VoIP Tech Chat » skype

Acer Aspire One – Innocent Netbook

patrick — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:16:43 +0000

Or cleverly disguised secret agent for the video phone revolution?

I R Eatz U R Dataz!

I love my netbook. I love my netbook so much, I have two of them (okay, one is the wife’s). Surprisingly, I managed to survive months on nothing but my netbook doing fairly intensive SQL / VoIP / Web work. The hard drive is a little slow, but the overall performance is outstanding.

When I travel, I can use Skype to video chat with the built in webcam and get great quality (both ways) for both picture and sound. It’s like a giant smart phone. It reminds me of the $1000+ “video phones” that were supposed to be the future of talking on the phone… then people realized they really didn’t want to “get pretty” to use the phone. Now, for around $250 a unit, you can have that and so much more.

Recently, my wife’s netbook gave an error on boot that had something to do with a missing windows file (system32\ntoskrnl.exe). Apparently, she’s not the only one with this issue… it seems to be quite common. Of course, as the techie/geek/nerd of the castle, it was my job to slay this dragon and I came across the only problem I have had with this magical mini machine. Not so much a problem… more like open questions to Acer.

To access the hard drive, you have to remove 17 screws (maybe more, I think I lost some extras), you have to remove the keyboard, you have to remove the top, you have to remove this little card on top of the mother board, this side circuit board, the motherboard. Then you slide the hard drive out, reverse. Why not put a panel on the bottom to access the hard drive directly?
Why can I find nothing in your documentation about Alt-F10? This is a handy mode that lets you recover the operating system to factory defaults, but I don’t see it in my Acer manual.
In line with question 2, Why is the only recovery option to completely reset to factory? Since this is basically a stripped version of the OS, why not offer an explorer window so I can copy files to an SD or USB drive before formatting, or just backup the user files to another partition?
What degree in sadism lead to the design of the three little clips that hold the keyboard in place?

All told, from error to recovered could have been done in < 30 minutes, and I HIGHLY recommend Acer products to everyone I know. From their higher-end Ferrari laptop to the humble netbook (go with XP home, Windows 7 netbook edition is crippleware garbage), I have never had a problem with their hardware or software that made me lose respect for the brand, which is saying a lot.

For More Information:

Acer: Acer Aspire One Website
Skype: Free PC to PC Video Calls

Skype for Asterisk Beta Limited Time Offer

Fred — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:58:20 +0000

Hi, VoIP Tech Chat here introducing a BRAND NEW download from Digium, the company bringing you Asterisk. Are your Skype calls limiting you to sitting in front of your computer? Do you ever forget to plug in your microphone and lose audio? Well, Digium has the perfect product for you!

Skype for Asterisk Beta is a download that lets you integrate your Asterisk system with the Skype network.

With Skype for Asterisk, you can:

Make Skype to Skype calls
Call landlines, cellphones, even grandma!
Receive SkypeIn calls
Make multiple Skype calls simultaneously using the same Skype account
Read Skype profile fields
Support DTMF
Set and retrieve online status
Handle incoming Skype calls using your dialplan
Use the Asterisk PBX for voice and the Desktop for IM
And much more!

And you can do this all from your Asterisk PBX!

Ordinary Skype is a mess. You need your desktop and some sort of sound equipment just to make a call. Crazy. Skype for Asterisk Beta has the muscle to use your phone system directly with the Skype network. Use Skype for Asterisk Beta to provide an IVR or Sales portal for your company. You can use Skype for Asterisk Beta at home while watching TV. You can even use Skype for Asterisk Beta to send your Skype calls to one central voicemail.

Whether your Skype needs are large or small, Skype for Asterisk Beta can handle it all. Skype for Asterisk Beta is free, so it pays for itself.

Through Digium’s exclusive Beta offer you can download Skype for Asterisk Beta at the very low price of Free.

But wait, there’s more!

Skype for Asterisk Beta is a limited time offer. You have to act now to download and register the software. Skype for Asterisk Beta can only be downloaded until August 7th and used until August 31st. And of course, being beta, there’s some betaness to contend with.

So act now and download the Skype for Asterisk Beta software today directly from Digium.

(In case you hadn’t guessed, this is also our homage to Billy Mays.)

Here’s what Digium’s John Todd posted:

I know many of you have been waiting for this for a while, so I’ll keep this short: The Skype for Asterisk Public Beta is now available on the Digium store.

We are pleased to announce the open beta of Skype For Asterisk is ready to begin and we look forward to you participation. To obtain your copy of the software, please visit Digium’s web store and purchase (for zero dollars) the Skype For Asterisk product. The web store does require a Digium.com account, which can be set up during the purchase process if you don’t already have one. Once the web store process is complete, you will be e-mailed your license key and directions on where to download Skype For Asterisk beta software.

This is a “time-expiring” beta – the software will stop working on August 31. The download is also currently time-limited – it will be available until August 7 on our website. After the 31st, you would need to have purchased a license for the SfA software (sorry, no pricing that I can give you right now – that will be a separate announcement. I’m just the community guy – I have no idea about pricing or commercial contracts or the like, so please wait until that’s been announced as I will find out about the same time as you do.

Trial “purchase” page:
http://store.digium.com/productview.php?product_code=804-00019

JT

While you’re downloading Skype for Asterisk, read Michael Grave’s post over at Graves On SOHO VoIP.

It’s Been Too Long Podcast

Fred — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:45:07 +0000

After celebrating the Indian Summer with personal reflection, Fred and Patrick return to podcasting — and this time… it’s personal.

This week, we discuss such great things as Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Skype, Asterisk (briefly), the Boy Scouts, and more!

As always, VoIP Tech Chat can be accessed from:

VoIP Tech Chat (download mp3)
iTunes
And, thanks to popular request, you can also stream the chat by pressing the play button below
Download audio file (081105_01.mp3)

Have thoughts? We’d love to hear from you.

Asterisk and Skype together

Fred — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:10:04 +0000

Skype announces partnership with Asterisk at AstriCon. More to come

Skype Grounded for Life?

Fred — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:24:56 +0000

Andy Abramson posted a great comment about American Airlines blocking Skype from their new inflight internet WiFi access. Now, only the wisdom of Solomon can understand either this rule or how American Airlines is interpreting the “federal ban on phone calls.”

Should we believe that somehow, using VoIP during a flight will present a security risk compared to being allowed the use of a cellphone the second you land and right before flight? There’s a great line from Man of the Year where Robin Williams’ character explains that if old ladies in walkers are trying to blow up planes, the game’s over.

We understand that using a cellphone during a flight could bother airplane electronics — but if you can use WiFI, then how does a VoIP conversation pose the same threat. Unless, we are to believe that somehow allowing Skype or telephone conversations during a flight will somehow allow devastation to occur? We don’t get it. Isn’t blocking more than 4 ounces of liquid already protecting us?

Does this mean that all IM communication will be blocked, or is it just the verbal communication that Feds deem destructive?

Encrypted Voip Chat

Fred — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:27:27 +0000

Welcome to this week’s Voip Cast. In this week’s chat, we discuss topics such as George Michael, Skype, encryption, airports, slot machines, super-heroes and more.

You can download this week’s podcast for FREE at these fine locations:

Voip Tech Chat (download mp3)
iTunes
And, thanks to popular request, you can also stream the chat by pressing the play button below:
Download audio file (080611_01.mp3)

Looking for links from our podcast? Well look no further friends. Simply point, click, and read: