Network World has published their Top 10 predictions for VoIP and convergence in 2009. It's very focused on SMB and Enterprise space, which I'd expect given the state of consumer offerings. Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick have been active in the convergence space for many years now and generally have a great handle on things.

You'll have to read their column for yourself. I'm not going to quote the whole thing. It would do them justice as respected colleagues.

I think they may even underplay #2, the user experience. I think that QoE over QoS is going to be a major focus of 2009, and become the strong message from the market leaders.

I'm really happy to see they agree with me on #4, video. I think video and mobility will be the hottest communications areas next year.
I'm extermely happy about their #5. IMS has been a stalled mess and I think it will stay that way. It's time to quit talking about it in those terms and get on with service delivery. Let's abandon talking about IMS in 2009.

Read #10 for yourself, but I agree with them more on that one than any of the others.


Technorati Tags: Network World, 2009 predictions, VoIP, video, unified communications

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It's nearly the end of another year , and that means all of us who write online will being sharing our year in review thoughts. I'm going to take a slightly different approach and just talk a bit about the state of the unified communications industry as a whole. In this post I'll just begin the conversation, and I'll be writing about some of these in a bit more detail over the next two or three weeks as we head into the holiday madness and the new year.

First, and important to me, is identifying what the unified communications industry really is. It's a broad term that's never been well-defined. Yet used by pretty much every vendor in the space. To me, unified communications has become something of an overworn phrase, because it's more simply just communications across every technology and avenue we have available. If we look at that segment we call unifide3d communications, here's what it includes for me:

• Voice services of all kinds. It doesn't matter whether it's legacy PSTN voice using TDM, or some new-fangled VoIP solution. They're just foundation architecture. The protocols and bits don't excite me frankly. The services do.
• Video of every kind. It doesn't matter whether it's how IP-based video services are killing the old-world broadcast media (and they are ringing the death toll for the old media), collaboration teleconferencing, or simple personal video calling. Video is one of the most exciting and vibrant areas in the entire communications industry.
• Mobility and casual computing are the areas where I see the greatest potential for advances. More on this below.
• Social media isn't simply a web site. It isn't networks. It's how we as humans communicate. I think social media encompasses a broader set of tools that we typically give credence. Naturally there are the social networks, but I think IM and text messaging fall into the social media side of unified communications. I maintain that unified communications and social media coexist in a symbiotic relationship that overlaps even more tightly coupled than the Internet and PSTN are joined. I don't believe one can exist and thrive without the other.
• Connectivity is key. I remember "back in the day" when connectivity was carriers talking about ATM and how efficient a 53 byte cell was going to be at carrying multimedia. What a load of poppycock that was. It isn't about the bits and protocols, it's about the services. Wireless broadband, WiFi and WiMAX services are going to remain crucial. In the old world of the legacy telecommuncations carriers (remember the dinosaurs), the last mile was the all-important piece. While it's till important, I don't think a mile is the right measure any longer. I'd say it's the last hop that matters. That hop can take any technology, but the wireless last hop is where we're going to see growth and energy. Sure enterprise business is going to be tied to a wired technology for the campus setting, but wireless is absolutely the king of connectivity technology moving foward.

There are great things happening in all these areas. There are also some pretty absurd and stupid things happening as well. This is that perfect time of year to give a nod of appreciation to some of the good things, and rant about some of the stupid things we've seen this year.

High on the list of dismal actions is the whole Yahoo debacle. I recall Stuart Henshall and I talking about how foolhardy Jerry Yang's 100 Days of Quiet Thought about Yahoo was. I felt like Jerry rang a bell that said he was going to try to kill Yahoo, and in many ways he did just that. Yang's gone now, and should be headed for richly deserved obscurity. Doubtless with a pocekt full of money for setting Yahoo back five years through inaction and foolhardy leadership. I expect to see Yahoo dissected and continuing to crumble as pieces get sold off. A sorry fate for a company that once led the way to the future.

There's a trend I've been watching recently that seems to be on the rise. A trend and a variation; both are troubling. I've seen a number of small innovators, people I sometimes know, but most often people who truly are innovators doing some very nice work. Yet, they're releasing solutions that simply don't work. They're unleashing crap in the name of early release beta products. To further compound the problem, I've been noticing a high degree of what sales people call smoke and mirrors in the early advertising and documentation of a growing number of products.

