Voice on the Web » FREETALK Everyman

Skype for Windows 5.0 Upgrade: the Return of HD Video Calling

Jim Courtney — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 21:46:51 +0000

Last spring Skype launched Skype for Windows 4.2 with support for HD (720p) video calling at up to 22 fps using one of two Skype-certified HD webcams with an embedded H.264 processor to offload the video processing from the user’s PC. However, it turned out the calling experience ranged from excellent (for example, the call referenced in the post linked above) to erratic depending on the endpoints’ network conditions and CPU load. In fact, support of the embedded H.264 processor quietly disappeared in the initial releases of Skype 5 for Windows; under the correct conditions you could still have HD video calls happening but using the legacy VP71 codec that used the processor (CPU) on the caller’s PC.

This week Skype released a Skype for Windows 5 update that, amongst other issues, restored support for the H.264 processor on these two webcams and provides other improvements to the Skype video calling experience. However, it also requires a firmware upgrade on the TALK-7140 FREETALK Everyman webcam and the FaceVsion Touchcam N1.

In my limited experience, to date, with these updates, the first change I noticed was that the webcam would open up much more quickly on launching a video call. A second change is the significantly improved stability of the High Quality Video mode (640 x 480 @ >24 fps) when conditions are not appropriate for HD resolution. And, most importantly, Skype no longer crashes arbitrarily during a call. Overall a much more stable, robust and reliable video calling experience, at both High Quality Video and HD resolutions, is the outcome.

The updated FAQ for the FREETALK Everyman webcam also includes some useful information on the requirements for HD video calling:

Make sure both sender and receiver have installed the latest version of Skype for Windows; HD video is only supported by Skype for Windows 4.2 or later.[Ed.: It’s Skype for Windows 5.0.0.156 that is required to take advantage of all the upgrades.]

HD video (720p or 1280 x 720) requires an Internet connection with a minimum upload speed of 1.2 Mbps. Where there is insufficient network upload speed the Skype program will set the webcam automatically to Skype’s High Quality Video (640 x 480) with a minimum upload speed requirement of 384 Kbps, which is supported by most broadband (cable, DSL) Internet services.

Also note that there is some negotiating between the Skype program and the network that occurs when you start a Skype video call. Whereas Skype takes up to a minute for a High Quality Video call to be established, it can take up to 3 or 4 minutes (but usually ~ 2 minutes) for a video call to change over to sending HD. You will know you have achieved HD video when you see that the video image aspect ratio changes from the Standard 4:3 to HD video’s 16:9 ( in effect the image width becomes much greater than its height; it appears "more rectangular").

Other factors influencing HD video include the need for at least a dual core processor on your local PC and the RAM available. Try reducing the number of programs open, especially if you have <4GB RAM on your PC.

Skype also has a "bandwidth management" feature. Skype is constantly monitoring your network connection; should conditions degrade (due to conditions beyond Skype’s control), you may see your call drop back to High Quality Video or even lower (320 x 240 or 160 x 120). But if network conditions improve again, Skype’s bandwidth management will automatically restore better resolution all the way back to restoring HD video (when you have the other requirements for HD video).

See the Call Quality Indicator (Check Settings) to right of the "Call" and "Video Call" buttons for Call Quality information. This will give an indication of the system resources available for making calls (video or audio). See Call Quality Guide for suggestions to resolve any call issue

Bottom line: So the check points are:

Upgrade to the latest update version of Skype for Windows 5 (5.0.0.156 or later); also perform the one-time update of the supported webcam’s firmware as outlined above.
Ensure you are using a dual core processor PC and, if you have < 4GB RAM, minimize the number of open programs.
To send HD video, ensure you have a broadband Internet service with a minimum 1.2 Mbps upload speed.
To receive HD video, ensure the recipient has a minimum 1.2 Mbps download speed (not an issue for most broadband services) and is using a Skype client that supports receiving calls from a contact using the H.264 processor (Skype for Windows 4.2 or later, Skype for TV).
Be patient: It will take from 30 seconds to 4 minutes for the HD-supported webcam to switch to HD video after launching a video call; this is observable by the change of aspect ratio from 4:3 to the more rectangular 16:9 format.
With Skype for Windows 5, Skype launched an improved bandwidth management feature which can often recover optimum conditions after a deterioration of a network connection (including after a total call disconnect). This feature also recovers HD from High Quality Video after a network connection’s recovery from a degradation of connection conditions.
Note that the driver for these webcams is embedded in the webcam firmware such that no driver installation is required; just plug in the webcam (and perform the one-time update of the firmware as described above, if necessary).

Hint: I would also comment that one of the most useful improvements with Skype for Windows 5.0 has been the real time Network Connection condition indicator accessed from the revamped call bar in this version of Skype for Windows.

From it you can monitor any changing network connection conditions during a video call; and it will advise you of attempts to improve conditions and/or to reconnect a lost call. This Call Quality Indicator also allows real time monitoring of other hardware associated with supporting a Skype call.

As I gain more experience with HD video calling using these upgrades, I’ll provide further reports.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FREETALK line of Skype hardware sold via the Skype Store or freetalk.me website, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. In Store Solutions also is responsible for the shopping cart for sale of the FaceVsion webcam on the Skype Store.

Download: Skype for Windows 5.0.0.156 (skypejournal.com)
CNN uses Skype group video for call-in segment; violates Skype’s Broadcast TOS (skypejournal.com)
Skype 5 Forcing Updates (chris.pirillo.com)
WebM Video Codec in Skype 5.0 Group Video (webmproject.org)
Facetime for Mac: Adding Millions to the FaceTime User Base (voiceontheweb.biz)

Facetime for Mac: Adding Millions to the FaceTime User Base

Jim Courtney — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:06:37 +0000

Yesterday Apple released FaceTime for Mac, making its popular iPhone 4 Facetime application available to all owners of MackBooks and iMacs that are using the Snow Leopard (OS/X 10.6) operating system. Most significant about this announcement was the immediate expansion by several million of the user base who could be reached on FaceTime calls. (3.89 million Macs were sold in Apple’s most recently reported quarter.)

The limitation for video calling (and any real time communications service) has always been how many users can really use the service, given the interoperability limitations. As pointed out by former Skype CEO Josh Silverman in an interview at CES last January, when Skype launches a service, such as video calling, it is immediately available to the over 100 million active Skype users in a quarter.

Other attempts at video calling services, such as Logitech’s Vid, are limited to either other users of supported Logitech webcams or any third party offering using Logitech Vid software but there was no contact base built up to communicate with. Two or three years ago Rogers attempted to launch a wireless video calling service but nobody had the mobile handsets required to make and receive video calls; the service has at best languished. The launch of FaceTime on the Mac will certainly significantly expand the user base who can experience video calling, even if limited to WiFi or Ethernet connections.

So how does FaceTime for Mac work? Download the application from Apple’s website and install it. It will initially ask for an email address to be associated with your FaceTime for Mac. You then are given your own image along with a list of Contacts, which comes from your Mac Address Book. My initial call was to fellow blogger, Dan York, during which I found he could be accessed on his iPhone 4. I simply clicked on his mobile number and the call was made. Dan then associated his FaceTime for Mac with a personal email address and we then made a subsequent MacBook-to-MacBook call.

Orientation: on the iPhone you can change the orientation of the image simply by rotating the iPhone where its accelerometer automatically changes the orientation. On the MacBook it is necessary to mouse over your own image and a circular arrow icon will appear; click in the icon and the image goes from portrait to landscape (or vice-versa, as appropriate).

Dan has reported on our calls in Hands-On with Apple’s new FaceTime for Mac (Screenshots). He outlines three issues: How do you shut the video off? What about Windows? and the implications for Standards?

My own issue is this. FaceTime is pretty well a stand alone video calling application; it does not even link into iChat. Skype video calling is accompanied by an entire ecosystem of real time communications tools that allows concurrent chat sessions (I always like to ask if someone can take a call), file transfer, or multi-party calling. So it works when the daughter reluctantly wants to show her new braces to her Dad (watch an iPhone 4 TV ad) but there’s no chat session for sending the bill to Dad. Phil Wolff makes some interesting points in Skype beats FaceTime for Mac: 18—13.

Can you use other webcams than the Mac’s Built-in iSight webcam? Yes, I subsequently made a call to Alec Saunders using the FREETALK Everyman webcam on the MacBook Pro; it may be my personal perception but I thought it gave a better quality image, but have no evidence as to how this would have appeared at the other end.

And, as for the use of your Mac webcam for other video applications mentioned by Dan? I made some more calls that beg to differ with Dan’s thoughts on this; but that’s the subject of a separate post.

Bottom Line: FaceTime for Mac will give millions of more users the ability to experience video calling. The market usage is far from saturated and we’ll be seeing ongoing innovation such as multi-party video calling (now in Skype for Windows 5.0) and perhaps more services offering video calling on smartphones. (BlackBerry/RIM – are you following this?). Will we eventually see interoperability?

But the bottom line will be how many parties can you call using a service. The race for users has become serious. One certain call: the next version of iPad will definitely have webcam support. An obvious way to add more millions of end points for FaceTime.

Apple Fights Back In Video Chat With FaceTime for the Mac (newteevee.com)
Why FaceTime And Not iChat? (crunchgear.com)
Apple introduces FaceTime for Mac (macworld.com)
Skype beats FaceTime for Mac: 18 – 13 (skypejournal.com)

FREETALK Everyman Headset – Works with Skype on the iPad

Jim Courtney — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:42:39 +0000

Blogger colleague Dan York, Director of Conversations at Voxeo, recently ordered and received a Camera Connection kit for his iPad. In most dramatic fashion Dan shows he can break through Apple’s packaging and demonstrates two ways to transfer photos from his Nikon D90.

