AIM calls from TringMe

While researching for my VoIP call screening post earlier today, I came across a patent for "call screening". Curious, I decided to check it out the filed patent and found it was filed by Nortel Networks in July 2004. Interestingly, the patent application agrees with me that hosted voicemail needs call screening and goes as far as to say service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when they don't have call screening. The patent app reads as follows: The present invention relates to telephony communications, and in particular to allowing a user to screen calls by listening to a voicemail message being left in a hosted voicemail system from a telephone device. Background of the Invention [0002] Telephone users with personal telephone answering devices can listen to callers leaving messages thereon, and during the call, decide to take the call. This highly desirable technique for screening calls is unavailable in hosted voicemail systems, because the voicemail system is a separate entity in the telephone network and is not directly associated with any individual's telephone device. In a hosted voicemail system, incoming calls that are not answered are forwarded to the voicemail system. Since many users, especially residential users, rely on the ability to screen calls, service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when trying to market hosted voicemail services to their subscribers. Accordingly, there is a need to provide call screening for users subscribing to hosted voicemail services. Yeah, no kidding 'call screening' is a desirable feature! What's even more interesting is the patent diagram makes no mention of VoIP, as seen here: The text of the patent itself makes no mention of VoIP, so this is strictly traditional PSTN hosted voicemail call screening. Earlier today I griped about the lack of real-time call screening in VoIP services, such as Vonage & Packet8. It's not that hard, especially if using software. You should be able to easily setup a 3-way conference call via SIP to enable call screening. That is, one leg is the caller, the second leg is your phone, and the last leg is special call screening software running on your PC. You just send a SIP Invite to the PC, have the software auto-accept the SIP invite and connect legs #2 & #3. If the user accepts the call, simply connect/conference leg #1. Now most people don't want to perform call screening on their PC. Most would want to do it via the phone, especially since the PC may not be on or nearby. Well, that's easy enough as well. First, you ring the user's phone, then after X number of rings, the phone stops ringing and the hosted voicemail system prompts the caller to leave a message. Simultaneously, the hosted voicemail system calls the phone again (via another SIP Invite) and this time tells the phone to play a special ringtone to indicate a caller is leaving a message. Hearing the special ringtone, the user can pick up the phone, be conferenced into the voicemail message being left (with mic muted) and if the user presses a touch-tone they can instantly pull the caller out and their mic is unmuted. Simple! Damn, between the "special" ringtone to indicate the opportunity to screen the caller and the "instant" ability to pull a caller out of a hosted VoIP voicemail system, I should patent these! The special ringtone can even work with analog phones connected to ATAs simply by varying the length of the ring voltage, i.e. two super-quick rings. Now while I didn't go crazy searching the patent database, I did look around and didn't see a patent for "VoIP call screening". Hmmm. Very interesting... Ok you patent trolls, here's an opportunity for you. File a patent for "VoIP call screening". In fact, file one for "hosted VoIP call screening" and another one for "customer premise VoIP call screening" that works on customer premise Voice over IP phone systems (IP-PBXs), such as Asterisk. Then when you rake in millions from patent extortion, just make sure you show me some lovin'. After all, I did give you the idea. If you don't show me some lovin' then may your guilty conscience eat you up. Oh wait, patent trolls with a guilty conscience? What in blazes am I thinking? Update: (12:20pm) I neglected to mention that there are some hosted voicemail providers offering call screening. They aren't necessarily VoIP or leveraging VoIP technology though. Some examples include CallWave, GrandCentral, and Ring Central. Figured they were still worth mentioning. Tags: call screening, hosted VoIP call screening, Nortel Networks, patent, patent troll, VoIP Related Entries VoIP Call Screening - Apr 30, 2008 VoIP Pioneer Slams Sprint - Jan 25, 2008 Another VoIP Provider Bites the Dust - Sep 26, 2007 Vonage vs. Sprint - Court Decision Reached - Sep 25, 2007 P2P or ENUM Saves Vonage? - May 11, 2007 Vonage warns it could file for bankruptcy - Apr 18, 2007 Vonage Patent Update - Apr 09, 2007 Vonage NOT Saved by VoIP, Inc. - Apr 04, 2007 Vonage inks deal with VoIP Inc bypassing Verizon patent claim - Apr 03, 2007 Shoretel Rumors - May 01, 2008 Read more…

