VoIP Watch
Mobile Broadband Prices In UK Are Dropping
When you look at how low mobile broadband pricing is getting in the UK with a 2 year agreement, you have to just scratch your heads in the USA and wonder why we are being asked to pay so much, especially when the coverage for 3G is so sparse. It seems the USA based mobile... »
Virgin Mobile’s Lower Data Rates In the USA
Prepaid data for the same price as a contract? Well, that's nothing to sneeze at. As a matter of fact, the no contract rate with Virgin Mobile now available in the USA mirrors what I see when I travel internationally. The arrival of real true pre-paid data in the USA. No topics for this... »
Say Goodbye to FourSquare
Today, I deleted my foursquare.com account. I did it for one reason, and one reason only. I don't like "playing games." Oh, I don't mean the idea of being a Mayor, or getting badges. Those things I did as a boy. "Playing." But Andy grew up a long time a go. A very long... »
Whose Behind AT&T FemtoCells??
Will you get a load of which Silicon Valley giant is behind the AT&T Microcell…It’s Cisco. No topics for this post. »
CableVision and WiFi and Mobile ?
Word is slowly leaking out that CableVision will play the mobile voice and data game where their footprint stops extending. This is an interesting play, and my guess is the carrier will be T-Mobile or Sprint as they are the least likely to be viewed as competition, and Spint brings with them Clearwire in... »
Bill Miller Leaves Digium
Bill Miller, one of the few people from Digium who could ever tell me what they were up to (the other is John Todd) is leaving. I wish him well wherever he is headed. He's one of the folks who can take geekspeak and make it understandable. No topics for this post. »
The iPad Will Do For Publishing What The iPod Did For Music and Video
Before there was the iPod there were MP3 players. Before there was the iPhone there have been mobile phones. And before the iPad comes along people will say there was the Kindle and other eBook readers. And, just like the former, the latter will be thought of nicely, but not embraced the way the... »
Shifting Gears
Before I wrote about VOIP, Video, Collaboration and all things IP communications I used to write insatiably about wine, food and all things gastronomic. I was, am, and always will be a foodie and a wine lover. Once pal Doug Margerum of WineCask fame in Santa Barbara and now an amazing winemaker, labeled me... »
Do You Need A MicroCell from AT&T
For a while I’ve been thinking about the whole femtocell issue. This week AT&T just announced more trials in more markets to give you more bars in even more places. The issue I keep wondering is how long the broadband providers will keep allowing AT&T to free ride over their pipe. That answer though... »
New MiFi for 4G In The Works
Sierra Wireless' lead in the 4G space won't be for long if San Diego based Novatel has anything to say about it. Word is leaking out that they have a 4G MiFi in the works. The idea of a true 4G pocketspot is salacious, as my experience with the Cradlepoint in Las Vegas varied by... »
The Rise of The SocialPhone
For years we have heard how "smartphones" are the hot area. Apple, Android, RIM, Microsoft, Nokia and others have all been pursuing the business market with the "smartphone" being the portable desktop computer. But as time has gone on we have seen more and more adoption, acceptance and use of "social" applications like Facebook,... »
Clearwire’s Growth Speaks Volumes
Given voice is still just a passing thought for most people using Clearwire (aka Clear) for data growth of 87,000 subs is not to shabby. The recap from Fierce is worth a read as it sheds light on where things are headed. No topics for this post. »
eComm Details Released; Augmented Reality Conference Added
Lee Dryburgh is putting together another bang up eComm conference under the banner this April, and my agency, Comunicano, and I are proud to be able to support it as an official sponsor. The big news is how Lee has also been able to assemble a conference on the subject of Augmented Reality at the... »
No Blocking VoIP In Israel
Cellcom has been asked to stop blocking VoIP in Israel by the Ministry of Communications. Hat tip to Moshe Maeir of FlatPlanet Phone Company. No topics for this post. »
3G Tests By PC World Prove The Need For WiFi/4G Mobile WiMAX
PC World has the results of their annual 3G survey and the outcome is very predictable. You can see for yourself in the story penned by Mark Sullivan. I’ll admit first hand I’m a very happy customer of Verizon Wireless when it comes to their 3G wireless broadband offerings when I’m out and about in... »
TechDirt Airs Some Dirty Laundy About ……
It seems that MagicJack can't win for losing. After a glowing review last week by Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, Mike Masnick over at TechDirt brings to life the small matter of the BoingBoing law suite (something we likely all forgot about) and has brought it back to light. No topics for this... »
