Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog: March 2008 Archives

Communications Developer Conference Coming To Los Angeles

March 28, 2008 10:15 AM |

I just confirmed that Communications Developer Conference will be making a triumphant return to Los Angeles this September 16–18.

The event will be co-located with Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The final details are being ironed out as I write this and the event Web site will be up in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

Also, since I tend to be involved in the conference planning portion of TMC’s events, please drop me a line if you are interested in participating in the conference program.

Speaking proposals should be sent to callforpapers@tmcnet.com and mention Communications Developer in the subject line.

We’re looking for presentations on the following topics:

Application development
Enabling technologies
Open Source Design Considerations
Developing Wireless VoIP Solutions
Developing for Wireless, and more.

A more detailed call for papers will be available in the next day or two.

It looks like our fall events are shaping up to be as successful as ever. Drop me a line if you want to be part of the industry’s fastest growing events.

Many Views on Motorola News

March 26, 2008 5:21 PM |

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Motorola’s announcement that it would split itself into two companies — one focused on handsets and one focused on other broadband and mobile product lines, including wireless broadband and enterprise communications.

The news has spawned thousands of stories and even more opinions: Is this a good move? Is it a desperation play? Will it help Motorola regain the number 2 spot in the handset business? Currently Motorola trails number 1 Nokia as well as Samsung for global market share.

While it’s not yet clear what the proposed split will mean to investors, employees, and the market in general, Kevin Burden, Research Director, Mobile Devices at ABI Research believes the move should have been easy to see coming.

“What is clear is that a radical move needed to happen,” says Burden. “Creating a leaner and more focused unit with an improved cost structure can help fix its execution issues while also tending to attract the type of senior talent it has desperately needed.”

While it's no secret that Motorola's lack of innovation and execution has been its downfall, don't expect it to get much better while it processes the split, warns Burden. “This is going to be a tremendous distraction at a time when the firm really needs laser focus.”

Analyst Jeff Kagan believes that this is a major move in the right direction.

Asked Kagan, “Could this be the beginning of a recovery for Motorola? It will take time to occur, but it could be. This could be the start of the recovery for the company. These changes give Motorola a fighting chance again. Their ability to attract and retain good workers and executives has just increased.”

TMC’s Rich Tehrani also sees a positive angle to the news.

In a blog entry this morning, Tehrani asked, “Is this a good move for the company?"

He continued:

I think it is because Motorola is a company full of brilliant people who seem to suffer from terrible management and oodles of red tape which zap the company's synergies."

In addition, based on discussions with past Motorola employees, there seems to be a culture that is hesitant to change within the organization.

This sort of culture in the technology space can be deadly.

Splitting into two companies will not eliminate many synergies as there don't seem to be too many today. In addition, there is a chance a reduction in red tape will allow some of the talent in the company to have a greater impact on new product development and strategy.

Xangati Helps Front Line Agents

March 25, 2008 4:29 PM |

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Xangati has announced Virtual Task Manager solution, a rapid problem identification application that can be deployed right to the front line support groups in either enterprise or service provider settings.

Previously the ability to drill down to help solve a customer complaint was reserved for senior level agents and managers. The new solution enables the first tier of customer support — those who actually field the complaint calls — to have visibility into a customer’s network and what the subscribers are doing at any given time.

This enables them to rapidly get to the heart of the customer complaint, which has several benefits, including a reduction in the total number of customer service calls, less time spent on the phone with each caller, fewer truck rolls to resolve issues and reduced customer churn as a result of happier, more satisfied customers.

For more, check out this article, or visit Xangati online.

Xangati Helps Front Line Agents

March 25, 2008 4:29 PM |

0 Comments

Xangati has announced Virtual Task Manager solution, a rapid problem identification application that can be deployed right to the front line support groups in either enterprise or service provider settings.

Previously the ability to drill down to help solve a customer complaint was reserved for senior level agents and managers. The new solution enables the first tier of customer support — those who actually field the complaint calls — to have visibility into a customer’s network and what the subscribers are doing at any given time.

