Skype UK Calling: Not Free After All? Skype recently announced a promo for UK customers.
Spend £10 in Skype credit before the end of 2006, and you get 6 months
of free SkypeOut from and to the UK starting shortly after you sign up.
Except that some customers are still being charged for their SkypeOut.
Mobile VoIP Player Gets VC Financing TalkPlus,
a holder of patent-pending VoIP technology that provides telephony
services for mobile devices, just received US$5.5M in Series A venture
capital from Menlo Ventures. One of their offerings is a second number of cell phones, called the TalkPlus Number, which they feel is ideal for the online dating market. [via Saunders Log]
Glofiish Smartphone: Kooky Name But Offers GPS, Wi-Fi, And Skype Why not cover all angles? The Glofiish smart phone covers all the hot features of the mobile domain: GPS, Wi-Fi, and Skype. It's powered by Windows Mobile 5.0. [via 21Talks]
Today is Hallowe'en in North America, so maybe this is as good a time
as any to bring up CrazyTalk for Skype, an add-on for the video-calling
mode that lets you put on an animated mask. A number of VoIP bloggers,
including myself, have joked about how having video-calling in SightSpeed and Skype means having to shave/ do your face, put in your teeth, or what have you.
Well CrazyTalk
lets you pick up an an animated avatar, human or animal. When it's
installed and you run video mode calls, your other party will see the
avatar. The crazy part is that it will talk; it's lips will move in
sync with whatever you say. If you don't like the choices, you can
create your own using additional software that they sell.
I
downloaded and tested it (Windows XP, 2000 only), and it works after a
fashion. If you use an animal avatar, such as the frog prince, the cat
or dog, it'll be hard to tell what someone is saying. The animated
mouths don't open wide enough to shape properly. The human animations
are a bit better.
In all, it's a bit of fun for when you wake up on the
wrong side of the bed
for video calls. And it's free. Give it some time, and maybe a few
versions from now, with a few avatars created from Poser, maybe you
won't be able to tell the difference between an animation and a real
person. [If you decide you want to show your mug, Emily Post has her
own video conferencing etiquette rules - via VoIP.com]
If
you watch Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, you know that the United
States hit 300 million people in October. As you might know, The Daily
Show is a humorous look at World and US news. But VoIP providers are
smiling, not chuckling. As total workforce population grows, daily
traffic becomes an increasing nightmare in many cities and even towns.
More people are telecommuting for work, or working at home. And VoIP is
being promoted towards this particular niche of the residential market:
the telecommuter.
Especially happy are the cable companies, who
are promoting the benefits of their services over other types of
broadband Internet connections. Since telecommuting typically requires
an Internet connection throughout the day, the old slow 56K modem over
dialup just isn't going to cut it for work. Some companies will pay for
broadband installation in their telecommuting employees homes. Then
there's the work-from-home types with their own business, who could
loosely be classified as telecommuters (for lack of a more accurate
term).
Telecommuting in either case requires communication with
others, of course, and thus the potential for added long distance calls
and costs. VoIP in both voice and video
forms can save them a considerable amount of money over regular phone
lines and mobile phone services. And cable companies are hoping to get
a fair share of converts from dialup.
While other types of VoIP
providers might promote themselves as well (they'd be crazy if they
didn't), my money's on cable, simply because of the triple play they
can offer: TV, Internet, VoIP. A convenient package. On the other hand,
don't count out other types of broadband providers. If someone is
working at home part or all of the week for their employer (as opposed
to running their own business), the broadband service may be paid for.
Consider
that in the average North American city, operating costs (office space,
electricity, equipment leasing, telecommunications) for each employee
is $40-60 per square foot per month, maybe more. Many employers would
be happy to spring for broadband access for the occasional/ regular
telecommuting employee - especially since their telecom costs are
lowered, and there are even free or inexpensive video-conferencing options.
That
may mean, for accounting purposes, that the employer wants a separate
billing account for the broadband connection and any VoIP services. If
an employee already has cable (TV or TV and Internet), they may have to
get a second connection for work. Putting in a second cable line may or
may not be an option in some areas. Which may mean that other VoIP
providers, such as highspeed dialup or satellite types, may still be
contenders in the market for VoIP fortelecommuters.
I missed this announcement from last week. Businesses can now get
premium VoIP-based Skype conferencing services through a site called Highspeedconferencing.com. The latter licences a conference bridging service from Vapps. What it amounts to is Skype for business, something people have been wondering if Skype was ready for.
Skype themselves said, late last year, that they were not ready for a place in the enterprise.
However, this service seems a step in the right direction. And the
price is fair: only US$4.99/month. For that fee, you get moderated
services, "hand raising" for conference participants, recording and
downloading, high speed conferencing, and more. A regular speed
conference call is free, as is a virtual conference room. You can also
use regular phones instead of Skype for an additional fee.
Gadget Trail has a list of ten ways to use VoIP that you probably
didn't think about [link below]. One of the tips, #4, suggests
volunteering with you fave political party, then using Skype to make
free outbound calls (to landlines) to registered voters in swing
states. What a briliiant way to campaign without spending loads of
money. Rock the vote. Save the campaign money instead to pay for the
nasty, mudslinging TV commercials. I suppose you could post them on
YouTube as well.
Go one step further and use videblogging using SightSpeed (or Skype).
Or hold live video interviews that anyone can join in on. Even
one-on-one video campaigning could be effective, as Peter Csathy
discusses [link below].
The politician that captivates the web-savvy group, and maybe even uses something like Skypecasts or video-conferencing in SightSpeed or IPTVbroadcasts,
is a person whose message will get out there, and who has a chance of
running for high office. But that person will also be under intense
scrutiny, so the best course of action is utilizing a "permission list"
to send campaign videos to, if they're precorded. Consider also using
"SkypeMe" buttons on a campaign website.
Whatever you do, don't
follow step #10 at Gadget Trail to connect the White House with Cuba.
Unless you're at a public computer that doesn't require signup of
course :)
While browsing Digg today, I stumbled across something called GabMail/ GabJam.
If you have a webcam, you can record a video message and send it on to
a friend. GabMail doesn't do the sending for you. They give you an URL
which you can copy and pass on to a friend via email or whatever. The
recipient just clicks on the link in their email, and a new browser
window or tab pops up for replay. They can also "respond", but clicking
on the "Reply to Message" button simply pops up a new GabMail window
where your recipient can go through the same process.
The
closest thing to integration with email readers is that some
buttons/links cause an MS Outlook popup, with the link already
included. This could be fun, but it needs more integration. It's
certainly not videocalling, like Skype and SightSpeed
have. Fortunately, the way GabMail is set up, videos cannot be
auto-generated by a spambot. However, someone could easily record
themselves then feed the resulting GabMail URL to their spambot.
Yuccch. Though I guess this possibility isn't exclusive to GabMail. You
canot vish with it, but I guess you could "vosh" a whole bunch of people with a single videomail.
I can't find the original page at the Skype site that I read, but
here's another that says 75% of all UK Skype users have talked to people on the phone while in the toilet
- some even in the bath, particularly women. I know someone years ago
who did a radio interview (recorded, not live) while on the toilet, and
his friend played it on her college radio show. But I digress.
The info is part of a survey
that Skype did as part of their free Talk for Britain SkypeOut promo.
This is the third region in the world where Skype is offering free
calling to landlines for a limited time. The other two regions are France
and North America (Canada, US only). Hong Kong also has free
Skype-to-toll-free numbers only. Yahoo! had a holiday offering for East
Indians on the past weekend for the Diwali festival: free calls from Yahoo Messenger IM (from North America?) to landlines in India. Russell Shaw wondered if this holiday/ promo trend would be the beginning of free VoIP calling all over the world. Jim Courtney asks if this new SkypeOut promo for the UK is a trend for SkypeOut.
I'm inclined to say yes. Skype had other promos
during the summer, where people could call out from North America
(Mexico excluded) to different countries (UK, Mexico, Japan) for a
limited time frame each weekend during the promo. With the VoIP/ VoIM
market suddenly becoming so competitive, we'll no doubt see more such
promos, and maybe even some from Microsoft and AOL. Gizmo Project
already allows free calling to landlines in 60 countries, provided the
person you are calling is registered with them.
I know that I
plan to get SkypeOut when the North American promo expires. However,
they don't have local numbers in my area, and since I'm planning to
move back to the big city next year, I'm still seeking the optimum VoIP
service for me. Note to VoIP providers: I'm getting SkypeOut because I
can pay with Paypal. I don't have/ use credit cards.
Luca riffs off of something Andy Abramson and the New York Times
have said: some VoIP phones are difficult to configure. Now I haven't
picked up a Wi-Fi phone yet, but judging from my experiences with
various desktop and mobile VoIP apps this year, it appears that as I
age, my tolerance level lowers for technology and applications that
aren't a cinch to setup. Maybe its tech overload from all the research
and writing I do, but there it is. I want my VoIP + VoIM simple, and no doubt those less technical than me do as well. KISS = keep it simple, stupid.
As
Andy says, if VoIP Wi-Fi phones are not easy to configure, it'll only
be early adopters and techies who use them, even if others purchase
them. I'm thinking that if the term "VoIP" continues to be used, it
might also discourage people. In fact, the NY Times piece is called
"Phones for that other system." Some people/ companies are afraid to call it VoIP, preferring terms such digital phone, e-phone, internet phone, net2phone. Jane Hoskyn of Skype even goes as far as saying
"Forgive me for rolling out that ugly word 'VoIP'..." I wouldn't go
that far, seeing as 'VoIP' is a play on the word 'voice'. But
nevertheless, simplicity and consumer-friendly terminology will aid IP
telephony adoption.
Ted at MacVoIP talks about
how he's been reduced to buying a cup of coffee at a cafe so that he'll
have Wi-Fi Internet access. Me, I can't stand the smell of strong
coffee - gives me a headache. So no cafes for me. But there's an old
circular building at the nearby university, where school chums and I
used to socialize on weekends during our college years. It's now a
lounge and it has free Wi-Fi access (provided you are a student or
alumni). So last year, when I was toying with the idea of a Master's
and PhD, I'd go have a rum and coke and check my email between classes
on Fridays. That was before I discovered VoIP, knowing only about MSN
Messenger's voice call feature.
Now, there are tons of VoIP/
VoIM choices, and loads of free/ semi-free Wi-Fi hotspots all over the
place. (The university library, but not most of the campus.) And with
the number of municipal Wi-Fi
projects growing by the week, it probably won't be long before the
world at large is unwired. At which point Ted may not have to buy a
coffee just to surf the net, and a significant percentage of the
long-distance conversations in the world will be free. (Just make sure
your university or other public hotspot isn't blocking VoIP, and that
you are not transmitting sensitive details over unsecured Wi-Fi, or you
might be the subject of an evil twin. Although some universities are embracing VoIP.)
Muni Wi-Fi update: Minneapolis, Minnesota plans to roll out city-wide Wi-Fi next year. Twin city St. Paul is not sure what approach to take.
There has been some confusion lately about Skype's use in Jordan. First
it was blocked for security reasons. Then the decision was reversed.
Then some blogs reported
that it had been blocked again, due to an intent to protect the local
economy. Apparently there's some confusion. David M. DeBartolo, a
Fulbright Researcher in Jordan, interviewed the Jordanian telecom
minister on Oct 17th and reported his findings in Skype Journal.
The
minister, Eng. Omar A. Alkurdi, gave a response that sounds like
something a typical politician would give. However, given that SJSU
(San Jose State University) in California had planned to block Skype
for security reasons (but backed down), it's possible. Apparently the
minister is himself a Skype user. While Jordan may now have Skype
again, a number of Emirates in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is still
blocking Skype, as is China, and with plans to do so in South Korea.
There
seems to be a common refrain here, though. Skype's closed protocol
seems to be ruffling feathers everywhere. Here's a prediction. Given a
couple of years, Skype will either open up their protocol, or offer
some way to make other VoIP services Skype-aware.
If you have a BlackBerry or a Windows Mobile PDA/ phone, you can now use Skype on them courtesy of EQO Communications.
In fact, they support more than just Skype, including the more popular
IMs: AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber, MSN Mesenger, Yahoo Messenger. EQO already supports over 400 devices. See the press release for the full list.
Skype had announced last month that they were having difficulties getting Skype to work on some mobile phones, particularly Symbian, and that they were working on the technical problems. At the time I last tried EQO on my Palm Treo 650
(PalmOS, EV-DO), it didn't work for me. I'd been told a few weeks ago
that Palm Treos were now supported. For technical reasons I won't get
into (unrelated to EQO, I was unable to test it again at this time.)
Nextel Wireless Impersonates Speed Racer Twenty-one metro areas in the US will be getting faster wireless Internet before or by late 2007, thanks to plans by SprintNextel Corp. They will be using EV-Do Rev A technology, which is supposed to enable video-conferencing. [via Kansas City Business Journal]
Real Chat In Advertising Nuno reports
that IBM plans to run two-way advertising, which lets you actually talk
to them. I wonder if "truth in advertising" will stretch to VoIP.
Easy PBX Management: Just Add Browser Want to manage your Asterisk IP PBX via web browser? VoiceOne 0.4.0, which is not only web-based but open source, lets you do this.
Comcast Choking? Comcast may have the lead in cable VoIP subscribers in the US, but reports indicate that they are running into service outages in the Northeastern US. What's more, these outages seem to have started after Comcast started offering VoIP service only a few months ago. Maybe they'd better finish hiring those extra 4,000 employees.
I don't have Comcast, but I'm finding that in the last couple of days
that many sites with servers in the US have been difficult to reach.
If you are not already familiar with VoIP (Voice over Internet
Protocol) or vVoIP (video and voice over IP), it's a means to voice and
video calls from a computer. Most VoIP services also let you call to
regular phones. VoIP is a great way to save money
on long-distance calls, as PC-to-PC calling is free, as is some
PC-to-phone calling. IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) refers to a variety of
TV-watching services on the Internet, and loosely includes streaming
video.
