To enable enterprises and mobile workers to capitalise on this trend, CounterPath Corporation has announced the worldwide availability of Bria iPad Edition Version 1.0 via the Apple iTunes App Store. This standards-based, service agnostic softphone provides an intuitive user interface for making and receiving calls over a Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G mobile connection, making it the first universal endpoint for iPad.
"With Bria iPad Edition, business users now can carry a single device that combines the best of their laptop, mobile phone and deskphone,” said Todd Carothers, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Products, CounterPath. “Tablets are quickly becoming the essential business tool for the mobile workforce, and we’re also seeing an increase in personal devices being used for work. So based upon our success with Bria for iPhone, and Bria for Android, the iPad Edition was the natural next step to address both emerging trends.”
Bria iPad Edition 1.0 supports multiple VoIP accounts and SIP protocols, Bluetooth headsets and native iOS multitasking. This enables business users and prosumers to access multiple personal and business accounts while simultaneously utilizing other applications or accessing documents on their iPad during a call.
Capable of working with any VoIP service provider, Bria iPad Edition supports hosted VoIP and IP-PBXs, effectively turning the iPad into a mobile desktop phone. Bria includes a list of pre-configured, CounterPath-approved ITSPs, making VoIP account set-up fast and easy for users who either lack a VoIP provider or already use a CounterPath-approved ITSP.
Unlike other VoIP voice applications marketed for the iPad that were introduced primarily for the iPhone, Bria iPad Edition is designed specifically for all Apple iPads. This iPad-centric foundation means that Bria iPad Edition leverages the device’s large, high-resolution display, providing a richer user experience that enhances the features found in the Bria iPhone Edition.
Bria iPad Edition’s separated navigation panes make it effortless to find contact information and initiate calls. A one-touch popover dialpad is elegantly minimized yet easily accessible at all times, while the iPad’s native keyboard is also available for entering alphanumeric SIP URL/addresses.
Ty Gardner, Managing Director of UK based Comms Solve Technologies and distributor of CounterPath’s Bria softphone products under their MiCom brand, commented, “This application [Bria iPad Edition] turns the iPad into a great voice and data communications device. MiCom really is easy to install and use and I foresee many business users forgoing their fixed line desktop phones in favour of the highly mobile iPad. Do I foresee business users buying iPads just to replace deskphones? Of course not but when you add in all the other applications an iPad can handle then for many it will be another compelling reason to switch to tablet technology and increase the overall mobility and responsiveness of their organisation.”
According to Infonetics Research, the VoIP services market reached nearly $50 billion in 2010. With more than 19 million iPads sold worldwide, Apple currently holds the majority of the growing tablet market. “CounterPath’s Bria iPad Edition meets the needs of these rapidly converging markets, serving both the prosumer and enterprise consumer segments,” Carothers said.
Like Bria iPhone Edition, Bria iPad Edition 1.0 integrates seamlessly with other CounterPath desktop and mobile VoIP solutions, as well as with enterprise and carrier infrastructure equipment from major vendors. CounterPath also develops customized white-label versions of Bria iPad Edition for carriers, OEMs and enterprise customers worldwide.
A version of Bria iPad Edition that includes support for video calls, SMS, Instant Messaging and presence will be available later this year.
Bria iPad Edition is available immediately in the Apple iTunes App Store or via CounterPath’s online store at www.counterpath.com/store. For more information about CounterPath’s Bria iPad Edition, custom-branded softphones or other mobile VoIP solutions, please contact CounterPath at sales@counterpath.com.