Jon Arnold and I finally got it all together and are proud to announce the launch of our new portal, IP Communications Insights.

I'll let the announcement we sent over the wire this morning fill you in on the details:

Robins Consulting Group and J Arnold & Associates Announce the Launch of IP Communications Insights

New Web Site is Home to IP Communications Industry Newsletter, Blogs, Podcasts, Newsfeeds, and Market Research and Intelligence

NEW YORK & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Robins Consulting Group (RCG) and J Arnold & Associates (JAA) – both prominent IP communications industry research, marketing and consulting firms – have proudly announced the launch of their new independent Web platform “IP Communications Insights”, located at http://www.ipcom-insights.com.

IP Communications Insights is the culmination of a partnership between the two firms that includes an array of marketing, communications, advisory, consulting and research services for IP communications technology vendors and service providers.

Designed to be an independent platform for industry thought leaders and market intelligence, the goal for IP Communications Insights is to offer valuable coverage, analysis and information not readily available elsewhere.

In addition, IP Communications Insights will publish an ongoing series of industry reports designed to be very topical, highly strategic, concise and affordably priced. One study in the works, “VoIP Mashups - Where's the Money?” is a critical evaluation and insider view of this rapidly evolving space. The possibilities for VoIP mashups are limitless, but the business case scenarios are not. This ground-breaking report will survey today's landscape and provide a strategic roadmap for making VoIP mashups a viable business.

Marc Robins, IP Communications Insights Co-Founder and Chief Technology Evangelism Officer of RCG, has been involved in the IP communications industry since its inception, and has served the industry as a reporter and analyst, conference producer and magazine publisher, and marketing executive and consultant. Mr. Robins also serves as the Managing Director of the SIP Forum, (http://www.sipforum.org), a prominent IP communications industry association that engages in numerous activities that advance and promote SIP technology, such as the development of industry recommendations, the SIPit interoperability and testing events, special interoperability workshops, and general promotion of SIP in the industry.

“I’m extremely proud – and excited -- to be going “live” with IP Communications Insights,” says Marc Robins. “I believe it accurately represents the vision that both Jon and I share, and creates a new environment for independent analysis and thought leadership that we feel is sorely missing in the marketplace of information. I look forward to working with Jon to continuously refine and add value to our platform, and to working with the many extremely talented individuals who have supported our efforts over the past year.”

J Arnold & Associates, founded by Jon Arnold, one of the IP communications industry’s most highly regarded analysts, is closely associated with VoIP, for both consumer and business applications. His marketing and strategy advice on the broader IP communications market is widely sought from vendors, carriers, the investment community, PR agencies and many facets of the media community.

“For some time now, Marc and I have felt there is a void in the market for independent analysis, and together we believe we can address it,” says Jon Arnold. “More than ever, with so much disruption, innovation and competition, we see a need for this type of perspective, and our intention is for the Web portal to become a focal point of clarity.”

About IP Communications Insights

IP Communications Insights is a portal for independent thought leadership and market intelligence not readily available elsewhere. IP Communications Insights hosts an IP communications industry newsletter, blogs, podcasts, and newsfeeds. The portal is also a new source for industry reports that are independent, authoritative, strategic and affordable. For more information about IP Communications Insights, visit www.ipcom-insights.com.

About RCG (Robins Consulting Group)

RCG, founded in 2003 by Marc Robins, is one of the leading consulting firms for companies in the IP Communications industry, offering market intelligence, high-value strategic planning and communications, messaging and branding expertise, and a variety of marketing consulting services including awareness and demand creation, distribution channel strategies and development, public relations support, and market research and intelligence.

Mr. Robins also serves as the Managing Director of the SIP Forum, a leading IP communications industry association. Prior to founding RCG, Marc served as Vice President of Publications and Trade Shows, Associate Group Publisher and Group Editorial Director at TMC (Technology Marketing Corporation).

Over the course of his career, Marc has authored hundreds of articles and columns for leading industry magazines, and he continues to evangelize new IP communications trends and technologies as a contributor to trade, mainstream and business publications. Marc is also a frequent moderator and speaker at leading industry events. For more information about RCG, visit www.robinsconsult.com.

About JAA

Jon Arnold is Principal of J Arnold & Associates, an independent analyst and marketing consultancy with a focus on IP communications. JAA works with a wide variety of clients in this sector, with expertise in VoIP, cable telephony, IPTV, Triple Play, enterprise IP, WiFi/WiMax, Peer-to-Peer, Web 2.0 and Open Source. His views are frequently cited in the business and trade press, and he regularly speaks at leading industry events. He also maintains an active profile through his widely followed blog and podcasts. Previously, he was the VoIP Program Leader at Frost & Sullivan, where he was responsible for managing their subscription service for Global VoIP Equipment Markets. The consultancy was launched in March 2005. For more information about JAA, visit www.jarnoldassociates.com.

 

 

 

 

Jon Arnold just let me in on the official "hard" launch of a new Web portal called "IP Convergence TV", of which Jon is Portal Editor. Here's Jon's blog post about it.

