One of the people with a long history in the communications space is Neal Shact (pictured) -- CEO of Communitech Services. In the past, Shacht has been a distributor in the headset market and has been early in many new markets such as VoIP, call centers and others.

Shact points out it is impossible for customers to know what they want in UC. He mentions the old story that Henry Ford once said people when asked what they wanted in transportation said, a faster horse.

His point: you need a communications roadmap. Don't rely exclusively on your UC vendor to dictate what you want and need.

You want to check out this podcast as it is rife with references outside communications -- and the tie-ins are fascinating. In addition, he has a way of bringing tech and communications together.

I truly hope you enjoy it.

Rumors abound that Russia will soon see the HTC T8290 touch-screen enabled device very soon. The specs are 3.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, GSM and WiMAX radios.

This is probably the phone I recently wrote about being launched in Russia last week. Good stuff and with WiFi, WiMAX and GSM radios, be sure to stay near an AC outlet.

I just hope this phone gets on the Xohm network and that Sprint brings Xohm to Norwark, CT very soon.

More:

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nedge2k (photo credit)

Recenty I heard from old friend Brian Mahony (pictured), the VP of marketing at localcasting (in-home broadcasting) company ZeeVee. Mahony has worked at a number of companies on the cutting edge of technology in the decade in a half or so I have known him. When I met him in the nineties, he was working for Tundo - one of the first IP PBX companies which like so many others, ran out of funding during the dotcom/telecom meltdown. He then worked for a number of IPTV companies including Espial and Netcentrex  which was eventually acquired by Comverse Technology.

Now at ZeeVee, Mahony is about as full of energy as I have ever heard him and he seems to be revved up by the opportunity in front of his company which is becoming the defacto way to broadcast internet-based HD content to all televisions in a home.

What Zeevee does which is different from other approaches is eliminate the premise that a standalone TV box is the answer. In other words, it does away with the notion that you need an internet-connected box on all the TVs in the house. In addition the company does away with the notion that the standalone box should be a computer. In fact, instead of putting a computer in a box and connecting it to the internet, the company's ZvBox connects to a PC in the house and broadcasts HDTV internet video content throughout the home's cable TV cabling. Thus the term localcasting.

Once connected, the user sits in front of the TV with an RF-based remote control

and watches virtually any Internet-based video content. In addition, the customer can use the box to watch locally stored movies and DVDs. This gets us to the next point which is elimination of what Mahony refers to as the digital octopus (pictured) - referring to the tangle of wires and devices which live near your television. Mahony further explains that the new televisions with their wall mounts have become like artwork and many people are not happy with the tangle of wires near their TVs.

The logic of using the PC as the heart of a converged solution is the PC can decode any content on the web. Mahony reiterates it is the best device (as opposed to a standalone box) for streaming television and videos and he is right. I should mention he says this because the PC can decode anything and specialized equipment would have to be constantly upgraded to achieve the same functionality. Basically the standalone box has to be a PC to function properly.

Mahony further explained that many of the networks do not like to have terms dictated to them by cable companies and moreover do not want to share their revenue with such partners. In addition they are yearning to get more internet viewers as these viewers can identify themselves and as such provide a basis for more targeted ads which can mean more revenue.

One network has even told Mahony (he wouldn't say which) that they are now making more money online than they are on cable. This is partly because viewers seem to be more loyal online - watching more episodes and in addition, old content which is posted on websites is generating massive amounts of traffic and generating new viewers as opposed to cannibalizing existing ones from TV.

Mahony explains the box works with all content and various formats such as Amazon Unbox (now called Video on Demand), TiVo, Netflix, iTunes and others. In addition, the company has something called a Zviewer (soon to be released in Beta) which allows all videos to be watched from any PC. One of the benefits of this viewer and this solution in general is menu system which allows access to a slew of content types which are updated regularly and is hopefully easy to navigate.

The system also supports Dolby high quality audio and Dolby 5.1 is in the works.

In addition, the remote allows web browsing meaning all HDTVs now have access to web surfing. So while watching a ball game you could use Picture in Picture or PiP to surf your fantasy sports stats.

