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AOL's Got More VoIP: Upgrade Rollout in Two Weeks
[September 20, 2005]

AOL's Got More VoIP: Upgrade Rollout in Two Weeks


BY JOHANNE TORRES
TMCnet VoIP Minute Watch Columnist
 
America Online Inc. (AOL) announced on Tuesday it will begin rolling out TotalTalk, which seems to be an enhanced version of its Internet Phone service launched back in April in the United States. The company plans to roll out the new offering on October 4. With TotalTalk, the dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP) is apparently putting on its boxing gloves to spar against Vonage. 


 
The company announced key partnerships which give us a clue into what AOL is getting ready to offer its customers. So far, we know the ISP giant tapped audio expert Global IP Sound, and video master On2. These partnerships are sure to provide customers with really good audio and a possible platform ready for sharp video conferencing calls.   

 
TotalTalk includes a softphone client with free PC-to-PC calls and PC-to-phone calling capabilities via a Preview Edition of the AIM Triton client (more on this feature below), unified voice, e-mail and instant messaging (IM), enhanced voicemail and call management capabilities, and the ability to make and receive calls on a home phone line from anywhere users have access to AIM. The service also includes basic VoIP calling features such as Call Waiting, Caller ID, 911 emergency calling, Star Codes, e-mail integrated voicemail and Three-Way calling.
 
The Web-based Dashboard manages calls by featuring on-screen call alerts with call handling; call forwarding preferences; at-a-glance logs of incoming and outgoing calls; a frequently called number list; click-to-call features, and integration with address books.
 
Users will also be able to manage and retrieve voice and e-mail messages, anytime, anywhere from any touchtone phone or Web-based browser with a feature called "TotalTalkT." The feature makes voicemail messages appear together with e-mail messages, and also sends SMS alerts to mobile devices when a voicemail is left.
 
To sign up for the new service, users will not need to be current AOL subscribers. Existing AOL Internet Phone subscribers will receive an upgrade to the new and enhanced service automatically.
 
The TotalTalk Local plan offers unlimited local calling, plus $3.9/min for domestic long distance for $18.99 per month and the TotalTalk Unlimited Calling $29.99 monthly plan includes unlimited domestic long distance and Canada. TotalTalk also offers a Global Calling plan for $34.99 per month.
 
AOL also announced it will release a preview edition of its new AIM Triton service later this week. The service has been beta testing since April. The new client offers voice calling, streaming video services, IM, e-mail, SMS and mobile texting. 
 
Downloadable from its Web site, the preview edition of the new software features a Plaxo-enabled AIM Address Book and gives users one-click access to the AOL Explorer, AOL Mail, AIM Mail, AIM Talk, and new TotalTalk services.
 
The AIM Triton preview edition will offer AOL's TotalTalk subscribers with a trial version of a digital dial softphone and an improved version of the AIM Talk PC-to-PC VoIP calling service. The new AIM Talk features Pingtel's open source-based SIPuxa and Global IP Sound's (GIPS) platforms for better audio.
 
The client will also feature a VoIP-based PC-to-Phone voice calling service Codenamed AIM Talk Plus. The service will enable AIM users to use the soft phone at the base of the AIM Triton Buddy List feature, which will now only be accessible to TotalTalk subscribers.
 
The AIM Triton service will roll out across the AIM network in a system-wide auto-upgrade later this year, replacing all Windows-compatible versions of the AIM software.
 
The preview edition also features enhanced versions of existing AIM services such as an expanded Buddy List with room for up to 500 buddies, a redesigned AIM Today programming screen, a hearty file transfer service and non-stop listening to over 150 AOL radio stations plus 20 XM music stations through the AOL Radio featuring XM service.
 
The AIM Triton preview edition requires Microsoft Windows XP.
 
According to the company's news announcement, with the Preview Edition of the AIM Triton software in place, users will have access to a softphone client that will let them "make and answer phone calls on their home line through either the phone or the PC (with an AIM connected PC headset or USB phone). The soft phone feature, accessible from anywhere a user can log onto AIM, provides easy access to AIM Talk, a free PC-to-PC calling feature that includes multi-party chat capabilities, and a built-in dial pad to make PC-to-Phone calls, which are billed at home rates."
 
America Online, Inc.
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit:
 

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