Yahoo/Microsoft Deal Off

It seems any chance of a deal between Microsoft and Yahoo is over. The number of billionaire Yahoo investors who are likely furious about this state of affairs which is trashing Yahoo's stock can't be counted on a single hand.... continue reading...

Packet8 Virtual Trunking

Last month I discussed a rumor regarding 8x8/Packet8 providing SIP trunking services. It turns out this rumor was true as today the company released the news they will not only provide SIP trunking but a more comprehensive product they call... continue reading...

Hyperconnectivity, Live and in Person

You can't escape the reality that interconnectivity between humans will increase at a more rapid pace as time goes on. The myriad ways in which we connect with one another, e-mail, social networks, blogging, IM, SMS, telephone, voicemail and others... continue reading...

Sipera Looks To The Channel

Expect Sipera, the Texas-based company focusing on VoIP/UC security to look for resellers to sell their products worldwide. Brenadan Ziolo, the company's VP of Marketing Operations visited TMC this week to brief us on where the company is going with... continue reading...

Keep In Touch

If you haven't noticed, there will be more and more touch-enabled devices in your future. The craze seemed to get the biggest boost from the popularity of the iPhone interface which spawned a number of similar interfaces from competing phone... continue reading...

Build Communities With Google's Help

Let's say your company plays in a few different spaces such as information technology, security and storage. And let's say your company has decided to build a community of interest which is dedicated to a specific subject area as you... continue reading...

Podcast: AudioCodes Mediant 1000 MSBG

Recently, AudioCodes released the Mediant 1000 MSBG (Multi-Service Business Gateway) a device which combines the following: media gateway, enterprise class session border controller, data router, firewall, LAN Switch, WAN access, Stand Alone Survivability and an on-board general purpose server. This... continue reading...

T-Mobile Lawsuit Repercussions

Rob Adler has an interesting take on the T-Mobile/Starbucks WiFi lawsuit at his Vantage blog. His point? That the PR hit of winning a lawsuit which takes away WiFi from millions of users will be extreme. I can't help but... continue reading...

Will Steve Jobs Wow Us?

It seems that if you do not blog about the iPhone this weekend you will be out touch with the blogging and news gathering communities. It is just that important. On Monday we will have a new Apple mobile device... continue reading...

Tech Overload For Rich Tehrani

You may hear less from me than usual over the next week as I have a new Laptop -- a Dell M1530, a new desktop from Dell and a new HTC XV6800 (my old one had an unfortunate encounter with... continue reading...

CBX 2008 News and Analyis

Telx CBX has kicked off and I am going to be doing all the video reporting in about 20 minutes. Here is my quick take on the news breaking from the show so far: WBS Connect will provide telepresence service... continue reading...

HTC Touch Pro

The HTC Touch Pro may be the ultimate Blackberry killer. I know the term "killer" is used very often but let's look at this situation carefully... People who type a lot benefit from a keyboard. Sure, an on-screen keyboard works... continue reading...

Plantronics Calisto Pro Series Review

I have had a few months to use the Plantronics Calisto Pro Series wireless telephone and bluetooth headset and I remain tremendously impressed by this solution which I say is perfect for the small business who wants maximum flexibility... continue reading...

Mobile Virtual Worlds Emerge

There are so many communications companies pushing products and services revolving around virtual worlds, one wonders if we are about to see a new subset of communications break out and achieve mass appeal like VoIP, the iPhone or Blackberry. Do... continue reading...

Will LTE Fuel IMS?

Will LTE fuel IMS? Bob Emmerson seems to think so and he has a great point. With similar elements defined in WiMAX, LTE and IMS, the chances that carriers will have to install more and more IMS components are good.... continue reading...

Flat Rate Voice/Data Plans for SMBs

If you are an SMB and you feel you would like to pay less for voice and data service, perhaps now is the time for you to rejoice... Well at least smile. The reason is there is a new flat... continue reading...

Telephony Hardware Community

Be sure to visit TMC's newest Global Online Community (GOC), Telephony Hardware sponsored by Pika Technologies. Why would you visit? Simply because regularly visiting a TMC community is an ideal way to learn about a specific topic such as in this... continue reading...

Why Microsoft Needs to Worry About Firefox

Mozilla's Firefox is on schedule to break 20% share next month and this is very bad news for Microsoft. If we are to play out what the next 5-10 years will look like in the world of technology, one of... continue reading...

Headed to Telx CBX 2008

Later this week I will be a video reporter at the Telx CBX (customer business exchange) event in New York. I always like the CBX events and am looking forward to meeting with the companies in the carrier hotel space... continue reading...

Nortel User Group 2008

I am off to Dallas for this event. Maybe I will see you there. Back online soon. -- Rich... continue reading...

One More Reason To Vacation in the Bahamas

Recently the Bahamas Telecom Company (BTC) decided to migrate its existing countrywide wireline network to IP using Sonus and Calix gear. The move to IP will reduce the amount of equipment that needs managing and in addition, the Bahamian phone... continue reading...

Of IP Communications and Broadband Reliability

I came across an interesting article in the New York Times by Randall Stross which discusses consumer VoIP services, the differences in quality between them and the general trend towards multiple services of lower reliability replacing a single service (PSTN)... continue reading...

Speaking at IP Sizzles 2008

I am really looking forward to IP Sizzles 2008 -- formerly VoIP Sizzles 2008. What is it you ask? Well I am glad you did. IP Sizzles is an event put on by ABP which focuses on educating resellers on... continue reading...

Microsoft Response Point at Costco

Is the world ready to buy their IP PBXs from Costco? We are about to find out as the warehouse club with 537 worldwide stores and over 51 million card holders will be carrying Syspine/Microsft's Response Point, the entry level... continue reading...

Vocaltec Sells Patents to Karo Millennium

In a way, I must thank VocalTec because it was companies like them that helped me realize how IP would revolutionize communications and further help me decide to launch a magazine dedicated to the market in 1997. VocalTec was one... continue reading...

WiMAX Research Launched

If you are interested in analysis on the ClearWire WiMAX deal and other facets of the exciting WiMAX industry, you are in luck as Sidecut Reports has a new report which goes into depth on all parts of the burgeoning... continue reading...

Google in Travel and A Monopoly

I was just reading how Google may soon get into travel search and as I realized this I wondered which companies would be affected. Travelocity? Expedia? Countless others? It will be interesting to watch. I also came across an article... continue reading...

Of Cell Phones and Unborn Babies

Does cell phone use cause behavioral problems in children? A new study is out on the the matter and while it is not conclusive it did find increased cell phone use does seem to lead to children with more behavioral... continue reading...

Post Memorial Day Communications Update

It has been a long weekend for many in the US as the weather these past few days was fantastic and based on the level of incoming e-mail I received, it seems many in the tech and telecom industries took... continue reading...

Google To Explain Search Rankings

Quite simply, ranking on search engines is crucial for so many businesses and a even slight change in the way search engines rank results can cripple a business. Having said that, it seems Google is one of the more active... continue reading...

Being Part of Squawk Box

I spent part of my morning on Alex Saunders' Squawk Box -- a gathering place for industry analysts and thought leaders to discuss important technology issues of the day. Topics today included Ariel Waldman's harassment allegations against Twitter. This conversation... continue reading...

Podcast: Objectworld's David Levy

Objectworld's CEO, David Levy Objectworld is a Canadian-based software-only company providing unified communications solutions for small to medium businesses. Their solution includes UM, fax server, IVR, TTS, Exchange & Lotus Notes integration, etc. Objectworld's solutions work with about 90% of... continue reading...

Microsoft Live Search Cashback Analysis

Would you switch your search engine if you got paid to do so? Amazon tried this recently with their A9 search engine and countless dotcoms did as well with chances to win millions if you used them. No one seems... continue reading...

Podcast: Starent Networks Thierry Maupilé

As the wireless industry evolves, the level of complexity has evolved with it allowing companies such as Starent Networks to thrive by delivering technology which enables carriers to deliver rich content multimedia services. We all have cell phones and it... continue reading...

Roku: The Apple of TV?

Without a doubt, the new Netflix Player by Roku set top box will become a serious contender for the title "iPod of the world of television." I haven't seen this device yet but based on what I have read... continue reading...

MindWireless Podcast

MindWireless is focused on the wireless expense management space which as you might imagine is an area of growing importance inside telecom expense management. Just think about how complicated it is to manage wireless gadgets as employees have become obsessed... continue reading...