Troubling to me because at a high level, I see a growing number of creative innovators with tremendous potential opertaing under what I think is a flawed business plan. I see what appears to be a plan of taking an idea or concept and half baking it into something that can be hyed to that mass of free beta testers known as the Internet in hopes that they'll either catch some good buzz, or get enough ideas to turn the half-baked idea into a product. I don't know whether it's a bad thing or a good thing. Clearly end users get lots of options, but is the value in return for those solutions that never materialize worth the investment? I don't think about it often, but I when I do I frequently think it is not.

There are highlights too. In 2008 we saw video services begin to really make progress toward critical mass for widespread adoption. Skype High Density Video has changed the way people use Skype. The rise in video calls there is tremendous. SightSpeed finally got some well deserved recognition through a major partnership with Dell followed by Logitech's acquisition for a nice $30M. And most recently we've seen what Sheryl and I think is a pretty successful luanch beginning for Vidtel. I think they're going to be very successful and worth watching.

That's enough for now. This wasn't intended to be a comprehensive post, but rather a framework for things to write and think about in the next few weeks as we approach the end of 2008. There are things coming I can't quite share just yet, but every year brings new challenges and suprises. 2009 is no different, with lots on the horizon.

Technorati Tags: unified communications, VoIP, video, SightSpeed, Vidtel, Yahoo, 2008 in review

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In the past couple of weeks I've mentioned Vidtel and the great meeting Sheryl and I had with Scott Wharton. I have to say that we've had a little taste of firsthand experience, so I'm sharing some more information.

If you've been reading, you know that Scott graciously offered us a couple of test units to evaluate. We had set one up in our home office and found it fast, friendly and easy. Last weekend we flew to southern California to visit my Mom. What a perfect candidate for the other phone. She uses the computer, but isn't a tech-savvy user. And what a great way to try out video with someone who doesn't feel comfortable with installing programs. There are a huge number of people who would love to have video calling, but don't feel comfortable using the computer to make calls.

Even Mom was impressed with how easy it was to set up the Vidtel phone. And we made a test call back to Sheryl's daughter at home to make sure it worked. It was flawless.

Simple. Fast. Easy. If you've ever cringed when you said those words plug and play you know how rare that has been. Kudos to Vidtel for one of the simplest solutions to set up I've ever seen - and it works great.
And while the video screen may not be a large HD flat panel display, here's Sheryl's lovely face taken with our Nikon to give you a sample of just how it looks.



I was home for lunch earlier today and Scott called to check in and see how things were going. We had a great chat. One of the nicest guys we've met in a long time, and we're both impressed with how easy things are to use and how well they work.

You can expect to hear more from us on Vidtel.

Technorati Tags: Videtel, Scott Wharton, video

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I recently made mention of Vidtel in a blog post here. I want to expand just a bit in this post, but there will be more to follow soon.

Sheryl and I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Vidtel CEO Scott Wharton. He most graciously offered up a couple of test units for us to experiment with. We finally set on up and home and it was incredibly easy. How easy, you ask? Plug it into power and a broadband connection and give in a few minutes to update firmware, and here's what you get.



I've seen a couple of message lately about video not being very user friendly, and it's a topic Sheryl and I have discussed around the Vidtel solution many times in the past few weeks. We're going to put it to the real-world test.

On Friday we're headed to Los Angeles to visit my mother. She's an Internet user, but not technical in any way. We're taking the second test unit to her so we can make video calls back and forth. Given that setup took less than five minutes and zero technical skill, we think this solution holds huge promise.

And while the video screen may not be a large HD flat panel display, here's Sheryl's lovely face taken with our Nikon to give you a sample of just how it looks.



I'll have more on the Vidtel solution as we test, and I expect to get Scott on the phone for a nice podcast interview real soon as well.

Technorati Tags: Videtel, Scott Wharton, video

Posted by Ken Camp | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Pal Garrett Smith wrote a post that I expect to refute here shortly.

The Problem With Video Phone Calling

Video phone calling technology has been around for quite some time. It holds a very promising future. Despite this, it has never seemed to gain the sort of prominence many folks would have thought.

I now know why.

The problem with video phone calling (not skype), is that the experience is not plug-n-play. And it needs to be.

[Read Garrett's full post]

Sheryl and I have what looks like a pretty awesome video phone option that's new and just coming out. We had the chance to spend some time with Vidtel CEO Scott Wharton recently, and we'll be sharing the chronicles of our experience setting up and using the products here.

Stand by for something we think is going to be exciting and worth watching.

Technorati Tags: Garrett Smith, Scott Wharton, Vidtel, video

Posted by Ken Camp | Permalink | Comments (0) |

The web site is live with speaker listing and a glimpse of what's coming at the next ITExpo

The conference is set for February 2-4, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

We're already making our plans and you should too. Plan now for the best rates on travel. This is sure to be a major event for 2009.

