Well, I haven't quite left for vacation yet. Am catching up on last week's emails before we go, and I just got wind of this clip. So, here's a bonus blog post for your viewing pleasure.
If anyone knows about mobile VoIP it's Andy Abramson, and he does a great job talking about its potential during this TV segment for Oakland-based KTVU TV.
Nicely done interview, and Andy gets to show off all his gadgets, including the fabulous Nokia N90, which is always by my side these days.
As a sidebar, the interview inadvertently picked up on one of the realities of mobile VoIP today - it's not that easy to use. Andy had a dual mode Nokia E61 in his arsenal, but couldn't use it in the hotel where the interview took place. As with most hotspots, you have to pay to use it, which is not something everyone is going to be in a rush to do just to make a WiFi phone call.
The vast majority of hotspot WiFi usage is for data - checking email, surfing the Net, etc. Voice is a relatively new feature, so even though this story was a feel-good feature about mobile VoIP, the infrastructure and business models aren't quite there yet - even though we've got dual mode handset out there now.
The wireless carriers want to keep those calls off-net and on their billable cellular network for as long as possible. I'm afraid all carriers are cut from the same cloth. It's the same rationale that RBOCs have in taking their time bringing VoIP to market - it just cannibalizes their TDM traffic, so they're going to hang on as long as they possibly can.
Hat tip to Alec Saunders as well, who added his thoughts earlier today.
Technorati tags: VoIP, Jon Arnold, Andy Abramson
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
Summer Vacation - Part 2
It's been a light week for blogging as I've been busy fulfilling work after being off the previous week, plus we're away again next week.
So, my blog will be quiet for another week, and hope to resume posting next weekend. Time to recharge and think about other things....
So, my blog will be quiet for another week, and hope to resume posting next weekend. Time to recharge and think about other things....
Wall St. Telecom Equity Analyst Seeks New Opportunity
I don't often do this, but I try to help people when I can.
A colleague who works on Wall Street as a telecom and IP communications analyst is currently on the hunt for a new opportunity.
Both sell and buy side research positions are of interest, as are potential opportunities with young companies in the industry. If you would like to explore this further, please email me and we'll get in touch.
No agencies please!
A colleague who works on Wall Street as a telecom and IP communications analyst is currently on the hunt for a new opportunity.
Both sell and buy side research positions are of interest, as are potential opportunities with young companies in the industry. If you would like to explore this further, please email me and we'll get in touch.
No agencies please!
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Canadian IP Thought Leaders Series - Barry Fogarty, Diginiche
On this week's podcast, I spoke with Barry Fogarty. He's the President of Toronto-based startup Diginiche. This is a very interesting company I came across at the Canadian Venture Forum back in May, and have been wanting to pod with them ever since.
Their focus is on real time, interactive web-based collaboration. It's one of those Web 2.0-type apps that you really have to see. The best I can do is steer you to a video clip I made of a demo that Barry gave me at the Forum. You can get to the clip via my blog posting about what I saw at the Forum.
On the podcast, Barry spoke at greater length about the opportunities he's seeing in the collaboration space, and how a simple, browser-based application like his really opens up the possibilities for creative forms of online collaboration.
You can download the podcast here, as well as read more about Barry.
I should also note that my podcasts can also be accessed at the Vonosphere, a portal just launched last week for a variety of Pulvermedia content, including the Pulvermedia Podcast Network.
FYI - no podcast next week - am away on the second leg of our summer vacation. Will be back with a new pod the following week.
Technorati tags: podcasts, Jon Arnold, Diginiche
Their focus is on real time, interactive web-based collaboration. It's one of those Web 2.0-type apps that you really have to see. The best I can do is steer you to a video clip I made of a demo that Barry gave me at the Forum. You can get to the clip via my blog posting about what I saw at the Forum.
On the podcast, Barry spoke at greater length about the opportunities he's seeing in the collaboration space, and how a simple, browser-based application like his really opens up the possibilities for creative forms of online collaboration.
You can download the podcast here, as well as read more about Barry.
I should also note that my podcasts can also be accessed at the Vonosphere, a portal just launched last week for a variety of Pulvermedia content, including the Pulvermedia Podcast Network.
FYI - no podcast next week - am away on the second leg of our summer vacation. Will be back with a new pod the following week.
Technorati tags: podcasts, Jon Arnold, Diginiche
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Vacation Photos - Nokia N90 and N91
Just wanted to share a few vacation photos from our Great White North road trip, along with some brief comments. I used the Nokia N90, Max used the N91, and we both used the family Sony Cybershot. Can you tell the difference?
An unplanned visit - just had to pay homage to Bobby Orr in Parry Sound - view from the front, and looking out the back...
Once you get out of Toronto and into the Near North, you see a lot of rocks. Not too many phones booths though - remember these?
Manitoulin Island - the largest freshwater island in the world. The plaque may be hard to read, but it tells the story of this historic mill that was totally repurposed over the years as times changed. It went from being a pulp mill to a hydro station, and now it houses artist's wares among other things. Made me think about the PSTN a bit, wondering how it may be repurposed once things become end-to-end IP. That's a ways off, but like the building in this picture, the structure is pretty solid and can still be used for other things.
