TELECOM Digest     Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:46:00 EDT    Volume 24 : Issue 463

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    MSN and Yahoo Connect Their Instant Messenger Services (Reuters News)
    AT&T Internet VOIP Service to Require Fixed Location (Reuters News Wire)
    Search for Four in New England Flood (Katharine Webster)
    Re: Device That Interfaces Between Phone/CallerID and Serial Port? (mhd)
    EchoStar Introduces Portable Media Player (Monty Solomon)
    Linksys and Skype Team Up to Launch New Cordless Handset (Monty Solomon)
    Audiovox Corporation Reports 2005 Fiscal Third Quarter (Monty Solomon)

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and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest.  

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From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: MSN and Yahoo Connect Their Instant Messenger Service
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:21:08 -0500 


Microsoft, Yahoo to link instant message services

Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are preparing to link together their
free instant messaging services as they take on entrenched messaging
leader AOL and market newcomer Google Inc., a source close to the
companies said on Tuesday.

The deal, the first major alliance between two of the Web's main
providers of instant messaging, will allow users of Microsoft's MSN
Messenger service and Yahoo Messenger to swap instantaneous text
messages with each other.

A Microsoft spokeswoman and a Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on
the alliance, first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The tie-up, expected to be announced on Wednesday, will also give
users of both services the ability to communicate via voice as well, a
feature that up to now has been restricted to users within each
service, the source said.

AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc. is currently the market leader in the
instant messaging space with a share of 56 percent, according to
research firm Radicati Group.

But with Microsoft and Yahoo making up the rest of the market, their
combined service could be a formidable threat to AOL. Google launched
its own instant messenger, which includes Internet voice calling, in
August.

At stake is the ability to attract users and offer them other services
and information from the Web portals, which in turn helps Microsoft's
MSN Internet unit, Yahoo and AOL earn advertising dollars.

The technology behind the deal already exists.

Microsoft has already opened up its corporate online messaging
service, which requires a license and offers more features, to AOL and
Yahoo.  Unlike free messaging services, corporate messaging lets
businesses install instant messaging within corporate networks, where
conversations can be monitored and saved, much like enterprise e-mail.

Being able to send instant messages to different services using a single
program isn't new, however.

Users of unified messaging services such as Trillian can use a single
software program to send and receive instant messages from AOL, MSN,
Yahoo and other providers, as long as they have an account with each
service.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

------------------------------

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: AT&T Internet VOIP Service to Require Fixed Location
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:22:06 -0500


AT&T Corp. said on Tuesday it would suspend Internet phone service for
subscribers who fail to keep their location up to date when they
move around with the mobile service. Unlike Vonage and other VOIP
carriers, which permit traveling with an adapter, AT&T will not 
permit it; even though it is technically possible, AT&T will not
permit it under their regulations effective in November. 

Internet telephone service, known as Voice over Internet Protocol, can
be used anywhere a subscriber has a high-speed Internet connection,
which are becoming more common around the world.

That mobility has prompted concerns by U.S. communications regulators
who worry that if a subscriber does not register his location in the
United States, emergency authorities may not be able to find the
person if he dials 911 for help.

The Federal Communications Commission in May ordered VOIP carriers to
provide 911 emergency services by November 28, including connecting
calls directly to dispatchers.

Carriers, like AT&T and the biggest U.S. VOIP provider, Vonage
Holdings Corp., will also have to provide callers' numbers and
addresses to dispatchers. There are about 3 million subscribers in the
United States to VOIP, a cheaper alternative to traditional phone
service.

AT&T said it would use a telephone adapter to determine when a VOIP
phone has been disconnected from the network and reconnected, prompting
a query to the subscriber to confirm or update his or her location.

The customer can either confirm the location has not changed or receive
directions for updating it.

"If the customer confirms that she has moved her service from the
existing registered location address, service will remain suspended
until she registers a new primary location address," Robert Quinn, AT&T
vice president for federal government affairs, said in an October 7
letter to the FCC.

The subscriber still would be able to dial 911, according to Quinn.
However, AT&T said there is not yet a way to confirm the customer's
location.

"This is the best technology has to offer at this time," AT&T
spokeswoman Claudia Jones said. The FCC has said it eventually plans
to require carriers to provide the customer's location on their own.

AT&T said it would not offer to new customers its VOIP service in
areas after November 28 where the company cannot provide 911
capabilities.

The company, the No. 1 long-distance carrier, is being acquired by SBC
Communications Inc., the No. 2 local telephone company.

