We all need a break, and I'm taking the first of two one-week family vacations starting tomorrow.
So, no blogging for me next week, but I hope to resume posting once we're back on August 5. Until then...
Friday, July 28, 2006
CallVantage Price Cut - The Other Shoe Drops on Vonage
Have been wanting to get around to this one, but it's been a very full week in advance of a vacation next week.
So, AT&T CallVantage finally dropped their price by $5 this week, and now, the other shoe, figuratively, has dropped on Vonage. Verizon started it recently, and now AT&T has followed suit to keep pace.
A few weeks back, I commented about this, wondering if/when AT&T would match Verizon's price cut to put even more pressure on Vonage. At least AT&T has had the goodness to let some time pass, while Verizon has gone after Vonage first with a price cut, and then the lawsuits!
It's not easy being a VoIP provider, at for the pureplays...
Technorati tags: VoIP, Jon Arnold, Vonage
So, AT&T CallVantage finally dropped their price by $5 this week, and now, the other shoe, figuratively, has dropped on Vonage. Verizon started it recently, and now AT&T has followed suit to keep pace.
A few weeks back, I commented about this, wondering if/when AT&T would match Verizon's price cut to put even more pressure on Vonage. At least AT&T has had the goodness to let some time pass, while Verizon has gone after Vonage first with a price cut, and then the lawsuits!
It's not easy being a VoIP provider, at for the pureplays...
Technorati tags: VoIP, Jon Arnold, Vonage
SightSpeed 5.0 - Minor Update
Just a quick update/clarification to my posting yesterday about SightSpeed's latest release.
I incorrectly stated that SightSpeed currently supports remote access and viewing from your PVR. Colleague, Jim Courtney, has a very good post about SightSpeed and his chat with Peter Csathy, and clarified a few things that I'd like to share. Jim is far more tech savvy than me, and I'm glad we chatted earlier today.
Basically, Jim pointed out that SightSpeed 5.0 will only support live TV from your cable connection right now. It won't work off a set top box, which means you can only access analog channels - not digital.
Furthermore, it will only be able to interface with your PVR when Windows Vista launches, which may not be until next year. So, it's not quite the Slingbox killer that it may appear - at least for now.
I have no doubt these hurdles will be passed - SightSpeed's quality is too good, and they look to have lots of really smart people who can figure these things out.
So, thanks for the update Jim, and hopefully I've set the record straight!
Technorati tags: video telephony, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed
I incorrectly stated that SightSpeed currently supports remote access and viewing from your PVR. Colleague, Jim Courtney, has a very good post about SightSpeed and his chat with Peter Csathy, and clarified a few things that I'd like to share. Jim is far more tech savvy than me, and I'm glad we chatted earlier today.
Basically, Jim pointed out that SightSpeed 5.0 will only support live TV from your cable connection right now. It won't work off a set top box, which means you can only access analog channels - not digital.
Furthermore, it will only be able to interface with your PVR when Windows Vista launches, which may not be until next year. So, it's not quite the Slingbox killer that it may appear - at least for now.
I have no doubt these hurdles will be passed - SightSpeed's quality is too good, and they look to have lots of really smart people who can figure these things out.
So, thanks for the update Jim, and hopefully I've set the record straight!
Technorati tags: video telephony, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed
Convedia Acquired - Media Server Consolidation Next?
The VoIP infrastructure space continues to consolidate, with the latest news, which I found a bit surprising. Convedia has been acquired by RadiSys, a company not normally followed in this space, which is the main surprise element for me. RadiSys is leading vendor in embedded technologies, such as ATCA, but I'll stop there, as I don't follow that space very closely. Hat tip to Mark Evans with his late night post yesterday on the news. Good scoop!
In short, Convedia was acquired for $105 million, which sure looks good, considering how Netrake only went for $11 million to AudioCodes as recently as last week, and I commented about that in the context of how the session border controller market was consolidating. Netrake has raised WAY more money that Convedia, but didn't get nearly as much traction, so the math isn't hard to figure out here.
Convedia is a Terry Matthews company, so there must be some happy folks today over at Wesley Clover - his invesment management arm - including his son/EVP, Owen Matthews, who I just did a podcast with.