Cisco EMC Merger Rumor

With a majority stake in VMware and a commanding lead of the storage space, what's not to like about EMC. If you are Cisco, it makes sense to pick up EMC now because the stock is down a bit and... continue reading...

CBS Picks up CNET

Congratulations to CNET for being acquired by CBS for a 40% premium. I have always admired the company and I am curious to see how it changes as it becomes part of a larger media company which has so many... continue reading...

Packet8 SIP Trunking Rumor

I have heard a rumor regarding 8x8/Packet8 getting into the SIP trunking business. No confirmation yet but this makes great sense as this area of the market is doing well. All trunks will eventually be SIP trunks it seems... Unless... continue reading...

New WiMAX News Site

TMCnet grows daily with thousands of new news items and stories. As the site grows, we are always looking for ways to improve. One of these ways is to develop community pages which focus on a particular subject matter... continue reading...

ITEXPO West 2008 Conference Announced

One of the areas we have been feverishly working on at TMC is our conference program for ITEXPO,September 16-18, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We have truly strengthened this offering with the addition of new TMC University certifications.... continue reading...

My Canada Trip and Nortel Wrap Up

I am back from Canada and the first thing I did when turning on my phone was praise the engineers who came up with the awkward-sounding acronym called EVDO. By the way in my discussions in Canada it seems the... continue reading...

Virtual Worlds, The Future of Communications

I am here at Nortel R&D headquarters in Ottawa, Canada where the Nortel incubation team is showing us a bunch of the latest technologies they are working on in the labs. This is the first day the media has... continue reading...

What the HP/EDS Deal Means

When you look around the tech market you see factors which suck the profit out of every nook and cranny. In hardware there is a trend towards standards-based hardware which is not slowing down. As this trend continues, prices shrink... continue reading...

UMAThought Leader Steve Shaw on TMCnet

Few people know more about UMA than Steve Shaw... He really lives and breathes this market. This is why I am thrilled Steve will be writing for TMCnet with a special focus on unwired mobile access or UMA. Here is... continue reading...

10 Reasons SPOT Watches Died Out

As one of the biggest advocates of SPOT watches, the wrist-carried devices which allowed you to receive immediate stock quotes, news and calendar updates on the go -- I could not be more sad to hear these gadgets will no... continue reading...

Cablevision's WiFi Network in New York City

WiFi is not new and providing WiFi to a city is not new. What is new and worth noodling on is the fact Cablevision will soon have a WiFi network in New York City -- well over the next... continue reading...

PAETEC: Success Under the Radar

Recently I traveled to San Francisco to PAETEC World, the largest of annual meetings that PAETEC has with its customers. During this cold San Francisco week, over 350 customers and well over 100 PAETEC employees spent a few days in... continue reading...

Vonage Record Quarter: Jeff Citron Interview

Vonage has done a great job this last quarter --  posting growth numbers in a slower economy. I just had a podcast interview with Jeffrey Citron where he talked about the company's growth rate and the number of new initiatives... continue reading...

SkyFire: The Cure for iPhone Envy

Do you have iPhone envy? I do. In fact, just this past Sunday I walked into the AT&T store and I browsed TMCnet on the iPhone and was blown away at how easy it was to surf on this phone... continue reading...

Skype as David, Telcos as Goliath

OK, now I have heard it all. Large, incumbent telephone companies are going to launch a competitor to Skype. But before I proceed with my thoughts, as often the case with such amazing speculation, it is good to air out... continue reading...

eGlue Interview With Dror Pockard

Today I had a chance to interview Dror Pockard who is the CEO of eGlue, the only tech company I know that was developed on a kibbutz. If you aren't aware, a kibbutz is an Israeli agricultural community and to... continue reading...

Hosted Application Demand Fuels SalesForce.com

Hosted applications continue to get more press as time goes on. Similar to the e-commerce space, this market saw a slew of new entrants during the bubble times and many of these companies subsequently crashed and burned. Obviously having ASPs... continue reading...

Avtech Software Protects Data Centers

Companies spend incredible sums of money on their communications and technology infrastructure but all too often they do not focus enough attention on protecting the investment in such equipment. As telepresence, unified communications, handheld devices, mobility and IP communications turbocharge... continue reading...

Microsoft Withdraws Yahoo Proposal

In a surprise move, Microsoft announced it has withdrawn its offer for Yahoo. Boy this thing is taking a long time. If this is just posturing, it seems like it is taking focus off the big picture for both firms.... continue reading...

Sangoma's David Mandelstam Shares Thoughts

Sangoma's David Mandelstam always has something interesting to say so I invited him to have a podcast with me. What can you learn from listening is how well Sangoma and other communications companies are doing -- even in a slow... continue reading...

Nortel's Joel Hackney Discusses Earnings

Nortel announced earnings today and to get more detail on the news I had a chance to speak with Joel Hackney, President of the Enterprise Solutions Group at Nortel. Some details worth sharing... The company's net loss widened but revenue... continue reading...

NET has Record Quarter

Good news in the communications space from from NET who announced their highest level of profitability in 10 years. According to the company, total revenue in the fourth quarter was $33.4 million, a 15 percent increase from $29 million in... continue reading...

Interactive Intelligence has Record Quarter

In a challenging economic environment, what can one say about the financial performance of Interactive Intelligence? Consider this: quartlerly revenue of $29.5 million; up 21 percent over revenues of $24.3 million in the same quarter last year. I must admit... continue reading...

Interop Bound and Thanks

Another year, another Interop. I am off once again across the country to Vegas where I will likely spend more time standing in line than I will sleeping. How amazing is the fact that you can build a city in... continue reading...

Half a Million Hacked Websites

I don't mean to sound alarmist but half a million hacked websites? is that how many there are? In other words if users hit any of 500,000 sites using IE they will likely be infected? Talk about an electronic pandemic.... continue reading...

PhoneTag, The New Simulscribe

Jamie Siminoff beams with enthusiasm as he explains to me in this podcast about his excitement regarding his company's name change from SimulScribe to PhoneTag. According to Siminoff, sales have increased dramatically since the announcement of the new name and... continue reading...

Blackberry Voice Search

TellMe just launched a new application which allows people to use their Blackberry for voice search. utilizing the TellMe speech recognition engine and Microsoft Live Search, you can have search results automatically localized if you happen to have a GPS-enabled... continue reading...

PayPal and Phishing

Phishing and other methods of theft are getting more sophisticated all the time. While many companies are affected by this practice, it is really up to the major sites in the industry to do something to minimize the threat. Thankfully,... continue reading...

Danny Windham Podcast

Yesterday's podcast with Digium's CEO Danny Windham is getting a good deal of exposure and a number of people have been commenting on it to me. There is also a related article written by TMCnet's Susan Cambpell worth reading. For... continue reading...

SMS Saves Lives

The only thing better than seeing the world interconnecting with technologies such as SMS, is seeing health care providers taking advantage of the latest gadgets and technology to help curb disease outbreaks and improve prescription compliance. Case in point is... continue reading...

EsnaTech Grows the Google Ecosystem

One of the latest trends I have noticed is integrating disparate solutions into Google's suite of applications. Just this month in fact, two companies in the communications and CRM spaces have decided working with Google more closely makes a great... continue reading...

Callwave Fuze, Unified Communications Plus

In the race to provide the best Unified Communications solution, there are just so many approaches. The various ways to achieve UC are staggering in fact. Companies like Microsoft have partnered with many companies to achieve seamless UC - with... continue reading...

New TMCnet Record and New Writer

Thanks to our readers -- once again, TMCnet has hit a new record. In this case, we built a Global Online Community in conjunction with Interactive Intelligence and this community generated just under 600,000 page views in one month according... continue reading...

Dialogic Analyst/Media Day

Today I head to New York City for a Dialogic Press and Analyst day. We will be having a function this evening in Yankee Stadium which should be lots of fun. Many people have asked me to bring them some... continue reading...

Openwave Turns Service Providers into Internet Companies

For years, service providers could see their competitors coming head on. For example CLECs and VoIP providers are pretty easy to spot and entrenched telecom providers worldwide have adopted different strategies to battle these new entrants. But that was the... continue reading...

Target Service Provider Marketing by Pontis

At the recent CTIA show in Las Vegas, much of the talk centered around how service providers need to focus on generating revenue from advertising as companies like Google will be giving away many of the services they hope to... continue reading...

Google and SalesForce Enhance Relationship

It was over a year and a half ago when I had a chance to listen to Marc Benioff talk about how his company's software would be integrating with Google to provide a mashup allowing companies to better track their... continue reading...

