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Need a New Car? Win a Mustang at ITEXPO in Miami Next Week

January 27, 2012

I think I may have one of the best jobs in the world. I admit it is a bit ADHD-inducing as I get involved in lots of areas from new media to the latest technologies in the market as I run this major media company which is TMC. Not only do I get help influence tens of millions of people online I also get to host live events where I meet many of the readers who frequent my blog and TMCnet - the main web portal of TMC where I am CEO.

But the most exciting part of my job comes twice a year when I give away a car to an unsuspecting attendee at ITEXPO. Next week - Friday Feb 3rd at 1:45 pm at the Miami Beach Convention Center, I get to give the next car away and it will be a Ford Mustang.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Amazon, Android, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, Conferencing, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, HD Voice, IP Communications, ITEXPO, M2M, MSP, Microsoft, Open Source, SIP, Skype, Speech Technologies, Super WiFi, TMC Team, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

ITEXPO East 2012 Miami Out of Office Message

January 24, 2012

While I digest the super-strong, mind-numbing Apple growth numbers which propelled the stock to a high of $460 per share after hours I have just set my out of office message for next week when I will be at ITEXPO. The message is below in case you want to use something similar. And for your convenience here is the first show daily from the event – which covers news from Sprint, AT&T, Whitespace Alliance, Panasonic, Accedian Networks, Cycle30, FaxSIPit, Phone.com and Polar Media.

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Thank you for your message. Starting Jan 30th I will be at ITEXPO (www.itexpo.com) in Miami.

This is the global tech and communications conference - covering cloud, MSP, super WiFi, 4G, M2M, Patents, SIP, VoIP, HTML5 and featuring keynotes from Google, Sprint, Samsung, The FCC and Sir Terry Matthews.

On Friday, Feb 3rd @ 1:45 pm I give away a new Mustang - You must be present to win so I hope to see you there.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, HTML5, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Networking, Nortel, SIP, Social Networking, Super WiFi, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Google Keynote at ITEXPO Feb 1st, 2012 in Miami

January 3, 2012

I am really thrilled to let my readers know that Rick Whitt, Washington Telecom and Media Counsel at Google will be the keynote presenter at Super WiFi Summit which is a collocated event at ITEXPO. ITEXPO kicks off this January 31st and continues until February 3rd and we expect this show to be very well-attended and one of the best places in the technology world for networking and choosing products and services for purchase.

Now getting back to Super WiFi – it is the concept of using white spaces – radio spectrum which for the most part isn’t in use to allow a super high-speed network to be developed. Think of it as WiFi but with far greater range and consider what happens when equipment can routinely communicate with other devices many miles away without the need for wireless service provider or 4G network.

TMC’s partner in Super WiFi Summit is Crossfire Media and Carl Ford from the company had this to say about this news:

The unused portions of the UHF white space spectrum can drive down the costs of consumer broadband access and provide a range of new opportunities for service providers and device manufacturers – and we’re all looking forward to hearing Google’s perspective on this topic.

In Whitt’s first keynote (he has two), which is scheduled to take place at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, February 1st, he will discuss how the use of White Spaces, is fostering innovation and providing new mobile broadband alternatives for local providers. Here are the details and a bit more on Whitt's background:

Whitt is Director and Managing Counsel for Telecom and Media Policy for Google Inc. He is responsible for Google's strategy and advocacy on all wireline, wireless, and media matters before the Federal Communications Commission, other Federal agencies and the U.S.

Posted in 4G, 4GWE, AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Broadband, Cloud Computing, Conference, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, Google, Social Networking, Super WiFi, Technology, Verizon, Wireless

Will Microsoft Departure Kill CES?

December 22, 2011

Can one major defector kill a trade show institution?

It happened with COMDEX – the show got so big that it exerted tremendous pressure on companies to spend more and more money to keep their coveted locations on the show floor. Location – being in the North Hall of Las Vegas was so important in fact that companies acquired others so they could improve their location! And as the desire to be in an important location increased, show organizers decided to increase the sizes of the booths exhibitors had to take in order to remain in important halls. They even had an auction process pitting companies against each other to see who would bid the most for important spots.

And this adversarial relationship resulted in increased pressure in the relationship between the largest US trade show and its partners/exhibitors. As soon as a few big names pulled out, the show more or less imploded.

But poof, just like that it was over.

Posted in Conference, Consumer Electronics, Facebook, Gadget, Marketing, Microsoft, Social Networking, Technology, Twitter

Avaya's Top Communication Trends in 2012

December 16, 2011

Recently I had a chance to have an in-depth conversation with Avaya about the trends they see for 2012 in the communications space. In particular I spoke with George Humphrey a Director and Line of Business Owner at Avaya and Diane Royer, Senior Marketing Services Manager.

The trends below are at times augmented or enhanced with my thoughts.

1) Mobility raises the expectation of availability

Voice is morphing in the enterprise and becoming more consumer-driven and as a result everyone is connected at all times and moreover everyone wants immediate action. Consumers want to know right away if that widget on the website is compatible with European power or if the red color of the lamp online is closer to burgundy, beet or pomegranate.

