Rich Tehrani

CEO

Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com

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September 2008

You are browsing the archive for September 2008.

Get a Job on Tom Perkin's Yacht

September 30, 2008

Photo credit NBC 11
How do you celebrate one of the worst days for the US stock market in years? Simple -- you go out and buy a yacht with 26,000 square feet of sales. Oil money at work you think? Nope. Credit goes to VC, businessman and early HP employee Tom Perkins a founder of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Worried about your job? No need. With this many square feet of sails and a yacht of this size, Perkins alone could be responsible for thousands of new US jobs.

Posted in Broadband, IPTV, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Open Source, Technology, Unified Communications, Virtual Worlds, Wireless

Tagged: hp, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers., tom perkins, vc, yacht : Related Tags: yacht, perkins

Comments

James Bond: Forget Q -- Try eBay

September 30, 2008

Talk about an embarrassing situation. London's Secret Intelligence Services or MI6 lost a camera full of Al Qaeda names, fingerprints, academic records and a bunch of pictures of rocket launchers and missiles.

MI6 is the sister agency to MI5 made famous by James Bond movies.

Nikon Coolpix S51 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Vibration Reduction and Zoom

The camera showed up on eBay and was purchased for about $31. A casual Amazon search shows the camera if purchased new, wouldn't be worth more than about $400.

The question worth asking is which is more embarrassing? Having your agencie's camera full of top secret info lost or disappointing millions of people who would have hoped British Intelligence agencies would use a camera which is embedded in the agents fingernail with a viewfinder disguised as a contact lens?

Posted in Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Technology, Video

Tagged: coolpix, james bond, mi5, mi6, nikon : Related Tags: camera

Communications and the Economy

September 29, 2008

Please note this post was written approximately one week ago -- before the news of the bailout bill failing began to spread fear in the financial markets. Stay tuned to learn how the financial markets will affect communications and technology.

Many people asked me recently at ITEXPO West 2008 Los Angeles, what I see happening in the communications market from an economic perspective. Let's just say that on the way to the show, I was watching TV as the stock market plunged and there was talk of another Great Depression. When I got to the show I must say I was unclear how the financial markets would affect the communications space.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Google, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, SaaS, Security, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: cnbc, cnn, economy, ip communications, itexpo, saas : Related Tags: financial markets, affect communications, markets affect, companies, markets, financial

Help Save Internet Radio

September 29, 2008

If you aren't aware, traditional US broadcasters have done their best to kill internet radio. The reason is simple... Internet radio can be better than traditional radio and using the power of listeners, internet radio stations like Pandora allow a crowd to determine the best songs to play for others.

If you haven't tried Pandora, you should. It allows you to enter a song or artist to seed a station and then plays similar songs which you might like.

Posted in Broadband, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, IP Communications, Technology

Tagged: H.R. 7084, internet radio, Jennifer Leggio, nab, National Association of Broadcasters, pandora, radio, senator, sirius, Tim Westergren, xm, zdnet : Related Tags: internet radio, radio stations, radio, internet, pandora

Financial Crisis = More IT Talent

September 28, 2008

Many people I know working in the financial markets are programmers and I knew as these people lost their jobs this past year, they would be looking for jobs in IT and telecom.

I am now hearing and reading reports that students who once avoided IT are now looking seriously at engineering as a major. This is good news for our markets as it means being able to hire IT talent at more reasonable prices which means less outsourcing to other countries. It also means more programmers dedicated to building new products which has to be good news for buyers.

I bet a bunch of the ex-financial types will even take up blogging - which of course is among the noblest of professions.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Interviews and Keynotes

September 26, 2008

If you are in that video mood -- and yes I know some of you are... You will enjoy this new page we have designed to show you the interviews which took place at ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles last week. In addition to the interviews, be sure to check out the keynote from Lawrence Byrd of Avaya which was quite good. I received many complements on his presentation.

Expect this page to be updated frequently as we post more keynotes and interviews in the coming weeks.

Posted in Avaya

Tagged: cebp, communications developer, interview, itexpo, keynote, lawrence byrd, uc, unified comunications : Related Tags: interviews

Find Those iPhone Apps With Apptism

September 26, 2008

There are thousands of iPhone apps on the market but if you use Apple as your main source for learning about these applications you are limited to what Apple lets you know about. In addition, some are not thrilled with the web and iTunes interface and are looking for alternatives.

Moreover, users looking for that specific application in a haystack could search endlessly without success. This is because Apple has the ability to restrict applications from getting into its App Store for a variety of reasons. One application, Podcaster has been restricted because of iTunes overlap -- but by many accounts it was superior in some ways to iTunes.

As an iPhone user you may want to know about all applications you could potentially download for your phone and alse see user reviews and other article links to the these apps.

This is where Apptism comes in.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, Technology, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: app store, apple, apptism, iphone, itunes, podcaster.macworld : Related Tags: applications, iphone, apple, itunes

Some News Updates of the Week

September 26, 2008

I am traveling today so blogging activity may be lighter than usual. In the mean time, here are some stories which my be worth reading. I don't know about you, but it seems the news flow in the communications and tech spaces has been greater than ever these past weeks. For someone like me this presents many opportunities to compare and contrast how companies see the future.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Cisco, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: airespring, asterisk, cisco, d2, digium, konftel, open source, sip : Related Tags: conference phone, media phone, unified communications, konftel launches, based conference, communications

Astricon 2008 Digium/Skype Collaboration Photos

September 25, 2008

Here are the latest photos from Astricon 2008 -- especially Skype/Asterisk - Digium collaboration. I will be speaking to the company about this news in a moment and will keep you posted on the news.

Posted in IP Communications

Asterisk and Skype Collaborate Update

September 25, 2008

Huge news out of Astricon 2008 -- Skype and Digium will begin to collaborate. I will have more details soon but for now this likely means easy integration between phone systems based on Asterisk and the Skype network. I have talked about Skype trunking before -- this news will likely mean that there will be native Skype trunking in all Asterisk boxes.

This could potentially give these open source platforms a huge advantage over companies like Cisco, Avaya, Nortel, Etc where an external Skype trunking gateway will be needed to communicate with the Skype community.

This can be huge news for telecom markets as the price to make calls will drop substantially from Skype devices and software to Asterisk-based open-source PBXs.

One other point -- the Skype gateway market may now become based on Asterisk appliances/software. This means we could see more interoperability between the Skype network and SIP and other standards.

Update:

My theories were accurate.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, FCC, Google, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Open Source, SIP, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP

Tagged: asterisk, astricon, Danny Windham, digium, open source, skype, skype trunking, Stefan Öberg : Related Tags: skype trunking, skype client, skype calls, skype asterisk, skype names, skype

Comments

Huge Digium/Asterisk News Coming Soon

September 25, 2008

Just want to let you know there is some major open source news coming from Astricon 2008 taking place this week. Here are some photos (Greg Galitzine's photos) from the event. Stay tuned for the latest details. Here are some theories from Tom Keating while you wait.

We should know more in 15 minutes or so.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, Google, IP Communications, Open Source, SIP, Skype, Technology, Wireless

Tagged: asterisk, astricon, conference, digium, expo, open source, photos, skype, trade show : Related Tags:

ITEXPO Best Show Ever for Microsoft Response Point

September 24, 2008

There was tremendous buzz about Microsoft's multiple announcements at ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles last week and I was very happy to hear that ITEXPO was the best show Microsoft's Response Point team has ever been involved with. It is humbling... But we are just doing our job and as always we do our best to keep our customers and the industry happy.

I really think Microsoft's addition to the marketplace will mark a change in our industry and it is worth partnering with them where possible to add value to the company's various solutions.

Read Best Show Ever for Response Point from the Response Point Team Blog for more.

What is perhaps most exciting for me is how many ITEXPO exhibitors did business at the show. There were many deals taking place on the exhibit floor and exhibitors told me they were selling continent by continent as so many people speaking different languages showed up to buy products.

Going forward we are looking to Make ITEXPO in Miami, Feb 2-4 even better than Los Angeles.

Posted in Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Fax, IP Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Technology, VoIP

Tagged: ip communications, microsoft, response point, smb, voip : Related Tags: response point, itexpo, microsoft, response, point

Steve Brubaker's Blog

September 24, 2008

Steve Brubaker has a blog which I have linked to in the past but has now moved to a new home on his company's site: Infocision. I thought this valuable resource was worth pointing out to those people who are interested in the regulatory side of call centers as well as people interested in teleservices and BPO. One of the hot topics in the space at the moment has to do with whether our industry needs self regulation. This is discussed in his first entry.

Generally this is a good idea if you want to keep the government out of what you are doing.

Posted in CRM, Call Center

Tagged: ata, government, infocision, regulation, steve brubaker, Tim Searcy : Related Tags: people interested, steve brubaker

Astricon 2008 Photos

September 24, 2008

Look -- I know how you feel. So many things to do, so little time. Do you spend your day listening to government officials justify a $750,000,000,000 loan or do you go to Astricon to see what is happening in the world of open communications? Personally I struggled with the same question but thankfully, I had a big team of my best people already going to the show. I asked them for photos so I could at least feel like I was there.

Posted in IP Communications

Contact Center Update

September 24, 2008

There are some very positive contact events worth sharing. The first bit of news has to do with how Voxify helped callers prepare for hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Voxify used its managed speech solutions to help hotels and airlines handle massive call volumes which peaked as the hurricane got closer. Callers not only made calls to reserve rooms and forms of travel, they also called to reconfirm reservations.

In other good news, AT&T has opened a call center in Detroit, Michigan to provide DSL service and support.

Posted in CRM, Call Center, Conferencing, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications

Tagged: at&t, call center, contact center, dsl, service, speech solutions, speech technology, support, voxify : Related Tags: contact center, contact, center

iPhone Tip #1 Battery Life

September 24, 2008

To maximize your Apple iPhone's battery you need to be proactive. A few tips to ensure the battery lasts as long as possible are to disable the wireless networks you do not need. For example bluetooth and WiFi are naturals to turn off at first.

The next step is to turn off the 3G network and revert to the much slower but less power-hungry Edge network. Personally, I have never done this and I understand if this is too drastic for you to undertake.

The next step is to reduce screen brightness.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, apple, battery life, edge, email, Fetch New Data, google, gps, iphone, iphone tips, maps, power consumption, safari, steve jobs, web : Related Tags: check email, maximize battery, battery power, wireless networks, phone hours, battery

Comments

Big Mobile Week

September 23, 2008

Boy has there been tremendous mobile news this week. A few of the more interesting news announcements I have seen are the release of the Google T-Mobile G1 Phone which is based on Android/OHA. What is really interesting about this story in particular is that Android looks like it will find its way into many devices beyond phones.

This phone could be very interesting and it remains to be seen how Google competes with Apple in the UI game. While Apple has a simple but elegant design to its solutions, Google's solutions are simple and plain.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, Technology, Wireless

Tagged: android, cd, compact disk, EMI Music, gadget, gmail, google, gphone, memord, microsd, music, oha, SanDisk, song, SONY BMG, t-mobile, Universal Music Group : Related Tags: music, google, mobile, interesting, apple, phone

Satellite and Cellular Marry: Verizon Screwed

September 23, 2008

SkyTerra's Mobile Satellite Ventures, ICO Global Communications and Qualcomm have jointly announced they will work together to develop chips which will allow cell phones to rely on satellites when cellular networks are not available.

It will be a few years until we see the results of this collaboration and I imagine battery life will be an issue when communicating with satellites -- but if you put battery life aside, this agreement wreaks havoc on global cellular markets.

Why? Verizon decided years back to not carry the iPhone and one would imagine the superior Verizon network is one of the reasons they made this decision. They felt they didn't need to bow to the desires of Steve Jobs. They figured cutomers would not defect because they would not want to lose Verizon coverage. And of course they are partially right.

But, what happens if all cell phones can rely on WiFi, satellite and WiMax networks as backup networks? Well, the first thing that happens is Verizon Wireless now has almost no advantage and all networks become commoditized (except of course for wireless broadband speed) and their decision to not carry the iPhone now comes back to haunt them as I predicted in February of 2007.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, IP Communications, Technology, Verizon, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: at&t, att, ICO Global Communications, iphone, qualcomm, satellite, SkyTerra's Mobile Satellite Ventures, steve jobs, t, verizon, wimax, wireless : Related Tags: carry iphone, verizon, networks, cellular, satellite

Viral Videos and Religion

September 23, 2008

I came across this funny video which is designed to encourage people to visit Israel. I thought it was very funny and watched it a few times. What amazes me about it is just how it shows religious and affiliated causes are using the internet. Sure this concept is not totally new but the JibJab nature of the cartoon seems like a different slant on how religious organizations approach web marketing.

Well done.

Posted in Broadband, Social Networking, Technology, Video

Tagged: religion, video, viral marketing, web 2.0, youtube : Related Tags:

Apple Going Too Far on App Store Restrictions?

September 23, 2008

There are so many positive things you can say about Apple. The company is truly positioned to take over the computing and mobile worlds. They already seem to own the music and video businesses. But does Apple need to tell us what programs we should and shouldn't run on our phones? Is this their place?

Recently, Apple banned MailWrangler, an application which uses a web browser to access e-mail on the iPhone.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Google, IMS, Microsoft, Open Source, SIP, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: apple, appstore, iphone, iphone blog, mailwrangler, outlook web access, owa, web monkey : Related Tags: store young, apple, store, developers, email, access

Comments

SIP the Future

September 23, 2008

I came across this great article on SIP from John Carroll over at ZDNet which summarizes some of his thoughts from last week's ITEXPO. I like this article because it goes into depth on SIP, SIP trunking and more. I liked the article so much in fact I now follow this blog in my news reader. You can do so as well.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, E-Commerce, Fax, Financial, IMS, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: conference, expo, exposition, itexpo, john carroll, sip, sip trunking, trade show, zdnet : Related Tags: article

ITEXPO in Swahili

September 22, 2008

I have been saying for years that ITEXPO brings communications decision makers from around the world to our events. I thought of this when I opened a video of attendees speaking Swahili at the latest ITEXPO this past week in Los Angeles, California. Interesting stuff and thanks to Suzanne Bowen of DIDX for recording this.

See also: ITEXPO West 2008 Attendees Discuss VoIP in Swahili

Posted in Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, IP Communications, ITEXPO, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: did, didx, ip communications, itexpo, sip, supertec, suzanne bowen, video, voip : Related Tags: itexpo, swahili

What Cisco Was Doing During ITEXPO

September 21, 2008

Cisco had a booth at ITEXPO this past week but apparently another part of the company was busy making an acquisition in the communications space at the exact same time. The company just picked up Jabber -- a supercharged presence engine and overall IM/UC solution. Why? Well of course Cisco is looking to add to its UC strategy and Jabber brings tremendous presence expertise.

When you think about it, Skype is a great company to acquire as well if you are looking for adding the presence of millions of users immediately to your network.

This is why I thought Cisco would make a good strategic Skype partner as mentioned earlier.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, Fax, IP Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: cisco, im, itexpo, jabber, presence, skype, uc, unified communications : Related Tags: cisco, presence, company

More On Google Buying Skype

September 21, 2008

You may have noticed some posts regarding Skype being for sale and possibly acquired by Google this past weekend. While a few people have speculated Google would be the only purchaser, Andy throws in Oracle and Cisco. I agree with Andy and would add IBM, Microsoft and SalesForce.com into this group as any of these companies would want to strengthen their subscriber bases and having Skype in their portfolios means a strong integration with a very popular software package which can be leveraged to provide a great unified communications solution.

Oracle and IBM especially would be able to leverage Skype in this fashion. Of course yes -- Skype is a consumer play but I hear over and over how often Skype is used in the corporate environment.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Cisco, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, Google, Green, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Skype, Technology, Video, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: acquisition, andy abramson, google, ibm, m&a, merger, microsoft, oracle, skype : Related Tags: throw skype, skype google, skype, google, course, great

Comments

Discussion: Is Skype For Sale?

September 20, 2008

Andy Abramson doesn't think will be sold but others speculate it will and that Google would be the only potential buyer. I would add Microsoft, Oracle and IBM to the list. Even Cisco may have interest. Why? Skype helps any company become a unified communications powerhouse with millions of presence connected users.

More

Posted in IP Communications, Skype

Tagged: andy abramson, ip communications, skype, voip : Related Tags:

Toshiba Moves Upmarket With CIX1200

September 20, 2008

Sandra M. Gustavsen an analystat at T3i Group LLC does a thorough and succinct job of evaluating Toshiba's move upmarket. The company has a new PBX called the CIX1200 which can be networked to support 128,000 users. Impressive.

In addition the company has IP-based 96-port voice processing system, called Stratagy ES96i as well as FMC and OCS/UC integration available about soon.

I find this move logical. Every small company hopes to be large one day and having a phone system which expands, makes sense when you hope your company will grow indefinitely.

For more on Toshiba's new products and their unique extended warranty program check out this Gustavsen's article.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Conferencing, Fax, IP Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: avaya, cix1200, enterprise, fmc, ip, ocs, pbx, Sandra Gustavsen, sip, smb, T3i Group, toshiba, uc, voip, warranty : Related Tags: company, toshiba

Back in NY From ITEXPO West 2008

September 19, 2008

This was an incredible news week in the world of communications with dozens and dozens of important announcements being made at ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles. Over 50 countries were represented at this show making it a truly global event and attendees and conferees gave us many testimonials about how good the show was for them. Thanks for attending and thanks to the TMC team for successfully executing yet another world-class event. I have to be honest, between meetings, announcing keynotes and media interviews, I couldn't keep up with the news avalanche these past days.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Toyota Prius Winner

September 18, 2008

Wayne Toddun of IPCHECKPOINT is starting a new ITSP. He came to ITEXPO here in Los Angeles to select IP communications products and services. He said he made a ton of fantastic connections at the show and he said the show was invaluable. He now is the proud owner of a brand new car!

Posted in IP Communications

Still Lots of Big Crowds

September 18, 2008

T minus 30 minutes to the car giveaway and end of ITEXPO West 2008 and there are lots of big crowds in the hall. I am really looking forward to the Prius drawing.

Posted in IP Communications

Fonality Booth at ITEXPO West 2008

September 18, 2008

I know I just covered Fonality but I just came back into the exhibit hall and noticed the booth still had great traffic and lots of interest. This is great and perhaps would be unexpected at other shows because the show is over in 30 minutes or so. Wow.

Posted in IP Communications

The Ferrari of IP PBXs?

September 18, 2008

I have seen exotic Italian sports cars which have glass above the engine to show it off. This idea is not lost on Fonality who here at ITEXPO in Los Angeles is showing off their Trixbox IP PBX in a similar manner. My question to Chris Lyman, company CEO is will it cause me to get a speeding ticket?

Posted in IP Communications

Telepresence Hot at ITEXPO

September 18, 2008

I saw big lines here at the wbsconnect booth. I stopped by to witness 3D telepresence. The company calls it immersive and the way it works is with DVE technology which embeds the camera behind the screen so you maintain eye contact. In addition the 3D effect comes from a glass in front of the screen which has a special coating. This is similar to Teleprompter technology. This product is the future of telepresence in my opinion. And the booth won best of show.

Posted in IP Communications

Fax At ITEXPO

September 18, 2008

It may seem surprising but fax is back. There are new vendors in the space and existing vendors tell me business is good. Here is the FaxBack booth which has had great activity at the show.

Posted in IP Communications

APEX Voice at ITEXPO

September 18, 2008

At ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles I stopped by the APEX Voice booth. The company has been a leader in the application generator space for years and they now call themselves the application server company. Most impressive is the fact that Apex is 19 years ago which is almost unheard of in communications.

Posted in IP Communications

I2Telecom at ITEXPO

September 18, 2008

At ITEXPO West 2008 I spent time with Larry Stessel CMO of I2Telecom while congratulating him on his company's new mobile VoIP application which does not require WiFi. It won best of show The service is fast and platform agnostic suppprting Nokia, RIM, Microsoft and soon Apple.

Posted in IP Communications

Syspine Booth

September 18, 2008

Just stopped by Syspine at ITEXPO West 2008 and saw the Response Point PBX and the ClearOne Max IP which also supports the magic blue speech to text button which has really simplified telephony.

Posted in IP Communications

Comments

Telematrix TMX 1170 SIP DECT Phone

September 18, 2008

Just saw this great phone at ITEXPO West 2008 which is designed for hospitality and offices. It is a prototype and will be released in a few months. The interesting feature is the handset which is DECT based.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Some More Stories

September 18, 2008

Here are a few news stories I came across today to keep you up to date on show happenings so far. I didn't get a chance to read them all by the way but I wanted to share as soon as I could.

Broadsoft's David Bukovsky Presents Keynote at ITEXPO West Taking a Closer Look at iLinc 10 ITEXPO West 2008 Octasic Announces Mass Customization Program at ITEXPO for Vocallo Media Gateway BandTel Touts SIP Trunking at IT EXPO West 2008

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Google, Green, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Musings, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, SaaS, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: broadsoft, communications, gateway, gotvoice, ip communications, itexpo, octasic, quintum, sip trunking, vocallo, voip, zeacom : Related Tags: itexpo

ITEXPO West 2008 Best of Show

September 18, 2008

Congratulations to the ITEXPO West 2008 best of show winners here in Los Angeles.

Best Service Provider Solution Ring Carrier TelcoBridges IntelePeer Best Large Enterprise Solution Instant Solutions MobileMax (News - Alert) Best SMB Solution 8x8 Quintum Epygi Best Consumer Offering Phonevite Best Development Tool Sangoma Apex Voice Communications Touchstone (News - Alert) Technologies Most Innovative Solution i2Telecom Oaisys PhoneFusion Best Booth WBS Connect Mitel Best of Call Center 2.0 VocalCom (News - Alert) Syntellect CosmoCom Best of Open Source Digium Fonality Pactolus Editors' Choice SIP Print KnoahSoft, Inc. Volt Delta

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, IMS, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Musings, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Personal, Podcast, SIP, SaaS, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless

Tagged: best of show, communications, conference, contact center, crm, itexpo, voip : Related Tags: solution, alert

ITEXPO Press Coverage

September 18, 2008

Certainly there have been many stories and news announcements coming out of ITEXPO West 2008 here in Los Angeles. I have pointed to a number of them but one worth reading which crossed my inbox this morning is from VoIP Planet and it summarizes some of the news coming out of the show quite nicely.

There are mentions of Fonality, ClearOne, SIP Print, VoIP Logic, Aastra Telecom, Acme Packet and more.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Security, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP

Tagged: Aastra Telecom, Acme Packet, ClearOne, Fonality, itexpo, mark miller, SIP Print, Voip Logic, voip planet : Related Tags:

I Stopped by the Sansay/Stealth Communications Party

September 17, 2008

There is a great party here at the J Restaurant here in LA. Everyone is having a great time and of course I am in a corner blogging.

Sincerely, Rich Rich Tehrani President, TMC - TMCnet.com ITEXPO: Sept 16-18 2008, Los Angeles Blog: Tehrani.com

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Day Two Over

September 17, 2008

Thanks all for a great two days of ITEXPO, one more day to go and one lucky person will win the Toyota Prius at 5:00 pm tomorrow. You must be present to win of course. I hope to see you at some of the exhibitor parties tonight or tomorrow.

Posted in IP Communications

Yamaha's Conference Systems Carried by cyLogistics

September 17, 2008

At a young age I was always fascinated by stereo equipment and in fact starting working at TMC at age nine putting stamps on envelopes in the summer and on holiday so I could save up enough money to buy a stereo system. I spent somewhere north of $2,000 in 1979/1980 to buy a Vector Research receiver, a pair of Bose 901 speakers and a cassette deck and turntable whose brands I cannot recall. I purchased the Vector Research receiver because I couldn't afford one by Yamaha but Vector Research was said to be founded by a team that left Yamaha so it would have to do. The receiver still works although Vector Research went belly up shortly after I made the purchase.

This came back to me today when I read Zippy write that Yamaha is going to be distributing their conference calling products through cyLogistics.

Posted in Avaya, Broadband, Cisco, Conference, Conferencing, FCC, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: bose, bose 901, cylogistics, Digital Sound Projector, itexpo, PJP-25UR, PJP-300V, polycom, Talker position reproduction, vector research, yamaha : Related Tags: vector research, research receiver, yamaha, conference, technology, device

ITEXPO WEST 2008 Exhibit Hall is Open

September 17, 2008

If you aren't here, we hope to see you here soon. Enjoy the pictures.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Outrageous Interactions Contest

September 17, 2008

Joe Staples Senior VP of Marketing at Interactive Intelligence is onstage at ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles detailing the winner of the company's Outrageous Interactions contest. The winner was Tracy Roach who took a call complaining that a customer's PIN number was erased when the bank decided to paint the wall by the ATM machine.

Details:

Interactive Intelligence Announces Winning Customer Service Story in Outrageous Interactions Call Center Contest

Tracy R. of Tennessee wins contest grand prize of trip for two to Hawaii for most outrageous customer service story

INDIANAPOLIS - Sept. 25, 2008 -- The public has spoken and the winner of the Interactive Intelligence (Nasdaq: ININ) "Outrageous Interactions" call center contest is Tracy R., a customer service specialist for a Tennessee-based bank.

Interactive Intelligence awarded Tracy with the grand prize of a trip for two to Hawaii.

Posted in IP Communications

8x8/Packet8 and Microsoft SMB VoIP Collaboration

September 17, 2008

Breaking News

There is big news out of ITEXPO this week in Los Angeles. 8x8 and Microsoft just released the news that the two companies will be working together to offer Packet8 VoIP SIP trunking service with the Microsoft Response Point Business Phone System.

At a press conference held by Bryan Martin CEO of 8x8 and XD Huang General Manager of Microsoft, the two companies addressed a large crowd of analysts and press regarding the huge opportunity the two will take advantage of.

In order to maximize the relationship, the both will jointly market the combined solution through their respective VAR channels. In addition, they will jointly market this solution online and via other marketing channels.

For 8x8, this agreement further cements its position as an SMB IP communications provider who seems to be operating on all cylinders. The company was smart to focus on the SMB market years back when it became clear the consumer VoIP market was hard to make money in.

Posted in Avaya, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Financial, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Musings, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 8x8, bryan martin, conference, hd huang, ip communications, itexpo, microsoft, packet8, response point, sip trunking, smb, voip : Related Tags: response point, jointly market, point product, microsoft, market, packet

ITEXPO West 2008: Introduced by IP Man

September 17, 2008

IP Man Fight Evil IP Communications Villains
Having been speaking at conferences and other events for decades I can tell you that yesterday was a first for me. Why? Well, I was introduced by a cartoon character and even turned into a cartoon character. Many people mentioned how closely the cartoon character resembled me. Of course I was not sure how to take this and am still not. Anyway -- thanks to Broadvox for lending the IP Communications superhero IP Man to ITEXPO to introduce me on stage -- and of course allowing him to save me from being kidnapped.

Also -- and I am not kidding here -- I have to post the video soon so you can see it yourself -- I hope IP Man is around to keep the evil villains Noise and Jitter at bay.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: broadvox, conference, ip communications, ip man, itexpo, noise jitter, rich tehrani, superhero, trade show, voip : Related Tags: cartoon character, cartoon, character

People I Saw at ITEXPO West 2008

September 17, 2008

I have had a chance to see so many people yesterday and this morning at ITEXPO -- here are a few photos I took.

Here is Brough Turner -- he is CTO of NMS the company which is in the DSP resource board market and has provided major building blocks which helped open up the telecom market over the decades. The company is to be acquired by Dialogic pending shareholder approval. According to many people at this show the terms should be more than favorable to NMS shareholders.

