VoIP Now

VoIP Roundup - Thur Mar 08, 2007

Skype Founder Janus Friis: Mile-High Bad Boy
Valleywag reported a couple of days ago that Janus Friis, one of the founders of Kazaa, Skype and Joost, and a millionaire by all accounts, got drunk and frisky with his girlfriend while on a Virgin Airlines flight. Get this: his girlfriend is the daughter of Roger Moore. As in Bond, James Bond.

Clearwire IPO Snags $600M
Intel may have come up with WiMax but Clearwire is the company building the networks in the United States. Doing that cost them $240M last year, but their IPO today generated $600M.

RIM's Balsillie Steps Down
Sort of. Jim Balsillie of RIM, maker of the BlackBerry line of mobile communications devices, has stepped down as a Chair of the Waterloo, Canada, company. This is due in part to an error in earnings reporting that will cost RIM US$250M. [Source: Kitchener-Waterloo local TV] Maybe Balsillie can spend the extra time finding a hockey team.

VoIPing For Profit - Skype Prime?

Skype once more releases a feature, Skype Prime [via], that's in direction competition with their developer community. While it's a very exciting feature - which allows you to bill for a Skype-to-Skype call - Skype is once more suggesting that you shouldn't even bother developing anything because they'll just take the idea or partner with someone else.

Then again, Jyve, Bitwine and other similar Extras are completely safe because Skype is charging an absurd 30% of whatever you charge your callers. As one commenter at the Skype Share blog says, isn't 30% a bit excessive. Someone charging $100/h would end up paying Skype $30/h for a call that is otherwise free.

Someone from the eBay side of things must have a plan to make Skype a laughingstock. I can't see Friis and Zenstrom's original team behaving like this. Something like 5-10% is reasonable. There's also Ether, by the way, which you can use Skype with.

What's With Skype - Reprise

Skype is becoming more of a mystery in the way they do things. I'm still waiting for an answer about why I was sent a mysterious email about my "transaction not being completed". This was nearly two weeks after I purchased their North American SkypeOut promo package for US$14.95 (now $29.95). That's fine. I don't care about the money; it's the principle. But that is piddly in comparison to other things they're doing.

Skype has of late being doing strange things re their Extra partners and Skype community developers. First, they approved Bitwine for Skype partner status, despite it's being in beta, and despite Jyve predating Bitwine and not being in beta. Now they introduce SkypeFind, a business directory where Skypers can rate entries. However, an early Skype developer, KonuSH, had already set up a Skype business directory in 2004.

There are other examples of similar situations in 2006, where Skype introduced a feature in  a new version of their soft client that someone in the developer community had already introduced as an Extra. This is disappointing, to say the least, and sends out a bad message. Personally, I'm still hoping that SightSpeed opens up their developer API and doesn't make the same mistakes Skype seems to be making.

Skype Wants Changes To Mobile Network Access

Skype, whose name is synonymous with VoIP for some people, wants cellular networks operations to change, to be more open. In fact, they're demanding that the US FCC make changes to a legal decision from 1968 related to the AT&T network so that it applies to cell networks. That's because mobile operators limit the traffic on their networks, especially data networks.

Read between the lines and you'll probably conclude what I have: that Skype needs this ruling changed to offer full mobile Skype. Of course, they would also become very competitive with mobile operators as a result.

The irony of course is that while Skype has an open developer API (Application Programmer Interface), their networking protocol is closed - as in private. The general idea behind their request is a good one, but it just seems kind of hypocritical when they won't open their protocol - a decision that has caused companies, universities and countries to ban Skype use. And they're couching as a consumer rights issue.

VoIP Roundup - Sun Feb 25, 2007

Some VoIP Clients Not Approved For Vista
Want some more reasons for why you shouldn't yet switch to Microsoft's new Vista OS? Well if you're a VoIP user, Skype and some other soft clients are not approved for Vista yet. Now that doesn't mean they won't work on Vista, but why take the chance. There are apparently several popular apps that are not approved.

WiMax In India Soon
Intel's WiMax wireless networking protocol will be industry in India soon. A network has already been deployed in Chennai.

Skype Find Competes With The Big Search Engines?
Wondering about the new Skype 3.1 beta for Windows and the SkypeFind feature? Skype Journal thinks that SkypeFind is taking on Google, Microsoft and Yahoo for business listings. That's actually a very accurate assessment. Last year, Google offered click-to-call ability for some American business listings in their Google Maps application. SkypeFind isn't exactly the same, but it's functionality is, and they allow Skypers to rate a business. Not something a business might want though.

New Skype Integrations: Mindmeister

Skype is appearing in more and more web applications. The latest is Mindmeister, and web-based mind mapping tool that goes one step further than bubbl.us. Mindmeister not only allows real-time shared editing with collaborators, but you can use Skype click-to-call buttons to chat with each other during the edit process. [You can read a more focused review at Mashable.]

As a long-time, hard-core mind mapper myself, it's great that VoIP is enabling new forms of collaboration such as this. For example, there are a great many opportunities for VoIP in e-learning, and mind maps are a more intuitive way to brainstorm, teach or tutor. What I'd really like to see mindmapping combined with Learn Without Limits/ Tutors Without Limits, which does use Skype.

Now that said, standalone mind mapping packages like MindJet MindManager and Mindapp are considerably more robust than Mindmeister. And both allow publishing to a hosted web page for sharing with others. However, apps like Mindmeister allow real-time collaboration. It'll be interesting to see if a company such as MindJet who have a fairly mature tool, start offering competitve web-based collaboration tools. In other words, a convergence of functionality would be very, very nice.

What I'm really wondering, though, is when there will be similar SightSpeed integrations. They really need to open up their API.