This enables them to rapidly get to the heart of the customer complaint, which has several benefits, including a reduction in the total number of customer service calls, less time spent on the phone with each caller, fewer truck rolls to resolve issues and reduced customer churn as a result of happier, more satisfied customers.

For more, check out this article, or visit Xangati online.

Russell Shaw, 1947-2008. Rest in Peace.

March 17, 2008 9:15 AM |

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Russell Shaw has died at the age of 60, far too young by any standard. Opinionated, intelligent, prolific… Shaw still had much to say, whether writing about VoIP or Mobile devices for the team at ZDnet, or Regulations and Standards here at TMCnet, or posting his views on Politics and culture related issues for The Huffington Post.

I had known Shaw for a long time as simply someone on the other side of an e-mail trail. Somehow for all the years we circulated in the same universe I never got a chance to meet the man, until ITEXPO in Miami this past January. And I’m glad I did finally get the opportunity, for our meeting forever attached a real person to our correspondence.

A real person who is now gone.

Shaw was an avid writer, thrusting himself into his work with an energy and conviction I wish many of my younger colleagues in the space would emulate. He was certainly dedicated to his craft.

Shaw’s passing leaves a very real void in the blogging community, and he will be missed by many.

Rest in Peace, Russell.

Super Specs Solve Search Stress

March 14, 2008 1:14 PM |

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The UK’s Daily Mail has a report on intelligent glasses that help wearers locate frequently mislaid items like car keys, cell phones, and the like.

The specs — developed by Japanese researchers under the tutelage of Professor Kuniyoshi at the University of Tokyo — feature a built in camera, display screen and computer brain which aid in finding misplaced objects.

Professor Kuniyoshi thinks these glasses might revolutionize the lives of people who suffer from memory problems.

According to the Daily Mail:

The Smart Goggles contain a compact video camera which films everything the wearer looks at — and a viewfinder which fits snugly in front of the right lens.

The glasses are connected to a small, but smart computer processor worn on the back which can learn to recognize shapes extremely quickly.

To use the glasses, the wearer first wanders around a house or workplace for an hour or so, looking at the objects he or she may later want to find in a hurry.

Each time the camera focuses on a object — such as a set of keys, a mobile phone or a purse — the wearer says the name aloud. The name is then recorded and stored into the memory.

At some point in the future, if the wearer is trying to find their keys in a hurry, they simply name the object.

Now if I could only remember where I left my damn glasses…

Frost Chairman to CEOs: Carpe Diem

March 12, 2008 8:32 AM |

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In the wake of bad economic news — yesterday’s 400+ point Dow Jones rally notwithstanding — many CEOs are faced with tough decisions as they map out the future of their companies, asking themselves, does it make sense to forestall growth until the downturn passes?

Frost & Sullivan’s chairman takes a bullish position on how he thinks today’s business leaders should approach the current climate of financial uncertainty. Check out this article and take a look at the list of recommendations the analyst firm puts forth for chief executives to consider.

Google Reassures On Information Security

March 10, 2008 6:20 PM |

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What’s tomorrow’s headline going to be?

Google had a post on their Official Google Blog today by Douglas Merrill, VP of Engineering. The post is titled How Google keeps your information secure, and is all about the effort Google puts into protecting your personal information.

According to Merrill, “…we take security very seriously, and that's why we have some of the best engineers in the world working here to secure information. Much of their work is confidential, but we do want to share some of the ways we're protecting your data.”

He goes on to discuss Google’s philosophy, the technology that they employ to ensure that information is protected, and the processes that the company employs to secure your private bits and bytes. Of course Merrill touts his co-workers as some of the “best and brightest security engineers in the world,” and points out that Google uses a lot of their own technology in-house, the old, “we eat our own dog food” pledge.

I wonder what happened that made Google go to the effort of explaining their security policy in their blog today, a blog entry replete with links to their already existing security policy.

I like to be assured that my private information will remain private. When I worry most is when I’m being reassured.

Rich's Take: Aspect's Unified Communications Play

March 10, 2008 10:02 AM |

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Rich writes about Aspect and their move into Unified Communications for the contact center on his blog.