Robert Traphan, a college friend of mine stayed at my house last night and we were talking about the various VoIP products and services. Robert is a former SunRocket customer until the SunRocket implosion. Robert was a huge fan of SunRocket over both Packet8 and Vonage. One of his favorite features was SunRocket Signature Message Screener, a piece of software that runs on your PC and allows you to see who is calling (Caller ID with Name) via a TOAST icon in the System Tray. Even cooler, SunRocket Signature Message Screen lets you screen the voicemail message on your PC speakers as it is being left in real-time and it allows you to redirect the call to a predefined number (such as your cell phone). SunRocket Signature Message Screener image courtesy of MyDigitalLife.us Because it automatically plays out your PC speakers, the software gives your hosted VoIP voicemail service the feeling of a true home answering machine. Robert's only complaint he told me is that when the caller is leaving a message and you decide to redirect them they hear a ringing tone, which can be disconcerting to the caller. Still call screening on broadband VoIP service is a must. Why oh why Vonage, Packet8, and all the others haven't copied this feature yet is beyond me. When I did have Vonage, I disabled their hosted voicemail because I like to screen callers and used a Uniden 5.8GHz TRU8885-2 multi-handset phone system which features call screening on any of the phone handsets. After all, the call could be a telemarketing call, or it could be family or friends calling. Without live call screening to me and to many people the voicemail system is useless. I should also point out that CallWave can be used as a hosted voicemail replacement and they support not only call screening but also Voicemail-To-Text transcribing. (See: Rich's post on CallWave) Why don't any of the major broadband VoIP service providers offer this functionality? Robert was very sad to hear SunRocket was ceasing operations, which meant he was losing call screening. He asked me for advice on which VoIP service provider I'd recommend he switch to. However, we both learned that Teleblend was going to take over SunRocket's operations and maintain the existing feature set, including SunRocket Signature Message Screener. He's been a happy Teleblend user ever since. His only complaints about them is they don't seem to update their website very often and they started a blog, which also isn't updated. Then Robert started talking about the big hoopla surrounding the Skype outage. Robert said, "Did you hear about the Skype outage? Apparently, Microsoft Windows Update caused the Skype supernode network to crash." With a big grin on my face, I responded, "Did I hear about the Skype outage? I broke the story about the Skype outage and I theorized what the cause was - Microsoft Patch Tuesday and I was right. I was linked to by several bloggers & websites, including Computerworld, PC World, GigaOM, and Good Morning Silicon Valley. A couple mainstream media outlets linked to it and the San Francisco Chronicle called me for an interview on this major news since I broke the story. (SFC article is here.)" I thought to myself, "Sheesh, don't you read my blog? [sigh] With friends like these..." Tags: answering machine, Caller ID, call screening, SunRocket, SunRocket Signature Message Screener, Teleblend, VoIP Related Entries SunRocket 10 Day Countdown - Jul 27, 2007 SunRocket Saviors - Jul 20, 2007 Call Screening Patent - Apr 30, 2008 SunrRocket sues Vonage over dirty tricks - Aug 24, 2007 SunRocket Lives? - Aug 06, 2007 SunRocket warns "All hands abandon ship! Repeat, all hands abandon..." - Aug 01, 2007 Packet8 Outage Sunday - Jul 26, 2007 Ooma Free Phone Calls - Jul 19, 2007 SunRocket ceases, Vonage fights for the scraps - Jul 17, 2007 Private Caller Hack - Jun 01, 2007 Read more…

I always find it fascinating to read about companies that take standard Skype and add additional features that make it a great solution for various business processes beyond just VoIP. One such company is OnState, the creator of OnState ACD for Skype, which adds ACD & call center functionality to Skype. They recently announced support for Zimbra,  a popular open source server and client software for messaging and collaboration - email, group calendaring, contacts, and web document management and authoring. The mashup of Zimbra and Skype will delivers a low-cost Unified Messaging solution. Today, OnState has announced their multi-modal solution is being used by B4 Consulting. Specifically, B4 Consulting's tech support uses OnState chat and call center capabilities to deliver 24x7 customer support globally featuring VoIP, chat, voicemail, call recording, callbacks, CRM integration, and more. To be honest, this is the kind of functionality that Skype should offer to businesses themselves instead of that joke known as Skype for Business. Skype gets a bad rap for being too consumery - and deservedly so because they haven't added any features to Skype for Business worth mentioning. Fortunately, third-parties like OnState are extending Skype and adding business-class features. Another example is VAPPS, which offers high-definition conferencing that works with Skype. But Skype shouldn't be relying on third-parties for business-class features. In any case, check out the news... OnState Communications, innovating new-generation contact center solutions, today announced a multi-modal call center solution for technical support services. The solution has been adopted by B4 Consulting, an SAP® channel partner that has achieved gold-level status, which uses the OnState CallCenter for Skype to deliver real-time customer support. The OnState CallCenter for Skype™ is integral to B4 Consulting’s delivery of its global Application Management Services for the SAP Business