VoIP Roundup - Fri Feb 23, 2007

Skype 3.1 Windows Beta Released
Skype just announced a 3.1 beta revision for Windows. I haven't even bothered to upgrade to 3.0 because I wasn't sure that the Skype Extras I had installed would all work, and because there weren't enough new features to entice me. This release has one new "major" feature called SkypeFind, which lets the Skype community post or find information about "local businesses you like".

Skype Pro for Europe Launches
Skype announced their new Pro calling plans for Europe earlier in the week. Monthly subscription is 2 Euros, which gives free calls to domestic landlines in 15 European countries, free Skype Voicemail, 30 Euro discount on SkypeIn and a few other goodies.

Sitofono Mobile Click-to-Call
Having fallen behind on my VoIP reading in January and early February, I missed a lot of stories, including that Luca Filigheddu and Sitofono now offer free click-to-call functionality from mobile web browsers. Very cool. Now they can challenge Microsoft's mobile click to call.

Watch Out For Tech IPOs in 2007

Om Mailk writes about Business 2.0's Michael Copeland, who says this year will be a big one for tech companies to go public. I'd have to agree. Last year was iffy for many tech firms, who delayed their IPOs or saw poor returns after going public. A fortunate few, especially in the RFID market, managed to get VC (Venture Capital) funding.

I subscribe to theory that there will be a tech bubble burst in 2010 or 2011. The economy in North America has gone into the tank at the end of a decade, or in the first year of a new one - every decade since 1970, that I'm aware of. I think that not even a Democrat becoming the next President is going to deflect that. However, if the right Democrat wins, I'm speculating that we'll see amazing growth in the stock market over the next 4-8 years. (Though I don't know who that person is, who the voters will accept, but I have a suspicion - someone who hasn't throw their hat in the ring yet.)

That said, I don't think this will be a big IPO year for VoIP IPOs, though things may change in 2008 or 2009. Investors are probably still wary because of Vonage stock's poor performance, and they and Skype are probably the two most well-known VoIP services around the world.

What's With Skype?

Late last week, I received an email from Skype saying the my transaction had not completed. Ten days prior to this message (about Jan 30th), I'd bought the US$14.95 unlimited SkypeOut for Canada and the US. I'd previously sent an email to support, and they replied within three business days that, no, everything was fine and that the $2.21 SkypeOut credit showing was for International calls.

Great, I thought. All clear. Then I get this new email around last Thursday or Friday. I sent a query back, but also said how peeved I was, especially as a VoIP blogger. It's now close to 4 business days and I have yet to hear back. I'm even less happy. Especially since the money WAS withdrawn from my PayPal account on Jan 30th.

What's the dealio, Skype? I'm now absolutely certain that my next telephony purchase (VoIP or otherwise)  will not be from Skype. I'm increasingly disappointed with them.

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.

Skype Gives You The Virtual Human Assistant

Now this is great for small business: an appropriately qualified Skyper somewhere in the world to handle your customer calls. VoIP bloggers have debated VoIP-based telecommuting because the question is one of remote trust: who are you hiring? Who will monitor them? Aside from that, a bit of tweaking and a small but diverse team means the ability to handle client calls in different languages - a truly virtual, VoIP-based team.

A worldwide Skype-based "telephonist" team would essentially act as multiplexers, with each dealing with the customers of more than one client. There is an opportunity here for someone to set up a web services web site to broker VoIP-based business communications services between people to answer calls (telephonists) and companies that need it done. This is exactly the sort of functionality that VoIP/ vVoIP affords that regular telecom cannot.

That said, Varras Consulting is in fact doing exactly that, and the necessary or preferred skills to work from home include being multilingual. Varras is also resolving the trust issue by requiring a non-criminal background and a security check.

Now Varras Consulting is not a VoIP company, so they wouldn't qualify to be in the 25 most interesting VoIP startups, but bravo to them for pushing the edge of IP communications use. Let's hope that Skype call quality is not an issue.

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.

6 Things To Know About Skype VoIP

[newbies] As mentioned the other day, I finally got myself SkypeOut - at least the North American Skype promo plan - for US$14.95 for a full year of unlimited calling. Now that it's February, though, the price is $29.95. I figure, why pay Vonage or someone else $29.95/mth or more when I can get what I need (for now) for less than $1.50 per month.

If you're new to Skype but thinking of getting it to make Internet phone calls, here are a few things to know:

1. You need a computer. Well, there are some hardware solutions that get around that (though I don't know enough to comment), but you at least need a cable connection. That's true of most VoIP services except those that are bridged.
2. Quality of calls varies. Skype QoS (Quality of Service) relies on several factors:
   
   1. Type of call. I.e., whether the call is pc-to-pc or pc-to-phone. The former usually produces better quality. PC means either a computer or a Skype phone.
   2. Available memory. If you've eatesn up a lot of RAM running other processes, shut some programs down before you make/ continue a call.
   3. Network usage. If you're on cable, your Internet connection will suffer at certain times of day. There's no way around this except to wait.
      
   4. Wi-Fi. If you're using a wireless connection, you could suffer additional call quality degradation.
3. Loads of Extras. Skype has an open developer API, so there are a growing number of plugins and addons. Some of them are frivolous and some are truly useful. So you could write your own.
4. Business over Skype. Not Skype for business, but Extras that let you conduct calls for pay, with payment made via PayPal accounts. Example Extras are Bitwine and Jyve. Though if you buy the N. American promo package, there's a note saying you shouldn't be using it for business. Hmm. That means they're planning more business services.
5. Turn it off. If you aren't using Skype, you're best off shutting the program down completely. Note that when you close the client, it minimizes in your toolbar. At least on PCs. I don't have a Mac yet to test that.
6. Bans or blocks. Some countries, companies, and universities ban Skype both because of their closed protocol and their network architecture model. So you may not be able to get or use Skype.

