November 2009

You are browsing the archive for November 2009.

Will we Ever See Rentable Netbooks on Trains?

November 24, 2009

An interesting idea - netbooks which you can rent for a train ride. Whether this makes for Amtrak or not remains to be seen but I agree that netbooks are great for someone who thinks a smartphone is too small and a laptop - too big. You can take a ride down to TMCnet's newest blog, Gadget Inspector for more.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, IP Communications, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: amtrak, gadget, gadget inspector, marisa torrieri, smartphone, tmc, train : Related Tags: netbooks

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Happy Thanksgiving 2009

November 23, 2009

In honor of the US thanksgiving holiday I will be blogging less than usual this week. I wish you all a wonderful week full of family, friends, good health, safety and security.

Posted in Personal

Tagged: thanksgiving, turkey : Related Tags: family friends, happy thanksgiving, thanksgiving

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Interop New York 2009 Videos

November 20, 2009

I got back from Interop New York 2009 last night and was pretty excited to conduct a number of video interviews in the new TMC Newsroom set. One of the videos I was particularly excited to conduct was with Dr. Gaston Ormazabal, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Verizon Labs. Gaston and the team he works with have found some SIP security flaws and are working hard to solve the problems.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, FCC, Gadget, Google, HD Voice, IMS, IP Communications, Microsoft, Patent, SIP, SaaS, Security, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, 7600 series, asr 1000, buffer overflow, center of advanced technologies, cisco, columbia university, firewall, flavio bonomi, gaston ormazabal, gateway, henning schulzrinne, ims, interop, ip communications, ip filters, lte, malformed packets, network protection, packet flooding, ping, ping of death, polytechnic institute, rich tehrani, router, rtp, security, sip, state machine, stu elby, tmc, trusted connection, verizon, verizon labs, video : Related Tags: written misinformation, story please, please email, excited conduct, scott hardin, working

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Back From Interop NY 2009

November 19, 2009

I am on the train home from the show and I took this photo last night
when it wasn't drizzling. This is Times Square, one of my favorite
parts of New York. I will have more to report soon but for now check
out the TMC videos page for some of the Interop NY 2009 interviews TMC
Newsroom host Erik Linask and I conducted this week.

Posted in IP Communications

Interop 2009 New York Day One

November 18, 2009

Some tech and political discussions from Day two of the show but really day one for me

I had a great set of meetings at Interop today and the energy at the show was quite inspiring. Talk of sales gains and the potential for acquisitions were common. In many of my discussions there was concern over the current administrations direction in terms of burdening small business owners. A repeated theme was doesn't the Obama team realize small businesses do most of the hiring n this country.

Posted in Broadband, Conference, Financial, Merger/Acquisition, Technology

Tagged: acquisition, bandwidth increases, cloud computing, communications, dollar, ethernet, financial, interop, m&a, merger, networking, obama, pc, router, solid-state storage, switch, technology, virtualization : Related Tags: business owners, companies, business, money, owners

Off to Interop NY 2009

November 18, 2009

Here is a shot of an NYPD parking lot viewed from my train seat window
as I head to Manhattan to interview a number of industry players at
Interop NY 2009.

Posted in IP Communications

ITEXPO East 2010 Miami Update

November 17, 2009

I just came across this web page with some important details on ITEXPO. I mentioned the keynoters in a recent post and I still think they are one of the best combinations of thought leaders in our space. Google Voice, Sprint, Digium, Polycom, Skype and Verizon Wireless are some of the companies you will hear from at the show.

In addition there are a full eight conference tracks you cannot find anywhere else:

Business Communications Delivery OptionsCall CenterDeveloperEnterpriseHD VoiceService ProviderUnified CommunicationsVideo CommunicationsTMC University Microsoft OCS

As always, we poll the collective minds of the entire TMCeditorial team and industry when we put together the conference program for TMC events and I believe this is a major differentiator. It seems like just yesterday when TMC launched our first telecom event in Atlanta, GA but it was really 1986!

What I have learned in running communications and tech conferences for 20 years is that if you continue to give your customers unsurpassed value, they come back again and again for more conferences and bring others with them.