Consumers are walking around with smartphones today that are the computing equivalent of supercomputers of a few decades back. This means we not only can do anything anywhere from a voice and data perspective, we will need to in order to maintain our customers and jobs.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Amazon, Android, Apple, Avaya, Blackberry, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Facebook, Financial, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Microsoft, SIP, Speech Technologies, Technology, Twitter, Unified Communications, Video, Virtual Worlds, VoIP, Wireless, iPad

Plantronics Headset Line Exudes UC Dominance

November 3, 2011

Recently I received a care package from Plantronics with a number of their headsets and other products and when I opened the box it served as a not so subtle reminder of just how dominant the company is. Back in 1982 when my company TMC (I am CEO) launched the first magazine in the call center space, Plantronics was one of the few companies in the market and almost 30 years later they have evolved into an organization delivering unified communications endpoints for virtually every segment of the market.

Blackwire C435

Case in point is the Blackwire C435, a small, lightweight corded stereo headset with microphone which comes with a travel pouch. The sound drivers are relatively large yet fit in the ear comfortably due to a clever design. Moreover they deliver crisp sound and the microphone extends to your mouth allowing you to be heard clearly.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Broadband, Call Center, Cisco, Conference, Consumer Electronics, Gadget, IP Communications, SIP, Skype, Technology, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

ITEXPO West 2011 Austin Highlights

August 23, 2011

Before all ITEXPO events I do a final proofread of the show directory and this one may be the biggest ever at 132 pages with tabs (just doing our part to support the economy). We will post a PDF version soon so you can see what’s in it but until then, here are some highlights that caught my eye:

Keynotes & Exhibits Tuesday, September 13th at 9:15 AM we have Ian Pennell from Cisco and at 4:30 PM-5:30 PM we have keynotes from Siemens and IBM followed by a Grand Opening Networking Reception sponsored by Interact from 5:30-7:30.

Wednesday, September 14th at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM we have keynotes from Polycom and DHL followed by exhibits from 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM. Then at 4:00 PM there is a Cocktail reception sponsored by Rackspace Hosting and at 4:45 you could win a pair of mountain bikes from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop - an Austin Institution ( I am told). Then at 5:00 PM Bob Metcalfe kicks off StartupCamp4 Comms Edition with a keynote and this event continues until 8:00 PM and is free to attend.

Thursday, September 15th Exhibits open at 11:00 AM and the Jeep giveaway begins at 2:45 PM (see below).

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Facebook, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, HTML5, IMS, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Microsoft, Networking, SIP, Science, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Super WiFi, Technology, Twitter, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Cisco's Ian Pennell to Keynote ITEXPO in Austin

August 22, 2011

We are thrilled to announce that Cisco's Ian Pennell The Senior Vice President, Small Business Technology Group will be keynoting ITEXPO in Austin, TX, Tuesday, September 13, 2011 between 9:15 AM and 9:45 AM. One reason I am excited to announce his participation is Pennell handles much of the carrier and VAR/channel partner relationships and these are integral parts of the ITEXPO experience.

It should be a great event and Cisco's participation joins a roster of truly crucial tech companies keynoting such as Mike McCarthy the VP of Cloud Computing Services at IBM, Mark Straton, Senior Vice President Solution Marketing Voice and Applications at Siemens, John Antanaitis, VP of Marketing at Polycom and Matt Groppe, Director of Global Business Development, DHL Same Day.

Update: Another event which takes place the same week at the same convention center as ITEXPO is StartupCamp4 Comms Edition and the keynoter for this event will be Bob Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet, VC, professor, cofounder of 3COM and author of the world-famous Metcalfe's Law.

By the way, speaking of DHL - if you doubt a shipping company is really in the tech space - check out this editorial from Marc Andreesen in the Wall Street Journal this past weekend which explains why software is eating the world. Here is an excerpt as a subscription my be required to view.

Posted in 4GWE, Broadband, Cisco, Communications Developer, Conference, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Microsoft, SIP, Technology, Unified Communications, Video, VoIP, Wireless

Latest Trends in Speech Technology, CRM, IVR, Collaboration and Cloud Computing

August 14, 2011

Speech analytics in greater demand

At the recent SpeechTek 2011 conference in New York I gained some great insight into the state of speech technology. For example, Jeff Schlueter of Nexidia told me his company’s speech analytics solutions have been in greater demand in this current economy as the desire to control costs has led to increased adoption of speech analytics. In addition, the company has released version 9.0 of its Enterprise Speech Intelligence product suite which cuts the TCO in half and allowing for customers to handle even larger amounts of data.

Voxeo goes big

The idea of handling larger systems was echoed by Dan York of Voxeo who told me the latest version of the company’s new VoiceObjects 11 solution has scaled for a mix of global carrier and enterprise customers to handle 20k ports. More importantly the ports are all linked into a private cloud of sorts allowing central reporting across the VPN, a central console, full resiliency, redundant failover and one-click roll back in case there is a problem which quickly needs to be undone.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Android, Apple, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, E-Commerce, FCC, Fax, HD Voice, HTML5, IP Communications, Marketing, Microsoft, Networking, Nortel, SIP, SaaS, Skype, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, TMC Video, Technology, Twitter, Unified Communications, Verizon, Video, VoIP, Wireless

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