Andy Abramson was in town for the show and held one of his famous wine dinners which are becoming industry if not world famous at this point.

Art Rosenberg -- the man who coined the term unified communications many years ago was on hand in the press room to discuss the disconnect between where communications needs to be and presently is. One interesting point in our conversation was the increased need to assign tasks with deadlines and be notified if said deadlines are to be missed.

Posted in IP Communications, ITEXPO, SIP, Unified Communications, VoIP

Tagged: andy abramson, art rosenberg, brough turner, conference, dialogic, ip communications, itexpo, nms, unified communications, voip, wine dinner : Related Tags: people, deadlines

ITEXPO West 2008 Exhibit Hall

September 16, 2008

Here are some shots of the exhibit hall as it is being set up. I took these while this networking reception was taking place.

I also took shots of some important signage. Hope to see you all soon.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Microsoft Keynote

September 16, 2008

X.D. Huang General Manager of Microsoft gave a very interesting keynote where he first focused on the many things coming out of Microsoft Labs -- in particular -- an interface which mixes real objects with virtual ones. Using cameras on your desk the system is able to recognize gestures, etc. This technology is not necessarily new for Microsoft -- but it is the first time I have seen this demo.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, IP Communications, Microsoft, Technology

Tagged: ip communications, microsoft, responsepoint, telepresence, voip, X.D. Huang : Related Tags: microsoft, virtual

ITEXPO West 2008 Skype Keynote

September 16, 2008

Jonathon Christensen General Manager for Video and Audio at Skype gave a great keynote with a topic which was surprising -- VoIP is dead. Wow. The point is video and other forms of communications -- presence -- etc, are becoming as important or more than voice. At ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles today I learned Skype uses open source to terminate calls and they are also experimenting with stereo phone calls.

I have written about stereo VoIP for half a decade and finally, Skype will embrace it. It is worth pointing out Nortel too has embraced the conept which is why they picked up DiamondWare recently. Here are some photos of the standing room only keynote from the show.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Communications Developer, IP Communications, SIP, Skype, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: ip communications, itexpo, Jonathon Christensen, keynote, presence, skype, voip.internet telephony : Related Tags: skype, keynote

IMS Forum Becomes NGN Forum

September 16, 2008

Just announced at ITEXPO: The NGN Forum and IMS Forum have merged and will also have an associated STP Forum and Diameter Forum. As you may know, these are key elements to provide applications and services to residential and business customers.

This means the IMS Plugfest is now not just IMS-based but will also focus on the following architechtures as well: STP, Diameter and IP OSS/BSS.

The new name of the furum will be the NGN Forum and Michael Khalilian will be the Chairman and President for the next three years.

There are now over 2,500 participants between the different forums with weekly additions to the technical working group comittee -- working on business development, marketing, technology and standards.

The focul point of the NGN forum is IP, IP structure, framework, architechture and best practices. The objective of this group is to ensure interoperability of new revenue generating services via things like plugfests. As you may be aware, TMC's IMS and UC Magazines are sponsor of these plugfests and the next one is January 12th, 2009 in New Hamphsihre -- at the UNH-IOL (interoperability lab)

Expect the news of the new boards of directors to come out in the next few weeks.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Call Center, FCC, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Skypeoke Discussion at ITEXPO West 2008

September 16, 2008

When you have a conversation with Carl Ford (left in photo) you aren't surprised when karaoke comes up in conversation. Of course when you add Phil Wolff (on right) the author of the Skype Journal blog, you probably shouldn't be surprised to hear your conversation go from karaoke to Skypeoke. No I am not kidding... Can't make this stuff up.

More on Skypeoke -- something I just learned about.

Posted in Broadband, IP Communications, Open Source, Skype, Technology, Video, VoIP

Tagged: carl ford, conference, itexpo, karaoke, phil wolff, skype journal, skypeoke : Related Tags: skypeoke, conversation

ITEXPO West 2008 SIP Trunking Update

September 16, 2008

The SIP Trunking seminar has been standing room only all day and we had to shift them to a much larger room which is still overflowing. Wow.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Trixbox FtOCC Certification

September 16, 2008

I somehow forgot to take a photo of the Fonality Trixbox FtOCC certification course here at ITEXPO West 2008 in Los Angeles. We have a tremendous crowd and the audience seems very attentive. Staying in this session brings me back to my Unix programming days where I used the Grep command and "pipe" "|" character often for searching and funneling data into other applications.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Lunch Day One

September 16, 2008

I am about to do some quality networking. BTW be at the keynotes at 3:30 today for a surprise. Please don't be late.

Posted in IP Communications

It's All About Communications

September 16, 2008

As I sit here at the first ITEXPO/Communications Developer keynote by Lawrence Byrd of Avaya, I realize he makes a great point when he mentions how vital communications is to business. This is especially true in light of the recent financial turmoil emanating on Wall Street but spreading worldwide.

As he mentions, communications is becoming a great development environment and developers need a level of abstraction when developing. Byrd points out we need to turn communications into web services so they can be plugged into other applications.

Very good points.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, CRM, Call Center, IP Communications, Microsoft, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: avaya, communications, lawrence byrd : Related Tags: communications

ITEXPO West 2008 SIP Trunking Workshop

September 16, 2008

The SIP Trunking track was standing room only, early in the morning. The room was so packed I couldn't get a good shot so the speaker isn't visible..

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 IPTV Workshop

September 16, 2008

Franchesca Walker of Foundry Networks kicks off the IPTV track at ITEXPO here in Los Angeles.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Next-Gen Contact Center

September 16, 2008

Tim Passios of Interactive Intelligenve kicks things off in a session focused on next-generation contact centers. Topics of interest include SMS based contact centers, speech analytics with emotion detection and word/phrase spotting and post call surveys. Tim discussed how companies think they provide excellent service 85% of the time while customers think they get excellent service only 8% of the time. He spent time discussing how to cross this chasm.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 OCS Training

September 16, 2008

Just had a chance to stop in the TMC University OCS training session with Tom Cross as speaker. Seemed like a great crowd with peope pouring in as the session continued on.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Prius Giveaway

September 16, 2008

The toyota Prius ia being prepped now. Be here at the end of the day Thursday for a good chance to win this car. By the way, the color is subject to change.

Posted in IP Communications

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Just Getting to ITEXPO West 2008

September 16, 2008

I am here at the show and will snap some photos so you know what to expect if you haven't made it here yet.

Posted in IP Communications

More Shots From Avaya Reception Last Night at ITEXPO

September 16, 2008

I had a great time at the Avaya reception last night where I met up with old friends and made some new ones. Photos below are of Jon Arnold, Luca Filigheddu and many others. Sorry about the quality - this is the best the iPhone can do at night. I may have some professional shots up later today in this same post so check back.

Also be sure to see Luca's post VON is Here, referring to the fact that so many of the people who were part of the VON community have moved over to ITEXPO.

Posted in IP Communications

Tagged: communications, itexpo, Jon Arnold, Luca Filigheddu, pulvermedia, voip, von : Related Tags: reception night, avaya reception, shots, night

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ITEXPO West 2008 Avaya Workshop

September 15, 2008

The Avaya session is standing room only as the audience listens to Zeus Kerravala of The Yankee Group discuss the communications market and UC in particular.

Blogged via wireless handheld.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Map

September 15, 2008

Here is a map of the Los Angeles Convention Center with all the important activities/rooms, etc. As you know by now, this is the center where ITEXPO will be held this week. Feel free to print or download this PDF to your electronic device of choice.

I hope you find it useful.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, IPTV, ITEXPO, Open Source, SIP, Security, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications

Tagged: convention center, ims, ip communications, itexpo, los angeles, sip, uc, unified communications, voip : Related Tags:

ITEXPO West 2008 News to Date

September 15, 2008

To keep up with some of the news from this week's ITEXPO here at the Los Angeles Convention Center, check out the following show dailies from the past three days.

Tuesday, September 9th Thursday, September 11th Monday, September 15thHere is a news page as well if you would like to see even more.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Google, Green, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, Security, Skype, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: avaya, call center, cisco, communications, fax, ims, ip communications, itexpo, los angeles, microsoft.unified communications, show daily, sip, tmc, uc, voip : Related Tags: september

At the Westin Bonaventure in LA for ITEXPO West

September 15, 2008

I made it here to the hotel and took a few shots from the lobby and elevator. I am heading down to the Avaya Workshop and Reception in a little while and hope to see you there.

Posted in IP Communications

Landed in Los Angeles for ITEXPO West

September 15, 2008

Well technically it's Long Beach. Here is an iPhone shot which I hope looks OK.

Posted in IP Communications

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GIPS Gets Russian Win

September 15, 2008

In years past the competition between GIPS and Spirit DSP has been the stuff of legend. While the competitive situation has unwound over the past 18 months or so it is still interesting to see how the companies compete with one another.

For example, some news out of this week's ITEXPO is that exhibitor GIPS has just announced it has been selected by Mail.Ru to have its GIPS' VoiceEngine embedded inside the Mail.Ru Agent, starting with version 5.2 -- allowing affordable calls to stationary and mobile phones.

