the few broadband routers offering VoIP support at a low price point. The wireless performance is lacking but the router is very easy to manage making it a great choice for residential and home office use.

Thomson SpeedTouch 780WL Wireless Router [speedtouch]

I have to say this is an improvement. This is a Skype compatible VoIP Phone from Keyspan. You can call PC to PC or PC to Phone, and do pretty much everything you need to with using Skype from the phone – except leave the room.

Skype was a big deal at the last eBay developers conference, and I asked one of the Skype reps (all of which had some fancy European type accents) about taking the phones away from the PC or Mac. You see, if you have never used this, up until now it only worked when you had the phone physically connected to the machine. This is nice if your sitting at your PC and you want to talk into a phone instead of trying to fumble with speakers and mic’s and trying to master the full duplex …