Microsoft has debuted the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2), an update to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 at the VoiceCon event in Amsterdam. Customers will be able to purchase the release, currently in private beta testing, beginning in February 2009.

“Office Communications Server 2007 R2, debuting just one year after the Microsoft unified communications launch, highlights the pace of innovation that is possible with software,” said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division at Microsoft. “This new release puts Microsoft on a rapid path to deliver voice software that does much more than a network private branch exchange (PBX) and with much less cost.”

Microsoft has also released some really exciting features of the upcoming R2 update for Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007.

• Dial-in audioconferencing. This feature will allow customers to host their own on-premise audioconferencing bridge that is managed by IT instead of having it outsourced from a 3rd party provider.
• Desktop sharing. This feature enables users to seamlessly share their desktop, initiate audio communications and collaborate with others outside the organization on PC, Macintosh or Linux platforms through a Web-based interface.
• Persistent group chat. This feature allows users to participate in topic-based discussions or chat rooms. The chat rooms are archived periodically to allow for easy searching on past discussions.
• Enhanced Voice and Mobility
• Attendant console and delegation. This allows receptionists, team secretaries and others to manage calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up workflows to route calls, and manage higher volumes of incoming communications through a software-based interface.
• SIP trunking. This feature enables businesses to reduce costs by setting up a direct VoIP connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Office Communicator 2007 without requiring on-premise gateways.
• Response group. A workflow design application manages incoming calls based on user-configured rules (e.g., round-robin, longest idle, simultaneous), providing a simple-to-use basic engine for call treatment, routing and queuing.
• Mobility and single-number reach. This extends Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality to Nokia S40, Motorola RAZR, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, allowing users to communicate using presence, IM and voice as an extension of their PBX from a unified client.

The Microsoft OCS R2 will be launched on February 3rd 2009 and you can find more information about Microsoft OCS R2 at www.microsoft.com/communicationsserver.

Popularity: 81% [?]

NetGear has announced the availability of ReadyNAS Pro, the industry’s first six-bay desktop network attached storage solution (NAS) and the newest member of Netgear ReadyNAS family for small and medium sized businesses.

The ReadyNAS Pro delivers high availability, high performance, expandability, and serviceability in a cost-effective unit that is easy to use and quick to deploy. Some of the features of the Netgear ReadyNAS Pro include support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, NetGear’s proprietary auto-expandable X-RAID2 configuration, system monitoring, built-in backup capability, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and the ability to hold up to half a dozen SATA II drives in lockable and hot-swappable disk trays.

The ReadyNAS Pro is available in different storage capacities, the RNDP6350 has 1.5TB of storage capacity, the RNDP6310 has 3TB, and the RNDP6610 has 6TB. The ReadyNAS Pro models can be connected to the existing  local or wireless network and can be used as storage, back up and data sharing device regardless of the operating systems used by the computers in the network.

The NetGear ReadyNAS Pros are now available with prices starting at $2,000.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Global IP Solutions (GIPS) , a leading provider of IP multimedia processing solutions, launched the GIPS VideoEngine Mobile, an application that enables peer-to-peer video calling and multi-point video conferencing for Windows Mobile-based phones. GIPS VideoEngine Mobile enables wireless carriers, application developers and mobile handset manufacturers to provide high-quality video calls, even under adverse network conditions.

“Today’s mobile phone users demand the best in quality and rich functionality, which is why there is an enormous opportunity for application developers and wireless carriers to offer real-time video calls to the masses,” said Emerick Woods, GIPS’ Chief Executive Officer. “Our expertise in enabling IP communications will allow mobile phone users the highest quality video calling experience possible.”

The application leverages GIPS capabilities in managing network effects and hardware limitations so that users can experience good quality video calls.

Popularity: 72% [?]

After three years of development, OpenOffice version 3.0 has been released and is set to challenge Microsoft Office.OpenOffice 3.0 suite includes several applications like a word processor (Writer), spreadsheet (Calc), presentation package (Impress), drawing (Draw), and database tools (Base). Multiple users can now view and edit the same document under OpenOffice version 3.0. The new version supports OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.2 file format and Office 2007 OOXML which means it can read Microsoft Office 2007 or 2008 .docx, .xlsx, .pptx or other new file formats.

OpenOffice is a FREE software and you can download a copy for Windows, Mac OS X, and other operating systems and languages.

Popularity: 68% [?]

Mandriva Linux 2009 has been released and is now available for download. Mandriva Linux 2009 edition includes the modern and cutting-edge graphical environments like KDE 4.1.2 and GNOME 2.24. Aside from these desktop environments, Mandriva Linux 2009 includes LXDE, a lightweight and modern desktop that fits like a glove on old computers.

Mandriva Linux is a freely available, community-based Linux distribution based on the RPM package management system.

Below are the download sites where you can download Mandriva Linux 2009:

DVD ISO download

• Visit mirror to download Mandriva ISO image (32 bit DVD ISO ~ 4.3 GB)
• Visit mirror to download Mandriva ISO images (64 bit DVD ISO ~ 4.3 GB)

Mandriva 2009 CD ISO download

• Download Mandriva Linux 2009 CD # 1 (699M) and CD #2 [691M] - both are 32 bit ISO images.

Mandriva 2009 DVD ISO BitTorrent download

• Download from BitTorrent i386 32 bit DVD (requires a BitTorrent client)
• Download from BitTorrent 64 bit DVD (requires a BitTorrent client)

Mandriva Linux 2009 Download Mirrors

• Please download and release page for further information.

Mandriva Linux 2009 will definitely compete with the upcoming Ubuntu 8.10 which will arrive on October 30.

Popularity: 35% [?]

LG Electronics has launched the KC780, a 13.9 mm thick, 8-megapixel, slim slider camera phone with features ideal for shooting portraits. The LG-KC780 sports a 2.4-inch widescreen LCD, an 8-megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens making it capable of taking high quality photos.

“We found that most of the time people use the cameras on their mobile phones to take pictures of themselves, their families, friends and significant others,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With this in mind, LG developed the LG-KC780 with a number of face-enhancing features to augment its high quality 8 megapixel camera.”

The KC780 phone has several features including advanced face and smile detection, image stabilizer, integrated motion sensor, ability to make DVD-quality videos and a “Smart Bluetooth”. Smart Bluetooth makes your phone a web cam when connected to a PC and it will make transferring of files from your phone to the computer a lot easier. The camera phone can also be configured to fire when a subject smiles, while a Beauty Mode removes subtle blemishes from a subject’s face.

The KC780 is a Quad-Band GSM phone and will be hitting Europe by November.

Popularity: 34% [?]