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The advanced fax & answer machine & mini bbs |
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| STFax 4 was written with the intention of creating a centralised communications tool for the consumer
and SOHO market. The main intention of STFax 4 is to offer advanced features, yet retain ease
of use, supporting a number of different communication mediums, such as fax, voice, data, and, later, email and
GSM/SMS. STFax 4 offers scalability, adapting to the home user needing a simple answer/fax machine replacement, through to a company requiring automated fax and voice message distribution across small network of computers. Enhanced flexibility also enables a travelling businessman to install onto his notebook, running under UAE, connect his GSM phone and send/receive a fax, receive/reply/send an SMS message, write/send/receive email or even remotely access the local STFax 4, situated within the office. For interested STFax v3.x users, a 'history list' listing new/enhanced features since the last STFax (v3.8) upgrade is now available. Click here for the list. |
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General Features STFax is a multi-purpose voice/fax/data communications package. Replacing several dedicated devices, STFax is a phone, answer-machine, facsimile, mini-BBS and communications server. Automatic call detection. Distinguish between incoming voice, fax and data calls. Any server can be �voice, fax and data�, �fax only�, �voice only�, �data only� and so on. If set to �voice and fax�, STFax will initially answer in voice mode, switching to fax mode if the call is an incoming fax. Remote access. STFax allows full remote access by any account holder. Call STFax on any server which contains a �Remote Access� command within a script, enter your account ID, followed by the password and choose from three options:
Standard interface. STFax was designed to be suitable for both the consumer and small or home business market. The interface, based on a tried and tested design, was created to be powerful, user-friendly and unintrusive. Supports an unlimited number of accounts/boxes. Each user can have their own account/box, password protected and containing a number of different options: auto-forwarding, auto-printing, notification and more. Distinctive ring (modem dependent). Distinctive ring �splits� one phone line with multiple phone numbers. A line can have upto four different numbers, per phone line. Each of these numbers plays back a different ring tone - STFax can determine the number dialed, by the ring tone. As an example, a small or home business could split one line, with two different phone numbers, to perform two different tasks. Some examples include:
There are a number of interesting actions that can be applied to distinctive ring. The function is ideal for the small or home business who are limited by the number of phone lines they can have installed (ie. you can often only have two lines per house, as standard). STFax supports BT�s �Call Sign� (distinctive ring, but with only two ring type options). Call logging. The log file stores the number, time and date of each call. Stored Caller ID information allows you to reply to a stored call or add the number to either the phonebook or the �call screening� preferences, allowing you to quickly add new contacts. Over 60 pre-recorded professional system greetings. STFax ships with more than sixty professionally recorded �classic� English greeting and system messages. These can be re-recorded by the user or the user can choose to add further greetings. Your account greeting might be personalised, to suit your own requirements or preferences. Independent Operation Mode support. STFax supports the Independent Operational Mode as found within the PACE 'Solo' , 3-Com Message Plus (and Pro), and Kortex Adaptix modems. Independent Operation Mode allows you to use the modem as a digital answer and fax machine without the need for your PC to be switched on. The modem will answer with a greeting, the caller can leave a message as per a normal answer machine and, if they are sending a fax, the modem will switch into fax mode and receive the fax. The voice and fax messages are then stored on the modem and, the next time you run your PC and STFax, these messages are automatically downloaded to your software. You are then able to play/view/print/delete the messages. STFax supports the advanced Independent Operation Mode features found only within the PACE 'Solo' modem. For instance you can remotely retrieve your messages, you can use the 'follow me' option to call you on your mobile and play important messages. Auto-warn. Automatically warn a user of an incoming call. Different techniques can be applied:
Caller ID notification. Where a modem supports UK Caller Identification (Caller ID or CID), this information will be shown within the server window. If the number is listed within the phonebook, the name of the caller and any stored notes about the caller, will also be displayed. STFax supports BT�s �Caller Display� (UK Caller ID). Facsimile Features Fax from any Amiga application. Simply choose the �STFax' driver from the list of printers. STFax then intercepts the printed document allowing you to send, schedule or store the new fax message. You are also able to attach text or image files to the fax in order to create additional pages. Send fax messages from any class 1, 2 or v2.0 modem, even via your mobile phone (using additional drivers). Scan and fax directly from ScanFax. Scan single or multiple pages into STFax and send as a fax message. Perform immediate, scheduled or store fax documents. Create your fax message then choose to send immediately, store for future access or schedule at a specified time. Broadcast your fax to multiple recipients. Send a fax message to one or more recipients, either immediately or scheduled. Add quick cover pages to your outgoing fax messages. Adds an A5 cover page to outgoing faxes. Broadcast fax messages will obtain information from the phonebook, where possible. For instance, the cover page will obtain the name, company, phone number and fax number, inserting this information into the cover page for every user that is selected from the phonebook. This results in a custom cover page for every fax broadcast to however many selected users. Advanced fax on demand system. Run from within a script or standalone. Callers are able to request one or more fax documents, receiving them locally or to be sent to a remote fax machine. Auto-printing of incoming fax messages. STFax can be set up to automatically print all fax messages that are filtered into a specific account. Each account can print to any available printer. For instance a fax received within the �Mark� account could be printed on the printer nearest to Mark, over a network. Auto-forwarding of incoming fax messages. STFax can be set up to automatically forward all faxes received by a specific account (or all incoming faxes). For instance, if Mark was out of the office, he could have all his faxes forwarded to the