VoIP Now

Interactive Ads On Your Phone?

Where do they get this stuff? Ericsson, the telecom equipment manufacturer wants to push mobile TV while making it worthwhile for carriers. This means running interactive ads on mobile handsets.

Sorry but I don't now or ever want to see advertising on my cell phone, with the possible exception that my carrier not only pays my bandwidth costs but also increase my monthly bandwidth cap for my cellular data plan from 250 Mb to something more reasonable. Otherwise, buzz off already. On the other hand, this Ericsson proposal supposedly will not require extra bandwidth.

Now if that's true, there could be a bit of a mobile TV revolution. If you didn't have to pay to watch mobile TV on your puny handset screen, would you watch the advertising? Fact is, mobile Internet TV still needs some more features/ infrastructure, including larger screens - maybe roll-out style or HUDs (heads-up displays).

Let Your Fingers Do The Clicking

Springwise talks about [via Etel] a digital product offered by Austrian company Herold: 4 million Austrian residential and business phone numbers, loadable onto your cell phone. Do you really need or even want such a product? That's a lot of memory, which could be used for other purposes.

Being old enough to have used computers when they had 128 Mb RAM, and having seen them increase, only to witness software companies producing bloatware, I'm really hoping that this doesn't happen to cell phones. With more sophisticated handsets like the Apple iPhone coming out soon, this is a very real danger. Request to mobile application developers: KISS = Keep it simple, stupid. Don't give us mobile bloatware.

UK Fines Rise For Driving While Talking

On a cell phone, that is. The British government doubled the fine to GBP 60, and three penalty points on the driver's license. The fines could rise to as much as one thousand Pounds, depending on the vehicle being driven. DWT, or driving while talking, has been illegal in the UK since Dec 2003.

Personally I'm pro-fine, despite being a former DWTer. I'm an extremely careful, though fast, driver, but most people on the road are incapable of DWT - and I admit to being almost distracted at times myself. I say that as someone who has driven in both Atlanta and Toronto, the two largest Metropolitan areas in North America, with the worst traffic conditions. People just get stupid.

In Canada, there are a series of TV commercials running where people drive by in a residential neighborhood doing stupid things while driving - not just talking on the phone - while a young woman just watches and shakes her head. The commerical urges the viewer to call or visit a certain website and say what you've seen drivers do. Someone in the United States has also set up the website Platewire, with US, Canadian and UK sections, where you can report stupid drivers, their license plates, and their infractions. Little Brother is watching.

BenQ Mobile Says Goodbye

It might be hard to believe that a mobile tech make would go bankrupt with the current economy, especially one that was a former Siemens division, but that's what happened to BenQ Mobile. The Taiwanese BenQ bought BenQ Mobile in 2005.

Since no buyers were found since the bankruptcy declaration, BenQ Mobile is being completely shut down. I don't know the full details about the company, but I'm surprised that some larger phone maker didn't snap them up.

A question poses itself about VoIP providers: what do you do if your provider goes bankrupt? Given that there are a multitude of VoIP providers offering free calling plans, it's likely some of them just might go down if they can't find a way to monetize their services.

Mobile Widgetized VoIP + VoIM Clients

Someone needs to go to design school. Widgets on a smartphone? Isn't the screen small enough already? Add widgets, and you just might need a magnify glass. Nevertheless, if you subscribe to the tantalizing idea of straining your eyesight, Netvibes will have a mobile version, Netvibes2Go, of their web2.0 application, which has widgets for a variety of VoIM clients. Still, anyone who has actually used applications on a smartphone/ PDA knows how awkard the experience is. I'd rather use a VoIP service like Jajah or Mino Wireless from my smartphone. They're relatively simple to use and don't require a lot of screen real estate.

Watchmycell: Innovators?

Am I missing something? Watchmycell is a little application than sits in your (Windows) PC's toolbar and lets you know how many minutes of your monthly plan you've used up.

Useful, right? My first reaction was that mobile carriers already offer this functionality: sign in to your account on their website and check. A quick scan of Watchmycell's page reveals the purpose. Read between the lines, and this app is for those too lazy to sign in to their carrier's website. The app does it for you, and continuously.

Really, this doesn't excite me. If you use your cell phone that much that you need to know continuously, get a better mobile plan.

VoIP Roundup - Thur Feb 22, 2007

AT&T + GM Do A Deal
Thanks to a deal with five-year billion dollar deal with General Motors, AT&T will be building worldwide communications services for GM. There's no direct mention of VoIP, but "voice and data applications" integration is part of the deal. [TeleGeography]

Smaller VoIP Providers Consolidating
Smaller VoIP providers seem to be following a consolidation trend, with NYC-based DeltaThree being one of them, acquiring the privately-held Go2Call.com. [Telephony Online] This is a to be expected trend, with VoIP maturing and larger businesses keeping their options open for competing.

VoIP Phones Roundup
PC Mag has a roundup of several VoIP "phones", each different from the other in look and operation. Included is Vonage's V-Phone.

Agreement on the iPhone Name

Apple and Cisco have reached an agreement on the use of the iPhone name, which Cisco owns (except in Canada). iPhone is of course the name given to the new Apple keypad-less phone due out in the USA later this year. [Sacramento Business Journal, Red Herring.]

From what I can gather, they're both going to use the name, which Cisco has owned through their Linksys subsidiary since 2000. There's no mention of the Canadian-based VoIP provider Comwave, who is claiming trademark ownership of the name iPhone in Canada.

Interestingly, same day reaction in the stock market caused Apple shares to go up about 30 cents and Cisco to go down about 28 cents.

VoIP Roundup - Tues Feb 20, 2007

The Virtual Assistant - Take Two
Small business owners now have the option of using Skype-based receptionist/ telephonist services of Varras Consulting. But what if you don't use Skype or want to do things on your own? You can use Spinvox's voice-to-text service to manage your voicemail in text form, or even use it as a transcription/ dictation service.

One Billion Skype Users Can't Be Wrong
Well, there aren't that many users yet, but Skype Journal says that at the current daily rate of downloads, there could be a billion Skypers by 2009. Consider the significance of that number: it's about the number of current Internet users.

Linux Phones Aren't Exactly Cheap Either
A Linux-powered keyless phone, dubbed the Neo 1973 and called an Apple iPhone killer, will be available online early next month. The phone, from a company called FIC, will cost about US$350.