Of course the interesting thing here is Spirit DSP is based in Moscow -- so this is a win in foreign territory for GIPS and the company can look forward to having its solutions rolled out to about 50 million new Russian users.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Personal, Rates Technology, SIP, SaaS, Search, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, Technology, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: gips, global ip solutions, itexpo, mail.ru, spirit dsp : Related Tags:

Zippy's Thoughts on ITEXPO

September 15, 2008

I just came across an article by Richard Zippy Grigonis regarding the success of ITEXPO in light of the incredible competition over the years. Reading it, reminded me of shows of the past which I enjoyed going to. Zippy -- as many of you know is about the straightest-shooter there is -- he tells it as it is -- from his vantage point of course.

This is what makes his thoughts are all the more incredible (and humbling) -- and Zippy -- you are part of the team that allows ITEXPO and TMC in general to flourish. Of course while i am in thanking mode -- getting ready to head out to LA for ITEXPO myself -- let me extend a hearty thanks to the entire TMC team, our advertisers, sponsors, exhibitors and partners who have allowed TMC to keep growing.

I look forward to seeing you all and thanking you in person this week.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, JITC, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Personal, Podcast, Rates Technology, SIP, SaaS, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: carrier, clec, communications, ilec, internet telephony, ip communications, itexpo, los angeles, pbx, rboc, reseller, richard grigonis, service provider, tmc, var, voip, zippy, zippy grigonis : Related Tags: itexpo

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/podcasts/Zimmerman-Keynote-podcast.mp3

September 12, 2008

TI on Communications Development

September 12, 2008

Texas Instruments makes the DSPs which perform much of the heavy lifting in communications devices we commonly use. From cell phones to VoIP gateways, TI DSPs and other processors are likely to be in in the equipment we use.

To help us understand how TI helps deliver world-class voice and other solutions, we have invited Fred Zimmerman, Director, CPE VoIP Solutions for Texas Instruments' Communications Infrastructure & Voice Business to deliver a keynote address at the upcoming Communications Developers Conference taking place in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center, September 16th to the 18th.

His topic will be case study focusing on the SMB market -- one which is really poised for growth. Zimmerman will give a call to action to VoIP vendors selling into this market.

The SMB has unique challenges -- and these extend into the infrastructure according to Fred. Zimmerman's case study discusses a small service provider and will delves into where the rubber meets the road in SMB VoIP deployment.

Here is a podcast with Greg Galitzine which has details and both Greg and Fred do a great job.

Hope to see you at the show.

Posted in Broadband, Communications Developer, IP Communications, Podcast, Speech Technologies, Technology, Video, VoIP

Tagged: broadband, commdevcon, communications, communications developer, consumer electronics, cpe, dsp, Fred Zimmerman, gadget, itexpo, piqa, qoe, qos, texas instruments, ti, voip, wireless : Related Tags: 办公家具办公家具, texas instruments, communications, 办公家具, immerman

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Second Gates/Seinfeld Ad Better

September 12, 2008

The second installment of the Microsoft Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld advertising campaign is surprisingly better than the first. It is just as confusing but there was something about it which compelled me to watch and have real interest in what the characters are all about. After a short amount of time I admit I threw in the towel as to trying to understand some of the characters.

I should also mention the ad was 2:30 long making it five times longer than a typical commercial.

I do agree the acting of Bill Gates was good and Seinfeld -- well he can't seem to be bad -- even if he tries. With the exception of course being the first installment of this commercial series.

I suppose the point of these commercials is to reposition Microsoft as hipper and more interesting without responding directly to the Apple ads.

Posted in Apple, Microsoft, Technology, Unified Communications, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: advertising, apple, bill gates, commercial, imac, iphone, ipod, itunes, jerry seinfeld, mac, macbook, microsoft, operating system, vista : Related Tags: gates seinfeld, gates, better, microsoft, seinfeld

Keating on Skype, Pika and Zune

September 12, 2008

You know what? I was looking at Tom Keating's blog today and there is some good stuff worth sharing. First he points to an Om Malik interview of Josh Silverman the CEO of Skype and then reminds us of how to get Skype to run on an iPhone (sort-of) until Skype releases an official version.

The interview is great -- it shows Skype is laser-focused on profit, mobility and embedding itself into other applications. Malik pushed Silverman on a few fronts -- explaining that the telcos aren't a monopoly (contradicting my thoughts and those of Silverman) -- he also pushed Silverman on why they are still part of eBay and finally on why Skype is boring. If I were an eBay shareholder though, I would be less interested in being amazed by the company's products and more interested in profitability.

Silverman sidestepped this point a bit but did say they are focused on innovative products.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IMS, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Musings, Nortel, Open Source, Podcast, SIP, Science, Search, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Video, TMCnet, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: api, asterisk, developer, digium, freeswitch, ip pbx, Josh Silverman, oem, open source, pika, reseller, var, warp : Related Tags: theft protection, pushed silverman, getting knowledge, improve protection, skype, asterisk

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Avaya Workshop/Reception at ITEXPO in Los Angeles

September 12, 2008

Next week is a huge week for the communications industry as ITEXPO will roll into Los Angeles, California with thousands of attendees looking to keep up to date on the latest in the communications market. If you aren't planning on being there, you really should... We expect this event to be one of the best ever held in communications and technology.

In addition to a great educational experience, the ability to network with the industry's best and brightest there will be tremendous keynotes and a number of great networking receptions. You can even win a hybrid car!

Perhaps one of the receptions I will be looking forward to most is being held by Avaya on Monday night, September 15 at the Westin Bonaventure.

View Larger Map

At 7:00pm, Avaya and The Yankee Group will have a workshop followed by a party with great views of Los Angeles and handcrafted ales.

Dialogic/NMS Acquisition Discussion and Analysis

September 12, 2008

On a recent call with Jim Machi, Senior Vice President Marketing Dialogic Inc.I had a chance to ask a number of questions regarding his company's pending acquisition of the platform division of NMS. The deal is subject to shareholder approval and comes a few weeks after NMS received a delisting notice from the Nasdaq exchange due to the company's stock price being under $1 for more than 30 days in a row.

Machi tells me the deal will allow the two companies to pool resources and as a result they should be able to get products out to the market faster than ever. He further cited the video and mobile value-added spaces as other areas where the companies will be able to compete more effectively as a standalone entity.

I asked Machi about the geographical ramifications of this deal and whether there are complimentary areas of the world which NMS brings to the table. According to Jim, Dialogic is very strong worldwide so this was not a reason for this acquisition.

I asked if the deal has been on the works for a long time and Machi commented it was a normal amount of based on prior acquisitions.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Google, IMS, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Patent, SIP, SaaS, Security, Skype, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: acd, acquisition, avatar, brough turner, cantata, conference, dialogic, dsp, expo, internet telephony gateway, itexpo, ivr, jim machi, merger, natural micrososystems, nick jensen, nms, nmss, trade show, video, virtual worlds, voicemail : Related Tags: machi explained, worth mentioning, value added, machi, dialogic, company

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Dialogic Swallows up NMS Platforms

September 12, 2008

NMS Communications signed a definitive agreement to sell its NMS Communications Platforms business to Dialogic for $28 million in cash. This is a significant deal as it shows just how little value the platforms division has and it further marks a turning point in a rivalry which has been legendary for the past few decades.

Why the low price? Simply stated, Moore's Law which has in the past few years made it possible for Intel CPUs to do much of the DSP work which once required separate processors.

In the nineties, the fight for share between Dialogic and NMS was incredible and seemed to transcend business to become personal in many cases. It was a real slug fest and shows like CTI Expo, Internet Telephony and the Computer Telephony event were where these companies would traditionally try to outdo one another.

More recently however under the leadership of Nick Jensen, Dialogic has been much less of an in-your-face competitor and as such, deals like the purchase of Cantata and now this one have been made possible.

NMS for its part will become LiveWire Mobile -- the name of the company's subsidiary which focuses on providing ring tones and videos to mobile devices.

I am about to interview at least one company exec and should have more details by the end of the day. Be sure to come to ITEXPO next week in Los Angeles where Dialogic and NMS execs will be to hear the details from them directly.

Posted in Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, IMS, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Rates Technology, Skype, Speech Technologies, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: cantata, dialogic, natural micrososystems, nick jensen, nms, nmss : Related Tags: dialogic, platforms

Solar Roofing Materials

September 12, 2008

I came across a good article on solar roofing material which focuses on a new technology which is hurricane resistant while being more aesthetically pleasing than traditional solar panels. The article reminds us that in the US, tax credits for such technologies will soon be gone and further let's us know that Europe is ahead of the US in terms of incentives for such technologies.

Sadly the article also mentions how builders are wary of new technologies because of the possibility of recalls and other problems.

Posted in Green, Technology

Tagged: green, solar : Related Tags: solar roofing, technologies, solar, article

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CRG West Promotes John Savageau

September 11, 2008

John Savageau one of the hardest working people I know in the carrier hotel/data center business was just promoted to CTO of CRG West where he will get to focus more on the company's peering and ICT offerings. Perhaps no one is more deserving of a promotion.

John has been an instrumental part of CRG West's expansion from two to eleven data centers and John is a true thought leader in the space. In my many discussions with Savageau, he has explained in intricate detail what separates his data centers from the run of the mill and brimmed with pride when he gave me a tour of the company's famous One Wilshire building which is located literally a few blocks from where ITEXPO will be held next week in Los Angeles.

John was a career US Air Force officer and when you speak with him you get the sense of his military background. There is just something about the precision in the way he speaks.