By the way, you can learn a lot more about Skype from VoIP News' Hacking Skype feature, which has a list of interesting plugins as well as tricks for making Skype do more for you.

I Got The SkypeOut

Skype can be confusing in their operations. It's possible that I was too busy to note any message on their end, but after I splurged and spent the princely sum of $14.95 for their promo (unlimited SkypeOut to Canada and the US for one year), my credits only showed a few dollars. I emailed support, and after 3 days (to be fair, they say 24-72 hrs), they clarified that the $14.95 transaction shows as a "delivered" on the final web page after purchase, as well as in a confirmation email.

I guess that makes sense, as the SkypeOut credit displayed in the Skype client applies to International calls. Now that that's cleared up, I'm going to starting testing call forwarding and maybe even some presence options from other companies. I'd like to have a SkypeIn phone number, but there's none for Toronto and area just yet, so I'm contemplating getting a New York City number to use with something like Ether. I can pair that up with SkyNET Tel's toll-free number.

Unfortunately, Even Skype Can't Get PayPal Payments Right

If you don't already know, the online payments processor PayPal is owned by eBay, who also owns the Skype VoIP soft client and service. I finally convinced myself that the N. American Skype promo, which is only US$14.95 for a full year of unlimited calling, is worth buying. Even though I won't use it much until after I move to Toronto later this year, the $14.95 deal ends in a few days and increases to $29.95 after Jan 31st.

So, with PayPal being a sister company, you'd think Skype could get the payment process simplified. I just went through the process, and clicked on the "pre-approved" checkbox (for simplifying later Skype purchases), online to find that instead of taking money out of my PayPal account, the transaction wanted me to add a credit card. I don't use them, plain and simple. So that means I had to start the whole process over, but without the preapproved setting. Which means that if I want any additional services, I have to go through the process again.

Of course, Skype doesn't yet have SkypeIn numbers for my area (soon to be Toronto), and the promo gives me free calling within Canada and the US for a year, so the point is moot. That is, I don't need the preapproved option yet, but I will. And then again, this is a PayPal problem that I repeatedly encounter when I try to buy subscriptions or give pre-approval for something. That means, with my forgetful nature, businesses lose out on sales from me. I just wish they'd display a clear message saying that that such and such an option requires a credit card.

Internet TV: Let There Be Joost

Joost, formerly known as TVP (The Venice Project) is the new P2P (peer-to-peer) Internet TV client from the boys who founded Skype and Kazaa. I got on the private beta test list before the name change and for TOS/ NDA reasons, I haven't written much about software.

Fact is, I didn't really test the old TVP version that I installed during the weeks before Christmas 2006. My cable-based connection in Dec was horribly slow, and my wireless router seems to make slow connections worse (yeah, it's password -protected and uses WPA encryption). So long story short, I tried TVP for a few minutes here and there and never actually saw any video and could only comment on the interface. Well, not really, according to the NDA, I guess.

But now that Joost is into public beta, I figure that I can carefully write a bit about it. Well, it appears that the new version uses a lot smaller executable file size. If I'm not mistaken, TVP was 250 Mb (though I can't remember, and I've wiped the download). Joost is tiny in comparison.

My Internet connection issues must be over as well, as right now, I'm watching the making of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hilarious tribute video Dani California. With the exception of a bit of starting and stopping, I swear I'm watching TV and not Internet TV (aka IPTV). But the stopping and starting is more than likely completely due to my RAM usage being maxed out than any problems with Joost. It also helps that I have a dual processor, I think.

I'm incredibly impressed with the video quality, the simple clean interface, and the variety of content already, including some documentaries and "critical shorts". As a TV junkie since my childhood (anyone remember the TV show Herman's Head? That speaks to me.) Though there's no way I'll be watching the "channel" of the world's stupidest celebrity, Paris Hilton.

Speaking of content, Nettwerk Records, one of my all time fave labels (aside from 4AD) has a channel as well. Nettwerk has always been very forward thinking. Back when the Internet just went public, I found that big labels were very reluctant to even set up a website. I sent Nettwerk an email suggesting they create one, and they responded that they already. Stupid me. I checked it out, and I have to say I'm not surprised they're in the channel list for Joost. Though I am surprised that the David Bowie, who a few years back incorporated himself and sold futures (and even had an ISP for a while), isn't part of this. He and David Byrne are both forward thinkers that I expected here, along with, say, Laurie Anderson.

Now I could write at great length about how groundbreaking I think Joost is, but I have to stop somewhere. Let's wrap up, bad with the good:

• There's no VoIP, though there is Gmail and Jabber text chat.
• The ads are already here and can't be fast-forwarded through. But I assume they pay for the content. T-Mobile and Garnier are some of the ones I saw.
  
• When I shut down my Firefox browser, Joost seemed to grab a huge slice of the newly available RAM. Though when my browser was restarted, it when back to using only between 8-33% of RAM.
• There are loads of plugins, but most don't interest me. (Being able to text chat with others about a channel or video is a cool, web2.0 idea, but I don't have time for it.) I watch content minimize while I research or write articles, so I have to limit my "interaction" time.
   

My external TV tuner card might get less use now, but Joost isn't going to replace my regular viewing of the CSI and Law & Order franchises, not to mention some of the newer comedies, Supernatural, Smallville, and a variety of forensic shows. Will Joost have such content in the future? Who knows? But with my cable company increasing my Internet access costs and removing good channels from the basic package, I'm likely to lean towards watching more Joost. If not, I need to buy a quad core computer and multiple monitors to satisfy my video jones to watch both at the same time.

Skype: The Price is Right?

At the end of the month, the SkypeOut rates for Canada and the US are going up to US$29.95. That's not a monthly rate; it's for unlimited calling for a full year. The current promo rate is US$14.95 for the full year - less than $2/m. I'm probably going to take advantage of the special rate on the last day of January.

