http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/ en-us Copyright 2009 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:05:30 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification

Talk is cheap, and sometimes free

"Talk is cheap" is defined by www.usingenglish.com as, "It's easy to talk about something but harder to actually do it." Well this writer doesn't talk cheap, but instead, cheaply talks.

In this age of digitizing a face, a body a voice for money, it is good to know that you can still keep in touch for $0.00 or at least close to that. You don't need the top of the line cell or smart phone, you don't even need a land line phone. What you do need is an up to date desk top or laptop, a headset (either corded or wireless), a high speed internet connection and the software you want to chat with. A web cam is optional.

 

First of all, lets go with the best news and that is the latter half of the title; "......and sometimes free". When I say free, I mean free, no credit card needed and no upfront or required purchase to talk (aside from the last paragraph telling you what you need).

The two best (opinion only) best chat clients for FREE voice and webcam enabled chat are:

• Yahoo Messenger (download it at www.yahoo.com/messenger)
• Windows Live Messenger (download it at www.tinyurl.com/livemess)

They both have close to the same amount of followers, so at this point, one is probably not more popular than the other. They both allow for free PC to PC Calls with or with out a webcam.  Windows Live Messenger is by Microsoft and is part of the www.live.com free suite that is offered there. Keep in mind, that since it is by Microsoft, it is available almost error free on any modern windows platform

Yahoo Messenger on the other hand boasts two more (pay for) useful features. They are the ability to accept incoming calls from landlines and the ability to make outgoing calls to landlines with your own phone number. At the time of writing this article, the cost for a yahoo phone number to accept incoming calls was $2.99/month billed monthly, or $29.90 billed annually.  I have used it in the past and the clarity was crystal clear. One caviat though, is that you NEED to have your computer on and be signed into yahoo messenger to receive calls. Whether you are signed in or not, a missed call goes to voice mail and you are notified at sign on. You can listen to them right from the messenger start up screen. As for making calls, PC to PC calls are free always. If you want to make a PC to a land line call, it is $0.01 per minute in the US. You need to pre pay $10.00 minimum.

Text (typing) chat is on both systems and is readily used.

There are a couple of honorable mentions here as well.

• ICQ  (I seek you) www.icq.com has also been around for a while and is a text chat veteran. Their video chat and voice chat is relatively new, but appears to have good sound and picture quality
• AIM (aol instant messenger) www.aim.com basically is AOL messaging only. Again, a solid veteran of the chat world

Now lets look at a couple of pay for clients that also boast some great features.

• Vonage, www.vonage.com has come a long way since its inception and boasts crystal clear quality and reasonable pricing.  You will get your own portable number with E911 features as well. Yahoo Voice does not offer this. They have attractive sign on deals which will entice you. I simply say read the fine print and keep in mind, their monthly fee, may be equal to others yearly fees.
• Paltalk www.paltalk.com is a great free client with great pay features. For free, you can do voice and limited web cam transmission and viewing. For $14.95/month, or a graduated yearly fee structure topping out  at $149.95/yr various levels of viewing and pc to pc calls are included. The picture is great, the voice clarity is great, so why not.
• Magic Jack (www.magicjack.com) is the most portable of the pay  systems. It plugs into any available USB port and a phone plugs into that. Best of all, your phone number fits in the palm of your hand. If you travel, this is a must. It is USB based, not country based. So if you live in the USA and travel to europe, you can plug it into any pc over there and talk away.

So there you have it, cheaply talking, not talking cheaply is out there, and I just showed you where.

]]> http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2009/03/boston-home-technology-examine.html http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2009/03/boston-home-technology-examine.html Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:05:30 -0500

Technology Fast 50: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York

We have consolidated our Tri-State Fast 50 programs to create the Technology Fast 50: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York program. More than ever, the Technology Fast 50 will be the pre-eminent barometer of the fastest-growing leaders and technology-driven businesses in the Tri-State region.

The program eligibility requirements remain the same: Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD, and current-year operating revenues must be at least $5 million USD. Companies are required to submit tax returns or audited financial statements with their nomination to complete their eligibility

The Technology Fast 50 annually recognizes the fastest-growing companies within the geographic boundaries of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York City (includes upstate New York, Long Island, Rockland and Westchester counties).

The awards are based on percentage revenue growth over a five-year period. To qualify, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of their operating revenues. Nominees can be public or private, and encompass all technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences industry sectors. Read more about our eligibility requirements.