So, good news all around, and another validation that Canada is producing some real winners in the IP communications space. Congrats to Peter Briscoe and Grant Henderson! I've followed Convedia closely for many years, and have always admired them. Since evolving to become a media server company, they've maintained a singular focus to do nothing but this. That approach has really paid off as they've become the dominant player in this space, and now the payback has come. As it well should.
Just a quick comment on the news itself. The fit between the 2 companies isn't that evident, and it reminds me of Comverse's acquisition of NetCentrex in April. Very different businesses, but the strategy is sound. RadiSys is an embedded play, whereas Convedia is all about a hardware-based, purpose-built box. Where's the fit there? I suspect this has to do with the fact that so much of this space is becoming software based, and there is certainly a market opportunity for media servers here. To date, software-based media servers have not had much success, although SnowShore has continued to evolve this space under the Cantata umbrella. For Convedia, the embedded expertise of RadiSys may well provide a stronger base for them to develop a rich solution to complement their existing hardware-based product family.
Another key element would be the global market reach of RadiSys. Much like the Comverse deal, RadiSys can bring Convedia to a wider base of customers, especially for those looking for a strong IMS story. Also, both companies have a strong focus on Asia - RadiSys has a design center in China, and Convedia has done a great job of securing design wins with the major Asian vendors, which is critical for getting traction in that market.
So, the consolidation story continues. In the media server space, Convedia is gone now, both Excel and SnowShore are part of Cantata, and AudioCodes is itself becoming a consolidator, much like Tekelec. The only other pureplay that comes to mind, really, is IPUnity, and their Mereon product family. I'm sure the Convedia news is very much on their minds today...
Technorati tags: Convedia, Jon Arnold, Media Servers
In short, Convedia was acquired for $105 million, which sure looks good, considering how Netrake only went for $11 million to AudioCodes as recently as last week, and I commented about that in the context of how the session border controller market was consolidating. Netrake has raised WAY more money that Convedia, but didn't get nearly as much traction, so the math isn't hard to figure out here.
Convedia is a Terry Matthews company, so there must be some happy folks today over at Wesley Clover - his invesment management arm - including his son/EVP, Owen Matthews, who I just did a podcast with.
So, good news all around, and another validation that Canada is producing some real winners in the IP communications space. Congrats to Peter Briscoe and Grant Henderson! I've followed Convedia closely for many years, and have always admired them. Since evolving to become a media server company, they've maintained a singular focus to do nothing but this. That approach has really paid off as they've become the dominant player in this space, and now the payback has come. As it well should.
Just a quick comment on the news itself. The fit between the 2 companies isn't that evident, and it reminds me of Comverse's acquisition of NetCentrex in April. Very different businesses, but the strategy is sound. RadiSys is an embedded play, whereas Convedia is all about a hardware-based, purpose-built box. Where's the fit there? I suspect this has to do with the fact that so much of this space is becoming software based, and there is certainly a market opportunity for media servers here. To date, software-based media servers have not had much success, although SnowShore has continued to evolve this space under the Cantata umbrella. For Convedia, the embedded expertise of RadiSys may well provide a stronger base for them to develop a rich solution to complement their existing hardware-based product family.
Another key element would be the global market reach of RadiSys. Much like the Comverse deal, RadiSys can bring Convedia to a wider base of customers, especially for those looking for a strong IMS story. Also, both companies have a strong focus on Asia - RadiSys has a design center in China, and Convedia has done a great job of securing design wins with the major Asian vendors, which is critical for getting traction in that market.
So, the consolidation story continues. In the media server space, Convedia is gone now, both Excel and SnowShore are part of Cantata, and AudioCodes is itself becoming a consolidator, much like Tekelec. The only other pureplay that comes to mind, really, is IPUnity, and their Mereon product family. I'm sure the Convedia news is very much on their minds today...
Technorati tags: Convedia, Jon Arnold, Media Servers
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Vonage and the Magic of Internet Marketing
Just a real short post about Internet marketing. Russell Shaw had a very interesting post yesterday about how Vonage is selecting banner ad locations based on key search phrases that would position their ads favorably.
