VocalTec Internet Phone (TM) Version 3.1 (Build 21, public beta release) - 23 January, 1996 ======================================== Copyright(c) 1995 by VocalTec Ltd. This is version 3.1 of the Internet Phone software. It offers a few simple yet significant enhancements over the previous versions of the software. These include: - Internet Phone on the World Wide Web This version of Internet Phone lets you make calls to Internet Phone users from within a Web browser (This feature was checked to work with Netscape and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It may not work on other browsers). Standard hypertext links to Internet Phone users or topics can be added to Web pages. When you choose such a link in a Web browser, the Web browser automatically runs Internet Phone, which connects to a server and starts a call to the user. Internet Phone maintains a local HTML file (IPHONE.HTM, located in the Internet Phone directory) to which you can add links to any Internet Phone user. This file serves as a sort of private phone-book, which you can access from within Internet Phone or from your Web browser. Adding new links to this file is simple: choose a Quick Dial button using the right mouse button and choose "Save HTML Link" from the pop-up menu. This adds to the IPHONE.HTM file a new link to the user listed under the Quick Dial button (by setting a button that holds your own name, you can save an HTML link to yourself). To add such links to other HTML files, simply cut and paste them from the IPHONE.HTM file to the desired file. This feature finally integrates the Internet Phone and the World Wide Web. At last, you can add an Internet Phone link to your Home Page. Users that surf the net can now contact you directly! Phone-books or user lists can be compiled on the Web. Organizations can now provide information, service, or support directly from within their Web site (for such a purpose, it is probably better to add a link to a topic - even to a private one - instead of to a specific user). These are only some of the many possibilities that this feature opens to Internet users. For more information on using this feature, choose "Search for Help On" from the Internet Phone HELP menu, type "Web" and open the corresponding topic. - Toolbox mode Another feature provided by this version of the software is the ability to turn the Internet Phone into a compact toolbox. This allows you to easily use Internet Phone while using other applications, without wasting precious desktop space. For more information on using this feature, choose "Search for Help On" from the Internet Phone HELP menu, type "toolbox" and open the corresponding topic. - The Preferences dialog box has changed to provide better control of the audio format used by the Internet Phone. In order to use Internet Phone, you need... ------------------------------------------- 1. Windows 3.1 or higher. 2. 8MB of RAM recommended. 3. 486SX 25Mhz or faster recommended. For full-duplex conversation, a 486 50MHz is required. 4. Windows compatible audio board, with speaker and microphone. For full-duplex conversation, a full-duplex audio card or two different audio cards are required, and we recommend, for the full duplex mode, an earphone rather than a speaker. See http://www.vocaltec.com for an updated list of full duplex cards. 5. TCP/IP software with WINSOCK 1.1 support. 6. A SLIP/PPP, or direct Internet connection (14,400 baud minimum). You can skip this section if you are running setup from a distribution diskette: Installing the Internet Phone ----------------------------- 1. Make sure that your microphone and speaker work properly, by recording yourself using the Microsoft's Sound Recorder. See "Preparing Your Audio Device" section, below. 3. Execute the self-extracting archive IPHONE18.EXE 3. Choose File/Run and execute C:\IPHONE\SETUP A new program-manager group file will be created, with icons for The Internet Phone and Help file 4. Double-click the Internet Phone / Internet Wave icon. 5. The first time you run the Internet Phone Software, a Quick Tour will be suggested to you. 6. Start talking with the rest of the world! Setting up for Full-Duplex Conversation --------------------------------------- 1. You must have a full-duplex audio card, or two different normal (half-duplex) audio cards in order to use full-duplex mode. 2. Make sure that the modem compression and (possibly) error correction is turned off. See "Modem Settings" below. 3. The Internet Phone will test your system performance and its capacity for Full-duplex support on the first time you run the new version. If you use two audio cards you will be asked to specify which one to use for speaking and which one for listening. You can change those settings later in the Options/Preferences dialog. Full-duplex mode will not be set if your system does not have a full-duplex audio card, or two audio cards. 