Posts tagged as:

Skype competition

Since its release late Saturday, Skype for iPhone 2.0, with its support of calling over 3G carriers and superwideband audio using Skype’s SILK codec, has set the blogosphere awash with two genres of commentary: those who seem to think the end of free Skype calling is approaching as an Armageddon and those who recognize [...]

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Categories Communications Technology, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype Platform, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

Ok so I’m the last to write about Google’s announcement this morning on its acquisition of Global IP Solutions, a major provider of IP-based communications infrastructure with not only its voice and video codecs but also voice and video engines that mean simply “supply me with an Internet connection, a microphone and a set [...]

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Categories Communications News, Communications Technology, Mobile Applications, Video calling, Web 2.0 Tools and Applications

The Skype Spinout Version 2.0

by Jim Courtney on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 11:11 am

So it’s finally resolved. The Skype spinout from eBay will involve Skype’s founders as investors and board members while contributing a cash investment. Skype finally owns the core intellectual property required for Skype to operate at its current cost levels. eBay gets the cash they were looking for but 5% less of the new [...]

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Categories Communications News, Skype News, Skype Operations

In a recent post, I provided some examples where Skype is being used by small businesses to build relationships with a worldwide supplier and customer base. In the same post I provided a couple of examples where current economic conditions are helping to stealth Skype into enterprises in the medium to large business category. [...]

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Categories Skype Bytes, Skype For Business, Skype News, Using Skype

Yesterday’s announcement of Grand Central’s rebirth as Google Voice drew a lot of attention from both the mainstream media and blogger world. In following the IP-based communications world over the past three years, I have come to believe that the only potential real time conversation service provider challenger to Skype could come from Google. [...]

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Categories Communications News, Conversation Providers, Mobile Applications, Using Skype

A Partnership Is Worth Zilch When….

by Jim Courtney on Sat, Jan 24, 2009 6:01 am

… your partner fails to provide an obvious path to download and install your software.
In early July last year I wrote about the launch of Dell Video Chat, based on a newly announced agreement between Dell and SightSpeed to use SightSpeed’s video services. The bottom line was that Dell Video Chat would become available on [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Service Providers

Access Your Skype Contacts via Truphone

by Jim Courtney on Mon, Jan 5, 2009 8:01 pm

Over the past few years we have seen the evolution of several conversation communities, some simply employing instant messaging; others employing both instant messaging and voice. Skype is the primary example with its support of IM, voice and video as well as auxiliary features such as file sharing (and, as announced tonight, basic screen sharing) [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications

Today Ireland’s favorite communications entrepreneur, Pat Phelan, put up a post: “How Popular is Skype, really?” Shows the potential for both Skype and its (prospective) partners, should the new executive team be able to execute on a restructured Skype and a viable partner program. And it shows the relative magnitude of the challenge that Truphone, [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Skype Operations

Truphone Breaks the Carrier Barrier

by Jim Courtney on Mon, Dec 15, 2008 9:12 am

Truphone’s announcements last week overcame a significant carrier resistance barrier to using VoIP-enabled services to reduce international calling costs. The key secret here was that it required the combination of Truphone’s iPhone and iPod Touch applications along with the Apple Application program that leverages Apple’s established carrier relationships to break this barrier.On Friday I was [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Conversation Providers, Mobile Applications, Service Providers

Yesterday I wrote a post for GigaOm, Skype: Coming to a Cell Phone Near You, discussing how the announcement of two new beta versions of Skype on mobile devices gave a hint of Skype’s future mobile strategy.
At the same time Truphone announced a new version of their iPhone application. Whereas the version released at the [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile, Mobile Applications, Service Providers, Skype News, Skype on Mobile

Earlier this week the GMail weblog announced GMail voice and video chat; basically they are designed to add voice and video modes to an email thread; from the GMail blog post:
… today we’re launching voice and video chat — right inside Gmail. We’ve tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and [...]

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Categories Communications News, Conversation Providers

According to Tech Crunch and GigaOm posts late last night Logitech is about to spend $30 million to acquire SightSpeed, the video messaging and video conferencing service that recently was selected ot provide the infrastructure for Dell’s Video Chat. Congratulations to Peter Csathy and his team.
Seems like the video calling and video conferencing market is [...]

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Categories Communications News, Conversation Providers

Just in case you’ve been on vacation on a remote island not reading Skype Journal the past few days, Phil and Michael Robertson have been having this debate about Skype and interop with SIP-based services (more here and here). It even spread to last Friday’s SquawkBox call.
This morning Dan York, who sits on IETF forums [...]

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Categories Communications News, Communications Technology, Skype Operations, Skype Platform

Over the past few months I have been a frequent participant on Alec Saunders’ daily SquawkBox conference call where several of those involved in following today’s communications and web developments will discuss topics of the day. Subjects for yesterday’s call were the impact of the Internet on this years U.S. President campaign and Skype’s fifth [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Skype News, Using Skype

Alternatives to Skypecasts

by Jim Courtney on Fri, Aug 29, 2008 7:08 am

While there has been lots of dismay about the discontinuation of Skypecasts (Skype’s blog posts: here and here), it had appeared for the past several months that the service just did not have the robustness to provide the reliability and quality of service that users would expect. Being a free service, it was obviously placing [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Conversation Providers, Service Providers, Skype For Business, Skype News, Skype Software, Using Skype