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ITEXPO Logo Update
February 20, 2007
I am in the airport again this week experiencing flight delay blues. It seems mechanical problems with my aircraft prevent us from taking off with the original plane and we are now at a new gate and waiting to board. For my part I am somewhat happy as I found a power cord and am at least able to work. Trouble is the cord is stretched out around 5 feet across an aisle so I am hoping no one trips over it. Ahh the joys of travel.Anyway the news at TMC this week is we have unveiled a new logo for Internet Telephony Conference & Expo. You no doubt know the show is the longest-running IP communications event actually geared towards the buying community. The first show was held in 1999 in San Diego.
I am in the airport again this week experiencing flight delay blues. It seems mechanical problems with my aircraft prevent us from taking off with the original plane and we are now at a new gate and waiting to board. For my part I am somewhat happy as I found a power cord and am at least able to work. Trouble is the cord is stretched out around 5 feet across an aisle so I am hoping no one trips over it. Ahh the joys of travel.
The next event will be Sept 10-12 in Los Angeles. OK – we are boarding now. Please enjoy the new logo.
Thanks!
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Jyve
February 20, 2007
A few hot buttons in tech these days are user generated content, Web 2.0 and of course Google. But what happens if you are to combine Google with live user generated content? Well, you might get Jyve, a search engine that gives live answers to questions on various topics.
I tested the system on Monday, February 19th and asked “What is Aspirin?” In response I received the following answer in under a minute:
Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. It has also an antiplatelet (“blood-thinning”) effect and is used in long-term low-doses to prevent heart attacks and cancer.
I then hit the “live” search engine at 8:00 am the next day and asked “Which is better, the University of Connecticut or Yale?” This result wasn’t coming back as quickly so I lost patience after a few minutes and decided to open another window and I shot off the following question – which I marked consumer electronics. “Which is the smallest iPod?”
So as I wait for the these queries to be returned I figure I would explain more about Jyve. You see the service started out a s Skype Extra allowing those with knowledge to share that knowledge with those who are seeking it. Think of the site as Match.com for information but without the dating, chocolates on Valentine’s day and potential for disappointment.
Jyve users who are knowledgeable in their fields agree to answer questions and then can be hired if needed for more information and analysis. Jyve gets a 10% cut when money changes hands and also has a tip jar capability allowing you to show your appreciation after you receive a free answer.
So does the idea work? I would say yes. It can also help you with technical problems – let’s say if your software isn’t working right. So just as the web has democratized data, it now will democratize real-time knowledge via what we could call diverse on-demand human knowledge stores.
Is such an idea a Google killer? Probably not but when you think about all those fruitless searches you have done in the past, you realize that the answer to some of your questions could have been just finding the right person to ask. Going forward, Jyve.com may just be the vehicle for the fastest possible results for complex queries.
Oh and if you are wondering if my last two questions got answered before I finished this article, they didn’t. But then again I only waited 10 minutes. So it seems there will likely be scaling problems with this service as it becomes more popular. Then again if you aren’t paying, you probably can’t expect a legion of experts to be at you beck and call. Ask a question, grab a coffee, hit Google and Wikipedia and then check back later to see if your question is answered. If all this searching talk is giving you a headache just sit back, take a couple of acetylsalicylic acid tablets and hit Jyve in the morning.
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Skype Pro: The Ultimate European VoIP Bundle
February 20, 2007
A few weeks back at ITEXPO there was a lot of buzz about Skype Pro and as it turns out the service goes live on Tuesday, February 19. I had a chance to speak with Skype’s Imogen Bailey and Stefan Oberg's the VP and General Manager of Skype Telecoms about the announcement and much more.
What is Skype Pro?Skype Pro is basically a bundled package of services at a fixed price. The reason for this offering is to eliminate the one by one marketing of services customers would have to buy to receive similar functionality. In much the same way a cell phone provider gives voicemail, some SMS messages and a certain number of calling minutes, so too has Skype decided to make it easier for customers to buy a package of services.