I don't typically make a lot of long distance calls anymore, now that I work out of the house, and since I use text chat or email for the most part. However, I'm moving back to the big city, Toronto, Canada, sometime this summer or early fall, to be able to make it to various tech conferences and possibly do some teaching.

That means that if I want to stay in touch with my parents, it'll be a lot of long distance (two different places). And that'll be from my cell phone, since I haven't had a land line in around 10 years and don't plan to. That'll add up, even for the occasional call every month. Skype's price looks more appealing now (though they still don't have SkypeIn numbers for Toronto while Gizmo does).

Even at the doubled price after Jan 31st, it could still be worth it. Skype Journal's Phil Wolff puts the Pro Skype pricing in perspective: 4.3 SkypeOut minutes per day pays back the Pro calling plan, when compared to the new per minute rates - which are higher than they were last year, with no promise of quality. (He even offers a spreadsheet if you want to see the calculations.)

And that's my main beef. The quality of my Skype calls weren't great in December. What's more, since my mother doesn't have a computer and my father doesn't want to use VoIP, for them to call me is going to be costly for them. One the one hand, it's a piddly sum for a full year of unlimited calls. On the other, both parents have complained to me of the quality of my Skype calls to them, even though we all live in the same town. The other problem, as mentioned above, is that SkypeIn doesn't support Toronto yet. It'll be expensive for my parents to call me (my brother just emails me).

That means I need some other option, possibly SkyNET-tel's 1-800 number and a Toronto VoIP number for inbound calling. Why can't there be a single computer-based VoIP solution for a city as large as Toronto (as large as Atlanta, Georgia, if I'm not mistaken). No doubt people in other cities are wondering the same thing. So is the price right or isn't it? I'm undecided.

VoIP Roundup - Thur Jan 25, 2006

TellMe: What's The 4-1-1?
TellMe, a new service for Java-enabled mobile phones, is a potential 411-killer, and voice-activated at that. See Techcrunch for details.

Skype Gross Profits Heading Upwards
Apparently in Q4 2006, Skype sold a lot of minutes: US$1.5 billion worth, compared to $1.1B in Q3. More at GigaOm.

Bring The Woize
UK-based Woize is bringing it stateside in February. All 50 states will have VoIP service and DID numbers. [via VoIP News] So the already competitve US market will have yet another contender.

I Think I Cracked My (Blue)Tooth
One flaw of Bluetooth is that it's susceptible to easy hacking. Well, that just got even easier with Bluetooth cracking tools released by a couple of German programmers. Companies apparently don't put as much emphasis on security for Bluetooth, and these cracking tools are proof-of-concept.

Communication Breakdown: 5 Fake New Year's VoIP Resolutions

VoIP/ IP comm and related companies have made some boo-boos this year, and are probably making some resolutions for the New Year. Here's what they might be resolving to do.

1. Skype. We resolve to put more thought into our business version's design, and actually let bloggers know about new versions ahead of time. Well, at least a day or two.
2. Vonage. We resolve to boost our stock's share price to at least $15 in 2007.
3. Gizmo Project. We resolve to stop being the Rodney Dangerfield of VoIP services and get some respect. And more subscribers.
4. Google. We resolve to think through our click-to-call products before releasing them.
5. Cable companies. We resolve to stop screwing subscribers with ridiculous residential VoIP rates when we're already screwing them on TV subscription rates.

Skype Call In Numbers Not In Your Country?

With the impending SkypeOut pricing for the entire world to be revealed at the end of January 2007, you'd think Skype might also try to push their SkypeIn option. SkypeIn is essentially a local phone number. If you get one of these, people can call you on your computer from landlines and mobiles (and from Skype), just as if you had a regular phone number. Well, call quality issues aside, this a very appealing idea to me and no doubt some other Skype users. Except that SkypeIn numbers are only available in about 14 countries.

I sent an email to Skype support recently, and here is part of their response:

Thank you for your dedication to Skype.

We are doing our best to add more and more SkypeIn numbers in different locations. Sometimes there are more difficulties in negotiating with corresponding authorities than we expect, so it takes time to introduce this product in certain areas.

As soon as there are new locations added there will be an announcement on our web site.

We are sincerely sorry for keeping you waiting.

That's a reasonable, polite explanation, though it would suggest that some providers, such as Gizmo Project, are better negotiators, seeing as they have CallIn/ local numbers in 28 countries.

Digging Into The Skype Protocol

Nuno at 21Talks reveals a bit about the inner workings of Skype. I've speculated before, but he confirms that Skype uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol), a connectionless protocol, instead of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). This backs up my previous speculation as to why Skype sometimes has crappy voice quality: data packets can arrive in which order they want to. TCP, on the other hand, orders packets going in and coming out. So if there are network problems, Skype will exhibit the "warbled" voice phenomenon. This could also happen if free RAM and/or processing cycles on your computer are low, resulting low quality VoIP calls.

It might be due to the holiday season, but my cable connection has been especially horrible for over two weeks now. While I've only used Skype for VoIP during this period, I'm hazarding a guess that any VoIP service is suffering some sort of problems.

Skype Trojan Attack?

Who woulda thunk it? Skype recently suffered from a Trojan horse attack in the Chat mode, which on some computers tried to get users to download an sp.exe file. Apparently, the Yahoo Messenger IM had a Trojan virus as well.

These events show that certain types of VoIP service are susceptible to some form of attacks. Now security experts have been saying that things will be worse in 2007. This is on top of vishing attacks, which are expected to grow. Add to this the fact that e-911 is being mandated of VoIP providers in the US by the FCC. This could be yet another advantage for pure play VoIP services such as Vonage.