VoIP Roundup - Sat Feb 17, 2007

Security and IP Communications
VoIP News has several articles related to VoIP security worth reading: 6 steps to VoIP security, A guide to understanding the VoIP security threat, and 5 ways to secure a wireless VoIP system. The latter is especially timely, what with the expectation of drive-by hacking becoming a threat to unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

Launching A New Generation of Jerky Boys-style VoIP Prank Callers?
I've mentioned the Jerky Boys before, when talking about now-deceased comedienne Lucille Ball doing prank calls. Well Callitfake not only helps budding pranksters, it lets you do it from a browser. What's more, you can type in whatever you want to say and choose the voice it'll be read in. Oh joy. Just what we need.

Now This Is A Really Old School Phone
Not only does Jaht's SkyVogue phone come in classic styling probably dating to around the 1950s, it's a Skype phone with  a USB connection. I can't tell if the rotary dial is functional, but I seriously doubt Skypers with short attention spans have the patience to wait for the darn thing to complete a single turn, let alone add area code and internation calling code.

VoIP Roundup - Fri Feb 16, 2007

Slingbox for the Palm Treo
The Palm Treo line gets some IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) loving with Slingbox's new wireless set top box. You can stream TV (cable, satellite) to a Palm Treo smartphone over your cellular broadband connection. MyTreo has an officially approved video from a recent CES demo. Note that Treo 650 and 680 are not being supported (650 is discontinued, which means that I'm out of luck). EVDO continues to be a problem as far as advanced features go, so think twice before you buy a cellular data plan with EVDO.

Wireless Chargers?
The latest in wireless technology are devices that recharge your gadgets without, well, wires. MyTreo has a picture of the Wild Charger, which sort of looks like a solar panel.

Google Talk As An Internet Radio Station
On the surface, Google Talk appears to be an unassuming VoIM client, but there are more features than you might think. Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspirations gives a brief tutorial on how to get Google Talk to play MP3 files. Speaking of Internet music players, Finetune is worth checking out. Someone wrote somewhere that they thought it was a knock off of the very cool Pandora, but I disagree. Sure, they both let you create your own music playlists/ stations. But that doesn't make one a knock off.

Mino Wireless Valentines Promo

Mino loves you, baby, so they're doing a Valentines promo. Mino Wireless, who hit 100,000 mobile users in August 2006, allows you to make VoIP-based calls from your cell phone using their Java soft client. If you buy $10 worth of calling credit on or before Feb 20th, they give you $2 free credit.

I tried it out in early August last year and the quality was crystal clear at the time, impressing even my father, who'd gotten used to me using the free Skype N. American promo. (At the time, it was free, now it's $29.95 for one solid year of unlimited calls.)

Phones and platforms currently supported: BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Docomo. They've also added corporate calling rates in Canada and the USA.

Pondering My Next Telephony Product Purchase

It's been over a week since I splurged the princely sum of $14.95 to get a year of unlimited SkypeOut calls within Canada and the US via Skype. Until yesterday, I hadn't tried it yet to see how the quality of calls was doing. I'm happy to say that unlike mid-December, the call I made to my father yesterday was very clear on both ends.

Now the fact that it's been over a week shows you how little I use a phone these days. My cell phone maybe gets used 4-6 times a week. But as I've said, I'm more than happy to spend less than $1.50/month on unlimited long distance calls in North America for when I move to the big city (Toronto).

I'm still debating what else I want to add from Skype's shop, seeing as what I really want won't be available for a while: a Toronto SkypeIn phone number. But when that does become available, I'm going to be grabbing myself a Skype-certified Wi-Fi phone.

As for a cell phone, my Palm Treo 650 will probably be replaced with a Linux-based phone, if I can find one, and only if it has VoIP capability. I figure, what's the point otherwise? As for an Apple phone, I'd get one only if I didn't have to pay the ridiculous price. But it'd still be supplemental to a Linux phone.

The reason? Besides being an old-school Linux/ Unix shell programmer, it appeals to me. It has, I believe, the greatest potential for useful and semi-useful public sensor network applications, which is what I'm hoping to tinker around with once I can set up a lab. Of course, if someone combines this thin, rollable display into a phone, I'll be buying one of them.

VoIP Roundup - Sun Feb 04, 2007

David Pogue of the NY Times appeared on MSNBC recently to talk about options for VoIP service. He emphasized, at the news anchor's query, that we're all headed towards free Internet calling and that Vonage had nerve charging U$25/mth for their V-Phone USB stick for unlimited calling.

Chairmen from both Comcast and Time Warner have been appearing on MSNBC to say how well Triple Play has been working for them. Time Warner Cable is supposed to be spun off later this year, with the hopes of an upcoming IPO.

Om Malik reports that Austria's Jajah wants a 2007 IPO. they have the backing of VC firm Sequoia Capital. Their model of offering VoIP-based (bridged) calls - which are now ad-suported in Europe - will appeal to anyone who wants free or cheap long distance without having to download a soft client.

VoIP Roundup - Thur Feb 01, 2007

Cable companies aren't the only ones increasing costs (in this case for TV and Internet service, which affects VoIP costs). Cellular companies do it too. Techdirt writes that phone company service costs are sticky downwards. This means that their prices are more likely to rise than ever go down, even when things such as tax fees are removed.

More iPhone Trademark Issues
Comwave, a VoIP provider who apaprently owns the iPhone trademark in Canada, is threatening Cisco with trademark infringement.

Mobile Phone Subscribers Growing
In China and India, the number of mobile phone subscribers grew at the rate of approximately 39,000 per day in 2006, or over 140 million for the year. That's over 10% of the one billion mobile phones shipped in 2006 around the world. [via Computerworld]

Bike-Powered Voice?

Now here's a great green idea: sustainable energy thanks to you, via an exercise bike. Well, that's nothing new, but Motorola has taken it a step further and created a docking station for recharging your cell phone. In fact, you can use it with a regular bike as well. [AVING via Crave.]

Now maybe you'll get off your chair from watching Joost Internet TV (IPTV) and go ride a bike. You can consider it practice for when the Apple Phone comes out, since it's expected to be a drain on batteries. This is a concept that's been overdue.