To all of you who have attended TMC events over the years - thanks.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, HD Voice, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, M2M, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, SIP, Satellite, Security, Skype, Smart Ecosystem, Smart Grid, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMCnet, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: 3g, 4g, apple, asterisk, at&t, att, avaya, brian higgins, business communications, call center, christopher dean, cisco, conference, daw, devconnect, developer, digium, digium asterisk world, ecosystem, enterprise, fcc, google, google voice, grand central, hd voice, ian robin, intercarrier compensation, ip communications, itexpo, jeff rodman, linux, loews, m2m, mathew oommen, miami, microsoft ocs, open source, operating system, os, p2p, polycom, pstn, sbc, service provider, sip, skype, smart grid, smart products, specosys, sprint, telepresence, tmc university, unified communications, unix, verizon wireless, video, video communications, voip : Related Tags: conference, itexpo

How Carriers Can Cope with TV Over IP

November 17, 2009

It is obvious television viewing is merging with the web and as such, cable companies and other triple-play providers understand they are in increasing danger of becoming providers of dumb pipes. Of course the reason carriers are adverse to this distinction has to do with more than idle cocktail party conversation -- And what do you do? "Well, my company provides stupid data pipes." How nice - I think I'll go get a drink; it was nice talking to you.

You see, carriers want to continue selling enhanced or smart services so they can charge more for each. DVR? That's $10/month. Pay-per-view that's $6.95 per movie.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Cisco, FCC, Gadget, Google, HD Voice, IP Communications, IPTV, Microsoft, Optical, Social Networking, Technology, Verizon, Video, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: abc, alexa, android, apple, apple tv, at&t, att, cable, cbs, comcast, content, ge, general electric, google, hulu, itunes, media, nbc, nbc universal, portal, Quantcast, television, tv, tv over ip, tvoip, vivendi, wireless : Related Tags: apple google, return investments, business model, carriers, apple, think

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The Disposable Business Netbook

November 16, 2009

The netbook craze continues and as the devices proliferate, they can be found in places like superstores and perhaps even some local supermarkets in high tech areas of the country. San Jose, I'm looking in your direction. But does it make sense to take a computer which is really designed for thrifty consumers and stick it in an office? My vote is probably not because for a little more money you can go out and get a full-fledged laptop and in many cases this will give you more performance or as we like to say in the tech world, increased bang for the buck.

But if saving money today is paramount and you aren't as concerned about having to upgrade more quickly tomorrow, check out this article from Lance Whitney, one of the latest additions to the TMCnet team of writers. Lance describes some of the things to consider before plunging into the world of corporate netbooks.

Two other items worth mentioning are the fact I know a few people using netbooks in their offices and they are all satisfied.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, FCC, Financial, Gadget, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: doug mohney, information technology, infotech, it, lance whitney, netbook, san jose, thin and light notebooks, tln, tmc : Related Tags: netbooks, netbook, money, local

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Sagem-Interstar Adds Fax Support to Microsoft Exchange 2010

November 15, 2009

There has been a premature rush to declare fax dead and the reality is fax is alive and while it is declining, it is still a strong business for companies helping the transition from fax to fax over IP and especially T.38. Yes, just as IP is transforming communications, the newspaper and television businesses, it is changing the way companies fax. And as you probably know, one of the primary reasons companies use this medium is to send legally binding documents quickly and efficiently.

One of the companies who have chosen partners wisely in the past is Sagem-Interstar, the Montreal based provider of fax solutions has had deep integration with Cisco's products for a number of years and this relationship has obviously been good for the company.

More recently the company has announced it is supporting Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and filling in a vital void in this new software's unified communications capabilities. You see the next version of Exchange will not support fax natively so companies looking to upgrade must have a way to integrate fax to maximize productivity and of course take advantage of integrated communications.

Posted in AT&T, Call Center, Cisco, FCC, Fax, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP

Tagged: brooktrout, cisco, dialogic, exchange, fax, ip, ip communications, media gateway, media server, microsoft, outlook, sagem-interstar, sip, smtp, t.38, tcp, tif, tls, unified communications, xmediusfax : Related Tags: sagem interstar, media gateway, exchange server, microsoft exchange, companies looking, exchange

Bugatti Veyron Wreck: Is Anything not on Video?

November 15, 2009

You really don't want to be texting while driving if you command the $1.73 million Bugatti Veyron. You may have heard a man recently drove his into a salt water marsh. Oh, by the way, supercars and salt water don't mix. As it happens, other than coral, seaweed, sand and marine life, really not much mixes with saltwater and lasts to talk about it.

By the way, the driver said he was looking at a low flying pelican which is not pictured in this video - I believe this is slang in some areas for checking email on my iPhone.

The car was purchased for $1.25 million last month and has over 1,000 horsepower.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, IP Communications, Social Networking, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: bugatti, lambo, lamborghini, supercar, veyron, wreck : Related Tags: bugatti veyron, video

Google Scaring Apple to Death?

November 14, 2009

If you don't think the Google business model of giving away as much as possible and subsidizing it through ad revenue is striking fear in the hearts of the tech world, you would be wrong. Even Steve Jobs seems afraid; you may be surprised to learn that Apple has filed a patent which has to do with showing ads in exchange for free entertainment. The patent specifically has Steve Job's name on it and specifies that users must respond to verify they are paying attention. It moreover details increasing levels of difficulty (a smaller and smaller box to click on, etc) of ad verification for the user, meaning you have an incentive to respond in order to show you are paying attention when you get a prompt to do so.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Search, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: ad, adsense, advertising, adwords, apple, bill gates, chrome, cloud, competition, consumer electronics, google, iphone, microsoft, patent, rupert murdoch, safari, steve ballmer, steve jobs, technology, viewer verification : Related Tags: paying attention, company realizes, google already, google, advertising, apple

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We Reprogrammed Our Site for the iPhone

November 14, 2009

You remember a while back I discussed how the real apple tax is the lack of Flash support from Apple? I further explained how virtually all websites with video have to create duplicate video formats for their content - Flash for most devices and H.264 for iPhones. It gets more complicated for a site like TMCnet which has a Flash-based media player which scrolls through article graphics when you visit the site. These graphics didn't show up at all on the iPhone and if we wanted anyone to see them on the world's fastest-growing smartphone platform we would be forced to reprogram the site.

Check out the red arrow for what I mean

Well we reprogrammed the site using jQuery/JavaScript and this allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to now see the feature graphics of the latest articles as TMC editors and designers intended. If you have any problems seeing the player on any devices/browsers please email our webmaster.

There is a wrinkle - my web team is also building some device-dependent mobile sites and at the moment, these mobile Safari browsers get redirected to a mobile site which is in the process of being be improved.

To bypass being redirected to our mobile site just go to this URL - www.tmcnet.com/a.htm.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: adobe, apple, apple tax, design, flash, h.264, iphone, iphone news, ipod touch, javascript, jquery, safari, tmc : Related Tags: iphone, mobile, tmcnet, graphics, flash

Stay Ahead of The Ensuing Telecom Transformation

November 14, 2009

We are in the midst of a violent transformation of our communications networks which involves an immense amount of control being wrestled away from carriers and given to developers and end-users. Visit the iTunes App store or check out what is happening with free turn-by-turn GPS on an Android 2.0 device to get an idea of what I mean. The trend is not new by any means; the first time communications systems were allowed to interoperate with computer systems was in the eighties when the first Rockwell Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems started to communicate with IBM mainframes to give us CTI or computer telephony integration. This allowed screen pops which dipped into CRM databases allowing contact center agents to know who was calling and more than likely why.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, E-Commerce, Financial, Gadget, Google, HD Voice, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Musings, Open Source, SIP, Smart Ecosystem, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: acd, cloud communications, cloud computing, computer telephony, conference, cti, education, expo, ibm, ip communication, itexpo, light and electric, mashup, microsoft, moore's law, novell, rockwell, screencast, seminar, tapi, thomas howe, training, tsapi, video, voice mashup, voip, webinar : Related Tags: communications technology, communications systems, companies dialogic, communications, systems, thomas

Ixia Acquires Catapult, Agilent N2X Data Line

November 14, 2009

The pace of tech acquisitions is not slowing and one area worth watching is the testing market where Ixia has recently picked up Catapult Communications to further its wireless IP performance testing strategy - especially as the company positions itself to be a leader in the LTE space. In a meeting in Ixia headquarters in southern California the company explained to me that they continue to focus on a broad range of testing areas such as Ethernet, 40/100 Gb Ethernet, devices, fiber channel, storage area networks and virtualization. And don't forget about some of the other areas the company plays in such as voice, video and data.

During SuperComm the company announced a new acquisition of certain assets of the Agilent Technologies N2X Data Network Testing Product Line and Kelly Malloit the company's director of PR explains the move to TMC's Erik Linask in more detail in the video below.

One area discussed by Kelly is the fact that this acquisition allows Agilent's customers to purchase a suite of complimentary testing equipment and moreover, through this move - Ixia becomes a far more international company and furthermore has a much larger focus on the carrier space. Also, Ixia Fusion allows customers to use open APIs to access Agilent and Ixia testing solutions.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Broadband, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, FCC, Financial, Gadget, HD Voice, IMS, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Optical, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, acquisition, agilent, atul bhatnagar, broadband, catapult communications, core, data, data network testing, erik linask, ethernet, internet, ip, ixia, kelly malloit, lte, merger, n2x, supercomm, video, voice, wireless : Related Tags: performance testing, company, testing, agilent, acquisition, areas

Suddenly Murdoch is a Real Threat to Google?

November 13, 2009

No sooner did I write my latest post on how Google could be in danger of the feds investigating them due to antitrust concerns does this entry turn up explaining how Rupert Murdoch and other newspapers could stop Google from indexing their content and force Bing to pay them for the right to do so. Murdoch has been threatening more and more loudly to take his content away from Google and most of us with any web savvy at all thought this would be similar in effectiveness to putting your head in sand when you are afraid.

But this Bing idea would shift the balance of power overnight. I am sure all websites would like to get paid by Bing for being included in their indexes. But if Bing became the only place you could find the most important news of the day, wouldn't the number two search company pick up at least another 5-10% marketshare?

But what about setting negative precedent? I am reminded of the good old days when I was in high school and Michael Jackson wanted to get MTV to pay for the Thriller video which cost a fortune.

Posted in Google, Microsoft, Search, Social Networking, Technology, Yahoo

Tagged: adsense, adwords, antitrust, bing, google, legal, microsoft, monopoly, new york times, rupert murdoch, search, wall street journal, yahoo : Related Tags: thriller video, media companies, balance power, google, murdoch, content

Can The Concept of Open be Governed?

November 13, 2009

Warning - a bit of self-promotion ahead and a discount - Guest Blog From Carl Ford

---

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the next generation of regulation- the one that will be focused on the Wireless device in your hands!

The FCC, in an effort to safeguard the free and open Internet, is looking to formalize and define the principles of network openness that would apply to all platforms that access the Internet as well as the carrier's role in enabling that access.

So now the question is "Can the concept of open be governed?" Does the FCC have a role in Apple's iPhone, even if AT&T is simply a transport partner? Does Google have to consider itself a carrier because of the use of a phone number?

Join us at 4GWE, January 20-22, 2010 as we discuss the very relevant topic of the next generation of net neutrality and the FCC's role in the companies, devices, networks and applications driving the 4G Evolution.

Todd Daubert of Kelley Drye, Rick Whitt of Google, Hank Hultquist of AT&T, and Glenn Richards, of Pillsbury Law join us as we discuss where the debate about Net Neutrality should end and what strategies companies should take to monetize 4G networks, applications and devices.

Register NOW For Early Bird Pricing

Don't miss this and other important discussions related to the communication industry's massive evolution to wireless broadband services. Register now for 4GWE and receive the price of $995 for a full three days of conference sessions, all meals and networking events.

Kind Regards,

Carl Ford

Co-Founder Crossfire Media

4G Wireless Evolution Community Developer

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Conference, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, Google, HD Voice, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 4g, apple, at&t, carl ford, conference, exp, glenn richards, google, hank hultquist, ip communications, itexpo, kelley drye, pillsbury law, rick whitt, seminar, todd daubert : Related Tags: networks applications, wireless, evolution

Antitrust Problems Ahead for Google?

November 13, 2009

In January of this year I asked if Eric Schmidt is cozying up to President Obama to protect a Google Monopoly. I took some flak for the post but the reality is the reality - the company seems to be taking over every facet of tech from book readers to voice to video to unified communications to cloud computing to photo sharing to video serving to office applications. Should I go on? How about turn-by-turn GPS?

OK, I'll stop but that won't stop others like the Chicago Tribune from picking up where I left off and asking serious questions such as whether Google's ability to use its revenue from its monopoly position in search to wipe away competition in other industries is fair or not.

Posted in AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Financial, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Search, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: android, antitrust, chicago tribune, droid, ftc, google, gps, greg burns, lawsuit, monopoly, obama, search, verizon : Related Tags: google

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Verizon's Rising Fees Still Makes Sense

November 12, 2009

Recently I commented about how Verizon's doubling of its early termination fee to $350 makes sense as the company needs to keep investing in ensuring its network is the best in the US. I may be the only person who appreciates having a fee go up as evidenced by the noise from journalists which is not subsiding. One of my favorite writers and video producers, David Pogue of The New York Times comments today that Verizon is gouging and has a plethora of ideas the company can implement to save consumers money.

Pogue has the following and very interesting comment to share:

Why wouldn't it be a hugely profitable move to start pitching yourself as the GOOD cell company, the one that actually LIKES its customers?

