February 2011

You are browsing the archive for February 2011.

Where is Rich Flying to Today?

February 25, 2011

You haven't heard from me much in the last two days because I took an inbox with 2,100 important items which includes my to-do list and I whittled it down to under 120. This of course meant I caught up with many people who had emailed or called me in the past few months. I still wonder if there shouldn't be some sort of expiration date on emails which can be set which would help me manage my overflowing inbox.

For example if I set a reminder via email about some event like a conference or concert, the email should be set to self-destruct when the event is over and the email has less use.

In other important news, my sister had a baby last weekend meaning I got my first nephew Dylan and I am flying cross-country now to meet him, etc. I am back next week and you can expect to hear a lot more from me then.

Posted in Technology

Tagged: email : Related Tags: email

Meetings, Earnings Calls and E-Mail

February 23, 2011

Its been perhaps one of my most productive days - I eliminated 1,500 emails - about 800 of which were in the "important - save for later" bucket meaning they either got zapped or required some action. Generally the latter. I also had a chance to have a zillion meetings and listen to part of a media company conference call - I won't say which one but to me the amount of information a public company shares has always been fascinating from a competitive intelligence perspective.

One thing I found interesting on one of the recent calls I've sat on is how a media company touts an increase in social media sharing as if it is unique to them and isn't taking place across the web.

For the latest news check out the video below from Tammy Wolf in the TMC Newsroom which discusses the new BMW i series of products and Chinese social media company IPO Renren.com.

Posted in Facebook, Gadget, Google, Green, Technology

Tagged: battery, bmw, facebook, financial, green technology, hybrid, i series, ipo, renren, social networking : Related Tags: media company, social media, media, company

Building Communities Online: Boost Sales, Search and Social Initiatives

February 22, 2011

Over the past decade, hundreds of companies have benefitted from TMC’s Community program, attracting a laser-targeted group of potential customers who are looking to learn about a specific topic area. TMC populates these communities with thousands of articles per quarter – which in turn attracts millions of interested viewers a year to our sponsors.

Sponsors can then offer these viewers more information about themselves – offer them coupons, a chance to visit them at a trade show or road show or whatever else they are looking to communicate to this group.

The most common question I am asked lately is how to build online communities and moreover companies in many new industries ask constantly about how TMC can help build these content-generated microsites for them.

Posted in Google, Microsoft, Search, Social Networking, TMCnet, Technology, Twitter

Tagged: channel, global online community, online community, tmc, webinar : Related Tags: online communities, search social, sales search, communities online, building communities, online

At Zenith Infotech in PA checking out the MSPtv set

February 22, 2011

At Zenith Infotech in PA checking out the MSPtv set. They tape 9-12 shows on MSP and cloud topics. Other topics are HR and legal.

Posted in ITEXPO

Apple Subscription Controversy & WeatherBug for Android Honeycomb

February 22, 2011

Stefanie Mosca in the TMC newsroom details the latest in the Apple subscription policy controversy as well as the latest WeatherBug for Android Honeycomb. I'm a big fan of the app on the iPad - so I can reccomend it to anyone who wants to keep up with weather in intimate detail. Take a

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Google, Technology, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: apple, ipad, iphone, stefanie mosca, subscription, tmc newsroom, weather, weatherbug, wireless : Related Tags: android honeycomb, weatherbug android, apple subscription

Power Outlets at Bradley Airport in Hartford

February 22, 2011

I am traveling out of Hartford this morning and am loving the power outlets and TVs in the booths at the Black Bear Saloon at the airport.

Posted in ITEXPO

Should Social Media Get Credit For These Demonstrations?

February 20, 2011

Demonstrations are breaking out all over the world and are being aided by Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Many are saying Silicon Valley deserves little to no credit but this is lost on Egyptians who think enough of social networks to start naming their kids Facebook.
The US has been a positive force in pushing for human rights worldwide and while the country is far from perfect, no other shines a beacon of freedom and democracy.

It is exciting to see how new technology is enabling people to rise up in an effort to move towards more representative forms of government.

It seems the gap between the middle east and west may be closing thanks to the use of western tools which are helping a new generation of oppressed people become liberated from their unelected governments.

