Digium Products for the Philippines
EACOMM Corporation in partnership with Elisha Telecom Asia-Pacific is proud to announce the availability of a range of new products from Digium for the Philippine Market. This includes: TDM410 Series Analog Cards – Next generation 4-port analog cards able to accept Digium’s 32 channel echo cancellation module. Designed to replace the TDM400 series analog cards. TDM800 and AEX800 Series Analog Cards -8-port Analog TDM Card with optional Hardware-based echo cancellation module. TDM800 requires a standard PCI slot while AEX800 series requires a PCI-express slot. TDM2400 and AEX2400 Series Analog Cards – 24-port Analog TDM Card in PCI (TDM series) or PCI-express (AEX Series) models. All units can accept optional hardware-based echo cancellation module. EACOMM ships these cards with 6 feet 50-pin M<->F cable for free. Requires a 24-port Patch panel to terminate to standard analog RJ-11 cables. Next Generation TE-series Digital Cards – Includes TI/E1 TDM PCI and PCI express card models, option for echo-cancellation modules, and BRI models. Available in single-span, dual-span, and quad-span models. Asterisk Business Edition – Licensed version of Asterisk Open Source PBX. Asterisk Appliance -Full blown Asterisk PBX supporting up to 50 extension in a small box. Available with up to 4 FXO and 4 FXS ports. Lumenvox Speech Recognition Engine – Powerful Speech recognition software designed to work with Asterisk open source PBX. Download our current price list for Digium VoIP Products in Philippine Pesos here. For inquiries and requests for quotation, kindly contact Ms. Liza Castillo at +63 2 438 2983-85 local 212 or email us at sales@elishatelecom.com.
EACOMM Summer Internship Openings
INTERNSHIP OPENINGS: EACOMM Corporation is currently accepting Student Interns/Free-lancers/Part-timers for the following positions: Graphics Design/Desktop Publishing – part-time student or freelancer knowledgeable in Graphics Design and Desktop Publishing to work in completing various print-related projects. Web Content/Review Writer – students looking for part-time work as a web content/review writer. Ideal age would be 15-20 and must be an AVID PC GAMER. Web Programmer – on-the-job-training/freelance/student internship work on various in-house web applications currently under development. Flash Programmer – on-the-job-training/freelance/student internship work on various in-house flash games/content currently under development. Email Your Resumes to info@eacomm.com
signing up to twitter
signing up to twitter
Yourname.com Blog Hosting for just US$2.00/month
Yourname.com Blog Hosting for just US$2.00/month EACOMM Corporation is offering for a limited time only, Blog Hosting for just US$24 per year! Yourname.com (or .org, .net, .biz) 8 GB of Web Space 8 Email Addresses Pre-installed with WordPress Blog Engine FTP Access (ftp.yourdomain.com) This hosting service is not only ideal for Blogs but for small information websites which can be updated with little to no knowledge of HTML! Unique Web Page Layout for your Website/Blog For a one-time fee of US$150.00 we will provide you with a Unique Layout for your WordPress Blog/Website. Three (3) Layouts/themes will be presented to the client to choose from Inclusion of simple Flash banners/animation For more information about this limited offer email info@eacomm.com or call +63 2 438 2986.