Many people take for granted that interconnections in facilities like the ones John manages are responsible for supplying entire countries with internet traffic.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, SIP, Security, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: air force, collocation, conference, crg west, cto, data center, expo, fiber, internet telephony, ip communications, itexpo, john savageau, one wilshire, optical, promotion, telx, terremark, tmc, tmcnet, voice peering, voip : Related Tags: voice peering, interconnections facilities, peering, voice, savageau, itexpo

More IP Communications/VoIP Interviews

September 11, 2008

I know many people enjoyed my 60 crucial IP communications interviews from ITEXPO speakers and exhibitors but there are a few more which I am glad to share with you.

Please Enjoy:

Jim Greenway U4EA, Steve Johnson Ingate, Jeff Silbert M5.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Fax, Google, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Security, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: conference, ims, ip communications, itexpo, Jeff Silbert M5, Jim Greenway U4EA, Steve Johnson Ingate, tmc, voip : Related Tags:

IP Fax on Mainstream News

September 11, 2008

Long Island's news 12 just ran a news piece on IP faxing. IP faxing has been around for years but is it enjoying a resurgence? It seems the technology may be getting a boost from the move by companies looking to save money and go green.

See DalCom's Fred Hakim discuss his company's product FaxSer in this video which ran on Cablevision's News 12 Long Island.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Gadget, Green, IP Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Personal, Podcast, SIP, SaaS, Science, Security, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: dalcom, energy savings, fax, fax server, faxser, fred hakim, green, green technology, ip communications, ip fax, voip : Related Tags: faxing

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Kanye West Arrested in LA

September 11, 2008

I realize this has nothing to do with my typical subject matter but as you know as I get closer to a trade show I do look for nice segues to help me discuss the show. For example, next week, ITEXPO will be held in Los Angeles and coincidentally about an hour or so ago, Kanye West was arrested in Los Angeles.

So coming to ITEXPO can not only be good for your career and help you supply your users with a better IP communications experience, you can come to the show in the city where Kanye West was actually arrested. If you come to the show via LAX, you can actually visit the airport and perhaps gate where Mr. West -- famous for the song Gold Digger and Stronger among others -- was handcuffed and taken away.

With any luck -- being LA and all -- you may get to see other celebrities arrested on your way to the show as well.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, Fax, Financial, Gadget, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, JITC, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Personal, SIP, SaaS, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: arrest, gold digger, ip communications, itexpo, kanye west, lax, los angeles, stronger, vandalism, voip : Related Tags: arrested, kanye

Telus Nabs Huge VoIP Deal

September 11, 2008

Congratulations are in order to Telus who won a $7 million dollar deal with an 18 month RFP to provide VoIP and call center solutions to Vancouver's 311 contact center which supports 200 sites including City Hall, the 311 Contact Center, the Vancouver Police Department, the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Department, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and the Vancouver Public Library.

I really love Vancouver -- it is a beautiful place that seems to never get dark with amazing seafood and a good number communications companies.

Congratulations once again to Telus on this big win.

Here are some photos from my last Vancouver trip:

· Vancouver Photos

· Leaving Vancouver

Posted in AT&T, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conferencing, FCC, Green, IP Communications, Microsoft, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: call center, crm, ip communications, tmc, tmcnet, vancouver, voip : Related Tags: several hours, several calls, calls several, customer service, being transferred, service

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SIP Trunking Article

September 11, 2008

FierceVoIP has a great article on SIP Trunking which does happen to mention ITEXPO which takes place next week in Los Angeles. As you may have guessed -- it is written by Doug Mohney -- the smiling gentleman pictured to the left of this short entry.

As I have mentioned before, SIP trunking is one of the major growth areas of communications and will be for the foreseeable future. Resellers and businesses of all sizes should be at the SIP Trunking Workshop at the show which happens to be free and from what past attendees have told me, a fantastic learning experience which helps you increase your call quality and lower costs. For resellers/interconnects/VARs/VADs -- SIP trunking represents a recurring revenue stream which is welcome in an age of decreased margins.

I should also mention -- while on the topic of SIP, there is also a SIP certification class at TMC University focusing on building services with SIP.

Here are other TMC University courses to consider:

Date Course Hosted by

Tuesday,
September 16, 2008

Microsoft OCS

Tuesday,
September 16, 2008

FMC/Mobility

Tuesday,
September 16, 2008

Open Source

Tuesday,
September 16, 2008

SIP in the Contact Center Wednesday,
September 17, 2008 IP Network Security Wednesday,
September 17, 2008 SaaS Thursday,
September 18, 2008 Unified Communications Thursday,
September 18, 2008 SIP: The Foundation for Building Enhanced Services Thursday,
September 18, 2008 Next-Generation Call Center
Management

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Conferencing, E-Commerce, FCC, Google, IMS, IP Communications, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, Yahoo

Tagged: asterisk, Avaya, BandTel, BroadSoft, Cbeyond, conference, Digium, doug mohney, expo, ip communications, itexpo, linux, open source, sip trunking, trade show, voip, Voxitas : Related Tags: tuesday september, thursday september, wednesday september, september, trunking, tuesday

iPod Touch: Your Next Office Phone?

September 11, 2008

Recently at a launch event, Steve Jobs had a less than earth-shattering presentation where it seems the news of his health was more interesting to most reporters than the products being rolled out. Having said that, there was apparently huge news unveiled at the show if you are a VoIP-head like me.

You see the new iPod can do VoIP because it has an extra wire connected to the headphone jack.

Do you remember in 1994 I predicted in Internet Telephony Magazine that Apple would come out with something called a VoIPod? Well I got the name wrong but the concept is still the same -- the new iPods can do do VoIP which means there is a chance these devices will become primary phones for college students and others who are in areas where there is ubiquitous WiFi.

Another application of course is in corporations where iPods could become primary phones for workers. I know of no companies currently considering doing this but the price of an iPod Touch at $229 is close to what you would pay for an IP phone and may give similar functionality based on software which is likely being worked on by PBX vendors as you read this.

In addition, consider that for a few dollars more than the cost of a desk phone you can have a device which is wireless and becomes a selling point when looking to attract top talent (usually younger workers) to your organization.

Sure there is potential for abuse and subsidizing the music-listening and video-game playing habits of employees but in reality everyone probably has their own music and game playing device in their pockets already.

If businesses do adopt this pocket computer masquerading as a music player as a communications device -- and it does make sense that they should when you consider the Touch is also a fully functioning browser and email device -- this will be an entirely new market for Apple to derive revenue from.

If Apple isn't considering the ramifications of adding this single wire to their iPods, they certainly should.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Google, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Nortel, SIP, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: apple, communications, enterprise, health, ip communications, iphone, ipod, michael dinan, pbx, smb, steve jobs, tmc, tom keatng, voip, voip and gadgets blog : Related Tags: become primary, primary phones, touch, phone, device, apple

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Phone.com on ITEXPO

September 11, 2008

I was just reading the Phone.com blog by Ari Rabban where he mentions:

ITExpo is arguably the largest gathering of the VoIP industry. The conference and expo is a great place for the industry to gather, network and exchange ideas about the industry.
As the founder of ITEXPO, it's been a long road since we first launched ITEXPO in 1999, but my team has worked very hard to make ITEXPO the premiere communications event in the industry.

Currently this show is the only one in the world we know of which attracts resellers, service providers and business decision makers. It has truly become the gathering place of the communications industry and we are busy this week putting the final touches on what we think will be the best show we have ever held.

Remember the show is next week -- September 16-18 in the Los Angeles Convention Center -- West Hall.

Ari I hope to see you at the show and the same goes for all of my readers.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, JITC, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Musings, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, SIP, SaaS, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: ari rabban, communications, conference, expo, itexpo, phone.com, reseller, service provider, vad, var, voip : Related Tags: itexpo, industry

ITEXPO West 2008 Show Daily #1

September 10, 2008

ITEXPO West 2008 attendance for the upcoming Los Angeles, California event to be held September 16-18 is looking great and I just can't wait for the show to start. We are brimming with enthusiasm about this year's event and it will truly be the World's Communications Conference. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this year's show is the record number of companies making news at the show. We are absolutely thrilled about this and are doing our best to help you absorb all the news emanating from the show in an easily digestible format.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Musings, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Podcast, SIP, SaaS, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, TMCnet, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: avaya, cisco, conference, expo, IntelePeer, internet telephony, ip communications, itexpo, show daily, trade show, uc, unified communications, voip : Related Tags: unified communications, editor chief, tmcnet contributing, contributing editor, enterprise software, communications

Why Wireless Carterfone is Needed

September 10, 2008

The Carterfone ruling is what allowed the AT&T network to be opened up to competition and basically was the result of AT&T trying to stop a company from adding a device which was acoustically not electrically to their network.

The 1968 Federal Communications Commission allowed the Carterfone and other devices to be connected directly to the AT&T network, as long as they did not cause damage to the system. This ruling (13 F.C.C.2d 420) created the possibility of selling devices that could connect to the phone system using a protective coupler, and opened the market to customer owned equipment.

Many companies including Skype have tried to apply this ruling to the wireless market and changing the practice of bundling service and device with long-term contracts consisting of early-termination penalties. I actually thought this matter was over.

But today I came across a press release from The Phoenix Center which says that if the FCC were to regulate the way the mobile industry operates, consumers would lose out. Their point is that the result of such moves will be higher costs for mobile devices with no guarantee of lower service costs.

