Put Asterisk On Steroids, Get Elastix!

Elastix Project snapvoip.blogspot.com
We all know about Asterisk and totally grateful for the Digium and the Asterisk community but it is not the easiest system to setup and configure. There have been countless attempts make the deployment of Asterisk easier but one such system, "Elastix" stands out.
Elastix has a great following and the community is very active. Elastix makes it possible to install Asterisk in few minutes and get it running. But that is not all because Elastix includes other related open source projects such as  FreePBX, Postfix, Hylafax, and Openfire and  email, fax, and Jabber instant messaging becomes part of the communications solution for a small business or a solo office.
But the main reason I wrote this is to point you to an article on sourceforge.net blog, where Elastix is hosted. Getting published on the Sourceforge blog is it self a feat as not all 230000 projects get featured on the blog, which is very selective and reserved for the best.
So head over to sourceforge to find out why Elastix put Asterisk on steroids.

Sourceforge Blog
Elastix

Happy Holidays! From Snap VoIP

Happy Holidays from snapvoip.blogspot.com
Enjoy the joyful days. We will be back after Xmas!

DailyMotion Comes To iPhone And iPod Touch

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Dailymotion iPhone App
by Dailymotion_Products

The French video sharing site, Dailymotion has released an iPhone app that helps you to watch videos on the go! To be honest, there are actually two apps, the free version which is supported by  ads and another version free of ads but costs $5.99. (We think $5.99 is too steep for an app that you can do without.)
Another bonus is that the owners of iPhone 3Gs will be able to record and upload videos directly to the Dailymotion accounts.
You will find the app in the Apple iTunes Store
Dailymotion Blog.

Twitter DNS Hack Defaces Twitter Home Page

Tweeting Twitter Hack snapvoip.blogspot.com

While I was partying last night at a friends B'day party, Twitter got hacked by some gorup calling themselves “Iranian Cyber Army” The hackers were focused on defacing Twitter home page that harming users. (But what if they forwarded to a password stealing site pretending to be Twitter?)
The combined efforts of many organizations, Twitter, DNS Provider and the defaced page hoster have worked together to bring the twitter back up again.
I even did not know about the hack until now as after the party I sent a few tweets without any trouble. But now I know where not to host my DNS, DYN, even if Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and Vimeo uses them.

Twitter

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, Is It Coming To T-Mobile?

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, snapvoip.blogspot.com

FCC has released a bunch od photos and documentation like user manual on Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, and from the frequncies, standards and a lot of help from people at engadget, it seem it is slated for T-Mobile. If you are a Sony or a T-Mobile fan, there are 89 pages of information you could read!
FCC via engadget

Google Message Security Is A Finalist In The SC Awards 2010.

Google Message Security snapvoip.blogspot.com
Google Message Security powered by Postini is one of the best I have used so far, (Belive me I have used many a collaboration products from Microsoft, Oracle, and online solutions like hotmail, yahoo mail, even home spun email servers.
But I have never been able to manage false positives and true negatives of spam management let alone other issues such as peoper delivery, spyware and virus control.
My personal GMail, account, which has been there for almost 5 years, detected all the spam and I have never had a spam message delivered to my inbox. Others may have had diference experiences but this is mine.
So I was glad to read that it was nominated for the Reader Trust award in the Best Managed Security Service category award in the 2010 SC Awards
SC Awards has been recognizing the professionals, products, and companies providing security solutions that protect us today, and well into tomorrow with capability in identifying emerging threats, for over a decade now.
It is a great honor for the Google's Postini team and we to wish them luck and thanks for protecting us.

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google Honored as a Finalist in the 2010 SC Awards
/

Cisco And The Sheep Of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Sheep snapvoip.blogspot.com
Few times a week, I pass freeway 237 on both the directions. There were many farmlands in this area before likes of Cisco, Marvel started building server and router farms. Now there are even golf courses.  Actually when Cisco began 25 years ago, it's march towards to become the networking giant, I doubt they thought of that one day they will be dealing flip video cameras. The following was recorded with one of those flip video cameras and reported by a Ciscoer, John Earnhardt. Yes there are sheep in the valley and I have seen them. But never thought of their connection to networking, until now.

Japanese Voice Search System (音声検索), For Android And iPhone

Japanese Voice Search System (音声検索) snapvoip.blogspot.com

As a person who spends a better half of the year in Japan, I use Japanese regularly. In my speech, reading  and computing. I also use Japanese every where I happened to be because my better half to be is Japanese.
All my computers have the Japanese language option enabled. I also used a voice recognition system when I learned Japanese to verify my pronunciation. It is not easy to convince my computer that my Japanese pronunciation is good but I never thought about the technical aspects of the voice recognition system related to my Japanese learning, until I read the article below.
The Japanese Voice Search is available on Android platform and Google Mobile App on iPhone. There is a How to get started article on Google Japan mobile and Google Japan blog has an article as well. (Both require that you read Japanese! :) The developers can find some information on the recognizer API on Android Developer site.
But I sure am going to try it, when I am in Japan at the end of the month.I think I can prove to Google, that I can speak Japanese or I will make the real Japanese wonder why is this guy shouting at his phone in an strange accent, which one of the aspects Google had to work on;

Every speaker sounds different
People speak in different styles, slow or fast, with an accent or without, have lower or higher pitched voices, etc. To make it work for all these different conditions we trained our system on data from many different sources to capture as many conditions as possible.

Official Google Research Blog: Teaching a Computer to Understand Japanese

AT&T Does Android With Motorola Enzo

Motorola Enzo snapvoip.blogspot.com

After what it looks like eons, finally someone has dugged up AT&T's Droid named Motorola Enzo or Backflip. The sytem seem to have something similar to Cliq but it is no where near Cliq. First of all, it is smaller than Cliq but why AT&T even doing this. The device has usual run of the mill phone specs;

• 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A
• 512 MB ROM
• 256 MB RAM
• 3.1 inch display 320 x 480 (HVGA)
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• WiFi / Bluetooth 2.0 / GPS
• OS Android 1.5 with Motoblur
• GSM 850/900/1800/1900 W-CDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100
• Reverse flip keyboard
• Rear directional touchpad

But there will be no one standing in line to get the phone, unless of course AT&T forces it's employees to stand in line.
Pandroid has mor infor and photos.