Aspect today announced their all-in-one, IT-ready Aspect Unified IP and PerformanceEdge solutions designed to help power unified communications for the contact center.

According to Rich:

Aspect's unified communications solutions bridge the divide between the contact center and the rest of the organization in a way that allows every person in an organization to become an integral part of the contact center in a manner that maximizes efficiency, customer service and sales levels.

To read the rest of Rich’s insightful look at the significance of this news, check out his blog.

Water, Water Everywhere... And Drugs Too!

March 10, 2008 8:10 AM |

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A new report from the Associated Press this morning might have millions of people rushing out to purchase water filtration gear.

According to a five-month AP investigation of drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas, it was discovered that the water supplies serving upwards of 40 million Americans contain a “vast array of pharmaceuticals.”

Trace amounts of antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, sex hormones were identified over the course of the investigation.

To be fair, the trace amounts are well below any medical dose, but scientists are concerned about longer-term consequences of the presence of these drugs in our drinking water.

The AP report quotes Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as saying, "We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously."

I sincerely hope someone is taking this seriously.

All You Need Is… $600 Mil?

March 10, 2008 7:43 AM |

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The Beatles are coming to iTunes.

After years spent working out the kinks, an agreement has been reached between iTunes and erstwhile cute Beatle Paul McCartney. Word in the UK’s Daily Telegraph is that iTunes will pony up as much as ₤300 million for the catalog. That’s a bit over $600 million for those keeping score in the States.

In any event, it’s a lot of money. Granted, the Beatles are still considered by many to be the greatest rock band of all time, and certainly interest in their music remains high.

The windfall will be shared by McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as surviving family members of the late George Harrison and John Lennon.

Automotive Robotics Sales Increase

March 7, 2008 8:51 AM |

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Don’t call it a comeback.

Ok, well maybe a little comeback.

According to the latest numbers from the Robotic Industries Association, North American-based robotics companies saw orders to North American manufacturing companies rise 24% in 2007, reversing the declines of the previous year. The trade group is reporting a total of 15,856 robots, with an overall value of $1.07 billion were ordered by North American manufacturing companies.

“We’re obviously very pleased to see strong growth in 2007, especially following the 30% decline in 2006,” said Ake Lindqvist of ABB Robotics and chairman of the RIA statistics committee. “Most of the growth last year resulted from sales to automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. In this market segment, which accounted for 64% of all orders, robot sales in North America rose 43%,” Lindqvist noted.

Apparently automotive companies went on a binge in 2007, as orders for spot-welding robots increased 100%, coating and dispensing rose 38%, material handling jumped 14%, and arc welding jumped 10%.

But Lindqvist believes that future growth of the market depends on reaching outside the automotive space.

“The robotics industry’s future expansion depends upon reaching more nonautomotive customers, and we still have a long way to go. However, we are encouraged by a 16% gain in sales to life-sciences/pharmaceutical/biomedical customers and an 8% increase in sales to food and consumer-goods companies,” Lindqvist said.

The RIA estimates that some 178,000 robots are now at work in U.S. factories, which ranks the U.S. second, behind only Japan in robot usage.

Digg on the Block? Again?

March 7, 2008 7:54 AM |

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As far as rumors go, this one has been heard before, but that’s not to say that one of these times, it won’t actually come to fruition.

Tech Crunch’s Michael Arrington writes that Digg is on the block again and that several companies —Microsoft, Google, and two “media/news companies” — are close to making offers.

Arrington reports that Digg might be willing to let itself go for less than the $300 million price tag that investment bank Allen &Co. were suggesting last year.

The march to own the hearts and minds (and of course page views) continues. Will it be Google? Will it be Microsoft?

It’s odd how perceptions change over time. Remember when Microsoft was considered to be pure evil, and Google was the up and coming, cute and cuddly upstart?

And now?

Is it just me, or is there a slowly rising tide of support for Microsoft to act as a counterbalance to the Google total assimilation machine? It’s true everyone loves the underdog, and while Microsoft is hardly an underdog in any market it chooses to enter, does anyone else get the sense that people are starting to root for Redmond in its ongoing battle with the GoogleBorg?