Verizon has some of the best customer service in the country. It has the best network by far.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, IP Communications, Microsoft, SIP, Skype, Smart Ecosystem, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: android, app store, att, david pogue, droid, ecosystem, google, gps, iphone, itunes, new york times, nytimes, t-mobile-sprint, verizon, vz navigator, wireless : Related Tags: customer service, verizon wireless, dropped calls, makes sense, service country, verizon

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New Gadget Blog

November 12, 2009

TMC's latest gadget blog Gadget Inspector (get it?) kicks off with author Marisa Torrieri performing a video interview with a Verizon Wireless representative comparing the latest Droid phones - the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris. You can subscribe to her XML/RSS feed to stay up to date on the latest in the world of gadgets and consumer electronics.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Google, IMS, IP Communications, M2M, Microsoft, Open Source, SIP, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, cell phone, droid, eris, gadget, google, htc, marisa torrieri, motorola, smartphone, verizon, wireless : Related Tags: gadget, droid, latest

HP Buys 3Com

November 12, 2009

HP is acquiring 3Com for $2.7 billion and there are a number of reasons for this move. First of all, it is obvious the tech market is hot and Cisco and other companies are optimistic about the future as evidenced by the pace of tech acquisitions which is reaching the pace of the glory dotcom days. Moreover, large companies with strong balance sheets are able to access capital if they need it, allowing them to more easily acquire.

3Com for its part is a company with a broad range of networking gear which HP needs to go head-to-head with Cisco. Specifically, 3Com focuses on the SMB space while the TippingPoint division focuses on Security and H3C focuses on large enterprise and is very strong in Asia.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Financial, Gadget, HD Voice, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, SIP, Smart Ecosystem, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 3com, avaya, avocent, ceragon, cisco, compaq, computing, dell, dragonwave, eds, gateway, h3c, headsets, hp, huawei, ibm, ip communications, m&a, merger, networking, plantronics, polycom, router, smb, tippingpoint, video, wireless backhaul : Related Tags: cisco, company, future, companies, value, networking

Bing Partners with Wolfram Alpha

November 11, 2009

Wolfram Alpha crashed on to the scene some months back as a computational knowledge engine which is a hybrid of software and expert-populated database of theoretically limitless knowledge. A simple query requesting the population of Norwalk, CT where TMC is headquartered for example brings back a result of 83,456 people and states it is an estimate from 2007.

At the time of its launch, the service was hailed as a Google killer but of course it seems we are all obsessed with the violent destruction of market leaders and as such when something which seemed better than Google turned up, many were ready to bet on it. The reality is that Wolfram Alpha is a different service and can be quite useful - but it isn't a search engine.

Of course if you could integrate it with a search engine both the search engine, Wolfram Alpha and the end-user would benefit.

One would imagine Google would hesitate to help Wolfram Alpha. Perhaps they are reminded of how Yahoo! relied on Google for search and shortly thereafter Google eclipsed Yahoo in size and importance.

Posted in Google, Microsoft, Search, Social Networking, Technology, Yahoo

Tagged: bing, google, microsoft, search, toilet, wikipedia, wolfram alpha, yahoo : Related Tags: wolfram alpha, search engine, wolfram, alpha, google, search

More on the Skype Soap Opera

November 10, 2009

If you are interested in the Skype/Joost/eBay soap opera of recent months, be sure to check out this article from Brad Reese which shows a chain of emails between Mike Volpi and a number of other execs involved in the Skype deals as of late. You rarely if ever get a look at these sorts of communications and for that reason alone this piece is worth looking at.

Posted in Broadband, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, IP Communications, SIP, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: brad reese, consumer electronics, ebay, ip communications, joost, mike volpi, network world, p2p, rosenberg, sip, skype, tech, voip : Related Tags: skype

Transition Contact Lenses Mimic Sunglasses

November 10, 2009

The above photo does not depict the new lenses described below

I just came across amazing nanotechnology which allows a network of nano-sized tunnels throughout contact lenses to be filled with dyes which respond to ultraviolet radiation and darkening when it senses such rays. The resulting product could be extremely helpful to users as they will protect the eyes without the need to fumble and look for sunglasses. The challenge as I see it is how willing people will be to put nanotech into their eyes.

But then again, if we can wear contacts which have colored tints, why not those with UV-sensitive dyes?