See how the talk of protests is now spreading to China.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, FCC, Facebook, IP Communications, Skype, Social Networking, Twitter, Verizon

Tagged: china, democracy, egypt, facebook, twitter : Related Tags: social networks, social

Einstein for Dummies

February 20, 2011

If you're wondering how it is possible for time to stop when you travel at the speed of light, the following video may be of some assistance. Einstein came upon the concept when he was on a bus watching a clock tower fade into the distance.

The rest as they say is history.

A Tale of Two Twins from Yuanjian Luo on Vimeo.

For more check out Gizmodo, Kuriositas and Neatorama.

Tagged: einstein : Related Tags:

Now the US Has a Robotic Hummingbird

February 19, 2011

TMCnet's Chris DiMarco reports that DARPA funded a robotic spy nano-hummingbird weighing 19 grams or 0.67 ounces. With a wing span of 5.6 inches the "bird" which has an integrated CMOS video camera and transmitter has recently increased its flying range to five-eleven minutes. This is tremendous progress as it flew only 20 seconds two years ago. It has been in development for five years in-total.

I can't help thinking this device is part of a military future with Terminator-like flying-objects but unless the range can get better and you can stick something that explodes on it - perhaps its destined - for the moment, to end up next to the RC helicopter in the toy chest of your kid's room.

This video explains how this technology could find its way into larger UAVs in the future.

Posted in Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Science, Security, Technology, Video, Wireless

Tagged: chris dimarco, darpa, helicopter, hummingbird, military, technology, tmc, uav : Related Tags:

Lady GaGa's Born This Way Breaks iTunes Record

February 18, 2011

Not only did the queen of tweets, Lady Gaga break the record for most Twitter followers, she has now broken the record for fastest-selling single ever on the Apple iTunes Store with her new song Born This Way.

Recently on Sirius/XM radio she said if there was a movie about her life she would want to be played by Marisa Tomei as when she gets upset her friends tell her that her "New York" accent comes out.

What is perhaps most amazing about Lady Gaga is that many call her the new Madonna - some say it in a derogatory fashion, personally I think she has mimicked the performer and one-upped her nicely. And when Madonna began to rise in popularity it was MTV which helped her take her outrageous outfits to the masses quickly through interviews and 24x7 videos. BTW - for all the youts reading this, there was a time when MTV played just music and you didn't even associate the word Guido with the station.

But Lady GaGa has skipped past MTV, and uses YouTube where she has had over a billion views, Twitter where she has 8.2M+ followers and iTunes to reach the masses. Not that MTV has lost its importance - its just the new wave of social and tech mediums are being used to propel this artist's career even faster than Madonna's.

YouTube, social and iTunes haven't killed the video star but they certainly seem to have more reach and importance.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, Gadget, Google, Microsoft, Social Networking, Technology, Twitter, Video, Wireless

Tagged: itunes, lady gaga, madonna, marisa tomei, mtv, sirius, social networking, xm, youtube : Related Tags: itunes, madonna, record

How Cloud Computing Could Destroy VARs

February 17, 2011

A typical VAR is used to frequently selling large ticket items which may not all have the largest margins but in volume can throw off a good amount of cash and profit. As a result, many resellers have developed a business model with commensurate expenses and as the market shifts to cloud-based services with OPEX budgets being used instead of CAPEX, customers are reducing their immediate spend and spreading their dollars over months if not years.

And the typical VAR is not ready for the shift. This is what was discussed in a recent conversation at TMC headquarters in Norwalk, CT with George Fandos, Vice President of Global Data Center for Westcon Group.

In a conversation, I learned this $3.5B distributor has tremendous insight into how VARs need to prepare themselves for the future. Moreover, I had a chance to learn how the company has become a large distributor of Cisco products via their Comstor division and they not only distribute but use and are fans of Cisco UCS solutions as they are faster to configure and reduce the need for cabling in a data center.

The company is focusing on the flattening of the network, virtualization and cloud-based solutions.