Why Mac Users Pay More for OS X

There is no question Microsoft could charge more for its OS if it worked as well as products from Apple. This is the feeling of ZDnet's Robin Harris and it is difficult to agree with the many lucid points made... continue reading...

IPTV Growth

TMCnet's Eve Sullivan writes about the massive adoption rates of IPTV worldwide. Apparently IPTV services grew from 4.7 million households in 2006 to 14 million in 2007. The growth rate in Europe actually hit 250%. Here is more information... continue reading...

Unlimited Plans = Unlimited Trouble?

Are unlimited voice and data plans causing unlimited headaches for carriers? More than one person told me at CTIA they think Sprint is going to be in real trouble as a result of the unlimited plan they are selling to... continue reading...

Second Life Meets the Call Center

You have heard me discuss how contact centers could connect with virtual worlds and moreover how virtual worlds could connect with e-commerce. One of my most recent posts is titled Virtual Customer Interactions and in this post I give an... continue reading...

Podcast: Ken Lamneck - President The Americas, Tech Data

Ken Lamneck President The Americas Tech Data Distribution companies are in a great position to tell us what trends to look for in the market. What is hot? What is not and more. It is for this reason I was... continue reading...

Podcast: Dieter Thompson, TAG

Dieter Thompson CEO TAG I had a chance to have a podcast interview with Dieter Thompson the CEO of TAG, an Alcatel-Lucent company specializing in telecom procurement, contract negotiation and vendor management solutions. Thompson shares many things in this interview... continue reading...

Communications Developer Call for Papers

Be sure to submit your call for papers entries for the Communications Developer show which will be collocated with ITEXPO later this year in the Los Angeles, California Convention Center. The specific dates of the event will be September 16-18,... continue reading...

Bob Emmerson: TMC's European Editor

Bob Emmerson joins TMC as out European Editor. We are truly proud to have Bob join the team as he is a communications and technology veteran. Previously, Emmerson was a designer of digital control systems, a journalist, and a copywriter.... continue reading...

TMCnet Podcast Library

Sure you have an iPhone or iPod or even a PC where you like to listen to your music. But have you had a chance to listen to TMCnet's high quality podcasts as of yet? ;-) I know many... continue reading...

TMCnet Gets a Redesign

I am very happy to be the first to tell you TMCnet is in the midst of one of its largest graphical overhauls. We are very proud of our new look which emphasizes softer blue colors and shades. There are... continue reading...

ScanSource Wants its MTV

ScanSource, a company distributing specialty technology products in communications, POS and other spaces, has acquired MTV Telecom Distribution, a UK-based distributor of voice and data solutions. Many US distribution companies are looking to expand internationally. This is especially true as... continue reading...

Live Communications Webinars

How do you stay up to date on the latest in communications and technology without leaving your desk? One of the best ways is with a webinar which allows you to sit comfortably in your office while you learn from... continue reading...

Google Becoming Evil?

Google's rumored ploy to get the service providers to pony up extra dollars for the 700 MHz auction seems to be more fact than fiction. I was just reading an article on TMCnet from Susan Campbell that outlines how Google... continue reading...

Sprint Pays Klausner

Sprint recently signed a deal with Klausner Technologies to enable them to use visual voicemail without the fear of being sued. This news is interesting as Sprint is one of the companies coming after VoIP providers who the company claims... continue reading...

EU Authorizes Fist Fights on Planes

OK I may be a bit over the top with this headline but allowing a plane full of passengers the ability to talk on the phone -- all in different languages... What is the EU thinking? According to TMCnet's Mae... continue reading...

Starface Looks for US IP-PBX Growth

I recently came across a software-based IP-PBX company from Germany that I have never written about before. Vertico Software GmBH makes a product called Starface which comes in a variety of flavors, from software to an appliance or hosted solution.... continue reading...

Browser Wars

I recently downloaded and tested Apple's Safari browser on my Windows-based computer and wow is it fast. Frankly I was the last person I expected to switch to Safari, but I just did. Graphically speaking, it is the nicest... continue reading...

Yahoo's Voice Search Ambitions

Yahoo has just invested $20 million in vlingo a voice recognition company specializing in the mobile market. Yahoo!, leveraging this relationship, announced the launch of a voice-enabled version of Yahoo! oneSearch, a new mobile search client that supports unstructured, open-ended... continue reading...

Packet8 Links With SalesForce.com

In the race to differentiate IP communications services, a natural area  for service providers in the business market to look is the CRM space. Integration with customer relationship management systems is common in large enterprises and even medium companies have... continue reading...

Google Docs Gets Gears

For all the benefits of cloud computing otherwise known as ASP-based service, on-demand, hosted and software as a service or SaaS there is a major drawback. Some applications are needed on the go... And the cloud doesn't follow you everywhere... continue reading...

Save Money in a Slow Economy

What is one of the best ways to cut costs without cutting heads or disrupting you key business operations? One simple solution is to explore the adoption of a telecom expense management or TEM solutions. Recently I had a chance... continue reading...

Polycom's Software Play and More

Depending on the era, if I asked people what the name Polycom makes them think of they would give me different answers. In the nineties it was video conferencing and audio conferencing devices. Around 2000 you could add IP phones... continue reading...

NEC's New Vision

Recently I had a chance to sit down with NEC Unified Solution's new president Jeffrey Kane and talk shop. Kane has an extensive background in systems integration having worked at firms like Perot Systems and EDS. Most importantly, he has... continue reading...

OnRelay's Mobile PBX Solution

Years ago I realized that mobile phones would get cheaper and cheaper and eventually cause a threat to the PBX vendors of the world. Of course… trends are generally easy to spot but timing technology adoption is generally very difficult.... continue reading...

VPF Winter 2007 Video Interviews

Although the temperature near TMC's Norwalk, CT headquarters is below freezing, I am told we are actually in spring. And I am admittedly late in sharing this information with you, frequent readers of these pages know I believe it is... continue reading...

Tax VoIP Illegally, Get a Raise

It is a sad day when a city government decides it needs to come after a specific technology -- one that has truly helped and empowered its constituents, in order to generate more revenue. The city of Los Angeles just... continue reading...

Nortel's Recent Wins and More

Nortel's Wes Durow credit SMEI.org One of the largest if not the largest deployment of VoIP I am aware of has to be Nortel's 10-year, $300 million dollar win with the US Social Security Administration which will support fifty-five thousand... continue reading...

TMC Growth Update

Congratulations to TMC's Kevin Kiley who was just promoted to VP of Finance. Great job Kevin. In addition I would like to thank TMC readers and our partners who have allowed us to continue our wave of growth. In the... continue reading...

LiteScape's Unified Communications Applications

One of the more interesting unified communications companies is Litescape. They are doing new things in the UC space and more importantly, I can't think of another company who does what they do. The company's Oncast solution enables phones... continue reading...

Calabrio's Call Center Solutions Advance

The trend towards unification is something you can see everywhere from cellular phones which now include music players, GPS and cameras to desktop software allowing communications with once disparate applications. One company in the call center space which is surfing... continue reading...

Plantronics Doing Something Big

Plantronics is planning something big. I have discussed this before and they are staying pretty quiet about what they are working on. Moreover whatever they are doing has been in development for over a year and they aren't close enough... continue reading...

The Talkument Evolution

Have you ever compared an e-mail conversation to one by phone? I can search e-mail conversations and forward them as needed. These conversations via e-mail become part of a company's knowledge base and can be used for analytics and other... continue reading...

Microsoft's Call Center Push

There is a level of excitement in the call center space I haven't witnessed since VoIP began transforming the call center into the contact center. Over the years, we have seen technology after technology change the way contact centers work... continue reading...

700 MHz Auction Concludes

The FCC 700 MHz auction concluded recently and the major winners were Verizon and AT&T. While this may seem like bad news to those who would have preferred more competition as a result of this auction, FCC Chairman Martin explains... continue reading...

Communications To Fuel Global Economy Growth

Infonetics pegged PBX growth at 7% last year and they further mentioned that companies are beginning to slowly see the benefits of IP-PBX systems beyond the typical costs savings associated with lower phone bills. With unified communications software now available... continue reading...

Dan Miller New TMCnet Columnist

As I mentioned a while back, TMC is experiencing record growth and I promised we would maintain our high levels of quality as we grow. TMCnet currently has just under 50 worldwide columnists and most of them write daily or... continue reading...

