Aplio Ships Aplio/Phone 2.0, the World's First H.323-Compliant Standalone Internet Phone
February 12, 1999
SAN BRUNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)
The Award-Winning Internet Telephony
Appliance Delivers True
Telephone Quality, H.323 Compliance,
PC-to-Phone Communication, Easy Remote
Configuration and Even Greater Savings
Aplio, Inc., creator of the innovative,
award-winning Internet telephony
appliance, today announced that it is
shipping the newest version of its
revolutionary Internet telephone --
Aplio/Phone 2.0.
Aplio/Phone 2.0 features state-of-the-art
IP telephony, including the highly
anticipated "Open Aplio" upgrade that
delivers industry standard
H.323-compliance, making Aplio the first
standalone Internet telephone.
With Aplio/Phone 2.0, users can now make
Internet calls between Aplio/Phones and
PCs or other compliant devices, realizing as
much as 100% savings on their long
distance phone bills. Aplio/Phone 2.0 takes
the remarkable Internet telephony
technology to a whole new level by offering
several enhancements including: enhanced
digital audio quality (PacketPlus(TM)
technology); even greater savings including
a WakeUp Call feature; user-friendly remote
configuration, as well as a new user
interface now available in nine languages.
This Aplio/Phone 2.0 upgrade will be
available for free download from the
Internet for all current users today, or can
be purchased for $199 by calling
1-888-OH-APLIO.
"Open Aplio" Extends Reach
With Aplio/Phone 2.0, users can now
communicate not only with other Aplio
users, but also with PCs using any standard
Internet Telephony and Conferencing
software such as Microsoft's NetMeeting.
"Open Aplio opens Aplio/Phone to users
anywhere in the world," said Olivier Zitoun,
CEO and president of Aplio.
"By making Aplio/Phone H.323 compliant, we
are expanding our reach to a whole new
group of users. Virtually anyone who has
access to a phone and a PC, can use Aplio
to cut their long distance calling costs."
How Aplio Works
Calling an Aplio/Phone from a PC is simple;
users enter the unique ID of the
Aplio/Phone they want to reach and within
a few seconds, the phone on the other end
will ring. To facilitate calls, Aplio offers Aplio
Dialer software for free download on its
website.
This innovative application features a
personal IP telephony address book that
automatically and transparently completes
the telephone connection. "This is the first
time PC users can enjoy free long distance
calls over the Internet to non-PC users
without any per-minute charges," noted
Zitoun. "This is a major achievement!"
True Telephone Quality
Aplio/Phone 2.0 features Aplio's new
PacketPlus(TM) technology enabling the
best digital sound quality for calls over the
public Internet network.
"PacketPlus addresses the most important
aspects of Internet Telephony: latency and
Internet traffic," said Henri Tebeka,
chairman and CTO of Aplio. "By continuously
monitoring Internet conditions,
PacketPlus(TM) automatically adjusts
packet size and redundancy. As a result,
users experience Internet telephone calls
that are nearly indistinguishable from calls
over the public telephone network."
Even Greater Savings
Aplio/Phone 2.0 delivers even greater
savings with the new WakeUp Call feature
that lets users automatically connect to
another Aplio/Phone without ever having to
place an initial long distance call. The
WakeUp Call feature automatically alerts
the other Aplio to connect via the Internet
-- the caller no longer needs to
pre-schedule calls to enjoy the benefits of
a 100% free long distance connection.
Additionally, Aplio/Phone 2.0 offers a new
extended voice interface, with support for
new languages: English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese,
Hebrew and German. International
Aplio/Phone users can now select the
language of choice via a free download over
the Internet.
About Aplio/Phone
The Aplio/Phone makes long distance calling
free. It is a standalone Internet telephony
appliance that reroutes calls over the
Internet without a computer. Aplio/Phone
connects to any standard telephone just
like an answering machine. Full-featured,
with a built-in processor and modem, Flash
RAM, hardware-based full-duplex voice
compression, Aplio/Phone uses a
patent-pending meeting process.
With the press of one button, calls are
rerouted to the Internet, eliminating any
per-minute long-distance charges, while
insuring superior sound quality rivaling that
of digital cellular phones. In addition, the
Aplio/Phone boasts a full-duplex
speakerphone that can be used even when
the device is not connected to the
Internet.
Aplio/Phone is available worldwide. It is
distributed in over 50 countries in the U.S.,
Canada, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
Estimated street price is $199 in the U.S.;
price may vary outside the U.S. The
product is backed by free unlimited tech
support, a 60-day money back guarantee
and a full one-year warranty.
In the U.S., it is available online
(www.aplio.com), or by dialing
1-888-OH-APLIO, through Aplio Authorized
Resellers, Big Planet representatives and at
retail stores and catalogues (J&R,
DataVision, MicroCenter, MicroWarehouse,
HelloDirect, TigerDirect, etc.)
About Aplio
Aplio, Inc. is a pioneer in the Internet
telephony appliance market. Founded in
1996, Aplio develops and delivers a new
generation of very low-cost, easy-to-use
Internet appliances, enabling any small
business or home user to communicate and
access information through the Internet,
without using a PC or a network computer.
The company's flagship product, the
Aplio/Phone, was introduced in March 1998.
Since its introduction, the Aplio/Phone has
received much acclaim, from the press
(Internet Telephony's 1998 Product of the
Year Award, HomePC's Reviewer's Choice),
analysts, and customers worldwide.
Located in San Bruno, Aplio, Inc. has a
worldwide presence with offices in the
United States, Europe and Israel. The
privately held company is backed by major
European and Asian venture capitalists. |
