Origin stories are all the rage these days, and while perhaps the origin of Asterisk isn’t as exciting as the genesis of Wolverine, it’s still a pretty interesting tale.

Way back in 1999, Mark Spencer had just started Linux Support Services (LSS), an innovative small business that offered support for the Linux operating system.  This was the height of the “Dot Com” era, and many start-up businesses were taking advantage of the open source operating system.  LSS took off, and as it grew, Mark found that he needed a phone system.

Source:  Digium Inc.

Google is quietly moving in on Skype's turf, and while users have long been able to call others from within Gmail, Google's making it even more attractive this week: the company has announced that the service is now being offered in 38 new languages, and users can buy calling credit in their choice of four currencies (Euros, British  pounds, Canadian dollars or U.S. dollars) with no connection fees.

Calls to the U.S. or Canada placed within those countries will continue to be free at least for the rest of 2011, and calls to the U.S. or Canada placed from outside these countries will be charged $0.01 per minute (or €0.01, £0.01, C$0.01 per minute).

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"My aim is to make Skype open source," he said in a blog posting on June 3, adding links to download executable files compatible with Skype versions 1.4, 3.8, and 4.1, as well as IDA Pro disassembly database files, and - crucially, Infosecurity notes - his reverse engineered pseudo source code.

"It's not clear how much time it took but it seems that the hacker was working alone", she said, adding that he is now recruiting other people holding the same views (say, other hackers) who, he says, `have enough time' to finish the project.

"Enough time is a loose concept and we can guess that he spent more than a year to disassemble the program when he worked alone. This is a good illustration of the fact that giving enough protection to a program's code may prevent its reverse-engineering for a long time, especially if the hacker doesn't know the basic principles of the protection", she explained.

Volodina went on to say that there could be tough times ahead for Skype.

In addition to the fact that the company needs to fix program instabilities, she says, it also needs to rebuild the protocol and code protection.

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The Register reports that Apple is being accused of stealing the idea of one UK-based college student and developer — Greg Hughes. In May 2010, Hughes submitted an app for consideration called Wi-Fi Sync, which allowed users to sync their iTunes libraries wirelessly.

Rather than receive the standard rejection email, Hughes reportedly got a call from an iPhone developer relations representative letting him know that his app was "admirable," but that some unspecified security concerns prevented it from being accepted. "They did say that the iPhone engineering team had looked at it and were impressed," Hughes told The Register. "They asked for my CV as well."

But rather than back down, Hughes simply submitted the app to the Cydia store, where it's sold more than 50,000 copies in a little more than a year. At $9.99 a pop, it's fair to say that Hughes made out quite nicely from his decision, though he declined to say how much he profited. 

That didn't pad the surprise that Hughes received earlier in the week, when Apple unveiled a number of key features for its upcoming iOS 5. One key feature, aptly named Wi-Fi Sync, does exactly what Hughes' rejected version did. Furthermore, Apple's icon for the app bears a striking resemblance to Hughes original design (see photo).

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One suitcase in and of itself doesn't create an Internet. Instead, a series of such devices, relying on "mesh network" technology creates an "invisible wireless web without a centralized hub." Using these devices, the transmission, whether it's voice, image, e-mail, or any data, can hop from "suitcase to suitcase," bypassing the official network.

If it sounds like sort of a series of cell phone towers, it could indeed be thought of in those terms. Aaron Kaplan, an Austrian cybersecurity expert says that he has helped set up a functioning mesh network in Vienna. He added that similar related systems have already been used in Indonesia, Venezuela, and elsewhere in the world. His work will be used as part of the suitcase project.

It also allows users to easily and securely connect to existing teleconferencing devices. Both companies cited the potential benefits of using telepresence software on tablets, as it allows direct communication between employees at an office and employees on the go, making collaboration easier.

They hinted that future Motorola tablets will also feature Polycom's telepresence software, suggesting also that the Xoom will be only the first of many tablet devices from Motorola. Polycom's telepresence service will be available on Motorola's Xoom tablet in the second half of this year.

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SILK comes at the cost of bandwidth -- between 8 and 30kbps depending on the circumstances versus the previous steady 15kbps. Of course, if you can't afford an extra 15kbps, you've got bigger problems to worry about.