Here's a short-list of some things that might be nice to
give as holiday gifts this year, for the VoIPr in your life. I am going
purely on specifications and my knowledge, not necessarily because I've
tried something (although I have tried some). These are in no
particular order, and are not endorsements of any product or service.
The suggestions are for both mobile and stationary VoIP calling.
VoIP soft phone. There are tons of choices for VoIP software, all free. Some IM (Instant Messaging) clients such as AIM Pro, Windows Live (MSN) Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger also have the ability to call out from computer to regular phones. Google Talk cannot, but if you add Talqer, you can.
Calling credits. SkypeOut credits for Skype, or the equivalent for SightSpeed, Gizmo Project, Hullo, etc. This lets you call from your PC/ Mac to a regular phone. Gizmo Project already offers a lot of free calling to landlines in 60 or more countries, but only if the callee is registered.
Call-In phone number. A "Call In" phone number for Skype, SightSpeed, Gizmo Project, Hullo,
etc. With one of these, people can call you on your computer as they
would your regular phone. Skype is limited in the cities that they
support; SightSpeed has a bit more variety.
1-800 number. SkyNET has a reasonable plan for internationally-accessible 1-800 numbers,
which can be redirected to a VoIP Call-In number. If you live in an
area where Skype or SightSpeed (or whatever) do not offer local phone
numbers (for Call-In), you can get a SkyNet 1-800 number and redirect
it to whatever Call-In number you get. SkyNet also has local numbers,
but that means you have to purchase their VoIP calling plan instead of
Skype's, etc.
Webcam. Mobile video may take a while, but
desktop video calling is free and functioning, courtesy of SightSpeed
and Skype. MTV's Total Request Live (TRL) even incorporates fan input
via SightSpeed, right into the show. My suggestions: For a laptop, get
one that clips on easily. For a desktop, get both a flat USB port and
webcam with a "snake" cable, so that it's easily adjusted.
Microphone. You don't need an expensive one, if you are not doing podcasting.
But most built-in mics on laptops are relatively low-quality.
Alternately, you might want to give someone a headphone/ mic combo
headset (#7) or Bluetooth headset/ earpiece (#10).
Speakers or headset.
New smartphone or PDA. Pretty much any new Nokia
N or E series phones, most of which, I believe, support VoIP
(properly). Some PocketPC or Windows Mobile-based devices might as
well. I don't know all the specs on the RIM BlackBerry Pearl phone, but it is a cool phone. Many phones will allow "mobile VoIP" services such as EQO or Mino Wireless,
etc., to function correctly. These services essentially call you back,
once you activate a call, so your cost per call is only your cell
minutes, plus the cost of your cellular Internet usage. Of course, if
Apple actually releases the iPhone/ iSmartphone, that might be nice, too.
Cellular wireless data plan.
Great for accessing the Internet from your mobile phone, and making
mobile VoIP calls. Just make sure that an "unlimited" plan really isunlimited. Many cellular providers only allow 250 megabytes per month, and cut you off after that.
Mobility. Bluetooth earpiece or headset,
to give your voipr some mobility around the house or office - or for
hands-free operation while driving. Also nice for when it's cold out.
You might want to test earpieces, as some chafe the inner part of the
ear. A headset is another option, or the Motorola Bluetoothhat,
or the Motorola/ Oakley Bluetooth sunglasses. But Bluetooth devices are
not only more expensive than regular wired headsets, they eat power for
lunch. And mobile phones operating in "find Bluetooth devices" mode
will also need to be recharged more frequently. A new Nokia wireless
protocol called Wibree may change that in the very near future.
Mobility, part 2. Wi-Fi VoIPphone - maybe even a Skype-certified one. That, or maybe a dual-mode Wi-Fi/ cellular phone. These are going to be hot, with all the municipal Wi-Fi projects going on all over the world.
Wireless router.
If you want to be walking around the house while VoIPing, one way is to
use a Wi-Fi phone. Depending on the type, you will probably need a
wireless router attached to your broadband Internet connection. Most
large office supply or consumer electronics stores have these.
VoIP call recorder. You may want to record VoIP calls for posterity, business reasons, or even interviewing or podcasting. HotRecorder is my fave, but there are lots of others.
HotRecorder activates itself when a Skype call comes in - and it's
supposed to work with other VoIP soft phones. It's only about US$15,
but if your budget is running a bit thin, there's the free audio editor
Audacity, which has to be manually activated, but works fine.
Business VoIP. An iBlue IP PBX,
made with a Mac Mini. Great for that Mac-lover who also has a small
business and wants to use IP telephony for communications. Or for a
larger business (including call centers), there's Pika Technologies'
bridge over troubled VoIP. It marries the Skype interface with Asterisk IP PBX.
VoIP knowledge. A copy of Ted Wallingford's VoIP Hacks, where he'll teach you to make your own iBlue with a Mac Mini and Asterisk software.
Cinema screen. For all the good little boy and girl voiprs, if they've been extra special this year, get'em a 50" Apple display, to watch both IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) and video calls via Skype or SightSpeed, at the same time as the do other stuff on the screen.
Plug'n'play VoIP adapter.
Know someone who can benefit from inexpensive VoIP calls but does not
like/ have/ want a computer? I know a few people like that. For them,
you can get plug-and-play adapter/
router that (usually) configures itself once you plug in a broadband
Internet connection, your regular phone line, and your regular phone.
Of course, if you don't have a computer, why would you have broadband
Internet? Well, if you have cable TV, for a bit more money each month,
you can have broadband, and all on one bill. Your cable company will
try to sell you their "digital phone" plan, but they usually charge a
lot more. You'll have to decide.
Lessons In Mobility: Airline Wi-Fi Guide On The Beach has a fairly comprehensive guide to Wi-Fi/ Internet access on airines,
right down to actually listing airlines and the flight numbers. Not all
access is free, but they've listed costs as well. If you're travelling,
this should be a great resource. I'm assuming you should be able to use
most Wi-Fi phones via these services, unless there's some sort of
blocking. To accompany the airline guide, here's a bit about saving on hotel phone bills using complimentary Internet access.
(Sort of) Free Skype-to-Phone Calls In The UK Live
in the UK? Want free calls? Sort of. Buy £10 of Skype credit before the
end of this year and you can call from your PC to a UK landline phone
for the next six months. Not quite as free as the free SkypeOut calling
in Canada and the US (until the end of this year), but reasonable. I
suspect that a similar offer might be on the table for North Americans
after Dec 31st. [Skype via The VoIP Weblog]
Can Gizmo Project Take On Skype? Rich Tehrani talks briefly
about Gizmo Project as a possible contender to Skype. Gizmo is
SIP-based, an open standard. So any other SIP-based soft phone can
communicate with it. Gizmo currently offers free calling to landline
phones for around 60 countries, provided the person you are calling is
registered with Gizmo Project. I wrote briefly about Gizmo Project vs Skype, a while back.
