Google Toolbar for Mozilla

Grok Headline matches for Google Toolbar for Mozilla

Groowe Search Toolbar for Mozilla
Firefox Released

Groowe Search Toolbar for Mozilla
Firefox Released 04/17/2005 03:02 PM

New Mozilla Firefox Yahoo! Toolbar Beta
Supports Mac OS X and Linux

New Mozilla Firefox Yahoo! Toolbar Beta
Supports Mac OS X and Linux 04/06/2005 03:49 PM

Google Toolbar Update, Google
Bookmarklets

Google Toolbar Update, Google
Bookmarklets 09/10/2002 11:49 PM
Thanks to Milly for sending word of a Google Toolbar update. New features include a Google Answers link and support for URLs that are broken apart (such as wrapped URLs in email). If you're running the toolbar you can use the experimental features setting to search Dictionary.com from the Combined Search button. Milly also has a series of Google bookmarklets, to search different parts of Google and things like the Microsoft Knowledge Base. They don't seem to work in IE5/Mac. If you're using that, you might be more interested in my own Googler or DTRT, which let you search all the Google's from the comfort of your address bar....

Google Toolbar v2.0.107

Google Toolbar v2.0.107 02/18/2004 10:37 PM
Use Google Toolbar to search the web from any site and eliminate pop-up ads. [Freeware 465 KB]

Google Toolbar 2.0.114.5

Google Toolbar 2.0.114.5 09/26/2004 01:15 PM
HardwareGeeks.com Sep 26 2004 5:07PM GMT

Google Toolbar 3.0.120.7

Google Toolbar 3.0.120.7 04/02/2005 07:23 AM
Techzonez Apr 2 2005 11:56AM GMT

Google Toolbar

Google Toolbar 06/06/2004 11:38 PM
†‡ †‡§ŠŠ Toolbar ˆ„ .. the official Google toolbar .. custom browser toolbar .. Google’s Toolbar .. popup ad blocker .. Get you some .. defeated, .. Download .. toolbar .. that

toolbar.google.com
track this site | 3 links

Google Toolbar Update to v1.63

Google Toolbar Update to v1.63 10/22/2002 03:41 AM
Recent update to 1.1.63 deleon. Doesn't appear to be any new features.

Deconstructing the Google Toolbar

Deconstructing the Google Toolbar 07/25/2002 07:36 AM

Google Toolbar AutoLink

Google Toolbar AutoLink 03/14/2005 04:24 PM

I'm a bit wary about throwing myself in the middle of the whole Google Toolbar AutoLink business (Dan Gillmor has a good summary and lots of trackbacks to opinions, pro and con), but I'm sort of dumbfounded that so many people are so vehemently against it...at least for the reasons being given. The three main points I've heard articulated by those opposed to the feature are:

1. Browsers and toolbars should not modify the content or layout of Web pages...they should render them only as stored on the Web server.

2. Microsoft tried to do this with Smart Tags in Windows XP and everyone hated it so why are we willing to give Google a pass with a similar feature?

3. Google can unfairly use their growing clout to exploit AutoLink users.

I'll address the second point first because it's sort of beside the point and not an argument at all. One of the big reasons why people were so upset about Smart Tags is that Smart Tags were on by default in early preview releases of IE. The browser was automatically rewriting every single page you loaded, adding links here and there. I agree that this sucks (although users may become used to things like this in the future and not think it's such a big deal), but AutoLink is not on by default. It's optional...you have to specifically push a button to make something happen.

But the main reason people seem to be up in arms about AutoLink is that Google is modifying the content and display of other people's content and that browsers and toolbars should not be allowed to do that. Aside from the first part of that statement being factually incorrect (more on that below), browsers and toolbars already modify other people's content and no one really complains about it. In fact, people love it:

• Firefox, Safari, Google Toolbar, IE, and several other browsers/toolbars all give end users the option to block JavaScript popups, which typically contain ads. This very much goes against the intention of the content provider and is a clear example of software that modifies a site from how it was intended to be displayed. But users love it so browser/toolbar makers include the feature.
• Browsers allow users to use custom stylesheets when browsing sites, turn off JavaScript on pages, and browse without viewing images or other multimedia files.
• There are tons of bookmarklets and browser extensions that let people modify the page they're viewing in interesting ways (this one inserts links to Feedster on NY Times and WaPo article pages).
• Since the early days of the web right on up to the present, browsers have purposely misrendered badly written HTML so that people could view the pages instead of getting junk or a blank page.