Jane, Get Me Out Of This Crazy Meeting

Not so long ago, I referred to an article or two that said that a significant percentage of survey respondents admitted to lying over the phone. At least more often than in person - that is, as long as they couldn't see who they were lying to, and couldn't be seen. I didn't matter whether they were using their cell phone or a regular phone, just not a video phone or through video calling.

Well, if you're a little uncomfortable about flat-out lying, here's a feature from Getmooh that gives you an alibi for getting out of various situations, including bad dates or boring meetings. Jane and George Jetsons of present day might just be clapping in appreciation.

Is Nokia The Most Innovative Cell Phone Company Or What?

While Apple is just entering a saturated cell phone market without VoIP, Nokia has been releasing a series of phones that have great support for VoIP and mobile video. Now they're offering SIP support. Innovative or what? I haven't managed to get my hands on any Nokia gadgets, despite their blogger relations program. But from what I've been reading on other VoIP blogs, I'd have to declare Nokia the most innovative telecom -related company out there. And from the look of things, they'll hold that title for 2007 as well. They were on my 7 VoIP/ IP innovators and ideamakers for 2006, and I'm sure they'll be on my 2007 list as well.

Ballmer's Jive Talking: Or Steve vs Steve

How unoriginal. Like Pavlov's dog reacting automatically to the jingle of a bell, Steve Ballmer went on about the new Apple phone (which has no VoIP), saying how it was overpriced and overhyped. Yeah, it is overpriced (Apple's making 50% = US$250 profit on each unit.)

Gee Steve B, kind sounds like your blabber about how innovative the new MS Vista OS is. Golly gee, it's only bloody operating system, and unless you've managed to come up with your own version of Mac OS X or Linux, I'm not buying it. In fact, I'm really not buying it. When I buy my next PC, I'm explicitly going to ask that it not have Vista. That is, if I don't buy a Mac instead. (Will probably buy both, but I won't spend $500+ on an "iPhone" with no VoIP.)

I never understand how Microsoft and Apple keep getting called rivals. They have NEVER been rivals. One is a software company and one is a hardware company. It's like comparing... well... hardware and software. Microsoft might have ventured into videogame hardware (which Apple has stayed away from) and the Zune, but Apple's media player (i.e., iPods) are miles ahead on design. Microsoft is just playing wannabe. And this supposed fight for the digital living room, can't be a close call. It's like Mohammed Ali (Apple's iTV) going up against my grandmother (Microsoft's Media Center Edition OS). There's no comparision. Again.

Now Microsoft's stock might have gone up 60% over the past 6 months, compared to sideways behavior for 5+ years, but Apple is Steve jobs is Apple, and Microsoft was Bill Gates is not Steve Ballmer. Jobs has a brilliant mind, and Apple has incredible design. Without Gates, all Microsoft has left is Ballmer's bluff and bluster. Which is why they won't dominate the IP world, in VoIP and IPTV and media players.

Now That's What I'm Talking About: An Affordable Apple iPhone

This is exactly what I was thinking when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and tried to explain why it was so expensive: why not make it more affordable and grab a bigger market share. They must be the only company in the world expecting consumers to accept them (Apple) taking a 50% slice of the US$499 and $599 prices. Is that stupidity or arrogance or marketing brilliance? I've already come out of the Apple fanboy closet, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way they operate, so I doubt it's brilliance.

And it doesn't even have VoIP like a lot of us were no doubt hoping for and expecting. Well, apparently Jajah, who added new countries recently, might be available on the iPhone, which will reduce long distance calling costs. But how does Jobs declare the "iPhone" a technological marvel when it doesn't even have VoIP? How hard would that have been to have? Five bills and no VoIP? The good, the bad and the ugly of the iPhone doesn't justify the price, especially when there already are a couple of buttonless Linux phones, albeit obscure.

If you want to get technical, aside from the "on/off" button, I never use the keypad on my Palm Treo 650, opting to use the soft keypad instead. In fact, I can often navigate most of what I want to do on the Treo using just one thumbnail. (Though if I'm in a hurry, I'll use the stylus for accuracy.)

It's all about the Cult of Steve. See the Steve Jobs/ iPhone parody on MadTV to understand what I'm saying. It'll probably be at the Mad TV YouTube channel soon.

More iPhone Trademark Owners?

Comwave, a VoIP company with TV commercials as annoying as Vonage's, is claiming they've had the iPhone trademark in Canada since 2004 (even though Cisco Linksys division has had it longer in the US and elsewhere). They also say there's nothing to confirm that Apple will market their iPhone here. Um, are you kidding me? Of course Apple is marketing their iPhone here, through Rogers, albeit not until 2008. There are a lot of Mac lovers in Canada. Should all prove very interesting. I guess both Cisco and Comwave stand to make some good moola, should Apple license the trademark from them. (There's also a company called Teledex who released a SIP-based phone called iPhone IP in 2005, though I haven't seen them mentioned lately.)

Spam, Spam Me Don't

This article about cell phone spam is now proven to be false, but the thought is frightening. Imagine if your cell phone number was legally allowed to be given to telemarketing firms, who could then call or text you mercilessly, all at a cost to you? Your monthly minutes would be eaten up fast. If it happened, would you throw your cellphone in the trash? If you have a contract, forget about it. It'll still cost you.

So let's hope that someone in Washington is at least aware of the potential threat and makes sure consumers don't get stiffed. Pretexting is bad enough; this would be even worse. On the other hand, I can "see" how a Linux-based cell phone could be programmed to auto-filter out unknown callers. Auto-blocking of unknown numbers should be a standard option. Does anyone know if any cellular providers offer this?

Of course, you can still get the equivalent of cell phone spam by using an email text-to-voice application and listening to your spam.

News Flash: Entire World Becomes Apple Fanboys + Girls

Or so you'd think everyone wetting themselves about the new Apple phone - which incidentally everyone including The Steve is still calling the iPhone, despite Cisco's legal claim to that name.

During an interview with CNBC TV, Steve Jobs, aka Stock Options Steve, claimed that mobile video is a killer app because they'd sold 50,000,000 downloads of TV show episodes. Yeah, but is anyone actually watching them on their video iPods, afer the content purchase? Research says that a very small percentage (can't find the reference; guessing at 16%) use the video features of their mobile devices, including the iPod. That's hardly a killer app now, is it Stevie?