I may never have mobile video calling on my Palm Treo, but several bloggers have been engaged in a dialog about about its possibilities over the past week. Peter Csathy thinks mobilevideocalling will be big business. Andy Abramson seems to think it'll do better in Europe
rather than the USA, which is car-centric. You don't want to drive and
call at the same time, but on mass transit, which Europe is more geared
to, it's not as much of an usability issue - as Andy says. Luca
Filigheddu seems unsure, at least about the success of 3G mobile video calling. Jeff Pulver thinks it'd be rather useful. Ken Camp offers his thoughts.
Now
not only are these people VoIP bloggers but they are actually involved
in the VoIP/ IP Communications industry. Several of them are CEOs/CTOs
or consultants for big clients. As Wayne and Garth might have said,
"I'm not worthy to discuss IP communications with them," though not to
Alice Cooper. I'm no longer in the telecom industry, except for writing
about VoIP. I can only say that I think video calling will be great for
anyone on the go who either has the discipline not to use it while
driving, or who uses public transit. (Also great for real estate
agents, to give guided remote tours, as Peter mentions in one of his
posts, and as I have before, possibly elsewhere.)
I gave up a
lot of things a few years ago when I changed careers to become a
freelance writer, so I don't have a car anymore. My headspace has been
either passenger or pedestrian for a good 3+ years. Hence, when I think
about mobile VoIP and vVoIP (and technology in general), I sometimes
forget about the driving- and- talking aspect. Having once been almost
sideswiped by a woman who seemed to be trying to do her lipstick and
talk on her cell simultaneously, I've always been cautious about
driving and talking, preferring handsfree mode. (Now I have a Bluetooth
earpiece, but no car :)
The only thing I can think of as a video analog to Bluetooth is to use HUD (heads-up display) goggles, which is part of my ultimate gadget wish list.
Some HUDs are unobtrusive, allowing you to see the road ahead. However,
that does not mean that they are not distracting. I cannot see anyone
successfully driving and conducting video calls, with or without a HUD.
A video display mounted in a car dashboard couldn't possibly be much
better. However, at least that way, the video mode could be
automatically shut off if the ignition is running - only the audio
would function. When the ignition turns off (or switches to "park"),
the video would turn on. It's mobile video calling, but probably not in
the way that the other VoIP bloggers are talking about. Until our cars
pilot themselves on roadways, mobile video calling might not do so well
in North America.
Having said all this, I should clarify.
Recently, I said I'm not keen on video on mobile. What I meant was
watching mobile TV on a small screen. For mobile video calls, which
would probably last only a few minutes, I don't see a small screen as
an issue, and actually look forward to it.
My mother, a woman who refuses to have voicemail and who shirks a
computer, told me last night that she thought the telephone and cable
companies were worried about all this "computer calling". That was in
response to my mentioning that she could make some freelongdistance
calls over the computer. Now I assure you, my mother doesn't really
know anything about VoIP, other than that I sometimes use my computer
to talk to her.
But she is like a spymaster, with a network of
two dozen or so people who regularly inform her of goings on in the
world. She constantly surprises me with what she's learned, even if it
may sometimes be superficial knowledge. She does know that the bottom
line is that if she gives in and starts using VoIP, that she'll be saving money: several hundred dollars per month in her case. And that scares the telecoms. Want more reasons they are worried? Here are 33 reasons why VoIP is destroying traditional telecoms.
Check out the "handheld holy grail" feature list of Zack's at the VoIP Service blog, in response to my post asking for your ultimate media gadget's feature list (which in turn was in response to an ABC news article). A very thorough list (but VoIP was so far down it).
Hmm. Santa is going to be busy this year with the big kids. I wonder if he uses Skype or SightSpeed? Or do you figure GizmoProject? Think anyone has registered "santaclaus" on any of these? That'd be something, wouldn't it? If Peter Csathy put on a jolly suit and answered big kids' video calls on SightSpeed? Well, Santa, I want SightSpeed to run on my Palm Treo, even if I can't do video calling. (I'm sure that if SightSpeed ever sells, he'll be going ho, ho, ho because he'll be rolling in the dough, dough, dough.)
So Skype grew in users
by about 23 million in Q3 2006, over Q2. And they earned their parent
company US$50M in that period, at a 13% increase over Q2. Now, assuming
a linear increase from now on, it'll only take another 40+ quarters to
earn back the US$2.6B or so that eBay paid for Skype. That's ten-plus
years. On the other hand, if they continue to increase in revenue each
quarter by 13%, it'll only take about 17 quarters (just over four
years), not factoring inflation, interest, etc.
There may be more MSN Messenger users that Skype users, but I think it'll take a little less than four years for Skype to at least break even, despite any problems such as lawsuits.
VoIP use in general will likely accelerate rapidly over the next few
years. It's obvious from the fact that the US now has more mobile phone
lines than landlines that the convenience of mobility is important to
consumers. Wi-Fi and dual-mode
Wi-Fi cellular phone use is expected to increase, and with that will
come an increase in mobile VoIP use. Skype admitted recently that some
mobile handsets are problematic for Skype, but when that problem is
resolved, Skype will probably have a surge in use from mobile users.
A book I once read long ago (Think and Grow Rich) had a story
about Henry Ford. It seems someone at a Chicago newspaper accused the
inventor of being uneducated. Ford went to court to deal with this
libel. He was grilled with all sorts of stupid questions and ultimately
end it all with one comment. He basically said that should he need to
know something trivial, he had a row of electric buttons on his desk.
He could push one, and someone with the answer to whatever he wanted to
know would come and supply it.
I'm almost starting to see a bit
of parallel - however tenuous - with Google. Someone complained that
Google Talk didn't have true VoIP capability because you cannot call to
regular phones with it. So what? There's Talqer to do that. And then there's the deal with Skype that hints at some interoperability to come, with click-to-call capability no less.
Then Mark Cuban called Google a moron. Okay, he didn't, but he did say whoever buys YouTube is a moron. And as we know now, Google bought them.
Okay,
a tenuous parallel, I agree. Point is, just because Google's web
application offerings may not be full-featured does not matter. Because
when they need the functionality, they will enter the necessary
agreement to acquire that.
And because of this, Google's stock is doing great.
It might just become the Berkshire-Hathaway stock of this century:
everyone knows it's valuable but most people cannot afford it. (Ever
wonder about that? Microsoft stock was always relatively affordable.
Google shows no signs up splitting shares.)
Lately I feel like Jack Nicholson's Joker in Batman, when he says, "Why
didn't anyone tell me he had one of those... things?!" about Batman's
cool gadgets. Every time a cool mobile app comes out, when I'm done
salivating and attempt to try it out for myself, on my Palm Treo 650,
I'm finding I often can't. And since more mobile apps than not do not
work on PalmOS devices, there are many reasons I hate my Pam Treo now.
One
more reason is mobile video calling. I may not go to Star Trek
conventions, but I'm the next level down from a Trekkie. I may not want
to implant RFID chips into my body, but I walk around in public with a
Bluetooth earpiece, and plan to have HUD (heads-up display) goggles and
wearable computing when they're more affordable.
So mobile video calling is one thing I've been looking forward to. I love desktop video calling apps like SightSpeed
(even if it's been nearly a week and SightSpeed Support hasn't answered
either my voicemail or email), and look forward to a mobile
version. Except it won't happen on my Palm Treo. Ever.
Why not?
Well, VoIP will eventually work properly on a PalmOS device (or
specifically, a Palm Treo). But video calling just can't. The digital
camera lens is on the back of the device. Obviously, video calling was
not an application they had in mind when the device was designed. I
will, of course, be more than happy to be proven wrong.
Wi-Fi VoIP Setup: A Clarification In a previous post, I talked about a municipal Wi-Fi
service that had plans in the future to offer VoIP calling plans. A
reader had asked about this, as it would seem you could just make a
call from a Wi-Fi phone. I'd forgotten about the question until just
now. My statement was based on what the press release stated. But
assuming you have the right type of Wi-Fi VoiP phone, you should just
be able to turn on your phone, access whatever VoIP service you have
already signed up for (e.g., Skype on a Skype Wi-Fi phone). Unless, of
course, calls are somehow being blocked.
Yahoo Messenger Video-Sharing Plugin This has to be one of the strangest things I've seen. Yahoo! Messenger 8 has loads of plugins available at the Plugin gallery. There's one just recently announced, the video-sharing plugin,
which has a huge red double circle stamped with "REVOKED" over it. No
idea what that's about, but it would have been a pretty cool plugin.
8x8 Award VoIP Patents VoIP
Provider 8x8 Inc. was recently awarded two US patents for VoIP
technology. The first is called "Voice Over Internet Processor", which
is for a programmable audio processor chip for DSP (Digital Signal
Processing) functions. The second patent is called "Sensor Controlled
Telephone System", for a method to select a telephony operating mode.
8x8 has previously received other IP patents. [sources: Multichannel News, Sys Con]
The blogosphere supposedly has 50 or 60 million weblogs, even though
80-90% of them are probably zomblogs, abandoned by their creators like
Frankenstein's monster. Of what's left, there's the A-listers,
B-listers, and those inbetween. My experiience is that the Bs and
inbetweeners are the interesting ones, primarily because of their
unique commentary, not because they are covering fresh topics. In the
blogosphere, there are no fresh topics. Well, that's not true. I'm
finding the IPTV to be one of the few niche topics that hasn't been
done to death yet. VoIP ranks up there, too, but probably not for long.
There's
also another type of blog that is increasingly popping up: the CEO
blog, or something of that sort, where an important executive-type
person at an important company blogs their thoughts, usually on their
industry. Two such blogs are those by Peter Csathy, CEO of SightSpeed, and Janus Friis, billionaire co-founder of Skype and Kazaa. (Prediction: Peter will be a billionaire in a few years, too.)
Both
of them are blogging about VoIP (voice and video) and various aspects
of IPTV, two.point.five niches of IP (Internet Protocol) communications
that are already (becoming) hot topics. Peter talks about SightSpeed
TV, and Janus about The Venice Project (TVP). So if you want the lowdown on VoIP and IPTV
goings on, these are two blogs you should keep an eye on, as they are
heralds of some very cool IP-based software and services to come.
Will They Won't They? AT&T BellSouth Decision Last week, the US DoJ (Dept of Justice) voted favorably on a merger announcement between AT&T and BellSouth. But the FCC wasn't so happy
about it, especially because there were no conditions imposed by the
DoJ. Will they won't they approve? Although I hope not, I think they
will, with some conditions. What do you think? Anyone remember
deregulation?
Skype Gearlog Skype now has a weblog
dedicated to all manner of cool hardware and accessories for Skype,
including phones, cables, headsets, mice phones, keyboard/ phone
combos, and loads more. And holiday season is just around the corner.
Verizon May Spin Off Telephone Directory Division With AOL trimming the fat and selling off several of their European divisions, they must have started a slimming trend. Now Verizon is considering spinning off
their telephone directories division. They don't want to sell due to
tax reasons, but a spin-off may help with their debts. I'm guessing
that more telecoms are feeling the pinch due to VoIP. Though those with
cable divisions may see an increase in business, what with all the triple-play and other bundled services they're now offering.
An ABC News article
asks what electronic gadget you would pick if you had to pick just one.
What would it's functionality be? Music player, web surfer, game
device, instant messager, mobile phone, digital camera? Or a combo?
Obviously, most people would like a combo, but if the fact that there
are more cell phones in active use in the USA than landlines,
communication is obviously an important aspect of personal electronics.
(Compare this to the fact that only about 500,000 people had cell
phones in the US in 1986. (My father had one of those big-ass
brick-sized army-size mobile phones that he carried around. Portable
yes, convenient no.)
Me? My ultimate gadget would be a hip- or
wrist-worn device with Wi-Fi + Bluetooth + GPS capability, plus
everything a web-connected PDA/ smartphone can do, but with vVoIP
(video and voice over Internet protocol) ability. And a HUD (Heads-Up
Display) that's unobtrusive, with voice-activation or some sort of
Bluetooth glove. And it can't make you look like an ultra-geek. Or
better yet, it'll have Wibree instead of Bluetooth. A tall order. What about you?
First Singapore announced plans for implementing 2400 hotspots in Northern Singapore. Now Japan plans a giant wireless mesh network
over 100 cities, resulting in open broadband access for over 50Mln
people. Earlier in the year, Taipei City, Taiwan announced a wireless project
to replace PSTN, with an aim of having 200,000 wireless VoIP phones for
city employees by year end. And of course there's the countless other
cities in the USA and other places installing their own municipal Wi-Fi networks, or just finishing the bidding process.
And
with free or inexpensive municipal Wi-Fi, growing in abundance, there's
expected to be a burst in sales of plain Wi-Fi or dual-mode Wi-Fi/
cellular phones. If ever there was a time to consider buying stock in
wireless and IP-related hardware manufacturers, it's probably now. Just
wait until after the US stock market crashes this November due to the
mini-tech bubble that's formed.
Not too long ago, Pika Technologies announced their bridging solution for Skype and Asterisk, perfect for enterprise use. And there's also VoSKY's solution which combines Skype and an IP PBX, aimed at SMBs. They even have a VoSKY Skype Call Center. And I won't pretend to know exactly what this does, but last week, Instant Solutions released their ChanSkype Skype channel driver for Skype. But from what I gather at O'Reily Emerging Telephony
and other sites, it seems like you can use it to run Skype clients off
of an Asterisk IP PBX. They tested it off of a Dual Xeon 3.0 Ghz with 6
Gb of memory. Hmmm. Wonder if it might also function as part of a Mac Mini IP PBX, since both Skype and Asterisk can run on one.