Skype Pro’s subscription package costs €2 per month and includes:
- Zero cents per minute calling to domestic (European) landlines in (country) previously €0.017* per minute
- Free Skype Voicemail (normally €15 per year)
- €30 discount on SkypeIn numbers
- €5 Skype Credit included as part of the introductory offer
- A €30 discount on a Philips VoIP 841 cordless phone.
- A €10 discount on an SMC WiFi phone.
- Additional discounts on a series of Skype Extras are also available including desktop sharing, avatars, emoticons and ring tones
The service will initially be available across Europe in the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK
It is worth noting at this point that all SkypeOut calls, including calls made by Skype Pro subscribers, are subject to a connection fee.
The package seems quite reasonable and Skype has really done a good job bundling some sought after features into an easy to digest offering. I asked if this sort of plan would morph onto one world plan in the future and was told that this is not the current objective. Instead, a similar France plan and UK plan will migrate to Skype Pro. Eventually the US plan will be harmonized into Skype Pro as well. So basically we will see regional variations of Skype Pro.
I asked Stefan about the mysterious disappearance of the number of downloads on the Skype website and he told me the number was a bit misleading as the same person could have been downloading various versions of the software. Instead the company says it has 171 million users at the end of last year and this compares favorably with the 44 million they had at the time of the eBay acquisition about 15 months prior.
In response to a question about competitive threats Stefan mentioned the usual suspects such as Yahoo!, Google, DSL and cable providers. He feels that the Skype Pro package has the best value in the competitive space and isn’t afraid to mention that Skype’s price is a fraction of Vonage’s. Of course Vonage is a PSTN replacement and Skype is not but nonetheless there is obviously a great deal of value being provided by this new Skype package.
I also had a chance to discuss the incidents of Skype being blocked around the world. The responds to this question was that countries that come in such conversations don’t have a financial significance in the market. I of course brought up China as a while back there was news of Skype being blocked there. The response was that Skype works closely with Tom Online who manages the face of Skype in China. This allows Chinese citizens to benefit and the local regulations to be respected I was told.
I was also told that Skype was banned in San Jose University which I found to be ironic as it is located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Apparently there was a mini student revolt as a result of this action and Skype had a talk with the university as well. The university changed course fairly quickly. Surprisingly Oxford also banned and unbanned Skype at one point.
This of course leads naturally to the point of how Skype interacts with enterprise IT managers and systems. The company was proactive in telling me that the latest version of Skype allows IT departments to control which features the clients have as well as how the software package runs on the network. The Internet telephony software can even be installed on all computers remotely.
I asked about security issues as this has been a topic of interest in the news media. The response was that Skype can be configured to block file transfers which is one source of security problems for MIS directors. In addition I was told that Skype data has never been compromised and the conversations utilize 256 bit encryption which makes it more secure than PSTN calls where anyone with a phone set can tap into the line and listen in. In addition the software does not open holes in firewalls according to Oberg.
This naturally lead to me asking about Sarbanes Oxley and whether the software will support the recording and archiving features needed by such regulations. In response I was told the company does not have a solution at this time but is working with partners such as FaceTime to address such issues.
Other features worth noting are the Skype for Business Control Panel allowing corporations to centrally manage Skype credits. Prior to this system individuals had to expense their calls and pay for them on their own.
I then asked about multiparty videoconferencing which is sometimes referred to as Brady Bunch calling. The point is being able to display multiple video windows simultaneously. The response was that only tech savvy users have asked for this feature and the typical application where grandma wants to see the kids does not lend itself to such functionality. Besides I was told a third party application did exist to allow this capability but it just didn’t take off.
As I mentioned in past articles, Skype seems serious about generating revenue and at the same time is offering calling packages that are extremely reasonable. The question worth asking is whether the company will be able to make its revenue targets at current pricing levels or will they need to raise prices.
In addition, will the new bundling initiatives entice more Skype users to get out their credit cards? Finally, will such packaging help Skype lure away customers from the various competitors in the market? It will be worth watching the company to see how it continues to bundle around the world and further to see how the competition reacts to Skype’s new offerings. In the end bundled packages which add value are good for Skype, consumers and the IP communications market as a whole.
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