Boot the Steam client now for the latest update.

Source: Steam

Samsung announced two new models in their Galaxy Tab line, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The Tab 10.1 has been redesigned since we saw it at MWC and both tablets can now boast that they are the world's thinnest tablets at 8.6 mm.

Samsung also announced pricing and availability today, something that they don't often do. 

Here is what they announced:

• Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi-only 16GB: $499, available June 8th
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi-only 32GB: $599, available June 8th
• Galaxy Tab 8.9 WiFi-only 16GB: $469, available "early summer"
• Galaxy Tab 8.9 WiFi-only 32GB: $569, available "early summer"

Samsung announced some pretty impressive additions to their Galaxy Tab lineup and is stepping up their game in terms of pricing.

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On Sunday afternoon Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce Committee, urged “both the Department of Justice and the FCC leave no stone unturned in determining what the impact of this combination is on the American people.” A few hours later, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), chairman of the Senate Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee, promised a hearing on the deal.

“The explosion of cell phone usage – especially smartphones – makes competition in this market more important than ever as a check on prices, consumer choice, and service,” Kohl said in a statement. “That’s why the Antitrust Subcommittee will take a close look at what this loss of competition will mean for people who increasingly rely on wireless phone service to connect to friends, family and the Internet.”

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“Skype certification on the GXV3140 IP multimedia phone creates a seamless video-enabled communications experience from PC to desk phone, giving Skype users the utmost flexibility and convenience for video calling,” said David Li, CEO of Grandstream Networks. “Grandstream's GXV3140 bridges the gap between convenient-to-use dedicated voice/video end-points and the increasingly popular world of PC-based Internet multimedia communication offerings like Skype."

The Skype-enabled Grandstream GXV3140 is the industry’s first desktop IP multimedia phones compatible with both Skype and SIP open standards for voice & video calling. No service contract or additional monthly fee is required to use Skype for video calling.

With a 4.3” digital color LCD, the ‘always-on’ GXV3140 has an integrated Web browser, giving users convenient, one-touch access to personalized feeds of real-time online information services (such as news video or RSS feeds, weather, IM, stock/currency updates, etc), thousands of Internet radio stations, major Web photo sites (Yahoo Flickr, Photobucket, Phanfare), popular social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) and Internet streaming entertainment sites like YouTube and Last.fm.

Earlier this year, Grandstream also announced successful Skype Connect™ certification for its IPPBX and gateways. Skype Connect interoperability allows business users to receive calls through their Grandstream IPPBX from Skype users around the world. Companies can now allow their customers and remote employees to make free inbound calls to their corporate PBX system using Skype from anywhere in the world.

“We are pleased to deliver this new video device category that works with Skype and are honored to be selected for our innovation, rich features, and affordability. The GXV3140 phone joins Grandstream’s other Skype-enabled solutions including our IPPBX and gateway products previously certified by Skype,” Li added. “We value our strategic relationship with Skype and look forward to bringing more devices with Skype integration to market in the future.”

Pricing and Availability

The GXV3140 is available through Skype Store and Grandstream’s worldwide distribution partners for $229.00.

The five WiFi Certified WiFi Direct products, the Alliance announced, are:  

• Atheros XSPAN Dual-band 802.11n PCIe mini card;  

• Broadcom Dual-Band 802.11n 2x2 MiMO PCIe half mini card;  

• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 WiFi card;  

• Ralink MIMObility 802.11 2x2 PCIe half mini card; and  

• Realtek HM92C00 PCIe mini card. 

WiFi Direct technology is intended for both consumer and enterprise devices, as it offers the latest WPA2 security protections. It also works with older WiFi Certified devices, offers a “push-button” setup and—unlike the limited distances of Bluetooth technology—works at a typical WiFi range.

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“A year ago, no one was talking about the spectrum shortage in this country, and now we are moving toward solving that problem,” said the FCC chairman. According to some estimates, the demand for mobile broadband means that in three years, the current amount of spectrum won’t be enough. The FCC, in its national broadband plan, has asked for 500 Megahertz of new wireless spectrum, of which 300 MHz it wants freed up in the next five years.

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