Okay, don't get mislead by that title, but if you saw the slick iBlueIP PBX made from a Mac Mini and don't want to pay 3,000 Euros, Ted at MacVoiP mentions that in his new book VoIP Hacks, there are instructions on how to make your own. In fact, you can even use the open source SIP-based
Asterisk IP PBX software. Save even more by using any USB stick; an
iPod to boot the system is not necessary. Don't know what a Mac Mini
costs, but I'm guessing if you can make your own iBlue-type of IP PBX,
it'll cost you far far less than 3,000 Euros. I gotta find me an Apple
store somewhere. And a bookstore. And lock myself away to for some VoIP
DIY (do-it-yourself) projects.
Okay, this isn't only about VoIP, but it caught my attention. I just
noticed that my mobile carrier is offering both mobile TV and mobile
radio. They don't support Palm devices, so it now doesn't suprise me
that services like Rok/ FreeBe TV, Orb
and other mobile TV services don't either. But for $15/mth, my cellular
carrier also offers mobile radio, which is really just XM Satellite
Radio. Though I'm not keen on video on smartphones,
mobile radio is something I'm keen to try but not necessarily buy. That
means that after you download the free mobile radio app, and sign up,
you've got access to XM's programming. No expensive device to purchase.
A
great idea, to be sure, but once again my bloody Palm Treo is not
supported. I am seriously regretting this purchase, no matter how much
I first loved it. It can't do most of the things that are important to
at least try so I can write about them: VoIP (well, not very well;
limited), mobile TV, mobile radio. Greatly disappointing. Either my
device isn't supported, or my carrier isn't. I hope Palm is paying
attention. Instead of making all these new devices, such as the Treo 680, why don't they promote what they have, to get apps working on those devices?
The jury is still out on this one, as far as I'm concerned, but things are looking up. Skype generally has high call quality, and even polls users after a pc-to-phone call. Then there's Pika Technologies VoIP bridging solution for Skype clients and the AsteriskIP PBX,
which holds great potential for business use: inexpensive calls in a
great interface, coupled with a great SIP-based IP PBX. Then there's
the customer testimonials. According to Jerald Downs, owner of a
US-based fruit company
In the past all my business was
done by e-mail. Now I use Skype a lot to keep in touch with my growers
-- it increases the lucidity and trust between us and it's clearer than
any landline.
Well said. Successful business
relationships rely a great deal on human interaction. VoIP offers an
interaction that supplements face-to-face meetings. And I know from
personal experience that high-quality calls seem to engender more trust
than when you have to put up with rattle and hum, crackle and pop.
So any VoIP solution that can satisfy the above conditions for business use has an advantage over all others.
In the Oct 2006 issue of Networks & Servers, Mary Shacklett provides some valuable tips for easing the deployment of VoIP in the enterprise. Since the majority of businesses have little experience with VoIP installations, integrators and resellers
have to be sought out, and each one is not the same as another in their
skills. And it's not just about the lowest perceived price of a system.
Choose
a person or team that will willingly make you aware of all the aspects
of deploying VoIP, walk you through the process, and suggest what is
best for your company, even if it means a hybrid VoIP/ PSTN system - a
pure VoIP system is not always the best, especially for an established
company, who might experience significant downtime if their entire
telephony system were to be replaced.
That's what utility regulators in the US state of Missouri believe, prompting the PSC (Public Service Commission) to ask Comcast for their application for a certificate of service authority. Comcast, who are leading the race for most cable VoIP subscribers in the US, in turn filed a federal lawsuit in Missouri district court against the state's Public Utilities Commission.
It appears that the PSC disagrees with the FCC's
decision that VoIP should not be regulated by the states, especially
for local cable providers. Cable companies and pure play companies such
as Vonage and SunRocket
were designated as being exempt from state regulation on VoIP
providers. Says Van Eschen of the PSC, local cable operators should not
be exempt since VoIP calls are initiated via their facility, which is
based in the state of Missouri. Pure plays like Vonage do not have this
restriction and are hence not subject to state regulation. Comcast's
stance is that, according to the FCC, IP-enabled services connected to
the PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone Network) system is a telecommunications
service and hence subject to FCC rulings, not state regulations.
All
I can say is that this is one scenario where if state and federal
regulations ultimately clash, we'll be left with a dog's breakfast,
with some VoIP providers enjoying greater advantages than others. In
the US, state regulations usually trump federal, but there has to be
some unanimous agreement when it comes to VoIP services.
For too
many reasons to list here now, I support the idea that VoIP is a
telecommunications service and thus subject to a homogeneous federal
ruling. I don't, however, support the FCC's pick-and-choose decision on
who is exempt and who is not. Telecom services are telecom services, as
far as end users are concerned.
FierceVoIP asks, Will bloggers want to talk to each other, referring to the fact that the LiveJournal weblogging platform now has Gizmo Project
embedded into it. Users of LiveJournal (LJ) can see the online status
of their "friends" and communicate either with voice or text chat, or
leave a message.
If you want to try Gizmo Project for LJ Talk,
you'll need a free LiveJournal account first, which involves a
ridiculously hard to read captcha graphic (to prove you are human and
not a spambot). Then you'll have to choose between two different types
of free account or a paid one. (While I like MovableType, a cousin to
LJ, I'm not a big fan of LJ.) Finally, you can download the clients
(Win 2000, XP = 11.1 Mb; Mac OS X 10.3.9+ = 18.9 Mb). A microphone and
headphones (or speakers) are obviously required.
Once you've
downloaded and installed LJ Talk, when you run the client, your
"presence" will register on your LiveJournal journal pages, to your LJ
friends. (This is based on what I can tell from the LJ pages. Since
this is essentially Gizmo Project, I have no plan to install it as
well.) Now you need some friends to try it on. Go search for and invite
people on LJ.
Will you be my friend? If you are like me and have
no friends, you can at least use the client to voice post to your
LiveJournal weblog, which is a nice feature. If you already have LJ
friends, your contact list will be used to populate LJ Talk. I suspect
though can't confirm yet that LJ Talk supports click-to-call,
whereby someone can click on a "call me" type of button on your LJ
journal web pages to initiate a VoIP call with you in your LJ Talk
client.
By the way, you can also use a variety of other compatible clients to chat with someone on LJ Talk.
World Plan is a new VoIP service from iConnectHere, a division of deltathree.
As the name suggests, the plan provides international calling at
reduced rates. Subscribers can select a phone number from any of twelve
countries. Calling plans start at US$6.99/mth. Service features include:
...voicemail, caller ID, 3-way calling, advanced call forwarding and real-time call records
There
is also the obligatory free soft client for pc2phone calls, and a
Virtual Calling Card that provides toll-free access numbers in 27
countries - allowing you to use you calling plan elsewhere. A $30
signup bonus is given for World Plan, a free broadband plug-and-play phone adapter, and a phone number. See the feature list for more details. [via PRWeb]
deltathree also announced a partnership
with telSPACE to allow MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) to
offer VoIP and cellular services on a unified platform. The company won
the 2005 Product of the Year for iConnectHere, from Internet Telephony magazine. deltathree has been expanding their presence in the Carribean and LatinAmerica, amongst other places.