Google Earth And Other Google Services Will Come With The New Audi A8

Audi A8 with Google Earth snapvoip.blogspot.com/

With everything being connected to the net we have come to rely on Google services for our day to day dealings of business and personal lives. Google itself and various other services, Google voice, Google maps and Google earth.
We access them from our computers, notebooks and of course our phones.
Looks like this is going to change as well with a new venture between Google and Audi. The new Audi A8 will come with "Google Earth" and some other Google Services.
Google Earth combined with Audi's navigation system will make new horizons in in car experiences. 3D satellite imagery, terrain information and layers like wikipedia about the current location will bring a new dimensions to traveling experiences.
So Audi fans will have little more than high torque vehicles this time.

Google LatLong: Google & Audi take Google services in a car to the next level in the new Audi A8

ASTRICON 2009 Videos Online

ASTRICON 2009 Videos snapvoip.blogspot.com

@TODD twittered today about more videos from Astricon 2009 being posted on the Astricon site. There are 27 videos so far and if you were not able to attend the Astricon this year, these videos will provide some of the stuff you missed and encouragement to attend the show next year. For those who were there, it might be nice to watch that favorite presentation again!
Astricon

Phonewars, iPhone - Droid Face Off In Ringtone Mixes

iPhone vs Droid Ringtone Mixes snapvoip.blogspot.com
For what ever the reason, some people think iPhone is better and on the other camp, even more people think the Droid is better. I would have joined the former camp inly if the the chosen carrier had it's antennae up! But more and more, the Droids and siblings like Google phone are proving to be a capable bunch. But then we knew that already when we said "Google Phone Coming Soon"
We wrote about the droid vs iPhone before but those were technical not musical and Indaba Music has stepped into make song and dance of the phonewars. Go join the crowd to mix music and create ringtones. I loved the creations so far but there will be much more and there certainly will be popularity wars for ringtones themselves. link after the jum.

In lieu of a light saber battle to the death, we present… a battle of the ringtones. To participate, choose your weapon - either the iPhone audio OR the Droid audio. If you don't have either phone, choose the one whose audio samples you prefer. Create an original ringtone using (or covering) at least one audio sample from your chosen phone’s audio files. Make sure to put the name of the phone in the title of your submission. The winning phone will be the phone whose ringtones get the most votes!

Indaba Music

Newly Weds (Sex) On Twitter

Sex On Twitter snapvoip.blogspot.com

Hoax or not, this Twitter account seems to be attracting many subscribers, more than 17000 now! Finally they are having sex on Twitter, without even knowing about it!

• Bio V proud to have been best man for my best mate. He made me SWEAR no pranks before wedding. They’re back from honeymoon soon, which is AFTER the wedding, right?

So here’s the thing: the newlywed’s marital bed now has a pressure-sensitive pad underneath which now tweets everytime they get on the job.

Good job!

Nimbuzz 1.5 for iPhone and iPod touch Relesed

Nimbuzz 1.5 for iPhone and iPod touch snapvoip.blogspot.com

Nimbuzz 1.5 brings an improved login speed to take you to the Nimbuzz tab and put you in touch with the buddies from your IM and social networks. After you have been chatting and buzzing with your friends and collegues for a while, the new Nimbuzz's Chat History feature let you find past chats in the Chats tabin case you need to refer to them.
But as always you can use NimbuzzOut for your international calls to mobile phones and landlines to keep in touch with your friends and family abroad during the holiday season.
You can get you Nimbuzz app from the iTunes App Store.

Goo.gl, Google URL Shortener!

Google URL Shortener snapvoip.blogspot.com

There is goo.gl, a new site by Google for shortening long URLs.

Google URL Shortener at goo.gl is a service that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link that is easier to share, tweet, or email to friends. The core goals of this service are:

• Stability – ensuring that the service has very good uptime
• Security – protecting users from malware and phishing pages
• Speed – fast resolution of short URLs

Google URL Shortener is currently available for Google products and not for broader consumer use.

Droid Gets Android 2.1 (flan), The OS Inside Nexus One.

Android 2.1 on Droid snapvoip.blogspot.com

When we announced the appearance of Nexus One on Googler hands, we also knew that the new Google Phone was sporting Android 2.1. The next question was when are the fellow droids who are still waiting for Android 2.0.1 getting new brains within their armor.
That did not take much time, sholes,info has published about an image of the Android 2.1 ported to Droid and available for download.
All are not very rosy at the moment but it does run with some quirks. So do not fail to read the comments before downloading and making your droid inoperable.
Sholes.info via engadget

AT&T Gives Two Lumps Of Coal To Apple, For Holidays!

AT&T, Apple Fail! snapvoip.blogspot.com
First it was a big honcho wanting to charge iPhone users for using data, that they called unlimited for $30 (NOT!) and secondly massive network failure in San Francisco that AT&T yet to officially acknowledge. Apple is not getting what it wants for the holidays and Google is surfing the waves with it's Nexus One or the latest Google Phone. And them Droids are sending smiles home!
The difference is Nexus One is not exclusive like iPhone and overpromising and underdelivering networks like AT&T or any other network will have to deliver to get and keep users. Google Phone will take care of GSM phones and Verizon and it's Droids are making strids as we write this.
I hope AT&T will revamp it's network and not break the contracts by charging more for data. That will keep me at least for the duration of the contract. After contract ends you can beg me to renew, but I doubt I will.
You can read more about Apple having to dial 911 Daily Finance.

Android Market Passes 20,000 Apps Mark

Android Market snapvoip.blogspot.com

Even though I have been visiting the place regularly, did not think of the number of applications until MobileCrunch directed me to Androlib doing Android analytics. Android Market has taken five months to jump from 10,000 apps to 20,000 (it is 20,035 just now). I think the phase will accelerate from now on taking in to account all the Android devices and "Droid Does" ads with Verizon coverage maps added to Google's own Google Phone. And there are 101 apps related to farts, that is certainly a good indication, woopee cushion always manage to get a chuckle from me everytime..
Androlib via MobileCrunch

Nexus One (Google Phone) Confirmed And Googlers Having Android dogfood For The Holidays

Nexus One (Google Phone) snapvoip.blogspot.com
After looking at the the New Google phone photos yesterday and checking out twitter post by Googler, it is now confirmed that Googlers are fed with Android Dog Food for the holidays. I guess that would be, indeed a good Xmas gift thanks to Google Mobile Lab!
According to Google Mobile Blog, the new device, the Google phone has been given to Googlers across the globe and we can expect to hear from those folks soon I guess.

unlockr got this and other photos a while back

The Google Phone is rumored to be a customized version of HTC's HD2 and will be an unlocked phone that could run on T-Mobile or AT&T networks. It is a GSM Phone.
The phone is equipped with snapdragon chip you interface with via a hires OLED touchscreen. The on screen keyboard is complemented by voice to text feature to compose anything that need to be typed!
Nexus One, indeed!
Official Google Mobile Blog: An Android dogfood diet for the holidays.

