Compare VoIP Phone Service Providers

In this lesson we will modify the “Hello world” Asterisk PBX dialplan created in the previous lesson by adding more extensions, then we’ll add the Dial building block to call specified number, and last we’ll add a voice mail. Many new block will be presented in this lesson: BackGround, Wait Extension, Dial, Say, VoiceMail, Invalid extension, Timeout extension.
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by Elio Rojano

Zimbra Renders Integrated Email Solutions for Corporates

Nowadays, email is one of the integral parts of any business concern and an efficient email solution can help the company achieve tremendous success. Among the commonly used corporate emailing services available in the market today, the Zimbra Collaboration Suite is considered the best. This software combines a variety of features, thereby making the day to day business operations more efficient and effective. This software allows you to streamline all the business operations and saves considerable amount of time.

This Yahoo! owned email solution operates on open technology and consists of some of the most sought after features. A few of the features available in the Zimbra Collaboration Suite are POP / SMTP, Ajax based webmail, calendaring, document management, task management, anti spam / anti virus and total security. Such high end features make it one of the best email servers of our times. Other noteworthy elements include instant messaging (IMAP) and an admin panel through which user accounts, storage availability and password authentication can be managed efficiently.

Due to these excellent features being integrated into the system and delivering exceptional performance, Zimbra Collaboration Suite has become the leader in this field. Some of the competitors it has left behind include the Google and Microsoft Exchange emailing services. The popularity of this software is growing day by day and numerous reputed organizations are adopting this all-integrating email solution into their daily operations. It can easily operate on all types of web hosting servers, without compromising the quality of service or any aspects thereof.

Owing to the fact that Zimbra Collaborative Suite is an open software, it operates equally well on Linux, Mac OS and Microsoft based hosting servers. Also, it is based on AJAX, so it can be operated on third party as well as in house servers. Furthermore, this email server has the unique ability of incorporating a variety of applications within itself. So, a user can easily integrate Facebook, Twitter, Saleforce and WebEx as well as other apps using the open APIs present in this email solution.

Now, there are many companies thinking about switching from their traditional emailing server to new software, but do not want to lose the data stored in the existing system. This poses a challenge, as most email solutions are unable to embed the database of a software used prior to its own installation. But, the synchronization feature of Zimbra Collaborative Suite allows the user to transfer the data from systems like Microsoft Exchange to itself, thereby making it the perfect backend email service provider.

Some of the organizations that are using or have begun replacing their previously used emailing servers with the Zimbra Collaborative suite include Stanford University, UCLA, Live Prism, indiatimes, Digium, Mozilla and Skype. Apart from these, O’ Reilly Media, Bechtel, H&R Block, Raytheon, Huntsville Hospital, Premier Hotel & Resorts also rely on this email solution to fulfill the requirements of their daily business operations. The confidence of these renowned organizations in the capabilities of this email service is testament to the immense potential it possesses.

Therefore, it can be agreed that the Zimbra Collaborative Suite is probably one of the best email solutions in the world right now. And, Yahoo! continues to carry out research and development activities, which are attributed for the leading edge this email service provider maintains over others in this field.

by greekadman

Asterisk PBX Loses Ground – Premium Priced Call Accounting Cited

Some Asterisk PBX dealers cite the premium price of call accounting services for limiting their price advantages – the consequence – lost business.

Asterisk Open Source PBX is becoming mainstream yet call accounting products are not open source, Asterisk resellers have to deploy commercially available services to fill this requirement. And, as only a select few suppliers have created services specifically for Asterisk PBX, it comes at a higher than normal price, that is until now. Now, ultra low cost call accounting for Asterisk is at hand.

Many experts are hold the view that the conventional closed source PBX is dead, Asterisk and open source is the future of PBX. The number of companies reselling Asterisk is growing daily, complementing the already significant skills available in this space.

Asterisk is an innovative product conceived in a world of the conventional, and the telecommunications world is more traditional than most. It sticks to old business models that are becoming less and less competitive, Asterisk is a renegade, a game-changer, if it hasn’t already, it will redefine the rules of the PBX business. Thought leaders with the spirit to promote this game-changing product need all the help they can get.

Call Accounting has always been a weak point in the Asterisk solution, its technology is unfamiliar to the average PBX engineer and programming call tariffs into the service is tiresome and must be repeatedly done for each unique location.