While there are a number of reasons that businesses have been slow to adopt Internet telephony, there are companies doing big deals for enterprise VoIP migrations. Williamette Dental in Midwest USA operates 69 offices in the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washinton. They signed a deal with Qwest Communications
International Inc. to set up a data networking and VoIP system over
three years. At a cost of US$3.8M. The VoIP system will be used to
transfer calls from customers to their call center.
The amount
took me aback. That seems like a lot for VoIP. That's just over $55K
per office. Now I don't claim to know the costs of traditional
telephony systems - despite having worked for a large telecom - but
$55K per office sounds like an awful lot. Then again, they may need to
lay down coaxial, put in IP PBXes, interconnect offices. configure the
software and the system, do any necessary training, and possibly manage
the services. There's also the cost of call minutes and reportage,
although these will likely be less than for PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) systems.
But the good news for businesses that cannot afford to spend $55K per office is that there are probably probably plug-and-playIP PBX
solutions that are SIP-based (open standard) and which cost less than
that. One possible option is an Asterisk solution, maybe even the hybrid Skype-Asterisk solution for businesses, from Pika Technologies. I'll try to expand on business options in future posts.
New Bloggers: Sightspeed CEO Peter Csathy, the CEO of Sightspeed - the video and voice calling software - has joined the ranks of bloggers with his DigtalMediaUpdate weblog. [via VoIP Watch]
AllWorx Wins Telephony Award The 2006 Internet Telephony Excellence Award, issued by TMC (Technology Marketing Corporation). has been given to Allworx for their 24x VoIP system. Allworx is a division of inSciTek, who earlier this year received US$2M in VC funding to expand their Allworx line of VoIP products.
Intrusion Prevention For VoIP Industry
Canada, an agency of the Canadian government that promotes the
"knowledge-based" economy and business innovation, including
telecommunications policy, etc., is working with Third Brigade to test "intrustion prevention" technology that safeguards converged networks (data, voice, video). [via InterGovWorld] Brian O'Higgins, co-founder and CTO of Third Brigade will be giving a talk in Ottawa, Canada, on Thurs Oct 19, 2006, about the state of the art of intrusion prevention in computer and network security.
Not sure when this was added, but a quick browse of the Sightspeed
website shows that they you can get either a 1-800 or local Phone-In
number all over the US. A local US number is US$3.95/mth, which
includes free voicemail. A 1-800 number costs only $1.00 per month,
plus $0.02/minute for incoming calls. It's only an US toll-free number,
though. So they cannot even accept calls from outside the US.
It's
not a bad rate for a toll-free number, provided you don't have friends
and family outisde the country. Hopefully they'll add support for
"international" toll-free numbers, where you can accept calls from
(select) other countries. If you are looking for an International
toll-free number, try Skynet-tel.com.
Lots
of colors and no antenna. I've lost track of the number of people who
hold disdain for the antenna. Doesn't bother me none. These Palm Treo
680s are designed formobile accomplishers - with emphasis on multimedia.
The
phone is a GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE quad-band world phone, Bluetooth-enabled,
and operates on PalmOS 5.4 operating system. it's apparently lower cost than other Palm devices and includes a camera and camcorder.
Given
that earlier this year, 650s were going for as little as $150-199 with
a 3 yr contract, I can't imagine how much cheaper the 680s are. Though,
having only had my 650 since April, I can't see myself changing within
the next two years. On the other hand, were Palm to pass out review
copies...
Of course, considering how many difficulties I've had getting VoIP services to work (except Mino Wireless)
on my Treo 650, you may be wondering why I'm talking about it. Because
I hold out hope that VoIP will eventually work very nicely on Palm Treos
running PalmOS. Despite all the improvements, looks as if the Treo 680
doesn't have any of the promos that were leaked by Vodaphone for the Treo 750.
Geeks rejoice. Greenphone is the first mobile communication device
built on an open Linux platform. The application development platform
starts at US$695 for the device (including SDK - software development
kit), plus a license fee of $195. The Qtopia Greenphone was announced back in mid-August at LinuxWorld San Francisco, and is offered by Oslo, Norway's Trolltech,
who went public in July. The phone was dreamed up in February by
Trolltech CEO Benoit Schillings, to be an open phone for development.
Well, the price is steep and the phone is a GSM/ GPRS
device, but this could be one fun gadget. And I'm more than certain
that if you can get VoIP running on it, you'll be able to set up custom voicemail messages. (Because as any Linux-phile knows, you can do anything with the OS.)
Not long ago, I was bellyaching about wanting a way to produce
different voicemail messages for different callers (based on caller
id). In fact, some other blogger mentioned something about wanting one
voicemail message for his girlfriend/ wife (both?), another for
business contacts, and yet another for friends and family. Well YouMail
lets you do this. Their initial application rollout is for Verizon,
Cingular and T-Mobile cellular subscribers only. Currently, there is
only Windows support, with Mac coming soon. More details at YouMail.
(As I'm not a subscriber of any of the above providers, I can't test
it.)
I'm guessing that even if YouMail doesn't get into the VoIP niche, someone else will come up with similar features for soft phones.
I mean, it can't be that hard. All soft phones already know who is
calling, if the caller is at least on a soft phone. Now since I have
not explored VoIP soft phone and VoIM voicemail all that much, I may have just missed the fact that some of them already have customized voicemails. I'm wagering that if Asterisk cannot already do this, that it wouldn't be all that hard to do so.
The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) has declared October as "Bluetooth Transfer Month". They are promoting the fact that Bluetooth
can be used to transfer digital content wirelessly between enabled
devices including phones, computers, PDAs and other devices. Any two
devices with Bluetooth capability and memory have the ability to
transfer files to each other. (Whether they actually can is dependent
on whether manufacturers have made the functionality available to
users.) [via Wireless IQ]
Sample applications include passing digital business cards between phones and PDAs, capturing TV or stage show information from digital billboards
and posters, sharing photos and music, and more. A stage version of
the Lord of the Rings included a promotion where special subway posters
allowed people to download ringtones using Bluetooth. Obviously, there
could be some very interesting social applications.
To help
promote the file transfer abilities of Bluetooth, devices that are
capable of this will have an "Experience" icon on the device and
packaging. But with VoIM becomingmore commonon cell phones,
Bluetooth file transer usage might increase without the promotional
campaign - if the ability is built into the next generation of VoIM
clients, for short-range transfer.
Don't have GPS capability in your mobile phone or PDA? The Navizon Web
API from Mexens Technology can pinpoint users by triangulating signals
from nearby Wi-Fi access points. This location can then be used as a
reference point to show the user additional location-based information
such as nearby stores, banks and restaurants.
This functionality could be teamed up with the mobile click-to-call/ pay-per-call that Microsoft and Ingenio are now offering (jointly with Ingenio). It could be a great way to promote local businesses in cities that are offering municipal Wi-Fi. Given that cell phone use is expected to increase all over the world - particularly with dual-mode Wi-Fi/ cellular phones, there is likely to be a market for such services.
