Product Pipeline

Jenny Levine looks at the latest in consumer electronics and their implications for librarians

by Jenny Levine -- netConnect, 4/15/2005

Voice-over IP

While there have been various, do-it-yourself ways to add "Voice-over IP" (VoIP) at home, early adopters now have a range of products available to simulate better traditional phone service. VoIP is a protocol that allows voice transmission over an IP network (in this case, over the Internet) instead of using dedicated telephone lines. Think of it as Internet telephony over your existing Internet connection. In the past, networks haven't been able to sustain a viable speed for high-quality, two-way calls, but the advent of broadband connections to the home is starting to change this, and 2006 may be the year VoIP starts to go mainstream.

Companies such as Vonage have been around for several years, providing routers and other equipment for home users at greatly reduced costs. Because they require less infrastructure than traditional telephone companies, VoIP services can offer lower rates, especially for long-distance calls. Just as it costs you the same amount to surf a web site in the United States as it does one in Europe, it can cost considerably less to call Europe over the Internet. Also, because you're no longer tied to a landline, you could conceivably take your VoIP equipment with you and use it anywhere you can connect to an IP network (such as in a hotel room). Vonage's basic residential service starts at $14.99.

In addition, a software package called Skype has been building a large online following. Created by the folks behind the file sharing software Kazaa, Skype offers two levels of residential service. At its most basic, Skype can be downloaded for free and used to call other Skype customers at no cost. A second level lets users "SkypeOut" to call traditional or cell phone numbers for a monthly fee, although currently the major drawback is that traditional phone lines and cell phones cannot yet call a Skype user. However, for cheap long-distance calls, it's tough to beat Skype's domestic and international rates. One of the nice things about Skype is that it's not just for Windows users, with downloads available for Macs, Linux, and even PocketPCs. Near-future plans for Skype include integration into Windows-based smartphones, while longer-term intentions include transmitting video. While this type of service isn't brand new, it's the first one to become popular enough for third-party companies to start making accessories for it. International rates vary, but Skype advertises a "global rate" of 2¢ per minute (plus VAT tax) to the 20 most popular countries.

Firebox offers the VoIP Cyberphone, a handset that looks like a traditional telephone but plugs into the USB port on your computer. While you would be tied to your computer to make calls via Skype, on this phone you wouldn't have to rely on a computer microphone and speakers (which might produce an echo effect) or a potentially awkward headset. It could be even more useful when traveling with a laptop since you could use your hotel's broadband connection to make phone calls (as long as the firewall doesn't block this type of usage). The Cyberphone offers additional features beyond standard telephones, such as your choice of ring tones, conference calling, and a voicemail service. The Cyberphone currently works on Windows 2000 and XP computers only. Priced at $58.

If you prefer headsets to handsets, Plantronics offers a wireless USB system that works within up to 200 feet of your computer, for up to eight hours of talk time in one charge. While the CS50-USB doesn't offer the full range of functions of a handset, users can pick up a VoIP call or disconnect from one via buttons on the headset itself. The first wireless headset to offer remote ring detection, it also keeps your calls secure, includes a noise-canceling headphone, and eliminates echoes. Plantronics hopes to offer voice recognition capabilities in the near future, thereby enabling you to simply say, "Call Bob" in order to initiate a call. Eventually, we should see Bluetooth headsets that work with landlines, cell phones, and VoIP applications. Cost is $300.

If you'd rather just stick with your existing telephone, but you'd still like to try Skype, check out the IPMate S90. Instead of replacing your phone, this router acts as an intermediary between your computer and your telephone (cordless or wired). Just plug the wire from your wall into the IPMate, run a second line to your phone, and plug the USB cable into your computer. When a regular landline call comes in, you answer it as you normally would using your old phone. However, when a Skype call comes in, you can now use this same phone to answer it and take advantage of the best of both worlds. IPMate S90 is priced at $50.