EACOMM Corporation Website Version 5
Welcoming the new year, EACOMM is proud to launch the 5th version of its corporate website since the company’s inception in 2001. The new website features detailed interactive scenery with a retro, film-noir look developed in Flash. The website is managed through the latest version of EACOMM’s Dynamic Online Content Management System which features new features such as allowing for editing of Flash content as well as integration with Google’s Application suite. The site’s use of CSS 2.0 would also allow us to change the layout much more often and offer different layouts simultaneously in the future. The site is also designed to showcase the entire skill-set of EACOMM Corporation from Interactive Multimedia and Animation as seen with the various Flash scenes, to High-end Web Programming as showcased in the various dynamic content and interactive forms. For a blast from the past, visit the Web Archive which has our last three website layouts on record (for some reason the very first site was never stored). Version 1 (2001) was pure HTML and only had less than 10 web pages. Version 2 “Classic Black” (2002-2003) featured a number of online forms developed in PHP and writing to MySQL database. However, the main site content remained mostly HTML-based with a some small flash animation elements. Version two also included our first efforts in Search Engine Optimization of the website. Version 3 “United Colors of EACOMM” (2003-2005) featured a lively intro page and heavily SEO’d content. Some content were already content managed during the latter part of this version’s existence. Version 3 was also the first site hosted outside of EACOMM’s in-house web server for increased accessibility from the US/Europe. Version 4 “The Tree House” (2005-2007) This website was the first EACOMM website to fully utilize DO-CMS for content management. It feature original artwork from Visual Artist Robert Deniega. Further additions to the site includes this Blog website, a Japanese Version of the Website and other division sub-sites. Expect improvements and additions to the Current Website as we move forward through 2008 and beyond. Happy New Year to Everyone! EACOMM Corporation Web Team
ANIMAHENASYON 2007 FINALISTS
CONGRATULATIONS TO FINALISTS FOR ANIMAHENASYON 2007!!! TO VIEW THEIR WORKS, DROP BY ROBINSONS GALLERIA’S INDIE CINEMA BETWEEN NOVEMBER 21-27, 2007. For more information about the festival and show schedules, please visit the Animation Council Website or email them at info@animationcouncil.org. I. CATEGORY A: “Animated Shorts†(Competition) Pande Pinoy Teaser Trailer by Ma. Katrina Celina Millar Dayrit Godspeed by Ellen Ramos / Paolo Villaluna Putek! by Ramon del Prado / Teresa Clamor Fiesta 2052 by Michael Rivero End Of Part 11 by Wayie Canoy / Brendan Goco / Kat Lorenos Poring Glory by Edwin Guillermo May Lakad by Gigi Constantino PMS by Rosevie C. Sevilla One Minute Death by Teta Tulay Goner by Gem Urdaneta Row Our Boat by Don M. Salubayba Sketch Of War by Sherwin U. Llames Red Balloon by Titam Rebueno Malaya by Jeff Capili II. CATEGORY B: “Animated Shorts†(Competition) Assorted Nuts! Episode 6: Funfair Mayhem by Nick Barrameda Inday Wanda by Nelson ‘Blog’ Caliguia, Jr. Kariton by Markwell Uy Gallos The Forgotten Legacy: Barter of Panay by Arnold M. Fuentes, MPA Left Turn by Roxlee / Lai Crisostomo / Maisa Demetillo Building Diamonds by Poklong Anading Si Silang At Ang Haring Ibon by Jason Francis C. Confesor Libingan by Ramon del Prado III. CATEGORY C: “Animated Shorts†(Competition) Araw At Gabi by Nelson B. Caliguia, Sr. IV. CATEGORY E: “Music Videos†(Competition) Alkohol by Mark Galvez / Dustin Uy Parapap by Ma. Katrina Celina Millar Dayrit Dream Systems by Paraluman C. Cruz En El Bano Con Frida by Ellen Ramos WWIII by RJ Mabilin Sweet Cheeks by Juan Alcazaren Tumatakbo by Dennis E. Sebastian Tuparin Natin Ang Banta ng Ating Panahon by RJ Mabilin / Teta Tulay V. CATEGORY F: “TVCs/OBBs/Demo Reels†(Competition) “Art Jam†OBB by Paolo Villaluna / Ellen Ramos “Bitemark Animation Studios†Demo Reel by Ma. Katrina Celina Millar Dayrit Stop The Killings by Emil James Z. Mijares A Day In The Life Of Gloria Arrovo “Imperialist’s Puppet†(Part I: Expanded Value Added Tax) by RJ Mabilin “Lips†TVC by Pete Jimenez “Siopawman†Teaser by Pete Jimenez / Kinjo Estioko VI. CATEGORY H: “Animated Shorts†(Competition) Magbaroto: Take 1 by Jonathan P. Jurilla Night Shift by Jerome Albrando Double Trouble by Nino H. Pilotin Akeyah by Chaz Raimier R. Penas Homebound by Glenn Oliva Berg by Cherrelle Ann V. Consulta Last Haven by Mae Ann E. Britanico The Last Bloom by Christopher A. Etorne The Legend Of Tibud: The Journey Begins by Vicente B. Galino III Doodle Of Doom by Jason Francis C. Confesor / Nelson ‘Blog’ Caliguia, Jr. Pinish Product by Kat Lorenos / Ian Lorenos Reprogress 1.5 by Ian Navarroza Kalapit-Bahay by Valroman R. Francisco When Only Blood Will Fill Your Heart by John Ryo E. Manaluz A Dull Story by Kerwin Atienza Call Of Nature by Gretchen Alarkon A Dog’s Tale by Sesinio A. Ampongan, Jr. Karaniwang Tae by Edwin Guillermo Kokie by Amos Victor Delgado Swok, The Sidewalk Story by Pauline Rhea Barra Goat It by Paolo T. Arcilla The Golden Tooth by Klevin Jake P. Laforteza Si Diego At Ang Halimaw Dagat by Kei Anne Uchida VII. CATEGORY I: “Animated Shorts†(Competition) The Tear Stealer by Frederic F. Declaro Sinta’s Wish by Fara Martia P. Manuel Afterbirth by Reginald Vinluan The 3R’s by Irene Villanueva-Surio Lola Pia by Sesinio A. Ampongan, Jr. / May John Amilano / Wesley Babor My Pet by Anna Katrina G. Bigornia Makina Ng Manggagawa by Emil James Z. Mijares Ang Paglikha by Teta Tulay Patik by Wesley Kent Rasines VIII. CATEGORY J: “Music Videos†(Competition) Yeah by Jerome Albrando Babae Po Ako by June H. Vasquez Bad by Ivan Shane SA. Salceda Go The Distance by Chris Gerrard dl. Castro Pop by Valroman R. Francisco The Spider & The Fly by Kenny Lyn Tai Over The Rainbow by Delma Kryll Baluyot Si Filemon by Omar P. Aguilar Makulay Ang Buhay by Klevin Jake P. Laforteza Same Ground by Marvin C. Pila I Believe I Can Fly by Kristian P. De Leon IX. CATEGORY K: “TVCs/OBBs/Demo Reels†(Competition) Mutation Permutation by Edwin Guillermo “Tech Gen (Y4IT 2007 National Youth Congress In Information Technology)†OBB by Hedrick G. David “ADAAF 2006†OBB by Christopher Etorne “Mongol†TVC by Valroman R. Francisco “Crayola†TVC by Chris Ivan Robert P. Ceres “Adidas†TVC by Ryan Rey A. Licas “Nike†TVC by Jerome Albrando “DHL†TVC by Paolo T. Arcilla “Fedex†TVC by Donreb Ernesto “Coca-Cola†TVC by Roman V. Matuguinas “Yellowcab†TVC by Nowen Fernandez “Purina†TVC by Omar P. Aguilar “Game Boy Micro†TVC by Kristoffer Ralph Brocales “Sony Bravia†TVC by Amira June P. Mallari “Sony Ericsson W900i†TVC by Ryan P. Rubi “Apple Macbook†TVC by Mary Kennette Carla E. Esta “Power Mac G5†TVC by Juan Martin G. Victorio “Logitech†TVC by Nicolette F. Aguilar “Toyota Yaris 2006†TVC by Baylon, Delfin Joseph Christopher Sy “Lexus RX 300†TVC by Ivan Shane SA. Salceda “Greenmind†Demo Reel by David De La Paz / Alan Wansom X. EXHIBITION PROGRAM: “Persistence of Vision†(To Be Announced)
ANIMATE THIS: Animahenasyon 2007 highlights original Pinoy animation
The Filipino animator must be one of the most overlooked artists in the Philippines. As diligent and creative as the Pinoy independent filmmaker but not as recognized, the local animators have, for the longest time, been looking for a chance (and in some cases, a venue) to finally showcase their originality and talent. Strangely enough, it is the foreign animation companies that have been recognizing the local animators by giving them steady work for the many years now. Indeed, it has been an open secret that some of the cartoons produced by foreign production houses employ Pinoy animators. No doubt about it, Filipino animators are talented but the question is: when will they be given the spotlight they so rightfully deserve? Enter ANIMAHENASYON 2007, Pinoy Animation Festival slated on November 21 to 25 at Robinsons Galleria’s Indie Cine. The festival aims to finally give professional and amateur Filipino animators a venue where they could screen their original works. “I think it is about time to give these animators a chance to show their own works,” says Ricky Orellana, festival director of ANIMAHENASYON. “After all, they have been working on other’s people’s materials for the longest time.” He says that viewers might be surprised to discover that Pinoy animators are not just copycats of American or Japanese animation. “We have our own style,” he says. Indeed, if the entries this year prove anything, it’s that Filipino animators are hard to pigeonhole. “Some are in 2-D and 3-D and some used cell animation but what is really surprising