While English might be the de facto language in India, especially for
business, and usually the first language taught in most schools there,
Hindi is the official language. The script known as Devanagiri, and the
language both derive from the dead language Sanskrit, which is a sister
language of Latin.
The fact that Hindi is written in a non-Roman alphabet makes it complex
to when it comes to computers and cell phones. However, Feedelix
Wireless has managed to send the first-ever Hindi SMS message from a subscriber in India to another in San Diego, California. Feedelix's HindiVayuSMS software was used. [via Cellular News]
This
of course bodes well for other languages that do not use the Roman
alphabet. An alternate method would be for one participant to type in
English, and for on-the-fly languagetranslation software
to convert to Hindi, even in Devanagiri script. This of course is only
a partial solution. Other possibilities are to auto-generate Devanagiri
script by translating voice input.
Google's doingclick-to-call,
so why not Microsoft? Ingenio and Microsoft have teamed up to offer a
mobile version of click-to-call, which incorporates pay-per-call
advertising on Windows Live Search for mobile devices. The pay-per-call
advertising market is expected to reach nearly US$4Bln by the end of
the decade, for mobile or otherwise. Essentially, advertisers get
exposure in Windows Live Search, and if a mobile user clicks their link
to find out more information about their products and/or services, then
the advertiser pays Microsoft and Ingenio for the call. Example
advertisers might be local businesses such as restaurants, hotels,
travel agencies. [PR Newswire via Biz Yahoo]
Not sure if you'd call this a phone, but the Aimulet LA is dubbed an
"audio communication device". It's light-activated, made from bamboo,
and batteryless. It's powered by spherical solar cells made by a company named Sphelar. The design, which won the 2006 Good Design Award for Ecology Design, is Japanese. The LA stands for Laurie Anderson,
an award-winning, ground-breaking composer whose musical heyday was in
the 1980s, but who continues to do experimental "installations" all
over the world, and who featured the Aimulet in her 2005 World Expo
installation.
The solar cells are activated by light and are
environmentally friendly. Light signals are translated into audio. The
Aimulet LA functions due to LEDs installed in the ground, so any use of
the such devices would be fairly localized. The solar cells could,
however, be used future generations of communication devices including
cell phones.
The Swiss government is considering a piece of spyware-like software that would be used for wiretapping VoIP calls. The software would not be available to anyone except agencies, but one question is how it would be installed. Both The Register and TechWorld
have written about it. If the Swiss government does this, it begs the
question of whether any VoIP recording should ever be admissable in
court.
If you've spent anytime on YouTube,
you might have seen one of the probably many video mashups of some
famous person reciting something, maybe a song. For example, this one of President Bush "singing" the lyrics from the U2 song Sunday, Bloody Sunday,
which is about an awful event in Northern Ireland three decades ago.
Watching the video, it's obvious that it's been mashed up, doctored, or
whatever you want to call it. But had the video portion been removed
and the intentional audio hiccups been cleared up, it might have been
harder to tell that the audio was not authentic in that form.
Take
things a step further, and you can see that with the right equipment,
audio "proof" of VoIP phone calls could be concocted to make someone
appear guilty of something. A frightening thought. In the wrong hands,
people could be convicted something they didn't do. History has show
this to have happened to dissidents, and not just in countries outside
the USA.
The movie Minority Report, based on a Philip K Dick
short story, comes to mind. Falsified VoIP recordings could be used to
pre-convict someone. I know I'm simplifying, and I'm fully aware of a
wide range of mathematical algorithms for analyzing sound. (I've
written my own FFT
(Fast Fourier Transform) software to analyze audio and visual signals.)
I also don't want to delve too deeply into politics, but I'm concerned
about acts likeCALEA, and regulations on VoIP.
If you've purchased a computer in the last few years, you may have been
given free AOL, Netscape or other Internet access hours as part of the
package. Well, Vonage got smart and is now offering a discount on their
VoIP service bundled with new Hewlett-Packard and Compaq computers. [via Teleclick]
Now
a discount may not be enough for everyone to get excited about, but the
marketing exposure might garner Vonage a few more customers and keep
them in the VoIP subscriber race. In fact, it might be enough to stave
off the subscriber increases that cable companies like Comcast have enjoyed lately, and increase Vonage's odds of staying in business.
At least that's what you would have to deduce from motor-mouth Mark
Cuban's recent comment that "you'd have to be a moron to buy YouTube".
Cuban later reiterated his dislike. Well, I've always thought Cuban was
a moron and a few other choice words besides. Google will likely prove
him wrong with their YouTube
purchase. They obviously have something worthwhile planned. I cannot
recall them ever buying something without a purpose. Whatever you may
think of Google's acquisition machine, Sergey Brin and Larry Page each
deserve the title of genius.
One of the great benefits about VoIP and IP telephony
in terms of business use is that a voice call now becomes data. What
that means, amongst other things, is that a VoIP system adminitrator
can manage user accounts invidually or in groups. Access can be given
to voice-related data - such as call recordings - in the same manner
that computer file access can be given. It also means that a group of
people can be given access to long-distance calling, file transfer,
application sharing, or what have you, with relative ease. While
traditional telephony offers some of these group-access features, VoIP
telephony makes it fairly easy to implement advanced features without special phone lines or equipment. As well, VoIP calls are treated as a computer resource, so security is easier to implement.
VoIP Hacks Congrats to Ted Wallingford on the publication of his book VoIP Hacks,
which is out now. It has all kinds of tips to improve call quality,
record calls, create special effects, and more. For example, a trick to
sounding like Darth Vader. Might be great if a visher
calls you. Silence!!! You begin to annoy me!!! I gotta get me to a book
store. (Sorry, don't like buying books online, as I like tactile
browsing.)
Virtual e911? Tom Keating has a snortingly funny silly scenario about potential e911 confusion due to the Second Life online RPG (role playing game) having VoIP ability via Vivox and others.
Making Municipal Wi-Fi Work: Thoughts The Pulvermedia website has a podcast of an interview
with Don Fitzgerald, who is in charge of the municipal Wi-Fi project in
Frederiction, New Brunswick, Canada. It's apparently the first city in
Canada to offer free Muni Wi-Fi, although Toronto will probably be a close second. The interview is part of the series Canadian IP Thought Leaders.
VoIP is increasingly being used in a number of ways that traditional
telephony never could. One such way is in online tutoring. Using either
a VoIP or VoIM soft client, you have access to a host of free (or inexpensive) functionality ideal for remote teaching: text chat, voice chat, file sharing, videocalling, conferencing. Some soft clients, such as AIM Pro,
also have the ability to do desktop application sharing. There are even
a number of options for collecting payment for your time: Ether or Skype + Jyve.
If
you plan to tutor online, using VoIP or VoIM software is an ideal way
to supplement the learning experience. See more details at 8 reasons to use VoIP and VoIM in teaching.