All of these features break the supposedly cardinal sin of "thou shalt not modify the content providers content from the way it was intended by them to be viewed" and I don't hear anyone complaining about it. The fact is, once a user downloads a copy of a content provider's web page from their server, the page becomes just that, a copy. As a user, I should be able to use whatever software is available to me to manipulate, modify, or otherwise remix that copy which I've downloaded for my own personal use. If I can, for my own personal use, photocopy magazine articles, rip my CDs to mp3, make backup copies of my DVDs, and scribble in the margins of books, surely I can do the same with copies of web pages I've downloaded.

Now, if you're against AutoLink because you think Google is becoming too big, they're evil, they're abusing their power, or they bought another blog company instead of yours, then that's fine. Just be up front about why you're upset. It's a trust issue. Do you trust Google's software to do what it says its going to do and not take advantage of you? If the answer is no, don't use it. But if you're saying that Google should not provide this feature at all and that consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes can't choose to use the feature themselves, I don't think that's a good deal for the users. As content providers, let's not try and reach into our readers' computers and dictate what they can or can't do with the copies of our content that they've downloaded for their personal use...let's leave that sort of wishful thinking to the nutballs in Hollywood.

Google Toolbar Alternatives

Google Toolbar Alternatives 01/24/2003 05:22 AM
One of the downsides of the wonderful Google Toolbar is that there's no version for Netscape or Macintosh users. After praising ...

Google beefs up Toolbar

Google beefs up Toolbar 07/15/2004 10:11 AM
Web-User Jul 15 2004 2:05PM GMT

Google Toolbar 3 Beta

Google Toolbar 3 Beta 03/14/2005 04:26 PM
Google Toolbar 3 beta has been released. New features:SpellCheck: Whenever users type into a web form (including web-based email, discussion forums, and intranet web applications), SpellCheck instantly reviews and suggests corrections. The AutoFix option enables users to automatically check and...

Google Toolbar Can Browse By Name

Google Toolbar Can Browse By Name 07/24/2004 08:10 AM
PC Magazine Jul 24 2004 12:44PM GMT

New: Google PageRank Toolbar

New: Google PageRank Toolbar 07/14/2004 10:04 AM
Google PageRank Toolbar is a widget for Konfabulator and Safari that monitors what page is active in Safari and shows its Google PageRank.

Google Toolbar Updated v1.70

Google Toolbar Updated v1.70 03/11/2003 01:22 AM
Appears to cure widely reported problem of random pr values.

New Google Toolbar 3 Beta Released

New Google Toolbar 3 Beta Released 03/14/2005 05:16 PM
A few new Google Toolbar features: Word translator, spell check webforms..

Google Toolbar suffering from the
'burps'?

Google Toolbar suffering from the
'burps'? 11/13/2003 03:59 PM
Search Engine Lowdown Nov 13 2003 3:23PM ET

Google Using DivX to Install Toolbar?

Google Using DivX to Install Toolbar? 04/01/2005 01:57 AM
Addict3d.org Apr 1 2005 6:46AM GMT

French Version of Google Toolbar 3

French Version of Google Toolbar 3 04/02/2005 12:49 AM
WebProNews Apr 2 2005 4:53AM GMT

New Google Toolbar Brings Browse By Name

New Google Toolbar Brings Browse By Name 09/08/2004 10:04 PM

Google Toolbar offers browse by name

Google Toolbar offers browse by name 07/15/2004 08:40 AM
In its constant quest to court Web surfers, Google Inc. added a new feature to its toolbar this week that allows users to navigate the Web by typing in a name instead of a URL (uniform resource locator).