This is why their press release is right:

Long-term service contracts do indeed partially include financing charges on the device which you use.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Google, IMS, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, SaaS, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: asterisk, carterfone, cti, fcc, ip communications, phoenix center, voip, wireless, wireless carterfone : Related Tags: service providers, phoenix center, service provider, mobile devices, openness communications, service

iPhone VoIP Banned in Germany

September 10, 2008

There is some scary VoIP news out of Germany -- basically you cannot use VoIP on your iPhone because it could tempt you to jailbreak the device which basically means unlock it from the service provider you signed a contract with. None of this is good for the people of Germany who just lost the ability to use a very popular technology on a very popular device. This I would think puts the the people in the country at a disadvantage over their peers in outer countries who may use VoIP.

Here are the details.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, Google, IMS, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Skype, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: germany, ip communications, iphone, jailbreak, lawsuit, sipgate, voip : Related Tags: germany

Dvorak on Bill Gates/Seinfeld Ad

September 10, 2008

I just couldn't help busting out with laughter as I read the John Dvorak analysis of the Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Gates ad which I recently wrote about. If you are looking for humor mixed in with your tech, it is worth a read.

The sad part is the analysis makes sense but just can't be correct at the same time. This just can't be the type of viral marketing the company was looking for. Can it?

Are these ads a good counter to Apple's campaigns? What are your thoughts?

Posted in Apple, Consumer Electronics, Microsoft, Social Networking, Technology

Tagged: advertising, bill gates, comedy, commercial, jerry seinfeld, john dvorak, microsoft, seinfeld, vista : Related Tags:

AT&T Boosts GPS With A-GPS

September 10, 2008

AT&T just announed they will support A-GPS or assisted GPS which is a technology which utilizes the best of the GPS and cellular worlds allowing faster and more accurate postition tracking. GPS while fairly accurate, can take minutes to initialize and requires a fairly strong signal to work accurately. Quite often in fact, GPS does not work indoors or in areas where there is dense foliage.

A-GPS assisits GPS by allowing the cellular network to tell the device generally where it is located meaning the GPS receiver can narrow down its search for sattelites which in turn means faster and more accurate positioning results.

In a press release, AT&T explains it will further launch two new navigation applications in coming weeks -- MapQuest Navigator and AAA Mobile Navigator. The new applications add to the company's AT&T Navigator and AT&T Navigator Global Edition offerings.

Depending on how the public responds to this echnology, it is possible A-GPS will replace GPS as a technology meaning most GPS devices will have assistance from cellular towers.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Google, Patent, Technology, Verizon, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: 911, a-gps, aaa, at&t, att, cellular, google, gps, mapquest, navteq, nokia, satellite, t, wireless, zagats : Related Tags: service providers, compete google, faster accurate, local search, google, navigator

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Spy While You Talk

September 10, 2008

Let's face it. We are all busier than ever and many of us are multitasking quite often. In some cases, some of us email while we talk on the phone to get more done during the course of a busy day. Others will email on the train, plane, car, etc.

Posted in Consumer Electronics, FCC, IP Communications, Technology, Wireless

Tagged: bando workshop, camera, consumer electronics, gadget, geek alerts, spy : Related Tags: video, while

Esquire With E-Ink

September 9, 2008

Have you seen the latest issue of Esqure Magazine - October 2008, with e-ink? Very cool.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO West 2008 Show Guide

September 9, 2008

I have been looking at the show directory for next week's Internet Telephony Conference & Expo and am very happy to report this event will be one of the best we have produced. When I saw the draft of the directory on the way to the printer I immediately asked my team to have it turned into a PDF so everyone can see it in advance.

Most of the links below will get you directly to the PDF which is 17 MB in size so please don't download over dial-up or wireless where you pay per minute.

My show letter is a great place to start as it gives you the details of what is happening at the show.

All the top names are in the show... Cisco, Avaya, Time Warner Cable, Mitel, Interactive Intelligence and Dialogic. In addition, the most important open-source communications companies will be exhibiting.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Google, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, SaaS, Science, Skype, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: Asterisk, Avaya, BandTel, Bandwidth.com, Broadsoft, Broadvox, Cbeyond, Cisco, Computer Telephony Distributing, Dialogic, Digium, Fonality, FreeSide, Interactive Intelligence, Iwatsu, Mitel, Orecx, Pika, Redfone, Sangoma, Shoretel, SipConnect, Time Warner Cable, VoIPSA, Voxitas, Xorcom : Related Tags: interactive intelligence, record levels, networking reception, avaya, companies, communications

Boost Your Smartphone Battery Life

September 9, 2008

As phones get smarter and we use them more to surf the web, send emails and other things, the batteries seem to get smaller. Some tips to get the most out of your battery are to turn off the radios you don't use. WiFi and bluetooth are prime candidates and on an iPhone you can even turn off the 3G network and use EDGE if speed is not so crucial.

In some cases where there is poor reception and you don't need the phone to work you can turn off the cellular radio altogether. Here is an article on the matter and some sites where you can go for more info on battery saving tips for your device:
iPhone 3g Blackberry Windows Mobile

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: apple, battery, blackberry, iphone, microsoft, rim, windows mobile : Related Tags: battery

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Can Yahoo Get Out of its Own Way?

September 9, 2008

Obviously this past month has seen tremendous market volatility but I thought it important to point your attention to Yahoo! being near a fiver-year low. The company could have been taken over by Microsoft and returned shareholders over $13 billion more than their recent value. Ouch. This is a tremendous hit.

So many companies consider Microsoft to be an enemy and obviously, Yahoo has competed with Microsoft for a number of years and is no different.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Google, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Search, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Yahoo

Tagged: acquisition, behavioral targeting, business 2.0, google, m&a, merger, microsoft, Usama Fayyad, yahoo, yhoo : Related Tags: yahoo, fayyad, microsoft, tremendous, advertisers, company

Best Buy, iPhone 3G First Impressions

September 8, 2008

I had a very interesting day so far. A crying child had me up at 3:30 AM and I didn't get back to sleep. I figured I would take the opportunity to get ahead on my work. So iPhone, a bowl of cereal and coffee in hand I plopped myself in front of the financial news stations to see what the results of the weekend bail out of Freddie and Fannie would be.

Shortly after the cereal was done and a few sips into my delicious Elite Coffee, the internet went out.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Gadget, Google, IMS, Technology, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 1xrtt, apple, apple store, at&t, att, battery, best buy, blog, cablevision, consumer electronics, evdo, gadgets, iphone, iphone 3g, tom keating, verizon wireless, voip, wireless : Related Tags: external battery, battery iphone, apple store, battery, iphone, store

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Behavioral Advertising Hanging by Political Thread?

September 6, 2008

I have seen many industries flourish and die as a result of government regulation which changes at times like the wind blows. One of the latest casualties may just be companies who focus on behavioral tracking such as NebuAd. As Gary Kim spells out in this well-written article, "your wallet is not safe when Congress is in session."

Still, I must say I am quite worried the government may try to do what is in the public's best interest and at the same time hurt the public. You see, I believe the ability to target ads to match the needs of web surfers, TV viewers, etc is crucial in helping to monetize content while at the same time minimizing the viewing of ads which do not interest users.

In addition, the efficiencies gained by showing more targeted ads will likely be partially passed on to consumers.

This matter is especially important today as we are seeing the migration of video content from cable and satellite to broadband or TVoIP.

Posted in Google, Technology, Video

Tagged: advertising, behavioral targeting, congress, gary kim, goverment, nebuad, tmc, tmcnet : Related Tags: content, companies, while

Brian Ross Joins Acredo Technologies

September 6, 2008

Hosted communications provider Acredo Technologies recently hired Mike Ross to bolster the company's sales. Acredo is headed up by Mike Ross a veteran of the communications space having worked for Dialogic, Rhetorex, Aculab and many others.

Mike's son Brian worked with dad at Aculab for many years and while there did a great job selling DSP resource boards to a number of OEM customers making the communications equipment sold to business and service provider customers.

While I must admit this isn't the biggest news -- it does signal the continued growth of the hosted market (at least from this vendor's perspective) and it also brings two of the nicest people in telecom back to the same company where they will likely be successful again.

If you want to connect with Mike Ross, be sure to come to ITEXPO the week after next to hear him speak. Here are some details.

Posted in Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, FCC, Fax, IP Communications, Nortel, Open Source, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP

Tagged: acredo technologies, Aculab, avaya, brian ross, cisco, Dialogic, hosted, hosted communications, hosted pbx, ip communications, itexpo, mike ross, on demand, packet8, Rhetorex, saas, smb, voip : Related Tags: acredo technologies, communications, acredo

The Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates Commercial

September 6, 2008

When you have the opportunity to have Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld in a commercial, you expect something grand. After viewing this Microsoft ad below, I have to admit -- it is one of the worst commercials I have ever seen.

One of the goals of this commercial is to be viral and in that area it certainly works -- as people will talk about how bad it is and forward it around. As I watched -- I wanted to laugh. I was hoping it would be funny -- it just wasn't.

So I came up with some lines that I think are funnier than anything in the commercial.

