In a move to strengthen the diversity of their range today Counterpath announced the launch of Bria 3.0 for Linux. This gives them a native release on Windows, Mac & Linux, which is a considerable achievement.
From their press release I see the following:
Bria for Linux features include support for:
- Multiple VoIP accounts
- Ubuntu 9.10 & 10.04, the world’s most widely used Linux distribution
- A wide variety of codecs, including G.711 u/aLaw, iLBC, Speex, Speex WB, GSM, DV14, DV14 WB and L16 PCM WB
- LDAP
- Echo cancellation, reduced background noise, automatic gain control (AGC) and other mechanisms that enable clear, lifelike audio
- DTMF via RFC 2833 and in-band/out-of-band DTMF
- Speakerphone
- Provisioning server
To be plain I’m a Windows user so this is on the periphery of my scope. Still, as much as I enjoy and recommend Counterpath products I do wonder why they haven’t implemented G.722 in the Linux variant of Bria?
G.722 is today the de facto standard in wideband audio codecs. Supporting G.722 allows for wideband interoperability with the broadest range of hardware and software systems. I thought that Counterpath had come to understand it’s importance back in early 2009 when, after some badgering, they finally started to offer G.722 in retail versions of Eyebeam.
I guess that they had to leave something for a potential v4.0 release. I know a few people who will find this omission troublesome.