Note:  VN has a good article about VoIP Security threats how what to make of them.

"At its heart, a VoIP system is a data network. This means VoIP deployments are vulnerable to the same internal and external threats that plague any enterprise data local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).

Enterprises pondering voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) primarily focus on the technology's cost benefits. Yet, in their zeal to converge voice and data networks and shave telephony costs, many organizations are failing to adequately consider VoIP's single drawback: security.
"

3GSM Mobile VoIP (voice over internet protocol) will not hit mobile telephony revenues, but will have more of an impact on fixed line services, according to T-Mobile International AG chief executive Hamid Akhavan.…

Note:  Another cool device from LD.  The videophone even has a version of Mozilla built in.

"Iwatsu Electric Co. used Linux to build an IP videophone that lets users place calls by selecting numbers from web pages. The NR-IPKTV includes Opera Software's Opera for Devices browser along with an email client, and targets business users. " 

Note:  TelephonyWorld.com has a write-up about different reasons to move to a IP based PBX Platform.

"
An IP PBX is a complete telephony system that provides telephone calls over IP data networks. All conversations are sent as data packets over the network. The technology includes advanced communication features but also provides a significant dose of worry-free scalability and robustness that all enterprises seek.
" 

Note: This is a pretty value priced video conferencing solution.  I had a chance to listen in on the announcement of this product and was excited.  I use a IP 501 with Asterisk as our office pbx solution.  Now we are just waiting on Polycom to release a Full Color LCD IP Phone.  *hint hint

"Polycom, Inc. released the V700, a new executive desktop video conferencing and collaboration solution designed for businesses wanting to add video communications at the desktop. The Polycom V700 is a complete, all-in-one system featuring quality video conferencing, an integrated display that can double as a PC monitor, integrated camera, microphones and speakers, and content sharing capabilities." 

Note:  Well I can see some really great uses for this technology.  I love the pollutant monitoring solutions that could test for toxics an then send an alert when some foreign substance was found.

"To the untrained eye, the sleek, airy building constructed atop a decommissioned nuclear reactor at the University of California, Los Angeles could pass for high-tech office space.  A closer inspection of the glass-and-steel facade reveals dozens of miniature, low-resolution cameras and sensors. They're wirelessly linked to computers throughout the 6,000-square-foot space, keeping tabs on traffic flow in public areas and monitoring temperature, humidity and acoustics." 

Skype has been spying on its Windows-based users since the middle of December by secretly accessing their system bios settings and recording the motherboard serial number.…

Note:  After browsing LinuxDevices.com I came across an announcement about new mini-PCI card for linux that boast a huge radio (600mw) transmitter.  Just to put it into perspective the old school Orinoco cards before that tuned down the wattage were 100mw and we did some 15km range tests without any issue.

"Ubiquiti Networks is shipping what are claimed to be the first-ever mini-PCI-based WiFi radios to boast 600mW transmit power, and the first to support operating temperatures from -45 to 95 degrees Celsius. The ExtremeRange WiFi modules have both been tested extensively under Linux, the company says." 

Note:  We have this working on the new version of Skype for the Mac in the office.  It was a pretty nice improvement for such a simple edit on the xml preference file.  By the way, I love Skype.  With my Black Macbook and a $20 dollar bluetooth headset from Fry's it is a pretty sweet setup.

"Although we enjoy using Skype to talk with our parents our hos in different area codes, its lousy 320x240 quality makes even YouTube look great. Good thing some developer named Jason came up with a sweet "hack"—more like a tweak—to get your Skype video up to 640x480." 

The Asterisk Development Team is pleased to announce the release of Zaptel 1.2.13.

This release contains a large number of bug fixes, an important performance improvement for most Digium cards, and support for new Digium hardware and some significant improvements in the XPP driver for Xorcom's Astribank hardware.