is that we received entries from all over the Philippines: from Baguio to Iloilo, from Lapu Lapu to Marinduque,” Orellana said. Suffice to say that the topics are also diverse. Some are interpretation of local folklore and some are original stories by the animators themselves. “Even now, I expect our judges to have a hard time picking which entries to include in the final list,” the festival director said, “because some of the entries are really good.” And since ANIMAHENASYON’s goal is to spotlight Pinoy animators, what better way to do that than to have two very successful Filipino animators from PIXAR (Toy Story, Finding Nemo) and Dreamworks (Shrek, Madagascar) to give a talk during the festival. “Aside from the original Pinoy works, we are also inviting two Pinoy animators who have done significant work in mainstream Hollywood,” says Orellana. “Hopefully, the forum will give animators a chance to discuss pertinent issues concerning not only the local industry but the international animation industry as well.” And like any other festival, ANIMAHENASYON will hand out various awards for deserving entries. Up for grabs are the GRAND PRIZE AWARD, AWARD for BEST REGIONAL ENTRY, JURY’S SPECIAL AWARD, and AUDIENCE’S SPECIAL AWARD, among others. But of course, as the festival organizers never fail to point out, the real prize is that finally Pinoy animators are not just anonymous workers toiling on some cartoon series but, through ANIMAHENASYON, artists in the real sense of the word. ANIMAHENASYON 2007 is spearheaded by the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), a non-stock and non-profit organization. The members of ACPI specialize mainly in—but not limited to— 2D or 3D animation. The organization, which is recognized and supported by the Philippine government, aims to create an identity for the Philippines to be considered among the preferred countries that service the animation industry. Animation by some of the members of Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. Contact Persons: Mario Banzon Laisa Gonzales Animation Council of the Philippines T: 4382983 local 150-151
PHP Everywhere! December 1, 2007
PHP User Group Philippines, Inc. (PHPUGPH), a non-profit organization established to provide support for LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) and open-source enthusiasts in the Philippines, will be holding it’s 1st ever PHP Developer’s Conference on December 1, 2007 (1-day event)/9am-6pm. This is in follow-up with last Aprils successful event, a gathering of professional LAMP developers, web freelancers and companies utilizing OSS (Open-Source Software) technologies for enterprise use. The goal for this upcoming conference is to spread the news of using OSS solutions such as Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP and some Web 2.0 technologies in wider audiences such as universities and training institutions. Many noted members of our group are certified and professionally affiliated with leading company in the industry such as Barclays, UN-IOSN, Yahoo! Singapore, Accenture, Mobius Asia and some semi-conductor/electronics like Intel, Atmel, Amis, which has some open source software deployed in production environment. Last Aprils event was sponsored as listed below that capture’s local IT industry attention and it is our aim to widen the coverage this coming December’s event with your support. Contact ajbatac–at–phpugph.com for more details.
Neo Laptop Drivers
For those looking for Laptop Drivers for your NEO Notebook, and like us you couldn’t find any online*, we’ve taken the liberty of uploading them to our support site as a ‘temporary’ repository while NEO themselves decide to offer it in their website. Download the drivers at: http://corp.eacomm.com/support/neolaptopdrivers *UPDATE!!!! – As of mid-2008, Neo Philippines are now offering Laptop Model-specific Device Drivers for all its current and past Laptop Models. Please visit their Support Page at: http://neo.com.ph/support.html to download! DISCLAIMER: We make no guarantees that the drivers available here would work for your specific NEO Laptop Model. For best results, we still suggest you visit the nearest NEO laptop service center or inquire at: http://www.neo.com.ph You’re still free to download the versions we have on the link above, but we HIGHLY RECOMMEND using the drivers available from NEO itself.
