Some of the functionality that Google Voice users love like SMS notifications haven’t been carried along to the mobile web app so other developers have stepped in to fill the void.

Enter GVMax, a free web service that monitors your Google Voice account and notifies you when you receive a new SMS or voicemail.

The work around uses Google Voice’s SMS-to-email functionality using it to send the forwards to GVMax’s servers which are then rerouted to the various ways a user wishes to be notified.

When you recieve a new voicemail or SMS, the GVMax system can send you an IM, an SMS, an email or even a message on your Twitter account.

The service not only fills in a functionality gap, but it also replaces a more cumbersome hack some user were employing involving having the notifications forward to an always-on home computer running a desktop app that would then pass on the notifications to users’ mobile phones.

The new SBC will provide security and any-to-any connections for SIP calls where the legacy firewall or Edge Router are SIP unaware. In addition, the SmartNode 5200 offers cost savings by including advanced IP router, QoS, VoIP-VPN security, least-cost call routing and IP-link redundancy all in one device.

The new offering is targeted at businesses with 50 or less employees when using the built-in virtual firewall. For companies with 50 to 250 employees the SBC can forward SIP messages to an external firewall to handle security.

Prior to his stint as CEO of Ominlink, Kellum started, grew and sold software development company Extreme Logic which is now a part of Hewlett Packard.

Kellum signaled that in taking this position he could see Vocalocity dive into cloud computing as well. “Vocalocity has a unique and distinct value proposition and there is a tremendous upside in accelerating our business model of bringing VoIP communications to the small business market,” said Kellum in a press release. “There is also a nearly unlimited potential in helping small businesses take advantage of additional capabilities of the cloud computing phenomenon by extending our core offerings.”

Vocalocity provides hosted PBX services to small businesses with 50 employees or less and doesn’t sell to enterprise or residential customers.

Later this year, Girouard said, Google would release a version of Google Voice for businesses, but he did not go into specifics about a timeline. At the moment, Google Voice has 1.4 million users routing calls through the service. Currently, Google Apps has 2 million business customers paying only $50 per user a year to use the software suite. As Google continues to develop and launch its VoIP play, they will have a built-in business audience to offer their services.

MagicJack’s original offering was a USB device that came with a phone jack–plug your regular landline phone into the MagicJack, plug that into your computer USB port and make cheap VoIP calls. At CES, MagicJack revealed its ‘femtojack’ device featuring a small femtocell (think personal cell phone tower of sorts) that plugs into a users PC and allows users to make VoIP calls over their computer using their cell phones wirelessly.

The device apparently uses wireless spectrum to connect the phones to the USB device, but because wireless spectrum is not owned inside people’s homes, MagicJack can slip through the legal loophole and use the spectrum. It can also be used at the coffee shop or in your hotel room is.

Matsui’s proposed bill, the Broadband Affordability Act of 2009, would have the FCC “establish a broadband program that provides low-income Americans living in rural and urban areas with assistance in subscribing to affordable broadband internet service.” The new legislation would in effect expand the USF’s Lifeline Assistance program for universal broadband adoption.

Matsui pointed out that even in her home state of California, there’s a large disconnect between the broadband haves and the broadband have-nots. Although 96 percent of California’s residents live in an area with broadband access, most of the people who actually are connected make more than $80,000 a year, while only 58 percent of residents that make less than $40,000 can afford a $60.00 a month broadband package.

Malik held out hope that Skype’s new owners might institute a more developer friendly program to create new ways to use Skype with third-party applications, which could expand the service’s utility and also drive revenue growth.

He said the move to shutter Extras would be detrimental to Skype’s long-term growth, as the developer community would turn to other services potentially causing innovation around Skype to flag.

Given the choice between developing for the iPhone or Skype, I would choose the iPhone right now. However, the landscape is always changing.

Avaya Inc. has won the auction to acquire Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT)’ Enterprise Solutions unit and some associated operations, but the firm had to boost its bid from $475 million to $900 to capture the Nortel assets.

Avaya staved off a last minute offer from Siemens Enterprise Communication and its private equity partner, Gores Group LLC. The enterprise unit provides landline phone systems to customers on a worldwide basis. In July, Avaya had submitted a $475 million stalking horse offer for the assets and last week that bid was challenged by an undisclosed suitor, which turned out to be the Siemens-Gores offer. The enterprise operation recorded revenues of $2.4 billion in 2008.

iPhone (or, more specifically, iPhone users) are strangling the AT&T network. It’s not a pretty picture for AT&T.

AT&T must know what their customers think of their network. If AT&T customers are telling me their tales or woe, they’re telling AT&T. If I were handcuffed to a two-year contract where I was paying big bucks (you can easily end up paying AT&T $150 a month), I’d be pretty emotional if I found out I was lumbered with the appalling levels of service that some folks seem to endure.

We started with Cingular wireless and the service was great everywhere in the country. Even back in the old analog phone days (yes, we’ve been with them quite a while) the service and coverage areas were great.

Then AT&T got involved. Before the iPhone we were already suspect of AT&T service. One of the largest predatory lenders had a seat on the board of directors at AT&T. The company was sued for failing to pay taxes on phone service, claiming they were an advertising company instead.

How did that shady deal take place? Apparently when someone used a pay phone (good luck finding one now) AT&T forced the caller to listen to an advertisement first.

The FCC sued, AT&T lost the suit, and paid for the dumb idea.

Who was the big loser in that deal? Rural telephone companies and children. Part of the surcharge was supposed to go to rural schools.

In another suit, AT&T Inc. paid $550,000 to settle claims that it erroneously billed nearly 50,000 people in Pennsylvania for long-distance service. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said investigators determined that AT&T, for approximately three months in 2004, erroneously billed nearly 50,000 people $3.95 per month for a discount long-distance service plan, although those people claimed they were not AT&T customers or had canceled the service.

When a predatory lender and former CEO of Household International is on the board of directors the company is bound to suffer. The news said this about Aldinger in May 2009:

In the recent Household Financial securities lawsuit jury trial (about which refer here), among the individual defendants who were found to have acted recklessly in making public disclosures was Household director William Aldinger. As a result, Aldinger not only faces the prospect of having to pay monetary damages; he also faces further questions about his continued service on other corporate boards.

As reflected in a May 12, 2009 Chicago Tribune article (here), Aldinger serves on the board of four other publicly traded companies: Illinois Tool Works; AT&T; Charles Schwab Corp.; and KKR Financial Holdings LLC. As the article notes, “the verdict raises the question of whether Aldinger should have to resign from the boards.”

Now, in September 2009, our AT&T wireless service is right where we did not want it to be. Our fears have been realized. Service is terrible. “Waiting for data service” seems to last forever. Data transmission is slow. Dropouts are frequent.

Now I will pay my recent AT&T bill of $170.

By the way, how much did William F. Aldinger III earn as a director of AT&T in 2008? $263,042 is your answer.

Digium, makers of the Asterisk open source PBX, announced the formal launch of Skype for Asterisk, a software load that will allow seamless access to Skype services using Asterisk PBXs. Skype for Asterisk, which was announced at AstriCon Sept. 25, 2008, has been in beta testing with more than 4,000 participants, according to Digium’s Pete Engler. The product, which carries a one-time, per-channel license fee of $66, is now available for purchase at the Digium store.

Engler, product manager for strategic products for Digium, said the beta group included businesses and VARs that saw the integration of Skype for Asterisk as a way to lower costs while also improving functionality.