While a number of debit and credit cards were already accepted, customers will now be able to use Paypal through their device to add land-line calling credit without the need to resort to using a web-browser equipped personal computer.

Quite where that leaves other SIP and proprietary VoIP users on Comcast’s network is anybody’s guess.

Comcast also say they haven’t been blocking any rivals VoIP in the past either but accusations have been levelled at them.

Connection quality is critical for Voice over IP applications as you need as much of the data as possible to arrive in a timely manner. ‘Packet loss’ in a VoIP conversation can manifest itself as a degradation of quality in the call followed by the call actually breaking up and finally being dropped altogether when too few packets arrive. Delaying of data at the ISP level can cause issues where the latency of the call makes normal conversation difficult.

Neo Freerunner does not yet have a VoIP application but with it’s built-in WiFi and linux based, open software architecture, it looks like it will only be a matter of time before a SIP compliant application is ported. Telepathy, a framework which allows IM and Voice over IP integration looks like a prime candidate.

The Neo Freerunner is designed with sensitive corporate environements in mind. The lack of camera and the possibility of a full code audit should put minds at ease in the board-room.

Specifications:

Connectivity:

• GSM
• Bluetooth 2.0
• GPRS
• AGPS
• WiFi (in final version)
• USB 1.1 slave and host
• 2.5-mm audio jack

Memory

• 128 MB SDRAM
• 256 MB NAND flash

Display

• 2.8 in. VGA (480×640) TFT

Dimensions

• 120.7mm × 62mm × 18.5mm

The Neo Freerunner is available now in North America, Europe and Asia with a MSRP of $399 US.

iPhone users will now be able to use a SIP application directly when connected to WiFi hotspots to make free or reduced cost calls over the internet.

This brings the iPhone in line with other WiFi enabled smartphone which have SIP functionality directly available.

Sipgate appear to be offering their free iPhone product via their USA, UK and Austrian websites although, if the software is truly SIP compliant, there shouldn’t be any geographic limitations to its use.

The original question posed is by someone using a Linksys WRT54G wireless broadband router with Bittorrent and other high-bandwidth applications to consider. Unfortunately, the WRT54G isn’t quite cutting it when used alongside Vonage.

Inevitably for Slashdot, there is some gravitation toward open-source products. Open firmware for the WRT54G is suggested by some while another comment mentions that m0n0wall, an open-source firewall VPN distribution, can be deployed on relatively low-end commodity hardware and provides the type of QoS required.

This will enable others to develop new applications and add-ons for the fring platform.

The fring platform supports mobile devices such as the Symbian Series 60, Sony Ericsson UIQ, Windows Mobile 5 & 6 and the iPhone.

As a network, fring also integrates with Skype, AIM, Twitter, Google Talk and the industry standard SIP protocol.

An article at VoIP Weblog suggest that the old telcos may have actually been blocking access to 911 for some VoIP operators. Smithonvoip is similarly aghast that 911 services which exist to provide access to emergency services could have been blocked.

The Snom M3 allows for multiple DECT wireless handsets with full-color graphical displays to make and receive SIP calls over any compliant network.

The Snom M3 system involves a base-station which provides network and control facilities including a web confiiguration interface. Up to 8 individual wireless DECT handsets can be connected to each base-station. The base-station can handle up to three simultaneous calls.

Product video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Snom M3 is to be available in the USA as of June 2008.

This is a regular bug fix version, a complete changelog can be found here.

The issue lies in the way the ‘sounds’ of a conversation are compressed.

…the sampling rate is kept high for long complex sounds like “ow”, but cut down for simple consonants like “c”. This variable method saves on bandwidth, while maintaining sound quality.

Simply by analysing the encrypted stream for the difference between the sizes of the packets, researchers at John Hopkins university say they can identify entire words with a high degree of accuracy.

The John Hopkins team hope that they have caught this threat in time but I think it will take a good deal of shouting about it for the ISPs to take notice and change their planned deployments.