Broadband Advisor

Freshtel Holdings Limited [ASX: FRE] subsidiary Tesco Teleecoms has launched a new converged technology internet telephony service.

The encryption of Skype VoIP phone calls might not be as secure as you think.

Skype has made available a test version of its latest upgrade, Skype 4.0, which the eBay unit calls its biggest and most ambitious release in its almost five-year history.

A common compression technique can make internet telephone calls significantly more susceptible to bugging, according to recent research from Johns Hopkins University.

A new online services directory, dubbed FreeConnect, launched last week, claiming to be Australia's first online VoIP directory service.

When it comes to business, are you toying between a Blackberry or an iPhone? We've taken a look at how function in a business environment to help you decide

More than a year ago, I wrote a column called "Why the iPhone will change the (PC) world." In that piece I described how the user interface of future operating systems -- the next-generation Windows, OS X and Linux UIs -- will have iPhone-like elements such as multitouch, gestures, 3-D and minimal icons.

Solid-state drives may replace hard drives as future storage devices on computers, but not until their price plummets.

Remember the old philosophical puzzler: If a tree falls down in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, are we sure it made a sound? With Tuesday's launch of Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft is trying to render centuries of existential debate moot. Because as years of hype around OCS show, when Microsoft launches a new product, everyone wants to hear about it.

We all know that in the technology world, the hype about new products often doesn't match reality. So it's fair to ask: Is the iPhone as good as its hype? In particular, does iPhone's much-discussed touch-screen interface really make using the device simpler and more intuitive?

Android is Google's foray into the handheld OS realm. It follows a path trodden by -- among others -- Symbian's Quartz, the SavaJe operating system, and J2ME. In fact, one of Android's stated goals is to overcome some of J2ME's shortcomings. Whether or not Android succeeds, either at that specific goal, or in general, remains to be seen.

OK, which is it? Running local applications on the handset/mobile device or relying on Web services? The answer, of course, is likely to be both.

When it comes to the "next big thing", I'm usually pretty skeptical. (It's from all those years I've spent trying to get gear to work as advertised.) But in 2008, we will see some long-promised technologies - like the connected home, truly smart "smartphones", and environmentally friendly tech - start to bloom. And even if they don't live up to all the hype, they'll make life a lot more interesting.

I'm hearing more about new kinds of attacks on the LAN, such as voice over IP (VoIP) attacks or using printers as a source of attack. How can LAN security help me prevent those attacks?

Cisco confirmed it is possible to eavesdrop on remote conversations using Cisco VoIP phones. In its security response, Cisco says: "an attacker with valid Extension Mobility authentication credentials could cause a Cisco Unified IP Phone configured to use the Extension Mobility feature to transmit or receive a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) audio stream."

How to get the most from your BlackBerry

New exploits against VoIP continue to emerge, but experts say these demonstrations reveal the need for vigilant security and are not fatal flaws to the technology.

As technology and communications begin to converge, the focus is increasingly placed upon multifunction devices, such as the modern smartphone.

With more bandwidth and endless multimedia possibilities, 3G mobile phones are leaving 2G in the dust.

For the majority of those looking to upgrade to broadband Internet for the business or home, it's all about the extra speed.

Voice over IP is exactly what its name suggests. It is voice communication that is transmitted over an Internet Protocol (IP) service.