Not much to add really, but Russell notes how the top 3 search terms used by Vonage are "Verizon + dsl", "AT&T", and "Sprint". The first 2 are expected, as these are by far the largest targets for new customers. So, people clicking on these terms are probably good candidates for phone service, and that's where Vonage wants to be. Makes sense. I'm sure this is all part of the game - and mandate - for them to lower their customer acquistion costs, so putting Internet economics to work is one way to do that.
One thing I will say is that if Vonage ever figures out how to do this, they'll probably be at the forefront of Internet marketing, and at the end of the day, that expertise may well be more valuable the their VoIP business!
Also wanted to amplify Russell's point about Sprint, and that's probably the most telling take-away of his posting. Well, Sprint really isn't in the residential VoIP market, but they do have lots of subscribers. I suppose, then, if Vonage starts feeding off their customers and signing them up for VoIP, Sprint-Nextel just might see them as a key driver of value and growth. Wouldn't that be a great way for Vonage to prime the pump to be an acquisition target for Sprint-Nextel? May not be such a bad idea.... thanks for the post, Russell - very interesting.
Technorati tags: VoIP, Jon Arnold, Vonage, Russell Shaw
Not much to add really, but Russell notes how the top 3 search terms used by Vonage are "Verizon + dsl", "AT&T", and "Sprint". The first 2 are expected, as these are by far the largest targets for new customers. So, people clicking on these terms are probably good candidates for phone service, and that's where Vonage wants to be. Makes sense. I'm sure this is all part of the game - and mandate - for them to lower their customer acquistion costs, so putting Internet economics to work is one way to do that.
One thing I will say is that if Vonage ever figures out how to do this, they'll probably be at the forefront of Internet marketing, and at the end of the day, that expertise may well be more valuable the their VoIP business!
Also wanted to amplify Russell's point about Sprint, and that's probably the most telling take-away of his posting. Well, Sprint really isn't in the residential VoIP market, but they do have lots of subscribers. I suppose, then, if Vonage starts feeding off their customers and signing them up for VoIP, Sprint-Nextel just might see them as a key driver of value and growth. Wouldn't that be a great way for Vonage to prime the pump to be an acquisition target for Sprint-Nextel? May not be such a bad idea.... thanks for the post, Russell - very interesting.
Technorati tags: VoIP, Jon Arnold, Vonage, Russell Shaw
SightSpeed 5.0 - Good as it Gets for Video Calling
Yesterday, SightSpeed launched its latest release, 5.0. This is a really interesting company, and I've blogged about them before. The main news is how SightSpeed now enables you to access your PVR content or home TV signal from any broadband connection. So, it's like Slingbox, but with no hardware. It's very neat, and certainly makes video much more interesting for people on the go.
I've tried it a few times, and the quality is really great. Both audio and video are crystal clear, and there are hardly any delays in the imaging. You can see the other party - and yourself if you like - pretty much in real time. It makes for a very engaging experience, and after a while you totally forget about being on camera. It's also fun because you can move the camera around any time and you just keep talking. I was on with Peter Csathy yesterday - their CEO - for over an hour, and we took turns giving each other mini-guided tours of our offices. We looked at photos of each other's kids, the view from our windows, what's on our bookshelves, etc. Inane stuff like that, but it really takes the communications experience to a whole other level.
It doesn't take much to start dreaming up all the cool, fun things you can do. Oh, and the best part - it's free! How neat is that? Now, of course, they want you sign up to the $4.95/month plan - if you can afford it. Then you can make 2 minute video clips. So, with that plan, I could be giving you my 2 minute video blog, and I could start my own little Rocketboom. And of course, once this becomes your habit, you really won't have much need to go back to Skype or other VoIM services. You can just use SightSpeed for voice, and of course, cheap long distance for PSTN calling, just like Skype.
Well, I don't have the $4.95 plan, so the next best thing is to show you a picture. My oldest son, Max, was around, so he used my Nokia N90 to take this shot of Peter in full screen mode during our call. You can see the webcam in the upper left of the screen, and down in the bottom right corner you can see my image. And if you look closely, you can see Max being captured on video taking a picture of all this. Got that?
