Where's Skype Journal?

Gee, I thought I was losing steam not posting yesterday and twice last week. To be fair, folks, I try to blog daily through the week, but it doesn't always work that way, especially when I'm trying to hit deadlines and/or around travelling.

Alec Saunders picked up on this last week, but Skype Journal's blog has remained quiet since December 4. That's a decade in blogger years.

Actually, if you read Alec's post, you'll see a comment there from ever-reliable Skype Journal contributor, Jim Courtney, who attributes this to some technical difficulties, and that things should be back up next week with a new hosting provider. Nothing yet, but let's hope so!

So, I'm not adding any news to the story, but here we are a week later and nothing. Am sure things will be back running soon, and my only commment is an observation. Is it just bad timing that this has happens pretty much exactly around the time Skype is going through some heavy turmoil and management changes? You don't have to look far to catch the details - start with Om, for the source.

Back to Alec for a moment. Alec is definitely big on vision, and today published a very thoughtful piece on presence - "New Presence", and how it relates to the "Voice 2.0 Manifesto". Either you're totally into this space... or, you have a lot of reading to do. Definitely worth following if you're into Voice 2.0...


Technorati tags: Skype Journal, Jon Arnold, Alec Saunders

IMS Forum PlugFest Announced

The IMS Forum has announced their first PlugFest event. This should be a very interesting interop event, held at the University of New Hampshire's Interoperability Lab.

It's actually the first of a series of PlugFests, designed to help the industry standardize around the IMS reference architecture. The interop events are open to both IMS Forum members and non-members, and will certify a variety of services and applications, including voice, presence and IM. Testing will occur across all the main network environments - wireline, wireless, WiFi and cable. So, in short, this should be a great test bed for FMC, and if all goes well, the event will help pave the way for FMC getting more traction with carriers in 2007.


Technorati tags: IMS Forum, Jon Arnold, FMC

Cisco C Scape Conference - Photo/Video Highlights

As mentioned on my post the other day, I wasn't able to upload my photos and video clip of the Cisco analyst conference while I was there. I've got them now, and wanted to share them with you here.

By the way, I should add that my highlights are based on Day 1 of the conference, which was webcast in its entirety. So, the sessions weren't exactly in-camera, and I'm not passing on any scoops or secret strategies here - just in case you were wondering.

Images are courtesy of my Nokia N93, and are best enjoyed in the company of my narrative post about the conference.


Ron Ricci kicking things off...





John Chambers - the hardest working man in the networking business...




And if you want a snippet of how well John Chambers works the crowd, here's how it's done...





Take me out to the ballgame, Mr. Chambers - Cisco's Field of Dreams. Ahh, sir - would you like a router with those fries and Coke???







Charlie Giancarlo - he's funnier than he looks...




Role of the Network session - John Gallant - Network World, Shai Agassi - SAP, Chris Anderson - Wired Magazine, Aber Whitcomb - MySpace, Mike Volpi - Cisco



Mike Volpi telling why QoS is so important...



Impact of Broadband on Media/Entertainment panel: Quentin Hardy - Forbes, Dan Scheinman - Cisco, Kevin Mayer - Disney, George Kliavkoff - NBC Universal




And finally, a few fun shots of how San Ho-Ho-Zay gets into the Christmas spirit. You'd swear they have more snow and ice than we do back in Toronto...


















Technorati tags: Jon Arnold, Cisco

Red Sox Land "Dice K" - the Nation Smiles

I've been quiet on the Red Sox front, but just have to cite the good news. From all accounts, the Sox have a deal with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and if things go to plan, they should have the best rotation in baseball, end of story. So, Johnny Damon and friends will now have to learn a new word - all together now - MAT - SU - ZAKA. It's a bit like Matsui, guys, but he doesn't have the gyro pitch.


Here he is, arriving on Red Sox Airways! A bit like the Beatles at Shea, at least for some of us. Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe.




So, if he's the real deal, the Sox will be in great shape. It's been a banner day for the Nation, as Julio Lugo was introduced today, and even Doug Mirabelli has agreed to stay on another year. Add in J.D. Drew - who may or may not work out - and Timlin staying for another year, and the team will have filled a lot of holes, and possibly upgraded their offense.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Gabe Kapler has retired at the ripe age of 31, and is staying around to coach in the Sox's minor league system. Always liked him, but after tearing his Achilles heel - right here in Toronto, that was just about it for him. Anyone who saw this would surely say it was one of the most bizarre things they've ever seen on a sports field. Ask me later if you didn't see it.

Now, two BIG questions remain:

1. Manny - will he stay or will he go? I say he stays, which would make for a scary 3-4-5 combo - presuming he's motivated and can still be Manny in Papi's large shadow.

2. A closer. Still the big hole, but there's time to figure this one out. Let's not forget that Jon Lester recovered nicely, and has a great future when he's healthy enough to play again

Smaller question - Coco Crisp. I still think he's another Renteria, but maybe he can bring his game to where everyone thought it would be next year. He's still with us, so I guess that's what the hope is.