Posted in Science, Technology

Tagged: color-changing, contact lenses, contacts, glasses, science : Related Tags: contact lenses, lenses, those

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Online Advertising Powered WiFi

November 10, 2009

First it was free WiFi on Virgin America courtesy of Google... Now it seems there is a mad rush to give WiFi away in lots of places such as airports and even Times Square. It seemed to first start with Mountain View, California - Google's hometown, where the search giant hung radios to "light up" the city with wireless internet. Then of course it was Virgin America and more recently, Google will be giving away WiFi at 47 airports for the holidays.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Google, IP Communications, Satellite, Technology, Verizon, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: airport, broadband, google, virgin america, wifi, wireless, yahoo : Related Tags: times square, virgin america, airports, google

Droid Won't Kill the iPhone But Google Guide Might

November 8, 2009

For the record, Google Guide is not a product or service developed by Google. To learn what I believe this service can become, please keep reading.

I spent some time with the new Motorola Droid this weekend and I interviewed customers and employees of the store and came away fairly impressed with what I heard and saw. Certainly my outing at the Verizon store was better than my recent experience checking out the Blackberry Storm 2. The Droid is about the same size and weight of an iPhone but has a full keyboard which slides out from the side of the device.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, M2M, Microsoft, Open Source, Patent, SaaS, Satellite, Search, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX

Tagged: 3g, 4g, android, apple, at&t, att, blackberry, browser, consumer electronics, droid, gadget, google, gui, htc, iphone, itunes, mobile phone, motorola, rim, storm, ui, user interface, verizon, wireless : Related Tags: google guide, apple store, motorola droid, verizon phones, challenge google, iphone

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Skype Lawsuit Settled, Skype/Ning Integration Has Huge Potential

November 6, 2009

Skype is certainly a major symbol for the IP communications market and although it plays in a niche in the market - consumer VoIP/Video, it is now a household name and having it entangled in legal limbo does it or the industry no good. You may remember that the company was in the process of possibly going IPO and then eBay decided to sell it. But there was a sticking point consisting of Skype's p2p technology not being theirs and the original founders, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström playing hardball to cease Skype from working until they got paid what they believe they were owed.

Thankfully the companies settled and as a result eBay announced that the investor group led by Silver Lake, which had previously entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Skype from the company, has reached a settlement agreement with Joltid Limited and Joost N.V. that gives Skype ownership over all software previously licensed from Joltid and ends all litigation currently pending against the investor group and eBay at the closing of the acquisition.

As part of the settlement agreement, Joltid and Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis will join the investor group, contributing Joltid software and making a significant capital investment in exchange for a 14 percent stake in Skype.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Call Center, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, HD Voice, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Skype, Smart Ecosystem, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: auction, ebay, ecommerce, ip communications, ipo, itexpo, janus friis, joltid, mosaic, netscape, niklas zennström, ning, silver lake, skype, social networking, voip : Related Tags: investor group, agreement joltid, niklas ennström, stake skype, settlement agreement, skype

Cleaning Up my Twitter Follows

November 6, 2009

Today is a big Twitter day for me. You may or may not realize that my Twitter feed is automated meaning my blog posts just convert over to Twitter posts. I have set up my account to get an email whenever a new person follows me. At a certain point the follows were becoming a distraction so I have a rule which forwards all Twitter follows into a folder which I go through when I have a moment.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, IP Communications, Skype, Social Networking, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: account, facebook, linkedin, mms, rss, sms, social networking, text message, twitter, twitter feed, xml : Related Tags: people following, shared people, directly followers, tweeted return, replying person, people

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ITEXPO Keynoters Announced

November 5, 2009

We are thrilled to announce a slew of top notch keynoters for the upcoming ITEXPO which takes place in Miami, FL Jan 20-22, 2010. I will share them with you by first explaining why they were invited:

A keynote picture from ITEXPO East 2009 in Miami

Open Source

One of the biggest trends in tech this last decade has been open source and while you may not know this, I was a UNIX (the Linux precursor) system admin at TMC back in 1982 or so and I am a big fan of this OS which is reliable, stable and the strong basis for cost-effective solutions in a number of fields. Without a doubt, Asterisk is the major force in the open-source communications space and as such, Digium's CEO Danny Windham (the company behind Asterisk) was the perfect choice to address the audience of businesses, carriers and resellers. By the way, Digium Asterisk World (DAW) is collocated at this show and I hear it just sold out of exhibit spaces and my team is looking for ways to get the waiting list
of companies into an expanded DAW pavilion on the exhibit hall floor.

