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The first Internet phone developed by the Chinese community is on the market. It is not limited to Chinese users, being offered with English as well as traditional and simplified Chinese software interfaces.

 GatherTalk, released two months ago, is produced by the Centre for Internet Exchange Technologies (CIXT) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

 It is a voice-conferencing system running on the Internet that supports full-duplex communications of up to five parties using 28.8-kilobits-per-second modems.

 Different from other voice conferencing products, GatherTalk employs a parallel transfer mode. It requires no centralised voice server, shortening the transmission and processing cycle.

 CIXT spokesman Joseph Hui said because no other computer was involved in the transmission, it achieved 'true private conferencing' over the Internet.

 Computer users must have the same software loaded on their system to be able to talk with another GatherTalk user.

 Another feature is a public chatroom that gives opportunities for conference calling.

 This chatroom was the function most widely popular among GatherTalk users, CIXT engineer Wu Chung-ming said.

 To boost the functions of GatherTalk, CIXT encourages other software developers to provide plug-in applications.

 So far, two plug-in features have been integrated with GatherTalk - one for text-mode conferencing and the other a whiteboard feature.

 GatherTalk is a plug-in application for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, the two most popular Internet browsers.

 On-line purchase is the most convenient channel to obtain GatherTalk at a retail price of US$29.95, with dial-up users in the mass market its target customers. More information is available at www.cixt.cuhk. edu.hk/gtalk/intro.html.

 Another offering from CIXT - VideoTalk - is a broadband, multimedia application running on the new ATM backbone, Chinese University Broadband Internet Exchange (CUBIX).

 It supports full-screen, full-frame and full-duplex videoconferencing with data transmission rates ranging from 12.8 Kbps to 2 Mbps.

 CIXT has positioned VideoTalk as a corporate video-conferencing solution, and has adopted a different sales strategy by forming original-equipment manufacture partnerships with computer vendors.

 CORRECTION: An article about the Chinese University in last week's Technology Post mistakenly referred to the spokesman of the CIXT as Joseph Yu. His correct name is Joseph Hui.



Chinese University in Internet phone first