We invite you to read the press release from the 2008 Technology Fast 50.

To learn more about our Technology Fast 500 program, please visit www.fast500.com.

Inception to the Technology Fast 50 Program
1999

Geographic Boundaries
Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City (upstate New York, Long Island, Rockland and Westchester counties.)

Special Awards
Rising Stars -- Companies incorporated a minimum of three years but less than five years and meet all other criteria.

2009 Timeline of Events
Nomination Deadline: TBD
Awards Event: TBD

Contact Information
Technology, Media & Telecommunications Partner:
Kevin Buckley, +1 212 436 6904

Nomination Process Questions Contact:
Turner Roach, + 1 212 436 4921

Fast 50 Program Manager:
Donna Navan, +1 212 436 6635

PR Contact:
Dick Shippee, +1 212 436 3347

]]> http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2008/11/deloitte.html http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2008/11/deloitte.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:42:42 -0500

The 2007 AO 100 Top Companies

The pace of change in the tech sector is accelerating. This year's AO 100 list of the hottest private companies includes a big batch of young innovators paving the way in emerging markets.

As we created the 2007 list of AlwaysOn top 100 private companies, we found that high-tech startups are again going through significant lifecycle events--fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and even IPOs--at a rapid rate. We're seeing activity in a wide range of sectors, including mobile, greentech, security, social media, components and infrastructure, and on-demand services for consumers and businesses alike.

With the large number of promising contenders, deciding which companies make the AO100 list is always complex. To pick the final winners, AlwaysOn editors, KPMG, Bridge Bank, Merrill Corp., Level 3 Communications, and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips surveyed industry insiders and sorted through the 600-plus global company nominations. We then evaluated each company against several criteria: innovation, market opportunity, commercialization, media buzz, and stakeholder value creation.

Another way in which the list's makeup has changed is that only 8% of the companies on this year's list were also among the AO100 in 2006. A number of our 2006 winners--13%--had significant exits. Notables include DivX, Glu Mobile, and Aruba Networks, which went public; YouTube, which was spectacularly acquired by Google; and Ironport, acquired by Cisco.

This year, many of the companies on the AO100 list are at earlier stages of development than in previous years. Although 80% are shipping products, 5% are still developing their products (but show enough potential to be included on the list), while 6% are just beginning to launch beta products. The average funding per company and total funding for the list also show the shift toward younger companies. Last year's AO100 raised a total of more than $5.5 billion in VC funding and the median funding amount per company was close to $44 million. By contrast, the far earlier-stage 2007 list has raised $2.2 billion total, and median funding per company is around $22 million.

We saw nominations from many new, exciting companies based outside Silicon Valley, showing that technology innovation continues to become more global and distributed. In 2006, 71% of the AO100 hailed from California; this year that number dropped to 56%, and more companies from the Northeastern U.S. made the list. For example, Vivox, based in Massachusetts, is adding voice to social networking and virtual worlds, while New York-based Tabula Digita is developing educational games for students and institutions. The Northwest provided strong contenders too, such as Seattle's SeaMobile, which provides wireless voice and data communications for cruise lines, ferries, yachts, container ships, and offshore oil platforms.

As for industry trends, security remains a vibrant area. AO100 companies representing this sector in 2007 include 3VR Security, 41st Parameter, and Bit9. The mobile sector also continues to grow--especially around making the mobile phone or device a more complete (and simpler) tool for finding things and providing services on the go.

Social media--community and social networking companies--continue to innovate. Examples include Intercasting, which is providing platforms to build communities and markets around user-generated, location-aware mobile content, and Gaia Online, this year's overall winner. Intercasting is media-focused, while Gaia is half social network and half virtual world--showing off new business models in the space.

The AO100 winners will be honored at the Stanford Summit, an executive summit presented by AlwaysOn and The Stanford Technology Venture Program on July 31st to August 2nd at the Arillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford University campus. Check out the full program for the Stanford Summit here.

Tickets to the Stanford Summit are still available--click here to for the program, or here to buy your ticket now.

Full coverage of the AO100 companies will also appear in the Summer issue of AO's print magazine that will be premiered at the Stanford Summit. Click here to learn how to get a copy of this issue.

Congratulations to all the AO100 winners! AlwaysOn and our partners look forward to honoring you at the Stanford Summit on July 31st.