Technorati tags: Boston Red Sox, Jon Arnold, baseball

Cisco and Bloggers - They Get It

Anyone who follows my blog knows I'm a big advocate for the value can bloggers bring - not all of them, but certainly those who are close to the center for what they're talking about.

I've said my piece already about Cisco and how they are on the right side of the curve. This also holds for media relations, and they've been very supportive of bloggers, and have encouraged this actively at the conference. One way they've done this is to create a blog site dedicated to posts about the C Scape conference, and bloggers are invited to submit their posts there.

Well, I took them up on the offer, and I'm very pleased with the result. My posting about the conference went live about 2 hours ago, and it's already up on the Cisco blog site. And, you're just one click away there from seeing my photo and bio. Hey, I can get used to this type of exposure. That's what I call moving in IP time, and if you ask me, this is the way to handle blogger relations.


Technorati tags: Blogging, Jon Arnold, Cisco

Cisco C Scape Conference - Field of Dreams

Based on the first day here, I'd say this is a really well done analyst conference. People are well looked after, and the WiFi access is pretty good. Cisco has mixed up the format and made things a bit more interactive and conversational, instead of straight up presentations.

The overall content has been fairly high level, but still some good takeaways. I only cover a small amount of Cisco's world, so I can't really comment on everything in detail.

I also got some photos and a video clip to post, but I don't have the tools with me to upload to my PC unfortunately. I'll get those up here when I get back on Thursday.

John Chambers gave the opening presentation, and he sure is fun to watch. He knows how to work the room, and roams all over, constantly moving, and never misses a beat. If you want to see for yourself, come back in a couple of days when I get my video clip posted.

If anyone can build a field of dreams - and sell you on the vision, it's Mr. Chambers. As you'll soon see, I mean this both literally and figuratively.

He talked about the big picture roadmap, and of course, it's a very exciting future, with Cisco being a key driver. There's definitely a global vision there, and he talked at length their collaborations and acquisitions in markets like India, China and Singapore. At the heart of this is a world where, as he says,the "network is the platform". The network is beyond being "plumbing" now, and a lot of the growth is going to come from the applications that are powered by the network. So, that's good news for companies like Iotum, whom you should be familiar with by now.

The future is also about the "human network", and Cisco is going to help us do more in ways we can't yet imagine. Well, he gave us a concrete example, and that's the literal Field of Dreams I was mentioning earlier. As you may know, Cisco is a key sponsor of the new ballpark that the Oakland As will be getting - built on land owned by Cisco. And surprise, surprise, the new ballpark will be called Cisco Field.

So, when this field is built, they will come, and not only that, they'll pay to come. You may think they're coming to watch baseball, but what we're really talking about here is a big sandbox where Cisco can showcase its technology, and turn the ballpark into a giant test lab and demo site. Given that we're in Silicon Valley - maybe not exactly in Oakland, but close enough - it's a fitting place to do this. I think it's pretty neat, and will be another reason to come out and see the As - unless you really abhor tech. They're going to do lots of cool things like Telepresence and digital signage that will actually enhance the experience of being at the ballpark, with all kinds of interactive features - just like Gamecube, or TV, but in real time and in real life. There's a vision there, and to me, it's all about making the network relevant and real in human terms.

I also have to note the Canadian angle here. Did anybody out ther pick up Mr. Chambers' passing reference to the Rogers Center in Toronto, where the Toronto Blue Jays play? I sure did, and he was about 10 feet away from me at the time, so I couldn't miss it. For those who don't know, Rogers is Canada's biggest cableco, and they own both the Jays and the stadium, now known as the Rogers Center. Well, Rogers is a pretty tech savvy company, and his reference to them was notable, for two reasons.

First, he's citing an example of another pro franchise that's owned by a media company that would/could follow the vision he's talking about, so, I guess, we should feel lucky in Toronto to have all this potential in front of our eyes. Secondly, am not sure if that was a subtle pitch to Mr. Rogers. I don't know how close Cisco's business relationship is with Rogers, but if Ted could just do a Telepresence call with John, surely he'd see the light, and turn the Rogers Center into Cisco Test Lab North, and really show us how to enjoy a ball game, not to mention create new revenue opportunities for the ball club and Mr. Rogers. Anybody listening?

That's the main message I want share here. By now, the mainstream media and bloggers have given the blow by blow details of the presentations and technology angles, so I won't rehash that here. I do want to echo the idea, though, that Cisco didn't have any big announcements or launches to talk about, so maybe that's why they devoted so much attention to the vision and roadmap. I'm not complaining.

Other highlights of note:

- Charlie Giancarlo gave another engaging overview of where tech is going, especially with a focus on the youth market. Not to mention a hilarious "home video" sendup of how kids are using tech - that was great. Lots of good messaging there about collaboration, community-based communication and covergence across all forms of media, especially video. Underlying all this is a theme that I'm quite attached to - consumer demand is now driving innovation and tech trends, and vendors can no longer work in a vacuum. They have to pay attention to how people experience communication and make a personal connection with their technology. I'll second that one.