IP Convergence TV is a non-profit initiative that Comverse is heading, along with a group of charter sponsors including Intel, AudiCodes, Tilgin, BEA, and Blueslice. All these companies support the initiative by contributing content about all the various aspects of IP convergence - IPTV, Triple Play, FMC, etc.

Already, there's a good chunk of content on the site, and it has a nice, clean layout and very easy navigation. Definitely worth checking out!

 

 

I'm off to the VON show in San Jose, CA tomorrow morning, and I'm interested to see if there's any truth behind Thomas Howe's brave post today about why he's not attending the event. I'll be meeting with other technologists while I'm there, so I'm curious whether this position is shared by them.

For my part, I'm looking forward to shooting the breeze with my industry friends, making new friends, and (hopefully) discovering new innovative solutions and sussing out relevant industry trends.

Also, let me extend an invitation to those also attending the event to contact me if you're interested in meeting up.

Just when people started dissing voice mail, saying how they don't check their messages all that often and you should just email them (or SMS or IM them) if you want them to get back to you -- and this from people in the "voice" business!!! -- along comes a company that helps to breathe new life into the space.

GotVoice -- a company launched in 2003 but just coming out the gate with its service (it needed several years of development to make it so seamlessly transparent and easy to use -- and it truly is) -- has come up with a new free voice messaging service that allows consumers to manage their mobile, home and work voice messages online, from a single, unified web interface.

Actually, such changes have been afoot in the enterprise voice messaging space for some time now, thanks to the slow but steady burn under unified messaging technology. But I can't tell you how many times in years past I've heard people say, "This is the Year of Unified Messaging!" -- only to be quite underwhelmed by the offerings or the tepid adoption by the marketplace of even well-developed enterprise solutions. Problem was, businesses didn't want to pay what the vendors were asking, and the benefits were a bit too fuzzy for many.

GotVoice, however, has the potential to popularize so-called unified messaging to the masses -- and truly invigorate the market for all types of UM solutions -- including those of the Enterprise ilk. The developers hail from RealNetworks, Microsoft, Starwave, AT&T, and Corbis, and really seem to have come up with an easy, yet elegant mash up of the Web and voice messaging.

The company's "secret sauce" -- a competitive advantage that will be hard for others to replicate in a short time -- is that it spent four years learning how to seamlessly integrate with all major cell phone carriers, residential lines including those offered by cable and VoIP providers, and corporate voicemail systems – with no carrier or work-place involvement.

GotVoice combines the ease of email with voice messaging, and the company claims that it is the only messaging service that allows users to visually take control of their voicemail without requiring a new number, a forwarded call, or text messaging services.

In fact, the service doesn’t require users to make any changes whatsoever to their normal phone use. To provide the highest level of flexibility, GotVoice leaves messages on the original voicemail system, so users can check their voicemail as they always have, if they choose. Whether users opt to receive voicemail via email or at their personal GotVoice Web page, GotVoice enables them to easily send, receive, create and store all of their voice messages—in the same way they use email. There is no software to install and users don’t even need a phone to access messages.

According to GotVoice CEO Curt Blake, "Voicemail should be as simple to use as email, extending beyond the restrictive options currently available in today’s market. Consumers can now interact with voicemail in any manner they choose; sending, receiving, creating and storing messages on their terms. We believe our service sets the standard for voice messaging offerings, and clearly moves the industry in a direction where voice will be free from the historic restraints that have kept it locked between a pound and star key.”

GotVoice service highlights include:

Access Voicemail Anytime, Anywhere: Gone are the days of calling multiple phone numbers to retrieve messages. GotVoice checks multiple voicemail boxes, such as home, mobile and work boxes, up to 24 times a day, then delivers messages to a user’s email or makes them accessible at the user’s personal GotVoice Web page. Users can also create and send messages using their PC or phone. The service is especially useful when cell phone coverage is poor and users are unable to access messages due to signal loss.

Send, Receive and Create Voice Messages without a Phone: Cell phone battery dead? Hate to use more cell phone minutes to check messages? GotVoice allows users to send, receive, and create voice messages without the need for a phone. Users can create messages with their voice or use a quick text-to-speech feature.

Organize, Save, Forward : With a very simple user interface, GotVoice makes it easy to organize, save and forward important messages, just as with email. It’s easy to sort through important messages and forward them to multiple recipients all at once, without additional call forwarding charges.

Silent Sending: Need to return a call but don’t want to talk? Send it silently. GotVoice gives users the option of sending voice messages without causing the recipients phone to ring - great for late night messages, traveling in a different time zone, or moments when you just don’t want to talk.

One Message, Many Recipients: When the word needs to get out, whether it’s to 10 or 200 contacts, GotVoice can do it all at once. Simply record a message using your PC or phone, and distribute. This is a great feature for busy professionals, families and team coaches.

Personalization: GotVoice makes it easy to create personalized greetings and outgoing messages. Add your favorite MP3 music to your voicemail greeting, choose a custom celebrity voice greeting or select background tracks from an audio library.

The Fun Factor: GotVoice reminds users that voicemail can also be fun. Create your own message by recording your voice over your own music. Users can also forward favorite or funny voicemails to friends, while preserving precious messages from loved ones.