December 18, 2005

By Frank Ahrens

Marketers have long relied on children as their most effective pitchmen. Kids get Mommy and Daddy to buy most anything. Now, kids are being enlisted to get their folks to sign up for Sony's video and voice Internet service.

It's a fiendishly ingenious plot, and it involves Santa. Actually, multiple Santas. On video. With no pants, maybe.

Sony, which is trying to make inroads in the voice-over-Internet market, will offer free video calls to Santa starting tomorrow if you download the company's free software. Santa will be able to see children who have Web cams on their computers as they see and talk live to him at the North Pole on Wednesday and Thursday.

December 18, 2005

By Staff

Vonage, one of the bigger broadband phone (VoIP) providers, has launched wireless voice over IP phones.

The Vonage F1000, their first wireless phone can access any 802.11b wireless network, and make use of all the standard Vonage features. The release of wireless phones could be what’s needed to push VoIP in to the next market, as hotspots and wireless access points grow to the point that they cover the majority of the world.

December 17, 2005

By Shawn Young

Vonage Holdings Corp. plans to announce that it has raised an additional $250 million in private funding from previous and new investors, bringing the total raised by the closely held start-up to $658 million.

The convertible-debt issue, set to be unveiled Monday, is likely to be Vonage's final round of private financing before the Internet-based phone company files for an initial public offering, according to people familiar with its plans.

The Holmdel, N.J., company has more than one million customers and is the U.S.'s largest provider of phone service that uses a regular telephone to send calls via Internet. In recent months, Vonage has been exploring an IPO and a sale, according to people familiar with its plans. It is most actively pursuing the IPO option, but remains open to the possibility of selling, these people said.

December 29, 2005

By Staff

The time and energy to wade through the sea of online deals, CNET News.com is now highlighting just one great offer on a daily basis.

What: Valid for Vonage devices from manufacturers, such as Linksys, Motorola, Uniden and VTech when service is activated within 15 days and maintained for at least 60 days

December 29, 2005

By Staff

Vonage Holdings Corp. is offering a $100 mail-in-rebate on certified devices sold in more than 9,000 retail locations within the United States.

The voice-over-Internet-protocol provider said the promotion will run from Jan. 1-Feb. 4.

December 15, 2005

By Adam Baer



Internet phone services like Vonage can offer numerous advantages over traditional phone lines: low monthly rates, call-forwarding and three-way calling, and the ability to phone from a home number anywhere. But the most exciting feature may be the ability to use open wireless networks.

December 15, 2005

By Marcelene Edwards

Internet phone provider Vonage announced Wednesday that 911 service now is available to customers in Pierce County.

That means the local emergency call center will receive a Vonage customer’s phone number and address when an emergency call is placed. Emergency workers previously didn’t know where the Internet calls were coming from and couldn’t route fire or police workers.

December 14, 2005

By Staff

Broadband phone company Vonage and UTStarcom yesterday unveiled a new portable Wi-Fi handset configured for use with Vonage’s VoIP phone service. The new UTStarcom F1000 is available now for $129.99.

The UTStarcom F1000 is configured with Vonage’s standard three-way calling, call waiting, repeat dial on busy, call forwarding to user assigned number, call hold/resume, voicemail, call rejecting/redial/mute and Caller ID based on phone book entries features.

December 14, 2005

By Adrian Baschnonga

VoIP player Vonage has teamed up with fellow U.S. player UTStarcom to produce its inaugural voice over wireless area network (VoWLAN) handset, dubbed the F1000.

Global Insight Perspective

Significance: Vonage has announced the launch of new handset - the F1000 - that offers internet telephony over wireless local area networks.

Implications: The U.S. VoIP pioneer sees its VoWLAN offering stealing mobile minutes in the enterprise space while hastening the decline of traditional telephony in Wi-Fi-enabled homes.

December 14, 2005

By Alejandro Alfonso

Vonage and UTStarcom are introducing the latest incarnation of a new breed of portable phone which integrates the hottest features of a growing VoIP market.

Advertised as the freshest and least expensive VoIP enabled portable phone now available, the UTStarcom F1000 WiFi handset allows local and long-distance calls to be made from any open access WiFi hotspot. It professes mobility across 802.11b networks at a starting price of $79.99 after instant rebate. This is the latest example of new wireless technology bringing companies together in an attempt to gain solid ground in the rapidly developing VoIP market.