Smart Home Blog

Another networked player contains popular HTPC software Boxee. NUU player demonstrated at CES 2010, is based on Atom CPU and probably Intel graphics. It sports 160GB HDD, HDMI, DVI, a few USB and one Ethernet ports. There is no info about WiFi adaptor but the player includes Bluetooth module. So, the wireless headset can be attached there.

Except Boxee, the NUU player offers XBMC and Skype applications. That’s really interesting cause you may no only watch video from sofa but make also Skype calls using Bluetooth headset without standing up.

The price of the NUU player is a bit more expensive then upcoming D-Link Boxee Box – $300 (Boxee Box is just $200). The date of availability is not set yet. The demo video after jump.
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Digium recently released the final version of the module for integration Skype and Asterisk. The implementation is done as an add-on channel driver. The module allows to Skype-to-Skype calls as well as supporting SkypeIn and SkypeOut. Additionally it offers set and retrieve online status, trunk calls between Asterisk servers over Skype, make and receive multiple concurrent Skype calls from the same Skype account. The price of Skype module for Asterisk is $66.00 per channel.

Personally I don’t see a big advantages of Skype over the SIP gates for voice calls. The SIP gates are cheaper and they give better voice quality. But the Skype module for Asterisk can be very useful in case of calling directly to the Skype accounts since Skype is a standard de-facto for business communications. In any case it’s good to have more choices for VoIP calls!

Skype recently announced a new module which integrates Skype functionality into Digium’s Asterisk software. It allows to Asterisk users make, receive and transfer Skype calls with multiple Skype names with low Skype global rates. Not bad, isn’t it?

The Skype for Asterisk beta can be downloaded from here

[via Skype Journal].

If you need to connect your fax, answer machine, PC or Sky box modem but don’t want to make additional wiring the Wireless Phone Jack helps you to do that. Using cordless DECT standard from RTX in a special configuration it allows to send data with 56 Kbit/s up to 50 meters. No bad for £50 for transmitter receiver pair. Additional receivers are available at £25 only.

The Wireless Phone Jack installation is extremely simple. Just plug transmitter and receiver into the power socket and they start to communicate each other.

[via AutomatedHome]

Nokia E65 is new and stylish mobile phone with built-in WiFi. But it has another cool feature – emulation of Cisco 7970. E65 can be connected to the Cisco Call Center as 7970. So, we decided to try add it to our Plutohome installation and see what’s happened. After a few hours of unsuccessful attempts we configured E65 as SIP phone and connected it to the Plutohome Asterisk. It works great! Now outside the office E65 is a mobile phone but near the Plutohome access point it allows to make cheap calls via Asterisk.

We didn’t give up with installation of emulator of Cisco 7970 in the E65. I don’t think that in might be useful (the XML Orbiter won’t provide wide functionality) but we try it again.