remote location. Automated replies. An option to automatically reply to all received fax messages or specific fax messages/callers. For instance, if a fax message is left by �John Smith�, and a fax filter recognises the remote id, an automated reply could be sent which says �Hey John, I am currently away on vacation for the next two weeks. Your fax was forwarded to Paul who should reply within the next two days. I�ll call you as soon as I return. Regards, Chris�. Automated replies could be setup to reply to every, general fax message, where remote id exists. For instance, a reply that states �The office is closed during the next few days due to a change of address, we�ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you need us urgently, call Sue on her mobile: 07879 1234567�. Advanced fax viewer. Scale fax pages, rotate, invert, clipboard mark and save and more. Remote access to store fax messages. Any user can call STFax, enter their account ID (and password), connect to their account, check the number of new fax messages and then enter a number to fax forward these messages. Advanced fax filtering. Filter incoming faxes based on �remote id�, �caller id� or �keywords� (OCR keyword searches - STFax will look for specific references within the fax. For instance a fax with �FAO Mark� could be transferred to Mark�s account). STFax can perform actions based on received and filtered faxes:
Fax filtering supports more than one rule. A user can choose to forward a fax to a remote user as well as moving that same fax to a specific account. Fax filtering is especially useful for specific or important faxes. For instance, if a user was waiting for a fax from �Chris Wiles�, and was out of the office, he could set up a fax filter to check for the keywords of �Chris� and/or �Wiles� (or even remote id). This, and only this, fax would then be forwarded to a specified fax machine. Voice Features Use your modem as a hands-free telephone. STFax is able to use your modem speakerphone and microphone to hold a conversation with a caller. Advanced tree structure voice scripting. Users can create advanced tree scripts allowing various options, depending on key pressed. A number of commands are included:
There are also a number of sub-commands for each main command. STFax will, for example, always �listen� for the star key, which returns a caller to the previous branch. If a caller entered the �choose box� section and decided they wanted to route to an operator instead, they could press star to move back to the main menu. Automatic dialing from the phonebook. Dial a contact�s phone or mobile phone number. Message playback. Playback your messages via the modem speakerphone, phone handset or internal audio (sound card). Call screening. By using Caller ID (CID), STFax can be made to perform various actions. A number of commands are available:
STFax supports BT�s �Featureline� (Centrex) and similar PBX systems. Data Features Mini-BBS. As STFax differentiates between voice/fax/data calls, you could quickly route an incoming data call to STFax�s internal mini-BBS. The mini-BBS allows any user to upload files to open or secret doors, list files available (from the download file list) and choose one or more for downloading, change doors (ie. protected and secret doors may be available) or message a user. Three examples where a mini-BBS would be useful:
Future Additions and Features These features are either �in development� or soon to go into development, to be included within v4.x, within the next few months. These short term features will be made, free of charge, to existing customers (OEM or standalone), when available: Mailshot support. The ability to create internal and, possibly, external documents, using special fields that pull information from the STFax phonebook. For instance, if I wrote a message �Dear [title] [surname],� STFax would pull the relevant information from the phonebook and insert where needed. This would become �Dear Mr Smith�, if I was sending a fax to a �John Smith� contained within the phonebook. This is great for fax broadcasting. You can create one document, containing special STFax fields, choose (from the phonebook) who you want to send the fax to, STFax faxes these people one by one, inserting the information to the document from the phonebook. Everyone the fax is sent to appears to have a customised fax. Advanced mini-BBS. The ability to remotely retrieve and manipulate information from/to STFax. A remote user could launch any terminal client, call STFax (via a secret/special number perhaps), enter a password and then:
Cover page template selection. Users will be able to choose from a range of cover page templates with quick preview options. Enhanced auto-forwarding. Future versions of STFax will allow auto-forwarding of voice and fax messages via various methods:
Auto-forwarding could also be message specific. For instance CID (remote id, caller id or �keywords� for fax messages) would pick out specific messages, as requested by the user, and only forward these to the email address or local server. Enhanced IO mode support. IO messages to be filtered in the same way as standard voice and fax messages, plus some other improvements. Internet faxing. STFax will support faxing across the Internet, via TPC. This is a free service and vastly reduces the cost of broadcasting fax messages on a global level. However, the downside is that not every worldwide location is supported. |
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Requirements: To use STFax 4, we recommend this minimum specification:
Recommended:
Supported Modems US Robotics, ZyXEL, Dynalink, all Rockwell based modems. STFax does *not* support ISDN modems and cards yet. |
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| Prices full version 4.0: 98 DM (~ 59 US$)  upgrade to 4.0: 59 DM (~35 US$) A demo version is available on our FTP server. Download STFax is a product of Active Technologies and Simone Tellini. It is distributed by Active Technologies and Haage & Partner (world-wide except for UK). |
"At its simpliest level, STFax can directly replace your answerphone. A greeting is followed by a
single beep and the caller is away. However, doing this is to miss on some of STFax's greatest features."
"This
is an excellent application, that is both powerful and easy to use, costing about the same as a cheap answering
machine, it really is a bargain."|
STFax 3.0 Professional STFax Professional is a new commercial fax/voice program for the Amiga, which contains many advanced features you would find within commercial PC fax/voice software. STFax has been in the shareware for the last few months, and the brand new commercial Professional version offers even more advanced features plus voice control for voice modems - you can use your Amiga as a digital answer machine, create a fax on demand service (ideal for small businesses - use fax on demand to remotely download facsimile information about your products!) STFax also allows you to create advanced voice control scripts. Features (v3.3 released)
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