HTC Shift Vista UMPC does EV-DO

What is amazing to me is just how small full featured devices are getting. The HTC Shift ultra mobile PC or UMPC packs the Microsoft Vista OS, WiFi and now EVDO. Sure it has a weak processor, battery and... continue reading...

SearchMe Analysis

I finally got a password for the SearchMe beta and had a chance to play with this relatively new search engine. Simply stated, this search service is what Apple might design. You put in your search term and when the... continue reading...

Tandberg Integrates Unified Communications and Telepresence

As more and more customers deploy Microsoft's OCS, they are asking videoconferencing companies to help interconnect their products with their shiny new unified communications systems. But it isn't just video integration these companies want… These clients also want interconnection with... continue reading...

Where is the TMC Team?

This week, we have a total of nine TMC team members traveling to industry events. Dave Rodriguez, Erik Linask and I are headed to VoiceCon while Greg Galitzine will be at VON. I am looking forward to an information packed... continue reading...

Avaya's Huge Unified Communications Push

Avaya has certainly made unified communications history today with a suite of announcements that will certainly rattle the competitive landscape. UC will never be the same in my opinion. The New Jersey-based company's biggest news had to do with affordable... continue reading...

IBM's Big Unified Communications News

Recently I spent a good number of hours at the sprawling Somers, NY campus of IBM where the company announced to the media their intention to spend a billion dollars in unified communications development over the next three years. IBM... continue reading...

Hot News: Ixia, VPI, Wyde Voice, Google, Spirent, Sangoma, LifeSize, Aculab and more

I try not to play favorites with the news and instead of giving you my picks of the week, I defer to TMC editors who picked the following stories as some of the week's best. This week, we have a... continue reading...

Fingerprint Memory Drives Flawed

One would imagine that a fingerprint reader on a memory stick or hard drive was a guarantee of security. Those of us in technology for any period of time know that security in any market is more journey than destination.... continue reading...

Bill Gates on Innovation

While short on too many specifics, Bill Gates believes there will be tremendous innovation in technology going forward. Gates was specific in the area of TV where he predicted that the TV and computer will merge. As this happens, we... continue reading...

Google's Application Upgrade Feed

Google applications have been upgraded these past years and many times these updates are done quietly as they are software as a service SaaS applications and as such it wasn't obvious that people needed to know about these upgrades. At... continue reading...

Bebo Bought

Boy was I glad I blogged about Bebo being purchased a few months back. The rumored acquirer was supposed to be Google or MySpace but it seems like AOL is getting serious about being a web player once again and... continue reading...

WYDE Voice Debuts Better Conferencing Solution

A new product was just announced today and I cannot be more excited as it shows innovation is very alive and well in communications. WYDE Voice is a new start-up venture backed by Free Conferencing Corp. founder and CEO... continue reading...

Podcast: Peter Vicars, Newstep Networks

There is a race taking place in communications. Everyone is looking to converge as fast as they possibly can. Service providers want to provide enterprise service. Wireless carriers want to own the SMB and consumer markets. Oh... And I forgot... continue reading...

Adding Value to Wireless VARs

In the communications space there has been accelerating progress these past decades. In the eighties we had IVR, voicemail and unified messaging. In the nineties, we had CTI (TAPI,TSAPI, etc), international callback, the PC-PBX and later the IP-PBX. This decade... continue reading...

Bill Gates Promotes Education and Immigration Improvements

Today the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology will hold a hearing on the future of innovation and U.S. competitiveness. This hearing commemorates the committee's 50th anniversary and as part of the event, Bill Gates will be speaking. Microsoft... continue reading...

SearchMe Enters Beta

I just learned of SearchMe a search engine which differentiates itself by being more graphical than others. When you search, you are presented with category tabs as well as a graphical representation of what the results pages look like.... continue reading...

Outsourcers Abusing Work Visas?

The clash between U.S.-based companies and outsourcers continues as outsourcing companies such as Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Cognizant Technology Solutions and UST Global who are either based in or have the majority of their workers in India are bringing thousands of... continue reading...

Microprocessors: The Weakest Security Link

Although there seem to be limitless ways to attack computers, a vulnerability you might not have ever seen coming takes place in the microprocessors. As chips have become more powerful than , it is now possible for a person in... continue reading...

Aspect Brings Unified Communications to the Contact Center

In 1997 TMC decided to launch a magazine titled Internet Telephony to cover what we hoped would become a huge IP communications industry. A few years later, contact centers saw the technology as a great way to take advantage of... continue reading...

Ken Camp is Available

Regular readers of my blog and attendees of TMC expos no doubt know Ken Camp. Ken is very knowledgeable in the field of information technology with special expertise in communications and security. He has written books, articles, spoken at shows... continue reading...

Peter Radizeski Joins TMCnet

TMCnet's latest blogger is Peter Radizeski. Peter is knowledgeable and not afraid to say what he thinks. He is direct and has a long history in telecom. He will will write things that ruffle feathers. His views many not always... continue reading...

Communications News March 7, 2008

My editorial team has selected the following stories as some of the most important ones of the week. Hopefully some or all of these news items will be useful to my readers. Some of my favorite ones are how green... continue reading...

iPhone Gets ActiveSync

Last summer I wrote about by trip to Redmond to visit Microsoft and more specifically my thoughts on when the iPhone will get ActiveSync if ever. Here is an excerpt: As part of the Redmond software giant’s mobility strategy,... continue reading...

NEC, Microsoft, HP Labs and Comcast News

I was traveling yesterday and I didn't get a chance to communicate with my blog readers in the detail I would normally like to give. This morning I decided to share all the news that caught my eye from last... continue reading...

Fred Goldstein on Net Neutrality

Just when you thought you knew everything you need to know about the net neutrality debate and the controversy involving the FCC, Comcast and BitTorrent... There is more. A fantastic article from Fred Goldstein of ionary Consulting sums up what... continue reading...

White House E-mail Controversy

I just came across this summary of the White House missing e-mail fiasco and I am pretty blown away at just how out of touch Washington is with technology. I knew that this administration was tech-phobic when Dick Cheney was... continue reading...

AT&T's Bullish Investment

AT&T is making a major telecom investment in many areas of its business. The telecom giant cites the explosion of high-speed networks, data consuming devices and the move to IP as the reason for this investment. The money is... continue reading...

TMCnet's New Vertical Communities

Over the past decade, TMCnet has become the accepted resource for news, product research and analysis in communications and technology markets - including telecom, VoIP, and contact centers. Moreover, the site has become the defacto location online where companies build... continue reading...

Podcast: Joel Hackney, Nortel

If you want some great perspective on Nortel's recent earnings as well as information on which areas of Nortel are doing best, be sure to check out this podcast interview with Joel Hackney, President of the Enterprise Solutions Group at... continue reading...

Google Gears for Mobile

It is here... Finally here. Google Gears is a middleware program with tremendous potential as it allows web based applications to run, even when there is no web connectivity. Currently, using Google Gears is a bit clunky meaning you have... continue reading...

Siemens Business Communications to be Sold

Siemens has put its Enterprise Communications division up for sale and it seems potential acquirers are Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel Networks and hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management. Alcatel-Lucent would be an interesting partner as Lucent spun off its enterprise division into Avaya... continue reading...

A Coke, Collaboration and a Smile

Coke employees will now be collaborating using Microsoft's communications and collaboration suite which integrates software and web services. This must have been a large dollar deal because even Bill Gates had some comments to share about this Coke purchase: "Coca-Cola... continue reading...

TMCnet Services

In an effort to allow TMCnet readers easy access to the breadth of TMCnet services such as the personalized MyTMCnet and TMCnet Mobile, TMCnet has launched a new TMCnet Services page which will allow you to instantly access the... continue reading...

Flood us With New Careers, not Money

As most people looking for technical talent know, in the U.S. there is full employment in the tech space. In addition, it is very difficult to hire foreign tech workers as the government makes workers and employers jump through hoops... continue reading...

Microsoft's SaaS Push

There are rumors suggesting Microsoft will soon unveil its hosted/on demand/Software as a Service strategy where many of its applications will be provided via the Internet. If Google is the strongest competitor in this space -- and they are... The... continue reading...

Building IMS Applications

TMC's Erik Linask If you are interested in learning the latest information regarding how you can build IMS or IP multimedia subsystem applications, I suggest you check out this article by Erik Linask which discusses a webinar regarding this... continue reading...

