Sony Unveils IVE Video VoIP Service

New service, powered by IP service provider Glowpoint, will allow consumers to place video and VoIP calls from one computer.

Sony earlier this week announced plans to offer a consumer version of their IVE (Instant Video Everywhere) video plus VoIP service, powered by IP-based video communications service provider Glowpoint. IVE will feature free, unlimited video and voice service when connecting with other IVE users.

The IVE service, said Sony, works through a downloadable application installed on your laptop or desktop Windows-based PC. Features of IVE include a personal number from which video and audio calls can be received and placed, multi-person calling, a video call mailbox where a video or voice message can be left by callers, a live video operator available for directory assistance, a user portal to access account features and a video portal which offers access to video content such as movie previews and promotions for new Sony products.

“The launch of the IVE service as a free, unlimited use service is a communications watershed moment for consumers–an instantaneous, easy-to-use application that brings people together by literally putting them in the same room,” said Eric Murphy, vice president for integrated visual communications at Sony Electronics. “The IVE service is the result of a shared vision projecting how video will continually evolve as an integral tool that people use to communicate in their daily lives.”