This company: http://readdle.com/

Makes this iPhone eDisk (WebDAV) client:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onedisk-webdav-client/id294152930?mt=8

The cost is $4.99 US. It has many useful features including:

• Integration with the phone Photo Library (copy mobile images to your Pronto Photos)
• Attach files from your eDisk to eMail messages
• Open files from your eDisk on the device and review (download)
• Storing files from the eDisk to the device for review if without service or to avoid downloading again (upload)

As mentioned on the CommuniGate Pro Mailing List the super efforts of Niversoft have produced a Thunderbird SyncCGP Extension available for download here:

http://www.niversoft.com/downloads/synccgp

The much publicized OLPC XO laptop is capable of running Pronto in the default web browser. An installation of Adobe's Flash plugin for Linux is required. The OLPC Wiki provides information on how to install Adobe's flash on the laptop.

The Safari web browser which ships with MacOS 10.5 (Leopard) permits the creation of a Web Clip widget. Instructions for how to use this feature are available in the Safari Help menu by searching help for "Creating a Web Clip widget"

By following the directions of the help article with Pronto, anyone can create a clipping of Pronto that will run in the MacOS Dashboard.

Unfortunately there is no way to save a web clip as a widget archive. If you close Pronto in Dashboard you will need to recreate the web clip to use it again in Dashboard.

The recently released CommuniGate Pro 5.2 Revision History provides this updated information about the XMPP module:

XMPP: Gtalk-compatible iq-delivery is implemented

This means the CommuniGate Pro server does now permit the addition of Google GTalk users to your buddy list. Presence for those buddies also works as expected. This feature is working well for me from both a Google user account and the CommuniGate Pro Account via XMPP. Depending on which XMPP client is used, it may be necessary to reconnect your preffered Jabber client after accepting contacts to your roster in order to view the presence activity of those contacts. This was the case with iChat, I have not tested other clients, but I would appreciate comments about any good or not-so-good experiences with this feature.

Server to server Jabber is growing in use for both users of instant messaging and the traditional providers such as AIM/ICQ, Yahoo, GTalk, and more. Several other blogs contain informaiton about how these formerly only propriterary services now have test XMPP and SIP servers available on the Internet.

I received a report about instant message chatting via CommuniGate Pro directly in Mozilla products from Christian Ellsworth of CommuniGate Systems Certified partner Soluciones Integrales (SOLINT). Christian also teaches the CommuniGate Pro Administration Training Course in Spanish. He has been using the xmpp4moz family of plugins as a convenient in-browser chat client for CommuniGate Pro. He reports that this Mozilla plugins worked for him in both the Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird email client on Windows XP.

I tested this with Firefox 2.0.0.6 on MacOS using the free test account I configured on TalktoIP.com. I first installed the following Firefox Add-ons all by hyperstruct:

xmpp4moz	Provides the basic Jabber capability to the browser
JabBiff	Provides a presence notification tool for contacts
SamePlace	Provides the IM Client window and UI controls

Each add-on installation requires a browser restart. I then configured the account as I was prompted to after the SamePlace installation completed. If you with to change your account afterwards, you can create another or reconfigure via the new Jabber menubar item that xmpp4moz installed. If you try this with a TalktoIP account the settings are very simple:

Address: your-account@talktoip.com
Password: your-pass
Advanced...
Server for Connection: mail.talktoip.com
Server Port: 5222
Encryption: None

I do not need SSL for this account and the server has only a self signed certificate so I won't bother with the certificate management. However I did test this with SSL and my work account and it works as expected. Below is a screen shot of the user interface while my TalktoIP account was connected. Click on the image to see a larger preview.

I previously wrote about how one can create a click to call application with the CommuniGate Pro XIMSS protocol. I have heard of several solution examples people created from that posting that range from customer service applications to simple "call us now" buttons on hosted web pages. Some have asked for more source examples of how to create an application that performs the actions described in the previous post. I have received an example script that I have tested and this script works for me.

Use this script at your own risk and only in a test environment. The author of this post and the the host of this blog accept no responsibility for any problems caused by these downloads or their contents.

I saved the source linked below as a Perl script called XIMSS_call.pl After defining the values in the first section I run the script with the command:
$ perl XIMSS_call.pl

I tested this script by arranging a SIP call to my work phone account from my free TalktoIP account. Therefore I defined the login and pass for ab@talktoip.com and the destination URI as my work phone account which is the title of this blog. I registered a software phone to the TalktoIP account in order to accept the first leg of the call. You can review the script with syntax highlighting here:

XIMSS Call Bridge Script source view

You can download the script here:

XIMSS_Call.pl

This proof of concept application was created as an example for customers migrating from popular 3rd party conference services to their own in house or data center hosted conference service. The enclosed scripts can be used to learn more about CG/PL PBX programming on CommuniGate Pro and can be personalized for your own valid installation of CommuniGate Pro. These scripts are only variations of the PBX Conference Applications that are distributed with CommuniGate Pro. Those distributed with the platform are actually better than this example, but they do not have reservation-less style services. This example application is not designed for production use so personalization is not only possible, but recommended.