The downsides are minimal - it is possible that configuration could be a problem but Mahony says it is pretty seamless and most users shouldn't have a problem. It is also a PC-only solution for the moment. In addition, a cable company or other broadband provider could make a stink about using bandwidth and limit your download speeds. This wouldn't be surprising to me as this box cannibalizes their primary revenue generator. I hope the FCC and politicians are reading and weighing the pros and cons of ISPs throttling bandwidth and in the process reducing the likelihood game-changing technologies successfully get into the hands of US consumers.

Mahony also points out the solution may not be the best for sports as IPTV and cable solutions provide better quality sports than what is available online at the moment.

In addition, you need an HDTV to work with this system but this is a minor challenge as well. Perhaps the last drawback is the price but even though the company feels the $499 price tag may be high for a consumer electronics device, it really isn't. I say this because to get a wired solution which does everything ZeeVee does for such a low cost is a bargain. Sure, we could argue all day about other ways to accomplish what Zeevee is doing but their different approach is also embraced by the IPTV carriers who also repurpose the in-house coax wiring. I consider this a major validation of a well thought-out product.

It is also worth pointing out there is no per-month fee to use this service and the company is purposely trying not to put up any walled gardens, meaning you can access any content for free once you have the box. Still, Mahony does not discount the idea that a lower-priced box subsidized by a monthly fee and long-term contract won't be available in the future. In addition, ZeeVee is in discussions with partners who may be able to provide more flexible pricing terms and other distribution models. I wouldn't be surprised if the networks themselves started subsidizing these boxes.

From my perspective this is a very intelligent and elegant solution to bringing the best of the web to the TV. There are certainly many ways to accomplish something similar but the combination of web access on the TV and the ability to access many types of media seamlessly from any HDTV in your house make the ZeeVee solution a real winner. I can't wait to try it myself.

I downloaded Fring for the iPhone this past weekend and have been testing it over the last few days. My take is when it works, it works very well. When it doesn't -- well, it just plain doesn't.

As you may recall, Tom Keating calls Fring the Swiss Army Knife of VoIP/IM communications.

In my tests I chatted and called a few different people. Sound quality in my home was excellent. Sound quality at TMC was another story. In calls to Tom Keating, about half of them were of acceptable sound quality. The other half seemed like there was a simultaneous fax call on the line. If you are a Star Trek fan, it sounded like I was speaking to a Binar.

In terms of presence, when it works -- again, it works well. I noticed it took a minute or so for presence information to come through. I also noticed when I wasn't in the Fring client and someone sent me an IM, it usually did not go to the Fring client on the iPhone.

In all cases, tests were performed with Skype and as always, I had Skype simultaneously logged in on my laptop and PC.

So for calling, Fring works well. And it should be noted you cannot make VoIP calls over the 3G connection -- a severe iPhone limitation. This is intentional BTW and you can send your complaints about this intentional device crippling directly to Apple/AT&T.

But to make quick and easy VoIP calls over WiFi to Skype and users of other communications software clients, Fring on the iPhone is a great solution. In order for the solution to be better, Apple would have to let the iPhone support multitasking so when you get an IM or call in the background, you could know about it immediately.

See also:Skype on iPhone

Many people wonder how well the communications markets are doing in thse tough economic times and while the future is tough to know for sure, I just came across fantastic news. AudioCodes just confirmed its guidance for the rest of 2008.

AudioCodes is a major partner of a slew of communications equipment makers and also supplies equipment to service providers and even enterprises via gateways and other CPE equipment.

In short, AudioCodes is a pretty good barometer for the IP communications markets including contact centers and other subsets of the market such as wireless, etc.

As a major supporter of open source -- especially in the communications market, I cannot be more thrilled to announce that Digium will be co-hosting Digium/Asterisk World at ITEXPO this February in Miami.

It is well-known that open source companies consider ITEXPO an important event and one where they come to meet service providers, resellers and other companies looking to deploy open-source solutions. This news solidifies TMC's commitment to open source as a solid choice for companies looking to not only purchase today's solutions but to resell and develop tomorrow's breakthrough products.