But wait –that’s not all! Being the geek that he is, he has to try other USB devices in the USB dongle that comes as part of the Camera Connection kit. First choice: a FREETALK Everyman USB Headset. And – it works with the Skype Test Call.

Check out Dan’s video: Emerging Tech Talk #52 – Unboxing the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit

and follow his version of “Adventures with Skype Test Calls on iPad” using the FREETALK® Everyman USB Headset. (Does anyone have a report confirming the use of the FREETALK® Wireless Stereo Headset? – imagine wireless rock, roll and rap from your iTunes library, freed from the tether of a wired headset.)

Two future expectations for iPad support from Skype:

running Skype in Background with iOS 4’s multi-tasking making Skype a true “always on” service (will this become available with the launch of iOS4 next week?), and
Skype for iPad – a version of Skype for iPhone that takes advantage of the larger iPad screen format (will this await the launch of iOS4 for iPad later this fall?).

I assume it runs with these headsets over both 3G wireless and WiFi delivering the crystal clear sound of Skype’s SILK codec. Andy called me from an iPad when we did the freeway-to-freeway calling two weeks ago reported in the post linked in this paragraph.

And corroborating Dan’s success using the FREETALK Everyman USB Headset is Steve Garfield over at “Off On A Tanget”: Skype Voice Calls Work on iPad with Freetalk Everyman Headset.

Both the FREETALK Everyman USB Headset and the FREETALK Wireless Stereo Headset are available at the Skype Store. Don’t forget this configuration also requires the iPad Camera Connection kit which Dan appears to have ordered from the Apple store on the Internet.

Extrapolating from a number released of 100,000 sold in the last five months of 2009, it would appear to be safe to assume that over 150,000 FREETALK Everyman Headsets have been sold since its launch last July; some other posts linking to blogger reviews:

FREETALK® Everyman USB Headset: The Bloggers Speak Out
FREETALK® Everyman uSB Headset: From Twitterville and More Bloggers
FREETALK Everyman USB Headset for Skype: A Reprise (includes a video demonstration by jkontherun’s Kevin Tofel)

FREETALK Customer Support is available for any questions re your order and using these headsets.

Note: while Dan has demonstrated that the FREETALK Everyman USB Headset works with the iPad, it should also mean that any Skype-certified USB headset should also work for this configuration.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FREETALK line of Skype hardware, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

FreeTalk Wireless Stereo Headset: A June Special from In Store Solutions (voiceontheweb.biz)
Voice and Chat over iPad: Skype and Truphone Fill the Gap (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype’s SILK Codec: Working Towards Adoption as a Standard (voiceontheweb.biz)
iPad Camera Connection Kit Enables USB Headset, Keyboard Support (magicaltablet.com)
Apple launches ‘Find My iPhone’ app to remotely wipe and find your lost treasure (engadget.com)

Skype on Mobile over 3G: A Skype Video Calling First Experience

Jim Courtney — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:16:33 +0000

This morning I received a chat message from TechCraver’s Jason Harris asking if I would take a video call. Little did I realize that this was not going to be a normal HD Skype video call like our last one.

Jason is a fan of the Nokia N900 mobile computer which has always supported Skype voice and chat; he had just downloaded the PR 1.2 version of firmware and learned that it included support for Skype video.

So he called me; I answered on my Skype for Windows 4.2 client and found that it was initiating a Skype video call. Very shortly Jason appeared in full motion video using the N900’s front facing camera with VGA resolution. Occasionally the picture froze but quickly recovered. At my end I was using the new FREETALK Everyman HD webcam.

Here’s what impressed:

coming from such a small device the video quality was certainly acceptable – from the Call Technical Info I was receiving him at 320 x 240 resolution
the call was supported by the G729 voice codec, the same voice codec used by the currently available version of Skype for iPhone.
the N900 was using a H264 video codec sending me 320 x 240 at 14 fps – obviously embedded in the new firmware (if not in earlier firmware);
My video was also going out over the H264 video processor embedded in the Everyman HD at 160 x 120 resolution at 19 fps. When you look at the image Jason was receiving you can see why it would be at such a low resolution.
the call was being handled at his end by T-Mobile’s 3G network

Now the Skype for Windows Call Quality Indicator was showing a poor quality network connection; that has to be a result of the 3G wireless end as I had just completed an HD video call to Europe with its demands for a minimum 1.2 Mbps upload speed.

Bottom line: For personal video calling this certainly is a good start. As mentioned in a previous post we should be seeing such calling on the iPhone (and iPad) later this year. It certainly has to open the question as to whether Skype is now developing a Skype video calling feature for Skype for iPhone (especially given the new features available in iPhone OS 4.0, such as multi-tasking). And will the new version of iPhone support H264 video codecs?

And my thanks to Jason for asking me to participate in this quasi-history making 3G mobile Skype call.

Skype for iPad Coming This Summer (macstories.net)
Skype on iPhone OS 4: Incoming Calls But, Mysteriously, 3G Lags (wired.com)
Voice and Chat over iPad: Skype and Truphone Fill the Gap (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Mobile – Now Focusing a True Skype User Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)
Coming Real Soon Now: Skype for iPhone over 3G (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype’s SILK Codec: Working Towards Adoption as a Standard (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype mobile on Verizon Launch: It’s About the User Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Windows 4.2: Enhancing the Skype Call Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Apple iPhone OS4 (skypejournal.com)

It’s Been a Week for New Skype Video Experiences

Jim Courtney — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:08:49 +0000

Over the past week I have been experimenting with two relatively new features that build out the Skype video experience:

HD video using the recently released FREETALK® TALK-7140 HD webcam and Skype for Windows 4.2
Skype Group calling using the beta release of Skype for Windows 5.0

FREETALK^® TALK-7140 HD Webcam

At a price point that makes it attractive even for Skype High Quality Video calls (VGA resolution @ 30 fps), the FREETALK^® TALK-7140 HD Webcam:

Enhances the video image quality to HD’s 720p resolution at frame rates up to 22 fps, provided the Sender has sufficient Internet upload bandwidth (>1.2 Mbps).
Requires 30 seconds to four minutes at the beginning of a call to come up to HD resolution; after some initial “network negotiation” by the connecting software the aspect ratio changes from 4: 3 to HD’s 16:9.
Works with Skype’s High Quality Video calling where end point conditions do not provide sufficient bandwidth for HD calling.
Falls back to lower resolutions when network conditions degrade as a result of Skype’s network bandwidth adaptation feature that adjusts video resolution to network conditions. But the image will self-restore to the maximum resolution if the network conditions recover and return to improved quality.
Is Skype certified for HD Video and High Quality Video calling.
Is recognized as a webcam by MacBooks and iMacs; however, currently will only operate on MacBooks at up to VGA resolution at up to 30 fps until Skype releases a new version of Skype for Mac that supports HD video calling.

The image to the right comes from a half hour, two-way HD call with TechCraver’s Jason Harris who had an upload speed in excess of 4Mbps while I was supported by a network upload speed of 1.8Mbps using Rogers recently introduced DOCSIS 3.0 Ultimate service (50 Mbps download, 2 Mbps upload). Expanding the image to a full screen display (22” in my case) gives a close-to-Telepresence experience.

Note that if only one Sender on a one-to-one video call has the upload speed to support sending HD video, the recipient, if also using Skype for Windows 4.2 or later, will be able to receive and view the full 720p HD image provided his/her download speed is above 1.2 Mbps – well below the download bandwidth maximum for most broadband Internet services.

So this brings up the issue of upload bandwidth speeds available to consumers. Om Malik had something to say on this subject in a recent post, Faster Upstream Speeds for Cable Broadband:

U.S. cable companies expect that by 2015, nearly 100 million of the nation’s homes will be able to send data upstream at speeds of around 20 Mbps. This will eventually be followed by further upgrades to 50 Mbps, by way of enhancements to DOCSIS 3.0 tech. That compares to current upstream speeds of 6-28 Mbps (shared).

So we don’t need to wait for Fibre-to-the-Home if you’re on cable. As mentioned above, Rogers now offers a 50Mbps download/2 Mbps upload DOCSIS 3.0 service for which they recently reduced the price by 1/3 to under $100 per month with a 175 GB/month cap. Bell Canada is introducing a 25/7 fibre-to-the-home service for $54 per month but with only a 75 GB cap; their current issue is coverage. Whereas it’s available in central Toronto, there is only limited availability around the suburban Toronto area. In the U.S., where available, Comcast is offering DOCSIS 3.0 services with up to 10 Mbps upload speeds but have services at 2 and 3 Mbps upload as well; also Verizon offers its FIOS Fibre-to-the-Home service. This scenario recalls the era ten years ago when broadband Internet services were rolling out sporadically over a three to four year period.

I’m still experimenting with the HD webcam and will have a more complete report once I have experience with a wider range of user endpoint conditions. The TALK-7140 HD webcam is available at the Skype Store.

Skype Multi-Party Video Chat (beta!)

In a separate post I’ll deal with Skype Multi-Party Video Calling; in the meantime check out Phil Wolff’s posts on this subject at Skype Journal and Andy Abramson begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting’s Skype Multi Party Video Makes Others A Thing of The Past at VoIP Watch. As shown in one of Phil’s posts, I participated in a five party call for about fifteen minutes simply to ensure I had a configuration where it would work.

