At Fall VON in Boston, I'll be doing a few things, including moderating a session on VoIP Friendly Firewalls.
To help spread the word, the Pulver team is putting together podcasts to describe each session. This is a really great idea, and I think I'm the first one out of the gate to do one.
So, if you want to hear a bit more about what we'll be doing at this session, click here, and you'll get my 3 minute commercial. This podcast is produced by VON Radio, and to access the full set of archives, click here. If you are radio-challenged, click here for a text-based summary of the session.
Our panel will be on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 3:30-4:45. Hope you can make it.
I'll also be sharing my IP views at the Analyst Roundtable, which is on Wednesday, from 10:30-11:45.
See you in Boston!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Skype Developers Competition - Jyve Gets Top Prize
Skype has taken a very enterprising approach to developing its developer ecosystem. According to today's news, the competition - which was launched in April - attracted over 100 developers, and has yielded more than 400 applications to help make Skype even more functional, and of course, sticky.
The winners were just announced, and Jyve's plug-in was deemed the top entry. Jyve allows you to do neat things like add Skype functionality to webpages or blogs - Skype virtual business cards, presence indicators, etc. Definitely another ease-of-use feature that will help make Skype more ubiquitous, which is the name of the game.
For all their efforts, Jyve gets a 2,000 Euro cash prize, but of course, the recognition is the real payoff. That said, Skype is only out of pocket 2,000 Euros, which makes this a pretty inexpensive R&D exercise. So, not only does Skype gain amazing traction with zero marketing spend, but they get a very full pipeline of cool, new apps and lots of highly motivated developers for next to nothing. You have to like this model! Now, the trick is to turn this into money. The concern of course, is that Skype becomes a superhighway for all these apps, and that the developers will be the ones making the money. Somehow, I don't think Skype will let that happen.
Skype has now adopted the trade-marked moniker of being the "Global Internet Communications Company", which is a far cry from the wild west roots of Kazaa. This is another sign that the IP voice space is quickly growing up. Just like rock stopped being about the music in the early 70s and became a business, Skype is finding itself surrounded by bigger players - some more corporate than others - and will start having to play by the rules sooner rather than later. I for one, hope they still can keep it fun and real.
The winners were just announced, and Jyve's plug-in was deemed the top entry. Jyve allows you to do neat things like add Skype functionality to webpages or blogs - Skype virtual business cards, presence indicators, etc. Definitely another ease-of-use feature that will help make Skype more ubiquitous, which is the name of the game.
For all their efforts, Jyve gets a 2,000 Euro cash prize, but of course, the recognition is the real payoff. That said, Skype is only out of pocket 2,000 Euros, which makes this a pretty inexpensive R&D exercise. So, not only does Skype gain amazing traction with zero marketing spend, but they get a very full pipeline of cool, new apps and lots of highly motivated developers for next to nothing. You have to like this model! Now, the trick is to turn this into money. The concern of course, is that Skype becomes a superhighway for all these apps, and that the developers will be the ones making the money. Somehow, I don't think Skype will let that happen.
Skype has now adopted the trade-marked moniker of being the "Global Internet Communications Company", which is a far cry from the wild west roots of Kazaa. This is another sign that the IP voice space is quickly growing up. Just like rock stopped being about the music in the early 70s and became a business, Skype is finding itself surrounded by bigger players - some more corporate than others - and will start having to play by the rules sooner rather than later. I for one, hope they still can keep it fun and real.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
PhoneGnome - Funny Name, Cool Product
Had a briefing today with David Beckemeyer, Founder and CEO of TelEvolution, and learned about this really neat product for residential VoIP. I don't normally talk about specific products, but this one really caught my eye as something different that is really designed with the end user in mind. David was the co-founder of EarthLink, and I'd say that if he thinks this is a good idea, it probably is.
This photo isn't very big, but it looks like a typical ATA.
