4340 Results

AT

Search
Telecom News

Skype adds a new “blurred background” feature

By

Microsoft has announced that the latest version of Skype for desktops and laptops now offers the option of blurring the background during video calls. This feature works to distinguish and isolate the subject from the surrounding background, and places the focus on the person as the most important component of the scene. This will provide a distraction-free space, and help eliminate any embarrassing moments during video conferencing. This option was first introduced in another Microsoft messaging application, Teams. Last September the company announced their support for the background blur in this collaboration app, introducing new features for the workplace chat platform and Office 365. The blur feature has put Artificial Intelligence (AI) to use, as this advanced technology has been trained to recognize the human form. It is not just the speaker’s face that is in focus, but also their hair, hands and arms, thus creating a smooth…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

Viber 10 delivers new features for Android and iOS

By

Viber has launched the latest revision of its mobile messaging application on iOS and Android – version 10, featuring an updated User Interface (UI) together with several other improvements. This is the first major update to the app in four years. The company stated that Viber Messenger 10 comes with a new look, has enhanced connectivity options, and includes additional privacy measures. Viber services have been improved with the ability to send messages twice as fast as before, and voice and video calls have been given “a quality boost to become crystal clear”. There is a new, bright header across the app, and the main chat list is displayed with convenient access to all private and group chats, communities and favourite public content. The update includes a new “Calls” screen containing recent calls and phone contacts, with the Viber Out balance and subscriptions shown at the top of…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

Verizon’s successful 5G edge computing test to facilitate low-latency apps

By

Verizon has announced a successful edge computing trial on a live 5G network, conducted using their newly formed 5G test bed in Houston. The company’s engineers used Multi-Access Edge Compute (MEC) equipment and MEC platform software, incorporated in a network facility closer to the network edge, and managed to decrease network latency by half. The test results are important for next generation networks, enabling 5G to support low-latency applications such as Virtual Reality (VR). Low latency refers to minimizing the round-trip time taken by data packets. This is an essential yet enormously challenging attribute for a 5G network, and its high performance requirements. At present, many mobile applications depend on cloud-based processing that is handled in centralized data centers, and the physical distances involved increase latency. According to Verizon, locating the computing power nearer to the users at the network edge significantly decreases the time to deliver services. …

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

Google punished in France for violating the GDPR

By

The National Data Protection Commission (CNIL), France’s data protection office, has imposed a fine of €50 million against Google LLC for breaching the European Union online data privacy rules. This is the first major case where a fine is being imposed under the EU’s stringent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force last year. The French watchdog found the US search engine giant guilty of “lack of transparency, inadequate information, and lack of valid consent regarding ad personalisation.” This case stems from concerns that were raised over Google’s applied methods of collecting data, and the lack of clear options provided for the users to consent to personalised ads. “The general structure of the information chosen by the company does not enable [it] to comply with the Regulation,” read a CNIL statement. “Essential information, such as the data processing purposes, the data storage periods or the categories…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

A cutting-edge project from China Mobile – the Blockchain water purifier

By

China Mobile, one of the largest state-owned telecommunications companies in that country, has designed a water purifying device powered by blockchain, thus making an explicit statement that blockchain technology is not something extraneous and out of this world, but is a beneficial high-tech solution that may be advantageously applied to ordinary household appliances. The Product Market Director at China Mobile IoT, Xiao Yi, stated: “Our goal is to also attract those who are not in the cryptocurrency or blockchain community, who may have heard of this technology but not necessarily understand it. To embrace a more mainstream adoption, we need to turn something that appears professional into something that’s very ordinary.” The Internet of Things (IoT) division within the company has developed a product with a built-in computing chip and an IoT module.  This innovative gadget collects applicable user data related to consumer behaviour habits and shares it…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