Caveat: Skype for Windows 5.0 is still beta software and needs user feedback and some work prior to any final release; it’s not suitable for ongoing production use at this time.

Bottom line: we’re seeing how far video calling can be pushed with respect to video resolution and multi-party video chat sessions; it’s still early days. For full realization of the potential of video calling we need implementation of faster Internet services for both consumers and SMB’s with reasonable pricing. Also we need more experience and development of the underlying video calling software and hardware, especially when it comes to the User Interface. In the meantime VGA resolution video calling (High Quality Video) remains a quite acceptable user experience – especially when it’s free.

Some posts from the High Quality Video launch in late 2007:

Time Warner Cable to Boost Broadband in Texas, Ohio and New York? (gigaom.com)
AT&T’s U-verse gets 24Mbps downloads (news.cnet.com)
Skype for Windows 4.2: Enhancing the Skype Call Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)
CableLabs announces 5Gbps cable data technology (feldmanfile.blogspot.com)

Voice and Chat over iPad: Skype and Truphone Fill the Gap

Jim Courtney — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:14:02 +0000

Launch of the iAttaché (woops, iPad) has certainly generated lots of social media coverage: blogs, Twitter and Facebook are full of comments and reviews. 300,000 sold; over a million Apps downloaded, etc. Since it’s not available yet for Canadians (except those who made the trip to Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago and Seattle, for instance, last weekend) I cannot comment yet on the user experience; however, it appears that iAttaché is still a valid description of this appliance (sorry, folks, it’s not a computer and it’s not an iPod! – I’ll have more to say in a separate post).

Apple left out the “Phone” application for a reason: iPad is not a suitable form factor for consumers experienced with traditional handset-size (smart)phone devices. But I have received voice calls and engaged in chat discussions via acquaintances who have been using Skype for iPhone on the iPad. In addition Truphone was first out of the blocks to launch a VoIP client specifically for the iPad.

As for Skype running on the iPad:

It runs the legacy Skype for iPhone application with an option to view it in “double resolution” mode applicable to running all iPhone apps on the iPad.
Skype has released, via the App store, an interim upgrade that addresses a couple of “iPad teething problems”. (Downloaded it to my iPhone this morning.)
Skype intends to release an iPad-specific version that makes better use of the additional real estate available on the iPad’s larger display; this would be especially useful for chat sessions.

Questions:

Will the Skype for iPad release be accompanied by the forthcoming release of Skype for iPhone that incorporates the Skype SILK codec to take full advantage of the associated voice quality?
Will AT&T’s network be sufficiently robust to run Skype for iPad reliably over 3G?
Leaving Skype for iPhone open on my iPhone will drain the battery within three to four hours; how much will Skype for iPad impact the iPad’s acclaimed and confirmed much longer battery life? (In this regard, the lack of multi-tasking probably will act as a governor on battery consumption as soon as one goes to another iPad application).

As for Truphone for iPad, John Biggs has a video over at Crunch Gear and concludes:

The app worked quite well and if you’ve used it on the iPod Touch you’re familiar with the call quality – standard – and ease of use – standard. It’s great for making quick calls from abroad, however, and until Skype goes iPad we’re kind of stuck with it.

Obviously this doesn’t match a real calling application that I doubt will be included in the 3G version of the iPad. However, for calls in a pinch this is a great solution.

One final comment and an unabashed plug for the FreeTalk Everyman headset: using the iPad’s native speakers for voice conversations will make your session “public” to anyone within hearing distance. Should you wish more privacy or not to annoy those nearby you, use the FreeTalk Everyman for Skype’s 3.5 mm speaker jack plugged into the iPad. You’ll still need to use the iPad mic and there’s no need to reset any Audio settings since it’s simply the speaker output being used.

Bottom line: Skype and Truphone will allow users to determine the conditions and market size under which they wish to conduct voice and chat conversations using the iPad as an end point device. And it sure fits as one more device for Skype Everywhere.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FreeTalk Everyman headset, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

Who Says The iPad Cannot Be Used As A Phone?!? (geardiary.com)
Truphone for iPad Turns Your Tablet Into a TabletPhone (techcrunch.com)
Boingo Adds An “Apple Wireless” Option for WiFi-on-the-Go (voiceontheweb.biz)
Reprise: Is WiFi Becoming the Unregulated Stealth Carrier of the Future? (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for iPhone 1.3 Released (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Mobile – Now Focusing a True Skype User Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype’s SILK Codec: Working Towards Adoption as a Standard (voiceontheweb.biz)

FREETALK® Everyman Headset: The Referrals Continue

Jim Courtney — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:00:09 +0000

While it was introduced last August and it was reported in January that over 100,000 have been sold worldwide, the FREETALK^® Everyman headset continues to receive mention on the web. Two recent items:

Inc.com: Technology for the Virtual CEO referenced the FREETALK Everyman as its choice of headset:

A Skype headset will give you better sound quality than a landline phone, not to mention the use of both hands. We like the Freetalk Everyman.

Dee over at Cocktails with Mom gives the FREETALK Everyman a review with some interesting comments on the overall design (yes, my own headset has stood the test of many trips in a briefcase):

It uses a USB connection, but allows you to disconnect the speakers in order to connect the headset to any MP3 player or phone that supports a 3.5mm jack! The speakers rotate and fold up into the headset which is great when you’re on the go because it doesn’t take up much space in a suitcase or laptop bag. The design actually seems to protect the headset in the sense that it makes it less likely to break simply because it is so compact. It folds totally flat. (Very nice!) I have broken many headsets along the part leading down to the speakers! Or, maybe that is one of those things I can blame on my kids. The microphone is completely flexible. It can be bent, folded, twisted, turned… you can position it any way you like and it swivels 360 degrees so you can have it on the left or right side of your face.

As of this writing there are only nine entrants to her contest, ending April 12, 2010 for her U.S. readers to receive five headsets. (Full disclosure: note that, as she solicits products to give away to help promote her blog, she was supplied with the prizes but received no monetary compensation for her review.)

Click here for other posts tagged with FreeTalk Everyman, including several others that link to reviews of the headset.

The Freetalk Wireless Headset (phoneboy.com)
FREETALK Everyman Headset for Skype: A Reprise (voiceontheweb.biz)
FREETALK Everyman: Techland Review includes Audio Quality Test (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype’s SILK Codec: Working Towards Adoption as a Standard (voiceontheweb.biz)
Blabbelon: New Directions for Applying VoIP Technology (voiceontheweb.biz)

Skype’s SILK Codec: Working Towards Adoption as a Standard

Jim Courtney — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:20:36 +0000

With the release of Skype 4.0 for Windows beta 3 a year ago February, Skype first introduced their superwideband SILK codec. A month later at eComm 2009, Jonathan Christensen announced SILK’s availability for third party partners with royalty free licensing of the SILK codec. Since then it has been incorporated into all subsequent releases of Skype for Windows 4.x, Skype for Mac 2.8 and Skype for Linux. Recently Skype announced that the SILK codec will be supported in the next release of Skype for iPhone.

What does the SILK bring? Basically the best quality “in-your-head” audio available for voice conversations. To recall Jonathan Christensen’s highlights at the time the SILK codec was first introduced, the focus was on:

improving the audio bandwidth out to 12,000 Hz (12KHz)

providing bandwidth management to deal in real time with degraded network conditions

balancing the codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience

overall robustness to provide a more consistent user experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual caller’s voice signature.

From a user perspective, one will notice crisper conversations, easier interpretation of accents and an overall high quality “in-your-head” voice experience.

But there have been other consequences of SILK’s availability:

The FREETALK Everyman Headset for Skype ensures that users get the full benefit of SILK by providing an audio chip that effectively replaces the PC’s native audio chip to bring consistently the full benefits of the audio quality available with SILK.
Similarly the more recently introduced FREETALK Freedom Wireless Stereo Headset also supports SILK’s audio bandwidth.
A push-to-talk offering, Blabbelon, which provides the ability for gamers to communicate in a multi-party voice algorithm used by gamers, has incorporated the SILK codec, setting a new standard for gaming voice sessions.

But here’s the bigger picture: in order to have a voice conversation that takes full advantage of SILK, the end points of the conversation must incorporate the SILK codec and the telecom infrastructure must support the transmission of SILK conversations.

The three Skype clients make this possible for end-to-end Skype-to-Skype calls between PC’s (and iPhones with the next Skype for iPhone release);
Invoking SILK in Blabbelon by default results in every call participant’s taking full advantage of SILK since it is incorporated into the SILK client.

Incorporation into Skype for iPhone will only take advantage of SILK should the other party also be on a Skype client. But:

SILK is not currently supported in the recently released Skype for Symbian.
Nor will it be used in the Skype clients being developed for use by Verizon customers due to the need to link the user’s smartphone to Verizon’s Skype gateway using the underlying 3G wireless voice channel.
SILK cannot be invoked on SkypeOut calls to the PSTN.
Nor is it supported yet on any other third party smartphone or other end point handset or phoneset hardware.

And therein lies the challenge: how does one propagate SILK such that it becomes available beyond the Skype and Blabbelon worlds? Skype has taken the first step by making the SILK codec available royalty-free and publishing the source code. However, for broadest adoption it needs to become a recognized international standard.