Posted in Microsoft

Tagged: eweek, jerry seinfeld, joe wilcox, microsoft, microsoft watch, vista : Related Tags: jerry seinfeld, mankind start, gates, microsoft, think, commercial

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Cable Content Blog

September 5, 2008

Be sure to check out one of TMC's latest blogs -- Cable Content Connection written by Dave Rodriguez -- TMC VP of conferences and publications. One of Dave's entries which caught my eye was titled McCain gets better rating then the Oscars and Obama?. If you are into election primary ratings it is worth a read.

Here are some of Dave's other recent posts:

Fox News draws 9 million viewers for Sarah Palin speech on Wednesday night Is TNT working on a spinoff of their hit show The Closer?HDNet signs agreement with Comcast Elections 08 on Demand Channel Available in 32 Million Homes Cable Rating Roundup for Week Ending August 31, 2008 Does ESPN2 Have a Late Night Show in the Works?Barrack Obama scheduled to appear on the O'Reilly Factor Lifetime Networks Names a New Programming Chief The Drama at MSNBC is the Best Entertainment on Television Bochco's New TNT Show is a Hit.Cable Content in the Cloud Cable Ratings Breakdown for Week Ending August 24, 2008 Dave's Remote Roundup for August 26 SEC Strikes 15 Year deal with ESPN Big Ten Network and Time Warner Come to Terms Dave's Remote Roundup for August 21, 2008 Did you ever wonder how Cable TV Works?ESPN to Broadcast the Olympics in 2016???Satellite versus Cable Latest Earnings Report Shows VoIP and ISP Marketshare Growth for Comcast Burn Notice & In Plain Sight Drive Summer TV Viewing WiFi on Delta Flights? Might be time for me to change airlinesHere is a link to the full TMC blog page as well so you can keep up with them all.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Cisco, E-Commerce, FCC, IPTV, Technology, Verizon, Video, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: airline, aol, cable, cable content, cablevision, cochco, comcast, dave rodriguez, delta, election, espn, espn2, fox news, hdnet, lifetime, msnbc, o'reilly, obama, on demand, sarah palin, satellite, sec, the closer, time warner, wifi : Related Tags: cable content, roundup august, remote roundup, ending august, cable, august

60 Crucial IP Communications Interviews

September 5, 2008

Whenever I go to a conference, I learn a tremendous amount from the people I meet at the show. I really enjoy the impromptu networking which takes place at events as it allows me to learn so much about what is happening in the market. Ironically, I generally learn things I didn't think I would learn ahead of time. Quite often, I wish I would have known more about peoples' experiences before I met with them as it would allow me to be better prepared to ask pertinent questions.

I further wish I knew who was coming to events and and moreover I wish I could get a "brain dump" from them before the event so I could have a frame of reference before our conversations take place.

Imagine how much better networking at a show would be if I had an idea what people were generally thinking about the market before I even say hello.

In less than two weeks the world with gather at ITEXPO -- The World's Communications Conference to help select products for purchase, learn about the latest events in the telecom market and network with peers.

It is this last area where this blog entry should be of maximal benefit.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, JITC, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Personal, Podcast, Rates Technology, SIP, SaaS, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Team, TMC Video, TMCnet, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: apple, blackberry, call center, conference, expo, internet telephony, ip communications, iphone, itexpo, rim, sip, skype, thought leader, tmcnet, voip : Related Tags: learn, telecom, software, market, people, technologies

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ADC's Bob Switz on Telecom Growth and Commodity Pressure

September 5, 2008

ADC Telecommunications CEO Bob Switz appeared on CNBC this afternoon explaining his company's guidance for the full year is to be maintained. It would appear he was referring to revenue and not earnings. He also explained six weeks ago guidance was lowered. He further mentioned at the end of the second quarter, guidance was raised.

Yesterday, the company reported quarterly earnings.

Posted in AT&T, Broadband, Cisco, Conferencing, FCC, Financial, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, Nortel, Optical, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: ad telecom, bob switz, telecom growth : Related Tags: third quarter, second quarter, quarter sales, sales million, copper connectivity, sales

TMC Editor's Week

September 4, 2008

In less than two weeks something extraordinary will happen. Not only will the global communications industry convene in Los Angeles for ITEXPO but there will be over 100 members of the media, analysts, etc meeting with the world's leading vendors in the communications and technology space.

In addition, well over a dozen TMC editors will be on-hand at the show for the first ever TMC Editor's Week. Close to 100 meetings have been set up by my team so far and counting.

If you are interested in having a meeting at the show with a TMC editor be sure to email Todd Keefe ASAP.

Here are a few of the TMC editors present and depending on scheduling, you can meet with them:

Greg GalitzineRich GrigonisBob Emmerson (European Editor)Peter Radizeski (Reseller Channel)David Yedwab (Unified Communications)Tom Keating (New Product Reviews)Brendan Read (CRM/Call Center) Erik Linask Michael DinanTim Gray

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Rates Technology, SIP, Security, Speech Technologies, Technology, Video, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: communications, itexpo, technology, voip : Related Tags: editor, communications

Multi-Touch+Camera+Voice+Force = New Interface

September 4, 2008

Remember when I said the GUI would become the gesture-based user interface or GBUI? I mentioned Apple's patents in the blog entry and now a new patent application shows Apple is looking to fuse gestures, voice, the camera and motion sensors together to create a brand new interface.

Ironically last night I was showing some young relatives some photos on an iPhone and within a moment each of them took the phone and started to flip backwards and forwards through photos. This was the first time I remember not having to show someone how do what I had just done on a computer or phone. Apple's new GBUI is so easy, a 3 year-old and a 4 3/4 year-old were able to intuitively understand how to do what they wanted with no help from me at all.

It occurs to me the power of combining gestures and the above technologies if done correctly will transform how we interact with computers and as a result, at least two things will happen:
We will use computers in brand new ways. Just as we use an iPhone as a web browser and portable picture viewer when we didn't do this with prior phones.We will see productivity skyrocket.

Posted in Apple, Blackberry, Google, Microsoft, Patent, Speech Technologies, Technology, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: 20080211766, apple, Camera, Force, gbui, gizmodo, gui, microsoft, motion sensor, Multi-Touch, nintendo, patent, speech technology, Voice, wii : Related Tags: apple making, microsoft catch, apple, interface, microsoft, computers

Fonality Gets More Funding

September 4, 2008

Fonality just received a $12 million financing round by Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund. This is a powerful statement by this top fund that they really beleive in the open source communications story and to be quite honest, it is tough to disagree that this is a great space to be in as most every vendor in the space is doing well.

I have covered Fonality before -- the company makes quality PBX products and I have had a chance to test the Trixbox PBX for a number of months and remain impressed.

Getting back to Draper -- the fund has had some great investments including Hotmail, Baidu, Focus Media (advertising in China), Skype, Overture, Divx and many others. Some of the lesser known, current investments include Jobfox in the recruitment space, Kajeet -- in mobile services and Visto in wireless email.

But getting back to Fonality, the company has employed an interesting twist in the communications space as their PBX has taken some of the best parts of open-source and fused this with a hosted model -- allowing for example the recording of phone calls on Fonality servers which do not reside in your office.

At this point it should be obvious the open source communications market remains one of the most exciting spaces in telecom.

If you are interested in the open source market be sure to come to ITEXPO in two weeks in Los Angeles where you will see all the open-source leaders such as Digium/Asterisk, Pika, Sangoma and of course Fonality.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Communications Developer, FCC, Google, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Open Source, SIP, SaaS, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: AVID, Baidu, BIDU, Digidesign, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, EBAY, FMCN, Focus Media, fonality, Four11, Hotmail, Interwoven, ip communications, ip pbx, itexpo, IWOV, Jobfox, Kajeet, linux, MSFT, open source, Overture, Parametric, PMTC, sip, Skype, trixbox, United Online, UNTD, Visto, voip, wireless email, YHOO : Related Tags: fonality company, source communications, fonality, source, space, trixbox

John Chambers on Visual Networking

September 3, 2008

I missed John Chambers on CNBC this morning. I wanted to hear what he had to say but unfortunately I was being interviewed about ITEXPO at the exact same time Chambers was on TV. Thankfully, Michael Dinan, a TMCnet editor was on hand to listen to Chambers and write up what he had to say.

Chambers seems relatively bullish on technology and anticipates growth between 12-17% for the long-term. In addition, the world's largest networking company announced a net of over 10 billion dollars for the fourth quarter.

Posted in AT&T, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Gadget, Google, Green, IMS, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, JITC, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Patent, Podcast, SIP, SaaS, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: cisco, john chambers, michael dinan, visual networking, Visual Networking Index, vni, youtube : Related Tags: visual networking, chambers, networking, visual, growth, company

Google Chrome: The Google of Browsers

September 1, 2008

The long-rumored Google browser may be here. According to this blog, it is called Chrome, is open-source and will do lots of things other browsers already do and some that others don't. The project has a focus on security and even downloads malicious sites in real-time to ensure unsuspecting users don't visit them.

Google does need its own browser and even though as an open-source project it is unclear if it will be theirs or belong to the community, the point is they can't afford to the have browser ownership by other companies who could theoretically try to play middle-man between the user and their services, ads, etc.

What is very interesting is that in the last few years between the office applications and browser, Google is becoming more like Microsoft than Yahoo! It seems to be looking at whatever Microsoft has done and copying. Likewise, Yahoo! and Microsoft are copying Google.

Posted in Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

Tagged: browser, chrome, google, microsoft, yahoo : Related Tags: google chrome, google, chrome, browser, microsoft

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