RIM Patents the HTC XV6800

OK, this one came as a surprise but not really. I have seen many companies patent technologies invented elsewhere and then use these patents to sue companies without patents. It happens all the time -- especially in IP communications. I... continue reading...

Tellme Just a Small Yahoo?

If you want to get an idea of what Yahoo could possibly look like after a Microsoft acquisition, it may be useful to look at Tellme, a company Microsoft acquired last year. It is worth pointing out that Tellme was... continue reading...

Bain and Huawei Resubmit Bid

Bain and Huawei are changing their bid for 3COM in a manner that does not change the financial elements of the deal but it minimizes Huawei's access to certain Ethernet technologies. Last week, the parties pulled their application with the... continue reading...

When Acquiring, Look to Cisco, not Oracle

I am so fed up with the synergies CEO think they have when they acquire. In many cases CEOs and other powerful executives are on ego trips and buy companies and immediately change the acquired company's name to their... continue reading...

Google Gives Away Voicemail to Homeless

For those of you who were in telecom back in the day, you may recall that the Computer Telephony show in Los Angeles, CA had a press event where they got together with exhibitors to give away free voicemail to... continue reading...

Did Comcast Hire People to Attend the FCC Forum?

There have been a  number of reports that Comcast filled the recent FCC Forum with its employees and people off the street who were paid. By doing so, many claim the company denied access to people who had legitimate concerns.... continue reading...

What Nortel Should do Now

Nortel will be cutting 2,100 jobs and shifting about one thousand more to areas which have lower costs. These actions are in response to a wider loss in the fourth quarter. The company remains optimistic about its long term future... continue reading...

EU Fines Microsoft $1.35 Billion

The EU just fined Microsoft 899 million euros or $1.35 billion for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust ruling which focused on the world's largest software company charging unreasonable prices. One wonders how any acquisition will get approved in... continue reading...

Yahoo's SearchMonkey Released

If you can't beat Google head on, why not use some strategery? In this case, Yahoo! has unveiled SearchMonkey, a technology which allows websites to modify how their search results appear on Yahoo! search. What can you do with this... continue reading...

Siemens has Large Cuts

Close to 8,000 positions will be eliminated at Siemens in their communications division as part of a reorganization which allows the company to shift from being a hardware vendor to one that produces software. Over the past five years the... continue reading...

Some Webinars to Witness

If you aren't aware, it seems like my responsibility to at least mention some webinars worth attending. They happen to all be webinars that are hosted by TMC. I am going to try to attend them all. Some of the... continue reading...

Thank You Kevin Martin

It seems as if FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is the champion of the US citizen today at the FCC Forum as he seems genuinely concerned that there is discrimination taking place on the internet. Moreover he seems concerned about the... continue reading...

The US Entrenched in the Communications Third World

A year ago I wrote an entry titled Living in the Third World of Communications and boy, I must have been really pissed off on that day because I usually don't tell politicians they need to be sure they... continue reading...

FCC Forum Starts This Week

This week there will be an FCC Forum in Boston where the FCC will be discussing many issues regarding the future of the internet. While the lobbying system of the US is wonderful in that it allows many to have... continue reading...

The Latest Microsoft/Yahoo News

The latest in the Microsoft/Yahoo saga is a number of lawsuits from shareholders looking to get Yahoo to sell to Microsoft. In addition, a Microsoft exec sent an e-mail to employees of the world's largest software company telling them the... continue reading...

More SMB Communications Growth

Yesterday I discussed how well the SMB space is doing in the communications market and today there is more evidence of competition in the space as WhaleBack Systems is expanding deeper into the mid-Atlantic region. Three companies, Schultz Technology Solutions,... continue reading...

Jamie Siminoff on The Big Idea

Before I met Jamie Siminoff the CEO of SimulScribe the visual voicemail company, I would get emails from people in the industry telling me I should meet him as he was a great guy. Jamie does come across as a... continue reading...

Skype Serves up 100 Billion Minutes

What can you say about a company that has generated 100 billion minutes of telephone traffic. Skype has been around for 4.5 years by the way making this milestone an even greater accomplishment. While these minutes were all free, it... continue reading...

Use Your Shirt to charge your Gadgets

The promise of nanotechnology will allow us to easily charge our consumer electronics devices as we walk and move. Specifically, US scientists have developed a microfiber that charges devices as the fiber rubs against itself. This nanogenerator takes advantage... continue reading...

Verizon Wireless and AT&T Lowering Rates

I have been intentionally staying away from the news regarding Verizon Wireless introducing new unlimited voice plans but now that AT&T has come out and matched Verizon's plans, it seems I have to at least mention it and point to... continue reading...

TMCnet Continues to Grow

Thanks once again to our loyal TMCnet readers. Because of you, TMCnet has broken more online records. In January of 2008 TMCnet experienced 38,368,961 page views (meaning total number of web pages viewed on TMCnet in January alone. The total... continue reading...

The ISPS Strike Back

In the quest for behavioral targeting, companies who control ad networks have been working as hard as possible to allow advertisers to reach web surfers based on their online behavior and not just what page they happen to be on.... continue reading...

Sony's VoIP Headsets

Sony may be a decade or so late to the game but certainly it is better to be late than not in the game at all. So welcome Sony to the world of VoIP headsets. The top of the range... continue reading...

RIM Sues Motorola over Patents

The sheer nastiness of what is about to happen could become something of legend. The first few grenades have been lobbed back and forth between Canada and Illinois. First Motorola jacked up licensing fees for its patents for things like... continue reading...

Aastra Acquires Ericsson's Enterprise Business

Ericsson has divested itself of its Enterprise communications business and this move reminds me a great deal of Lucent spinning off its enterprise division in 2000 or so. For Ericsson the logic behind the move is sound as it wants... continue reading...

Rembrandt IP Management

Some analysts are concerned that patents held by "patent troll" Rembrandt IP Management will be used successfully against cable companies and others. In cases originally spread across federal courts in Delaware, New York and Texas, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter... continue reading...

Creative Capitalism from Bill Gates and Co.

Microsoft recently made a smart move by partnering with Russian mobile phone operator MTS to provide customers with a bundled PC, software and wireless broadband for a monthly fee. This allows consumers with less money to have access to... continue reading...

Better than Free

In the world of VoIP, there is a serious problem... There are so many companies giving away telephony, how do you compete? Vonage sells service which is ridiculously cheap yet Skype gives their service away even cheaper and in some... continue reading...

What's Wrong with Yahoo!

Here is one person's opinion about what is wrong with Yahoo!. Although there some good points in this post, it is challenging to coordinate the efforts of just so many people. If Microsoft is supposed to sort out all of... continue reading...

Yahoo! Strong With the Poor

I thought I had heard it all. Now it seems that some are suggesting that Yahoo! is having problems because it is stronger in poor areas while Google is stronger in areas where people are affluent such as suburbs, etc.... continue reading...

Regulators Reshape the Internet

It is pretty amazing to see how many separate issues are surfacing that could affect the future of the internet. The FCC and government have their plates full deciding what to do with telcos and their potentially anti-competitive practices. The... continue reading...

HD Voice Community

As I have written about extensively, the advent of VoIP means that we are able to increase the quality of communications quite substantially. To that end, we at TMC are always looking for ways to educate you on concepts like... continue reading...

Unprotected SIP

Somehow the title "The Dangers of Unprotected SIP" caught me off guard  since today is after all Valentine's Day. Seems like something they should teach you about in geek health class in high school. But seriously, I don't think... continue reading...

Increase Marketing Spend in a Recession

I just couldn't help but sharing this article about how companies who increase their marketing spend in a recession come out of it doing better than when they went into it. I am not advocating that there is a recession... continue reading...

Telco 2.0 - the Microsoft way

The following are comments from Ovum SVP, Brett Azuma on Microsoft and what they are up to in service provider communications. I thought this was worth passing along. Microsoft provided an update on its Telco 2.0 vision. The analyst telebriefing... continue reading...

Yahoo's Choices

I have mentioned in the past that Yahoo! has no choice and that it needs to seriously consider the Microsoft offer. Since that time, News Corp. has offered an alternative to Yahoo!… The media conglomerate will give some assets... continue reading...

Google Apps Get Unified Communications

It was bound to happen... Google Apps have finally become connected to the world of Unified communications. Thanks to Voice Mobility, you can now integrate Google Apps with your unified communications system in your campus or corporate environment. As... continue reading...

