Hi 'yall...
I think iphone is an Apple made app. built using the new SIP (session initiation protocol). We already know that for the new 3G mobile phones, SIP is the VoIP protocol. Also, we know that AOL and Mac are working together with new version of AIM for mac - which will be SIP based. Microsofts new MSN messenger... is also SIP based.
Apple has always had a problem with video / audio communications, with it not supporting the H323 standard that PC users use when they run MS Netmeeting.
Everyones backing SIP as the new way forward. This is because it's a telecommunications protocol that's been written with the internet in mind, and works very much like HTTP... unlike H323.
I've just installed a full SIP VoIP system here at work. We had this nasty old pbx - and now we have Pingtel Softphones on our wireless laptops, a Snom SIP media server to store voice mail messages, run conference rooms and run automated attendents.
I would expect/like iphone to have :
Multiparty call conference
Call transfer
Hold - with Music (10 tracks selectable via DTMF)
Call forward on no answer
Call forward on busy
WMI (Message Waiting Indicator) support
Voice mail to email (attached)
Contact screen popup
Dialing from contacts
Speed dial with user import
Presence (User logged in/ out)
Customisable Logo on 'display'
Customisable ringtones based on CLI
Customisable busy message
Customisable unavaliable message
Call log
Of course a funky Apple headset (wireless?)
Voice dialing
Integrated webserver interface (for remote config)
In-call recording
In call playback
Video support
Oh... the list goes on!!!!!!!
Perhaps it will look something like the pingtel client?
http://www.pingtel.com/images/ix_screenshot_large.gif
- which is superb. If you are developers, you can even write your own apps for it - it runs on pure Java!
It's a real shame there's not a mac version of the Pingtel.
Then... perhaps there will be!!!???
Jeff
EMOJO.com