Greg Galitzine : Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog
Greg Galitzine

iPhone

eBay Looks to Spin Off Skype

April 15, 2009

eBay has let it be known that they are looking to spin off Skype, the Internet phone company by way of public offering.   Nearly 4 years after it acquired Skype for $2.6 billion, eBay has come to terms with the fact that it might not have made the right call with the purchase.   I never did get the marriage of the two companies, but I guess at the time, a $3 billion risk was nothing to worry about.   I came across the following prediction (based on a JP Morgan analyst's note) on the Business Insider:   JPMorgan analyst Imran Khan estimates that Skype's 2010 net revenue could reach $740 million, with EBITDA of roughly $156 million. At a 10-20X EBITDA multiple, that suggests Skype could be worth $1.6 billion to $3.1 billion as a standalone company, Khan says.   $3.1 billion? I have to wonder if they'll ever get that much for Skype.   Still, the company does have a lot to offer. With over 400 million users, Skype is the world's leading Internet phone service, and they did just release a version of Skype for the iPhone and for Blackberry too.   They've picked Goldman Sachs to manage the IPO.   Rich offers his thoughts about the potential IPO of Skype.   I agree with Rich -- this should be an interesting IPO to watch.

Toddler's iPhone Obsession

April 10, 2009

Kara Swisher who writes for the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital, has a very interesting video showing a toddler's iPhone obsession, and frankly it made me think of a bunch of people I know and how they sometimes let their gadget obsessions get the best of them.   Of course I love a cool tech toy as much as anyone, but I'm a bit of a laggard when it comes to laying my hands on the latest and greatest.
 
Sometimes I think I'm just on a different schedule, that's all. For example I can't wait to accessorize my aging (banged up, with a cracked screen) KRZR with a new handset accessory, like the one from Novophone (pictured).
  There is something comforting about that retro look.   Maybe then I'll consider the iPhone. I wonder if they'll reissue it in the classic Princess form factor... They do have a deal with AT&T, don't they?


Smule's Ocarina: Number One With a Bullet!

November 18, 2008

    Talk about your hot viral apps!   Smule, the developer of the wildly popular Ocarina application for use on Apple's iPhone, today announced that it's jumped to the top of the charts in several Apple App Stores around the world, including the United States, Canada, France, Sweden, Holland, and Spain among others.

Available for $0.99, the Smule Ocarina is the first true wind instrument available for the iPhone.

Rich Tehrani and I did a recent TMC Newsroom video on the Ocarina application -- feel free to check out that recent video newscast.   Apparently users have created over 250 musical scores, which according to the release announcing the success of Smule's Ocarina, include Yesterday, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Harry Potter Theme, Zelda Theme, Blister in the Sun, Frosty the Snowman, and Amazing Grace.   Amazing indeed.



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