The Asterisk engineer is centered on his core business, diversions into uninteresting technology like call accounting are a drag on scarce resources and slow the momentum of the individual and the firm. Most telecoms gurus agree that call accounting is an essential addition to the PBX and it is logical to team with an outsource company who are professionals in this technology.

The answer is found in another ground breaking technology – Call Accounting supplied as a web service.

To deploy this service the technician merely inserts a very small script into the Asterisk to collect and ship CDR records to the host Internet service. The end user has access to the service to view reports via a normal web browser.

And how about the cost? For this type of Internet service you can expect service fees so low they are barely worth mentioning.

And service? – just as the Asterisk is configurable via an Internet connection so is the call accounting service, engineers find it easy and convenient.

The difficulty is resolved. PBX dealers have access to a fully managed web service at very low cost designed to be fully compatible with Asterisk, in line with the philosophy of open source and supportive of the brave thought leaders who are building their businesses while confronting the traditionalism of the telecommunications world.

**No copyright infridgement intended. this song belongs to Orange Range and the publishing company.** sonic, shadow and silver with asterisk from orange range. enjoy!!!
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by irontec

Asterisk vs Cisco / Avaya VOIP Telephone Systems

VoIP or Voice Over IP, the latest in wireless communication works by taking the phone call, changing from analog to digital signals and transmitting these signals over an IP network or broadband and finally terminating it on a PSTN. Call charges are greatly reduced using this technology. The advantage is that software emulating a phone can be loaded on your laptop thereby enabling you to access its services even while you travel.

VoIP uses SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), a peer-to-peer technology that allows computers to communicate with each other without having calls routed through some central station. Therefore, calling from one SIP enabled phone to another cuts call charges drastically.

The Asterisk System comes with an Asterisk server which manages things like teleconferencing, voice mails, queues and hold music. The hard phone is a digital phone that has an Ethernet jack to communicate with the server using the SIP protocol. They, including the wireless version, are not very expensive. The soft phone are implemented in software and can be attached to a PC. Asterisk runs predominantly on Linux, an open source operating system.

Cisco has telephony solutions that are network based and run on a router. They are scalable and work well in multi-user environments in mulitple locations. The UC500 suite is a bundle of services like router, switches, security, telephony and wireless functionality in a single device. This greatly reduces costs for a company which is planning on these services. The Cisco CallManager Express uses SIP to connect phones through the Internet and also has the features of UC 500 making it more viable for medium scale businesses. Additonal features are paging, intercom, ICMP and class of restrictions on a user’s calls.

Avaya IP Office uses IP technology to deliver voice and data communication, messaging and customer management over multiple locations with 2 to 300 people. It allows you to work from anywhere, host conferences, integrate applications, measure and improve customer satisfaction at the touch of a button. It is cost effective as it lowers long-distance calls,  conferencing fees, supports remote workers and helps keep your business collaborated and up-to-date.

The three products can be compared based on the following few criteria:

Number of extensions: Asterix can support upto 100 extensions while Cisco and Avaya can go upto 360 extensions thereby suporting large organizations as well. This improves the scalability and helps to reduce costs in the long run.
Freeware: Asterisk is freeware and runs on a Linux server. This makes the telephony solution cheaper than either Cisco or Avaya which make extensive use of routers and switches for communication.
Installation and maintenance: Asterisk is a programmer’s dream as it is open source and can be changed at his will. However, for an end-user, it may be a nightmare. Support and services are better with Cisco and Avaya which are established names in the industry.

The main thing going for Asterisk is its cost. However, it is not always advisable to look at the initial cost of things. Other criteria like scalability, integrating of one device with others already existing, interoperatability and long run costing should be considered while choosing one product over another.

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by greekadman

Question by The Pack: Asterisk?????
What does it mean to be put in aasterisk. For example they said they wanted to put Barry bBonds homerun ball in a asterisk??

Best answer:

Answer by Chris
wat do u think it means idiot.

Add your own answer in the comments!