Google Toolbar Security Flaws

Google Toolbar Security Flaws 09/21/2004 12:53 PM
Search Engine Lowdown Sep 21 2004 4:31PM GMT

Netcraft toolbar filters Google

Netcraft toolbar filters Google 12/30/2004 04:55 PM
p2pnet.net Dec 30 2004 7:11PM GMT

Google Toolbar Security Warning

Google Toolbar Security Warning 09/21/2004 04:26 PM
Search Engine Journal Sep 21 2004 8:07PM GMT

Google Introduces Key Name Search into
Toolbar

Google Introduces Key Name Search into
Toolbar 07/15/2004 08:58 AM
Google puts Realnames like functionality into tool bar.

MSN rivals Google with its own pop-up
blocking toolbar

MSN rivals Google with its own pop-up
blocking toolbar 01/27/2004 06:39 AM
Revolution Jan 27 2004 10:34AM GMT

Google Toolbar Upgrade and Fixes

Google Toolbar Upgrade and Fixes 08/08/2002 10:58 AM
"GreyMagic identified a total of nine vulnerabilities ranging from minor--a Web site operator being able to tell what keys a user is pressing in the Google search field--to serious--the scripting vulnerability."

Google Toolbar Security Hole

Google Toolbar Security Hole 08/09/2002 01:56 PM
GreyMagic has discovered a series of security exploits in the Google Toolbar. The Register has a summary of them. For their part, Google has released an updated version that will be automatically distributed to users of the toolbar. You're safe if you're running version 1.1.59 or higher. You can check what version you have by going to the Google menu and selecting "About Google Toolbar...". If you're running 1.1.58 or earlier, visit the toolbar website to upgrade....

Google Toolbar Page Rank Goes Missing

Google Toolbar Page Rank Goes Missing 06/05/2005 11:27 PM
Currently not being seen on toolbar.

Microsoft's MSN Toolbar Rivals Google
Tool

Microsoft's MSN Toolbar Rivals Google
Tool 12/19/2004 03:06 PM
Microsoft on Monday joined the battle for supremacy in desktop search, introducing software for quickly locating files on personal computers that challenges Google's rival product.

Google Adds Browse By Name Feature to
Toolbar

Google Adds Browse By Name Feature to
Toolbar 07/16/2004 10:02 PM
The Google Toolbar ( http://toolbar.google.com ) has a new feature: Browse by Name. Browse by Name allows you to type words into the Internet Explorer address bar and get relevant...

Google Toolbar Introduces Browse By Name
Feature

Google Toolbar Introduces Browse By Name
Feature 07/16/2004 01:16 PM
Source: Search Engine Guide - Though I must admit that thus far, the feature seems to work pretty well, the question of whether or not people will use Browse By Name once the novelty wears off remains. After all, does...

Google unveils search box for Windows
toolbar

Google unveils search box for Windows
toolbar 11/06/2003 11:54 PM
Sydney Morning Herald Nov 6 2003 11:10PM ET

Security Hole in Google Desktop Search
Toolbar

Security Hole in Google Desktop Search
Toolbar 12/22/2004 01:44 AM

Three academic computer scientists have uncovered a serious security hole in the Google Desktop Search Toolbar that was released on October 14th. Dan Wallach, assistant professor of computer science at Rice University and two graduate students, Seth Fogarty and Seth Nielson, have known of the security problem for a month; however, this is the first confirmed report of a serious problem with Google's popular search tool.

New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the
Old SmartTag Debate

New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the
Old SmartTag Debate 03/14/2005 05:16 PM
The AutoLink feature of the new beta Google toolbar, threatens to refire the incendiary debate over SmartTags.

Google AdSense ad points to Toolbar
with Autolink Feature!

Google AdSense ad points to Toolbar
with Autolink Feature! 03/14/2005 04:35 PM

Is Google trying to piss me off? You know I have been pretty outspoken on the Google Autolink feature so as you can see this was a Google AdSense that presented itself to me tonight. Talk about adding insult to injury!

Google Toolbar Adds Keyword Browsing to
Internet Explorer

Google Toolbar Adds Keyword Browsing to
Internet Explorer 07/15/2004 05:24 PM
Source: SearchDay - Google has added a keyword based browsing feature to its toolbar, allowing users to type words rather than URLs into the Internet Explorer address bar and automatically see the 'most relevant' site for those terms....