Expanding E-Learning With Skype Conferencing

Ask any schoolchild and you'll probably find that they enjoy learning about other cultures, other children. A teacher in South Carolina  has a project to hold videoconferences between his class and one in Peru. And not surprisingly, the kids loved it. Me, I was happy to see the moon landing or an eclipse on the "A/V monitors", as we called the the bulky video players way back when. Video conferencing would have been way cool (though impossible back then). So I'm glad to see that teachers are using technology in innovative ways, expanding the global village and simultaneously involving children in a sort of electronic living anthropological experiment.

Hopefully, other teachers will follow suit. Video conferencing has many uses, not the least of which is e-learning/ tutoring - i.e., as a teaching aid.

Skype Roundup - Tues Dec 26, 2006

Skype Journal
One of my fave VoIP blogs, Skype Journal, hasn't been been posted to in several weeks. Phil Wolff commented elsewhere on some technical problems that they are trying to sort out. But I just now looked and it appears the domain expired on the 19th. Jim, Phil, I really hope you guys get this sorted out, as it'd be a bloody shame if you lost the domain. Hopefully you didn't forget, while trying to sort out the other technical problems.

Share Your Music
A Last.fm playlist badge is one of the popular ways that bloggers let people know what music they've been listening to. Now, you can share your Last.fm playlist in Skype 3.0 with an Extra, as well as build a customizable radio for yourself. The Share Skype blog gives more detail.

Disruptive VoIP Pricing To Come
Skype has already announced disruptive SkypeOut pricing for North American users. But they've also let on that there'll be a disruptive pricing strategy for all 136 million users. That'll be revealed Jan 18th, 2007. Will this move forever set the standard for VoIP pricing around the world? We'll know in a few short weeks.

Skype For Business?
With a poor and subdued showing in Skype 3.0 For Windows - Business Edition, many of us VoIP bloggers have been wondering what it's really in store. A recent article quotes VP Mobile + Telecom Services Michael Jackson joking about no Skype trucks in the future (to configure business installations), though there may be independent Skype integrators. Also mentioned is that Skype for business functions will evolve, but that they'll be relying on an "ecosystem of third parties" in the short to medium term. Wait and see, I guess.

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.

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.

Skype Coping Well

Skype may have had a number of management shakeups and an exodus of staff, but they not only seem to have that under control, but Version 3.0 for Windows went live (i.e., past beta) and Skype 2.2 for Windows Mobile was released, with support for 120 smartphones and Pocket PCs.

There's also been recent talk of coming support for Symbian phones, but there's been nary a peep about support PalmOS-based Palm Treos. I'm waiting patiently for St. Niklas (Zennstrom) to announce this, but somehow I think it won't be this Christmas. Ah well, real mobile VoIP will be out of reach for me for now.

Skype Management Changes: Insider News

Jaanus (not Janus Friis), who blogs at Skype, talks of the management changes and how organization charts were being drawn up and were then thrown out because of even more changes. And here's the scoop. (The employee defections aren't mentioned.) At least, it seems to be: Niklas Zennstrom, one of the founders (along with Janus Friis)

will continue to run the company according to his vision with the rest of his original core team that started Skype more than three years ago.

The eBay people brought in will stay on as advisors. It's pretty much spelled out in between the lines of contradiction. They've brought St. Niklas back in. Maybe that's why TVP (The Venice Project) didn't meet its mid-November release date? Whatever the reasons for this, it's a good thing, for who would know the product better?

Friends By Skype

Jaanus snuck in a little tidbit of information on the Share Skype blog indicating that

over half the people using Skype use it to meet someone new.

Very interesting. How do you meet people online? For me, I've mostly met new friends and acquaintances this year via interaction in the comments section of weblogs and community sites, and sometimes through PM (private messaging/ pseudo email at community sites). I have met some people via Skype for interviews, but then, I'm not actively seeking to meet people due to a busy schedule. How about you? (Though I did find four hello messages on my Verbdate profile the other day. Verbdate uses Skype click-to-call buttons to enable members to chat with each other, by opt-in.) How do you meet people online?

VoIP Roundup - Mon Dec 18/06

Design Skype Wallpaper, Win Skype Phone
The new Skype 3.0 lets you add your own wallpaper to create your own customize look. And if you come up with something that you think other Skype users may like, enter it into their wallpaper contest before Jan 13, 2007, midnight, GMT. The best 3 designs will win a US Robotics USB Internet Mini Phone. Here are some sample wallpapers.

Say No To POTS
POTS = Plain Old Telephone System. Time to show it the door.

To Approve Or Not To Approve?
Question: Why go through telecom deregulation in the 1990s to reduce unfair monopolies only to allow still giant telcos to merge in the 2000's? Answer: I wish I had one. The US Justice Dept is being accused of messing up their antitrust business analyses before the approval of two mergers.

Vodafone Gets Huge Fine
Greece's telecom regulator is fining the local Vodafone division 76M Euros for their part in a wiretapping scandal. Ouch.

New North American Skype Promos

A quick glance at the Skype website shows not only a brand new home page but a new 50% off promo for North American users. If you'll recall, N.A. Skypers can call any phone in the US and Canada for free until Dec 31st. Now, you can get one full year of unlimited calling in these two countries for only US$14.95. (Skype has also had promos in the UK, France, and other places.)

Not a bad deal, and you can use PayPal to pay. Except that my most recent conversation using Skype, which was actually to another Skyper, was of terrible quality. It may have had something to do with my running Audacity to record the conversation, but having successfully used HotRecorder and Skype on a laptop with one less processor and half the memory, I'm not so sure of that. In fact, because of this, I opted to use my mobile phone to make a long distance call today to a tech support team (not Skype) instead of worrying that sound quality would suck.