While it looks like an ATA, and functions like an ATA, PhoneGnome is really all about the end user - not the service provider. First, it supports SIP, and provides free telephony between any two endpoints using the device. So, it's got that peer-to-peer feel, and for that reason, PhoneGnome is often sold in pairs - one for each party. Sort of like broadband walkie-talkies. This is totally independent of your service provider - all you need is a broadband connection. You just connect PhoneGnome between your router and regular phone, and you make the call just like you normally would. That's real simple - don't have to worry about extra digits, or any web interfaces.
Another thing that's cool is how you can subscribe to any Internet based LD calling plan in the world, and PhoneGnome will automatically pick that up when you make LD calls to PSTN endpoints. So, if I make a lot of calls from Toronto to Tokyo, and really like an LD plan from a provider in Tokyo, I can sign on to their service, and dial the number just like I normally would with POTS. So, again, no extra digits to dial - just use your phone as you always have - no big behavior changes here.
There are other neat features as well, including free voice mail to email, and telemarketer blocking. No doubt, others are in the pipeline as TelEvolution seeks to turn this into a must-have product for those who want a simple, POTS-like VoIP experience.
It's not fancy, and it's not web based, and it's just about cheap voice. But that's what the market wants, and the best part is you don't have to subscribe to a broadband voice service to get the benefit of VoIP. I suspect that many, if not most subscribers to these services - Vonage, Lingo, CallVantage, etc. - are NOT replacing their landlines, for a variety of reasons. As such, they're not decreasing their telecom spend at all - unless they are heavy LD users - i.e. spending $30 or more a month. With PhoneGnome, you don't have to subscribe to any such service. Just keep your basic POTS line and DSL, and dial away. Signing on to an Internet LD plan will be way cheaper than a Vonage-type service, plus you get all the upside of the reliability that comes with POTS. No worries about 911 or losing service when the lights go out. What's not to like?
Sure, this isn't for everybody, but I think the thinking behind PhoneGnome reflects the essence and spirit of what the IP revolution is all about - empowering the end user to control their communications experience. I'm not crazy about the name, but it sure lets you have it your way. David may not make many friends in the broadband operator community,and the RBOCs may even embrace him as the savior of their wireline business. It's early yet, but anything is possible in this market, that's for sure.
PhoneGnome is not widely available yet - it retails at Staples, but only in Southern California so far. However, anyone can buy it online, either at their own website, or on Voxilla. These online channels are another example to me about why this product really reflects the spirit of IP - just order it and use it - doesn't matter who you use, as long as you have broadband.
This photo isn't very big, but it looks like a typical ATA.
While it looks like an ATA, and functions like an ATA, PhoneGnome is really all about the end user - not the service provider. First, it supports SIP, and provides free telephony between any two endpoints using the device. So, it's got that peer-to-peer feel, and for that reason, PhoneGnome is often sold in pairs - one for each party. Sort of like broadband walkie-talkies. This is totally independent of your service provider - all you need is a broadband connection. You just connect PhoneGnome between your router and regular phone, and you make the call just like you normally would. That's real simple - don't have to worry about extra digits, or any web interfaces.
Another thing that's cool is how you can subscribe to any Internet based LD calling plan in the world, and PhoneGnome will automatically pick that up when you make LD calls to PSTN endpoints. So, if I make a lot of calls from Toronto to Tokyo, and really like an LD plan from a provider in Tokyo, I can sign on to their service, and dial the number just like I normally would with POTS. So, again, no extra digits to dial - just use your phone as you always have - no big behavior changes here.
There are other neat features as well, including free voice mail to email, and telemarketer blocking. No doubt, others are in the pipeline as TelEvolution seeks to turn this into a must-have product for those who want a simple, POTS-like VoIP experience.