Posted by Ken Camp | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I've said several times lately that during the tough economic times, all around there are companies making great strides, success and yes...profit. Business is booming for competitors who are putting it on the line to win and do smart things.

It's a really exciting time and Sheryl and I are thrilled to be part of it. Next week we're going to a private dinner with about 50 unified communications thought leaders. Several of the people involved are close personal friends, so we not only get to meet with some of our friends, we get to spend personal time some of the sharpest minds in the industry.

It's a huge week in the Bay area overall, with multiple events underway.

VoiceCon



We hadn't planned on attending VoiceCon due to scheduling. It's one of the best events during the course of any year, so making it to town unexpectedly is a real treat and a chance to catch up with another set of industry movers and shakers.

Under the Radar


400 Attendees. 32 Mobile Startups. 1 Day.

Under the Radar is simply one of the hottest peeks at 32 of the hottest mobility solutions anywhere. Here's a blurb that's accurate with no understatement involved -

Under the Radar: Mobility is a one-day conference uncovering 32 vetted, test-driven startups that have launched within the year in categories such as iPhone apps, location-based services, gaming, social networking, enabling technologies, and marketing/advertising.

Want to land deals with Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast, Sprint, iFund, Nokia, Microsoft, Motorola, and more?

And we've already gotten some early scoop on some of the announcements coming. We can't talk about them yet, but we're getting some firsthand, up close and personal looks at some of the great stuff coming from this jam-packed day.

And no, that's not all.

New TeeVee Live

For those of us who watch the broad set of video solutions, beyond collaboration and video conferencing, there's the world of new media entertainment. On the 13th there's also this event. Just take a look at the speakers list.

We've got a couple of meetings set that we can't really talk about yet, but lots if stuff ahead. We'll keep you posted.

Technorati Tags: inified communications, video, VoIP, VoiceCon, Under the Radar, New TeeVee Live, Ken Camp, Sheryl Breuker, Stardust Global Ventures

Posted by Ken Camp | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Yesterday we read about SightSpeed's acquisition (I hear $30M, by the way). Video is definitely the HOT place te be.

My good friend and esteemed colleague Jon Arnold had a nice success today. Global IP Solutions (GIPS) announced  the availability of a white paper entitled, "Desktop Video Conferencing: Better Than You Think - Ready For Every Desktop Today and in High Definition Tomorrow."

Jon is an independent telecom analyst whose blog can be viewed here.

Desktop Video Conferencing White Paper Published by Global IP Solutions
It's Better Than You Think - Ready For Every Desktop Today,
and in High Definition Tomorrow
Accompanying Video Demo Illustrates the DVC Experience

San Francisco -- Oct. 29, 2008 -- Global IP Solutions (Oslo Børs: GIPS), the leading provider of IP multimedia processing solutions, announced today the availability of a white paper entitled, "Desktop Video Conferencing: Better Than You Think - Ready For Every Desktop Today and in High Definition Tomorrow."

This white paper, written by Jon Arnold, an independent telecom analyst, has been prepared to explain the technology advancements and value proposition behind desktop video conferencing (DVC) in line with other solutions, such as telepresence. Supporting this is an analysis of the trends that collectively create the momentum that will make DVC a strong and possibly ubiquitous market opportunity for years to come. To download the white paper for free, visit http://gipscorp.com/wp.

The white paper outlines the complex challenges around desktop video conferencing, and the role that Global IP Solutions (GIPS) plays to enable a high-quality end-user experience, and the progress to support enhancements such as High-Definition video (HD) and mobility. The paper is accompanied by a video demonstration that illustrates the DVC experience, giving readers 'life-like' examples of traditionally poor quality vs. excellent video conferencing at the desktop.

"Video conferencing, in various forms, has been with us for many years, but has never shown as much promise as today," said Jon Arnold, Principal at J Arnold & Associates. "There is a favorable alignment of trends driving both supply and demand that translates into a healthy market opportunity, particularly for desktop video conferencing, and will extend further to mobile devices."

"To date, the desktop video conferencing market has held limited appeal due to poor experiences resulting from technology limitations," said Joyce Kim, GIPS' Chief Marketing Officer at Global IP Solutions. "Today, the underlying technologies have evolved to where they can now deliver a high-quality end-user experience. As the focus on great user experiences continues to advance, it will be even better with the growth of HD desktop video conferencing."