When The Chips Are At Stake
The New York Times today digs into the high stakes world of chips, and I’m not talking Las Vegas when it comes to SmartPhones. San Diego’s Qualcomm has been at the front of this line for years, and their tie up with Motorola, INQ and others shows that. Now Intel and Nokia are playing the... »
Om Speculates On Skype-Verizon Deal
Om is speculating and talking to his sources about just what aspect of the recently announced Skype & Verizon Wireless tie up is “exclusive.” My take is that it’s the special software that Skype built for Verizon that mimic what we’ve seen in the UK with 3. I don’t believe for a second that Skype’s... »
Line2 Comes With 3G Now
Give Peter Sisson credit for being first, and for TechCrunch breaking the story. Now Line2 offers 3G calling and receiving, with a second number on the iPhone. Reminds me of what Jeff Black and the crew at TalkPlus tried to do. No topics for this post. »
Todd Carothers Point of View on Skype-Defining The Battleground
Don't ever try to hide reality from those that know…and Todd Carothers knows. He spent time working with the folks at Openwave, then did some time with former client BridgePort Networks (since acquired by client CounterPath) and he's fired off two very targeted posts aimed at the carriers and their network folks providing them... »
San Diego StartUp Debuts Translator In The Cloud
I like home grown companies, and this company, TelCentris is really that. Started by one of my neighbors and his sons, the company, which markets under the VoXOx name is releasing what they are describing as a universal translator tied to instant and social messaging that is built into the VoxOx client according to... »
Even More Details On Skype and Verizon Wireles
The Skype deal with Verizon Wireless proves the old adage of "what's old is new again." Fearing that throngs of Skype users would do to their EVDO network what the iPhone has done to AT+T, Verizon went with a circuit switched solution that is similar to what Three in the UK has had since... »
Walt Mossberg on MagicJack
Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has come out with a glowing review of MagicJack in the Journal this week. In the story Walt reveals that MJ's parent is coming out with a Skype like service as well. No topics for this post. »
Another Communications Aggregator Emerges-Jabbin
Not a week goes by when we don't hear of yet another company entering into the aggregation of information space. This week we see Jabbin release their 3.0 Beta. This is a space filled with competition from the likes of VoxOx, Meebo, Truphone, Gizmo (when it's back out) that do various pieces of the IM... »
Skype, Verizon (and Andy) In the News
The Skype press conference with Verizon wasn’t more than an hour over when Brian Deagon of Investors Business Daily rang up to ask my take on the move by Verizon to work with Skype. Brian is one of my favorite IBD reporters because he asks the kind of questions that get to the heart... »
More on Skype and Verizon
One of the great things about being in Barcelona are the things you pick up. Here's some more details on the upcoming Skype and Verizon Wireless announcement that's due to come out tomorrow. Contrary to what everyone is thinking Verizon is using circuit switched voice not 3G, ala what Three in the UK does. So... »
It’s Everyone vs. Nokia, RIM, Apple and Google
Let’s face it, Apple changed the game with the App Store and the iPhone. Nokia followed with Ovi (which is improving), RIM with their version and of course Market for Android. You didn’t think that the GSMA and their members and some of their members, both carriers and handset manufacturers would stand around idly, while... »
The PocketSpot Just Got SIMpler
Sagem-Orga, one of the three or four companies that makes the SIM cards that are placed inside the mobile phone just likely sent shockwaves through companies like San Diego’s Novatel Wireless, Cradlepoint, Option and Sierra Wireless all of whom make 3G dongles and some of whom are creating what I like to call the... »
More Details Emerge on Skype and Verizon Wireless
Fuze Mobility cites a Bloomberg / Business Week article about the next move by Skype with Verizon Wireless in the USA. What I find funny is that Hutchison Whampoa may be a Hong Kong company, but the success of the Skypephone,that already has the Skype service running on it, has been in London using iSkoot’s... »
Off To Mobile World Congress
Good news for travelers heading to Barcelona for the 2010 Mobile World Congress put on by the GSMA. As part of rolling out Skype Access on Windows the Skype folks are offering free access on Boingo in Barcelona. Once you get to Barcelona look for SIMs at Phone house locations for your unlocked phones. If you ... »