But what's that got to do with the new Apple Phone? Well, this device, if you don't already know, must be like manna from heaven because it's got everything: calling, video, audio playing, etc. Though it ain't got buttons. A phone with no buttons, and it took them 200 filed patents. And they're banking on, changing their name from Apple Computers, Inc., to just Apple, Inc., to show their decreasing focus on just computers. Hoo boy. Wonder what Sir Paul McCartney is going to say about Stevie once again trying to steal the name "Apple".

Said Jobs wisely, "...wish we could sell for $100 but we can't. It's a little more expensive than that." A little? The phone goes for US$499 and $599. That's not a little, Steve. Once again, you've maintained your elitist strategy.

Now, I've secretly been an Apple fanboy since my hands first touched one of the 1st generation Apple computers. But Apple's always been just beyond my computer budget. While it's true that my next computer has a 70% chance of being an Apple, call me an old-fashioned gadget freak because I can't fathom spending $500+ on a device that could be easily lost or damaged. (Sure, my Treo 650 runs for $399+, but I got it during a promo for $150. And my beloved iPod nano was a gift.) But for those people who are not fanboys/ girls and just want a phone, the Apple Phone is just too much. Well, at least you can look at the phone. I won't pay for this phone, but if Apple ever comes up with a voice-activated car....

RIM Mum On Stock Options Review

The NY Times had a story on Christmas day regarding a RIM stock options review. RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, initiated the review in Sep 2006 themselves but have not provided investors or regulators much in the way of details. Even the letter submitted to the OSC (province of Ontario Securities Commission) didn't clear things up much. The stock jumped approximately US$50 between Sep and Dec. More details at the NY Times (free registration may be required).

RIM got out of a patent infringement lawsuit earlier this year and recenty levied a copyright infringement lawsuit on Samsung's Blackjack device, amidst a great Q3 2006 in terms of revenues. Regardless of the hubbub, RIM seems like teflon, able to weather the goings on, fair or otherwise. I've met former employees who retired early because their stock options made them young millionaires. My feeling is that the company will continue to make millionaires for a long time because of good overall management and vision. [I own no RIM stock, but may purchase some in late 2007.]

Video Killed The Mobile Phone?

ABI Research released a report in late December stating that the mobile video market in mainland China will pass 32Mln users in 2008. The significance of this is tied to the fact that the Beijing Olympics takes place in that year. There will be two different technologies in use: broadcasting (27%) and unicast streaming (73%). Some users are expected to use both technologies. The Chinese SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television) announced two voluntary standards last year: DAB, which will give way to T-DMB. More details at ABI Research.

I'm still the Doubting Thomas on video about mobiles. Is there enough bandwidth? Are screens even big enough to prevent eyestrain, and to thus be enjoyable? While mobile video use will undoubtedly increase in the next few years, there's a difference between conducting short video calls and watching prolonged mobile video. But if there's any candidate for enjoyable mobile video, I'd have to say it's likely the Nokia N-series of phones - though I haven't laid my mitts on one yet.

Mobile Comm: Over A Billion Served?

It's agreed upon in many circles that the next billion mobile customers are going to come mostly from developing nations including India, China and a few other Asian countries and very likely a number of African countries (some are already heavily moving into VoIP and looking at phone number portability). But will these customers be served properly? Will they get what they need for their use? In many of these countries, average incomes make it difficult for everyone to have a mobile phone, whether they need one or not.

Imran Ali has a look at some mobile market studies done by various people - including Jan Chipchase of Nokia - and analyzes some of the findings regarding the sociology behind phone sharing, as well as other related issues.

Are You Phone-y Baby? Rowwwrrrr

Oh behave. The UK Sun reports on a BT poll that says about half those surveyed talk naked on their cell phones (though this is not what Robert Scoble and Shel Israel meant by Naked Conversations). Women, it seems, are more likely to participate in the buff. What's more, over 80% of people multitask while chatting. Maybe Andy Abramson was right about multitasking while video calling. Women are also more likely to answer the phone if a parent is calling [via 21Talks; Sun link not provided; NSFW - site not (always) safe for work]

I guess if you consider that cell phones (and cordless phones) actually enable this sort of thing. Imagine walking around au naturel using a landline phone. Speaking of stuff going on in the background while conducting business video VoIP calls on your laptop, there was a great TV commercial clip at Very Funny Ads (companion website of the TV show World's Funniest Commercials, hosted by Saturday Night Live alumni Kevin Nealon). Seems a young man is in the middle of a video conference for work, from his apartment, and his girlfriend unwittingly gets into her lingerie and tackles him. Except that it was there yesterday and it seems gone today.

VoIP Roundup - Sat Dec 30, 2006

Who Loves Ya, VoIP?
ISP Planet has a list VoIP carriers and vendors that are "helping to shape and define this industry." [via VoIP News] It shows how much I need to learn, as I haven't heard half of these names.

WiMax In Italy
WiMax might be something you're only expecting in North America, particularly in the US. But the Italian Communications Ministry is offering licenses for sale starting June 2007. [via Red Herring] I guess no Korean WiBro for Italy.

Nokia N-Series vs Treo 700w
I've muttered on about how much of a love-hate relationship I have with my Palm Treo 650 PDA, but I have nothing to compare it to for you. But Ken Camp does have his own comparison of the Treo 700 versus the much ballyhooed Nokia N-series phones. Ken is one of the bloggers selected for the Nokia blogger relations program.

The Indian Bluetooth Gambit: Or How To Cheat At Chess

Grandmaster Bobby Fischer caused a ruckus in the 1970s. when he he denounced the United States - where he grew up - and made pointed political comments. More recently, he renounced his US citizenship to avoid deportation to the US and a 10-year jail sentence. He also spoke in Iceland about President Bush's "regime". By comparison, Umakant Sharma, an Indian chess player, might be considered less trouble, merely cheating at chess using a Bluetooth device stitched into his cap. Now, this isn't the Bluetooth ski cap Motorola offers, but this certainly would be one unexpected way to use it. It's not like it's hard to configure Bluetooth headsets.

His accomplices would run chess simulations on a computer and relayed info to him. Sharma has been banned for 10 years. Maybe he can join Fischer on the fugitive lecture circuit.