Posted in Broadband, Cisco, Financial, IP Communications, Microsoft, Open Source, Social Networking, Technology, Wireless

Tagged: blade, cisco, cloud computing, comstor, george fandos, hp, ibm, nas, security, server, technology, virtualization, westcon : Related Tags: cloud based, cloud computing, virtualization, cloud, westcon, distributor

Skype, FCC and Google News

February 16, 2011

Rich wearing the TMC hat
(No, I couldn't find any St. Bernard pics)
Apologies for not blogging in some time - I've been wearing my running TMC hat as CEO which means meetings, strategy sessions, mission statement updates, etc. TMC is growing rapidly and it is an exciting time to be in media and TMC is fortunate to have some really great customers partnered in our success and loyal readers like you. I am always amazed - when you become a blogger you have so many ideas, you can't get them all out regardless of how much time you have. I want to spend the rest of the night writing but alas, I cannot.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, Google, Green, HD Voice, Microsoft, SIP, Skype, Social Networking, Technology, Twitter, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: apple, fcc, internet telephony, ios, iphone, microsoft, nokia, tv, video : Related Tags: companies, skype, broadband, competition

ITEXPO Wrap up from Voice of Asterisk

February 15, 2011

In case you missed ITEXPO or were looking for added perspective, Allison Smith, "The voice of Asterisk" has a summary of the show from her perspective. I have had the chance to speak with a few of the people behind IVR voices and it is always an interesting experience to put a face to a very familiar voice which you have communicated with for years.

In here blog post, Allison explains how she got to ITEXPO, what it was like to speak there at the demo theater and she gives her review of the keynotes as well. It was great meeting her at the show and she is available to make custom IVR prompts for your company so reach out if you are interested.

Posted in AT&T, Avaya, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, IP Communications, Open Source, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP

Tagged: acd, allison smith, asterisk, call center, digium, itexpo, ivr, linux, open source, voice of asterisk : Related Tags: voice asterisk, itexpo, voice

Valentine's Day Special at TMC

February 14, 2011

You can save thousands at TMC on our upcoming expos in Austin, Texas focusing on information technology, communications, super WiFi, M2M, the channel, 4G, peering, cloud computing, cloud communications, business video and more. The details of this limited time $99 special are below:

Posted in IP Communications, ITEXPO, Technology, Unified Communications, Wireless

Tagged: 4G, business video, cloud communications, cloud computing, communications, conference, expo, information technology, itexpo, M2M, peering, super WiFi, the channel, trade show : Related Tags:

Cisco Says HTML5 Part of Wireless Future

February 14, 2011

At the latest 4GWE event collocated with ITEXPO, TMC's Juliana Kenny spoke with Dr. Cullen Jennings, Ph.D., Distinguished Engineer, Cisco to learn about the future of mobile including HTML5 and other technologies which will part of the wireless multimedia future.

The video below has details.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Cisco, Communications Developer, E-Commerce, Google, ITEXPO, SIP, Smart Grid, Technology, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: 4g, 4gwe, carl ford, cisco, crossfire media, cullen jennings, itexpo, juliana kenny, smart grid : Related Tags: future

Electronic Warfare is the Future. Are You Ready?

February 14, 2011

Stuxnet is Victory at Entebbe 2.0

The Stuxnet worm alleged to be the work of Israel and the US was designed to target and disable Iranian centrifuges by increasing their speeds to dangerous levels while reporting to operators that all was well. The latest report from the New York Times shows this worm has also hit five industrial sites in the land of Ahmadinejad.

It’s no secret most of the world does not want Iran to get nuclear weapons and the best weapon being used to deter the country’s nuclear program was sanctions and if they are working it would be tough to know it as the country are prospering greatly as the price of oil is much higher than what Iran has budgeted.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Communications Developer, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Facebook, Financial, Gadget, Google, Green, HD Voice, IP Communications, IPTV, M2M, Merger/Acquisition, Microsoft, Nortel, Open Source, Optical, Political, SIP, SaaS, Satellite, Science, Search, Security, Skype, Smart Ecosystem, Smart Grid, Social Networking, Technology, Twitter, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Vonage, WiMAX, Wireless, Yahoo

Tagged: ahmadinejad, cyberterrorism, cyberwar, ddos, electronic warfare, entebbe, estonia, geirgia, idf, iran, israel, isreal, russia, security, stuxnet, terrorism, war : Related Tags: nuclear program, victory entebbe, electronic warfare, attack, future, means

Sprint Doing Better But Challenges Loom

February 11, 2011

Sprint added 58,000 net subscribers in its latest quarter ahead of estimates but is still losing money and now must contend with the Verizon iPhone. Beecher Tuttle has the details on TMCnet. The new challenges for Sprint are twofold.