Google Droid, The Nexus One Photo!

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
The one who posted photo had this to say about the google phone or Nexus one as it is also known;

“Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android.”

Google Phone, get me one.

The GrandCentral website is shutting down, Google Voice Will Take Over.

GrandCentral Closing Down snapvoip.blogspot.com

Google Voice Team Announced today that the GrandCentral website will be shutdown from December 31. The team is advising any users to get all their belonging that you want to keep before the closing. Once the site is closed, it will be gone for ever.
If you were a GrandCentral user, you would have received the following message;

We're writing to let you know that we will be closing down the GrandCentral website as of December 31, 2009.
All GrandCentral accounts were upgraded to Google Voice earlier this year, but since that time, you've still been able to log-in to your GrandCentral account and listen to old messages there. You will no longer be able to log-in to your GrandCentral account after December 31. Because of this, we strongly suggest downloading any messages or contacts that you want to keep before December 31.
We suggest you take action now to download any information you want to keep.
- The Google Voice Team

Google Phone, The Super Android Has Come!

Super Android snapvoip.blogspot.com
The blogsphere  was awash with the news of new Google Phone dubbed the super android has actually made to some googlers hands, like the one below, a product manager, Leslie Hawthorn, (Hope you were not driving!) at Google. But it seems that everyone is trying to imply that it is better than iPhone. Of course it is. Come January, I will get a new Google Phone too! Still cannot forget the original "Google Phone Coming Soon!" two years and four months ago.

"Nokia chose to copy the iPhone" Says Apple's Countersuit Against Nokia.

Nokia vs Apple snapvoip.blogspot.com
Responding to Nokia's patent lawsuit, Apple has filed a counter suit revealing what the lawsuit all about. It is basically Nokia asking for fair share for it's patents and Apple saying it is too much!and that Nokia copied it!

Responding to a lawsuit brought against the company by Nokia, Apple® today filed a countersuit claiming that Nokia is infringing 13 Apple patents.
“Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours,” said Bruce Sewell, Apple’s General Counsel and senior vice president.

This could get ugly.

Apple.
Another report on techcrunch with links to court docs.

New TruPhone App, Truphone 3.2 For iPhone Released

TruPhone 3.2 for iPhone snapvoip.blogspot.com

Truphone has released a new iPhone App, enhancing the already fantastic app. Among the improvements are a new speakerphone function for truphone and the user sign up and subsequent sign in has been made easier. Once you sign in you will notice further improvements of improved IM and Twitter integration through a new look and feel. There is also a very nice step-by=step user guide, to assist users to learn all the features.

Here are the improvements again;

• New look and feel
• Streamlined sign-up
• In app guided tour
• Tru Friends presence
• Speaker phone support
• Improved IM and chat with multi-chat switcher
• Full Twitter integration

You can get the app from App Store (Make sure you pick up the truphone for iPhone, if you are searching in the iTunes app store, there are apps for iPods as well)

CrunchPad Lives On, Through A Federal Lawsuite Against JooJoo (Fusion Garage).

CrunchPad Lives On snapvoip.blogspot.com
With ups and downs for more than one and half years, raising our hopes on a tablet that could have been useful, now have reached a new level, a federal lawsuite.
Fusion Garage dropped TechCrunch from the deal that appeared to be a nice venture and went on to promote JooJoo for $500. Even though I liked the CrunchPad and the idea, I would not have paid $500 for JooJoo. But now the chances are even slimmer.
TechCrunch

WolframAlpha iPhone App Price Reduced For Holidays.

WolframAlpha iPhone App  snapvoip.blogspot.com/

When we reported about the WolframAlpha for iPhone, we neglected to point out about the some what higher price. The $50 price may have kept people away from using the palm sized super computer, even us, who are ardent Mathematica users resorted to the web version.
For those who were put away by the price now can save more than 50% now by getting the app for $19.99. But Wolfram says it is only for a short time and at the price will go backup to regular price in the new year.
The app is available at the App Store.
Other than solving complex mathematical problems, you can also solve problems like;

• Eggnog turns out to be quite the guilty pleasure
• What the heck is frankincense, anyway?
• Did you know that Santa had a brief flash of popularity as a proper name?
• Koch snowflakes prove that the holidays can be pretty geeky after all.
• Where exactly are Santa Claus, the North Pole, and Christmas?
• Ever wonder about the taxonomy of the reindeer?

WolframAlpha blog

Securely Sign And Deliver With VeriFone Payware Mobile For iPhone

VeriFone Payware Mobile snapvoip.blogspot.com

There are many payment systems for iPhone or other mobile devices. (But I am yet to see the similar services that exists in Japan, where you pay for many a things with just the phone!).  Card swipes for iPhone is not new but the Payware Mobile for iPhone is pretty neat and if you are a regular wheeler dealer using credit cards, you can leave it attached.
This is to be released January 15th 2010, and is free on a 2-year Payware Connect contract, and pre-orders are now live on the website. With the savings alone on the transaction processing, payware says, one would be able to pay for the iPhone easily.

payware via Gizmodo

Donate Your Google Voice Transcriptions (Voice Mail) For Better Transcriptions.

Google Voice Transcription snapvoip.blogspot.com
If you have got Google Voice, you may already have received a transcribed voice mail message. I may have very good English speakers as friends and colleagues because all my voice mail were  perfectly transcribed except for a very few mistakes that I could correct very easily.
So when I saw the blog post on Google Voice Blog requesting help to perfect the Google voice mail transcription I said to myself I should have saved those voice mails. Because I could donate some of those voce mails to make life easier for all of us.
Up to now when ever we got a good transcription, we could let the folks at Google Voice know the quality of the transcription by clicking on the check boxes next to the message. Now you will see an additional choices when you rate a transcribed voice mail, you will be asked whether you would like to donate the message, as shown in the screen capture.

If the message does not carry sensitive information, you can donate the voice mail to the Google Voice team. But keep in mind that the message will be listened or used to analyze transcription, they will not be made public.
So when you get a transcribed message next time, you may want to donate that voicemail for greater good.