Below is a one minute video walkthrough which provides an example of a conference leader creating a conference via a call to this application.

Please use these applications at your own risk and only in a test environment. The author of this post and the the host of this blog accept no responsibility for any problems caused by these downloads or their contents.

The package is called QuickConference and consists of mostly audio files and three CG/PL scripts. One script is the main application (.sppr) and the other two are procedures (.sppi) that the main script uses to provide the service. I have included the README file separate from the main package.

The package is a single TAR file which can be uploaded directly to the CommuniGate Pro PBX environment for installation.

This is the README file:
QuickConference README.txt (4 kb)

This is the TAR package:
Quick Conference Package.tar (4.7 MB)

These are the individual application files without the audio. These are provided separately for anyone who only wishes to review the application without downloading all of the stock audio:
conf-simple.sppr (8 kb) - The main application that establishes and manages the conference
confhost.sppi (4 kb) - The procedure used to manage the conference leader
confuser.sppi (4 kb) - The procedure used to manage the conference participant

Conference Leader Walkthrough

Following the post on the availability of wireless synchronization direct from CommuniGate Pro, a few people have asked what E-mail data is available on their mobile device via CommuniGate Pro's AirSync. The ActiveSync settings on the mobile phone or PDA may allow you to specify the following configuration options:

1. 
   
2. From how far back in the past should data be synchronized? On some devices you can tell the server to sync only with E-mail messages dating back as far as 1 week excluding intentionally all E-mail messages you have on the server.
   
3. How much data from each E-mail should be downloaded from the server? If you choose to not download all contents of each E-mail message, you will see a link inside each message on your device offering to "download the entire message". If you select to do that the message will be downloaded in its entirety the next time you connect.
   
4. There is also an option for downloading attachments automatically with a maximum size threshold. If an attachment is larger than the maximum size specified a link to download the entire attachment should appear in the message.
   
5. Which E-mail account folders should be synchronized? If you have 40 folders in your account, you should see them all in ActiveSync, but only those that you explicitly marked for synchronization will contain messages.
   

These are all functions of an ActiveSync with AirSync E-mail client in Windows Mobile, and CommuniGate Pro supports them all. The live test of these features is still available for accounts created at http://www.talktoip.com.

The public test site for Pronto, which offers you the ability sign up and create a test account has a new feature available today for alpha testing. Accounts created on this site may now be accessed with the AirSync protocol. If you are interested in testing this feature and have an ActiveSync capable mobile device, you can test the CommuniGate Pro platform's wireless synchronization capabilities with the following steps:

1. 
   
2. Create an account via the "Sign Up" link of http://talktoip.com if you do not already have one.
   
3. Generate some data worth syncing. You may create messages, calendar items, contacts, and tasks.
   
4. Connect your wireless ActiveSync capable mobile phone or PDA to the talktoip.com server.
   

If you do find problems with this it is worth investigating general troubleshooting steps for the protocol. One good example is this online guide written by Chris De Herrera called "ActiveSync 4.x Troubleshooting Guide - Firewall, VPN, Proxy Issues". If you do find any issues with this feature and may send me a report, please include information about your device, software versions, and a description of how you configured your device. Comments, feedback, and bug reports may be sent directly to me or posted via the comments feature for this article.

It is possible to use codecs other than G711 with CommuniGate Pro. The server was always capable of connecting two SIP clients with whichever codec both clients agreed to use. This works well but does not address the need to use a codec other than G711 when terminating calls on the server. Previously, the included CGPL applications such as Auto Attendant, Voicemail and the Back to Back User Agent (B2BUA) could only be used with the G711 codec. The inbuilt Media Server now provides a few options in recent builds of CommuniGate Pro.

Media Server Settings

Currently the quickest way to test the media server is to install the Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel® IPP) on a system with CommuniGate Pro and use that system as your external media server. This can provide G729 and G723 transcoding options. A test only build of CommuniGate Pro that uses the external IPP libraries is available for Linux at:

http://www.communigate.com/pub/stuff/Linux/CGatePro-Linux-5.1-11cIPP.i386.rpm

This information contained in this post does not provide sufficient information about the licensing issues required to use other codecs or libraries with CommuniGate Pro. Please investigate how you can legally obtain or license the codec you wish to use. The licenses we sell only apply to our software. If you are in a jurisdiction that requires you to pay a fee to have a right to use these codecs, it is your obligation to pay those fees directly to the codec right owner.

Information about the Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel® IPP) is available online. The Intel
® Integrated Performance Primitives 5.2 - FAQ provides more information about license terms and/or license fees for using Intel IPP samples.

Please note that CommuniGate Pro does not implement these codecs and there is no code in CommuniGate Pro or any of our software that implements these codecs or libraries. Our license is issued exclusively to enable a particular CommuniGate Pro installation to use external software libraries, it does not provide any additional rights for those external software libraries. CommuniGate Systems does not sell, provide, or distribute these libraries.

When all is installed properly, the CommuniGate Pro Media Server presents these additional codecs in the Settings -> RealTime -> Media. Even if the install is all performed correctly, you may see the additional codecs as inactive. We are still testing these features and a test key may be required. If you attempt this and encounter the codecs as inactive and you are interested in testing this please contact me for more information.