AOL Joins Google, MSN & Yahoo in the
Search Engine Toolbar Club

AOL Joins Google, MSN & Yahoo in the
Search Engine Toolbar Club 04/24/2004 01:10 PM
Search Engine Journal Apr 24 2004 5:09PM GMT
Grok Description matches for Google Toolbar for Mozilla
GrokA matches for Google Toolbar for Mozilla

New: Vonage SoftPhone for Mac OS X

New: Vonage SoftPhone for Mac OS X 06/28/2004 09:54 AM
Vonage released a Mac OS X version of its SoftPhone software for use with its Voice Over IP telephone service.

Vonage softphone

Vonage softphone 12/19/2003 04:58 PM
Have been trying out the Vonage softphone with some success. My Laptop (IBM T40), like most, has built in speakers...

Vonage SoftPhone for OS X coming

Vonage SoftPhone for OS X coming 06/18/2004 02:14 PM
Vonage is expected to release the final version of its SoftPhone client for Mac OS X next week, according to VoIP Daily...

Vonage offers Xten X-PRO SoftPhone for
OS X users

Vonage offers Xten X-PRO SoftPhone for
OS X users 06/24/2004 10:08 AM
Broadband telephony service provider Vonage on Thursday announced that it's providing an OEM version of Xten Networks' X-PRO SIP SoftPhone for Mac OS X-based Vonage subscribers. The software enables Vonage subscribers to send and receive telephone calls with their computers using Voice over IP (VoIP) technology. SoftPhone support is an add-on service for users who already have a Vonage account -- accounts start at US$14.99 per month.

Broadband Surf Report: Vonage and more
Vonage

Broadband Surf Report: Vonage and more
Vonage 03/30/2005 04:55 PM
Blog: Our daily look at telecom news around the Web: Vonage defends manually activated 911 calling--eWeek ...

Texas Vonage suit: here's what Vonage is
'guilty' of

Texas Vonage suit: here's what Vonage is
'guilty' of 03/23/2005 02:29 AM
ZDNet Mar 23 2005 6:18AM GMT

VonageŽ VoIP Forum Adds Two XML RSS 2.0
News Feeds

VonageŽ VoIP Forum Adds Two XML RSS 2.0
News Feeds 01/07/2005 04:14 AM
The VonageŽ VoIP Forum - The only online forum solely dedicated to news, reviews, faq’s and discussion about VonageŽ - The Broadband Phone CompanyŽ. [PRWEB Jan 7, 2005]

VonageŽ VoIP Forum Exceeds 10,000
Registered Members

VonageŽ VoIP Forum Exceeds 10,000
Registered Members 04/19/2005 02:36 AM
The VonageŽ VoIP Forum - The only online forum solely dedicated to news, reviews, FAQ's and discussion about VonageŽ - The Broadband Phone CompanyŽ has exceeded 10,000 registered members. [PRWEB Apr 19, 2005]

Why Vonage is Just a Fad

Why Vonage is Just a Fad 05/20/2004 08:33 PM
ZDNet May 21 2004 0:40AM GMT

Vonage

Vonage 07/28/2004 03:08 PM

Start-up finds talk is cheap with Vonage: I've heard a lot about Vonage and seen their ads, but I was never able to pin down exactly what they did. Turns it its commercial Skype with hardware.

Its service is simple. Vonage sends customers an Internet phone box, which looks like a small cable TV box. The box plugs into most high-speed Internet connections. Almost any telephone plugs into the box.

The phone works like any other phone, but Vonage is routing the calls over the Web. (If the person on the other end of the line is not a Vonage user, the call will hop onto a regular phone line for the very last leg of its journey.)

This is the future.

Cl ick here to comment on this entry

Vonage goes wireless

Vonage goes wireless 12/18/2003 11:57 AM
Getting the scoop once again, Om Malik reveals that Vonage is working on software that would let you use their broadband Voice over IP telephone...

Vonage goes to Canada

Vonage goes to Canada 04/13/2004 04:52 AM
Bell tolls for telcos

Vonage reviewed

Vonage reviewed 03/13/2003 10:24 AM
Raffi Krikorian's review of Vonage's Voice-over-IP phone-service is a great, info-civilian-oriented overview of the best way to secede from your phone company.