Google Voice Blog: Help improve transcription quality

Motorola Milestone (Euro Droid) Ad Makes A Milestone By Being A Gentle Droid!

Motorola Milestone (Euro Droid) A Gentle Droid! snapvoip.blogspot.com
Other than the phone, one more thing I liked about them droids were, their ads. I like the shear power od the ads that I thought depicted the true nature of the fine hardware and of course the Android. Unlike the girly iPhone :) all these droids has character.
But it looks like Motorola has toned down their ads for Euro dealing Europians. May be some one will write about Girly Droids!

Pocket lint via Engadget

What Is The Perfect SmartPhone, Measy Can Help You WIth That.

Selecting The Perfect SmartPhone snapvoip.blogspot.com

With all these phones and smartphones in the wild, you might be wondering at times which phone is to select. I know because I do and I have a bunch of phones, because we work with them. Because of that I find a lot of friends coming to me (us) asking what is the best phone for them.
So we go on asking some questions and based on answers, we recommend one or two phones. But now I found a place I can direct these people to, Measy. It does a survey and based on your answers gives you a selection of phones based on a score. Above is the answer I got based on my answers and choices. It Seems HTC Touch Pro 2 is The Phone for me!
Measey via Mobilecrunch

Playboy App For iPhone Slated To Choke AT&T Network And Your Wallet

Playboy App For iPhone snapvoip.blogspot.com

With AT&T honchos blaming iPhone data downloads for it's sorry network, there is a new app that might make it even worse. Playboy has released an subscription app (aka an app that you pay monthly) fro $1.99 a month.
If you uttered that "Oh I get the magazine (playboy) only for articles and jokes", this is perfect for you! That is all it seems you get. Do not expect nude iAnything. (There supposed to be non-nude videos and photos as well).
But I really like to watch this app, just to see how many are dumb enough to get the app.
More images and nicer words at Gizmodo.
For those want to be the Guy on the block! iTunes store

iPod On Your Vaccum, Music Assisted Cleaning!

iPod On Your Vaccum snapvoip.blogspot.com

If you thought you had seen enough of iPod / iPhone docking places, you are not done yet. Electrolux has added an iPod dock to one of their vaccum cleaners and gives the following as one of the reasons!

Music assisted vacuuming increases the number of nozzle sweeps, improves the cleaning result and leaves a general feeling of happiness. These were some of the results of an Electrolux lab study to investigate the compatibility of music and vacuuming. The study was part of the development for Electrolux latest product: the Ultrasilencer. It is the most silent vacuum cleaner in the world, so quiet that it doesnt hinder the enjoyment of music, even on a low volume.

Watch the video to see how that is done.

electrolux

Droid Eris ROM:1.16.605.1, Coming Over The Air

Droid Eris OTA snapvoip.blogspot.com

Droid Eris is getting an over the air update to fix some issues. (This is not the Android 2.0 nor the Android 2.0.1 Updates that everyone is after) Verizon listed the following fixes that the update, Droid Eris ROM:1.16.605.1, is bringing to your droids.

 While on a call and the device is in screensaver mode, pressing the End key now takes the device out of screensaver mode, and a second press will end the call.
 On-call mute and speakerphone icon functionality is enhanced.
 Upgraded functionality after activation eliminates the delay users were experiencing in receiving their first call.
 Device now switches effectively from 1x mode to 3G.
 Device no longer requires users to reselect a default email after power-cycling.
 SMS and MMS messaging delivery is improved.
 Eighty-character MMS/SMS message subject lines are now allowed.
 Improved picture messaging functionality allows messages from LG phones to be opened.

For step-by-step instructions on how to perform the download, you can visit;
verizonwireless.com/droiderissupport

"iPhones Are Girly" Says Droid Ads By Verizon

"iPhones Are Girly" snapvoip.blogspot.com

Even though I have not noticed anything girly about my iPhone 3G (except they are slippery to the same degree and got to hold tight), TMC Rich Tehrani has a very nice summation about the ad and what it implies. But he does not stop there and goes on to explain further how the devices differ and advantages and disadvantages thet both the phones carry. Good read.
Rich Tehrani

Can't Wait For Android 2.0.1 OTA update ? Manually Upgrade To Android 2.0.1

Android 2.0.1 snapvoip.blogspot.com
While most Android based handset users are awaiting Android 2.0 update, some has received the  Android 2.0.1 OTA update.This has set off all sort of people looking to get update in anyway possible because, those who updated are happier. With camera doing auto focus better and the phone itself being snappier,( just like snappy SnapVoIP :)and most importantly, longer battery life has been reported.
Looks like the upgrade itself is a simple process given that you are able to press and hold a few keys to get the update file loaded. We have not tired it yet as we use our Androids as daily business tools.
So if you are that impatient type follow the link below to find the information and the update file the site says that came from Google! Read the complete forum post.
AllDroid.Org

Mark The Spot (Not Your Dog, You With Your iPhone)

AT&T Network Troubles snapvoip.blogspot.com
Just yesterday, I was talking to a bunch of my friends about iPhone, network and AT&T, and many had one answer, "if Verizon gets iPhone, I will jump ship!". Those Verizon map ads seem to work!
But AT&T too must be getting the message because it has found a way to let users report about the network (Something that they already know, or could ask from Verizon! :). AT&T has released a free app, "AT&T Mark the Spot", a free application which requires iPhone OS version 3.0 or later, that allows you to report the status of the network to AT&T. But I would like to know what they would do with the data? could we too be able to see them? I doubt.
Even though the name suggests something my dog do, I guess will mark the spot, hoping it will improve. For me, after dropping a call or not being able to make a call, the last thing I want sending some data to AT&T that it already has. (Perhaps thay want to show that they are working on it with this app!).
Only thing comes to my mind is count the days of my contract.
PS Mr. Wilsons ad did nothing to change my mind, use that money to add towers!
Appleinsider

Free Eye-Fi Card With 200GB Google Storage For $50!

Free Eye-Fi Card snapvoip.blogspot.com
Even though I have not tried, it seems pretty simple (to buy 200GB from Google, Get an Free Eye-Fi card and finally to use the Eye-Fi to transfer your photos wirelessly). I like the idea of 200GB storage but I wonder if it is limited to Picasa usage only.
On the other hand Google has put the fine print in large print so you can check out before jumping in

The fine print

• The Eye-Fi card requires a SDHC compatible camera and a Wi-Fi router. If your camera is more than 3 years old, it might not work! Check if your camera is compatible.
• Special, limited time offer available while supplies last.
• Sorry, no refunds or returns.
• Valid only in US and Canada, only for users buying paid storage for the first time. Limit 5 per household.
• Your Eye-Fi cards will be delivered within 2-4 weeks after purchase, and shipping is free.
• Google paid storage renews annually, but you can always downgrade to a smaller storage plan or choose not to renew.
• 4GB SDHC Eye-Fi Home video card ($69.99 value) includes one free year of Web Share and Geotagging ($24.98 value). These services will remain free if Eye-Fi card is used to upload to Picasa Web Albums.