VoIP Inc. May Sue You Soon

So yesterday I wrote an entry titled Intellectual Property, The Other Defition of IP and later I wished I had the opportunity to shorten the title to Intellectual Property, The other IP. You know, a play on "Pork, the other... continue reading...

New VoIP Security Problem

Tom Keating alerted to me a new phone hack which is for now targeting SNOM IP phones. The big hack involves the ability of some VoIP phones to make phone calls from the Web interface using a simple web POST... continue reading...

Forbes on Mobile World Congress

Forbes does a good job of detailing the happenings at Mobile World Congress this week. In summary, the Android phone is not ready for prime time (not much of a surprise here) and there are a plethora of devices from... continue reading...

Samsung MBP-100

If you were hoping for the day that you could fit a video projector in your pocket, perhaps that day is finally here. Of course this depends a bit on how big your pockets are. From this picture it seems... continue reading...

Tandberg Video works with Microsoft OCS

Microsoft unified communications gets video interoperability with Tandberg products. Specifically, TANDBERG MXP endpoints can now register and authenticate directly with Office Communications Server 2007 allowing them to appear as contacts in an Office Communicator 2007 user's contact list. By... continue reading...

Mobile World Congress Key Terms

As you may know, Mobile World Congress kicks off this week and to get the ball rolling the event has put out some of the key terms you will be hearing more about this week. I have posted them here... continue reading...

Microsoft Better off Hiring than Buying

Phil Greenspun has some great points about the pending Microsoft/Yahoo! merger and why the value Microsoft has ascribed to the company is more than they deserve. Here is an excerpt: The interesting question is why a company that claims to... continue reading...

Yahoo!/Microsoft Negotiations

Does Yahoo! know how to negotiate with Microsoft? If they are not sure, all they have to do is check out this video which says it all. Ideas to discuss in the meeting: 1) Divide the company 2) Sit up... continue reading...

Yahoo to Reject Microsoft

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Yahoo! Is going to reject the Microsoft bid of 44.6 billion dollars. Yahoo feels this bid which amounts to 31 dollars per share not only grossly undervalues the web giant but it also... continue reading...

Alcatel-Lucent Cuts Dividend

Alcatel-Lucent just reported somewhat disappointing numbers for the quarter with a  few bright spots. On the negative side, the company reported its largest ever quarterly loss since it was created in 2006. The loss was 2.58 billion euros ($3.74 billion)... continue reading...

Bebo To Be Bought?

It is enough to make the average person sick. How does a company with a name like Yahoo! get a valuation in tens of billions of dollars. Sure, we all use Yahoo! so this is not such a stretch. But... continue reading...

Is AT&T a Runaway Winner?

Is AT&T going to win the IP services wars? I get the feeling they are really doing a fine job in this regard and will only do better over time. Jon Arnold agrees and in a  recent article he talks... continue reading...

Big Things, Small Packages

Check out my Publisher's Outlook from the next issue of Internet Telephony Magazine. I didn't post it here because some of the content has been discussed here before and some is new. I focus on mobile VoIP, mobile access points,... continue reading...

Blodget on Yahoo/Microsoft!

Henry Blodget details why the Microsoft/Yahoo! deal will get more tricky over time. He describes an infinite loop of angry Microsoft shareholders who drive down the price and subsequently require Microsoft to increase share dilution as it adds more shares... continue reading...

Undersea Cable Cuts

Undersea cables are a weak spot in internet connectivity worldwide and with all the recent undersea outages taking place around the world, we need to be concerned that in the US and Canada that these cables are unprotected. Not only... continue reading...

Google, Yahoo & Microsoft Love Triangle

The saga of Microsoft acquiring Yahoo! and Google trying to thwart the bid continues all weekend long with a great story in the Wall Street Journal explaining that Google can't really purchase Yahoo! because of the fact that the resulting... continue reading...

Government Efficiency

Yeah right... Stopping the work on nights and weekends will make a better work/life balance. It seems the Canadian government is implementing a Blackberry blackout between 7 PM and 7 AM. While this idea seems like it should work... How... continue reading...

ITEXPO East 2008 Videos

There was in independent reporter at ITEXPO interviewing yours truly and some of the exhibitors from the show. There are two Quicktime files for your enjoyment... One is an interview with me discussing the consumer side of communications opportunities and... continue reading...

Microsoft to buy Yahoo!

One of the longest-running tech rumors around is that of Microsoft buying Yahoo! in an effort to become more competitive with Google. The concept of Microsoft as an underdog in any market would have been tough to swallow just a... continue reading...

Garmin and Dell in Cells

As I just mentioned moments ago... Everyone seems to think the cell phone business is a great one to be in. Apple, Google and now Garmin and Dell. A strange time indeed for Motorola to be getting out. Then again,... continue reading...

Motorola Explores Spinning off Handset Business

Word is according to CNBC is that Motorola is looking for strategic alternatives for its mobile phone business. I wonder if this move makes sense for the company as this product line is where everyone seems to want to be.... continue reading...

ITEXPO East 2008 Recap

You definitely want to check out Tom Keating's writeup of ITEXPO East 2008 where he talks about the great products he saw. Tom got to see more than I did at the show but one point I agree on is... continue reading...

700 MHz Auction Update

So far in the 700 MHz auction there have been bids totaling more that 2.4 billion and in about a month we should know who won. There were just under two thousand bids for this precious spectrum which could become... continue reading...

Dell/Fonality Phone System

Russell Shaw has some analysis of the new Dell Fonality VoIP Phone System launched at ITEXPO this week and talks a bit more about the product and how it compares with the competition. Best of all, he has some screen... continue reading...

ITEXPO: Article in Sun-Sentinel

The Sun Sentinel had a great article on Internet Telephony Conference & Expo today and their spin was local. They mentioned companies in the Florida area who participate in the show. The article was written by Arlene Satchell and she... continue reading...

My Schedule Tonight

I am blown away by the amount of people who have reached out to meet with me at the very last second at this particular event. So many people want to meet... I wish the show was 2 weeks. :)... continue reading...

ITEXPO -- See You in Hall B

Good morning attendees, speakers, exhibitors and conferees... Just a reminder that we are thrilled to have you here in Miami this week for ITEXPO. Be sure to come to Hall B in the Miami Convention Center. If you enter from... continue reading...

ITEXPO West 2008 Day One - Andy

We are looking forward to the best three days of IP communications excitement this year here at ITEXPO in Miami. I just saw Andy Abramson's post and it reminded me that he won't be able to make it to the... continue reading...

Dell Chooses Fonality

Fonality has some huge news to share with us here at Internet Telephony Conference & Expo. The company was just picked to be the small business communications offering by Dell. What is perhaps most amazing regarding this news is the... continue reading...

Internet Buffet Closed

Greg Galitzine heads up the editorial team at TMCnet and recently he and I were discussing the all you can eat internet and how it may soon be gone. During our talk, I had trouble seeing why this is different... continue reading...

ITEXPO East 2008 Schedule

Here are some of the happenings this week at ITEXPO. My team is already down in Miami, making sure the new Mustang convertible is prepped and ready for the raffle Friday. I wish you luck in winning the car and... continue reading...

Have a Safe Trip to ITEXPO

I hope everyone has a safe trip down to Internet Telephony Conference & Expo. The registration numbers are trending nicely above estimates and we expect a stellar event. As always, we have done our absolute best to assemble the most... continue reading...

MacBook Air Missing Features

Sure the MacBook Air is missing a few features. No surprise as it is so thin. A slow hard disk and missing FireWire port shouldn't be a deal breaker for the people that want the bragging rights associated with the... continue reading...

ITEXPO Giveaways

Here are some of he giveaways from next week's ITEXPO in Miami, FL. Will you be one of the winners? Hope you will be there to find out. Remember, you have to be present to win these prizes. Tom Keating... continue reading...

White Space Internet Closer

Although we unfortunately will not be able to take advantage of new and exciting internet devices utilizing "white space" technology next week at Internet Telephony Conference & Expo in Miami... It does seem that at some point in the future,... continue reading...

Fax, T.38 and SIP

As you may remember from a prior post, AudioCodes was running a five-part webinar series which concluded yesterday with a webinar on SIP and T.38 fax. On the webinar, Percy discussed reliability concerns with the G.711 standard, and more specifically,... continue reading...

California Broadband Task Force Recommendations

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commissioned the California Broadband Task Force (CBTF) to “remove barriers to broadband access, identify opportunities for increased broadband adoption, and enable the creation and deployment of new advanced communication technologies.” The governor also requested that the... continue reading...