- Mike Volpi gave a very strong presentation on the service provider market and really drove home the importance of QoS, esp in the context of Net Neutrality. That's a real can of worms, but he reiterated Cisco's position that network operators have a right to derive a fair return on their investment, and so long as all subscribers have access to basic connectivity, they should be able to charge a premium for premium quality service. He used the airline analogy to good effect - all passengers are treated equally on a basic level, but exec class fliers just get treated a little better - but they pay for that.

-The panel discussions were quite good as well, and Cisco brought out some high profile names to make it interesting. One session was on how the network will evolve over the next 3-5 years, and included Chris Anderson of Wired/Long Tail fame, and the CTO of MySpace. Another session focusing on media and entertainment had execs from Disney and NBC. These are not the kinds of people you'd normally expect to see at a Cisco conference, but in today's market, they fit right in. Things sure are changing quickly, and kudos to Cisco for keeping on the right side of the curve. Am sure we'll see more of the same next year, and I sure hope to be there to see it.

This post is getting pretty long, and I could go on quite a bit - but I need to stop and get back to the sessions. Plus, my battery is running low!

So, that's my take, but please come back later this week if you want to see the photos and video. Your comments are welcome!




Technorati tags: Telepresence, Jon Arnold, Cisco

Skype's $29.95 Calling Plan - Disruptive or Quick Money Grab?

This morning, Skype announced the calling plan we've all been waiting for. They have finally come to market with a plan to monetize their P2P voice service, and this is a nice change from the pay-as-you model they've been using since launching SkypeOut/SkypeIn.

Basically, it's an unlimited U.S./Canada plan for SkypeOut - outgoing calls to the PSTN - for an upfront, annual fee of $29.95. Of course, existing calls among Skype users remain free, but this really gives you a reason to use Skype for all your outbound U.S./Canada calls, presuming you have convenient access to Skype. And to sweeten the deal, the offer is 1/2 off if you sign up before January 31. Pretty hard to say no to this one - for basically a dollar a month, I can make all the outgoing calls I want in the U.S. and Canada - works for me.

I should also add that this is only for SkypeOut - outbound PSTN calls. SkypeIn is another thing altogether, where you subscribe to the service and they assign you an inbound phone number so people can call you on Skype from their PSTN connection. That's a bit more complicated, and I think it's fair to say that most people use Skype for outgoing calls, and not inbound.

Personally, SkypeIn is also of secondary interest because they don't yet offer Canadian area codes - that's mainly a 911 issue. So, to do this, I'd probably go with a U.S. area code, which I could live with, but it's not ideal. Mind you, nobody from Toronto would ever call me on SkypeIn, so it wouldn't matter much. I digress.

So, is this a disruptive offer that puts Skype into the big consumer VoIP fishbowl, or are they pricing it low to get as much revenue now to boost short term financial performance to keep eBay shareholders happy? After all, once you set the bar at $29.95 a year, it's going to be hard to raise prices or to get more revenue out of these subscribers. Of course, Opex and marketing costs are pretty low, so the margins will be very high, which is great. I guess it's a question of do you go deep or wide? Looks like they're going wide to get as many subs as possible with a really great offer.

On that basis, they're definitely going head-on against all the voice players, as their pricing plan is way lower than any telco, cableco or broadband-based offering. What Skype is charging for this service on an annual basis is what most plans charge per month. So, what gives?

Well, Skype is not a replacement for your landline, plain and simple. However, if people start shifting more and more minutes to Skype with this new plan, it starts to look a bit more like one, doesn't it? There may be some basic calling features there, but there's no 411, or 911, and it's still best-efforts Internet for the most part, and of course, it's largely PC-based calling. Of course, that's changing too, and that's where things get more interesting. Yesterday, for example, they announced that now over 120 mobile devices support Skype for use with the Windows Mobile software.

They're doing a lot of things to make the pie bigger, and in that regard, I see Skype as more of a disrupter than doing a cash grab. Of course, being a disrupter attracts attention from the disrupted, and if this offer proves wildly successful, you can expect to see new roadblocks and tactics to stall them, much like we saw a variety of well-timed actions from Vongage's competitors just before their IPO. Could 911 become an issue? Sure. Could network operators do things to block or degrade Skype traffic? Maybe. Bottom line is that Skype needs to anticipate these things if they truly want to be on big stage with those from whom they will take traffic.

Finally, I briefed with Don Albert - Skype's North America General Manager - last week, and came away with good sense that this is the beginning of their grand plan to make Skype a truly mainstream offering. With Skype 3.0 out now, and an ever-growing multitude of Skype support on devices beyond the PC, there is a lot more going on here than shifting from free calling to almost-free calling. Look to see a lot more social networking type of applications for Skype, where voice is really just the entry point to a richer platform that will look to take advantage of Skype's community.

I also wanted to add that it was nice to see the press release refer to research from ChangeWave, which showed Skype to be the #1 VoIP service in the U.S. I've been posting about ChangeWave for a while, and I commented about these particular research findings more extensively a couple of weeks ago, and concluded that this research was good news for Skype. Looks like Don Albert thinks so too!


Technorati tags: Skype, Jon Arnold