The Edison, New Jersey based company gives you one Cisco ATA186 and a phone number in an area code of your choosing (I had a little piece of northern New Jersey in my living room). You have a choice of two different levels of service to go along with this box: for $25.99/month you get unlimited local/regional calling (where local/regional is defined by the area code you choose for your phone number) and 500 minutes of free US long distance, and for $39.99/month you get unlimited long distance. And you also get international rates that rivals most common calling cards. The only problem is that the service only delivers one ATA186, and that specific model is required to use the service -- no other SIP compatible devices are supported yet. If you want to use more than one phone with the box, you will either have to rig up a network of telephone splitters and wires; or you can do what some have done and hack your house to plug the Cisco box into your house's in wall telephone network.

Link Discuss

Vonage, 2nd try for IP telephony

Vonage, 2nd try for IP telephony 12/17/2004 06:36 PM

Last summer I switched to lingo.com, an IP phone service that proved to be cheap but unreliable.  Starting last week Lingo failed altogether and their tech support folks (available only by phone, which is kind of irksome) failed to call back, so I ordered Vonage, which is the same $25/month but does not include Western Europe in its unlimited calling region and has higher international rates.

Here's how Vonage has worked...

• Vonage sends you a brand-new Linksys broadband router with included IP phone jacks and three Ethernet jacks; if you were relying on your old router for 802.11b or to use as an 8-port hub you may have to buy some new networking gear
• the customer service Web site is very slow and about 25% of the time page requests produce an error page with a "try again later" instruction
• tech support is available through a form on their Web site; this form asks for your name, phone number, account number, etc., even though you've already logged in and it should have all of his info as part of your account profile
• tech support via phone results in a "we're experiencing an unsually high volume of calls; try again later"; customer service (billing, etc.) can be reached after a 15-minute wait in queue
• they say that they never received my FAXed letter of authorization to transfer my old number from Lingo and want it refaxed
• when set to simultaneously ring my cell phone Vonage does ring the cell but I can't hear callers (they can hear me though)

They say that it will take two months for them to transfer the phone number from Lingo, so I'll have to pay $25/month to Lingo for forwarding until that happens.

[Update:  I believe that I unfairly maligned Vonage in regards to not being able to hear callers on calls simultaneously rung to my cell phone.  It turns out that it is my PalmOne Treo flaking out on the very day that I installed Vonage!  This makes Treo #10 that has failed, I think.  It lasted about two months, just like the others.  Anyone have a suggestion for a GSM phone that will do a calendar and contacts sync with Microsoft Outlook?]

[Dec 3 Update:  When voicemail is pending, the Vonage system fails to change the dial tone.  A second try to reach technical support (at 1:30 pm Eastern time) resulted in the same "we're too busy to talk to anyone" recording.  The voice quality of calls is somewhat low, with some constant static.]

Vonage Now Available in Canada

Vonage Now Available in Canada 04/12/2004 03:37 PM
Techfocus Apr 12 2004 8:10PM GMT

Vonage: Strike One

Vonage: Strike One 08/06/2004 03:25 PM
I was scheduled for a phone call with a VIP today, and when he got on the line (my office Vonage phone), it was unusable, multi-second delays on each voice round-trip. Damnably, I didn’t have my cellphone with me, so we had to reschedule. I called up Vonage, had to punch through two levels of slow menu (could be worse I suppose) to get to the tech support queue where I waited for five minutes listening to vasty echoing silence to talk to someone who put me on the tech support queue (“I thought this was tech support?” “No, I’m a general-purpose service representative.”) Which picked up after only a minute or two, and he made a vague attempt to blame my ISP and said he’d sent a couple of downloads to the phone that should address the problem. So, if it’s a known problem with a known fix, why don’t I already have it? I don’t have to do this kind of thing for either my land-lines or mobile. All in all, I’ve been fairly happy with Vonage so far, but much more of this could sour the relationship quickly.

NY Wants To Regulate Vonage

NY Wants To Regulate Vonage 05/20/2004 01:09 AM
Add New York to the list of greedy states along with California, Florida and Minnesota that want to get as much money out of VoIP providers as possible by declaring them phone companies. New York has become the latest state to declare Vonage a phone company that they can now regulate. This is a backwards step that is likely to slow down the acceptance of VoIP. While it may mean that the NY state government can suck a few extra taxes out of people, it will mean slower adoption, which means slower economic growth. Even worse, they're doing this while the FCC has made it clear that they're still reviewing this issue and had told states to leave VoIP providers alone while they come up with a position at the federal level. This is merely a short-term grab at extra tax revenue.