See the video how one user uses it

Google Picasa

JooJoo By FusionGarage Is The New CrunchPad

JooJoo snapvoip.blogspot.com
Emerging from the deadpool, the Crunchpad has got a new name, JooJoo! and is slated to be released on 11th Dec 2009. (Yes we are looking forward to it)
Gizmodo did a hands on and from their account, the platforms seem to be solid as far as solid for plastic go and the tablet now has a 12" screen that can do 1080P! It also comes with a headphone jack, a microphone jack, a built-in webcam at 1.3 megapixels, a charging port and a USB slot.
The device is powered by an Intel Atom with graphics chip Gizmodo suspects to be a Nvidia ION.
Oh by the way it is not only the name that changed, the pad is going to be somewhere around $500!
JooJoo via Gizmodo

MAC Users Get Chrome Beta And Windows Users Get Chrome Extensions

Chrome Extensions  snapvoip.blogspot.com
While all the MAC Users today got the Google Chrome browser for their plat form,Windows users got extensions to their well established web browser.
There are about 338 extensions listed on Google Chrome Extensions site. Make sure that you have the latest version of Chrome, otherwise you will not be able to install them.
Google translate seems to be the todays favorite exxtension but I thought the Twitter extension called Chromed Bird was great.
Google Chrome for the holidays: Mac, Linux and extensions in beta

Window Shopping On The Go With Favorite Places On Google And Your Mobile Phone.

Favorite Places On Google snapvoip.blogspot.com

I am sure, like me, you would have wondered, where to get something difficult to find or if that new restaurant is a good place for a date. Now you can do this, with a little help from your fellow Google users.
So how is Google helping mibile users do better window shopping?
Google has a window decal containing a unique bar code (QR code) that business could display on their windows, and when we come by these windows, we scan them with our mobile phones like Android based phones, BlackBerry phones and even iPhone. This action will take you directly to the business' own place page on the Google Favorite places.
Once you are on the place page, you will be able to read reviews, get a coupon (if the shop offers one) or just mark it down for a later visit.
For this to work you will need an app that read QR codes on your phone. For Android based phones there is a free barcode scanner app, for iPhone you purchase Quickmark ($1.99) but with a special arrangement, the app is free for 40000 downloads. I downloaded and scanned the code below whch took me to a place page belonging to an Indian restaurant called "KASA Indian Restaurant". For other phones, you can search for an app like this for blackberry QR App.

If you are a business that would like to take advantage of this oppertunity, Google has this;

We plan to periodically send out new waves of window decals to qualifying businesses. If you own or manage a business and were selected as a Favorite Place, you may have already received your decal or, for most of you, it will arrive by mail in the next one to two weeks. If you weren't selected in this round, your first step is to claim your listing with Google's Local Business Center for free. That will help us determine that your business information is correct. Then, you can enhance your local business listing by adding enhanced content like photos and videos.

Official Google Blog: Explore a whole new way to window shop, with Google and your mobile phone

T:38 FAX Support In Asterisk 1.8 (Trunk) Hello res_fax, Bye app_fax!

T:38 FAX Support In Asterisk 1.8 snapvoip.blogspot.com
Yes we all wonder when is this thing called FAX is going to go away. But in this age of multitude of communications possibilities, you walk in to any office, you will see a FAX machine. Those printers that call themselves multifunction Printers are doing brisk sales and just last week I helped a friend plug one of those in to a Vonage gateway.
So we have written about T:38 Fax Support in Asterisk many a times (Faxing With Asterisk) and looks like we continue to do so. Because all those Fax machines and also because Asterisk continue to support it, even from the Asterisk 1.8 trunk
Combining the desires of all sorts like better commercial FAX for Asterisk,  to have solid FAX support in Digium's commercial PBX products, and most importantly to get open source Asterisk (and its community of users) be able to use FAX over / through Asterisk reliably with Asterisk or non-Asterisk endpoints.
Asterisk 1.4 could pass t:38 fax pass through over SIP channels and with Steve Underwood’s spanDSP library support to send and receive fax over G 711 TDM links.
Asterisk 1.6 got the SpanDSP application merged into Asterisk Addons and went on to become ‘app_fax’ module. This allowed Asterisk applications to actually be T.38 endpoints; this resulted in the ability to send and receive FAX over audio and T.38 links. There were various bug reports and fixes that culminated once the society at large started using the Fax on Asterisk. All the hard work has led us to find that FAX over T.38 in Asterisk 1.6.0 and 1.6.1 works.
While all these faxing back and forth going on, Digium developed res_fax and res_fax_digium.

res_fax is similar to app_fax, in that it provides dialplan applications, dialplan functions, and other associated components to send and receive FAX. However, it does not actually include any FAX stack

And the other did.
So Digium after working hard on removing all possible obstacles have decided to open source res_fax. This you will find in a new branch in Subversion (/svn/asterisk/team/group/res_fax) based on Asterisk trunk, and carries the most recent version of res_fax in it.
So by the time Asterisk 1.8 is released, we will say good bye to app_fax and embrace res_fax. But to get the house in order we will need a res_fax_spandsp plugin module and the developers are invited to work on it, sooner.

But you will have firm support as "Kevin Fleming" has worked on this over the past 6-8 months, and willing to work with developer who will step up to the task.

You will find a more descriptive article over at Asterisk Blog.

Apple Buys LaLa, A Music Startup.

LaLa bought by Apple. snapvoip.blogspot.com.
When I learned about LaLa when Google introduced music search, I did not pay much attention. But when LaLa appeared in Google Chrome OS, I did. But as I did not pay much attention to online music, I let it pass.
But today I read that Apple has entered into agreement to buy LaLa, perhaps to offer users some kind of streaming music. Perhaps Streaming iTunes
LaLa allows you to store your music in the cloud and listen to them from anywhere via a PC, smartphone or other Web-connected mobile device. Apple is in music business with it's iTunes and other things "i".
According to NYT, LaLa began as a CD-swapping service in 2006 which let users make copies of their collections in the cloud, but had to stop when the music industry objected. Last year, they changed the operational model by letting customers either buy and download a song for 79 and 89 cents, or pay 10 cents for the rights to stream that song an unlimited number of times from the Web.
When asked Apple;

“buys smaller technology companies all the time, and we generally do not comment on our purpose or plans.”said an Apple spokes person.