Setting Up Virtual Private Networking (VPN) Connection Under Windows
Setting Up Virtual Private Networking (VPN) Connection Under Windows Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 1 Click the Start Menu then click Control Panel. Double-click the Network Connections icon. The Network Connections window will open. In the Network Tasks side panel Click the Create a new connection icon. If the side panel is not shown, double-click the New Connection Wizard icon. The Network Connection Wizard will open. Back to Top Step 2 Under the Network Connection Type section, select Connect to the network at my workplace option. Click Next to continue. Back to Top Step 3 Under the Network Connection section, select Virtual Private Networking connection. Click Next to continue. Back to Top Step 4 Under the Connection Name section, enter the name you like to use for your connection. Click Next to continue. Back to Top Step 5 Under the VPN Server Selection section, enter the Host Name or IP Address of the computer to which you are connecting. If you are not sure what to enter, please consult your Administrator. Click Next to continue. Back to Top Step 6 Click Finish to exit the wizard. You may also check the Add shortcut to desktop checkbox. Back to Top Step 7 To open your new VPN Connection, double-click the VPN icon on your desktop with the name that you entered earlier. Enter the username and password. Click Connect to start the connection. Back to Top
WAMP Installation Guide
WAMP Installation Guide WAMP (Windows-Apache-mySQL-PHP) is an all-in-one packages which installs the basic programs you will need to get a localhost running and to be able to build and run PHP scripts. This guide will walk you through installing a WAMP package for the first time. Step 01: Open WAMP website. Step 02: Open the DOWNLOADS page. Step 03: Choose version to install. *note: Ask supervisor which version to use. Step 04: Installing older version. Step 05: Installing older version: Re-direction to download page. Step 06: Installing older version: Checking which WAMP version to use. Step 07: Choosing download mirror and downloading. Step 08: Run the installer file. Step 09: Run the installer file: License Agreement. Step 10: Run the installer file: Saving Directory Step 11: Run the installer file: Creating Start Menu Folder Step 12: Run the installer file: Auto-launch WAMP on Startup Step 13: Run the installer file: Confirmation of Installation Settings Step 14: Run the installer file: Saving Document Root Folder Step 15: Run the installer file: Default Browser and Finishing the Installation Step 16: Manually Starting WAMP Server Step 17: Testing the LOCALHOST NOTE Step 01: Open the WAMP website at http://www.wampserver.com/en/index.php. You should be able to see a page like this: [Back to Top] Step 02: Click the DOWNLOADS link. [Back to Top] Step 03: Ask your OJT supervisor which versions of mySQL and PHP would you be using. If it is ok to use the newest available version of WAMP then click the DOWNLOAD link to install. Proceed to Step 07 if you would do this step. [Back to Top] Step 04: If you would require a version of WAMP with older version/s of either Php, mySQL, or phpmyAdmin click on the PREVIOUS VERSIONS link. [Back to Top] Step 05: You will be directed to the download page of all the older versions of WAMP, such as below. Scroll down and click the VIEW OLDER RELEASES link. [Back to Top] Step 06: You will then be directed to a page such as below. To check which version of WAMP has the versions of the programs you need, scroll down and click on any of the NOTES links in the page, as illustrated below. It will direct you to a page such as below. Scroll down to search for the appropriate version that suits your requirements. Return to the previous page after taking note of what version you will use, then select the version you would need to use. [Back to Top] Step 07: Whether or not you would need to download the newest version of WAMP, you would be directed to a page where you would select mirrors for the download. You could choose any mirror you would like but personally I would advice choosing either Japan or Taiwan as a mirror, or any Asian country for that matter (they?re closer to the Philippines). You should be able to see a page like this: After choosing a mirror, save the file to your computer. [Back to Top] Step 08: Once download finishes, run the installer file. [Back to Top] Step 09: In the license agreement click [I accept the agreement], then click next. [Back to Top] Step 10: Select the directory where you would like to install WAMP. [Back to Top] Step 11: Select the start menu folder where you would like