The FCC adopted the rules after several high-profile incidents in
which people only reached an administrative or business line at a 911
emergency call center when they used a VOIP phone.

The requirements only apply to those providers that connect calls to
and from the public telephone network.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. 

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

For more news headlines and stories, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

------------------------------

From: Katharine Webster <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Search For Missing in New England Flood
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:35:37 -0500


By KATHARINE WEBSTER, Associated Press Writer

Where Sally and Tim Canfield's home once stood, there is only open
land. Their home was washed away by floodwaters, and two days after
the rains subsided, their family found no trace of them.

Rescue crews and police dogs searched rivers and woods Tuesday for the
Canfields and two others missing in New Hampshire after a weekend of
heavy downpours that left at least 10 people dead from Maine to
Pennsylvania.

"We didn't find any bodies," said a brother-in-law, Rick Mason, who
spent time with crews looking for the Canfields. "First there was
Katrina, then there was the earthquake, but this is pretty devastating
right here."

At least one of those missing in New Hampshire, a 67-year-old kayaker, 
was feared dead.

Gov. John Lynch said the floods were the worst the state had
experienced in a quarter-century, and he sought a federal disaster
declaration.  Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were
expected to arrive later this week.

In Greenfield, Mass., where floods wrecked 40 trailers in a mobile home
park, the mayor said repairs would cost more than $1 million. The
flooding damaged a bridge and a dam, washed out a road, cracked sewer
mains and left at least 70 residents homeless, Mayor Christine Forgey
said. And just as in Katrina and the Gulf Coast, electric and water
service as non-existent or sporadi, as were telephones. 

She declared a state of emergency and said she also would need state
and federal help. "There is no way we could foot this bill," she said.

 From Friday evening through Sunday, storms dumped as much as 10 inches
of rain on New England and the mid-Atlantic states. In New Hampshire,
Hinsdale got 10.8 inches and Keene 10.5.

Just as the region began to dry out, forecasters warned that there
could be another of flooding if rainfall exceeded the 1 to 2 inches
expected through Wednesday. Weather forecasters said to 'count on
at least two inches over the same area on Wednesday.'

The floods forced the evacuation of 1,000 New Hampshire residents.
Officials went door-to-door Tuesday to check on the condition of many
homes. A stretch of at least 50 along one road had some type of
damage; officials said a dozens houses were washed away. Some
residents found they did not have much to return to.

"There's four feet of mud on our first floor," said Wendy Gendron, who
was evacuated with her family on Sunday. "There is no backyard anymore."

Police in Alstead discovered that the flood had washed away their
little police station. Other nearby communitities responded by taking
over Alstead police communications. 

"All of our police records, computers, weapons ... everything that was
in there is gone. It's destroyed," said Police Chief Christopher Lyons.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

Also see http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

------------------------------

From: -mhd <not_real@invalid.com>
Subject: Re: Device That Interfaces Between Phone/CallerID and Serial Port?
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 20:50:22 -0400


anon1@sci.sci wrote:

> I already have a modem, a SupraExpress 56. When the phone rings, the
> modem sends just the word RING on a line by itself, with a blank line
> between consecutive RINGs. I don't know of any way to make it detect
> caller-ID and report that.

Have you initialized it with "at+vcid=1"?

-mhd

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:02:52 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: EchoStar Introduces Portable Media Player


By SANDY SHORE AP Business Writer

DENVER (AP) -- The operator of the Dish Network satellite cable TV
service introduced a portable media player Tuesday that can display TV
programs or movies, play music and store digital photographs.

EchoStar Communications Corp.'s PocketDish works not only with Dish
Network equipment but also with most televisions, PC or Mac computers,
digital cameras, digital video recorders and VCRs.

The device, which is not equipped to receive programming broadcast
directly from Dish's satellites, is one of a growing number of
portable multi-use electronic devices on the market or expected to be
introduced that display video content.

Rival products include devices from Dell Inc., Samsung Electronics
Co. and Creative Labs. Inc. In fact, the new Dish player is based on
an operating system from Archos Inc., which introduced one of the
first portable media players.

      - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=52303031

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:04:27 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Linksys and Skype Team Up to Launch New Cordless Handset to Drive


New Cordless Internet Phone Provides Convenient Use of Free Skype
Internet Calls

IRVINE, Calif., and LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Linksys(R), a
Division of Cisco Systems, Inc., the recognized leading provider of
voice, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer, Small
Office/Home Office (SOHO) and small business user, and Skype, the
Global Internet Communications Company, today announced their global
relationship that will include marketing a new cordless phone that
takes free Skype Internet phone calling off the computer and puts it
into the hands of callers.