Ultimately, however, VoIP will be most useful a decade from now when broadband, wireless Internet connections are available everywhere. In this scenario, your mobile phone would use these open networks to make VoIP calls to anyone. Vonage is already planning to be your mobile provider, as well as your residential one, as evidenced by its new F-1000 portable Wi-Fi handset. The next natural step in VoIP devices, F-1000 ($100) can be used at home as a wireless Vonage handset and then taken with you to make calls on the go using your Vonage account via 802.11b/g. Basically, this lets you take your home phone number with you wherever you go. The hope is that business travelers (easy phone calls internationally) and college students (easy phone calls from dorm rooms) will be early adopters since both groups are becoming accustomed to ubiquitous, wireless networks. Vonage will offer this phone as part of its residential service beginning this spring; other VoIP companies are expected to offer the phone configured for their services, as well.

For librarians: Track for possible use within libraries down the road. Since Skype (or other Internet telephony) users can call traditional landlines, there's no need for libraries to move to those services now. While landlines remain far more reliable and are easier to use, it's quite possible that libraries will be able to switch to VoIP services in three to five years if the quality continues to improve, thereby reducing utility costs. Watch for more competition to start from traditional telcos, too. It's also smart to recognize that in the near future, enterprising users may be employing your wireless network for their phone calls, as well as their email and instant messages.

Until recently, flash drives have been used mostly as replacements for floppy disks and CD-Rs, a way to carry large amounts of information around with you. As these small gadgets grow in storage size, however, it's becoming possible to take more than just a few files with you.

For example, Migo lets you transfer to any other Windows computer with a USB port all of your personal information, including your Outlook contacts, email, and calendar, as well as browser settings, cookies, documents, and even your desktop wallpaper. Just plug it in, and it will automatically synchronize the files you have specified onto the device. Then just plug it into a second computer in order to work with the same files, send Outlook email, or browse your Internet Explorer favorites. The Migo software is password-protected, and once unplugged, it leaves no trace behind. You can even set up different profiles as long as the flash drive is large enough to store them.

Migo is really just software that synchronizes all of your settings and data onto a portable hard drive for access from a different computer. It requires a computer running Windows 2000 or XP and a version of Outlook 2000 or higher to synch Outlook files. You can purchase a USB 2.0 flash drive with up to 2GB of storage with the software preloaded on it, as well as a USB watch or even one of the newer Apple iPods. Prices range from $99.95 to $429.95.

FireFox users who have their own USB flash drive can emulate some of Migo's functionality for free. Portable FireFox is a fully functional version of the web browser and will run completely off a USB drive. To take FireFox and all of your settings with you wherever you go, simply download the software to your flash drive, plug it into a computer, and launch the PortableFirefox.exe file.

SanDisk is also extending the utility of flash drives by offering the BookLocker, a USB drive that comes with special software for reading and storing ebooks. Part of the drive is designated as an "open zone" on which the user can store any files or documents, while the second part is a reserved "secure" area for copyrighted, digital rights management (DRM)–protected ebooks. Files on the "secure" zone cannot be accessed by the user, other than through SanDisk's ebook reader software. Once the content is stored on the drive, it can be read even when the user is offline. The software is sophisticated enough to let you search, take notes, and even highlight specific passages, and it's all contained on the drive so you never need to install software on a computer.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like BookLocker works with any existing library services such as netLibrary or OverDrive. When plugged in and online, it connects to the BookLocker service to get updated content, including synchronizing the latest serials onto the drive. The service is aimed more at the education market, promising to ease the burden for students carrying around stacks of heavy textbooks. Instead, SanDisk wants them to carry around this one drive in order to access their textbooks at home, at school, in the dorm, etc. It's unclear what, if any, actual content is available at this time. Pricing not available.

For librarians: The continued evolution of flash drives represents a major change in the way people access and carry information. It also means patrons can do more with library computers than just access a document. It's a bit disconcerting to think of patrons taking over your computers with all of their own settings just by plugging in their USB drive, watch, or iPod. However, there will be patrons who expect to be able to do this. Be prepared to accommodate them.