Shoretel Class Action Suit

Kahn Gauthier Swick, LLC (KGS) has announced an initial filing of securities for a class action suit against Shoretel. According to a press release: If you purchased shares of ShoreTel in connection with the IPO or if you purchased shares... continue reading...

The Rise of the Splinternet

In the good old days having a website was good enough... This was your portal to the world -- your customers and everyone else. But slowly but surely a wealth of new communities are being created and if you aren't... continue reading...

Macs for Business?

Like just so many technologies, Macs are invading corporations from the bottom up. Since this week saw MacWorld and MacIT take place... Wall Street Journal reporters had a chance to scope out the latter event and write a blog entry... continue reading...

Top 10 Phone Tricks

If you are looking for the top 10 telephone tricks you need to be aware of, look no further than this post over at Life Hacker. You want to know how to "gracefully" bow out of a long-winded conversation? How... continue reading...

Mobile Device Management

Mobile device management is a somewhat new addition to the telecom expense management (TEM) field, but it has exploded in the past couple years as mobile telephony adoption among enterprises has continued at a rapid clip. Moreover, many workers are... continue reading...

WiFi Hotspots Still Not Secure

In August of last year I wrote about how WiFi hotspots are not secure. A few days later I clarified the post with comments from Microsoft's Francois Doremieux, Senior Program Manager, Product Group: Customer Experience. The clarification basically explains that... continue reading...

Jon Arnold

TMC's newest contributor is Jon Arnold. Jon is is one of the most methodical and knowledgeable people I know in the IP communications space and I have always admired him a great deal. TMC has worked with Jon for many... continue reading...

ITEXPO - Huge International Draw

As Tom Keating mentioned earlier today we are proud to announce that Internet Telephony Conference & Expo which will take place in just under a week in Miami Florida has registrations from 74 countries, a 15.6% increase over last year.... continue reading...

Important Interviews

Recently I was fortunate enough to be able to interview a number of thought leaders and others who have given me their perspectives on the communications market, the future, the entry of Google, Apple and Microsoft into the space and... continue reading...

Tech News 01/16/07

It has been a pretty big news day so far this early morning. Intel perhaps is responsible for the biggest portion of today's market movement as last night they announced earnings which were not all that bad but the stock... continue reading...

Quantcast Update 01/08

On November 6, 2007 I had a post (see bottom of post for chart) where I showed how TMC compares with other IP Communications sites. I did this by pulling numbers from Quantcast, a web service which tracks web traffic... continue reading...

Ergonomic Phones

A concept you rarely hear about but which is important is ergonomics in telephones. I came across an ergonomic phone white paper from Shoretel and while it is Shoretel-centered it is still pretty useful and worth checking out before you... continue reading...

SaveXP

It isn't uncommon for people to not want to upgrade. Even new car models can get people upset if the new design does not stay "true" to the designs of earlier models. Still, the word on the street regarding Microsoft... continue reading...

Data Center Startup Makes Waves

The human mind never ever ceases to amaze. The latest idea which has me thinking "wow" is a floating data center which is able to save money by cooling computers with sea water instead of electricity. A new Silicon Valley... continue reading...

Atlanta: Most Wired US City

I have to be honest when I say I was surprised to read that Atlanta, GA is considered to be the most wired city in the US. When you look at the reasons however it begins to make sense. As... continue reading...

Sangoma Interview

When you listen to David Mandelstam the President and CEO of Sangoma, you get the feeling you are speaking with a hybrid scientist/entrepreneur. Mandelstam's company is a pioneer in both open source and unified communications and he is a good... continue reading...

iPhone Google Traffic Surge

Back in the late nineties the CEO of Nokia made an interesting prediction at an industry show in his keynote address. The prognostication was that soon more people would surf the internet on their mobile devices than on PCs. Unfortunately... continue reading...

Google Android Apps Arrive

We have all likely heard about Google Android but for the first time, we will now be able to get our hands on applications that are specifically designed for Android. A La Mobile is the name of the company who... continue reading...

Cisco Invests in SoonR

Cisco has just invested in SoonR a company which supplies a service allowing computer files to be easily accessed by mobile phones or other internet devices. As mobile devices become more powerful and wireless broadband becomes more pervasive, this segment... continue reading...

Good Bye Jeff Raikes

Good bye Jeff Raikes. Raikes did a great job at Microsoft and in the unified communications space he should be commended for rolling out a slew of strong products and doing a fantastic PR and marketing job promoting them. He... continue reading...

Service Provider Opportunities

Service providers are being extremely creative in using technology and ingenuity to launch new and enhanced services and products to keep customers and attract new ones. Some of the better ideas I have seen lately are the consumer electronics DECT... continue reading...

Death of the Road Warrior

One of the more respected names in the video/telepresence space is Casey King, CTO of LifeSize. I recently had a chance to interview King and you may be interested in reading his views on how telepresence is changing the world... continue reading...

IP Fax Reliability

If you are concerned about the challenges with fax over G.711, you may be interested in a webinar which focuses on such topics and also focuses on how SIP and T.38 can improve the reliability of fax over IP. This... continue reading...

SIP Education at ITEXPO

Marc Robins is now heading up the SIP forum and as you may know, he is an industry veteran and a fellow coworker for many years. Mark was the Group Associate Publisher at TMC and responsible for educating hundreds of... continue reading...

Google goes TV

It is tough to not think of Microsoft when you hear announement after announcment that Google is entering space after space. The latest is TV with news the company is working with Matsushita's Panasonic to develop TV which which will... continue reading...

IP Communications News January 4, 2007

If you just can't get enough IP communications news then you are a lot like me and I do feel a bit sorry for you.  Either way, there is lots of great news happening in this first short week of... continue reading...

IP Communications News January 4, 2007

If you just can't get enough IP communications news then you are a lot like me and I do feel a bit sorry for you.  Either way, there is lots of great news happening in this first short week of... continue reading...

Protecode Provides Software Insurance

As the number of programming tools and sources of code snippets multiplies, a question many companies must ask is if their software is indeed theirs. In many cases, companies aren't sure about this crucial detail and the ability to know what... continue reading...

Microsoft Paper Clip 2.0

This seems like a 2.0 with week with MC Hammer 2.0 news yesterday and now that famous paper clip in Windows has gone 2.0 as well. You know what I mean don't you? When you are starting a Microsoft Word... continue reading...

Technology News Wrap Dec 27, 2007

It has been a slow news week as you might imagine and there have been a number of stories which have caught my eye. Stories wrapping up 2007 are rampant and one worth reading is from Mae Kowalke and is... continue reading...

Predicting Future Work Behavior

Many of my readers grew up in a generation where e-mail became common. Some of us might even remember the time when there was no Web or e-mail and communications was done in-person, with paper and/or using the telephone.  ... continue reading...

The Latest on Mitel

If you are interested in the latest on Mitel and Sir Terry Matthews, be sure to check out this article from Zippy Grigonis titled Mitel Gathers Steam with Netherlands Deal.   In the article you will learn how lawn mowers... continue reading...

Avaya’s Unified Communications Future

When you think of enterprise communications Avaya is certainly one of the first names that comes to mind. A huge player in the space, the company has a tremendous amount of influence in the future shape of things to come... continue reading...

Nortel Sues Vonage

Vonage just can’t catch a break these days and seems to be the target of more lawsuits related to patent infringements than just about any other company out there. The latest patent fight is with Nortel, a company who says... continue reading...

OCS Training

It goes without saying that unified communications was one of the most exciting growth areas in the communications market this past quarter. Microsoft continues to be a major driver of this technology with its Office Communications Server (OCS) product. In... continue reading...

Google, Blackberry and Skype News

Two things worth noting this morning have to do with mobility and video. First off, Google Calendar now syncs with Blackberrys. This is big news, allowing corporations to slowly wean themselves off of Microsoft software if they so choose. As... continue reading...

CompUSA to Close

In the neighborhood near TMC, three stores have recently been wiped away in the past years. The first to go was the hardware store which could not compete against Home Depot. The next was the photo development store because of... continue reading...

Telecom Growing Nicely

It’s a good time to be in telecom. With all the housing gloom and doom it is nice to see that at least the telecom market is doing exceedingly well. Of course you have to pick your battles… Consumer VoIP... continue reading...

Verizon Voyager Analysis

I had a chance to briefly demo the Verizon Voyager today and it is an amazing combination of technology in a compact package. The question I kept asking myself as I toyed with the device is whether this mobile gadget... continue reading...

