Here’s why phone cards really save you money
October 26, 2009
If one plans to save money on his telephone bill, then he should simply purchase a calling card. This is because; these cards enable him to make a savings of about 50% to 80% on his telephone bills. That is a great saving.
This prepaid tariff plan is very much less. Per minute calling rate is just some cents like for example; it is as low as 10 cents per minute. Another reason for making savings is that in this calling plan there is no connectivity charge. Once the caller enters his PIN number, he is connected to the long distance calling zone. Apart from this, there are no hidden costs like service charges, taxes, payment of minimum tariff, minimum advance etc. All these add to make this tariff plan most economical.
Frequent callers will save much more; thanks to the phone cards. The more they call, more is the discount offered on per minute calling rate. So, it is like pay less to talk more! Persons having business connection with a particular country will make further savings. Such persons can purchase the calling card of that particular country. By this, he will get special discount. Read more
PennyTalk Sued for Infrigement
February 26, 2008
eBay, the parent company of Skype, has sued IDT over a claimed patent infringement on the PennyTalk calling card. It is believed that IDT’s PennyTalk calling cards infringe a patent for Internet-based telephone calls.
While no details of the lawsuit were released other than PennyTalk is using a 2000 patent of theirs for a “long distance telephone communications system.”
IDT’s PennyTalk cards, which can be reused as customers add more money to their accounts, charge 1 cent a minute for U.S. calls and 2 cents for international calls.
Net2Phone, which IDT bought in 2006, sued eBay and Skype the same year in federal court in Newark, N.J., over patented technology for Internet telephones. A pre-trial conference in the case is scheduled for June.
source: Mercury News
Film Festival for Cell Phone Movies
February 20, 2008
Friday in Yokohama will take place the first Pocket Film Festival in Japan, organized by the Tokyo National University of
Fine Arts and Music, showing movies made entirely on mobile phone cameras. The festival will feature 48 films chosen from more than 400 entries from 18 countries — including Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea and Germany.
The competition has 2 categories, the first one is for films to be shown on regular screens and the other for films to be viewed on phones. The winning film will receive 500,000 yen (US$4,500).
“Being the first time for the festival, we weren’t sure what to expect, but we’ve had a range of films from regular narrative stories to more experimental films,” organizer Yuko Mori said.
“Of course, the resolution is comparatively low on phone cameras, so effective use of that is important,” Mori said. “People have also made films where only a camera phone could go. One entry, by grade-school children, was even shot inside a fridge.”
The festival also will feature symposiums on the possibilities for new content and applications using the medium of camera phones.
source: Reuters
Using Phone Cards to Iraq
February 6, 2008
With so many deployed troops to Southwest Asia, you need a phone card to keep in touch with your loved ones at anytime of the day. Judd Anstey, public affairs specialist for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, told American Forces Press Service, that just about any calling card will work for servicemembers calling the United States from Southwest Asia. The big question, he said, boils down to which card offers the lowest per- minute talking charges.
There are plenty of offers out there for calling Iraq but here’s what you need to know before making a choice.
Most military bases have AT&T pay phones installed and allow for the use of phone cards but these may not deliver the full amount of minutes since a pay phone fee is applied.
There are also DNS phones that can connect the soldiers to their homes. The rates are similar to that of calling from your home phone in the US.
Many phone cards offer some features to make them easier to use: no connection fee for calls placed, cards never expire, and the one the bought them can recharge them so the recipient doesn’t run out of calling minutes. Below you will find an useful list of codes you’ll need when you use your phone card to Iraq.