Mark Spencer, founder and CTO of Digium and original creator of Asterisk had this to say about this news. "Hosting Digium|Asterisk World at ITEXPO East 2009 will allow us to share the vision and power of Asterisk with a broad set of customers who might not be familiar with open source. By giving them their first taste of Asterisk, we empower them to not only save money but to use and create new technologies that never existed before."

For my part, I salute Mark and his company which has brought open source communications so far, so quickly. The entire open source communications market has gained massive credibility due to Digium and the many other pioneers who supported Asterisk over the past years.

As always, all members of the open source community are welcome at all TMC expos and to learn more about this news, please visit the Digium/Asterisk World section of the ITEXPO site.

We looking forward to seeing you all February 2-4 in 2009.

I have it on good authority that this new WiMAX phone designed by Art Lebedev will be coming to Russia -- in about 30 days. Apparently, no one wants to go on record but multiple sources tell me this phone is going to be a game changer. As engadget discusses in their prototype article, this phone will have a touchscreen which supports 850x480 (I could not confirm these specs sadly  ) which should blow the iPhone away. In addition, those who have used prototypes tell me this phone will blow away the iPhone because it will give you access to broadband speeds without the need for a WiFi hotspot.

Sure, that is what AT&T is supposed to provide with their 3G network but the reality is their 3G network does not seem to be able to handle the massive subscriber data load at the moment. Will WiMAX scale more easily? Perhaps. Let's await and see how this plays out.

Repeat after me... I want my 850x480 resolution WiMAX iPhone...

Google recently celebrated its 10 year birthday and the present it gives us is the ability to search the company's index from the past. 1998 is not available due to technical reasons but 2001 is. This is a great year to revisit for communications and tech because it was the aftermath of the dotcom bubble bursting in March of 2000 and the communications bubble in November of 2000.

Not surprising, the top result for IP telephony was VocalTec Communications. For Internet telephony it was VocalTec again.

A search on Skype returns genealogy data which is not surprising as the software hadn't been invented.

A search for Call Center returns CommWeb first -- a now defunct communications portal once published by CMP.

A search for WiFi brings back only 86 results and the first is the Wisconsin Fabricare institute.

In all, a walk down memory lane shows few surprises but what it does do is remind you how accurate Google was even back then. It also reinforces what I don't like -- the fact that Wikipedia and government sites dominate Google results today.

Of course one final thought is this demonstration reminds us that Google is like that aunt you have who can never part with anything and as a result has a house filled with nick nacks. So be careful what you post online as Google will never ever delete it and one day your great great grandkids will be reading it.

Like you, I am very curious to see how the much discussed Googlephone the G1 based on Google Android will function. Will it be more like Windows Mobile or iPhone I wondor. After spending some time with the new G1 emulator I would have to say this new media darling is more like Windows Mobile with some Google Gmail type functions.

The emulator is not fully functional. You can't send email, use the GPS features or make "real" phone calls. But still, you will get an idea how this thing will feel if you buy it on October 22 or thereafter.

Would I buy one? I am not sure at this point. I didn't see any features which are really better than Windows Mobile and it isn't as slick as an iPhone. Moreover, Google services can be synched with the iPhone or Windows Mobile so I am still searching for the niche this device will fill.

Google execs tout the openness of the OHA/Android software interface and developer ecosystem and this could be an area of differentiation. But Google must realize that for developers to develop in massive numbers, they need to see massive demand for the phone. A real chicken an egg problem for the search giant. I can't wait to see what the demand for this phone looks like. At this point I just can't see it being super-strong. Hopefully I am wrong because I am pro-competition and as a Google shareholder, investors will be watching the success of this device very closely and they could take down the stock if this shiny new wireless gasget doesn't fly off the shelves.

More from engadget.

I have been getting more and more questions on where the communications market stands in light of macroeconomic conditions. It is a constant in my frequent conversations. In most cases, when I get this question, people tell me their business is good but they wonder if the housing market problems will trickle down into the telecom space.