Liar, Liar Phone's On Fire

Do you lie? Ever or at all? Seems if you are honest enough to admit your dishonesty, you probably do it on a mobile device such as a BlackBerry. Apparently, technology makes people feel less guilty about lying, but that doesn't extend to email. The poll conducted by UK-based 72 Point, of nearly 1,500 respondents, found that around 75% of them lied via technology. Nearly 70% also said they lied at work, with "being ill" the biggest one.

Interestingly, Karl at Techdirt says some people believe that having to look someone in the eye is why videophones have never taken off. That makes sense, though small screens, slow cellular data networks, and expensive monthly bandwidth plans don't help much either.

Now, what I'd really like to know is whether parents who use SMS txting to chat with their kids lie to them.

VoIP Roundup - Fri Dec 29, 2006

Stop, Phone Thief!
The Jan 2007 wired has an overview of 4 anti-theft technologies for cell phones: a screamer from RemoteXT, a gait and voice recognition system from VTT, a holster sensor from Research in Motion, and a GPS tracker from NTT DoCoMo.

Stop, Wi-Fi Thief!
If your neighbor has unsecured Wi-Fi just begging to be used, you may want to think twice. Same goes for Wi-Fi at the local cafe. Seems arrests for inappropriate use of Wi-Fi networks is increasing these days. Techdirt has a suggestion: offer the leeches coffee. Makes sense, and generates a bit of revenue. Though I can't see a neighbor doing the same. Maybe you could ask for a cup of sugar?

Stop, Phoneblogger!
Just kidding. ComputerWorld has five fantastic phone tricks to get more out of your phone, including the lowdown on a free phone blogging service called Plusmo.

Coulda Be A Contenda: Google Phone

Rocky Balboa, the final installment in Sly Stallone's boxing movie saga just released, and it's more than a contender for hot holiday entertainment. Other hot, more relevant news is the Google Phone. Is Google in talks with Orange to build a branded phone that would run Google Talk? Would Google's move into another aspect of our lives be embraced or shunned?

Personally, I like Google Talk. Its interface is simple and clean, and because it's only a VoIM client (no calls out to landlines/ mobiles) quality has been crystal clear. I spoke to someone a couple of months back who was half way around the world but sounded as if he was in the next room. So I welcome a Google Phone, preloaded with Google Talk.

Now, Om Malik analyzed a UK story last week and said that the Google phone may go on sale by 2008 (a long ways off). So that doesn't fit in with the whisperings of earlier this Fall about the phone being free, with the cost being ad viewing. I still think that'll be one of the options. Though I have my own theories of Google's even doing this. But regardless, we'll have to wait and see whether Google Phone will be a contender.

Will The Real Slim iPhone Please Stand Up?

This should prove interesting. While Apple's going around trying to bully companies using a little "i" in front of their product names (because they own that letter, dontcha ya know), it appears they've been trumped by Linksys (which I didn't know was a division of Cisco). The name "iPhone" has apparently belonged to them since 1999 (though I can't find the reference).

Linksys has been introducing a range of Wi-Fi VoIP phones, but apparently the term iPhone is being used by them to represent all types of new phones that don't work together, according to Ted at MacVoIP. So Cisco's (or Linksys) has been holding the name for several years but just now, in December, announces phones under that brand, barely a month before Apple is expected to announce their phone, which will probably now be called the iPod phone.

By the way, the Linksys iPhone runs Skype. And the Apple iPod phone might have Jajah.

VoIP Roundup - Mon Dec 25, 2006

Natural Cell Phone Charging
Cellular-News reports three ways to "naturally charge" cell phones, all of which are based on solar and/or kinetic energy recycling, thanks to some techniques developed by ModeLabs Group. The display their technology in three new concept phones: The Yo-Yo, The U-Turn, and The Runaway. The latter, designed for athletes, especially uses all kinetic energy to recharge.

BT Outsources To India
UK telco BT pass some of their big multinational customers to Tech Mahindra in India for support services. Tech Mahindra will get US$1B over 5 years. [via Silicon]

Patent Awarded To VocalTec
A patent for "method and apparatus for transmitting packets" was awarded to VocalTec Communications Ltd, an IP comm solutions provider. What's interesting about this is that according to LightReading, the patent was filed on Feb 2, 1999 but wasn't awarded until Nov 28, 2006. About 7.5 years. The company's portfolio includes 11 IP-related patents.

Mega-RAM Jam For Mobile Phones

Only a few years back, 1 Gigabyte of RAM memory on your computer sounded like a lot. Now, 1-2 Gb is fairly standard on new computers. Well thanks to a memory innovation from NEC, we might be seeing 10Gb standard without needing extra slots. The same technology would also make 2Gb standard on mobile tech such as cell phones. The latter would lead to fast video playback and 3D graphics.

With faster wireless neworks such as WiMax and WiBro starting to peer out, mobile TV might become more common. This kind of memory on smartphones certainly won't hurt VoIP/ VoIM clients such as Skype, which is available on a wide array of Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices.

Skype 2.2 Smartphone + PocketPC Beta

Skype 2.2 Beta for Windows mobile devices was released recently and you can start using Skype on your smartphone/pocket PC device. Though obviously you'll need a mobile data plan, preferably unlimited.

Features
The list includes:

• More Windows Mobile and PocketPC devices supported.
• Status displays (whether your friends are busy/ available).
• Alerts on missed calls.
• Chat messages and voice messages.
• Suport for HTTP, HTTPS, HTTS/SSL and SOCKS5 proxies.

Hardware requirements
Minimum hardware configuration requirements for Skype 2.2 as per Skype's website:

• OS: Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003, Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003 Second Edition (SE), or Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0Smartphone.
• Display: 240x320, 320x240.
• CPU: 195Mhz OMAP, 312Mhz Intel or 300Mhz Samsung.
• Network: Wi-Fi, 3G or EDGE.

Disk  space requirements

• 10MB disk space for installing on smartphones. After installation, 6MB is sufficient
  for running the app.
• 13MB disk space for installing on Pocket PC. After installation, 7MB of disk space is enough.

Existing problems

• The Skype forum lists some possible problems you might face with Skype for Windows Mobile 2.2.0.18.
• Quality of the calls via Voice over IP may not be great. Call quality is influenced by many factors.