Recently Skype has been working with the IETF’s “CODEC Working Group” as one candidate to be considered in the working group’s effort to identify and standardize a superwideband audio codec that could be widely used across IP-based conversations. In a “Speaking of Standards” post earlier today, Skype releases source code for SILK super wideband audio codec – the details…, Voxeo’s Dan York has provided an excellent detailed background, including both the political and technical considerations leading up to the adoption of such a codec as an IETF standard for interoperability across service providers and end point software and hardware suppliers. He concludes with:

Still to be seen is if there are any additional licensing terms from Skype, but overall this is a great step forward for those of us who want to see better overall audio quality on the Internet. Obviously it’s in Skype’s interest to do this so that the CODEC WG might consider SILK as the codec to standardize on versus the others or creating a new one… but still… it’s great to see. What do you all think?

And it sure helps Skype’s case that Skype has recently hired executives who have IETF working group experience such as Director of Developer Relations, Jason Frischl and Chief Technology Strategist Dr. Julian Rosenberg.

Bottom Line: Ever since the launch of SILK, it’s very noticeable when one is not on a SILK call. SILK can bring significant business productivity advantages when there’s less of “can you repeat that?” or simply misunderstanding of the speaking party. It makes everyone in the family more readily understood during those grandparent Skype video calls. It’s all about improving the end user experience.

There are many efforts to incorporate “wideband (8 Khz)” HD Voice into the telecom infrastructure. GIPS has some excellent wideband codecs; Jeff Pulver is running HD Voice conferences. While HD Voice is definitely an improvement on today’s standard PSTN voice calls it is not up to the quality of SILK-supported calls.

However, spreading SILK’s quality of conversation requires not only the appropriate hardware or client software, as described above, but also support of SILK in the telecom back end infrastructure. Having a standard that every player making the conversation connection possible can work towards would be a major step forward in “clearing up the conversation” when on a voice call.

Update: Skype’s Jonathan Christensen provides an update summary about the SILK codec in his Skype blog post “Advances in audio”. He reiterates the focus he described a year ago:

improving audio bandwidth going from 8 kHz to 12 kHz, meaning that a SILK conversation sounds like you are in the same room as the person you are speaking with
providing real-time bandwidth scalability to deal with degraded network conditions
balancing codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience
delivering a robust solution that delivers a more consistent audio experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual’s voice signature

FREETALK Everyman: Techland Review includes Audio Quality Test

Jim Courtney — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:19:02 +0000

Seems like Techland reviewer Doug Aamoth finally found a replacement for his vintage keyboard headset (what museum did he borrow that intro headset from?). For an entertaining review of the FREETALK Everyman watch the video:

And in his review you’ll find an audio comparison of the audio quality between FREETALK Everyman and another popular headset. His conclusion:

Bottom line: If you’re a Skype user and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a fancy headset, there’s not too much to think about with the Freetalk Everyman Headset priced at $23.

For other blogger and Twitter feedback check out:

And for a description of the FREETALK Everyman: FREETALK® Everyman for Skype: Not “Just Another Headset”!

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

FREETALK’s New Webcam Product Line: Delivering 720p HD to Skype Video Calling

Jim Courtney — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:33:33 +0000

At CES 2010 last week In Store Solutions announced they will be adding three webcams to its FREETALK^® product line that set new standards for video calling hardware.

The primary service goal for these webcams is to support up to 30 frames per second transmission over Internet services available via widely deployed broadband (cable and DSL) connections. Here’s a summary of the specs that have been developed incorporating features requested by Skype while contributing to a robust, reliable, user-friendly video calling experience:

Product	FREETALK^® HQ Everyman Webcam TALK-710x	FREETALK^® HD Webcam TALK-7140	FREETALK^® HD PRO PLUS TALK-7181

Maximum Resolution and Frame Rate	VGA: 640 x 480 @ 30fps	720p: 1280 x 720 @22fps VGA: 640 x 480 @ 30fps	720p: 1280 x 720 @22fps VGA: 640 x 480 @ 30fps
Sensor	1 megapixel HQ 24-bit true color	5 megapixel HD 24-bit true color	5 megapixel HD 24-bit true color
Microphones Range	0 n/a	0 n/a	4 using Skype’s beam forming algorithm 4 meters
Video compression	via PC’s CPU	On board	On board
High performance Optical Lens	Yes	Yes	Yes
Auto Exposure and Auto White Balance	Yes	Yes	Yes
Focus	Auto	Auto and Manual	Auto and Manual
Target Audience	One-to-one video calling	One-to-one video calling Multi-party video	“One-to-one” video conferencing (larger room)
Minimum CPU	Dual Core	1.8 GHz Dual Core	1.8 GHz Dual Core
Upload bandwidth required	384 kbps	1.2 Mbps for 720p 384 kbps for VGA	1.2 Mbps for 720p 384 kbps for VGA
Skype Version	Skype for Windows 4.2	Skype for Windows 4.2 (one-to-one) Skype for Win 5.0 beta (multi-party)	Skype for Windows 4.2
Target Price (subject to change)	$40	$70	$140
Availability	July 2010 on the Skype Store	May 5, 2010 on the Skype Store	July 2010 on the Skype Store

Notes:

This table has been updated to reflect changes in webcam specifications as of the launch date for shipping the TALK-7140 HD webcam, May 5, 2010.
While all three cameras will support High Quality Video calling on Windows, Mac and Linux at VGA resolution, only Skype for Windows 4.2 will support 720p HD calling on the HD webcams.
A 1.2 Mbps network speed is required to both send and receive video; the real challenge with this requirement is the scarcity of Internet users whose upload speed meets this requirement. Receiving HD video, even if you can’t send HD video, is still possible for download speeds > 1.2Mpbs.
Should an HD webcam encounter network conditions that do not fully support HD video calling, they will revert to support of either High Quality Video at its VGA (640×480) resolution if conditions permit or even lower resolution if conditions degrade further.
The FREETALK Everyman HD Webcam also requires either a FREETALK Everyman Headset for Skype (or equivalent) or use of Skype’s echo canceling feature on PC’s with an internal mic and speakers.

And to clarify the video calling terminology:

High Quality Video refers to the VGA (640 x 480) video calling offered by Skype on Skype for Windows in November 2007.
HD (High Definition) Video calling refers to the 720p (1280 x 720) video calling announced at CES 2010 and initially to be available in May 2010 in Skype for Windows 4.2 (currently in beta).

Bottom line: the FreeTalk-7140 Everyman HD webcam allows a much broader public to take advantage of Skype’s High Quality video at a lower hardware price point; the 7140 and 7181 will establish the benchmark for the emerging world of HD video calling not only on PC’s but also TV’s.

First Skype HD webcams from In Store Solutions detailed (engadget.com)
Skype 4.2 Supports 1280 x 720 HD Video Calls (shankrila.com)
Skype Starting To Support 720p HD Video Calls (ghacks.net)
Skype 4.2 Beta Makes HD-Quality Video Calls (lifehacker.com)
GIPS Explains Its Positioning in HD Voice and Video (voiceontheweb.biz)

FREETALK Everyman USB Headset for Skype: A Reprise

Jim Courtney — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:37:39 +0000

Since its launch in late July, 2009 tens of thousands of FREETALK Everyman Headsets for Skype have been distributed around the world. Its unique combination of superwideband audio support, flat-fold design and stereo plug adapter to become an iPod, iPhone and/or Blackberry speaker headset have provided a superb listening experience whether taking advantage of Skype’s SILK codec on a PC-based call or listening to your iPhone’s iPod player during a flight (as the author is doing as he drafts this post).

As a steady user of both the FREETALK Everyman or FREETALK Freedom Wireless Stereo headset, both set new standards for voice quality on Skype conversations as well as listening to music or podcasts whether at home, in the office or in a mobile environment.

Kevin Tofel at jkontherun, a blog about mobile devices and experiences, sums it up best in his video:

Dave Cryer at UK-based Geekanoids has also provided an excellent video demonstration of the package and many features on You Tube.

In other recent posts Jonathan Jensen at The Really Mobile Project says, in First Look: FREETALK Everyman headset for Skype,

Build quality and comfort are good, considering the price point of the headset. I was amazed how light it is and would happily wear it for a couple of hours at a time.

Jeb Briliant at aBrilliantBlog writes:

The Everyman Skype headset is fantastic. It’s a basic stereo headset with a boom mic but it’s much more then that. I’m no audiophile but I know this, it sounds great on every single call I’ve used it for. It’s light, small and packs easily into a travel bag. I’ve taken it on a few trips now and it’s treated me quite well.

Check out earlier feedback posted on Voice On The Web at:

Compact Audio: Yamaha USB Microphone Speaker Opens New Experiences for Road Warriors and Personal Offices (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype Launches “Real Canadian Skype Store” (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype: the “Unofficial” Personal Communications Software for the 2010 Winter Olympics? (voiceontheweb.biz)

Blabbelon: New Directions for Applying VoIP Technology

Jim Courtney — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:38:10 +0000

At eComm Spring 2009, Skype executive Jonathan Christensen announced that their recently released SILK codec would be available to third parties royalty-free. Two weeks ago at eComm Europe phonefromhere.com’s Tim Panton gave a presentation “Deploying the SILK codec, How and Why” where he discussed two projects where he was involved in embedding Skype’s SILK codec into a voice-enabled service under projects managed by Dean Elwood’s Voxygen product and services deployment company. From the overview for the presentation:

SILK’s royalty free licensing combined with it’s non-TDM heritage allow us to focus on the user and what they have available instead of obsessing about attempting to manage the network.

Last week came a press release announcing the beta release of Blabbelon, the first browser-based voice chat and push-to-talk tool targeted initially at the Internet gaming market.