to place WAMP?s shortcuts. [Back to Top] Step 12: In the additional tasks you may select if WAMP would be loaded on startup or no. If its most likely that you would be programming PHP as soon as you start your computer (most likely yes) then I suggest you select the checkbox. Otherwise you may opt to leave it unchecked and turn on the WAMP server manually. [Back to Top] Step 13: This is the confirmation screen of the options you have selected. Click back to modify your install settings or click next to start the installation. [Back to Top] Step 14: Some time midway into the installation a window will pop-up asking for the directory where to save the document root folder. It is recommended that you leave it as it is and click ok to continue the installation. [Back to Top] Step 15: After the said pop-up another window will appear asking for you default browser. If you have no preference for browsers just hit Open. If not search for the .exe file of your preferred browser then click Open to continue the installation. Once the installation is finished, click finish. [Back to Top] Step 16: To manually start the WAMP server, click Start>Programs>WampServer or [name you assigned in Step 15] >start WampServer. This is illustrated below: [Back to Top] Step 17: Open your preferred browser and type in the address bar LOCALHOST. It should display the WAMP homepage like below, signifying a successful installation. Click this link to try launching the localhost > http://localhost [Back to Top] NOTE: Always remember to enable the WAMP server (if it isn’t already enabled) as illustrated in Step 16 whenever you want to test any page in the localhost. [Back to Top]
EACOMM Integrated Solutions now offering VoiSmart VoIP GSM Gateway
EACOMM Corporation Integrated Solutions division is excited the announce the availability of the VoiSmart vGSM Series VoIP GSM gateways. This is the first 100% Asterisk compatible PCI bus card, for multiple channel (up to four) GSM communication management.This board allows systems integrators to transform highly priced fixed to mobile voice traffic into a much cheaper mobile to mobile call management, with considerable savings. No external gateways needed. 100% compatible with EU and US GSM networks (900/1800/1900 MHz) and with Brazil and Japan networks. SMS are handled in native modality, thanks to a new Asterisk application for messages TX and RX, available free together with this board. The VooSmart vGSM cards are available for ordering and purchase at the EACOMM On-line Store
June 6, 2007 Hacking Incident
On Early morning Philippine time, some of our virtual servers hosted with Dreamhost were broken into and a number of webpages vandalized. EACOMM provides hourly, daily and weekly backups of all its web sites and as of noontime of June 7, most, if not all websites have been recovered to its original state. This marks the second time EACOMM servers have been hacked in the company’s six years in existence. At both times recovery of all client sites took approximately 24 hours. For our clients, please notify web@eacomm.com of any further problems with your webpages that might have been overlooked during the recovery process. Please understand that we had to recover a few dozen websites in a span of just 24 hours so please forgive our support team if your specific site or webpage was overlooked. Despite of this we stand by our choice of using Dreamhost for most of our website hosting needs, however,if any client wishes to be hosted elsewhere, please notify web@eacomm.com and we will provide you viable alternatives to our main hosting servers. EACOMM currently maintains 2 Virtual Servers in the United States, 1 Dedicated Server in the UK, and 2 Dedicated servers in the Philippines. Note that web hosting prices vary depending on which server you prefer. For more information about the hacking incident, Dreamhost’s official report on the matter is posted here: http://www.dreamhoststatus.com/2007/06/06/security-breach/  EACOMM CORPORATION WEB DIVISION
Pacific Internet Launches VOCAL VoIP Service
Pacific Internet Philippines is offering a VoIP package that comes with a FREE grandstream or linksys VoIP Phone. Available plans start at Php 900.00 per month with 125 call minutes free. Higher priced plans comes with DID in UK, US or other countries. Compared with foreign offerings from the US or Europe, Pacific’s offering seems a bit expensive. With effective per minute charges to the US ranging from Php 5.00 – 7.20/minute. The free IP Phone would be the biggest come-on though, albeit at the price they’re charging perhaps a higher-end phone would have been nicer. For more information, visit: http://vocal.pacific.net.ph/index.html