Vonage arrives

Vonage arrives 03/06/2004 01:59 AM
My Vonage phone arrive yesterday afternoon. I followed the simple instructions for plugging it into my cable modem and now I'm making calls to anywhere in the US or Canada - 500 minutes/month for $15. So far, the sonic quality has been as good as a "real" phone. Yep, them Voice over IP bits can hold their own. And the plain ol' telephone company, the one with the network that's too smart for it's own good, ought to be worried....

Vonage Goes Portable

Vonage Goes Portable 12/18/2003 03:38 PM
Om Malik breaks the news that Vonage will soon have laptop and PDA-based software client for its service: It's not news that Vonage has tens of thousands of subscribers, nor that they offer a high-quality, full-featured hardware-based broadband voice-over-IP service that allows you to map multiple incoming real phone numbers to your virtual line. It also not news that you can get high-quality software VoIP clients; I'm personally enamored of Xten's suite, which work with Windows, Mac OS X, LindowsOS, and Linux. They're beautiful and come in free and paid flavors, including a multi-line conference version. The Xten clients can interface with any standard SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) server, and many of the VoIP providers who offer long-distance over the Internet use standard SIP gateways. But getting from Xten outbound to the VoIP provider is a pain: I had to have the CEO of Xten provide me the details for a couple of VoIP services; those details aren't on the VoIP long-distance service sites. Then there's the question of inbound service. Even though you can use Xten as the default client with Addaline.com, it's unclear whether you can receive inbound calls via their service. Most of the VoIP in software is focused on making calls to the PSTN and receiving calls from other folks using services like Free World Dial-up, which provides you with a free non-PSTN VoIP number and SIP gateway. Om's scoop is certainly that Vonage is going to package the software and PSTN offering into a no-configuration package that will be as easy to use as their hardware service. Vonage's hardware solution is pretty simple: open the box, plug it in, wait a minute. You're done. Voice mail calls can be alerted via email, and other features can be enabled through the Web site's dashboard for your account. Because Vonage works over broadband, a Pocket PC or a laptop equipped with their soft client in turn connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot or access point means free phone service everywhere -- it's another incentive to lower cell phone plans (for roaming purposes) and increase the number of hot spot locations. I'm a recent Vonage convert. I use my cell phone as my office and roaming line, and although I'd switched to a $130/month plan from Cingular because of their rollover minutes, I had $250 and $450 bills in September and October during particularly intense work periods. Yes, that's...

Vonage-Click2Call-0.10

Vonage-Click2Call-0.10 09/21/2004 07:05 PM

Vonage expands UK service

Vonage expands UK service 03/23/2005 12:46 PM
But gets into hot water with the state of Texas

Vonage to take VoIP on the road

Vonage to take VoIP on the road 01/04/2005 05:51 PM
ZDNet Jan 4 2005 7:13PM GMT

States gang up on Vonage

States gang up on Vonage 04/11/2005 05:46 PM
ZDNet Apr 11 2005 9:50PM GMT

Vonage Wins Another Round—for Now

Vonage Wins Another Round—for Now 07/01/2004 01:53 PM
New York State has been enjoined from regulating the VOIP service provider for the remainder of 2004.

Notes and Tips: Vonage on Mac OS X

Notes and Tips: Vonage on Mac OS X 06/01/2004 10:45 AM
Vonage apparently has voice-over-IP software for Mac OS X.

Vonage Drops Price

Vonage Drops Price 05/17/2004 02:56 PM
Vonage sends word that they've dropped their Residential Unlimited Plan from $34.99 to $29.99 per month. Seriously, that's it. Jesus wept, etc. Move along. Read [Vonage]...

Vonage to Introduce Wi-Fi Phone

Vonage to Introduce Wi-Fi Phone 01/04/2005 03:18 PM
Broadband telephone company Vonage is expected to announce plans Tuesday for a Wi-Fi phone that could make calls through a customer's wireless home network or at wireless hotspots, USA Today reported Tuesday. Vonage says it would work like a cell phone, but would not cost the subscriber any additional fees to use the service.