One application, SAP’s affordable business management solution for growing businesses. B4 Consulting’s Web-integrated call center capitalizes on the full range of OnState’s multiple communications modes and customer contact options. This includes concurrent Skype chat and voice, Skype voicemail, dynamic call recording, and callbacks. Customers can initiate contact with agents via live chat, free inbound Skype calls, toll-free inbound lines, as well as non-Skype traditional landline and email. Additionally, the OnState CallCenter is integrated with B4 Consulting’s customer relationship management system. “To deliver technical support services on a global basis, B4 is leveraging nearly every feature within OnState’s portfolio of customer contact solutions,” said Pat Kelly, president and CEO of OnState. “And, they are using them in a completely integrated manner and sometimes simultaneously to deliver highly-responsive support services to their customers using SAP Business One.” Moreover, as call center and support portal functions are Skype-based and Web-enabled, support can be delivered from anywhere at anytime. Therefore, B4 Consulting’s support customers can rely on call center agents who are subject-matter experts in SAP Business One. “When we launched our Application Management Services [AMS] for SAP Business One, we couldn't afford the time and resources to establish a traditional call center – yet we wanted to provide premium, enterprise-level services on a global basis," noted Frank Paetzold, vice president of delivery and AMS at B4 Consulting. "Establishing a sophisticated call center was quick, easy and affordable with OnState. The beauty of OnState, however, goes beyond affordability. Implementing OnState requires no server hardware or software and minimal agent-based client software installation. OnState eliminates barriers to communication, enabling us to give customers the freedom to decide how and when they want to communicate with us as well as the option for self-service through our online knowledge portal.” B4 maintains that most customer conversations begin with voice and evolve to other communication modes, principally chat. “Currently, live chat is most often used by customers," noted Paetzold, "it's a quick way for customers to communicate issues and an efficient information-gathering mechanism for our agents.” All customer contact, conversations, email, and chat exchanges are easily recorded in B4 Consulting’s CRM system for historical reference. “As the market matures, I'm sure customers will use a wider variety of communications methods,” continued Paetzold, “and find a lot of creative ways to use them.” Tags: ACD, B4 Consulting, call center, CRM, OnState CallCenter for Skype, OnState Communications, Skype, Skype for Business, VoIP Related Entries OnState Mashup of Skype & Zimbra - Feb 11, 2008 Web-based GUI comes to Frontrange HEAT - Sep 18, 2007 Skype 3.8 for Windows - Apr 29, 2008 AOL Launches Open Voice APIs - Apr 29, 2008 Skype Launches Unlimited Flat-Rate International Calls - Apr 21, 2008 Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband Headset - Apr 11, 2008 Packet8 Virtual Office Adds Salesforce.com VoIP Plugin - Apr 09, 2008 Microsoft & Aspect Software Partner on Unified Communications - Mar 18, 2008 SippySkype SIP-to-Skype Gateway - Mar 07, 2008 SimplyExchange Skype PBX Gateway - Feb 22, 2008 Read more…

Codeguys.rpc1.org is a popular website run by C0deKing and Kanalratte that offers crossflashing and overclocking of your DVD±RW drives using "hacked" firmware for your DVD burner. Often the hacked firmware enables missing features such as overclocking the speed of the DVD burn and more importantly, setting the 'book type' permanently to "DVD-ROM". (more on that later) RPC1.org also offer "autopatchers", which are are easy do-it-yourself tools with an easy-to-use GUI to patch DVD burner firmware. I recently bought a Sony DRU-840A DVD burner and when I tried to burn a home movie I noticed Nero didn't list the booktype setting under the 'Options' button. (Here's a screenshot of the book type setting in Nero on my Vista PC with a different DVD burner:) The Book Type setting, also knowns as "bitsetting" allows you to change DVD+R media's default book type of "DVD+R" & "DVD+RW" to "DVD-ROM" more more compatibility with home DVD players which are looking for this particular book type. The Book Type is four bits at the start of every DVD disc (in the physical format information section of the control data block), which indicates what the physical format of the disc is.Many DVD players will refuse to play burned DVDs without the proper book type. Changing the book type works on both single-layer (SL) and dual-layer (DL) DVD+R media but not on DVD-R or DVD-RW media. In other words, minus (-) is bad for compatibility and plus (+) is good. So in any event, the reason I bought the Sony DRU-840a was because it was supposed to support bitsetting/book type. I had Nero 7 installed which should have recognized the drive as supporting this. So then I figured I may have had old firmware. I went to Sony's support page and couldn't find any new firmware for this drive. I knew there was "hacked" firmware out there and have gone to the RPC1.org website in the past to add "features" missing in my DVD burner. So I headed on over to codeguys.rpc1.org to see if I could find better firmware for my drive only to discover the site was down. I tried several days in a row and it