THE SECRETS OF VOIP BILLING
We have tried out a variety of VoIP providers in the past few months and the way they bill for calls are almost always unique to specific providers. We thought we’d run down some of these billing techniques in this article so to help us all choose which type of billing system is best for our different applications. Unlimited Billing. Typically for residential and ‘small business’ users, most VoIP companies offer some sort of “Unlimited†Plan. The best suggestion one can give for these plans is READ THE FINE PRINT!!! You’ll see that most of these plans are unlimited, “Based on the Average Usage of a Residential/Business Customerâ€. In other words, the providers reserve the right to bill for “Overusage†or to upgrade your plan if they think you’re abusing it. So essentially, what’s so unlimited about them then? How unlimited plans work is the providers think up of an estimate of the number of calls a ‘typical’ client would make…let’s say the slightly above average Residential Customer would make 1,500 minutes of calls per month and a Business Customer would make 4,000 minutes of calls per month. Now let’s say the package is for continental USA and that the providers cost of connection is US$ 0.01/minute and cost of providing a DID (traditional telephone number) to it’s customers is US$5.00/month. Hence they’ll give out an Unlimited Plan of 0.01×1,500 = US$ 20.00/month for Residential Users and US$45.00/month for Business Users. Laws of statistics say that as long as most of their customers will fall well below their predicted consumption they stand to make a ton of profit and the beauty of it is, if specific customers are heavy users (i.e. above the predicted call minutes per month), then the provider can say you’ve ‘overused’ the system and must pay more…hence the provider will never lose money on a single “Unlimited Subscriptionâ€. Pay per Use. A much more versatile plan is paying per use. In this plan either you have a fixed subscription (i.e. for DID rental) then you have to pay for your call charges or you pay for everything up-front. This seems to be very straightforward an upfront vs. unlimited billing, but it’s not. Where the providers differ in the Pay per Use scenario is how they treat your per minute charges. Minimum Billing – Some providers require a minimum call charge regardless of how long the call is. Some provide a specific monetary amount such as minimum of 1 cent per call, or minimum of 1 Minute Charge. Seems harmless, but over an entire voip system, you’ll be surprised of the amount of calls that last less than a minute! Billing Intervals – Some providers bill per second, per X second interval, or some even per minute! Treatment of Sub-cent Charges – Billing for half a cent is obviously impossible and it only makes sense to roundup charges to the nearest cent. However, providers do have the option of aggregating the total call charges and just bill on the Cent level on actual invoicing or practice rounding up sub-cent charges on a per call basis. Rounding-up per call over MILLIONS of call minutes is a Huge money earner. Let’s say a provider offer 1 cent/minute and per second billing, and you make a 90 second call. The Charge should be 1.5 cents. If they round up per call this is charged 2 cents. Lines/Channels. For those of you using VoIP termination for a PBX, this is a big consideration. Lines or Channels limit the number of inbound and outbound connections your server can make simultaneously. True wholesale termination will give you UNLIMITED number of Lines/Channels. However, hosted PBX providers, DID providers and “PBX termination†typically limits this. Again, if you need this service, make sure it’s available before you sign-up! Some providers discuss channel limitations in very small fine print in the deepest recesses of their websites! And if ever you need to expand your number of channels the additional fees can be PHENOMENAL. For example one provider we tested offered 4 channels free and US$20.00/month per channel over that. Another provider offered 2 channels free and $10.00/month per channel over the first 2…but on minimum bulk purchase of 10 channels! The bottom line is read the fine print! Also note that we’ve not discussed Quality of Service in this article, you might be getting the cheapest fairest deal with your provider but it turns out he’s running his VoIP setup from a Pentium 3 desktop in his house! As there’s a multitude of companies out there, make sure you do your research on the companies you sign up with, test various providers before settling with a big investment with one, and READ THE FINE PRINT!
