Google said Sept. 1 Gmail users made more than 10 million calls through its new Call Phones from Gmail feature. The company provided tips on how to use the service with Google Voice. - Google said Sept. 1 Gmail users made more than 10 million calls through its new Call Phones from Gmail feature since it launched a week ago. Launched Aug. 25, Call Phones from Gmail lets users place calls to contacts directly from Gmail. Calls placed from Gmail in the United States and Canada ar...

Legacy phone systems are no longer cutting it, especially as more people work remotely and require mobile capabilities to collaborate effectively. As a result, an increasing number of enterprises are transitioning toward IP-based unified communications. But if the network migration isn't managed properly, unified communications can overwhelm networks and affect application performance. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Ed Basart explains how to transition to IP-based unified communications without overtaxing your IT department or budget. - Legacy phone systems are no longer offering the modern capabilities that drive business value, especially as more people are working remotely and requiring mobile features to collaborate and be productive. On top of that, IT teams are short on staff and budget. Add increasing layers of IT complexity...

Google's Gmail calling threatens Skype because it copies its service for initiating and receiving free or cheap calls over IP. Gmail and Skype offer trade-offs, and analysts and industry experts have different takes on how these services match up. - When Google launched its Gmail calling service Aug. 25, the top question was how the VOIP service would impact Skype. Gmail calling threatens Skype because it copies its service for initiating and receiving free or cheap calls over IP. However, Gmail and Skype offer trade-offs, and analysts and ...

Google's new Gmail phone-calling service presents a challenge to Skype, as well as Gmail's e-mail competitors. Google has been making aggressive plays in the VOIP market. - Google is rolling out a service that makes phone calls through Gmail. Calls to the United States and Canada will be free through at least January 2011, with international calls ranging between 2 cents and nearly $5 a minute. That presents a challenge not only to Google's e-mail competitors, b...

AT&T is now extending voice-over-IP services to enterprise VPN customers. The carrier's VOIP portfolio is designed to be compatible with various IP-PBX systems, including Microsoft's. - Customers of AT amp;T's VPN can now take advantage of voice-over-IP services over the network cloud, according to the carrier. The converged offering, AT amp;T announced Aug. 24, will enable customers to consolidate voice and data networks, reduce equipment and maintenance costs, and ultimately...

A Skype app for BREW-based Verizon Wireless handsets, such as the Samsung Reality and LG enV Touch and Chocolate, is now available. Verizon already offers such an app for Android and BlackBerry devices. - Verizon Wireless and Skype are expanding the handsets options on which Verizon customers can download and run Skype's voice-over IP (VOIP) mobile application. Following the launch ofthe Skype app for BlackBerry and Android-running handsets, the two have announced the availability of the Skype ...

eZuce's OpenUC is a software-only, SIP-based enterprise product that is designed to be a less expensive alternative to Microsoft's UC offerings. - A startup called eZuce is offering an open-source, software-only unified communications solution that company officials say is an alternative to Microsoft's UC offerings. eZuce, which launched Aug. 12, is rolling out OpenUC, which officials say is aimed at midsize to large enterprises of 200 to ...

Microsoft and Polycom are entering an alliance that will include jointly developing, selling and marketing unified communications products based on Polycom endpoints and Microsoft's Communications Server 14. - Polycom, which already has partnerships with the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Avaya as it ramps up its competition with Cisco Systems in the unified communications space, is now hooking up with Microsoft. The two companies announced a partnership Aug. 9 in which they will jointly develop and ma...

Skype filed for an initial public offering Aug. 9, with a prospectus that offered a glimpse into the company's current structure and plans for future growth that include Skype for Business products. - VOIP vendor Skype filed for an IPO Aug. 9, but offered no indication of when potential shareholders would be able to purchase stock in the Internet-calling company. Skype's preliminary prospectus estimates the initial offering's value at up to $100 million, but the company declined to reveal ...

Vonage introduces an app that lets Facebook friends place free calls to each other over WiFi or 3G/4G networks using Apple iPhones, iPod Touches or Android smartphones. - Voice-over-IP provider Vonage is giving Facebook a voice, announcing Aug. 4 the availability of an application that lets owners of iPhones, iPod Touches and Android-running smartphones place free calls to Facebook quot;friends. quot; Free to use and download it's available in the Android Market...

Google added direct access numbers to its Google Voice for mobile application on Android and Blackberry smartphones. The company is actively soliciting suggestions from users about how to improve Google Voice. - Google July 22 moved to accelerate calls placed on Android and Blackberry smartphones through its Google Voice for mobile application, the latest in a string of changes the company has made to its phone management tool. Google Voice is a free Web calling and phone management application. The p...

Skype's updated VOIP app for Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS smartphones running iOS 4 is multitasking-savvy and lets users run Skype in the background, among other features. - Skype has launched Version 2.0.1 of its voice-over-IP software for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS handsets running iOS 4. Released July 21, the newest version of the application takes advantage of the operating system's multitasking capabilities, enabling users to run Skype in the background, as well ...

Avaya officials are following through on promises to aggressively integrate technologies acquired from Nortel to build up its enterprise communications offerings. The newest UC and contact center offerings are the latest examples. - When Avaya officials last year announced their intention to buy struggling Nortel Networks enterprise business for $915 million, both they and some analysts believed that would push the company toward the top of the enterprise telephony market. And thats a market that includes the likes of techn...

Polycom and BT are unveiling enhancements to their communications solutions to take advantage of Microsofts Communications Server “14” offering. - Polycom and BT are bulking up their communications offerings to leverage Microsofts plans for its Office Communications Server technologies. The two companies made their announcements during the first two days of Microsofts Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C. Polycom introduced ad...