It's not fancy, and it's not web based, and it's just about cheap voice. But that's what the market wants, and the best part is you don't have to subscribe to a broadband voice service to get the benefit of VoIP. I suspect that many, if not most subscribers to these services - Vonage, Lingo, CallVantage, etc. - are NOT replacing their landlines, for a variety of reasons. As such, they're not decreasing their telecom spend at all - unless they are heavy LD users - i.e. spending $30 or more a month. With PhoneGnome, you don't have to subscribe to any such service. Just keep your basic POTS line and DSL, and dial away. Signing on to an Internet LD plan will be way cheaper than a Vonage-type service, plus you get all the upside of the reliability that comes with POTS. No worries about 911 or losing service when the lights go out. What's not to like?
Sure, this isn't for everybody, but I think the thinking behind PhoneGnome reflects the essence and spirit of what the IP revolution is all about - empowering the end user to control their communications experience. I'm not crazy about the name, but it sure lets you have it your way. David may not make many friends in the broadband operator community,and the RBOCs may even embrace him as the savior of their wireline business. It's early yet, but anything is possible in this market, that's for sure.
PhoneGnome is not widely available yet - it retails at Staples, but only in Southern California so far. However, anyone can buy it online, either at their own website, or on Voxilla. These online channels are another example to me about why this product really reflects the spirit of IP - just order it and use it - doesn't matter who you use, as long as you have broadband.
Canada Calling - Invitation to Podcast
The Canadian IP communications market is very dynamic in its own way, and I'm trying to bring that message to a broader audience.
One way of doing this is podcasting, and I'd like to invite anyone out there who can offer an informed perspective of our market to get in touch with me.
Jeff Pulver's VON Radio has been podcasting for some time, and I'd love to build up a roster of Canadian podcasters to help tell our story. Check out the main index, and you can see lots of timely podcasts from a wide range of people. Recent podcasts of note include David Beckemeyer of PhoneGnome, Eli Katz of XConnect, and Ben Freedman of Jasomi - now part of Ditech.
To get on the Canadian podcast bandwagon, please ping me here, or email me directly: jon@jarnoldassociates.com
One way of doing this is podcasting, and I'd like to invite anyone out there who can offer an informed perspective of our market to get in touch with me.
Jeff Pulver's VON Radio has been podcasting for some time, and I'd love to build up a roster of Canadian podcasters to help tell our story. Check out the main index, and you can see lots of timely podcasts from a wide range of people. Recent podcasts of note include David Beckemeyer of PhoneGnome, Eli Katz of XConnect, and Ben Freedman of Jasomi - now part of Ditech.
To get on the Canadian podcast bandwagon, please ping me here, or email me directly: jon@jarnoldassociates.com
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Wall Street Journal VoIP Article - Redux
In my Friday posting I mentioned I didn't have links to any of the articles mentioned there.
However, there was a link to the Friday WSJ article right under my nose. This is Shawn Young's piece on the state of things in VoIP right now. Our leading business daily in Canada - the Globe & Mail -runs a WSJ page each day, and on Friday, Shawn's article was front and center. So, I couldn't get the story from the WSJ website, but I can from my local Globe & Mail website.
Since then, I see that the story was picked up by several papers elsewhere across the US. One of these crossed my path - the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - but I'm sure it turned up in many other papers.
However, there was a link to the Friday WSJ article right under my nose. This is Shawn Young's piece on the state of things in VoIP right now. Our leading business daily in Canada - the Globe & Mail -runs a WSJ page each day, and on Friday, Shawn's article was front and center. So, I couldn't get the story from the WSJ website, but I can from my local Globe & Mail website.
Since then, I see that the story was picked up by several papers elsewhere across the US. One of these crossed my path - the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - but I'm sure it turned up in many other papers.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Good Week in the Media
While digging out from moving on Monday, the press managed to find me and some good stories ran.
Today, the Wall Street Journal ran a Page 1 story on the overall state of VoIP. I was quoted briefly about the size of the market, while Jeff Pulver and Jeff Citron were featured more extensively, primarily talking about the challenges facing all VoIP providers in the face of steadily declining prices. Sure, the consumer wins, but one is still left with the big question about making profits.