The overall market opportunity for digital video conferencing is substantive:

• The global market for videoconferencing endpoints was $1.1 billion in 2007, and will grow to $3.9 billion in 2014, according to Frost & Sullivan.
• The Unified Communications markets' global revenues are estimated to grow from $22.6 billion in 2007 to $48.7 billion in 2012, according to Data from In-Stat and Wainhouse Research.
• The North American web conferencing market revenues are estimated to increase from $632 million in 2007 to $1.5 billion in 2012, according to Frost & Sullivan.

About Global IP Solutions
Global IP Solutions (Oslo Børs: GIPS) provides best-in-class voice and video processing in IP communications. GIPS enables its customers to deliver unmatched quality, with a faster time-to-market and with less risk than alternative solutions. GIPS serves application developers, wired and wireless service providers and network and telecommunications equipment vendors. Its customer list includes Nortel, Oracle, Samsung, WebEx, Yahoo!, AOL and other key players in the voice and video over IP markets. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Stockholm, Boston and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.gipscorp.com.

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I got what, for me, was some great news this evening. At the end of this post is the press release outlining the details of Logitech's acquisition of SightSpeed.

I've been a pretty outspoken proponent of SightSpeed for quite some time now. What began as an interview with CEO Peter Csathy led to a good friendship. And as an outgrowth of that, I've had countless conversations with Peter and folks at SightSpeed about the evolution and improvment of their solution. And while Peter and I don't always see eye to eye in everything, I feel a very personal interest and involvement in SightSpeed's growth over the past 2-3 years.

This isn't a first success for Peter. SightSpeed the third company that he has successfully handed off during his career incuding eNow to AOL and MusicMatch to Yahoo.

Congratulations to my good friend Peter and to all the team at SightSpeed for the succes from their dedication and hard work

Logitech to Acquire SightSpeed, Provider of Internet Video Communications Services

FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 28, 2008 and ROMANEL-SUR-MORGES, Switzerland, Oct. 29, 2008-- Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced that the company has agreed to acquire privately held SightSpeed Inc. of Berkeley, Calif. for approximately $30 million in cash. SightSpeed is an award-winning provider of high-quality Internet video communications services. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in early November.

The acquisition of SightSpeed will provide Logitech with video calling technology and a software and services development team that can be focused on future video calling initiatives that can enable cross-platform video communications with an intuitive, lifelike experience, for people sitting in front of a personal computer or with their family in a living room.

"With this acquisition, we are significantly augmenting our current video R&D resources to help us move more quickly toward our goals for video services that complement the way people socialize, communicate and enjoy entertainment," said Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of Logitech's Products group.

"According to our research, there is a large untapped market of people who want to communicate with friends and family using video. But they want it to be integrated into their family lifestyle, which means going beyond the PC. We believe with SightSpeed we can help create the next wave of video communications enthusiasts."

Founded in 2001, SightSpeed has approximately 25 employees. The company's management team includes technology leaders with backgrounds in Internet services and software technology development. The SightSpeed services are based on SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), a standard that enables the services to be interoperable with other Internet communication services.

Impact on Financial Results for Current Fiscal Year
The impact of the acquisition on Logitech's current fiscal year results is not expected to be material.

About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

# # #

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the statements regarding the expected benefits of the transaction, management plans relating to the transaction and the effect of the acquisition on Logitech's financial performance. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Logitech's actual performance to differ materially from that anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include Logitech's ability to successfully integrate SightSpeed's services, technology and operations, the retention of SightSpeed employees, and Logitech's ability to successfully develop, introduce and market video communication services. For information regarding other related risks, see the risk factors section in Logitech's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov. Logitech does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company's Web site at www.logitech.com.

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As the conference season and year end starts drawing near, we're working on a range of new sponsorship opportunities here at the Realtime Unified Communications Community. Realtimepublishers offers a huge array of service related to technology publications. We do everything from comprehensive eBooks, to short books, white papers, Essential Series document and podcasts or videos.

We're actively searching right now for some key thought leaders who are looking for innovative ways to let our offerings help engage your potential client base. We bring a variety of authors, a number of notable experts, and a long history of technology to your arsenal of weapons in the competitive marketplace.

If you're looking for more information on how we can deliver the right perspective on your message to a large audience, bringing you qualified business leads for increased revenue, either leave a comment of click the email link on the sidebar and drop me a line.

I'll be expanding on this special effort over the next few days and weeks as we refine our focused client list to the set of companies we collaborate with to deliver a highly focused message of communications innovations to the global market. It doesn't matter how small or large your business is. We can help.

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