Vonage Offers Wi-Fi Phone

Vonage Offers Wi-Fi Phone 01/04/2005 12:45 AM
Engadget slips the news that Vonage ships its F-1000 Wi-Fi handset: The handset will work over hotspot networks allowing Vonage customers to use their service while roaming. Boingo and Vonage had a deal in place to test out VoIP over Wi-Fi hotspots, but it's unclear here in the late evening how that ties together. Also, Vonage's site doesn't yet list the announcement, so we don't know if they've partnered with various networks to ease authentication. Authentication, or providing credentials that let you use a given hotspot network--whether a paid login or a WPA encryption key or handling 802.1X, even--is the biggest stopping block in allowing VoIP over hotspot to work. A technology like EAP-SIM, which would use a GSM SIM module to authenticate, might be one method of logging in. But it requires every hotspot or hotspot network that wants to allow this sort of connection to build the back-end to handle it....

Vonage Goes VoWiFi -- How Big Is The
Market?

Vonage Goes VoWiFi -- How Big Is The
Market? 01/04/2005 06:57 AM
Vonage is about to pick up quite a bit of press coverage for their unveiling of "plans" to offer a WiFi phone that will work with their service. It wasn't a secret that they were working on such a plan, and it sounds like this isn't so much a launch as it is a confirmation that they plan to launch it at some point (giving them an extra chance at getting some publicity). The phone, expected to cost about $100, will let subscribers use their Vonage VoIP accounts from WiFi hotspots, but there are a bunch of questions. While this does appear to be one of the first widely marketed attempts at consumer VoWiFi, it's still not clear there's really that much demand for this type of solution. Most people savvy enough to want one of these will already have a mobile phone. While it's true that VoIP won't eat up minutes the way cellular plans do, most cellular plans offer such large buckets of minutes and free long distance, making them effectively flat-rate as well. Even if the calls are international, things like VoIP bridges offer a reasonable solution for a mobile phone user who wants to make cheap international calls. Furthermore, it requires people to carry yet another device -- and, in this case, one that probably has a fairly short battery life, considering the rate at which WiFi consumes power. It's also unclear how the phone manages to log onto fee-based or subscription-based WiFi hotspots, without which the phones usefulness could be diminished even further. Also, it's doubtful that these phones can handle handoff between different access points without dropping a call, which forces you to be somewhat stationary when using the phones. The whole thing is a bit reminiscent of the old Rabbit Phones in the UK. Yes, there are some people who will find it useful, but it's likely to be a fairly small number. I could see it being useful for some people who just want to use it in their homes, but don't want to go through the trouble of wiring a phone up to an adapter that's across the home. Also, it would be easier than bringing along the adapter for someone who travels frequently to places with WiFi. However, it would seem that if anything along the lines of a VoWiFi solution would make sense, it would be much more likely to be something merged with a mobile phone so you would just carry around a single device. That means either having the carriers offer it (and that's not likely any time soon -- or with much enthusiasm if they ever get around to it, as they have no desire to eat away at their own minute plans) or letting people install a softphone on a smartphone that has WiFi.

Vonage, SBC Fight Over 911 Calls

Vonage, SBC Fight Over 911 Calls 03/30/2005 11:08 PM
Vonage is in a bit of hot water over its E911 efforts lately -- though, it seems to mostly be a political ploy. However, now comes the news that Vonage approached SBC last month about running a private trial of an E911 service that would require SBC to give Vonage access to some routers and databases. SBC refused, pointing out that if they work privately with Vonage, there are a hundred other VoIP providers who will want to work privately with them also. They would prefer to come up with standards across the board that everyone can use -- which makes a lot more sense. While Vonage's request was a bit silly, it does show they know how important the VoIP-911 issue is becoming. Update: Of course, some are claiming this means VoIP E911 service will be held up -- which is ridiculous. This is only about delaying E911 for Vonage's proprietary method of doing E911. In this case, SBC is right. There should be a standard way, across the board for VoIP providers to do E911 and connect with the telcos.

Google Toolbar for Mozilla

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: "safari refresh" -forum -forums "manual dotproject" using mpx300 for vonage softphone phonebot vs vonage