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by jared_smith

Credit Card Fine Prints: How They Affect the Intro Apr, Annual Fees and Credit Card Spending Limits

Almost, every credit card advisor worth his salt will tell you to read fine prints carefully before deciding on the credit card. Despite all the explaining this fact is often overlooked. How fine prints can affect the ownership of credit card? This article takes a look at the murky credit card world. You will be astonished how, these large sentences in small fonts, asterisks and special symbols can change the way credit card benefits you. We take a look at how fine prints can change the three most important benefits viz. 0% intro APR, the annual fees and credit card spending limits.

1. 0% Intro APR

Ok, the credit card states that it has a 0% intro APR. But what does it relate to, purchases, balance transfers, cash advance what exactly? Check it out. And about the length of 0% Intro APR period– one fine print states that– The length of your introductory period will be either 6 months for purchases and balance transfers or 3 months for balance transfers, depending on our review of your application and credit history. This adds a lot of ambiguous element to the APR. Next thing to bother about 0% intro APR is what defaults will terminate the benefit, for example: If a person makes a late payment the introductory or special rates terminate instantly and standard purchase rate apply. If you default twice the APR rate increases to 18.5% and if you default thrice, the APR will jump to 24.99% and so will be the interest on cash advances. Now do you see the 0% Intro APR hitting below the belt! So read the fine print always and get the facts clear about credit card straight from the issuing company.

2. Annual Fees

You must’ve seen various credit card offers stating — No, annual Fees*. Some people straightaway make the conclusion that the credit card won’t cause them a penny for ownership– and that too for life. Are the credit card companies that naive? Will they let you go so easily? Didn’t you see the * after No, annual Fees. Yes, that asterisk (*) could spoil the honeymoon of No annual fee for you. It could lead to a page where written in very small fonts are lines that could mean — The annual fees for the credit card will be waived for the first year. Thereafter, the annual fee will be for the Basic Card. And If you default on repayments for a certain period the Annual fees will apply instantly. Any waivers, or benefits will cease instantly! So, take extra care of those asterisks.

3. Credit card spending limit

A credit card with no preset spending limit can excite a consumer so much that he runs straight to the credit card company to get the card. But, buried somewhere in fine prints he will find the statement– The credit card has no preset spending limit which gives you purchasing power that adjusts with your use of the Card. No preset spending limit does not mean unlimited spending. Your purchases are approved based on a variety of factors, including current spending patterns, your payment history, credit history, and financial resources known to us. So, things change suddenly. Credit card companies will allow you to overspend even beyond the credit limits and happily slap you with a over-the limit credit fees. So, even if you spend 1 dollar above your spending limit you could be slapped as much as for crossing your credit limits. Strange but true, borrowing 1 dollar will cost you extra.

Many things can be said about fine prints, every fine prints tries to apply certain restrictions, or explain a controversial point which credit card companies shy away from writing in bold. These fine prints weigh heavily towards the credit card company, and if a consumer doesn’t read it carefully he falls into the trap.

Asterisk® PBX appliances implementing VoIP telephony with Asterisk® and Elastix, Druid GUI and Tribox CE distributions. Open source IP PBX hardware solutions include FXS, FXO, BRI, E1/T1 PRI & R2 telephony interfaces. This video demonstrates how to use two disaster recovery utilities from Xorcom: Xorcom Rapid Recovery (backup and restore utility) and Xorcom Live Rescue (bootable disk-on-key that bypasses the hard disk to operate the PBX until maintenance can be scheduled).

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by osde8info

How Verbal Variety Kills Comprehension

by Philip Yaffe

As any teacher knows, saying something once is tantamount to not saying it at all. People may recognize an idea the first time it is presented, but they almost never assimilate it and make it their own until it is repeated.

Nevertheless, in expository (non-fiction) writing, repetition seems to be a no-no. The purpose of expository writing is generally to inform or instruct, yet young writers are often enjoined to avoid repetition at all costs.

I became aware of this bizarre and detrimental phenomenon by living in Europe and learning other languages. I have been a resident of Belgium since 1974. I fluently speak French, and have working knowledge of Dutch, German and Spanish.

Everyone I know who writes documents in these languages will do just about anything to avoid repeating a word. It seems that when they were in school, they were told that if they repeated a word, their hands would be cut off. Verbal variety was a prime virtue; word repetition a prime sin.

Growing up in California, I don’t recall this taboo being pounded into my head the way it seems to be here in Europe, but maybe I wasn’t paying attention. In any event, while the advice is sound, the way people have interpreted it is wrong.