RIM's Profit Cup Overflows But Balsillie Doesn't Get Penguins

RIM, who recently sued Samsung over their Blackjack phone name, had an overflowing Q3 2006, taking in just over US$800M, a near 50% increase from Q3 2005. This meant nearly $180M in profit and almost $1 per share. Part of this increase is due in part to the over 800K new BlackBerry subscribers, mostly from North America, probably thanks to their Pearl camera phone. European interest has not been as strong, though the Pearl is now offered by 20 mobile carriers there.

Now as much money as CEO and billionaire Jim Balsillie probably will make due to the lovely quarter, he doesn't have what he really wanted: the Pittsburgh Penguins. NHL hockey commissioner Gary Bettman wouldn't allow the team to be moved, even though former player and majority owner Mario Lemieux has said the team will possibly be seeking relocation outside of Pennsylvania state. However, depending on what article you read, people still interested in the team include Pittsburgh native and motormouth Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban, Canadian owner of Steelback brewery Frank D'Angelo, and even Jim Balsillie himself, who is reconsidering now that the Penguin's new stadium deal fell through. (They've got the oldest rink in the league, at 45 years.)

Nomadic Workers + The Global Village

Andy Abramson writes about his Working Anywhere project, which, as he puts it, is about the nomadic worker. He talks about how he has to work in a virtual office because of far-flung clients and colleagues. As a former nomadic worker myself, I know exactly what Andy is talking about. At one point, I lived in one city, worked in another, sometimes visited clients in several nearby cities, then hung out in yet another city at the end of the day, where most of my friends lived, oddly enough.

To swing this nomadic behavior, at one point, I had two pagers and two cell phones. One pager and one cell phone had 1-800 toll free numbers (which was allowed at the time; no more) so that friends could call me. The second pager was for work. The second cell phone was mine but had the same area code as work. I had to replace my trouser belt a lot, what with the weight of VoIP didn't exist then, or at least not reliable. And smart phones were just popping into existence. So mobile VoIP was not even an option. And high-speed connections were hard to come by due to poor coverage in my neighborhood, so telecommuting wasn't an option back then for me, either.

Now, I work entirely from home but regularly collaborate with people in at least six time zones across the world. I've been using text mode chat for many years, and it's helps me get by now, too. For collaboration, I have several desktop sharing options including AIM Pro and the Unyte add-on for Skype. And for voice chat, I've used Skype and Google Talk, the two most common VoIP and VoIM soft clients amongst my colleagues. Without IP communication, there'd be no way for me to work entirely from home, away from the rat race, road rage and traffic jams of my previous career. Yay VoIP.

The electronic global village is enabled by IP communications. Though strangely enough, despite the growing e-learning/ e-tutoring and online education markets, there are some things that just can't be done over the Internet: attending live workshops and industry conferences. And that means that despite all this great technology, I'll be moving back to the big city within the next year for that reason.

5 New + Recent Terms In IP Communications

IP telecommunications is obviously a huge area with many facets, and new ones popping up. While those in the industry and some VoIP bloggers may know the terms, the general public likely does not. I often use Google Trends to compare terms and their relative search volumes. Which is what I've done witih some of the terms below. These are terms to watch, because we'll see them mentioned in the media more often.

1. Spot dialing.
   Brian McConnell came up with this to describe make a call over a Wi-Fi hotspot. I.e., as a replacement to Voice over Wi-Fi (which some people call VoWiFi but is rather techy).
2. TVoIP, teeVoIP.
   Ken Camp wrote a very evocative piece called Ken's magnificent Seven for 2006, about what he thinks have been the hot growth areas for IP Comm. He came up with the term TVoIP to represent user-generated content such as that at YouTube and blip.tv. I've been referring to this as a facet of IPTV, though that's probably incorrect.
3. vVoIP, VVoIP, WoIP.
   This aren't new, per se, as there are references to it back to at least 2004, possibly earlier. But Google Trends says there isn't even enough search data for them to show a comparative graph. But there are three ways to signify this, possibly causing confusion. Should we use any of these or come up with yet another one and hope it'll catch on? Video calling works for me.
4. POVS.
   Garrett Smith came up with POVS, Plain Old VoIP Service to refer to any VoIP service mimicking traditional phone calls. I.e., what some people call pure play, when you use a regular telephone with an ATA (Analog Telephone Adaptor), such as with Vonage and PhoneGnome.
5. FMC, Fixed Mobile Convergence.
   Most searches for FMC are probably for one of two companies with "FMC" in their name. (Google doesn't give hard search volumes.) The longer version doesn't register in Google Trends. But true FMC will push dual-mode cellular/ Wi-Fi calling forwards, though maybe it needs a friendlier name.

What do you think about these terms? A bit technical, in some cases. Got any suggestions for alternates?

VoIP Roundup - Sat Dec 09/06

MIT Runs VoIP Pilot
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is running a VoIP pilot involving 500 users. That's a tiny fraction of the 20,000 phone lines (desk, fax, form, circuits, elevators) at the educational institution, but the IST (Information Services and Technology) department will announce detailed plans in early 2007. [source: The Tech]

GPS Services To Enjoy Huge Growth
Currently in the North American, there are about a half million subscribers to "personal locator" services for their GPS-enabled phones. ABI Research says that this number will grow to over 20M by 2011. sources: Cellular News.

SunRocket Damage Control
Alec Saunders has been talking about the problems he had with cancelling his SunRocket VoIP account, which he tried to do via email and which they refused to accept. However he reported recently that SunRocket's PR guy and contacted him and the matter has been sorted out. The issue is simply that you can't cancel by email.

VoIP Roundup - Tues Nov 28/06

Internet TV Middleware: An Telco Provider Necessity?
While most Internet surfers are probably still learning about IPTV (Internet TV), telcos should scramble to offer the service, to keep up with cable providers' triple play offerings. So says Light Reading, who say it's a necessity to telecoms:

IPTV middleware is the technology that can deliver that advantage to telecom carriers.

In other words, don't fear IPTV, embrace it?