Dynamic Earth attraction in Sudbury. Went on an underground tour to see how mining has evolved over the years. First photo - a video camera to monitor activity. Just above the camera is a yellow wire running horizontally. That carries the radio wires so the walkie talkies will work. The tour guide said that cell phones will work well in the mines, but neither Max nor I got a signal. Still, a pretty challenging environment for communications, and it's easy to see how valuable wireless can be there. Next photo - Canada's only underground mail box.
The Big Nickel, also at Dynamic Earth. It's certainly the largest nickel in the world, but I have it on good word that it's actually made of tin! One photo is with the N91 and one is with the Sony. Any guesses?
Sauble Beach - late afternoon, and a spectacular sunset
Technorati tags: Nokia, Jon Arnold
An unplanned visit - just had to pay homage to Bobby Orr in Parry Sound - view from the front, and looking out the back...
Once you get out of Toronto and into the Near North, you see a lot of rocks. Not too many phones booths though - remember these?
Manitoulin Island - the largest freshwater island in the world. The plaque may be hard to read, but it tells the story of this historic mill that was totally repurposed over the years as times changed. It went from being a pulp mill to a hydro station, and now it houses artist's wares among other things. Made me think about the PSTN a bit, wondering how it may be repurposed once things become end-to-end IP. That's a ways off, but like the building in this picture, the structure is pretty solid and can still be used for other things.
Dynamic Earth attraction in Sudbury. Went on an underground tour to see how mining has evolved over the years. First photo - a video camera to monitor activity. Just above the camera is a yellow wire running horizontally. That carries the radio wires so the walkie talkies will work. The tour guide said that cell phones will work well in the mines, but neither Max nor I got a signal. Still, a pretty challenging environment for communications, and it's easy to see how valuable wireless can be there. Next photo - Canada's only underground mail box.
The Big Nickel, also at Dynamic Earth. It's certainly the largest nickel in the world, but I have it on good word that it's actually made of tin! One photo is with the N91 and one is with the Sony. Any guesses?
Sauble Beach - late afternoon, and a spectacular sunset
Technorati tags: Nokia, Jon Arnold
Monday, August 7, 2006
The Vonosphere is Here
Half the fun of creating something new is coming up with a name for it. Vonosphere is the name of Jeff Pulver's latest initiative, which launched late last week while I was away on vacation. Some of it is old and some is new, and on the whole, it's good. Basically the Vonosphere is a portal for many of Jeff's communications vehicles - blogs, podcasts and VON Magazine. It's a nice form of brand extension for the VON franchise, and I think it's a great one-stop shop for anyone looking to connect with the IP communications community.
To learn more about what the Vonosphere is, editor Paul Kapustka explains. He's the Pulvermedia point man for all this, and is also one of the bloggers in Jeff's stable. My blog falls under this umbrella as well, plus I produce a weekly podcast about the Canadian IP market for the Pulvermedia Podcast Network, so by extension, I'm happy to see this come together.
Technorati tags: Vonosphere, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver
To learn more about what the Vonosphere is, editor Paul Kapustka explains. He's the Pulvermedia point man for all this, and is also one of the bloggers in Jeff's stable. My blog falls under this umbrella as well, plus I produce a weekly podcast about the Canadian IP market for the Pulvermedia Podcast Network, so by extension, I'm happy to see this come together.
Technorati tags: Vonosphere, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver
Nokia's Blogger Program Getting Kudos
Back from vacation now, and there were some pretty good stories last week, but from what I can see, they've been well covered, and there's nothing to add for now.
I did, however, want to pick up on one item that I have a small connection to. On Saturday, the Washington Post ran a story that had high praise for how the blogger community is being used to help market products. A key focus was on the blog-based marketing program created for Nokia by uberblogger and colleague Andy Abramson, and his agency, Communicano.
The article talked about how a micro-community of 50 bloggers were used to evaluate Nokia's sleek N-Series phones, which I am a part of. I have been commenting about the N90 phone on my blog for some time, and my son has just started using the N91, and we've got some blog posts coming about that. I think this form of Internet-based marketing is very creative and totally valid - which is basically the gist of the story in the Post.
It's really great to see Andy's program get such mainstream coverage and validation, and no doubt Nokia is a happy client. And speaking of Andy, now that I'm back online, I'd just like to pass on best wishes for his birthday!
Technorati tags: Nokia, Jon Arnold, Andy Abramson
I did, however, want to pick up on one item that I have a small connection to. On Saturday, the Washington Post ran a story that had high praise for how the blogger community is being used to help market products. A key focus was on the blog-based marketing program created for Nokia by uberblogger and colleague Andy Abramson, and his agency, Communicano.
The article talked about how a micro-community of 50 bloggers were used to evaluate Nokia's sleek N-Series phones, which I am a part of. I have been commenting about the N90 phone on my blog for some time, and my son has just started using the N91, and we've got some blog posts coming about that. I think this form of Internet-based marketing is very creative and totally valid - which is basically the gist of the story in the Post.
It's really great to see Andy's program get such mainstream coverage and validation, and no doubt Nokia is a happy client. And speaking of Andy, now that I'm back online, I'd just like to pass on best wishes for his birthday!
Technorati tags: Nokia, Jon Arnold, Andy Abramson
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