Yesterday, WSJ also cited me briefly, again about the market outlook. This time it was in the context of the news of Vonage reportedly going IPO. This has not been substantiated, and I heard the same message myself in following up on this. Kind of ties in to today's WSJ piece, and it makes you wonder what the outlook is for all the "von-abees". No doubt, the low barriers to entry create a gold rush mentality, but this cannot last. The regulations are going to get tougher, not easier, and the window gets smaller by the day as the MSOs and RBOCs make their moves. On the other hand, all this competition - and choice - is great for consumers, and hopefully it will remain this way after the weak become separated from the strong.
Although I was too late to post about Google Talk, I was cited on both Wednesday and Thursday on this topic in Canada's largest daily, the Toronto Star.
Maybe I should move more often.....
I'd like to provide links to these articles, but you need to be a paid subscriber for the WSJ, and you need to register with the Star to access those articles. I can send soft copies if anyone wants to read them. Just drop me a line - jon@jarnoldassociates.com
Today, the Wall Street Journal ran a Page 1 story on the overall state of VoIP. I was quoted briefly about the size of the market, while Jeff Pulver and Jeff Citron were featured more extensively, primarily talking about the challenges facing all VoIP providers in the face of steadily declining prices. Sure, the consumer wins, but one is still left with the big question about making profits.
Yesterday, WSJ also cited me briefly, again about the market outlook. This time it was in the context of the news of Vonage reportedly going IPO. This has not been substantiated, and I heard the same message myself in following up on this. Kind of ties in to today's WSJ piece, and it makes you wonder what the outlook is for all the "von-abees". No doubt, the low barriers to entry create a gold rush mentality, but this cannot last. The regulations are going to get tougher, not easier, and the window gets smaller by the day as the MSOs and RBOCs make their moves. On the other hand, all this competition - and choice - is great for consumers, and hopefully it will remain this way after the weak become separated from the strong.
Although I was too late to post about Google Talk, I was cited on both Wednesday and Thursday on this topic in Canada's largest daily, the Toronto Star.
Maybe I should move more often.....
I'd like to provide links to these articles, but you need to be a paid subscriber for the WSJ, and you need to register with the Star to access those articles. I can send soft copies if anyone wants to read them. Just drop me a line - jon@jarnoldassociates.com
Thursday, August 25, 2005
The Joys of Moving in the Internet Age/New Use For Skype
In terms of big stories in the IP world, I sure picked the wrong week to move. Boy, it sure has been busy...
- Vonage IPO story - but not 100% confirmed
- Google Talk
- Skype opening up APIs to the web community
- Skype working with Intel for better voice quality on PCs
We moved house on Monday, and it's been very chaotic all week, and I haven't been able to post at all. At this point, these stories have been well covered by the usual suspects - Jeff Pulver, Andy Abramson, Om Malik and Mark Evans.
As these stories unfold, I plan to comment where I can add something to the mix.
That said, I'd like to share my personal ruminations about how central the Internet has become to our daily lives, especially for people like me. Moving is never easy, and I found it very interesting that among all the hundreds of material possessions one has to sift through and organize when packing, that my notebook was the very last thing to go. When all the packing was done at 1:30 in the morning, my PC was still up and running, and the last thing I did before going to sleep in our old house for the last time was to shut it down.
Fast forward to the end of the move, and what's the first thing I'm looking for in the new house? An Internet connection. Not the phone line, not the TV, but email and VoIP. You may think I'm nuts, but I suspect this is pretty typical for Internet users when they move these days. It made me realize just how dependent I've become on the Internet for my livelihood. Not only that, but also how quickly my working routine resumed once I was online - even without my landline from Bell. In fact, until yesterday, I was living mainly off our mobile phones for all our calls - business and personal - and really didn't miss the Bell line all that much. I think that says a lot about how things are changing in the world of communications.
This also reinforced for me just how convenient Skype is. It was certainly much easier and faster to get up and running than my Bell line - which, not surprisingly required a visit from a technician to activate the service. No truck rolls with Skype, that's for sure.