]]> http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2007/07/alwayson.html http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2007/07/alwayson.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:40:00 -0500

Publisher's description of Paltalk Messenger 9.1

From A.V.M. Software:
Paltalk Messenger allows you to see, hear, share files, and chat with anyone, anywhere in the world--all for free. Paltalk operates with AIM, Yahoo, and ICQ, so you can chat with all your buddies using a single program. Paltalk boasts an improved user interface and supports a new x-Treme service level with crystal clear, TV-like video speed, and unlimited video windows. And now we're offering our users a trial of our high-quality streaming video and audio. Meet millions of people in existing audio and video chat rooms or create a videoconference of your own to bring together other users with similar interests. No Webcam is required to see people. Plus, you can share photos, files, and messages instantly with any Paltalk user. If you want to chat without the video and voice features, you can always instant message and use Paltalk for real-time text chat. New smileys, video overlays, and the 'nudge' are only a few of program's great features.

Version 9.1 enhances live video streaming for improved picture clarity and contrast, adds Screen Capture feature to show other Paltalkers what's on your screen, and allows to capture video and images via your Webcam and post it to your Paltalk profile.

Editor's review of Paltalk Messenger 9.1

Paltalk's integration of video, audio and text chatting unified into one window makes for a strong chatware program that includes a wealth of features.

Parental controls employ a password to change settings or block groups; adult content is hidden by default and all rooms are moderated. Add in the room ratings of G, R and A, and safe chatting is a cinch. Right-clicking a person's name gives a user-defined amount of personal information, with private room invite and file sending options. Sessions can be printed and saved, and buddy lists from other chat accounts can be automatically imported. Latest updates include screening rooms to share online vids, music feeds from Rhapsody and multiplayer games in case you get bored talking.

However, the abundance of pop-up ads, which strike even while you're in the middle of joining a room, might motivate users to pay for a subscription or look elsewhere. Free accounts only can open Webcams for a few seconds, while paid users can open multiple video windows. The app crashed for us when closing, and the system slowdowns were disappointing. Uninstalling Paltalk left an icon on the desktop.

Still, the thousands of rooms for politics, karaoke, tech advice, and porn mean that anybody can find a connection on Paltalk. 

]]> http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2007/05/cnet-editors-pick.html http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2007/05/cnet-editors-pick.html Tue, 29 May 2007 14:33:57 -0500

Last update: September 26, 2005

The following were the top 100 private companies to watch in 2006:

Abbeynet
AccessLine Communications
Acme Packet
Aculab
Allot Communications
Apparent Networks
Atreus Systems
BayPackets
BlueSlice Networks
BridgePort Networks
Brix Networks
BroadSoft
BroadVoice
Camfrog
Carbon Twelve
Centile
Cicero Networks
Citel Technologies
Commetrex
Convedia
CTI²
Dialexia Communications
DiamondWare
DigiLinea
Digium
Edgewater Networks
Empirix
Ensim
eStara
Excel Switching
Eyeball Networks
Fonality
Go2Call
Grandstream Networks
Hotsip
I3Micro Technology
Inclarity
Ingate Systems
Interoute
Intertex Data AB
Intoto
IP Unity
IVR Technologies
Jungo Software Technologies
Kayote Networks
KoolSpan
Lignup
LocustWorld
M5 Networks
MailVision
Mediatrix Telecom
Meru Networks
MetaSwitch
Natural Convergence
Netcentrex
Netrake
NewHeights Software
Nextone Communications
Nimcat Networks
OnRelay
Owera
Pactolus Communications Software
Paltalk
Paradial
Peoplecall
Persona Software
Personeta
Pingtel
Popular Telephony
Psytechnics
Quescom
Quintum Technology
Sansay
SIPquest
SkyWave
Sling Media
Snom Technology
SPIRIT DSP
Strix Systems
Surf Communication Solutions
Swyx
Sylantro Systems
SysMaster
TalkSwitch
tekVizion PVS, Inc.
Telchemy
Telepo
Telio
Tellme Networks
Trinity Convergence
VegaStream
Versatel Networks
VidiTel
Vocera Communications
VoicePulse
Vonage
Voxeo
Wavigo
WebMessenger
XConnect

]]> http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2005/11/the-2005-pulver100.html http://blog.paltalk.com/paltalkawards/2005/11/the-2005-pulver100.html Sat, 26 Nov 2005 12:59:30 -0500