Can AOL Become Carrier 2.0 By Executing on Voice 2.0 Manifesto?

By on September 7, 2006

AOL has a long history of innovation. Initially launched as a proprietary pre-Internet personal communications platform building up to several million users via dialup connections, AOL has evolved its integration into the Internet to the point where it recently broke down its “closed garden” business model and opened up the majority of its content and [...]

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The Home Phone Market Goes Cordless

By on September 3, 2006

Last week Skype issued two press releases (Philips and NetGear here and Panasonic here) relating to partnerships that involve cordless Skype phones. No PC required! Just Plug-and-Call — from anywhere in your home. Basically they comprise a base station that connects directly to your home router as a well as a cradle for the base [...]

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Restoring Skype “Content” when Rebuilding Windows

By on September 3, 2006

Last week my Windows configuration finally collapsed under the weight of too many installs/uninstalls. When four different program upgrades won’t install properly (including the new Skype 2.6 beta) and come up during the installation attempts with dialogue boxes that only the most dedicated and focused developer would understand, it’s time to re-install Windows XP from [...]

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Skype Journal: A Consistent Number 6 on Anyone’s Scale

By on September 1, 2006

A few days ago Alec Saunders, Mark Evans, Jon Arnold and a blushing Andy Abramson all drew attention to a “ranking” of VoIP blogs put out by Garrett Smith of SmithOnVoip. Even Garrett himself admits his poll is somewhat arbitrary; he did outline his criteria and they have been repeated (and praised) in some of [...]

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Skype for Courtship (and, sometimes, Business)

By on August 31, 2006

About a month ago a visiting friend told us that she was traveling to Mexico City the following weekend for her son’s wedding. Her son lives in Minneapolis where he is involved in sales and servicing of mining equipment with lots of travel to southeast Asia and Australia; the bride was studying medicine in Houston. [...]

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7,000,000 On Line and Almost Communicating in Real Time

By on August 29, 2006

Jaanus has pointed out that today, for the first time, over 7,000,000 users were on Skype earlier today. I usually find Skype peaks at some time between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. EDT. And this benchmark is reached on Skype’s third birthday. Now if Skype would fix the bug whereby presence information is not always [...]

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Google and eBay Announce Major Connectivity Agreement

By on August 28, 2006

In a press release issued this morning, Google and eBay announced an agreement which comprises “two primary components involving text-based advertising and “click-to-call” advertising functionality”;.In the course of the press release there are several implications for Skype; however, let me draw attention to where Skype already has incorporated Google searches, namely, as an option in [...]

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New Platform for Skype Forums Launched

By on August 27, 2006

Jaanus Kase. Skype’s Chief Blogging Officer who visited Phil in Oakland, is also the Chief Skype Forum Officer and has recently completed leading the transition of Skype’s Forums to a new platform that provides both visible and backend improvements resulting in a much more resilient and secure forum ecosystem. Key issues included login protocol, security [...]

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Skype’s Secret Sauce Extended to Include Embedded Devices

By on August 25, 2006

The secret sauce used by Skype that results in the excellent voice quality of Skype-to-Skype calls and facilitates quality in Skype-to-SkypeIn/Out calls is the Voice Engine for PC and Voice Engine for (Windows) Mobile licensed by Skype from Global IP Sound (“GIPS”). Combining codecs, echo cancellation technology and other voice and packet management features the [...]

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Back to the Future: World’s first photophone and other telephone historia

By on August 18, 2006

During trip earlier this month to Nova Scotia, I visited Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell’s summer refuge from the heat and humidity of Washington, DC for the last 37 years of his life. Interestingly the estate is still (privately) occupied by descendants, including his 101-year old granddaughter. However, the highlight was to visit the Alexander Graham [...]

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