As communication companies continue to look for new ways to generate revenue with VoIP applications, keep current customers and lure new ones, Blabbelon enters the market and completely changes the rules of the VoIP game. The first browser-based VoIP chat tool using Skype’s SILK super wideband audio codec, as well as one of the first massively multi-user VoIP services, Blabbelon can handle thousands of simultaneous users at a fraction of the cost per user of other traditional services. Blabbelon provides a platform for a wide variety of users such as: gamers securely competing in team-based quests; businesses running 7,000 person global conference calls; or grandparents taunting grandkids over a game of Facebook Scrabble.

I spent some time yesterday in a Blabbelon session with Dean to experience the service in action. Out of this session came the following points:

Push-to-talk voice sessions comprise a common feature of Internet gaming sessions; however, Blabbelon brings a new level of ease-of-implementation and ease-of-use, with the goal of having a simplicity of adoption similar to what Skype experienced because you simply installed it and started calling and talking.
In fact, being browser-based means there is no download required. Once a session leader has launched a Blabbelon session s/he simply needs to distribute a URL to other participants in a game to allow them to join the session.
It’s push-to-talk but there is a hierarchy established to manage who has “talking” rights. The entire experience of having a discussion is very similar to CB Radio or a “direct connect” two-way radio service where, with the simple push of a button, one can speak instantly to a designated team of participants in an activity, such as a construction project.
Blabbelon sessions can scale up to more than 7,000 users in a low cost business model. In fact their press release talks about its being ideal for online auctions. Is this the style of voice service that Meg Whitman should have acquired for eBay instead of Skype?
Use of the SILK codec certainly supplies a crystal clear sound while using a minimal amount of bandwidth – very important for gaming sessions that can become very CPU intensive. Again from the press release:

Users can run Blabbelon in their Web browser, while simultaneously using other online applications – with no impact on their overall network performance, since Skype’s SILK codec was designed to use approximately 50 percent less network bandwidth than previously required, while delivering improved richness in audio quality.”
As for the initial target market:

Blabbelon will initially focus on a core audience of the millions of online gamers and players of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft (WoW). The combination of Blabbelon’s technology and features and the SILK codec provides a perfect tool for this market, which, because of the cooperative nature of games, needs a no-download, high-quality, secure, reliable and scalable voice chat.

More background from the press release:

Blabbelon was created by a team led by CEO Ed Ikeguchi, former co-founder of Medidata Solutions (Nasdaq: MDSO); Dean Elwood, CEO of telecom provider Voxygen Limited and chief technology strategist of Blabbelon; and Rowena Rubio, CMO and former systems analyst.

Available immediately [as a beta offering] from www.blabbelon.com, Blabbelon is hosted by Rackspace, ensuring the highest levels of chat stability, quality, security and reliability. Blabbelon offers 100 percent uptime through Rackspace’s worldwide network and zero downtime guarantees.

Bottom Line: Blabbelon opens new directions for the application of VoIP technology and the SILK codec. It’s not a voice conversation service along the lines of traditional telephony. Yet it brings new ease-of-use and voice quality to a market that has been poorly served by current offerings. Of course listening to Dean on Blabbelon using a FreeTalk Everyman for Skype headset with its inherent support of the SILK codec ensured that the full benefit of the voice quality available from SILK was experienced.

Blabbelon launches free voice chat for online gamers (games.venturebeat.com)
Blabbelon.com – Use Your Voice In Your Favorite Games (killerstartups.com)
Blabellon, the net’s CB Radio. (saunderslog.com)

Demythifying the Skype Developer Story

Jim Courtney — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:28:15 +0000

On Friday the Skype Developer Blog posted a blog announcing the end of the Skype Extras program in what amounts to two stages:

Immediately: No new partner programs or upgrades will be placed into the Skype Extras
Going forward: Skype Extras will remain available via the Skype for Windows client until their certification expires (which may be up to a year).

Effectively, Skype has admitted that the Skype Extras program has not been a great success as a marketing tool. “Despite the incredible breadth of Extras developed for Skype, simply not enough people were using them to justify our continued support of the Extras programme.”

However, as indicated by a Skype Software Partner’s tweet above, Skype’s developer support will be continuing. Why?

In the same announcement, it was stated that the Skype Public API’s and their documentation remain available; more importantly, it was stated that “Skype will continue to support accessories via the Public API.”

But the uniformed media fallout has been attempting to put “doom and gloom” for Skype developer activities going forward. However, had Skype personnel worked with their PR agency who has been very adept at educating both mainstream media and bloggers with the background on Skype announcements, this “doom and gloom” cloud could have been avoided. (No press release was issued; so we have to assume Skype’s PR agency was not consulted.) Some of this “missing” information is in my recent post: “Skype Extras” Is Dead; Long Live the Skype API’s!.

Here are some of the myths that have resulted along with some of the facts that dispel them:

Myth: GigaOm: Skype kills its developer ecosystem: While it is true that “if you put your lot with Skype then you are on your own” for the marketing aspect of a software partner’s offering, the Skype API’s are not going away. And Skype is finally reviewing how it can work best with developers. Some considerations:

Last fall, Skype announced the appointment of Daniel Berg as Chief Technology Officer. In the spring they announced the appointment of former Counterpath CTO Jason Fischl as Director of Developer Relations heading up the Skype Developer Program. Maybe their silence to date says something about their evaluation of the previous Skype developer activity and their need to take time to articulate an overall Skype platform within which the Skype SDK and Skype API’s will be playing a role. Most importantly, my network’s jungle drums say they are still very active within Skype.
Check out this job opening for a Platform Release Manager that starts out with “You will be responsible for planning and releasing each new version of the Skype SDK used as part of the upcoming Platform strategy.”
The Skype post itself ended with: “we still believe there are opportunities for third-party developers to enhance the Skype experience”.

As implied in the OnState tweet above, and confirmed by my own conversations with other Skype partners, we should be looking forward to new enhancements to the Skype Developer Program and the Skype SDK. But maybe Skype should have filled in media and bloggers with this information via their PR network instead of bluntly announcing the end of a support program with no offsetting information.

Myth: Skype is eating its software partners. Andy Abramson, VoIP Watch, Skype Shutting Down Extras Program: “Skype will begin offering more services that are labelled as Skype vs from third parties”. What this really should read is:

Skype will begin offering more services expanding on its core “conversation” technology expertise and will be looking to third parties to complement their core services by incorporating Skype into offerings that leverage the individual partners’ unique expertise.

For instance:

Skype for Asterisk (developed by Skype partner Digium) and Skype for SIP will be integrating Skype’s calling and presence functionality into “legacy” platforms as they evolve the Skype for Business program. Expect to hear more at Christopher Dean’s talk at Fall VON next week in Miami.
As initially indentified by Phil, the Skype Jobs listings include some for a new “Skype Labs” location:

Skype Labs is a new R&D center located in the Bay Area focused on next generation technologies for Skype which will be applicable over the next one to five years. The initial areas of work will include security, signaling and call control for audio, video and presence, p2p and collaboration.
However, OnState brings decades of call center experience into their Call Center – an application for which Skype has neither the experience nor bandwidth to develop. (Full disclosure: the author is involved with a new small business that will be using OnState’s Call Center as a paying customer.)
PamFax brings a simple five or six step process for sending faxes worldwide from any PC. Having followed the development of this service over the past two years, they have built a system that solves the basic faxing problem in a user friendly, yet highly secure, manner. Once again Skype has neither the expertise nor bandwidth to address this issue. (And Scendix, PamFax’s developer who was the only third party using Skype Credits to any extent, has already made plans for other payment services when they launched version 2.0 last spring).
Looking at Skype Jobs, one finds the engineering jobs are focused on evolving Skype’s core functionality: video codecs, video QA engineer, audio components, director of mobile engineering, etc.
The Product Manager – Applications job description includes responsibility for:
- Extras like call recording and faxing. (Is Skype going to make an offer for veteran Skype software partner Scendix?)
- Partner integrations with CRM, Security, Collaboration and similar applications (insert Call Center here).

Bottom line:

Recent Skype successes include their High Quality Video (nobody has duplicated their ability to do VGA-standard video calling over standard broadband connections) and the SILK codec for higher quality Skype-to-Skype voice calling.
Expect a multi-party video conferencing service, improved audio and video services and hardware (for instance, finding partners such as client In Store Solutions whose FREETALK Everyman headset addresses an identified end user issue with respect to call quality in a user-friendly way).
Skype will continue to seek out partners, such as Scendix (Pamela and PamFax), Digium, Skylook (CRM), OnState and InnerPass (document management), who incorporate Skype into a range of business services where the partner has significant expertise that can complement Skype’s core conversation technologies via their API’s (both existing and future).
Skype’s current Partners are seeing business success:
- Unyte and VAPPS have been acquired by IBM’s Lotus Sametime Division and Citrix Online respectively
- OnState is finding its Call Center offering stealthing into larger enterprises due to not only its feature set but also its cost saving
- PamFax 2.0 has been a most successful launch; Pamela 4.6 was recently launched with video recording.
- InnerPass has had over 1 million version 1.0 downloads since January. Watch this space for future announcements.
Statements to the effect that “Skype is abandoning/axing its developer partners” are a myth; once more it’s a case of Skype’s managing their communications onto the blogger space. Memo to Skype: Work with your PR agency (who has done an excellent job over the past two years) and the complete message can get out.

Question: What should Skype really be doing for developer support programs going forward? A recent TechCrunch post by Michael Arrington, some of Andy’s other comments and some comments in Skype Journal’s Skype 5.x Public Chat (Phil’s rushing it – this was the Skype 4.x Public Chat until a week ago) provide some hints. A post will follow.

