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Mobile Computing: Avoid VoIP Gotchas

James A. Martin

Gadgets & Services

Tip: Test Your Broadband Connection for VoIP

Wondering how well VoIP service would work on your broadband connection? Brix Networks has launched a Web site where you can test your Internet connection to see how well it would support good-quality VoIP service. The site checks for latency, jitter, and packet loss, which can affect voice quality. To test your connection, you must download and install a Java 2 Runtime Environment applet, which takes a few minutes. You can test the quality of a connection between your location and Boston or San Jose. I tested both and received scores of 4.4 and 4.3, respectively, which, according to the site's ratings, is "like calling next door." To learn more about the test, read "Free Web Tool Tests VOIP Viability."

News: AT&T Expands VoIP Service

AT&T recently rolled out its new residential VoIP service in Northern California and will be expanding to parts of Texas and New Jersey later this year. The company plans to introduce its CallVantage service to 100 U.S. markets by year's end, with 1 million customers expected by late 2005.

AT&T's CallVantage offers a "do-not-disturb" feature, which allows you to automatically send calls to voice mail during designated times. CallVantage also offers a "locate me" feature, which sounds like a useful feature for mobile professionals. "Locate me" automatically routes incoming calls to your CallVantage number to as many as five other phones all at once or in sequence, so on-the-go types won't miss their calls, according to AT&T.

News: Vonage to Offer Wi-Fi Phones

Vonage plans to offer a Wi-Fi-based phone later this year, according to the company. The Wi-Fi phones will look similar to mobile phones and could be used to make phone calls using your Vonage plan whenever you're near a Wi-Fi hot spot.

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