The sum of $14.95 is paltry, especially if it'll save you more than $1.25/mth in long distance. But if the quality is questionable, you have to decide on your priorities. (That said, my cable Internet connection has been terrible the last few days, so maybe it's not Skype's fault.) Though if you do opt for it, they throw in US$50 in coupons for a Motorola headset, Netgear Wi-Fi phone, and Polycom speaker phone. What I would have liked to see is, say, an unlimited calling plan for $39.95-$59.95 for one year that includes a free Skype-certified Wi-Fi phone.

A couple of notes. After Jan 31st, 2007, the plan's price goes back to US$29.95. During the first three days after signup, you can only use Skype for 7 hours per day. Seriously. Even a chatterbox like myself has never spent more than 6 hours on the phone in a single day.

Configuring A Bluetooth Headset For Desktop VoIP Software

If you already have any Bluetooth headset for your cell phone, note that it can be used for VoIP soft clients such as Skype and SightSpeed. You'll need to either have a built-in Bluetooth card on your PC/ laptop, or get a Bluetooth USB dongle. Next step, configure your VoIP soft client to change the input/ output device. Shut down any program that uses sound first, else they'll be rerouted to your headset. It's not fun listening to TV or music over a single-ear headset.

That's all you need to do, but you may need to fiddle with your soft client's sound settings to get it to work right. As for comfort level, I ditched my Logitech Mobile Express after only two or three weeks of use. It sits on top of my audio mixer, no longer used, because the earpiece chafes parts of the ridge of my inner ear, which was bruised for many days after only the first two days of using it. I found that, at most, I could wear it for about 1-1.5 hours before it became uncomfortable. The Motorola Oakley Bluetooth sunglasses are said to be more comfortable, though not only is the unit expensive, it's unlikely you want to wear your sunglasses at night, especially indoors.

Skype Blocks The Blockers

When Skype recently released its version 3.0 for Windows, it introduced a version that was harder for Skype blockers to detect it. No doubt this has caused grief in the hearts of all those sys admins in countries (and universities and corporations) who have been told to block Skype. Dal at AsteriskVoIPNews provides some technical details about how Skype achieved their cloaking, and what Skype blockers are doing as a result to detect and block the software.

Speaking of blocking, Nokia has launched their own VoIP blocker. What are they thinking? This is the company that announced IM over all their latest cell phones. Why do this then?

Skype and Bandwidth On Mobile

Did you get a shiny new EV-DO data card for your laptop or EV-DO on your PDA/ smartphone? If you're running Mobile Windows (not Palm OS), you can run Skype on your phone. If you're wondering about how much bandwidth is used up by Skype, and whether it'll eat into your EV-DO monthly data plan, Ken Camp provides a few details, gleaned from the Skype FAQ. He also discusses the quality of a call between himself and Phoneboy.

My own experience with EV-DO on my Palm Treo 650 (Palm OS) is limited to calls over VoIP bridges, as EV-DO and Palm OS don't play nice. So while I can run a few Google Talk compatible IM (Instant Messaging) clients on my Treo, I cannot run actual VoIP software. Yet. However, with my one success (I gave up after a while) on Mino Wireless, the call quality was very good.

Unyte vs AIM Pro: Desktop Sharing - I'll Show You Mine

Earlier, I mentioned Unyte, a Skype plugin that allows collaboration (desktop sharing), web conferencing, and more. I downloaded and installed Unyte and took it through a few tests. The interface is clean, and it appears easy to find everything. You can pick through your Skype contact list and decide whom you want to share with (though you need Unyte+ for more than one person). A comparison of Unyte to AIM Pro's desktop sharing is given below.

I tried it in both modes, and it's fairly similar to AIM Pro's desktop sharing features. (I ran Unyte + Skype on my desktop, and another Skype account on my laptop.) The main differences:

• Unyte's interface can be in one of 12 languages, including English. Though to be honest, I never checked for this in AIM Pro.
• Unyte has two modes: a display share only, and a controlled share between all parts. I.e., remote desktop control.
• AIM Pro will let you see the Windows start bar at the bottom of the screen. Unless I missed it, Unyte doesn't have that.
• Unyte is integrated with Skype, so you can easily determine sharing.
• AIM Pro only shares one on one; at least, I don't think you can have a conference share.
• Unyte lets you pick what to share, out of the applications already running. But if you pass control over to another person, theycan start an app by clicking on your desktop icon (remotely).
• Unyte actual shared session runs in an Internet Explorer window on the other party's computer, so they don't need Unyte. With AIM Pro, the shared session starts up in a browser (mine started in Firefox) then switches to a separate window. However, this could still be a browser window, as Firefox allows this through XUL. The documentation says that it'll work with IE, Firefox or Safari on any platform, so it must be defaulting to IE on my laptop.

These are the differences that stand out for me. A few other features are that Unyte lets you quickly click a checkbox to turn off all sharing. You can be selective of which applications you use. The other parties don't need Unyte, as noted above, but they need Skype 2.0 or later. The host can only use Windows 2000/2003 or XP.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed. I can see immediate applications of this, as I hire a few writers from across the world, and I can very quickly give them a live training session.

I haven't tried Skype 3.0 for Windows Beta, so I cannot comment on Skype's own desktop sharing features, or whether they'll affect Unyte in any way. Unyte is Skype-certified, so I'm assuming Skype isn't going to directly compete with their own partners. (More on that once I find out details.)

Unyte + Skype For Desktop Sharing

Skype's latest version 3.0 for Windows already has desktop sharing, but I haven't tried it out yet. Unyte, however, has a plugin that works with Skype - two, actually. One is free and allows desktop viewing. The other, Unyte+, costs $30+/year and allows desktop application sharing, shared control and scheduling web conferencing, etc. It has what appears to be good integration with Skype, as it lets you pick your conference participants from your Skype contact list. You can also select which applications to display/ share.