NextPoint is Born

TMCnet’s Greg Galitzine announced the rumor on October 19th that NexTone and Reef Point were to merge. Today the news becomes real as the companies are combining to create NextPoint. Here are some quick facts and quotes according to the... continue reading...

Podcast Interview: Oswin Eleanora, Acision

In my travels, one of the more knowledgeable players I have run across in the space of telecom – and especially wireless communications is Oswin Eleonora (Oz) the Senior VP Sales and Marketing North America for Acision. You may recall... continue reading...

Titanium Watches? What about Headsets?

Recently I picked up a titanium watch. In fact I now am the proud owner of two titanium watches. I just love the stuff… More durable than steel and much lighter. What if everything in the world was made out... continue reading...

Laptopless Meetings

I am obviously in the majority in my thinking that a meeting without a laptop or Blackberry is a wasted meeting. How often have you been in a one-hour meeting where thirty or more minutes did not even pertain... continue reading...

Consumer Gadgets Eclipse Business Phones

The maddening division between consumer and business mobile devices continues to grow and as the trend picks up steam it is apparent consumers are the winners and businesspeople suffer. This is not to say the problem isn’t in some ways... continue reading...

XV6800: Why Verizon Wireless Opened Up

There could not be a happier person on the face of the earth than I regarding Verizon Wireless opening up its network. And while I thought I pegged some of the reasons for Verizon making this decision in a... continue reading...

Microsoft Billion Dollar Web Loss

I was reading an article from Internet.com explaining how Microsoft is losing over a billion dollars a year online.   Directions on Microsoft analyst Matt Rosoff said Microsoft's considerable resources lets it keep pushing forward with MSN despite failures in... continue reading...

Communications Webinars

I came across some webinars of potential interest coming soon from TMC. There are a bunch and they are quite varied so it would seem there is certainly something for everyone. I am certainly interested in the 10 myths of... continue reading...

WiFi, Autism Link

For obvious reasons I became alarmed when I read an article linking WiFi and autism (article intentionally not linked). I told some friends and relatives about the report and they all seemed concerned and asked for links to the story.... continue reading...

The Latest VoIP Security Threat

For years I have been covering VoIP security and throughout this time it has been a one-sided conversation as there have been few documented cases of VOIP security attacks. Companies are generally not too happy to discuss VoIP security... continue reading...

Rumor Mill: Google Buying Skype

I have to be honest with you my loyal and devoted readers. I am disgusted with myself. Why you ask? Because I am an addict – I am addicted to writing about Google. I just can’t seem to help it.... continue reading...

Google TV

If you think Android and the Open Handset Alliance are interesting, check out this article form TechCrunch about how Google may soon be in the set top box market and by doing so will be have the ultimate platform to... continue reading...

Mobile Advertising Grows to $16.5 Billion

I was perusing some articles on mobile advertising recently and was absolutely stunned at how big some analysts think this market will be. According to this TMCnet article, Strategy Analytics predicts the global market for mobile advertising is slated to... continue reading...

How Network Neutrality Solves the Cable Competition Problem

It is obvious to me the cable companies are getting the short end of the FCC stick. In fact I am not sure the FCC will be giving any sort of stick to the cable companies this Christmas. Even the... continue reading...

Cisco VARs Feeling Microsoft Pressure

I saw an article in CRN titled Cisco VoIP VARs Feeling Microsoft Pressure and I found it interesting that Cisco VARs are having to deal with customer doubt regarding selling unified communications solutions.   Imagine this news is coming... continue reading...

Ballmer on Android

In case you are interested in Steve Ballmer’s response to Google’s entry into the mobile phone market, check this story out.  ... continue reading...

Ditech Networks

In the many IP communications demos I hear each year I am consistently amazed at just how good the quality of VoIP can be. With today’s wideband codecs the sound is remarkably better than the PSTN. This is especially true... continue reading...

Comcast Gets Beat up

If you haven’t been watching, you may have missed the fact that the telcos are becoming serious competitors to the cable companies. For the last few years it seemed cable companies were invincible but recently the phone companies with products... continue reading...

ITEXPO Discount – Act Fast

Sometimes I think I have the best job on earth as I get to meet with the real thought leaders in the communications market and see the latest products and services in the industry. Then I get the distinct pleasure... continue reading...

Quantcast

You are likely familiar with Alexa, a division of Amazon that measures website traffic. I have written about the site a number of times before. A while back I discovered a site called Quantcast which is becoming a well respected... continue reading...

FonalityCRM

Fonality has made quite a splash in the open source communications market and the most recent news coming out of the California company is an acquisition of Insightful Solutions Pty Ltd, one of the world’s largest SugarCRM development houses.  ... continue reading...

Google’s Free Mobile Phone Software

Can Google pull it Off -- is the question worth asking when realizing the search leader is looking to open up the mobile phone industry. The cellular market is legendary in its ability to lock in customers. In the US... continue reading...

Fluke

In the world of advertising the expression commonly used is “perception is reality.” Moreover companies are often branded by customers. If I say IBM, you will say mainframes. Oracle? Databases.   Sometimes I feel it is my job to help... continue reading...

Keating on Plagiarism

Tom Keating has some interesting thoughts on plagiarism – especially regarding an article of mine that was “borrowed” recently for another site. It is worth a read.... continue reading...

Skype High Quality Video

Let’s face it, when you have a paid product and the free alternative keeps getting better, you have to keep innovating. This is the situation many videoconferencing companies are now in since Skype raised the video quality bar. How you... continue reading...

Google Phone

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is close to unveiling the plans for its much anticipated mobile phone. Apparently in the US, T-Mobile will be a likely network partner. What will make the phone different from other devices is... continue reading...

SprintSecure Laptop Guardian

One of the more interesting features of mobile devices such as Blackberrys is the ability to have the device remotely wiped in the case of theft or loss. Interestingly, many laptops are filled with much greater amounts of corporate data... continue reading...

Covad Acquired by Platinum Equity

Covad was recently sold to private equity and this could be a good thing. The company made a big splash in the business VoIP segment years back but more recently Covad seemed to stop focusing on offering converged services and... continue reading...

DiVitas Networks

If you take a long walk through lower Manhattan you could very well end up in Greenwich Village, SOHO, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Meatpacking district or any other area of Manhattan bearing an interesting name and unique culture. Indeed, you... continue reading...

Microsoft/Facebook Analysis

I recently wrote that the investment in Facebook by Microsoft is a great win for the Redmond-based software company. John Dvorak sees it differently. Mr. Dvorak is one of the best tech writers I know and I have been reading... continue reading...

Communications Enabled Business Process

You may have heard the term Communications Enabled Business Process or CEBP. I always wonder where new acronyms come from so I did some digging. This particular term was developed by engineers who were bored by the current state of... continue reading...

NET Acquires Quintum

On the face of it you might not see a merger between NET and Quintum as something predictable. NET is on the west coast, while Quintum is on the east. Quintum has had a consistent branding message over the past... continue reading...

Phone Calls without Subject are Rude

Did you know in the future if you make a call without a subject (similar to what happens to some e-mails I get these days) it will be considered rude? In addition, were you aware UC could have an ROI... continue reading...

Microsoft’s Facebook Stake

Did Microsoft make a good move investing in Facebook? The answer is definitely yes.   The $240 million price Microsoft paid for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook values the 3.5 year old company at $15 billion.   This is... continue reading...

Polycom and Ekahau Partner

As the world becomes more interconnected (read: smaller), the need for increases in productivity grows exponentially. The reason is simple. The more countries get into the act, the more competition each company has to deal with.   Thankfully, technology comes... continue reading...

Open Source Unified Communications

If you are a fan of unified communications, Linux and “Blackberrys on crack” you should read this interview by the VoIP Authority Greg Galitzine with Fonality’s CEO Chris Lyman. No organization has a 100% monopoly and certainly a company’s thirst... continue reading...

More Bad Motorola News

You may recall Motorola was a partner with Apple in developing the ROCKR phone which was supposed to be the best of Apple and Motorola technology in one sleek device. The only problem was the device was not the best... continue reading...

IP Communications News: October 19, 2007

Some of the interesting news of the week shows SMBs will not only be going down the road to purchasing IP communications solutions – they will also be purchasing and installing security solutions. In my research this morning I also... continue reading...

Nokia N810

One of the best portable devices I have ever used is the Nokia N800. It was launched earlier than Apple’s iPhone and has many of the features the iPhone has but is better in many ways. It is not as... continue reading...