You can now get an iPhone to work anywhere in the US where Sprint service is strong. Every carrier has some pockets of strength. The basement of Grand Central Station for example is one place where AT&T works very well and Verizon doesn't work at all.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, FCC, IMS, IP Communications, Rates Technology, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, WiMAX, Wireless

Tagged: 4g, apple, at&t, att, sprint, wireless : Related Tags: sprint, verizon, network, iphone, carriers

TMCnet Featured Briefly on CNBC

February 11, 2011

I recently came across a tweet from TMC team member Stefanie Mosca about how TMCnet was featured on a CNBC special focusing on Facebook. Kind of cool. The citing takes place at 42:15 in the following video:

Posted in Facebook, Technology

Tagged: cnbc, facebook, tmc, tmcnet, video : Related Tags: tmcnet featured

Why PAETEC Acquired XETA Technologies

February 9, 2011

Updated at 6:15 pm EST 2/9/11 with comments from Arunas Chesonis chairman and CEO of PAETEC at bottom

Last week at ITEXPO the rumor on the street was PAETEC may be doing a deal in India soon since Chairman and CEO Arunas Chesonis was in the country. Well it seems if this is the case it comes on the heels of another purchase - XETA technologies was just picked up by the company today.

I know what you're thinking - the company is on a mission to roll-up all other companies who use all caps in their names. Of course you are only partially right as PAETEC sees strong synergy here as XETA is a large reseller of Avaya, HP, Juniper, LifeSize and Mitel gear with a strong focus on the healthcare, financial and retail markets.

For Xeta, the move makes sense as its long-term chart looks like the Manhattan skyline just after the Empire State Building was built - basically a massive valuation around the Y2K/dotcom time frame when most companies were installing new gear. Other than that it has been mostly in the $2-$3 range for the last five years or so.

Posted in Apple, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Communications Developer, Conferencing, Fax, Financial, HD Voice, IP Communications, SIP, SaaS, Speech Technologies, Technology, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Tagged: allworx, arunis chesonis, avaya, india, itexpo, lifesize, mitel, nec, paetec, samsung, sip, sip trunking : Related Tags: managed services, arunas chesonis, makes sense, paetec, company, chesonis

Bump Goes Mobile on Valentine's Day

February 9, 2011

Update - the blog entry below is in error as the application company which makes the popular Bump product which allows information to be shared by phones which are in close proximity to one another is located at www.bu.mp.com and is called Bump Technologies. The company mentioned in this entry is located at www.bump.com. Sorry about the confusion to both companies and my readers.

I've always been a fan of technology which makes the world more productive and typically such innovations are targeted at businesses. Sure there are online dating sites which make it easier to meet others but now, technology takes this concept to the road.

Bump.com, the mobile app used to share contact and other information like applications is expanding into the realm of allowing allows people to connect with others based on their license plate.

Say you see someone go by on the road and you are interested in getting to know them.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Consumer Electronics, Facebook, Gadget, Google, Social Networking, Technology, Verizon, Wireless

Tagged: 3g, 4g, android, bump, bump.com, facebook.match.com, iphone, mobile, valentine's day, wireless : Related Tags: license plate, technology, mobile, company, license

Thanks For Making ITEXPO East 2011 a Great Success

February 4, 2011

Thanks to all of TMC's partners, ITEXPO exhibitors, sponsors, attendees and the TMC team For making ITEXPO East 2011 in Miami a great success. See you all in Austin, TX Sept. 13th for ITEXPO West 2011.

Posted in ITEXPO

Sangoma Giveaway at #ITEXPO East 2011

February 4, 2011

Jeff Dworkin of Sangoma gave away an iPad and assorted communications gear on the final day of ITEXPO East 2011 here in Miami.

Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com

February 2011