So, where does this leave the wireline incumbents? For now, they're probably ok, but these experiences really brought home the benefits and advantages of IP versus TDM. I'm preaching to the converted here, but with giants like Microsoft and Google getting into the game, the landscape is really going to shift big time once the mass marketing machines take over. IP is simply a better product, and once the world gets this religion, I really wonder how the legacy telcos will hold their own. I think it truly will come down to "innovate or die".
Oh - what's the new use for Skype? Home intercom. Really simple. We have 3 levels in our house, and my office is in the basement - it's ground level, so it's got a great garden view actually. My 12 year old son spends a lot of time on his notebook, doing games, and lots of IM. Skype too. In our old house, we were on the same floor, and it was real easy to talk to each other. In the new house, the distance is just too great, as Max is two floors above me. I suppose we could use the phones in the house - that's just....so old school. So, we just Skype when we need to communicate. Sure beats yelling real loud, or running up/down a whole bunch of stairs. I stopped thinking a long time ago about using Skype just for long distance. I probably use it just as much for local calling or in-house communicating - simply because it's where many of the people I'm in touch with are. To me, it's all about convenience - we all have a multitude of ways to communicate, but we almost always default to the path of least resistance - it's just human nature.
- Vonage IPO story - but not 100% confirmed
- Google Talk
- Skype opening up APIs to the web community
- Skype working with Intel for better voice quality on PCs
We moved house on Monday, and it's been very chaotic all week, and I haven't been able to post at all. At this point, these stories have been well covered by the usual suspects - Jeff Pulver, Andy Abramson, Om Malik and Mark Evans.
As these stories unfold, I plan to comment where I can add something to the mix.
That said, I'd like to share my personal ruminations about how central the Internet has become to our daily lives, especially for people like me. Moving is never easy, and I found it very interesting that among all the hundreds of material possessions one has to sift through and organize when packing, that my notebook was the very last thing to go. When all the packing was done at 1:30 in the morning, my PC was still up and running, and the last thing I did before going to sleep in our old house for the last time was to shut it down.
Fast forward to the end of the move, and what's the first thing I'm looking for in the new house? An Internet connection. Not the phone line, not the TV, but email and VoIP. You may think I'm nuts, but I suspect this is pretty typical for Internet users when they move these days. It made me realize just how dependent I've become on the Internet for my livelihood. Not only that, but also how quickly my working routine resumed once I was online - even without my landline from Bell. In fact, until yesterday, I was living mainly off our mobile phones for all our calls - business and personal - and really didn't miss the Bell line all that much. I think that says a lot about how things are changing in the world of communications.
This also reinforced for me just how convenient Skype is. It was certainly much easier and faster to get up and running than my Bell line - which, not surprisingly required a visit from a technician to activate the service. No truck rolls with Skype, that's for sure.
So, where does this leave the wireline incumbents? For now, they're probably ok, but these experiences really brought home the benefits and advantages of IP versus TDM. I'm preaching to the converted here, but with giants like Microsoft and Google getting into the game, the landscape is really going to shift big time once the mass marketing machines take over. IP is simply a better product, and once the world gets this religion, I really wonder how the legacy telcos will hold their own. I think it truly will come down to "innovate or die".
Oh - what's the new use for Skype? Home intercom. Really simple. We have 3 levels in our house, and my office is in the basement - it's ground level, so it's got a great garden view actually. My 12 year old son spends a lot of time on his notebook, doing games, and lots of IM. Skype too. In our old house, we were on the same floor, and it was real easy to talk to each other. In the new house, the distance is just too great, as Max is two floors above me. I suppose we could use the phones in the house - that's just....so old school. So, we just Skype when we need to communicate. Sure beats yelling real loud, or running up/down a whole bunch of stairs. I stopped thinking a long time ago about using Skype just for long distance. I probably use it just as much for local calling or in-house communicating - simply because it's where many of the people I'm in touch with are. To me, it's all about convenience - we all have a multitude of ways to communicate, but we almost always default to the path of least resistance - it's just human nature.
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