Intentionally used, repetition improves rather than degrades writing. The key word is “intentionally”. As in teaching — expository writing is a kind of teaching — saying something once seldom gets the point across. The solution, we are told, is to say it several times, but in different ways. However, constantly changing vocabulary for the sake of variety more often than not leads to confusion, rather than clarity. Consider the following:

A. I saw a big dog. I am afraid of big dogs, so I cautiously moved away.

B. I saw a big dog. I am afraid of large canines, so I cautiously moved away.

Changing “big dogs” to “large canines” adds nothing to the text, and in fact detracts from it. This of course is a made-up example, but I have seen many real examples equally ridiculous.

Consistently using the same terminology can advance your argument while mixing terminology can hobble it. This is true both in expository (non-fiction) and creative (fiction) writing.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here are excerpts from two of the finest pieces of writing anyone has ever produced: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln and The Mark Anthony Soliloquy by William Shakespeare. One is fiction, the other non-fiction. Both make undeniably effective use of repetition.

The Gettysburg Address

This speech was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 to mark a pivotal victory in the American Civil War. The repetitions are indicated by a double asterisk (**)

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that **nation — or any **nation so **conceived and so **dedicated — can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that **war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that **field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that **nation might **live.

“It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot **dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have **consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.

“The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be **dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

“It is rather for us to be here **dedicated to the great task remaining before us. That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of **devotion. That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. And that government of the people, by **the people, for **the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Stirring stuff, isn’t it?

Now let’s look at just the first two paragraphs to see what it might have looked like if Lincoln had avoided repetition.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that this country — or any nation-state founded and pledged in this way — can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that conflict. We have come to dedicate a portion of this patch of ground as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that homeland might continue to exist . . . .”

Hardly the same, is it?

Marc Anthony Soliloquy

This speech was delivered by Mark Anthony in Shakespeare’s play “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”. Once again, the repetitions are marked by a double asterisk (**)

‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with **Caesar.

‘The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and **grievously hath Caesar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—for Brutus is an **honorable man; so are they all, all **honorable men—come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

‘He was my friend, faithful and just to me. But Brutus says he was **ambitious, and Brutus is an **honorable man.

‘He hath brought many captives home to Rome, whose ransoms did the general coffers fill. Did this in Caesar seem **ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. **Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was **ambitious, and Brutus is an **honorable man.”

The soliloquy continues. Through repetition, the crowd comes to equate Caesar with “saint”, Brutus with “murderer”, and “honorable” with “dishonorable”. The crowd riots and overthrows the junta which, lead by Brutus, only days before had assassinated Caesar to public acclaim.

The Bicentennial Man

It may be argued that the Mark Anthony Soliloquy is not “true fiction”, because it is a speech within a play and meant to sound realistic. Much of fiction is description, where verbal variety is virtually obligatory.

Here is a descriptive passage from “The Bicentennial Man”, a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov, a master of both creative and expository writing. Once again, the repetitions are marked with a double asterisk. Try to imagine this passage if each repetition were changed to something else.

**The fact that JN-5 was a radically new type of robot, quite different from anything ever built before, was distressing.

**The fact that JN-5 was a prototype, the first after four earlier attempts ever placed in the field, was more distressing.

**The fact that JN-5 had apparently accomplished something of incalculably importance–and that now might be forever gone — placed the distress utterly beyond words.

It is not my purpose to argue that verbal variety isn’t important, only that blindly changing words to avoid repetition can be counterproductive.

So how can you know when and when not to vary vocabulary?

As in any intellectual endeavor, in writing if you know why you are doing something, rather than simply because it is a rule, chances are you will do it better. The key consideration is. Will changing a word advance the purpose of my text? If yes, then change it. If not, don’t.

Early in his career, Pablo Picasso was a classical painter, perhaps on a par with Rubens and Rembrandt. One day he was asked, “If you can paint like that, why do you do this almost childish, abstract stuff?” He is reported to have replied, “You need to understand the rules to know how to creatively break them.”

Go, and be creative.

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).

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by AMMZ

Unsecured Loan Deals

Want a cheap unsecured personal loan? It was relatively simple a year ago to get one at a competitive interest rate. Now, six months of financial turbulence and credit crunching has put most lenders on red alert.