4. Choose "Full Duplex" from the tool bar or from Options menu. 5. When starting a conversation, the bottom status line will show you the connection mode: - Full Duplex - both sides are using full-duplex mode. Both sides can talk and listen at the same time. - Local FDX - your system is in full-duplex mode, but the remote system is only half duplex. The conversation will be half duplex, but you will be able to break into your partner's speech. - Remote FDX - your system is set up for half-duplex operation, and remote system is set for full-duplex operation. - Speak/Listen - Normal half-duplex display. Problems using Full-Duplex Conversation --------------------------------------- The most obvious problem with full-duplex conversation is acoustic feedback. It is strongly recommended to use full-duplex mode with a headset. Alternately, try lowering the speaker volume, and put it as far as possible from the microphone. Improper setting of your full-duplex configuration, might interfere with your partner's speech: If a half-duplex user is calling you, and your voice-activation is set too low, every time his speech is heard in the speaker, it might trigger your system to start transmitting. Since your partner's system is half-duplex, it will stop speaking and start hearing what you're transmitting to him - his own speech! Removing the Internet Phone --------------------------- If you installed the Internet Phone, and wish to remove it, or even just to re-locate it in another directory, then you should do the following: 1. Load the file WIN.INI into a text editor (e.g. NOTEPAD) 2. Locate the "[Sounds]" section 3. Inside that section, remove all "Internet Phone" sounds. 4. If you then run the Internet Phone again, it will re-install its sound files from its new current directory. 5. If you relocate the Internet Phone without removing these entries, you'll notice that the indication sounds (busy, ringing, etc) are gone. About The Internet Phone Network -------------------------------- The Internet Phone uses the Internet Phone Servers Network to show the currently on-line users. The actual conversation is performed directly between the PC's running the Internet Phone, and not via the servers. To get the latest list of servers, get the file IRCSRVRS.INI from the FTP site: ftp.vocaltec.com /pub or from our WEB site http://www.vocaltec.com/net.html and copy it into your local C:\IPHONE directory. Selecting a Server ------------------ In order to use the Internet Phone, you must be connected to an Internet Phone Server, which uses the IRC protocol. When you first run the Internet Phone, You have to choose an Internet Phone Server from the list of Internet Phone Servers. You can select a different server anytime you like. It is better to select the server nearest to you. However, there isn't any difference which server you connect to: All servers hold an updated list of all Internet Phone users. Once you're connected to the network, you can call any other Internet Phone user that is connected to the Internet Phone network. There is no need for both of you to use the same Internet Phone Server. Please note that by "nearest" we mean over the net, but usually geographically close places have a better network connection. It is possible to connect to IRC servers outside of the Internet Phone network. In this case, will be able to talk only with Internet Phone users using the same network. Technical Support ----------------- Before calling VocalTec for technical support, please do the following: 1. Check the troubleshooting from the Help menu in the Internet Phone. It contains a list of problems and solutions. 2. Look at the technical support page on our Web server: http://vocaltec.com/trouble.html 3. Select "Technical Support" from the Help menu for information on how to contact VocalTec. Modem Settings -------------- Modem Settings: The modem initialization string should be changed to allow faster transfer: 1. You should add the characters "%C0\N1" to the string to disable data compression and error corrections. It is possible that different modems will use different AT commands. If your modem does not response correctly to the above commands you should look for the AT command table in your modem documentation for the right commands. 2. To edit the initialization string in Netmanage Chameleon you can enter setup/modem/initialize and add the above characters to the string. 3. In Trumpet you can edit your "login.cmd" script. Look for the line: "$modemsetup = "&C1..." and add the above characters to the string. 4. If you are using some other TCP/IP software as your Internet connection, Try to find out the way to edit the modem initialization string. END of README.TXT