The Mobile Security Conference will be held in Boston, MA from October 29-November 1, 2007. You can register online or call +1.631.961.8950 between 9AM and 6PM EST to register over the phone.

This conference on mobile security is all about companies extending their security umbrellas to include all types of mobile devices and the sensitive data stored on these devices.

Mobility is still relatively new, and as such exposes companies to a major risk of data theft. It is estimated that once a customer’s data is exposed through a security breach, overall customer base can decrease by 25% as a result.

Can your company or organization afford no to attend and learn more about mobiel security?

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Denver will be held July 10-12 at the Colorado Convention Center.

What are Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conferences?

Microsoft believes that success is a journey that requires the assistance of mentors in the industry to help drive profitability and reach business goals. This includes increasing your opportunites, expanding your skills, closing more sales or offering better customer supprt.

This conference will provide a wide spectrum of valuable resources for all Microsoft Partners. Share in future business opportunities, aquire hands-on training and network with extensions of your partner community.

More than 10,000 industry experts, partners, speakers, MS execs, exhibitors and more are expected to attend this year’s Denver conference.

Registration

1. New Registration for Full Conference without a Registration Code (Partners Only)
2. New Registration Using a registration code for Microsoft attendees (Microsoft field, corporate (including SMS&P), exhibitor attendees)
3. New Registration Using a registration code for all Speakers, Press, Analysts, MPO’s, Booth Staff Only, Crew, and Others

Partners: Please have your Partner ID (MSPP ID) number ready when you register.

Register for the Chicago, IL NXTcomm conference. The conference runs from June 18-21, with exhibits lasting from June 19-21.

NXTcomm will bring together executives from every segment of this global industry to exhibit, explore and buy the latest technologies driving the converged communications and entertainment industry. Reflecting the dramatic changes in the sector, the NXTcomm exhibit floor will showcase hundreds of new and innovative products while the show’s programming will illustrate that the traditional lines between the business and technology of communications, information and entertainment no longer exist.

said Bob Currey, President and CEO of Consolidated Communications.

Motorola, Inc. was one of the first companies to sign up for NXTcomm, and hopes to utilize the venue to display the company’s wide range of solutions for the telecommunications industry.

Telia’s new triple play package will offer digital TV, IP telephony and broadband to Swedish customers.

Erik Hallberg, head of Broadband Services at TeliaSonera had this to say,

We know that some consumers want IP telephony, which is why we are introducing the offer. Telia is today, thanks to its recent investments in digital TV, Sweden’s largest supplier of triple play with landline telephony. We are now expanding into a totally IP-based solution. We will offer both landline and IP telephony in the foreseeable future. There is no doubt, however, that IP telephony will over time become the dominant service, and our focus on increasing the number of IP-based services is clear

So far, Telia’s triple play package will be available only to about 2.4 million households, with plans to expand availability throughout Sweden in the near future.

Telia’s initial packages include:

IP telephony, digital TV and broadband up to 2 Mbps
SEK 349/month

The above package with up to 8 Mbps
SEK 369/month

The above package with up to 24 Mbps
SEK 419/month

Comcast now has its own Second Life world up and running.

According to Alex Weprin from the TV industry publication Broadcasting & Cable, there will be an expo center and cafe featuring virtual food and Comcastic Labs that promise additional “speed themed experiences”, as well as an entertainment center featuring Second Life and real world music and bands.

Obviously this move by Comcast is geared to deliver features and experiences that only high-speed broadband users can enjoy, though Comcast voices this lighter statement:

With millions of users across the globe, virtual worlds like Second Life are quickly becoming hot gathering spots for young, tech-savvy consumers, and Comcastic Island is a great way for us to connect with that audience in an inventive and interactive way. We’ve designed Comcastic Island to be engaging and to show the better experience our services offer, from racing against a friend to watching a concert—the types of experiences that work best with our high-speed Internet service.

The battle lines have been drawn between mobile operators and VoIP service providers with regard to MVoIP. Currently, T-Mobile is blocking Truphone, according to Om Malik.

While mobile operators cannot see their revenues being affected by the MVoIP players through their cheap VoIP services, they shouldn’t forget that VoIP calls could still be billed at data rates when users are outside of WiFi areas.

James Tagg, CEO of Truphone explains,

This affects every new entrant into mobile telecommunications because the only company that can facilitate interconnection with T-Mobile is T-Mobile. It amounts to T-Mobile being able to veto a new entrant into the market. This would put telephony back 100 years, to a time when interconnections were not assured.

Skype 3.5 beta is out and can be downloaded here.

One of Skype’s official bloggers, Raul, thinks these are the biggest enhancements:

* feature: Auto redial
* feature: Call Transfer
* feature: Device Indicators
* feature: Edit chat messages
* feature: Message history loading granulated
* feature: Private Telephone Numbers
* feature: Send contacts inside chat
* feature: Visual indicators for Audio In / Audio Out in options
* feature: Show examples of notifications / alerts in options
* feature: Added Latvian localization - Intars Students
* feature: In-Client Hardware store button
* change: Extras Manager updated to version 1.2.0.261
* change: Options categories smoothly slide open and close when changed
* Updated language files.

Raketu, a Swedish-based Internet communications, information, and entertainment company, announced this week that they have launched RakWeb, a new web-based VoIP service.

Customers will not have to download any software to use it because of the unique service. They just visit Raketu.com, enter their telephone number, enter the number they’re calling, and they’re then connected at a reduced rate, as compared to traditional calling rates. With this new offering, Raketu will be giving Skype and JaJah a run for their money.

• Features and benefits include:
  Totally Free: Raketu to Raketu calling anywhere in the world, requires both users running Raketu’s LaunchPad desktop application.
• Low Rates: RakWeb calling requires no software downloads with both users on traditional mobile or landline phones. This service can be used by anyone who has a web browser and access to Raketu.com - including Windows, Linux, Mac OSX.
• Free or Lowest Rates: RakOut Dial-out VoIP service, requires one user on Raketu, the other on landline/mobile phone. RakOut offers free calling to locations in over 40 countries around the world, and the lowest published rates on all other calls.

According to Triston McIntyre of Mac Blorge.com, users will have to purchase 2 year data plans before being able to access the cool stuff.

Triston has talked with a few AT&T Wireless sotre managers who have all told him that distribution materials are now arriving at stores, which include information about the required data plans.

In fact, the iPhone will come with a unique contract that doesn’t exist for any other phone AT&T sells.

says Triston of his conversation with one store manager.

Triston continues,

Though Steve Jobs clearly stated the the connectivity dependence of the iPhone will focus on WiFi and Blu-tooth, visual voicemail, Google Maps, or any of the other main features will be available only through a contractual AT&T data plan,

Though this might not sound bad, prices on iPhone plans have yet to be released; I, for one, am constantly immersed in the world of WiFi, nearly everywhere I go…a data plan (for the actual data transfer capabilities) would be a complete waste of money. don’t want to be locked into a 2 year data package when I use WiFi constantly…but apparently it isn’t an option.

Reportedly, Nortel and IBM are joining forces to launch an integrated suite of multimedia and VoIP applications that will run on IBM’s System i server. This is scheduled to happen in October.

The vice president and general manager of the Nortel/IBM alliance in Toronto, Lori McLean, told Paula Musich, an eWeek writer, that the deal stands to offer telerouting, messaging, unified communications and collaboration tools.

IBM Nortel partners will sell these services as well as advise System i channel partners training for System i’s predominantly small to medium size businesses.