This year’s first new smartphone for the UK – an updated Huawei P Smart 2019

By

Huawei will put a new smartphone on display in the UK this week, the Huawei P Smart 2019. China’s leading smartphone manufacturer is starting the year with this budget-friendly handset, comprising cutting-edge features, combined with a premium look and feel. The company says that the P Smart is “a mid-market device targeting young consumers who are looking for an affordable, high quality user experience.” Justin Costello, Huawei’s Director of Marketing, UK and Ireland, said, “Huawei’s devices truly disrupted the smartphone arena in 2018, making us the fastest growing smartphone brand in the UK and the second biggest globally. With its outstanding AI, photography and performance capabilities, the Huawei P Smart 2019 delivers a superior smartphone experience at an accessible price point.” As the successor to the P Smart model launched a year ago, the Huawei P Smart 2019 has been improved with a larger screen, a front AI…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

Facebook rocked by yet another data-sharing scandal

By

The problems for the social networking giant Facebook continue to mount as yet another data-sharing scandal has exploded. The New York Times (NYT) has published a thorough investigation detailing Facebook’s data sharing practices, and reported that the social network provided some well-known tech companies with access to hundreds of millions of users’ data without their consent. Interviews with former Facebook employees and its corporate partners, as well as hundreds of pages of documents obtained by the NYT, confirmed that Facebook made the questionable arrangements with partners such as Amazon, Spotify, Netflix and Microsoft. These alliances enabled the companies to “read, write and delete users’ private messages, and to see all participants on a thread”. The records revealed, that “Facebook allowed Microsoft’s Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent. The social network permitted Amazon to obtain users’ names and contact information…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

All smartphones in EU to include Galileo satellite compatibility

By

To improve emergency services and to better locate callers, The European Commission has approved a regulation that will require new smartphones to include satellite and Wi-Fi location. The integrated chipset with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) must deliver access to the EU’s satellite system Galileo, which provides accurate positioning and timing information. Currently, most emergency services are faced with the challenge of only being able to locate troubled mobile callers within an area of several kilometers. However, the proposed use of satellite and Wi-Fi systems will enable 112 emergency number callers to be located within a range of less than 100 meters. Galileo-enabled devices receive signals for positioning, navigation and timing. This satellite system has been servicing around 400 million users, and this summer the system was supplemented by four more satellites, which were successfully launched from the European spaceport. Every additional satellite steadily improves Galileo’s performance, and,…

by
Keep Reading
Telecom News

What is an API and how can it be used?

By

The abbreviation API stands for Application Programming Interface, a phrase which is not particularly self-explanatory to those who have not yet had the chance to delve into the world of APIs. voip.review will provide a concise and easy to understand explanation of APIs for you. Basically, an API is a software-to-software interface that allows different computer systems and applications to communicate and share information, according to a set of rules embedded in the API. To put it another way, the API is a Programming Interface for developing Applications. The provider of the API publishes a set of rules defining how third party software programs should interact with their piece of software, listing a bunch of operations that developers can use, along with a description of what each operation will achieve. APIs deliver tremendous advantages to the technology industry, mainly because they allow for the rapid development of software products using…

by
Keep Reading

What to focus on when upgrading from traditional PBX to cloud PBX

By

A cloud-hosted, VoIP-powered PBX is an attractive and preferred option for a modern business telephone service. It is extremely cost effective, available for use anytime and almost anywhere, and requires none of the hardware investment that traditional on-premises systems needed in the past. With maturing technology and the desired convenience in business communication, now is the right time for change. Switching to a hosted private branch exchange (PBX) may sound complicated, however a well-thought-out transformational process can be smooth and hassle-free. Let’s discuss the main points to consider when moving from a traditional voice system to a cloud PBX. PBX systems – traditional vs virtual To begin with, it is important to understand the main differences between a traditional PBX and a cloud PBX. A legacy PBX is an enterprise phone system stored and hosted on the customer’s premises, and consists of specialized hardware,  generally  connected using circuit switched networks.…

by
Keep Reading
Load More