Digium Asterisk World Photos from ITEXPO East 2009 this year

Google Voice vs.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, HD Voice, IP Communications, IPTV, ITEXPO, M2M, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Rates Technology, SIP, SaaS, Satellite, Skype, Smart Ecosystem, Smart Grid, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, apple, asterisk, at&t, att, avaya, brian higgins, christopher dean, cisco, conference, daw, devconnect, digium, digium asterisk world, ecosystem, fcc, google, google voice, grand central, hd voice, ian robin, intercarrier compensation, ip communications, itexpo, jeff rodman, linux, loews, m2m, mathew oommen, miami, open source, operating system, os, p2p, polycom, pstn, sbc, sip, skype, smart grid, smart products, specosys, sprint, telepresence, unix, verizon wireless, video, voip : Related Tags: google voice, smart ecosystems, voice video, biggest trends, communications group, voice

Verizon Termination Fee Increase Necessary

November 5, 2009

I just came across an article by Glenn Hall on the TheStreet.com which details outrage at the fact that Verizon charges $350 for their early termination fee - essentially this fee just doubled. His point is that as devices get more and more powerful and device envy increases, we should encourage upgrades. And his point makes good sense.

The challenge for Verizon Wireless is the incredible amount of money they have spent on their network. Having just come back from a trip to Huntsville, Al I can tell you that once again, Verizon proves it has the fastest network and the network which is the most reliable in more places.

I know because I carry a Verizon MiFi device as well as have another Verizon radio embedded into my laptop and I also carry an iPhone.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, IP Communications, M2M, Nortel, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, apple, at&t, att, broadband, evdo, iphone, mifi, subsidy, thestreet, tmc, verizon, wifi, wireless, yahoo : Related Tags: verizon wireless, something nothing, verizon, network, wireless, point

Comments

WiFi on Delta

November 4, 2009

Check it out... There is WiFi on my flight. Who knew? Delta even. This
is great news. To paraphrase a surgeon who removed a bullet from
Reagan's chest; today sir, we are all Delta lovers.

Posted in IP Communications

Another day, Another Airport

November 4, 2009

Connecting through Atlanta as there is no direct path from Huntsville
to New York.

Posted in IP Communications

Past ITEXPO Keynoter Fiorina Runs for Senate

November 4, 2009

I am thrilled that a past ITEXPO keynoter Carly Fiorina will be running for the California Senate. Carly is a charming, personable and knowledgeable thought leader who gave a captivating address to a standing-room only crown in Los Angeles a few years back. Fiorina was a major executive at both Lucent and HP where she was CEO. It is my humble opinion that having a candidate who understands telecom and technology will benefit this great country of ours if for no other reason than she will be in a position to really understand the issues.

This is more important than you may first realize.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Avaya, ITEXPO, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: avaya, california, carly fiorina, compaq, gop, hp, lucent, politics, republican, senate : Related Tags: itexpo keynoter, fiorina, people, companies, understand, doing

At Adtran Spectrum 2009 Event

November 3, 2009

I begin my presentation soon. This is the room I am addressing from
where I am sitting. More to come.

QT_WriteOBJECT('http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/images/12572584811.mov', '590','443', '', 'autoplay', 'false', 'bgcolor', 'white', 'scale', 'aspect');

click Play button above to play video

Posted in IP Communications

Adtran Acquires Objectworld

November 2, 2009

I got a tip that Adtran was acquiring Objectworld. My take? Objectworld is a company with great UC technology and no brand recognition. Adtran is a company with a product line similar to Cisco but much smaller. Still, with a market cap of over $1.4 billion, Objectworld can really get a boost from Adtran's access to capital, infrastructure, reseller network, carrier relationships and improved branding.

Here is a link to a cached page mentioning the acquisition. Keep it tuned to TMCnet and my blog for more.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, Cisco, Communications Developer, E-Commerce, Financial, IP Communications, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: acquisition, adtran, gateway, ip communications, m&a, merger, Microsoft, objectworld, uc, unified communications, voip : Related Tags: objectworld, adtran

Made it to Huntsville Airport

November 2, 2009

This is my first time in the Huntsville airport and apparently AT&T 3G
will not be joining me at the moment. I never thought I would be
thankful for the Edge network.

Tonight I am at an Adtran dinner/reception and going over my
PowerPoint slides for my presentation tomorrow.

Posted in IP Communications

Tagged: 3g, 4g, adtran, airport, alabama, at&t, att, edge, huntsville : Related Tags: huntsville airport

Speaking at Adtran Event This Week

November 2, 2009

Today I am headed to Huntsville, AL where I will be giving a presentation on the state of the industry to Adtran customers and I am really excited to be meeting with a number of carrier representatives and resellers at the event. Typically to get from New York to Huntsville I drive from Nashville, TN which a direct flight from New York but a 131+ miles away. Today I am connecting via Detroit directly to Huntsville - I am a bit surprised that there is such a direct flight when there isn't one from NY to Huntsville but then again I know there are auto plants in Tennessee which could explain why there are flights from Detroit.