It is recommended to test this by running a CommuniGate Pro installation separate from your lab or production installation with the codecs installed. This separate installation is available to other CommuniGate Pro systems as an "External Transcoder". It is best to test with most recent version of CGP available. The most recent versions of CommuniGate Pro contain the configuration option necessary to connect to the external transcoder.

Basic steps for testing:
1. Acquire the Intel IPP Library
2. Acquire licenses for whichever codecs you wish to use
3. Install the test IPP version of CommuniGate Pro and the Intel IPP library on another server, this becomes your Media Transcoding Server
4. Configure your main CommuniGate Pro installation to use the Remote option in the External Media Servers configuration found at Settings -> RealTime -> Media in the administration interface.

Network Computing's article (5 March 2007) about Cisco's updated Unified Communications Platform was forwarded to me some time ago and I just now read the story. The portrayed system is really what unified communications should not be. Loosely integrated components or modules enabling limited interactions between many moving parts is hardly the communications productivity dream we all have. Many parts, bundles, tie-ins will create more problems than they can solve. If anyone knows the Cisco executives responsible for these solutions, I'd be happy to show them the CommuniGate Pro platform difference. I can be reached via SIP, SIP IM, Jabber, email, and more from the single address above.

I have finally succeeded at configuring my Nokia N80 mobile phone to register with CommuniGate Pro. It is nice to walk into any place I have WiFi access and bring my CommuniGate Pro PBX extension with me. I then always have the option of using wither my mobile or cellular line or the office line to place calls. The Phone's Internet Call features work great with CommuniGate. I will explain step by step how I finally got this to work. If you decide to do this, please do this at your own risk. I cannot guarantee that firmware will not brick your phone or that you will not be a victim of fraud on eBay.

1. 
   
2. First get a Nokia N80. Places like craigslist and eBay have them for sale and prices are dropping since the Nokia N95 has been released.
3. 
   
4. Get your N80 Flashed with the Internet Edition version of the Firmware if it does not have it already. A reliable service for me was iUnlock.
5. 
   
6. Configure a WiFi Access Point or multiple WiFi Access points on your phone
7. 
   
8. Configure your phone to use your CommuniGate Pro account for SIP
9. 
   

The version of the phone's firmware that works for me is V 4.0632.0.38 13-10-2006 RM-92 Nokia N80 (01).

Here are some screen shots of the configuration screens.

To configure the phone begin by navigating your Applications button to Tools -> Settings -> Connection



When you arrive at the Connection Screen you should Configure a valid IP Access Point. I configured a WIFI access point for SIP.



Once you have a valid Access Point configured and tested, you can enter SIP Settings and add a new SIP profile.



Name your Profile as you please and note the settings I have selected in the following screen images. Set your SIP address URL as the Public user name and decide if you want the phone to always register or register only when needed. If you select 'When Needed' then you will only be able to make SIP calls and not receive them. With always on inbound SIP signals arrive at your mobile phone. I do not use a Proxy server as the Registrar server is my proxy and handles all of the NAT traversal and SBC features I need. Therefore I only configured the Registrar server.



My Registrar server settings are:



After Configuring these settings I click back and wait a few moments as the phone brings up the WiFi connection and then the SIP registration. If you are successful, you will be rewarded with a registered message under your profile name:



Before Calling with SIP I must configure the Internet tel. Settings from the Connections configuration page only to make my SIP profile the default Internet Telephone service.




When the Phone is successfully Registered with your SIP account you will see a small icon under the battery charge indicator bar which resembles a phone handset over the an icon of the Earth.



To call our PBX I dialed 200 and selected Options -> Internet Call. This placed the call with excellent audio quality and a different phone handset+globe icon while the call is active.



I then received a SIP call from another User (who had Caller ID off) on the company PBX and another who had their caller ID configured:



Then a PSTN caller called through our T1 Gateway to the CommuniGate Pro PBX:



CommuniGate Pro will show the phone's registration under the accounts Status page:

Registered Devices

Application	Expires	Network Address
PolycomSoundPointIP-SPIP_501-UA/2.1.0.2708	7:46:10PM	sip:ab@x.x.x.x
Nokia RM-92 V 4.0632.0.38	7:18:53PM	sip:ab@x.x.x.x;transport=UDP

Please take a few moments to view the Pronto Flash Demo. It is only about 2 minutes and it provides a good overview of our advanced Web/Flash client. The Pronto beta ships with the most recent versions of CommuniGate Pro. I use this light client and it is nice to see my favorite photos, FLV videos, mp3 and other media in the same place I can read Mail, manage my schedule, RSS feeds and have Instant Messaging conversations. When you tire of watching the self running demo, you can actually try it by Installing CommuniGate Pro.

I was very impressed with what our team put together for the Spring Voice On Network (VON) show. The booth design was excellent and welcomed many visitors. Overall the expo was well attended by vendors, buyers, and journalists. Interest in CommuniGate was high, especially for Pronto, which now has the multimedia interface exposed for those evaluating our advanced flash client. I have included a slideshow for those who did not get a chance to visit the CommuniGate Systems booth at VON.