Obtaining the best interest rate is tough, even for potential borrowers with decent credit ratings, as providers tighten up on their lending criteria.

Getting the best deal

But you’re still determined; you want that new car or there’s the cost of a wedding to fund. Despite increased interest rates, a personal loan of £10,000 or £15,000 is, in your circumstances, an ideal way of raising the necessary cash.

How do you achieve the best financial deal?

The keys to a cheap personal loan are the cost of the monthly repayment and the total cost of the loan over its term. You need to compare like with like.

Personal loans can be flexible in the amount borrowed and length of repayment term (usually two to seven years), but remember that borrowing over a longer period to minimise the monthly repayment will significantly increase the cost of the loan and the total amount paid in interest.

Some loan providers structure deals so that lower interest rates apply once a certain loan threshold is exceeded; the annual percentage rate (APR) can drop to around 7% for loans above £5,000. Then there are incentives such as repayment holidays, but you need to be aware that interest accrues during that holiday period.

Beware the asterisk

It’s the APR you need to focus on when comparing personal loan rates, particularly if it’s followed by the word “typical” and a small asterisk. Don’t automatically assume this is the rate you’ll be offered.

Many lenders operate this system, an example being AA Loans. At the beginning of this month it was offering just 6.5% APR typical on loans of £7,000 to £25,000 at terms of up to seven years. I was given the opportunity to borrow £8,000 and pay £157.66 per month for 60 months; total amount repayable £9,459.60.

Am I typical though? The asterisk referred to a footnote that said: “the rate offered will depend on credit assessment procedures, your personal circumstances and other related factors. AA loan rates range from 6.5% to 22.3% on loans of £7,000 to £25,000.”

The Consumer Credit Act of 2004 stipulates in its rules for the advertising of loan rates that two-thirds of successful loan applicants responding to an advertisement must be offered the quoted APR. The unlucky one-third draw the short straw of risk-based pricing, whereby credit history is scrutinised and personal loans offered (if at all) are at a more expensive APR.

Your very own personal rate

However, there is now a growing tendency for banks and other loan providers to avoid the upfront headline typical APR. This way they can sidestep the advertising rules.

The concept of personal pricing has moved to the fore, with customers being offered an individual rate of interest which reflects their circumstances, the tightened lending criteria, and the size of personal loan required. The loan rate is usually subject to adjustment after a full credit search has been carried out.

This is why, when hunting down the best personal loan in these troubled fiscal times, your credit rating is more important than ever. Your credit situation must be as squeaky clean as possible. Check your situation by ordering a copy of your credit file from one of the three recognised agencies, such as Experian.

Correct any mistakes

If you defaulted on a past credit repayment, but there was a good reason (such as a divorce), get this fact noted on your file. Also make sure you are still on the electoral roll, especially if you have moved address recently.

Don’t leave a footprint on your file, caused by too many unsuccessful loan applications in a short time frame. Every time you apply for credit, there’s a detrimental impact on your file.

Do you need protection?

Whatever personal loan arrangement you come to, beware the iniquitous payment protection insurance (PPI). Technically this should be voluntary but most personal loan quotes automatically include PPI, usually at a very expensive level.

Bought this way, PPI can rack up the cost of a loan. The policy is paid for upfront and the amount added to the amount borrowed, increasing the effective APR quite substantially. You end up paying interest on both the premium and the actual loan.

The Financial Services Authority is currently investigating alleged mis-selling of these policies; it recently fined HFC (part of HSBC) a record £1.1 million for failing to meet minimum sales standards.

If payment protection is required then it’s best to opt for a stand-alone policy at a monthly premium from an independent PPI provider such as Paymentcare. However, first be sure you really need it. Do you have other insurances which will cover personal loan repayments in the event of accident, sickness or unemployment?

Note that if you’re self-employed or employed on short term contracts, you are usually excluded from PPI cover anyway.

Live demo of award-winning dual server redundancy solution launched at the IT Expo held in Miami Beach in early February. The solution is based on Xorcom’s XPP Technology, which leverages the benefits of USB2 technology to provide innovative telephony solutions for commercial installations.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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Cisco 7940 and 7960 Phones on Asterisk / Elastix Voip solution

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