PCs become more like VoIP phones

Using PCs as VoIP phones will soon be a lot easier thanks to an announcement by Intel.

The processor giant has launched technology which will cause PCs to awake from power-saving sleep mode if there is an incoming VoIP call.

Home users will be alerted through a loudspeaker that a call is coming in, under the technology dubbed Remote Wake.

A number of companies have announced products that will take advantage of Remote Wake, with subscription being used to stop prank calls waking up people's computers.

"The combination of our technologies enables added convenience and energy efficiency for consumers who want the PC to be a genuine two-way communication platform for their IP-based telephony services," said Intel's director of consumer product marketing, Joe Van De Water.

Because Wi-Fi does not currently work in sleep mode, the initial Remote Wake motherboards will only be able to turn desktops using Ethernet into VoIP phones.

The technology will also enable users to access videos, music and photos over the internet.

Posted on: 2008-08-18, in: General VoIP

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