Analysts Excited By "Google Health"

March 6, 2008 7:46 AM |

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For those who read this blog regularly, you’ve no doubt noticed I’ve been focusing in a bit more on Google and what they’re doing in the realm of healthcare recently, with their work with the Cleveland Clinic and their entry into the healthcare space.

I came across some commentary from Datamonitor associate analyst Justin Davidson regarding Google’s prospects in the healthcare space and felt compelled to write about that here.

Check out the story, and let me know what you think about Google, Microsoft, et al entering the personal health records market by leaving a comment below.

The Internet's Broken

March 5, 2008 2:04 PM |

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I just read Fred Goldstein’s latest column today about what he refers to as the “dismal state of Internet management.”

Says Goldstein:

The Internet is fundamentally broken, and it’s getting worse. Throwing money and Moore’s Law at it has helped, but it can’t go on forever. The deep dark secret of the Internet’s business model is finally coming home to roost.

To see what led him to that conclusion, check out his latest editorial here.

Qualcomm Drops Another Battle in Nokia Patent War

March 3, 2008 3:49 PM |

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Qualcomm has taken it on the chin today.

In its ongoing legal patent battle with Nokia, (this time in the U.K.) Justice Christopher Floyd ruled at the High Court in London that one of Qualcomm's patents is invalid and another is partially invalid.

This all has to do with Nokia and Qualcomm’s fight over technology used in 3G phones to allow faster Internet access.

Nokia’s CFO, Rick Simonson welcomed the ruling. "We are pleased with the Court's decision that the patent claims are invalid and believe it is consistent with and supported by the facts. This is the second court to conclude that Qualcomm does not have relevant and valid GSM patents."

Last week, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) decided against Qualcomm's petition for review of the Initial Determination, which was issued on December 12, 2007. In that Determination, a judge concluded that Nokia did not infringe three Qualcomm patents, as the latter alleged, and that one of the patents is in fact invalid. The ITC investigation has officially been concluded.

RebTel Appeals to US Representatives

March 3, 2008 12:59 PM |

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Rebtel has written an open letter to two U.S. Representatives — Edward J. Markey (D – Massachusetts) and Cliff Stearns (R – Florida). The letter is reproduced on the RebTel blog here. The company is asking the Congressmen to help draw the line between unreasonable discrimination and reasonable, fair business practices by monitoring the upcoming FCC proceedings and possibly introducing legislation that makes clear that the FCC should prevent wireless carriers from unreasonably discriminating against businesses using short codes to interact with their customers.

I originally wrote about RebTel’s complaint regarding Verizon and the fact that SMS messages were not being delivered in this post.

As they say in the movies… the plot sickens…

Siemens Launches OpenScape Unified Communications Server

March 3, 2008 10:55 AM |

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Siemens Communications today announced the next phase in its ongoing transformation into a software-oriented company with the launch of the new unified communications software platform, OpenScape Unified Communications Server.

A key element of Siemens' Open Communications plan is the ability to embrace third-party VoIP or legacy PBX environments. To that end today’s announcement holds that OpenScape UC Server can operate in virtually any existing IT or telephony environment.

For more on this exciting news in unified communications, check out the following report.

Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog

VoIP and IMS News and Views
from the Editor of Internet Telephony Magazine...

March 2008 Archives

Communications Developer Conference Coming To Los Angeles

Many Views on Motorola News

Xangati Helps Front Line Agents

Xangati Helps Front Line Agents

Russell Shaw, 1947-2008. Rest in Peace.

Super Specs Solve Search Stress

Frost Chairman to CEOs: Carpe Diem

Google Reassures On Information Security

Rich's Take: Aspect's Unified Communications Play

Water, Water Everywhere... And Drugs Too!

All You Need Is… $600 Mil?

Automotive Robotics Sales Increase

Digg on the Block? Again?

Analysts Excited By "Google Health"

The Internet's Broken

Qualcomm Drops Another Battle in Nokia Patent War

RebTel Appeals to US Representatives

Siemens Launches OpenScape Unified Communications Server

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