P.S. – Do you have communications technology and/or marketing experience? It seems like Skype is doing its part to stimulate the economy. Check out the Skype Job Vacancies page where, today, over 60 job openings are listed (some listings are actually for multiple hires).

Skype closes its Extras program for developers (infoworld.com)
Skype Pulls Plug On Third-Party Extras Program (paidcontent.org)
Skype retiring third-party Extras (download.cnet.com)
Skype killing off Extras, developer program (downloadsquad.com)
Skype retiring third-party Extras (news.cnet.com)
Skype Shuts Down Extras and Its Developer Program (readwriteweb.com)
Skype: No More Extras! (mashable.com)
Skype’s Stefan Öberg @ Interop: Stealthing Skype Into Business, But Cover the Entire Skype Ecosystem (voiceontheweb.biz)
Stealthing Skype into Larger Businesses (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Asterisk Release Marries Skype Calling into Popular Asterisk PBX Platform (voiceontheweb.biz)

Skype Launches “Real Canadian Skype Store”

Jim Courtney — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:56:46 +0000

Skype launches a Canadian Skype store customized to the Canadian market.

When Skype began working with hardware vendor partners a few years ago, it also realized there was an opportunity for revenue generation by hosting a store where a Skype user could purchase Skype Certified headsets, phones and webcams. However, it also quickly became apparent that operating a multi-national retail web-based store came with the logistics challenges of delivering atoms (as opposed to bits), collecting revenue in multiple currencies and as well as inventory management, warehousing, shipping and “local” customs agencies and their rules. Not to mention that every political jurisdiction likes to collect its taxes.

Over the past year Skype has been quietly overhauling its Skype Stores on a country-by-country basis. Skype came up with a strategy that involved working with country-based shopping comparison sites who would, in turn, introduce shoppers to products as well as with In Store Solutions who have been developing their own “In Store Solutions” stores that now supports 40 currencies across 67 countries. The Skype Store for 21 countries (U.S., U.K., Australia, several western European countries and several Latin American countries) comprises both a shopping comparison site shop and an In Store Solutions shop whereas In Store Solutions is the sole Skype Store shop in 47 additional countries including Japan.

The shopping comparison sites facilitate purchase of products from vendors such as Logitech, Plantronics, Netgear, Belkin and Polycom while In Store Solutions sells their FREETALK line of headsets (FREETALK Everyman and FREETALK Wireless Stereo Headset) and the FREETALK Buddy Cam.

Prior to April this year, if, from a Canadian IP address, a Canadian visited the Skype Store at shop.skype.com, s/he would simply get a web page with a message to the effect that there was no Skype store for Canada. Since April but until last week the same situation would lead the visitor to a Skype store but with a U.S.-based shopping comparison vendor in addition to In Store Solutions. And pricing was in U.S. dollars. Neither a terribly relevant nor successful store in terms of sales generated.

As of last Thursday this situation changed completely. Canadians will now find a “Real Canadian Skype Store”¹ involving a Canadian shopping comparison site as well as In Store Solutions. And all pricing is in Canadian dollars.

Bottom line: Canadians can now order Skype Certified Hardware, including the FREETALK Everyman Headset and other FREETALK hardware, knowing what their final C$ price will be at the time of purchase. If, for some reason, you do not find C$ pricing check that you are in the Canadian store by looking for the “Canada (English)” selection in the footer of the store page. A “Canada (French)” version is under development.

Full transparency: A real Canadian Skype store has been under development long before it was announced last week that Canadians will have a “shareholder” interest in Skype.

¹“Real Canadian Skype Store” is a parody on a Canadian grocery and housewares retailer who had a chain of stores called “Real Canadian Superstore”.

FREETALK Everyman: From Twitterville and More Bloggers (voiceontheweb.biz)

17 Million Canadians Will Have an Interest in Skype’s Success

Jim Courtney — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:03:31 +0000

OK, now I have your attention with a headline different from the “Skype sold for $2.75 billion” headlines so rampant in the blogosphere yesterday….

By now the web has been saturated with stories about yesterday’s announcement of the forthcoming acquisition of a 65% controlling interest in Skype by a consortium of investors, led by SilverLake Management LLC and including a $300MM infusion from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. At this point the main story is “old” news but a few comments:

Who is Canada Pension Plan Investment Board?

Since 1965 every employed Canadian contributes a % of their employment income (up to an annual income cap of about $37,000) to the Canada Pension Plan (“CPP”). Between the age of 60 and 65 qualifying Canadians can elect to receive a (taxable) monthly payment from this plan until death along with a “death benefit” to the deceased’s estate. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board …

… is a professional investment management organization based in Toronto. Our purpose is to invest the assets of the Canada Pension Plan in a way that maximizes returns without undue risk of loss. The CPP Fund is $116.6 billion. Canada’s Chief Actuary estimates that CPP contributions will exceed annual benefits paid through to the end of 2019. Thereafter a portion of the CPP Fund’s investment income would be needed to help pay CPP benefits.

Over 17 million Canadians currently participate in the Canada Pension Plan either as contributors or recipients. So we each effectively have a $16.75 investment in Skype.

And Canada, with its own geographical challenge of servicing a market where 90% of the population lives within 160 km (100 miles) of the 6,000 km (4,000 mile) long Canada-US border, continues its long history of having an interest in communications innovation.

Why was there no Skype-eBay synergy?

Meg Whitman made the same mistake I witnessed at a previous employer where the CEO and Board bought up companies but never got “buy-in” within the acquiring company of any major acquisition that required a rethinking of the overall company business focus and execution.

As a result there were no internal champions within eBay for executing on the stated intentions of the Skype acquisition. And the statements of the day demonstrated that eBay senior executives (and Board) did not understand a basic principle of auctions – there is no role for “conversational negotiations” during an auction; this is critical to maintaining the integrity of the auction process. You see the goods and make a decision as to whether or not you want them badly enough to pay the final auction price; the auction process itself is the “negotiation” of a price. Bidders have no opportunity (and do not want) to communicate with sellers; the auctioneer (in this case eBay) is simply a neutral third party who moderates the transaction to establish a price.

Why is eBay still an investor?

Back in the spring when a potential IPO was announced, we learned that eBay expected to continue to have a minority interest in Skype. With a $1.9 million cash infusion and a remaining 35% interest, eBay can still hope to recover, over time, the approximately $3+ billion it has to date spent on the Skype investment four years ago. At the same time it allows eBay executives to focus totally on getting their struggling “markets” business back into a growth mode.

With this strategy eBay can assuage Om’s concerns in Skype Sale Nears: Why eBay Shareholders Should Be Mad. As a sequel, once the sale was confirmed, Om states:

So Donahue gets to say that he got the higher valuation of Skype, got rid of a potential legal nightmare and can get any upside that comes with the initial public offering of the stock. Seems like a win-win, but that IPO — don’t count on it. To be honest, this deal makes much more sense compared to all the rumors that were floating around earlier. [My italics]

What are the positives about the acquisition?

#1 – Keeping the current executive management team. In his eighteen months as President of Skype, Josh Silverman has brought a lot of business process and experience into the company with the result that business processes and programs are being built to build sustainable and increasing revenue streams. Two recent examples of this are the availability of the FREETALK Everyman headset designed to improve the user calling experience at a very low cost and yesterday’s launch of Skype for Asterisk. Expect much more activity and announcements along these lines of building a stronger Skype ecosystem during the fall. This momentum can only be sustained with a continuation of the current executive team. Skype needs to focus on execution at this point; it does not need any further high level restructuring activity to distract from execution.

Two statements confirm this is the case:

Josh’s own post, A new chapter, concludes describing “a new group of owners who believe passionately in our mission and in the ability of our team to deliver on it”.
Egon Durban, Managing Director at SilverLake, states: “Josh Silverman has done a strong job leading the company and we look forward to working with Josh and his team to grow the Skype franchise.”

While there are some “technology heavyweights” becoming involved as investors, the real challenge is to build an effective and synergistic relationship between those “heavyweights” (who will probably become board members and/or advisors) and the current management team. This is where corporate culture and value sets, as established at the executive level, can play a strong role in leaving individual managers the freedom to execute on their goals most effectively.

What are the gotcha’s?

Resolution of the patent dispute with JoltID. No deal would have been done without some understanding of the part of the new investors of the outstanding issues and prospects for how this issue can be resolved. On the other hand, with the experience of the various new investors, many heads can be brought into the negotiation of a resolution. My take: this will never reach the High Court trial scheduled for next spring.
Why the $125 million note? My guess: it’s escrow funds to cover costs arising with any litigation issues that may arise in closing the deal. Is a first guestimate of a settlement with JoltiID in the range of $100MM? Can Skype develop a replacement for JoltID’s infrastructure technology so critical to Skype’s business model for under $125MM? Again from Om:

If you think about it, what Donahoe just did was follow the golden rule of business: If you’ve got a problem, make it someone else’s problem. And the problem for the new buyers is that the legal issues of Skype are not going away. Some of my smart friends think that Skype can sidestep these problems by switching to a SIP-based infrastructure, but I won’t hold my breath.

Any SIP-based infrastructure would sharply increase the need for building a massive global infrastructure. It would also mean working with partners (that make Skype devices) to re-configure their products and getting 400 million-plus users to switch to a massive new model. In other words — like skating in the middle of a semi-frozen lake underneath a brightly shining sun.
Employee motivation: what will be the stock option opportunities for employees now that Skype has effectively gone private?
Financial reporting news: by effectively going private, Skype also has no investor reporting obligations. On the other hand if these investors intend to exit via an IPO in a couple of years, they must provide some level of financial reporting. (By being a minority investor, eBay no longer needs to report on its Skype investment any more that it does on its craigslist investment.)