Peter commented how it was interesting to see how Skype announced its video features - Skype for Mac - with the Mac OS yesterday. Coincidence? It's pretty clear to Peter that the big players have Sightspeed on their radar now, and from all accounts, they have some catching up to do.
For a technical review, Tom Keating is the go-to guy for this release. Otherwise, Andy Abramson has a good summary of blogosphere coverage on his blog.
Hat tip to Alec Saunders for "The Sightspeed Guy" and his video clip summarizing what's new in this release. A bit corny, but a very user-friendly way to hear the basic story, especially if you haven't seen the news release.
Technorati tags: video telephony, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed
I've tried it a few times, and the quality is really great. Both audio and video are crystal clear, and there are hardly any delays in the imaging. You can see the other party - and yourself if you like - pretty much in real time. It makes for a very engaging experience, and after a while you totally forget about being on camera. It's also fun because you can move the camera around any time and you just keep talking. I was on with Peter Csathy yesterday - their CEO - for over an hour, and we took turns giving each other mini-guided tours of our offices. We looked at photos of each other's kids, the view from our windows, what's on our bookshelves, etc. Inane stuff like that, but it really takes the communications experience to a whole other level.
It doesn't take much to start dreaming up all the cool, fun things you can do. Oh, and the best part - it's free! How neat is that? Now, of course, they want you sign up to the $4.95/month plan - if you can afford it. Then you can make 2 minute video clips. So, with that plan, I could be giving you my 2 minute video blog, and I could start my own little Rocketboom. And of course, once this becomes your habit, you really won't have much need to go back to Skype or other VoIM services. You can just use SightSpeed for voice, and of course, cheap long distance for PSTN calling, just like Skype.
Well, I don't have the $4.95 plan, so the next best thing is to show you a picture. My oldest son, Max, was around, so he used my Nokia N90 to take this shot of Peter in full screen mode during our call. You can see the webcam in the upper left of the screen, and down in the bottom right corner you can see my image. And if you look closely, you can see Max being captured on video taking a picture of all this. Got that?
Peter commented how it was interesting to see how Skype announced its video features - Skype for Mac - with the Mac OS yesterday. Coincidence? It's pretty clear to Peter that the big players have Sightspeed on their radar now, and from all accounts, they have some catching up to do.
For a technical review, Tom Keating is the go-to guy for this release. Otherwise, Andy Abramson has a good summary of blogosphere coverage on his blog.
Hat tip to Alec Saunders for "The Sightspeed Guy" and his video clip summarizing what's new in this release. A bit corny, but a very user-friendly way to hear the basic story, especially if you haven't seen the news release.
Technorati tags: video telephony, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Canadian IP Thought Leaders Series - Tom Flak, Soma Networks
On this week's podcast, I interviewed Tom Flak, SVP of Marketing and Product Strategy with Soma Networks.
Soma is a hybrid U.S./Canadian company, with HQ in San Francisco, but development centers here in Toronto and Ottawa. I've visited their Toronto facility a couple of times, and Soma has a good story that's largely untold.
They're a leading light in the WiMax space, and Tom provided a good perspective about the state of WiMax and some comparisons/contrasts with WiFi. All indicators points to 2007 being the year when WiMax becomes real, and Soma looks to figure in this in a nice way.
You can download the podcast here as well as learn more about Tom and the company.
FYI - no podcast next week - family vacation! We'll be going our Great White North road trip, and I'll be totally offline until early August.
Technorati tags: podcasts, Jon Arnold, Soma Networks
Soma is a hybrid U.S./Canadian company, with HQ in San Francisco, but development centers here in Toronto and Ottawa. I've visited their Toronto facility a couple of times, and Soma has a good story that's largely untold.
They're a leading light in the WiMax space, and Tom provided a good perspective about the state of WiMax and some comparisons/contrasts with WiFi. All indicators points to 2007 being the year when WiMax becomes real, and Soma looks to figure in this in a nice way.
You can download the podcast here as well as learn more about Tom and the company.
FYI - no podcast next week - family vacation! We'll be going our Great White North road trip, and I'll be totally offline until early August.
Technorati tags: podcasts, Jon Arnold, Soma Networks
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