VARBusiness Magazine, a leading publication for the computer channel sales profession, has honored D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, with the "Tech Innovator Product of the Year" award for its flip-style Wi-Fi phones. The D-Link Wi-Fi Phone gives users low-cost worldwide calling flexibility, secure wireless network access and many value-added features.

Winners in the data/voice products category, D-Link was presented the award in a gala ceremony Monday evening at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Introduced earlier this year, the industry's first flip-style Wi-Fi phones (DPH-540 for black casing and DPH-541 for silver casing) earned top honors in the competition's data/voice product category. A panel of nine information technology (IT) industry experts judged the products for their usefulness, innovation, price/performance, revenue potential and their "coolness".

The 3Com 3108 Wireless Phone allows users to roam a building or campus environment and stay connected with customers, partners and co-workers while utilizing VoIP, wireless email and data applications. The 3Com 3108 Wireless Phone delivers reliable and secure voice communications over any standards-based IEEE 802.11b/g wireless LAN infrastructure.

Features:

• Sleek clamshell flip form factor with a high-quality color display
• Keypad and intuitive four-way cursor lets users manage calls
• Access their phonebook
• View call logs and view e-mails
• Personal settings, such as ring tones, speed dials and connectivity settings, can be configured on the phone or via a Web browser-based management tool.

"The 3108 wireless phone is also the newest addition to 3Com’s broad portfolio of IP phones. It works with 3Com NBX and 3Com wireless networking solutions as part of a complete VoIP solution. 3Com VCX is scheduled to support the 3108 wireless phone in early 2007. The phone is currently available through 3Com channel partners and distributors at a list price of $415 USD."

"Fluke Networks announces the new NetTool Series II Inline Network Tester with NetProve diagnostics to identify and isolate enterprise network and application connectivity problems more than four times faster than traditional methods."

This provides you a front-line VoIP management tool for verify link readiness during pre-deployment planning, as well as troubleshoot problems on active networks by monitoring real-time VoIP traffic. Simple inline connectivity provides visibility into VoIP calls to quickly diagnose both IP phone boot-up and call control problems, and to measure key call quality metrics. Series II adds H.323 to existing SIP and SCCP support.

You can read more about the NetTool Series II here

D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, is now shipping its most powerful home networking routers and adapters yet using the latest Draft 802.11n wireless technology.

The D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router (DIR-655) and its accompanying Xtreme N desktop and notebook adapters (DWA-552 and DWA-652, respectively) are designed for consumers, small businesses and gamers who demand the highest performance possible from their wireless networks. The Xtreme N family is designed for larger homes and offices with high-speed Internet using multiple PCs, game consoles and other digital home devices such as streaming media adapters.

These two headsets were put to the test by Yuval Kossovsky of Computerworld for several days. Both had different prices, styles, and most importantly comfort levels.

The Cardo Wireless Scala 700:

• List price: $69.95, $40 or so at Amazon.com
• Size: 1.5 inches and about 30% smaller than the 500
• Parts: BT headset, ear loop, charger, USB charging cable, and a carrying case that also has a belt loop
• Five-hour charge, the Scala 700 yields six hours of talk time and at least three days of idle

As reported in Andy Abramsons VoIP Watch blog yesterday about Sony's Mylo and T-Mobile. "Interestingly enough, SONY has cut a deal with T-Mobile that begins in November which provides a years' free access at hotspots."

Upon further investigation I found, "Starting in mid-November 2006, mylo communication devices will get online access for no charge at more than 7,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations in the United States, including many Starbucks coffeehouses, Borders Books and Music stores, FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Centers, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Sofitel and Novotel hotels, Red Roof Inn locations, the airline clubs of American, Delta, United and US Airways and select airports."

You will have to download mylo communicator that will allow the device to log into these T-Mobile hotspots at no charge to the user during the promotion. Mylo allows you to send instange messages with Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger when connected to a T-Mobile hotspot, or any 802.11b wireless network. It also comes pre-load with Skype software allowing you to make Internet calls.

Mylo Communicator is currently available online at sonystyle.com for $350 and at Sony Style retail stores and authorized dealers.