What do Canadians want?

Now that 17 million Canadians have an investment in Skype can we expect to get;

Skype Online numbers? Canada’s 911 regulations provide a roadblock. (Note to CRTC – when lightning struck my home’s Rogers and Bell communications lines two weeks ago, for four days Skype was my only landline service.)
Skype for iPhone? Requires resolution of a G729 codec patent issue. (Sorry folks, it’s not a Rogers issue.)
Skype for BlackBerry? Given that Research in Motion has become Canada’s leading technology company.

Bottom Line: With this acquisition Skype is finally free of what Andy Abramson describes as “an extremely conservative, bank-like culture”. Yes, Andy, “Skype is about the democratization of voice”; I would extend this to say that “Skype is about the democratization of conversations – whether voice, chat and video”. I certainly look forward to innovation and a much stronger Skype ecosystem as a result of this change of ownership.

Other posts of note:

Omar El Akkad provides a great summary overview in today’s Globe and Mail: EBay hangs up on Skype Strategy.
Globe and Mail Report on Business: What is Skype and Why is it important?
Om Malik on GigaOm: Skype Sold for $2.75 Billion
Andy Abramson at VoIP Watch: (after the announcement) Skype Sold, JoltID Suit Still Remains In Place As of Now; (adding to speculation prior to the announcement) Is Skype in Play?
Update Sept. 4: Dan York, on returning from IT Expo adds his comments in Onward the disruption – Skype’s sale to private investors is a great step; includes Phil Wolff’s Skype Journal graphic showing the ownership post-acquisition based on Om’s reported numbers.

And previous Voice On The Web Posts;

Skype sold: it’s all about risk mitigation. (saunderslog.com)
EBay’s Statement Announcing Skype Deal (blogs.wsj.com)
The Skype sale: Hot Buzz and No Response (skypejournal.com)
Skype – eBay: Passive Separation (voiceontheweb.biz)
Stealthing Skype into Larger Businesses (voiceontheweb.biz)

FREETALK® Everyman USB Headset: From Twitterville and More Bloggers

Jim Courtney — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:54:53 +0000

The initial feedback post, FREETALK® Everyman: The Bloggers Speak Out, is getting a bit long for a single Internet post. But feedback continues to arrive, not only in blog posts but also via Twitterville where we find, searching on “FREETALK Everyman” and “Skype Everyman”:

And Michael Graves (@mjgraves), in his post Skype’s FREETALK® Everyman Headset, walks through some of his past experiences with headsets, especially in his recording studio work. He had some initial scepticism when he received his evaluation FREETALK Everyman headset; he first came to appreciate its flat-fold feature as a frequent traveller in his day job. And once he arrived at his destination:

Kicking back in my hotel room that evening I donned the headset to listen to a couple of podcasts. My initial reaction to wearing it was… it was fairly comfortable. Perhaps a bit bulky compared to my usual gear, but not bad at all. The microphone, mounted to a flexible metal tube, swung easily out of the way for the purpose of pure listening. The headset sounded like it had decent, large diaphragm drivers. That is, it sounded very full, not obviously lacking in frequency response.

and concludes with:

No doubt you can tell that my opinion of the FREETALK® Everyman headset has softened over time. I was predisposed to dislike it for being merely cheap. However, there’s more to it than that. It does what they set out to do. It sounds good and it’s convenient. It’s not my favorite headset by a long stretch, but at just $22.88 it’s the most affordable good-sounding headset that I’m aware of. It raises the bar in the low-end of the marketplace, and maybe that’s a good thing for everyone.

Alec Saunders has finally found time to put up a post, SquawkBox August 13 – FREETALK Everyman, that features the SquawkBox conference call where he interviewed me about the FREETALK Everyman headset and we took questions from over twenty participants that resulted in a very lively discussion.

Luca Filigheddu, one of Italy’s VoIP veterans and an active reviewer of all things Skype, mobile smartphones and Twitter, in Here Is The Best (and Cheapest) Skype Headset Ever, concludes with:

In conclusion, a very good deal for anyone shopping for a new headset. I tried lots of great headsets in the past 10 years but I can assure you this is the one with the best balance between price and quality.

As for my own personal experience: Last week I was on a trip where I needed to move between a business office and my accommodation twice daily. Talk about how to learn to appreciate the flat-fold feature.

FREETALK® Everyman USB Headset: The Bloggers Speak Out

Jim Courtney — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:49:44 +0000

In my post, “FREETALK^® Everyman for Skype: Not “Just Another Headset”!, outlining the background leading to the production of this headset, I mentioned that the most important feature of any headset is the user experience. But reporting on the user experience has to rely on feedback from a cross section of independent evaluators who can try it out under different conditions on both Windows and Mac PC’s.

My major criteria for inclusion in this post is that there have been an actual reported user experience; posts that simply repeat the specifications do not qualify.

The first full review came from Tom Keating at TMCnet who reports on its “fold flat” feature, apparent durability and of course his Skype calling experience; Tom concludes with:

I made some test Skype calls and the audio quality was excellent. I also connected my iPhone using the 3.5mm jack and was able to play music using the iPod application on the iPhone. Slightly better bass response than my iPhone ear buds due to the larger speakers. All in all, a pretty good Skype headset.

Neil Thompson at Spoken Like a Geek provides a brief history of his experience with previous Skype phone handsets and then gets into his feedback:

The call quality was excellent both for me and the other party who commented on how much better it was than usual. The headset makes use of what Skype calls super wideband audio which is included in v4 and improves call quality even at low bandwidth. Having your ears covered means that there is no distraction from external noise which obviously also makes things better.

Neil likes the fold flat feature; he then went out and bought a pencil case for storing it in his laptop bag; he concludes with: “So, to summarise, the Freetalk headset is a recommended device, particularly for those on the move who want good quality combined with portability.”

TechCraver.com’s Jason Harris, in The Everyman Headset for Skype: Killer Audio, Sweet Price, outlines “a few things that set it apart from the rest of the pack” and tried three different calling tests:

In all three cases, I was absolutely blown away by the Everyman. If the manufacturer of this headset was looking to make a reasonably priced headset that sounds perfect and was comfortable to wear, they absolutely nailed it. After about 2 hours of wearing the Everyman, I was impressed with it’s comfort and how it felt on my head.

Jason goes on to describe his experience listening to his iPod and points out that “it’s great for those who talk into your computer for creating training videos or video-conferencing”.

Ken Camp at Stardust Global Ventures, in “The headset for Everyman, woman and child – FREETALK Everyman USB Headset”, starts out with “I’ve been using Skype since the beginning.I can’t count the number of different headsets I’ve used. This one is the only one that’s made me step back and say wow.”

He then goes on to discuss the comfort level, the benefits of supporting Skype’s SILK codec and why road warriors should like the “fold flat” feature. Ken concludes with:

Gadgets are sometimes a dime a dozen. Headsets aren’t often something to get excited about. The FREETALK Everyman headset is absolutely different. It’s worth every penny of the $22.88 price in the online Skype store. Go check it out and order yours here. It’s an investment you’ll get more than full value from.

In a comment on Voice On The Web “Skype In Your Business” Public Chat, Hudson Barton, whose Borderless Communicator tracks Skype statistics, stated:

I can confirm that this is a nice piece of hardware. One thing that I have not seen pointed out elsewhere is the fact that the “Everyman” headset is light and comfortable. I had given up on my former headset for this reason because I want to have it on whenever I’m at my computer, and that can be for hours at a time. (You can quote me on that if you wish.)

Dameon (PhoneBoy) Welch-Abernathy, in Every Man, Woman or Child on Skype Needs an Everyman Headset, provides a brief background on the evolution of audio support on PC’s and outlines why FREETALK Everyman is different. He concludes with:

When you consider the price: under $23 shipped to your door, purchasing this headset is absolutely a no-brainer. It will be one of the best investments you can make to improve your calling experience with Skype.

Joel Evans, producer of the Geek.com podcasts, appears to have been frustrated with microphones and the quality of his recordings. So he gave the FREETALK Everyman a trial:

For my tests I used the FREETALK Everyman Headset in Skype, Quicktime and iChat. In all tests it performed perfectly and even my chat partners commented on how clear I sounded. The design of the headset allows for adjusting the boom and even the position of the microphone, so it did take a bit of fine tuning, which I did while recording tests in Quicktime. Once it was adjusted, though, it sounded great and I’ve been using it for voice chats, and even used it to record the Podcast that will be going live tomorrow.

Bottom line: the reviews speak for themselves. I’ll add more reviews to this post as they become available.

FREETALK Everyman for Skype: Not Just Another Headset (voiceontheweb.biz)
Official Skype Headset (ubergizmo.com)
Skype Unveils Its Very Own Headset (thenextweb.com)
Skype Unleashes A “Super-Secret” Project: A Cheap Headset (techcrunch.com)

FREETALK® Everyman USB Headset for Skype: Not “Just Another Headset”!