NYT

FCC Questions Verizon About Absurd Early Termination Fees And Web/Data Buttons On Smart Phones

Verizon's Absurd ATF, snapvoip.blogspot.com
When we reported about Verizon's Absurd Early Termination Fees, we actually hoped that FCC would step in to help the beraved customers.
We specifically mentioned about the $120 ETF a customer has to pay at the 23rd month of the contract, just a month before the contract expires.
FCC has stepped in and bought both the issues to light and have sent Verizon a letter requesting an explanation of the fees and more. FCC also wants to know about $1.99 fee charged for accidental web usage by customers without data plans.

1. What information about the higher ETF does Verizon Wireless provide to
prospective customers, and when? How do consumers know whether the increased ETF applies to the device and service plan they would like to purchase? Please provide a description of whether or how a customer seeking to sign up for Verizon Wireless service by first selecting a device or service plan on the Verizon Wireless website would be able to find out about the levels and terms and conditions of the ETF, other than by calling up the formal Customer Agreement accessible in small type at the bottom of the web page. Please also provide a detailed description of how consumers receive relevant information across other retail sales channels, including retail outlets and sales made over the phone (if applicable). Please describe the format in which this information is presented, and provide sample materials.

6. It appears that if a customer cancels a two-year contract after 23 months, the customer would still owe an ETF of $120. Is this correct? If the ETF is meant to recoup the wholesale cost of the phone over the life of the contract, why does a $120 ETF apply?

FCC also queried about something else as well. Apparently Verizon customers with data service but with phones equipped with web button are charged $1.99 for accidental usage of these service bu inadvertently pressing the said button. FCC specifically queried about the New York Times article that suggested Verizon's shady tactics to profit from customers who accidentally push a dedicated Mobile Web button on Verizon phones.

 8. When does Verizon Wireless charge usage fees for access to Verizon Mobile Web? In particular, is there a minimum data amount or level of access that triggers charges, and if so, what is that amount or level? Which phones sold by Verizon have individual keys pre-programmed to provide for one-press access to various Mobile Web services? Is it correct that customers are charged for minimal, accidental usage by customers using these phones?

9. Can a customer re-program keys that provide for one-press access to various Mobile Web services to disable that function? If so, how can a customer do so, and how does Verizon inform consumers how to re-program these keys? If not, how does Verizon inform consumers that these keys cannot be reprogrammed, and that consumers may be charged for pressing them accidentally? The recentarticle also suggested that, even if a consumer asks to have the Mobile Web feature turned off, charges are incurred for transmission of a blocking notification. Is this correct? If so, are consumers informed that they may incur charges even after turning off the feature?

Verizon has until December 17 to respond to the FCC.

Complete letter sent to Verizon by FCC (PDF)

Mobile.Twitter.com, One Up On M.Twitter.com

Mobile Twitter snapvoip.blogspot.com

If you have been complaining about m.twitter.com lack of (everything), twitter has taken a better turn for mobile users. Using their own Twitter API, the new mobile.twitter.com is developped to support webkit based mobile browsers. These include iPhone, Android, webOS and Symbian but BlackBerry users are not left behind either, they too could use the new site but but it is not optimized for their browser.
The m.twitter.com is still there but eventually be merged with the mobile.twitter.com and our mibile twittering will be way better than before!
Twitter

Google To Address DNS Woes With Google Public DNS

Google Public DNS snapvoip.blogspot.com
If you ever wondered how you get about on the web, yes it is similar to our mailman or mailwoman gets around, with a set of well defined addresses.
But matching these address to your or another ones name takes some sorting at the post offices across the world.
So that is what is happening with web address as well but in this case the multitude of DNS servers across the world do the address translation.
So when you type www.google.com — actually the DNS translates this into the unique Internet Protocol (IP) numbers — e.g., 74.125.45.100 and takes your browser and you there. This applies to your every task on the net that needs name and IP Address mapping.
But as we translate these address' all day along sometimes they lag behind and we get frustrated with network performance.
So Google has stepped in to provide assistance with Google Public DNS.
If you're web-savvy and comfortable with changing your network settings, check out the Google Code Blog for detailed instructions and more information on how to set up Google Public DNS on your computer or router.

Official Google Blog: Introducing Google Public DNS

/

VoIP over WiMAX With Seamless 4G Multi-Access Network Handoff Demoed

VoIP over WiMAX snapvoip.blogspot.com
HelloSoft and Beceem have announced the availability of HelloSoft's industry leading VoIP solution with seamless 4G multi-access network handoff, enabling phones, MID's and other devices to be "supercharged" with 4G data capability and VoIP calls that are seamlessly handed off between multi-access networks. The solution is available for Android, Linux and Windows Mobile platforms and enables the next generation of mobile devices, not just phones, to provide high quality wide band VoIP calls over WiMAX which can be handed off between IP bearer networks to provide ubiquitous coverage regardless of access technology.

"One of the keys to successful deployment of next generation 4G VoIP and multimedia services is providing the end user with ubiquitous coverage, and HelloSoft has worked closely with Beceem to develop unique highly optimized seamless handoff technology that enables VoIP and other multimedia services to be seamlessly handed off using Beceem's industry leading BCM250 WiMAX chipset between 4G WiMAX and other multi-access network IP bearers, thus providing the end user with roaming coverage as 4G WiMAX is being rapidly built-out." said Allan Johnson, VP Marketing and Business Development for Hellosoft.

Lars Johnsson, VP Marketing and Business Development at Beceem, also mentioned;

"Beceem has done extensive development with Hellosoft in optimizing VoIP and other multimedia applications over WiMAX, especially to optimize them during hand-off at high speeds and to maximize transport efficiency while maintaining highest call quality. In addition we have worked together to enable hand-over in multi-access networks by also optimizing radio coexistence. This will enable a wide range of next generation 4G WiMAX devices to utilize our 4G WiMAX chips in combination with HelloSoft's award winning VoIP and convergence solutions to seamlessly roam between different networks."