Mac OS X iPhone?
Could it be? Could the Mac iPhone, scheduled for some mysterious date early next year, be running Mac OS X? Tech Digest has a pic (illustration?) of some gadget that seems to have no buttons whatsoever, and some "desktop" that may or may not be OS X. The speculation is that the phone will run a stripped down "Leopard", the next version of OS X. That would certainly make sense.

Hullo VoIP Redefining Itself
Last week, I received an email from Hullo that their beta was over and that they were working on a new version. As Alec Saunders mentions, it'll be interesting to see what they have in store. I've written previously that Hullo had high quality calls between computer and phone - enough to impress my father, who said that other pc-to-phone solutions didn't compare.

Palm Hurting, Apple Smiling

It's just a few minutes after noon in the New York time zone, and CNBC TV just reported that Palm's share price is down 7.4%. RIM is down about 0.5%, Apple is up a couple of %. Palm was downgraded, triggered by their announcement that they were delaying the release of a new Treo. While they've release several this year, including the Treo 680 (which was partly recalled, I believe) and the Treo 750, they had plans for releasing many more. In the meantime, Apple is doing just fine, thank you, and no doubt fans are eager to hear more about the Apple iPhone, due out next year.

iPod As Destroyer Of Civilization?

Fox TV talk show loudmouth Bill O'Reilly went off his regular nut recently, blaming all kinds of mobile gadgets for the collapse of civilization - or so I interpret And VoIP blogger Russell Shaw says he agrees with him for once. I've actually been saying some of what Russell says for many, many years. I'm not quite a Luddite - as I love gadgets - but my unfinished book "Moving Forward While Standing Still," started over a decade ago, talks about this sort of thing.

Call me contrarian, though, because in the intervening years, what I've come to realize is that technology (and media) just amplifies the social lack in some people. Blaming technology in and of itself is easy. We as a collective society are ultimately responsible for our actions, not technology. Need I mention all the positive applications of mobile devices? I select my gadgets fairly carefully, and they have to serve multiple purposes, or I won't buy them. While I may dislike my Palm Treo, for example, for specific reasons, I still get a lot of mileage out of the device. And if I put on my iPod's earpods as I walk across the street to catch a bus, without looking both ways, how is that the iPod's fault?

Is Wi-Fi Bad For Us?

George Ou of ZDNet writes about a UK woman who claims that Wi-Fi makes her sick. He then lays out a test scenario that he'd like to give her to prove that she can in fact detect when a Wi-Fi access point is present, like she claims. This isn't the first that I've read about something like this. Just about a month back, about someone in the UK - possibly the same woman - claiming they were getting headaches after installing a Wi-Fi router. This woman, Kate Figes, says Wi-Fi leaves her feeling exhausted, nauseous and sleepless.

Ou calls it "EMF junk science" but the WHO (World Health Organization, not the band that causes hearing loss) has an EMF project, due to public concern about health and electromagnetic fields. Figes isn't the only person claiming this. The WHO's brochure on EMF (PDF, 2 pgs) that "[no] major public health risks have emerged from several decades of EMF research but uncertainties remain." Maybe these people are the proverbial canaries in the coalmine of an cumulative illness that takes time to manifest.

I've certainly found myself more fatigued since installing my Wi-Fi router, but that could be for several reasons, including the fact that I always feel fatigued come Oct/Nov, during Daylight Savings Time change (or whatever it's called). As well, since installing my router, I also spend many more hours working on my computer than previously. Sleep is something I do because I have to. And lack of sleep gives me headaches. A few minutes outside in fresh air almost always seems to make a difference.

It's an easy correlation to assume it has something to do with Wi-Fi, but I'm certainly hoping it doesn't. Imagine what'll happen to the fledgling municipal Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi VoIP phone industry if it does.

Dream Phones, Voice2.0, Voice3.0

Luca Filigheddu describes "voice 3.0" for the future, and lists his dream mobile phone, inspired by an engaging post by Ken Camp. The phone would have several VoIP-related services, multiple
identities, video, configuration of availability, remotely stored contact lists, rich presence information and more. Sounds good to me. Sign me up. Except we're going to have to wait a few years for this before more than just us VoIP bloggers are using the term "voice 3.0".

For the present, I've listed my own VoIPmas wishes. Basically, I won't be happy with anything short of a Buck Rogers cellular wristwatch with WiFi for VoIP, Bluetooth (or Wibree), and a HUD (heads-up display) for video in. Not sure about video out, though the wrist watch should suffice. And so exactly what should we expect for voice 4.0? Portable Star Trek-like holodecks?

VoIP Roundup - Mon Nov 20/06

California Hospitals Implement Multi-Language VoIP Project
A number of public hospitals in California are implement VoIP technology with live multi-language call support in order to serve the large non-English speaking community AT&T is part of the project. Implementation was completed recently. [via TMCNet]

Phonezoo Ringtones Social Network
Diehard cell phone ringtone lovers now have a social network of their own. Phonezoo lets you create your own ringtones, share them with other members, and discover what they have. You can even rate and discuss each ringtone. [via Roam4free] Color me cynical, but do people have nothing better to do, or am I hopelessly out of touch?

How Now, Apple iPhone?
So if Apple really does come out with a so-called iPhone, how do you think it'll operate? Unlocked with SIM cards? Carriers? Daniel Raffel at O'Reilly Emerging Telephony provides his insights, concluding that a carrier partnership might be more painful to them.

Skype On Mobiles Redux

So apparently TalkPlus CEO Jeff Black made a call using TalkPlus from a mobile and to a Skype test user (echo123, which can't be faked - no SkypeIn number). What I'm wondering is what are the implications of that. I've had no luck running Skype on my Palm Treo 650 or any other VoIP soft client (though I can use Mino Wireless' bridge). If there's a solution, I'm not aware of it. So what if TalkPlus works on my Palm? Then why doesn't Skype? But if Talkplus doesn't work, then I'm no better or worse than now. Besides that, though, the implications of the experiment are that TalkPlus have managed to create a mobile client, without Skype components, that can talk to Skype's network. And this means that Skype could lose their revenue stream for SkypeIn numbers. TalkPlus recently received US5.5M in VC financing, so they're probably motivated to become disruptors themselves.

Sony What? Mylo? What's That?