Digium announces release of New Products
High Performance Echo Cancellation – For quite some time now, Digium has been offering On-board Echo Cancellation for its TDM2400 and TE series of cards, while those using the smaller TDM400 cards are left to tweak echo cancellation using Asterisk Software. Last Feb, Digium announced the availability of High Performance Echo Cancellation that users can download and install for FREE if they own a Digium Card or can purchase for US$10.00 if they don’t. HPEC is available directly from the Digium Website. We’ve yet to test the HPEC but Digium claims it provides ‘Carrier-Grade Echo Cancellation’. The catch though is the tremendous CPU Power that the HPEC will consume: “Digium recommends that users requiring 8 channels at 1024 taps run a PC comparible to a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4, while users only requiring 4 channels at 1024 taps may run a 2.5 GHz Pentium Celeron” Nonetheless the added CPU load could be a small price to pay if it makes it easier for all of us to create the ever elusive ‘Echo-Free’ calls we’re all looking for. TDM800 Series – Also this February, Digium has announced the availabilty of its TDM800 Series of Cards. Addressing the ‘middle range’ between its TDM400 entry level series and the TDM2400 cards. The TDM800 can accept both the X100M Single FXO and S100M Single FXS daughter cards as well as the X400M Quad FXO and S400M Quad FXS cards. There are 2 Available slots for Quad Modules and up to 4 available slots for Single Modules. Giving a configuration of 1-6 or 8 slots (mix of FXO and FXS). The TDM800 does not come with the Echo Cancellation Module available for the TDM2400 and TE series cards but the Digium’s HPEC software can provide Carrier Grade Echo Cancellation for this PCI card. The TDM800 Series is available for purchase on-line for the Philippine Market from EACOMM’s Online Store.
EACOMM Corporation On-Line Store
EACOMM Corporation is proud to launch its on-line store. The on-line store offers various products and services offered by EACOMM Corporation such as: Digium TDM Cards Grandstream IP Telephony Equipment Elisha Hosted PBX Solutions DO-CMS Website Design and Development And much much more! We offer FREE SHIPPING to Metro Manila for all our products and Fixed rate shipping to other locations in the Philippines.The store currently accepts Paypal as its preferred payment gateway. Note that Paypal now accepts payments from the Philippines so feel free to order online now!
Grandstream Budgtone 101
The Budgetone 101 is an excellent entry level phone. Simple ‘no-frills’ design, reliable performance, and decent documentation and support. You can purchase this from on-line stores quite cheap (see previous post) or from local retailers for around Php 7,000.00 up. Grandstream enjoys MASSIVE popularity especially for the Open source VoIP Community, and as far as ‘China Designed’ phones go, I think this is probably the best bet! The Grandstream line of products in general are quite reliable and it’s GXP-2000 model is to drool for. Quality-wise, I’d place this in between the cheaper, less known China Brands and the Western brands like Polycom and Mitel. For anyone looking to ‘play’ with VoIP before making any huge investment, 2 or 3 Grandstream phones and a Trixbox Server is the way to go.
AsterConference Asean Roadshow 2007
AsterConference Asean Roadshow 2007 www.asterconference.com which will be held at the following cities: Jan 31, 2007 Jakarta Venue: Le Grandeur Hotel (formerly Dusit Hotel) Feb 2, 2007 Manila Venue: Linden Suite, Ortigas Feb 5, 2007 Bangkok Venue: Arnoma Hotel After a successful AsterConference in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 31, 2006, the organizer, SEC Training and Expo together with JCMEX as one of the sponsors, is bringing this Asterisk Conference right to your door step. The conference will feature a panel of regional speakers plus local speakers from each of the country who will be speaking on the exciting development and technology of Asterisk. This conference targets anyone, especially business owners, decision makers, IT Managers, entrepreneurs, solution providers, who is interested to learn and know more about Asterisk and its benefits it brings to a company.
Remote towns in Nueva Ecija now using VOIP service
Reposted with permission from INQ7.net By Alexander Villafania 12/20/2006 The Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA) and the Muñoz Science Cybercity in Nueva Ecija have installed barangay-level voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) connection in three remote towns in Nueva Ecija as part of a nationwide connectivity program for agricultural locations. Click here for the Full Article Barangays Linglingay, Rang Ayan and Villa Isla in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija were connected to the “Telepono sa Barangay†project, which is itself associated to OPAPA’s parent project called the Knowledge Networking Towards Enterprising Agricultural Community (K-AGRINET). This project seeks to organize all agricultural communities and link them to a wide area network for researchers and farming groups nationwide. The Internet link for the three remote barangays was provided by the Philippine Rice Research Institute facility in Nueva Ecija, beamed 9.3 kilometers to the Bureau of Post-harvest Research Training and Extension access points, which in turn transmits the VOIP signal to the three barangays.
Holiday Season Break
EACOMM Corporation will be closed between December 23, 2006 to January 1, 2007 to celebrate the Holiday Season. Normal operations will resume on January 2, 2007. Happy Holidays!!!