The deployment of mobile VoIP over WiMAX marks a very significant inflection point in the rapidly growing number of WiMAX network deployments world wide. WiMAX has built-in QoS capabilities that make it very well suited for delivering much higher quality wide band VoIP calls with very low delivery costs relative to the existing 2G and 3G cellular networks. The impact of this on the telecommunications industry will be profound and it is creating many opportunities for new service providers to enter market spaces that were previously exclusively provided by cellular carriers. In addition the bandwidth of the WiMAX networks enables a new generation of multimedia applications that will change the way phones and devices are used by consumers, continued, HelloSoft's Johnson.
Marketwire

Ramp Champ 1.1 For iPhone Free For A Limited Time.

Ramp Champ 1.1 Free snapvoip.blogspot.com

Icon Factory has announced that they are giving away Ramp Champ 1.1, addictive ode to the classic boardwalk games Skee-Ball and pinball, for free, for a limited time. 

But we’re not stopping there, oh no. From now until midnight e.s.t Monday, December 7th, Ramp Champ, complete with its four default ramps, will be absolutely free! That’s right, to help celebrate the launch of the new version, we’re setting the app’s price to $0.00 for just 6 days – so get on it! Now’s your chance to roll, absolutely free.

Icon Factory's Ramp Champ

AT&T And Verizon Drop "There Is A Map For That" Lawsuits.

"There Is A Map For That" Lawsuit snapvoip.blogspot.com

What ever the reason, AT&T and Verizon both have seem to settle the lawsuits originating from Verizon's "There Is A Map For That" ad campaign. The ads depicted that Verizon had a better 3G coverage than AT&T. So it is now settled but we have to see if the map ads will continue to amuse us (It seems they do!). Previously AT&T lost a injunction attempt against the "There Is A Map For That" ads.
Gizmodo has received the following statement from AT&T. (Link after th jump)

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED by and between Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless ("Verizon Wireless") and Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff AT&T Mobility LLC ("AT&T") that pursuant to Rule 41(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: (a) Verizon Wireless's claims against AT&T in the above- captioned action are hereby dismissed without prejudice, and (b) AT&T's counterclaims against Verizon Wireless in the above-captioned action are hereby dismissed without prejudice.

According to CNN, AT&T declined to comment beyond the statement of dismissal of the lawsuit and  Verizon too declined to comment on the dismissal, but has pointed to a new "reindeer" ad using the "There's A Map For That" theme and maps.
Gizmodo

Android 2.1 Leaked ROM For HTC Hero In The Wild

Android 2.1 snapvoip.blogspot.com

It looks like the  rumored Android 2.1 leaked ROM is a reality now as it is available for download at XDA-Developers.com. There were some images of the Hero running Android 2.1 that we saw on engadget, of which one we posted above.
There are some steps involved to get the latest Android 2.1 on your HTC Hero but be careful as this is an unofficial release and we really do not know much about it. So take precoutions, back up your device before atempting to taste the new ROM.
XDA- Developers

ClearWire Lights Up Five States (NC, WA, TX, IL and HI) With WiMAX.

ClearWire Brings LTE To 5 States snapvoip.blogspot.com
Clearwire has started to lit up some areas of the United States with the high speed sevice.  As of today,  Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii, will get the 4G service. On the mainland, Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina state, Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin, Texas state, gets the WiMAX.
People in Seattle and King County, Pierce County, Kitsap County, and Snohomish County Washington state along with citizens of Chicago, Illinois, will also be able to signup for the service starting as low as $30 a month.

“CLEAR is excited to bring to Honolulu and Maui residents, businesses and visitors an Internet experience similar to what they’re used to having at home or the office, anywhere around town or on the go,” said Jon Gelman, Clearwire’s regional vice president. “We're pleased to provide this community a valuable new category of Internet service designed to make people’s lives more enjoyable and more productive.”

Clearwire news

One To One Interview With Mark Spencer, The Creator Of Asterisk

Interview With Mark Spencer snapvoip.blogspot.com
VoIP Today magazine has interviewed the creator of Asterisk, Mark Spencer to bring out some interesting information about the creator, the company (Digium) and us, the users of Asterisk, the open source IP PBX.
The conversation span topics like;

When I created Asterisk in my college dorm room in 1999, Asterisk provided an opportunity for open source enthusiasts and developers to create and customize a private branch exchange (PBX) system, which until then was not possible. Asterisk grew in popularity and is now downloaded more than 1.5 million times per year for use by individuals and organizations interested in an alternative to expensive and cumbersome proprietary phone systems. Over the years, thousands of individuals and organization have contributed to the development and growth of the Asterisk open source project with new codes (more than 2,000 new code commits in 2009), configurations and applications.

to topics such as what is new with Asterisk 1.8;

A high level summary of features being added:
*    Secure RTP (SRTP)
*    SIP Enhancements
*    Bi-directional XMPP (jabber) support
*    Calendaring enhancements
*    Channel event logging enhancements
*    Queueing enhancements
*    Secure event logging framework
*    New codec framework

It is an interesting interview, like all other interviews of Mark.
VoIPToday.org interview

Fring Brings Video Calling To iPhone

iPhone Video With Fring, snapvoip.blogspot.com
Had the Apple positioned the camera on iPhone 3GS differently, people may been able to do video conferencing easily. But Apple decided to make the camera unique for taking photos and videos. So it is next to impossible to have a meaningful video conversation in two iphones, unless you are next to each other and pointing the iPhones at each other.
But you always find resourceful developers like Fring who decided to not to be hampered by the camera position on the iPhone. Fring has enabled only incoming video-stream only on new Fring for iPhone / iPod Touch. But you can have two way video conversations on S60 based phones like Nokia N series.

This video feature is embedded within the fring application that enables free voice calls from the iPhone and iPod Touch to other fring users, Skype and GTalk buddies as well as friends on regular phone lines via Skype-Out and hundreds of popular SIP services. fring users can live chat, update profiles, share files and talk with friends from several Instant Messaging services like MSN, AIM, GoogleTalk and Skype, in addition to interacting with popular online social networks like Twitter, all from one integrated fring contact list
“Leveraging excellent video capabilities on the iPhone and iPod touch together with our open internet and social environment, we’re bringing together families and friends these holidays, wherever they are…We were the first to bring mobile voice over internet (VoIP) to mobile devices, the first to bring iPhone/ iPod touch users the choice to make free Internet calls, the first to enable cost-saving mobile twitter over internet, and now we’re proud to continue leading the field of rich mobile-internet communication by bringing users the world’s first fring video calls over internet for the iPhone and iPod touch.”said Avi Shechter, Co-Founder & CEO of fring on the occasion.
The new fring version with video calls support is currently available to users with iPhone/ iPod touch OS 3.0. Fring also supports many devices on multiple platforms including Symbian S60, Android, Windows Mobile, J2ME and Linux devices.
 