I don't get the freebie gadgets that some of the other VoIP bloggers do, so if I want to test some phone or mobile device, I have to shell out my own cash. Interested in the VoIP capabilities of the Sony Mylo, I walked into my neighborhood Sony Style store late last week and asked the two young male clerks if they were selling it. They looked at each other, then one looked back at me with a bit a of sneer and said, "Sony what? It's replacing the Clio, right?" Uh, pardon me, but you work here, not me. (This is the second gadget store in the same mall with a rude young male clerk. And business owners wonder why some customers would rather buy online.) Diatribe over.

Then again, Luca says the Mylo's not for him. Andy likes the audio and quality and the fact that it has Yahoo Messenger. It also has Skype, which interests me. But he concludes that the novelty of the Mylo wore off for him. (Though some Mylo reviewer did use the Skype file transfer over Wi-Fi because the USB cable was missing.)

So maybe those two rude young idiots saved me some money. Fact is, I stopped buying Sony products since my cassette Walkman in the 1980s. The way I look at it, if I have to shell out a few bucks myself, I think I'm going to wait to see if Apple comes up with an "iPhone". There have been rumours about Apple's VoIP plans for a while, but it's questionable whether any new iPod this year will have VoIP.

VoIP Roundup - Sat Nov 11/06

NZ Telecom Blocking VoIP?
A computer scientist at New Zealand's Otago University is accusing Telecom of limiting bandwidth use for VoIP software on some of their Internet plans, essentially discriminating against certain uses.

Google Talk By Phone On Camrivox
I love Google Talk but Camrivox's decision to offer a phone with Google Talk support just makes me ask "why?" With Google Talk, you can only communicate with fellow users and anyone with a SIP account. Unless I'm missing some crucial new piece of information, you can't call regular landlines from this VoIM client without Talqer. [sources: Digital Lifestyles, PR Web]

UK Businesses Lacking VoIP + VoIM Policy?
An online survey by YouGov suggests that over half of UK businesses have no VoIM or VoIP policy. Email use is generally more common, and policies for it are more likely to be in place.

My Phone Is Red Hot; Your Phone Ain't Diddly Squat

Patrick Barnard of TMCNet asks how much are you willing to pay for fast wireless mobile broadband? Lucent Technologies has done research that shows that both consumers and businesses are willing to pay a premium. The United States and Canada have only recently started rolling out 3G (third-generation) services such as HSPA (HSUPA/ HSDPA - or supa-dupa, as I call it) and EV-DO wireless broadband networks, whereas these are already available in other parts of the world.

But Russell Shaw (who seems to have cloned himself for other blogs) writes at IP Networked (a new GigaOm web property) that he's skeptical of EV-DO, mainly because market analysis shows that many 3G phone users "fail to understand [3G service] benefits." He says that he is actually subscribing to EV-DO service through SprintNextel, which gives him a discounted rate, but that ROI for him specifically might not be worth it.

For me, EV-DO is only a backup, at present. As an onine-based freelancer writer/ technoblogger, I need a "plan B" in case I have any problems with my cable broadband access, or in case I cannot find Wi-Fi network for my laptop if I'm mobile. While it's expensive and I cannot exceed a maximum of 250Mb/month bandwidth. But given that my revenue would disintegrate without it, if I couldn't otherwise access the Internet, it's worth every cent. And I can probably write it off as a legitimate expense against earnings. It's also good for me, since I plan to move next year, and having had lousy response time from cable installers in the past. EV-DO for me is a security blanket, albeit one that could be less tattered and a bit more comfortable - especially in the area of mobile VoIP, which it sucks badly in, at least on the Palm Treo.

Putting Your Best Face Forward

If what Ken Camp is saying in Advances in 3G mobile solutions include facial recognition in video, you might want to make sure that you wake up on the right side of the bed. Imagine: your hair is mess, you're bleary-eyed, and depending on your inclination, your face is either unshaven or unmade. And guess what? Your mobile phone doesn't recognize you and won't let you place a call. Damn biometric machines. Always thinking for themselves and getting it wrong.

Of course, I'm exaggerating. You don't have to worry about video calling etiquette for video-based facial authentication. But there are experiments going on that use facial biometrics to control functions on a mobile phone. This includes more important functionality such as contactless payment, access control, and identification. The biggest problem I see with this, which Ken also points out, is environmental conditions (such as darkness) that might give an inaccurate biometric and thus lock you out. It'll probably take a few years for DoCoMo and others to work these issues out. But if they succeed, we'll certainly live in interesting mobile times.

Nokia Opens US Mobile Apps Research Center

Palo Alto, California, is the home of the new Nokia Research Center. Nokia has a three-agreement with Stanford University to jointly work on research projects for "collaborative mobile computing and applications". The four areas that their research will focus on are:

• Context-aware content and communities.
• Wireless grids.
• Advanced user interfaces and visual media.
• Innovation radio and sensor networks.

Nokia recently bought an RFID company, and with research into wireless grids and sensor networks, it's possible that they will work on crowdsensing applications. In such apps, each mobile phone would have an RFID chip capable of sensing some environmental condition, such as moisture or heat. Each handset would be a node on a wide grid. If such apps are feasible they could revolutionize local/ regional weather reporting, possibly even traffic reporting.

The research center will initially employ 35 researchers, with plans to expand to 100 or more. Nokia recently introduced a new wireless protocol called Wibree, which is a low-power connectivity protocol designed for small objects and possibly mobile phones. Whether Wibree will play a role in the Palo Alto research center is unclear. They have also been planning VoIP on their line of mobile phones for quite some time.

[additional sources: Press.XTVWorld]

VoIP Roundup - Wed Nov 01/06

What TalkPlus Offers
Ken Camp gives an indepth explanation of why TalkPlus is important. They're the mobile VoIP company that just received over US$5M in venture capital. They offer the ability to have multiple phone numbers

You Lose Some, You Win Some
Last year in Q3, Qwest Communications bore a loss in their revenue. This year in Q3, they showed a profit. Earnings were just under US$200M. Verizon Communications also showed a Q3 profit of over 10 times that of Qwest, coming in at US$2B.

Belize: More Skype Blocking
Phil at Skype Journal reports that Belize Telecommunications in Belize (Central America) is interfering with Skype. They have not implemented a full-out block, but some users have witnessed Skype being blocked once in a while.

VoIP Roundup - Tues Oct 31/06

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]

KISS VoIP

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, simplicit