Microsoft OCS 2007 R2 users were having communications issues with AOL's AIM when federating using PIC (Public IM Connectivity) and using a Windows Server 2008 (x64) Edge role server - Windows Server 2003 (x64) is unaffected by this problem. Microsoft's Scott Oseychik just issued a fix that solves the problem. The fix involves changing the Windows Server 2008 Edge role to initially establish the SSL dialog using the TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5 cipher suite.

It's pretty easy to fix via Group Policy (gpedit.msc). Once you make the fix you should be able to successfully communicate with AOL AIM clients using Office Communicator 2007 R2 via PIC.

Click here for the resolution.

Digium has an excellent post today titled The Rumors of Our Death discussing Skype for Asterisk (SFA) and the recently launched (beta) SkypeforSIP (SFS). There has been much discussion on the blogosphere, twitter, and elsewhere if SFS means the death of SFA. Some were even seen carting Skype for Asterisk away into the trashbin of other failed software endeavors, as seen here:

The IPEVO Wi-Fi Phone for Skype launched just last month and IPEVO sent me a review unit to check out, which I've been testing for a few weeks.

Installation
Installing the IPEVO Wi-Fi Phone was a snap. Although it only has a numeric keypad for entering in alphanumeric characters for entering in the WEP/WPA/WPA2 key. As you hit a key, it shows you the current key where your cursor is located, but it also shows you a horizontal list of all the characters that key can produce and highlights the current key. This is useful not only to confirm what keys it can produce, but if overshoot the key you want, you can easily see how far away you are to scrolling back around and reproducing that key. Definitely made entering the Wi-Fi key much easier and faster.

Gigaom's Om Malik was right about Skype launching a native Skype app for the iPhone. The WSJ and CNet are confiming Om's scoop today. When I say the news hit the wires, my initial reaction was "I hope Om go credit for breaking this story last week. He's one of the premiere bloggers and deserves credit from the mainstream media and other tech journals".

Alas, I was sorely disappointed that they didn't give Om credit. Reminds me of the major Skype outage story that I broke, how I predicted that Windows Update was to blame, and no mainstream media outlet cited me, while tons of bloggers gave me credit, including Om.

Polycom and Microsoft today announced that "as part of Microsoft's vision to broaden the availability of Microsoft RoundTable, Polycom has licensed the right to distribute RoundTable, effective April 13, 2009." The product, renamed the Polycom CX5000 Unified Conference Station, will be available through Polycom and its channel network.

Polycom has 'exclusive rights', to sell the CX5000, which is a huge win for them. Although I have been a huge fan of the Microsoft Roundtable with it's cool 360 panoramic video, my guess is that Microsoft has had difficulty selling this expensive ($4300) videoconferencing equipment.

Just got this email from Netflix saying they are increasing my Blu-ray access from $1 to $4 per month. What the hell? I have to pay 4 times what I was paying before? Way to screw your most loyal customers Netflix! Sure, the $1/month might have been a low-cost enticement to get people to sign-up for Blue-ray movie rentals, but you can't just increase the price 4-fold overnight. I think we Blu-ray fans would be much more accepting if the price increase was more gradual.

Let's flashback to October 2008, where the Netflix blog wrote:

The Skype on iPhone application is working over the 3G data connection if you are running the beta 3.0 firmware. VoIP over the 3G cellular is clearly forbidden in the SDK rules, so it's obviously a bug on 3.0 that it works. How long before Apple closes the hole? It is surprising that Apple "approved" and certified the Skype app for their App Store without first "testing" if Skype would work on the 3G connection.

Perhaps that was Apple's evil plan all along? Let a few iPhone users "taste" how gloriously delicious VoIP over 3G would be, before they have to disable the functionality at AT&T's request, leading to a firestorm of iPhone user protests, AT&T finally relenting and then VoIP freedom finally reigns on the iPhone. Oh you sneaky Apple you!

An interesting report by IBISWorld, Inc. just named VoIP as the predicted #1 performer In 2009 - it even beat video games. Yet more proof that VoIP isn't dead and indeed VoIP is the one shining bright spot in an otherwise dismal bear economy.

VoIP is indeed defying the "bears" of the economy. Reminds me of when Chuck Norris defied that huge bear in the woods. Sure, the bear got on top of Chuck and even ripped Chuck's shirt, but this was just a training exercise for Chuck's "You don't want to tick me off stare." At the end of the wresting match, Chuck just looked at the bear, the bear knew he lost, and walked away. Bears don't mess with Chuck Norris and apparently the bears of the economy don't mess with VoIP.

I learned that the Skype for iPhone app is unavailable to our Canadian friends across the border in the Apple iTunes App Store. I contacted Skype for comment and their representative told me, "There are some patent-licensing issues which prevent us from offering it there."

I then asked if other countries were affected or if it was just Canada and was informed it was just Canada. When asked whose patent it was or what category it involved (i.e. mobile VoIP), the representative told me, "I can't go into many more details other than it's codec related."

Sounds to me like their was some sort of patent settlement which Skype can't talk about. Sorry my Canadian brothers. "No Skype for iPhone for you!"

Update: 12:45pm

Some big news from Digium. Rich Tehrani met with them yesterday to get the inside scoop. Rich takes copious notes on his iPhone, which he sent off to me to try and write up this news. Alas, I've been pretty busy myself, but I wanted to share Rich's notes below, since there are some good "nuggets" in there.