Press Release
Download the new fring version

Tadiran Telecom Bags Two More Subway Telecom Deals In China.

Tadiran Telecom, snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Tadiran Telecom, announced today that it has been successful in acquiring  contracts to build two large telecommunications projects in mainland China.

Tadiran has been selected to provide The Beijing Subway with advanced telecom solutions for its expansion of the Yizhuang Line, and to deploy both dispatching applications and administrative usage systems in the Chongqing Metro.
KTT, Tadiran’s subsidiary in China, will implement these projects.

The Chongqing Metro will be equipped with 28 units of Tadiran Telecom's IPx 3000 and IPx 800 systems connected over 16 km of track. Tadiran's systems will provide administrative and dispatch (operational) communications solutions, as well as network-wide management applications that will include state-of-the-art touch-screen consoles and the powerful Coral Network Management System for maintaining the entire network.

Beijing’s Yizhuang Line, set to open in December 2010, will be approximately 23 km long and include six underground stations and eight surface stations. Like the Chongqing Metro, Tadiran will supply comprehensive administrative and dispatch communications solutions that will consist of two separate networks of 41 Coral servers (Coral IPx 3000, IPx 4000 and FlexiCom 5000 models), the Coral Network Management System and the special dispatching consoles.

“We are pleased to have won yet another tender for The Beijing Subway, and also that Chongqing Metro selected Tadiran’s scalable Coral dispatching solution for deployment there, These two important contracts in China are clearly a direct result of the successful completion of similar rail communication projects in Beijing and the quality of Tadiran’s product portfolio.” said Zeev Aviv, acting CEO and president of Tadiran Telecom.

 Tadiran

CrunchPad Joins The DeadPool

CrunchPad Is Dead snapvoip.blogspot.com
Techcrunch (Micheal Arrington) has informed us that the much awaited CrunchPad, tablet computer is dead. It was slated to have been demoed on November 20th. I was actually waiting for it, with cash in my hand. Because one thing I like the concept and secondly, it was a collective bay area effort, where I live.
I even defended Arrington and the team that the crunchpad was vaporware, only last week. We needed the pad for a project that is under development at the moment. It is a sad tale of greed, jealousy and miscommunication that led to the following from one of the development team, but be aware, there is always, two sides to the coin.

We still acknowledge that Arrington and TechCrunch bring some value to your business endeavor…If he agrees to our terms, we would have Arrington assume the role of visionary/evangelist/marketing head and Fusion Garage would acquire the rights to use the Crunchpad brand and name. Personally, I don’t think the name is all that important but you seem to be somewhat attached to the name

said an email Arrington got from Chandra Rathakrishnan of fusiongarage. Well the crunchpad has gone to the deadpool but there might be a bunch of lawsuits.
Techcrunch

25 Million Cellular Phones Slated Go Offline In India For Lack Of IMEI.

25 Million Cellular Phones Offline In India. snapvoip.blogspot.com
Due to the lack of  IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) on mobile phone in used today in India may go offline due to state regulations.
DoT, Department of Telecom in India has instructed to block all phones without IMEI number. Most phone imported improperly from China lacks the IMEI number and faces the shutdown.
To avoid being shutdown the suscribers have two choices, one to get a new phone with an IMEI number or get a new IMEI number added to the phone via a software configuration.
One can pres the sequnce of keys *#06#to find your IMEI number.
The reason given for the shutdown is to prevent bad people from using the anonymity for their advantage.
thenextweb

Google Chrom OS Image With Wi-Fi Support For DELL Mini

Chrom OS Bootable USB Image snapvoip.blogspot.com/
One of the Dell folks ( DELL-Doug A) has gone through the pains of getting device drivers working with Dell Mini and created a USB drive image. WIth the sprit of Chome OS which is not much of an experience without network connection, the working Broadcom drivers come as a blessing.
To get the image working, you will need a USB key of at least 8GB and a method to get the image on to the USB key in a bootable format. Just copying the image on to a USB key will not work.
If you are on a Lunux machine, you could use the "dd" command to get the image on to an USB key;

dd if=ChromiumOS_Mini10v_Nov25.img of=/dev/sdb  

provided that your USB key is the device sdb. (it could easily be sda or sdc depending on how many storage devices you have on your machine. Take care not to over write one of your hard drive in the process. (You can run "fdisk -l" to list the devices you have).
The image comes with all the goodies as well as some caveats;

• It will take more than 5-10 *minutes* for the ChromiumOS network connection manager to "see" the access points and allow you to select and connect - be patient.
• Wired connections appear to work fine and appear quick to connect.
• There are currently issues with both the connection manager as well as the underlying components (wpa_supplicant) that can easily break or get hung. When in doubt, reboot and give it another try.
• Use this image at your own risk - it comes to you totally unsupported and very minimally tested.

 Once you get the image on to an USB key and reboot the machine with it plugged in to boot from it. If you are successful in geting the image working please be aware of the following;

• The user name to login is "dell". The desktop login window will complete the user name by adding "@gmail.com" to the end
• The user password is "dell"
• The root password is set to "dell"
• I've included a script in /etc called "mount_rw.sh" to allow root (or sudo) to remount the root partition for updates/changes/whatever you like.

 I have just downloaded the image but have not tried it yet.
Dell Blogs

HTC HD2 Reviewed

HTC HD2 Reviewed snapvoip.blogspot.com
Ebgadget has done a super job of reviewing HTC HD2, to me it is as important as the phone itself. The phone is equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a generous 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive WVGA touchscreen display, an auto-focusing 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, GPS, and lots of other bells and whistles has made this phone the flagship of Windows Mibile 6.5 showcase. It seems that the phone is capable of bringing true capacity of the Windows Mobile 6.5.
But it is also seems that HTC's "sense" interface, the best of all HTC phones, is making the phone and the OS stand out, rather than being just a pinted face on the underlying OS.
The phone's hardware is not average either, in addition to Snapdragon processor and the large display, there is 512MB of ROM, 448MB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1,  a microSD slot (supporting up to 32GB cards),  an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and light sensor completes the phone ready complete most of the day to day mobile tasks and more.
Link to the great review after the jump.

engadget