SMC Networks' WiFi phone for Skype will now be able to make Internet-based Skype phone calls when within range of a Cloud hotspot. When the calls are from another Skype users the calls are entirely free. However calls to fixed and mobile users will be at a substantially reduced cost of Skypeout minutes. The phone also provides its users with access to their Skype accounts and contacts.

"The Cloud currently has some 8,500 hotspots in the UK, Germany, the Nordic countries and The Netherlands. It also operates large scale networks across the City of London, Canary Wharf, Amsterdam and seven other UK cities and two London boroughs."

For Generation Y -- which is more than 70 million strong -- passing notes and pen pals have been replaced by instant messaging and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. And as wireless access to the Web expands around the country -- with more than 41,000 Wi-Fi sites nationwide, it's growing faster than cell phone networks did. And now there's a new way to connect to the web, and your friends using Wi-Fi with Sony's mylo personal communicator. This device allows you to send instant messages with Google Talk instant messaging service and Yahoo! Messenger. Registered Skype users can use the mylo communicator to make free Internet calls with the 113 million other Skype users. The embedded HTML browser lets you connect to full Web pages on the Internet and send and receive text emails with web mail services.

Actiontec Electronics announced the availability of VoSKY Exchange 9040 and 9080, new versions of its Skype PBX gateway for small and mid-sized businesses. The new stackable, rackmountable devices add four or eight outgoing Skype lines to the office PBX, allowing users to make and receive free and low-cost long-distance and international phone calls over the world's largest Voice over Internet Protocol network. A software upgrade also simplifies management and reporting.

Using the Internet to lower phone bills just got easier, thanks to the launch of Auvi's PHIP65 Dual Mode Cordless Phone. The sleek PHIP65 is the next generation of communication hardware which connects to a traditional landline and the computer, via USB port. This dual functionality gives consumers the freedom to make and receive both standard and / or Internet calls from a single cordless phone.

Designed to work with Skype Internet software, the PHIP65 enables individuals to use their Skype contact list at a push of a button to talk to other Skype users globally for free or make low cost calls through other Skype services. In addition, users can use their regular phone service for local calls.

This week at WiMAX World in Boston, ZyXEL Communications Inc., a leading provider of secure broadband networking, Internet connectivity and routing products, will announce the latest addition to their WiMAX product line with the MAX-200H and MAX-300 broadband gateway customer premise equipment (CPE). ZyXEL is the first to market with an all-in-one solution based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard that combines WiMAX, Wi-Fi, VoIP and security in a single box.

Polycom, Inc., the world's leading provider of unified collaborative communications solutions, announced that the Polycom VoiceStation 500 conference phone is Skype Certified. The integration of Skype and the VoiceStation 500 enables customers to easily host business quality conference calls in a small conference room or executive office using Skype. The VoiceStation 500 features Bluetooth wireless and an applications port that enables it to seamlessly work with Skype running on a PC.

Actiontec Electronics announced that it has signed 20 resellers for its VoSKY line of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) products, notably including a suite of VoIP-to-PBX gateways that enable businesses to slash phone expenses by adding multiple outgoing VoIP lines to the office PBX at very low cost. The announcement comes just a month after Actiontec launched its VoSKY reseller program for VARs that offer telecom and networking services.

Shenzhen Gaoxinqi Technology Co. Ltd offers the GXQ-SP101, a USB IP phone that supports fixed and VoIP calls. It works with five different handsets.

The GXQ-SP101 enables Skype display of buddy list, SkypeOut calls and voice mail recording for Skype calls. The supported three-way conferencing includes Skype and fixed lines.

D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, announced a new line of "V-CLICK" dual-mode phones that allow users to switch between cellular and Wi-Fi networks with the click of a button.

When it begins shipping during the first quarter of 2007, the new D-Link V-CLICK line of phones will feature tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900 Mhz) and 802.11 Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz) access. By sliding a cellular service provider's SIM Smartcard or chip into the V-CLICK phone, the user automatically gains GSM access. Stored phone numbers and address books are also automatically taken into the phone via the SIM Smartcard or chip.