was still down. The last Google cache is 5 days ago. Not good. Seems like a permanent outage to me. Wonder if they were shutdown for illegally distributing hacked firmware? Yeah well maybe if the original manufacturers didn't cripple the firmware users wouldn't resort to hacked firmware. Fortunately, after some creative Googling I found a RPC1 mirror here: http://codeworks.cdfreaks.com/cgmirror/ I thought perhaps my Sony drive was a LiteOn OEM, since LiteOn is perhaps the largest OEM manufacturer of DVD drives that do not carry the LiteOn label and past Sony DVD burners I used were LiteOn. Generally speaking you can use "real" LiteOn firmwares with these so-called rebadged drives. But when I attempted to try the firmware loaders from the mirrored website, the utilities wouldn't recognize my Sony DVD burner. I then figured out it was actually an OEM of the Samsung SH-202J DVD drive. I then tried the OmniPatcher utility which is supposed to support Samsung/Sony DVD burners, but it couldn't detect my drive. Back to square one. I then said the hell with Nero 7, I'll just use ImgBurn, a popular freeware DVD burning software utility that has a very powerful book type setting utility that works with virtually any DVD burner. It even features an Advanced tab for configuring settings manually. I selected the 'Samsung' tab, and it gave me a warning "Unknown (Drive doesn't report it!)". I read you can just ignore this message as long as you are selecting the correct OEM company. I changed the drop-down box to 'DVD+R DL Media' and then changed the book type to "DVD-ROM". I then clicked 'Ok', and received a "Success!" message, as seen below. As long as you get this "Success!" message you are good to go. In my experience with multiple burners, I find that you can try each of the tabs with the various models and try to change the book type. At worst you'll get a "Failed!" message. In any case, I burned a DVD and then verified the booktype was correctly set to DVD-ROM by clicking Drive Info in Nero. Curious if the book type setting I set in ImgBurn would work in Nero, I then burned a second DVD and Nero correctly set the book type. So the bitsetting  change made by ImgBurn is global to all your DVD burning apps. Unfortunately, the setting isn't permanent. If you reboot your PC you have to go back into ImgBurn and change the book type setting again. Using "hacked" firmware would have saved me the trouble of doing this step. Just when I was going to give up on Nero 7, I decided to see if any updates were available. I downloaded and installed the latest version from Nero 7 from Nero's website. I went back to the Options section in Nero and voila' the Book Type setting was there! Here's proof: Conclusion: So you are having problems with the book type settings in your DVD burner, try these steps: Re-install Nero or other DVD burning software with the latest updates. Use ImgBurn instead to set the booktype. Here's a good tutorial with screenshots explaining how to do it. Go to the RPC1.org mirror and try crossflashing your DVD burner or installing "hacked" firmware. Be aware this will void your warranty and could break your burner! If none of these work, it's possible your drive doesn't support setting the book type. Time to go buy a new burner! Try Googling your DVD model + "book type" and see if any discussions are out there mentioning if it supports it. Hope this info helps someone else since I wasted a couple hours trying to solve this book type setting problem. Tags: autopatcher, book type, booktype, Codeguys.rpc1.org, crossflashing, DVD burner, DVD+R, DVD-ROM, DVD+RW, firmware, problem, rp1.org Related Entries Apple to nuke unlocked iPhones - Sep 25, 2007 Fix Scratched DVD problems - Dec 12, 2006 Digium releases new firmware - Jul 28, 2005 Vonage solves Clearwire blocking problem, asks feds for help - Apr 22, 2005 Packet8 firmware download with new features - Jul 28, 2004 Read more…

Skype 3.8 for Windows was just released with the main improvements in the audio engine. Skype claims the new version significantly reduced background noise, less delay, fewer call drops, and fewer cut-outs, especially when both sides are using Skype 3.8 for Windows. According to a Skype spokeperson, another improvement is if you change your headset, headphones or microphone, "there's no need to mess around with sound settings. Skype 3.8 for Windows takes care of it behind the scenes." If you've been offended by the profile images that popup that are certainly NSFW (not safe for work), you'll be happy to know the new version no longer displays profile images by default. You can still see the hidden avatar if you click on it. The release also includes a number of video-related bug fixes, Skype's own UPnP implementation and other tweaks. Download Skype 3.8 for Windows at skype.com/go/download Tags: Skype, Skype 3.8 for Windows, VoIP Related Entries OnState, the Skype Call Center functionality Enabler, Used by B4 Consulting - Apr 30, 2008 AOL Launches Open Voice APIs - Apr 29, 2008 Skype Launches Unlimited Flat-Rate International Calls - Apr 21, 2008 Plantronics SupraPlus HW251N-USB Wideband Headset - Apr 11, 2008 SippySkype SIP-to-Skype Gateway - Mar 07, 2008 SimplyExchange Skype PBX Gateway - Feb 22, 2008 OnState Mashup of Skype & Zimbra - Feb 11, 2008 ooVoo 1.5 Adds Phone Calling & Recording - Feb 07, 2008 Future of SIP to Skype Gateway in Doubt? - Feb 04, 2008 IPEVO Solo Skype Desktop Phone now with Wi-Fi - Jan 09, 2008 Read more…