Anyway, I was reminded of the importance of face to face communications as I saw this video interview of Scott Kargman by Suzanne Bowen. Suzanne works for DIDX, a company supplying DIDs to carriers worldwide.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Broadband, Call Center, Communications Developer, Conference, E-Commerce, FCC, Gadget, Green, IP Communications, ITEXPO, M2M, Microsoft, Nortel, Optical, SIP, Security, Smart Ecosystem, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, adtran, carl ford, crossfire media, didx, lte, m2m, scott kargman, smart products, spec, supercomm, suzanne bowen, wimax, wireless : Related Tags: direct flight, huntsville

MRV Communications Update

November 1, 2009

At Supercomm 2009 in Chicago I had a chance to speak with MRV Communications a leader in the carrier Ethernet market boasting among other things, access solutions for 10/100 GE, 10GE, SyncE, 1588, SHDSL and fiber which share a common OS and management interface. The 20-year old company was an early innovator in the field of lasers and now employs more than 4,000 engineers, has 6 R&D divisions and $538 million in revenue coming from a broad range of connectivity products primarily targeted at carriers and campus networks.

A common theme at the show was backhaul solutions and MRV too is looking to help carriers as they transition to 4G networks and more importantly the company like others in the market is helping service providers leverage packet-based technologies while giving up little the more expensive and proprietary circuit switched world has to offer.

Case in point is the company's new synchronization over packet addition to its Optiswitch 900 product line. The goal of this entry is to facilitate the migration to 4G/LTE in mobile backhaul networks. Specifically the environmentally hardened (allows it to be installed almost anywhere) 904-MBH is a compact carrier Ethernet demarcation device supporting IEEE 1588v2 and synchronous Ethernet.

Company execs explained that they didn't want to have two separate boxes and this new device is the first to to enable synchronization-gateway functionality between synchronous and asynchronous physical layer networks for both 3G and 4G networks.

In addition, this device supports traffic management for enhanced QoS meaning carriers can ensure timing packets have ultimate priority over other packets.

The company also announced its new LambdaDriver IP switching module (OPN 800/1600) for migration to packet optical transport networks.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Broadband, IP Communications, Optical, Technology, Verizon, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 10/100 ge, 10ge, 1588, 3g, 4g, backhaul, chris tenes, communications, fiber, gmpls, mpls, mrv communications, next generation networks, ngn, opn 800, optical, qos, sdh, shdsl, sonet, supercomm, synce, timing packet : Related Tags: carrier ethernet, networks, company, ethernet, carriers, carrier

Microsoft Doomed?

November 1, 2009

Bill Gurley writes correctly that Google is positioned to take over the world. I am certainly paraphrasing and adding some personal bias - he describes in detail how the company invested great sums of money to assemble a superior turn-by-turn GPS database which includes a street view and in so doing is now able to take marketshare from competing mapping vendors by using advertising to subsidize the cost of acquiring this information.

Advertising revenue in fact will drive the company's operating system, software as a service and just about everything else.

As the company shares part of this revenue with partners you have seen wide adoption of Android by wireless carriers and no doubt hardware vendors installing the Google Chrome OS are next.

Expect the company to continue going after Microsoft products - by giving services away and supporting them through ads.

Any competitor which has an inferior ad network and generates less money from advertising (this is all of them) is pretty much domed.

The only way to stop the onslaught is to build a far superior search engine and hope the world switches. At this point the sheer marketshare Google commands in search allows them to utilize their massive database of user behavior as a massive focus group allowing them to improve by the second.

I just can't see anything stopping this company besides, a scandal, high level departure, illness or something similar. Even then, the company is a monopoly at this point and perhaps momentum will ensure their future success.

Is the company using its power in a way which warrants them being broken up by the DOJ? Possibly, but Google reminds me a heck of a lot of Wal-Mart as the larger it gets, the better consumers do.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, HD Voice, IP Communications, Open Source, SIP, Search, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Vonage, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: advertising, android, bill gurley, droid, garmin, google, gps, microsoft, navteq, saas, search, technology, tomtom, wal-mart : Related Tags: microsoft doomed, company, google, giving, microsoft, advertising

Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com

November 2009