The free version only allows 1:1 viewing (that is, one person showing their desktop to one other person. Unyte+ supports 1-25 users. You can download both versions for free, though after 30 days, Unyte+ has to be upgraded to a paid version. No idea how Skype's own native support for desktop sharing (in version 3.0) will affect Unyte. It looks quite interesting, and a comparison of Unyte to AIM Pro's desktop sharing will be posted shortly.

VoIP Roundup - Fri Nov 17/06

Free Asterisk Voice Prompts Until Nov 21, 2006
Digium recently changed the deal on their Asterisk voice prompts, so Ward Mundy at Nerd Vittles has generously decided to give away a block of IVR (Interactive Voice Response) prompts, 20 words or less (hyphenated words are multiple) until Nov 21, 2006. If you don't know what voice prompts are, you probably don't need them :)

Verizon Business Conferencing
Everyone's getting into the VoIP conferencing market, and Verizon Business is the latest.

Google Maps Click-to-Call
[UPDATED]Thanks to the new click-to-call integration, you can find a business on Google Maps and then click on the displayed phone number to initiate a call to the business. Of course, you can't do this with Google Talk. You enter your phone number into an available form field on the map result, and a call is initiated. Google's service rings up the business and then you.

Show Me The Money In VoIP - The Fabled Skype ROI

Recently, I did some rough math on how long it might take eBay to recoup their US$2.6B purchase of Skype last year. My admittedly rough calcs showed about 4 years (17 quarters), not counting inflation and taxes, based on recently observed quarterly increases in gross revenues. But Russell Shaw thinks that it'll take years for the ROI to show on Skype, which is in agreement with Kevin O'Brien's Where's the return on investment. Oh ye of little faith! Didn't I just agree with Andy Abramson that eBay has too many smarts to not monetize Skype in some manner? Granted they'll need some "disruptor" type management to replace those old-school Skypers heading for the door.

Russell also says that Skype doesn't understand how business users think, in relation to the quietly released Skype 3.0 for Windows - Business version, and explains his reasoning. Jim Courtney of Skype Journal echoes this sentiment, partly because Skype did so little to promote this version. Now I have to agree with Russell there, despite reserving judgement the other day. Their software, pre-eBay, was never intended for enterprise. This new "business" version has a few concessions for enterprises, but there's a lot that's left out, such as an IP PBX, etc.

If eBay is smart, they'll buy Canadian Pika Technologies, who've married Skype to an Asterisk IP PBX. Though I don't know how the open source license would work in this case. Still, an alliance with a company as smart as Pika would do post-eBay Skype a world of good in terms of business solution potential.

Business Skype 3.0 For Windows?

Skype's gone release mad these past few days. First it was Skype 3.0 for Windows Beta, then yesterday 2.5 for Mac Beta. They also released an update for 3.0 Windows Beta, and very quietly, Skype 3.0 for Windows - Business Version. What gives? Why not announce it? Are they shy because they themselves said Skype's not meant for the enterprise? The download page does say that it's only for experienced users, because they're still working on it.

The so-called "business friendly features" include a Windows Installer (MSI), increased security, easy deployment, admin control, and multiple account management from the "Business Control Panel". And then there's the standard features. I'll have to look into these further at some point in the near future (probably after it's out of beta), but this version could go a long way towards assuaging the fears that several companies and a few universities have had about security and other issues. And since it's still free, the monetization will have to come from SkypeIn, SkypeOut, and Skype-certified Wi-Fi phones, I guess.

Now, marrying Skype with an IP PBX, such as Pika Technologies has done, makes sense.

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.

VoIP Roundup - Wed Nov 15/06

Skype Enterprise Features Coming?
Skype execs have hinted at upcoming enterprise and call center features. So maybe this will be how eBay finally monetizes Skype?

Speed Demons
The 100-Gigabit Ethernet (100-GbE) technology is here, being demonstrated by a number of companies and the University of California Santa Cruz. A test run sent a signal from Tampa, Florida to Houston, Texas, and back - a first for a live production network. If I understand this correctly, IP backbones will get this technology fairly soon. And as 100-GbE becomes commonplace, likely in several years time, it should mean some incredible real-time video conferencing ability, superfast downloads of movies, and live video broadcasts, to name just a few benefits.

Legal Issues Surrounding VoIP Enterprise Implementations
TechRepublic details legal issues to be aware of when planning a VoIP implementation. They have real alphabet soup of issues, some of which I've only peripherally aware of: SOX/ Sarbox (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), GLBA, HIPAA, E911.

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.

Skype Troubles? Make Room For SightSpeed

Since eBay bought Skype not so long ago, the story goes that much of the old guard management has left. The International Herald Tribute (and others) wrote about this and Andy Abramson weighed in on the goings on. His conclusion (hope I'm not misquoting) is that eBay has enough smarts to make Skype profitable, but they need someone to run the show, to be a proper disruptive force. That is, to continue being the disruptive force that Skype was before the purchase and can hopefully still be.

Well, I agree with that assessment, but the company I'm gunning for as the up and coming disruptive force is SightSpeed. Their video calling quality arguably tops Skype's. Sure, they don't have the addon architecture that Skype has recently moved up to with Skype 3.0 for Windows Beta, but maybe that's coming - assuming I haven't somehow missed something on SightSpeed's website. Otherwise, if the ability to develop addons for Sightspeed appears in the next few releases, I think that they will become the primary disruptive force in the soft VoIP niche. (I vaguely recall something that one of the support staff told me a few months back about the existence of an SDK or API or some such, but I think it's only available on a selective basis.)