The answer is simply, I do believe there is risk to all sectors of the global economy. For the first time in my memory, US and other political leaders have come on TV and mentioned the term global crisis on a frequent basis. This sort of talk shakes confidence. This is simply the way it works.

The question we need to ask is how do we benefit in such a scenario or at best, how do we tread water so our sales, revenue, income does not decrease?

Most importantly, you need to focus on areas which save your customers money and make them more productive. UC, telepresence, workforce automation, FMC and other technologies pay for themselves quickly. In addition, SIP trunking is a natural in this market... You save your customers money and get a recurring revenue source if you are a service provider or reseller.

Subsets of the communications market are on fire. Mobile banking and WiMAX are a few. Emerging markets and rural America are ripe for wireless broadband.

In fact, these markets are ripe for all forms of communications and penetration in many cases is extremely low. Of course this equals tremendous opportunity.

In a slow market there is pressure to purchase less but we have crossed the chasm of mobile web browsing these past years and we will see more devices with mobile broadband and this leads to the increased use of the internet on the go. As this trend continues - the opportunity for wireless services increases as well. This leads me to the mobile application market. You need to have an application which works on the iPhone, RIM devices and eventually the Gphone. Don't forget about Windows Mobile or Nokia by the way.

I have seen many recessions in my day and the telecom space is one of the few which saw something called a nuclear winter between 2001-2003. What I learned from these experiences is that every slowdown ends at some point and customers do not ever stop buying - they may slow, they may delay, but they don't stop.

In other words, even if things slow down in our space, they will speed up again. The strategy for making sure you come out the other end of a slowing economy in a better position than you are in today is as follows:

Conserve Cash: This is obvious but how you do it is crucial. If you cut your PR, marketing and R&D, where do you think you will be in a slowing market? None of these areas can be cut by more than a few percent. If you have to cut a bit more, R&D is the area to cut incrementally from. The reason is that the feature wars most companies fight are less important than explaining to customers why they need to buy your products.

Keep in mind, every company you sell to now has to go through more internal scrutiny before they buy. You need to reinforce sales with more marketing and sales efforts. In order to last in a slowing market you need to ensure you are still selling. If you are too heavily R&D focused and don't do marketing and PR effectively, hire an agency to help you immediately.

Become More Productive: Every company needs to operate at 100% efficiency. Cut off your dead wood. Do it today. It is time to let the complainers and high maintenance people go. If they aren't happy, you are doing them a favor. Believe me; it will work out better for you and for them.

Rally the Troops: Explain to them why they need to work smarter, harder and faster. Customer service is key. Don't lose customers because of bad service.

Hire PR/Marketing People: If you aren't strong in these areas, you have to hire an agency or top people who can help you market more effectively in slow times. I have witnessed many millions of wasted marketing dollars in my life. Spending a marketing budget and spending it wisely are totally different things. A million dollar marketing budget can be blown stupidly with 10 newspaper ads or used much more effectively in focused media vehicles where your potential customers are actually looking for your products.

Market Analysis: There are hundreds of small companies which are engineering driven in the communications space which do not know how to market. Companies founded by engineers are typically the worst run from a marketing perspective. (Remember - I am an engineer myself so no insult intended - we aren't sugar coating here). These companies - where the engineer runs marketing are likely going to have trouble selling products in a slowdown (or any other time for that matter). Keep your eyes open for acquisitions or weakness in the markets you serve. Keep your ear to the ground. One of these small companies about to go under may have good ideas for products but just no clue how to sell them. You may determine developing a competitive product/service to one of these small companies makes sense.

Speed: It is better to be fast than right. After all, you can't be right every time but if you are fast, you can adjust and become right faster than the other guy.

Optimism: Be optimistic. If you are smart and run things well and your entire team works together to support you, your company can come out of any downturn stronger than it went in. Sure, be cautious --but in the end, business is cyclical. It just is. That is the nature of the beast. Work harder, faster and smarter and you will be rewarded.

Remember, things are still generally good in the communications and technology markets and if you follow these rules you should make it out the other side of any slowdown in better condition than you are in today.