The new Internet Telephony Kit (CIT200) provides callers with a
convenient alternative to making free Skype calls while sat at their
computer, giving them the freedom to make free Skype calls wherever
they are in the home or office.  The CIT200 is the first Skype-enabled
product bundled with a Skype starter pack.

The CIT200 will be available from 17 October from more than 3,000
online and high street retailers throughout North America, Latin
America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Internet Telephony Kit includes a handset, charger and a USB base
station that plugs into a computer's USB port.  The handset lets
callers take their free Skype calling off the PC and into other rooms
using the compatible USB base station.  The handset can read and
display callers' Skype contact list on its built-in illuminated
display, letting callers know which of their Skype contacts are online
and ready to be called.  The handset also supports SkypeOut, SkypeIn
and Skype Voicemail, low-cost premium services that lets callers make
and receive calls to family, friends and colleagues using traditional
landlines or cell phones, and send and receive messages up to 10
minutes long.

The handset also includes a number of convenient features for Skype users:

     *  Supports call waiting
     *  Mute button
     *  3 available ring tones
     *  Intercom support to between multiple handsets
     *  Built-in speakerphone
     *  Color LCD panel
     *  Up to 120 hour standby time and 10 hour talk time
     *  Hold Button
     *  Caller ID
     *  Address Book that supports up 120 contacts
     *  Ringer -- Off/On switch
     *  Navigation button for screen
     *  Utilizes voice encryption for high security
     *  Headset jack for connecting a headset
     *  Uses DECT wireless technology so won't interfere with 2.4GHz 
        phones or devices
     *  Single base station supports up to four additional DECT based phones
     *  Handset locater button on USB base station
     *  Handset is light and comfortable to use (4.23 oz/ 0.12kg)

     - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=52300542

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:05:34 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Audiovox Corporation Reports 2005 Fiscal Third Quarter 


HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Audiovox
Corporation (Nasdaq: VOXX) today announced results for its fiscal
third quarter and nine-months ended August 31, 2005.

Audiovox Corporation (the "Company") reported fiscal 2005 third
quarter net sales of $122.9 million, a decrease of 7.3% compared to
net sales of $132.6 million reported in the fiscal third quarter of
2004.  Net loss from continuing operations for the 2005 fiscal third
quarter was $3.6 million or a loss of $0.16 per diluted share compared
to net income of $37,000 or earnings per diluted share of $0.00 in the
comparable prior year period.  Including discontinued operations, the
Company reported a net loss of $3.7 million or a loss per diluted
share of $0.17 compared to net income of $5.3 million or $0.24 per
diluted share in the fiscal third quarter of 2004.

Mobile Electronics, which represented 64.0% of net sales, came in at
$78.6 million, down 21.3% compared to net sales of $99.8 million
reported in the comparable prior year period.  This decline was
primarily related to the reduction of selling prices in satellite
radio Plug-N-Play units and certain discontinued mobile video
products.  As previously announced, the Company took an inventory
write down of $3.8 million to reflect current market conditions in the
satellite radio category, which has seen prices on Plug-N-Play units
fall by roughly 50%.  Offsetting these declines were stronger sales of
the Company's Jensen branded auto sound products, Terk products and
the introduction of new mobile video systems.  Consumer Electronics,
which represented 36.0% of net sales, had sales of $44.4 million, an
increase of 35.2% compared to net sales of $32.8 million reported in
the fiscal third quarter of 2004.  This increase was due primarily to
higher sales of LCD flat- panel TV's and portable DVD products.

Gross margins for the third fiscal quarter of 2005 declined primarily
to the satellite radio inventory write down, increased consumer
electronics sales at traditionally lower margins and the lower margins
associated with the remaining sales of discontinued mobile video
products.  This decline was partially offset by higher margins from
the Terk and Jensen product lines.

Operating expenses for the fiscal 2005 third quarter were $21.3
million, a decrease of 3.6% as compared to operating expenses of $22.1
million reported in the fiscal third quarter last year.  The
reductions in operating expenses were primarily in selling, general
and administrative expenses and were partially offset by higher
expenses associated with increased technical and engineering support.
Other income came in at $2.5 million as compared to $580,000 reported
in the comparable prior year period.  This increase was primarily
related to higher interest income generated during the quarter.

     - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=52299403

------------------------------


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End of TELECOM Digest V24 #463
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