All I Want For VoIPmas Is SuperSkype

Skype just released their 3.0 Beta for Windows. Wow. From 2.5 to 3.0 in only a couple of months. What's this one got that's new? Supposedly Skypecasts and Public Chats, which I thought were already part of Skype. Click-to-call from websites through Skype browser extensions (for IE and Firefox web browsers). Again, this functionality already exists for Skype through other means. A more powerful user interface: new tabbing arrangements, wall paper. Skype Extras, for playing games, sharing desktops, and a whiteboard for notes during Skype calls. (Extras aren't new, but they have been integrated more tightly with the interface.) Enterprise compatibility? This should be interesting.

But to clarify, the Skypecasts are now browsable. Search for a Skypecast then join in. The Public Chat host can moderate conversation and reject or ban users. Public chats are promotable as links in email, web pages or Skype mood messages.

What'd be really cool, though, is built-in recording, with aim to satisfy podcasters. That means searchable meta tags on recordings (a la HotRecorder). Plus the ability to post the podcast to a weblog on the all of the popular blog platforms. There is Skype Recorder v1.2, which is free and activates automatically, but it doesn't have those extra features that would be great for podcasters.

Suggestion to eBay/Skype: buy HotRecorder and hire a team to do weblog posting integration work as well. At that point, I would actually pay for the Skype soft client (provided I can use Paypal, your sister company, to do so).

So, St. Niklas (Zennstrom), all I want for Xmas is a super Skype that does all of the above. Oh yeah. And the ability to mobile Skype from my PalmOS-based Palm Treo 650 running on CDMA EV-DO cellular wireless Internet access. I'm not asking much, am I?

Recording Multi-Person Conversations For Podcasting

Nick Wilson over at Performancing.com asks about "the quickest, cheapest way to do high quality multiple stream podcasts." Meaning, in this case, recording a VoIP conference call and publishing it to a website as a podcast.

There are hosted services and even some that let you initiate a conference call from their website. For example, Gabcast offers free podcast creation and hosting, but there are some limitations. There are toll-free numbers for the US, but in other places, you might have to pay for a long-distance call.

But in my opinion, the quickest, cheapest way to pull off a multi-person podcast is, arguably, with Skype. For a free solution, a Skype conference call will work fine provided a few factors are satisfied:

1. Everyone is using Skype. I.e., not landlines or mobile phones in use.
2. You shut down any unnecessary apps on each participating computer. (For best call quality.)
3. You all have a broadband connection and are not talking during a busy period locally (late afternoon, mid evening, before midnight).

There are a few other tips for better VoIP call quality.

For recording the calls, there's HotRecorder (HotRecorder.com, US$14.95) which is even geared for podcasters. There's a search function based on the text that you attach to each recording. HotRecorder, if it's running on your PC (Windows XP, 2003, only for now), will automatically start recording when a call comes in on Skype, or you activate it. HotRecorder works on Skype conference calls as well.

For a completely free solution, use the Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net) audio editor (with support for Cubase VST plugins) to record the call. Audacity has to be manually started, but it's easy to edit your audio track afterwards - something HotRecorder does not feature. Audacity runs on Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux.

Also see VoIPcasting: recording VoIP and Podcasting.

How Do You Video VoIP?

If you're using a VoIP soft client such as Skype or SightSpeed, you probably already know that both have a video calling mode. Either party on such a call can view and/or transmit video, assuming that both have cameras. The video mode can also be one directional. So if you're not up to showing yourself on call, you don't have to, but you can still see the other party if they enable video from their end. As Peter Csathy, CEO of SightSpeed, points out, keeping video mode turned off can serve multiple purposes, including allowing you to do other work while participating in a voice call. So there are suitable times for non-video, so you don't have to worry about things such as video calling etiquette.

UAE To Lift VoIP Ban?

VoIP services have been blocked in the recent past in a number of countries in the Middle East. One of them, Jordan, recently reversed their decision and will unblock Skype in particular. The UAE (United Arab Emirates), however, have held to their ban.

Word is that this ban may be lifted by the TRA (Telecommunications Regulatory Authority). The UAE is blocking Skype and other VoIP services in some of the Emirates, including Dubai. On the other hand, other reports indicate that the TRA has claimed they are not ready to lift the ban just yet. They may be working with Etislalat and Du to license VoIP, but other services, including Skype, would probably remained blocked. That is, mostly legacy/ incumbent telecom providers would be allowed.

Seems to me like the status quo just found a way to remain the status quo - at least in small countries where the powers that be can gain something by blocking and selectively unblocking VoIP. The question is, are they doing this to gain monetarily or so that all calls can be monitored discreetly somewhere in a warehouse? Not to say that larger countries don't do they very same thing, but they don't block VoIP for the entire nation. The interesting thing, if I've understood correctly, is that a very large percentage of the UAE populace is made of foreigners (to them). So having affordable long distance rates to call friends and family is of high importance.

In short, for most people, especially fans of VoIP and VoIM clients such as Skype, AIM, MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, there's no hope for their unblocking in the near future in the UAE.

[sources: Gulf News, TradeArabia, 7Days, VoIP News AU]

Need To Block Skype?

VoIP Telephony Service blog has a list of six ways to block Skype using a variety of products and methods, plus a reference from another blog about a seventh. Most of the methods detect and block P2P (Peer-to-Peer) traffic, so it wouldn't be just Skype that's being blocked, but also torrents and other related applications. It appears that part of the fear regarding Skype is that customers are not sure what Skype is doing because its streams are encrypted. (At least, that's what the VoIP Planet article that is quoted is saying. Tom Keating also has an article from last year with some more indepth info about blocking Skype.

This is sort of what I was trying to get at when when I said that Skype was ruffling feathers. I love Skype just as much as the next Skype lover (and SightSpeed and a few other apps as well). But their lack of an open standard, as well as their relative popularity, is going to ruffle feathers. Phil Wolff gave a good explanation of why there are feathers being ruffled.

Skype Employee Defections

Andy Abramson points to Om Malik's reflection about pre-eBay Skype employees that have been leaving rece