Main City Codes:
Amara 43, Baghdad 1, Basra 40, Diwaniya 36, Erbil 66, Hilla 30, Kerbela 32, Kirkuk 50, Kut 23, Mousil 60, Najaf 33, Nasariya 42, Ramadi 24, Sulaim Ani 53
Communications: Iraq
- Telephones – main lines in use:
- 675,000 (1997); note – an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April war
- Telephones – mobile cellular:
- NA; service available in northern Iraq (2001)
- Telephone system:
- general assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
- domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links
- international: satellite earth stations – 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
- Internet country code:
- .iq
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
- 1 (2000)
- Internet users:
- 12,500 (2001)
Top Calling Destinations
February 4, 2008
Nobel LTD has recently released a list with the most trafficked destination, in terms of calling. NobelTel, Ltd. is a market leader in the global telecommunications industry, that provides varied online prepaid phone cards through NobelCom.com and calling card plans EnjoyPrepaid.com. Here is the list of the most sought after destinations:
- Argentina Phone Cards
- Australia Phone Cards
- Brazil Phone Cards
- Bulgaria Phone Cards
- Canada Phone Cards
- China Phone Cards
- France Phone Cards
- Germany Phone Cards
- India Phone Cards
- Iran Phone Cards
- Iraq Phone Cards
- Israel Phone Cards
- Italy Phone Cards
- Japan Phone Cards
- Korea South Phone Cards
- Mexico Phone Cards
- Pakistan Phone Cards
- Philippines Phone Cards
- Romania Phone Cards
- Russia Phone Cards
- South Africa Phone Cards
- Spain Phone Cards
- United Kingdom Phone Cards
- United States Phone Cards
Award-Winning XMediusFAX and SAGEM ATAs @ European Cisco Event
January 21, 2008
Sagem-Interstar Inc. (SAFRAN Group), the global leader in boardless IP fax software for VoIP networks since 2002, recently showcased its award-winning XMediusFAX Fax over IP (FoIP) server technology at the prominent Cisco Networkers 2008 conference (Booth E68), on January 21 to 24 in Barcelona, Spain.
“This conference gives us yet another opportunity to demonstrate our technology leadership in the Cisco VoIP community,” said Jean Champagne, General Manager of Sagem-Interstar. “From our market-dominating XMediusFAX IP fax server to the new SAGEM Fax ATA 101S, we’re providing customers with the industry’s most cost-effective, state-of-the-art fax solutions for full and seamless integration within Cisco-powered Unified Communications environments.”
XMediusFAX caters to organizations of any size. Whether they have deployed or plan to deploy a VoIP telephony infrastructure, XMediusFAX enables organizations to FAXimize their Cisco IP network. Field-proven to manage large fax volumes and deliver high levels of reliability and availability, XMediusFAX connects to Cisco voice gateways via SIP or H.323. XMediusFAX is tested compatible with Cisco’s T.38 Fax Relay via the following Cisco VoIP gateways: 1700, 1800, 2600, 2800, 3600, 3700, 3800, 7200, 7300, and 7600 CMM Series; and AS5300, AS5400, and AS5800 Series.
VideoOverIP quality improved by Skype & Logitech
January 18, 2008
Skype has announced enhancements to the quality of its video calls, but only for users of certain new webcams from Logitech. Using the moniker “High Quality” (HQ), the enhanced video runs at a frame rate of 30fps rather than Skype’s usual 15fps, and at VGA resolution (640×480 pixels) rather than QVGA (320×240 pixels). Through the use of Logitech’s QuickCam Pro 9000, QuickCam Pro for Notebooks or QuickCam Orbit AF cameras, all of which sport Carl Zeiss optics and high-speed autofocus capabilities, video conference will have a much higher clarity on images broadcasted.
“We believe HQ will be the next industry standard for video calling,” said Gareth O’Loughlin, Skype’s head of hardware services, last Wednesday. O’Loughlin admitted to ZDNet.co.uk that HQ was no match for the high definition (HD) capabilities of more expensive, enterprise-oriented rivals such as Cisco’s TelePresence or Lifesize’s Express, but pointed out that Skype’s offering “does not require £10k worth of equipment in a room somewhere”.
“We don’t get phased by what others are doing in a different space,” O’Loughlin added, while suggesting that small-business users could afford to put one of the new Logitech webcams on every computer in their organisation.
According to Skype, one in four of the free calls made over its network is made using video capabilities.
Possible Google-Skype Acquisition
January 18, 2008
In recent weeks, a certain rumor has been circulating in the blogosphere. Bloggers are talking about Google’s intention to acquire the world’s leading online VoIP service, Skype. Rumors started with the UK’s well-respected Guardian newspaper on Monday, and even though they do not have a solid basis they continue spreading.
“Currently in favor around London’s webbist community is the rumor that Google has been in negotiations to buy Skype,” wrote Jemima Kiss, a blogger with the Guardian. “Google bases all of its mobile projects in London, so this is the fitting place for such a rumor.”
Skype and Google also have some shared interests with regard to an upcoming 700-MHz airwaves auction in the U.S., where both companies have pressured regulators to make existing wireless carriers “open up” their networks.
A Google acquisition of Skype “makes sense on a number of levels, particularly because it fits with Google’s ambitions for disrupting the mobile industry through its new open mobile phone development platform Android,” Kiss wrote, noting that a such a deal might also be attractive to eBay, “which was recently forced to admit that it had paid too much for Skype.”