Jim Courtney — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:01:25 +0000

So why would Skype announce support for, and In Store Solutions develop and launch, the FREETALK^® Everyman headset in a seemingly crowded market? Let’s step back a bit and look at some issues related to headsets:

Skype’s research has found that a Skype user’s “end point” configuration is one of the main contributors to churn. A major component of the end user configuration is the PC’s audio chip; they have found evidence pointing to a lack of consistent audio quality across the various PC audio chip sets.
The recent introduction of Skype’s “superwideband” SILK audio codec, supporting a 12KHz audio bandwidth, has set new bars for incorporating HD Voice performance into a headset – both the speakers and the mic.
Headsets have always been an issue for road warriors trying to fit them into their briefcase or PC carrying case. Speakers that are at right angles to the main headband suddenly demand a space with about 3 to 5 inches of width. Breakage and loss are often the result. (Full disclosure: I have never found a headset that was suitable for easy insertion into my multiple PC carrying cases over the years.)
Complementary to the PC has been the widespread adoption of (smartphone) media players such as iPod, iPhone and BlackBerry; standard earbuds are not capable of adequate overall audio quality, especially for bass tones.
Cost: try to find a good quality headset for under $30 or $40. A “no brainer” impulse purchase is certainly assisted by keeping the cost low.
Finally, in this age of online e-commerce, why do the devices that are shipped as a result of an online purchase need plastic clamshell packaging that goes straight to landfill (and generates emergency room visits when cutting the packaging open)? The sale has been completed; there’s no need for the packaging to be a “sell piece”.

Since late 2007 In Store Solutions’ wireless stereo headset has been a top seller on the Skype store. It has been my PC headset of choice ever since I received one in December 2007.

When Skype recognized the need for a headset that provided both consistent audio quality across all PC models (desktop and laptop) while also fully supporting the audio bandwidth demands of their SILK codec, they approached In Store Solutions about producing a new basic headset that addressed Skype’s audio quality concerns. But with In Store Solutions’ previous retail distribution and audio hardware experience they designed a product that also addressed the other issues outlined above.

The result of this partnership was the recently launched FREETALK Everyman Headset. It’s a USB headset incorporating an audio chip in the USB dongle. But on the headset side the USB dongle has a 3.5 mm speaker jack into which is plugged the removable speaker wire coming from the headset.

The physical headset itself comprises a unidirectional microphone to reduce background noise along with neodymium speakers supporting 20 Hz to 20 KHz stereo audio. Weighing in at 124g/4.3 oz, the headband and microphone are adjustable. (Hint: headset microphones work best when the microphone is positioned near a corner of your mouth.)

Compatible with both Windows 2000® / XP® / Vista™ and Mac OS 10.22 or later, the only other requirement is a USB port on the PC.

FREETALK^® Everyman incorporates:

HD Voice support within the audio chip via its support for the SILK codec used in Skype for Windows 4.1 and Skype for Mac 2.8 (or later) and an overall 20Hz to 20KHz audio bandwidth.
Plug & Play such that Skype immediately recognizes and acknowledges the headset as the default audio device for Skype (no need to go to Skype audio settings; no driver installation required)
A flat fold-down design that compresses the entire headset to a thickness less than 3 cm or 1.25 inches; it readily fits into your PC carrying case.
A removable speaker plug such that, when not using the headset with your PC, you can plug the speaker plug into any media player with a 3.5 mm audio jack, such as the iPod, iPhone (3G and 3G S) and BlackBerry.
Eco-friendly “brown box” recycled cardboard packaging that not only eliminates sending plastic clamshells to landfill but also helps to reduce shipping costs.

And, to encourage “no-brainer” adoption, it’s available at the Skype Store at US$22.88/£19.88/€19.88 – including delivery (and VAT in Europe).

But the most important feature of any headset is the user experience. Several bloggers and columnists are currently reviewing the FREETALK Everyman; links to their posts will be incorporated into a forthcoming post summarizing the feedback as they become available. But two initial posts for more information and feedback:

Skype’s Andrew Brennan: Skype Gear Road Test: The FREETALK Everyman Headset
TMC’s Tom Keating: FREETALK Everyman Skype Headset Review where he concludes:

I made some test Skype calls and the audio quality was excellent. I also connected my iPhone using the 3.5mm jack and was able to play music using the iPod application on the iPhone. Slightly better bass response than my iPhone ear buds due to the larger speakers. All in all, a pretty good Skype headset.

Earlier today, Alec Saunders interviewed me on SquawkBox; with about twenty participants including both ISS’s Product Manager and Skype’s Hardware Product Manager contributing to the discussion. I’ll be adding a post covering this interview and incorporating a player for the recording shortly. (Update Aug. 25: you can now access the conference call recording on Saunderslog at SquawkBox August 13 – FREETALK Everyman.)

Hints (based on some initial user feedback): when you receive your FREETALK Everyman headset, ensure you plug the speaker plug into the speaker jack on the USB dongle for listening to your Skype calls or any multimedia playback from the PC. And to keep the cost down the volume control is carried out via the volume control slider in the Skype clients.

Bottom Line: Addressing the audio quality issue is only one aspect of the Skype user’s end point configuration that can affect the overall Skype call quality. The PC processor, active software programs, operating system (Windows or Mac) and user’s Internet connection can also contribute to the finalSkype call experience. However, the FREETALK Everyman headset optimizes the audio configuration of the PC and its associated audio hardware such that it consistently meet the standards required to support Skype’s SILK codec and its contribution to the overall calling experience.

Earlier posts related to Skype’s approach to call quality issues:

At his talk to VON Canada in April 2006, Skype Goal: “Better than a phone”, Stefan Oberg outlined many user issues that Skype still needed to address at that time. During that talk Stefan mentioned Skype’s frustration with the fact “terrible user experience” when the user could not readily locate the audio jacks on the rear of (older) PC’s.
In April 2007 Skype 3.2 was launched incorporating echo cancellation – which allowed users to use their basic PC mic and speaker for Skype calls without having to deal with echo feedback from the speakers back into the microphone.

Skype Unveils Its Very Own Headset (thenextweb.com)
Skype Unleashes A “Super-Secret” Project: A Cheap Headset (techcrunch.com)
Official Skype Headset (ubergizmo.com)
Global IP Solutions: Positioning Codecs, Including SILK (voiceontheweb.biz)

In Store Solutions: Building Worldwide Distribution for Skype Hardware

Jim Courtney — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:28:03 +0000

Note: Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, has taken on In Store Solutions as a business development client; see the more complete disclosure at the end of this post.

Over my three years of following Skype as a blogger there have been many ups and downs in the availability of Skype Certified hardware. In my October 2007 Skype Primer series, published at the time Skype had announced a search for a new President, I had stated in Skype Hardware – If and When Available:

Having been involved for several years in the hardware distribution channel, the formula is not that difficult:

Skype, as the real time conversations service provider and royalty recipient from the hardware vendors, not only needs to set the engineering standards for these phones, in particular via the firmware (and they do this quite well), but also needs to execute a significant “Skype Sanctioned” marketing campaign to generate awareness and “pull” (à la “Intel Inside” for PC’s).

At the same time hardware vendors, many of whom already have distributor relationships, need to incorporate standard distribution marketing practices, such as market development funds and appropriate promotional packaging, into their cost models as the hardware vendor is ultimately responsible for the “push”.

These criteria apply even in these days of electronic purchasing via e-commerce sites.

With the recent launch of the FREETALK^® Everyman Headset, Skype has partnered with long-time hardware distribution partner In Store Solutions to provide the first in a new line of hardware specifically designed to address issues with improving the Skype calling experience.

Two years ago at CeBit I was introduced to In Store Solutions as a distributor of Skype Certified hardware. Having had over 20 years experience working with PC distribution channels I was impressed with how COO Craig Smith approached the retailing of hardware, especially in terms of packaging and building distribution networks. In the interim I have had some dealings with In Store Solutions where customer service and ensuring that customers were satisfied with their purchases was definitely a priority. For the past twenty months my primary headset for Skype calls has been the FREETALK^® Wireless Stereo Headset for which a second generation version was recently released.

My previous experience with PC hardware distribution within North America was relatively “simple”. I dealt with two countries (Canada and U.S.) and two currencies (US$ and C$) along with any associated federal and provincial/state taxes; systems were set up to provide rapid delivery while dealing with (sales and value-added) taxes in different jurisdictions. And customs clearance along with warehousing logistics were also distribution issues.

However, to be successful across Skype’s worldwide market geography, Skype Certified hardware needs to be distributed to over 180 countries, to deal with a maze of local tax issues, to execute transactions in at least 40 currencies and, at the same time, to be marketed in at least the 28 languages supported by Skype. Add to this the issue of increasing sales of hardware via e-commerce platforms while getting stocked with inventory at various retail operations.

At this point, In Store Solutions has developed:

Key product supply relationships with Skype Certified hardware manufacturers
A strategic partnership relationship with Skype involving not only the design and distribution of Skype Certified hardware but also its marketing
An e-commerce engine that is currently operating, via the Skype Store, in 67 countries covering 40 currencies and multiple languages
A forthcoming line of hardware that will address leading edge requirements for headsets, Skype phones, webcams and business products.
A worldwide network of distribution warehouses to minimize delivery times and customs clearance issues within specific countries
Retail distribution via WalMart, Sears and Synnex in the U.S., Staples and Maplin in the U.K. as well as retailers in Europe and Australia
Customer support that includes a “no questions asked” return policy to ensure user satisfaction

Over the next few months In Store Solutions will be not only launching additional FREETALK^® products but also distributing Skype Certified products from other hardware manufacturers. It’s not simply about the e-commerce platform but rather the inclusion of logistics infrastructure and back office transaction-related issues such as payments handling, currency, order tracking and fulfillment along with customer support that are required to build a worldwide online commercial operation.

PayPal operates as an “uber-bank” supporting payments in 18 currencies across 190 markets linking back to banks and credit card services worldwide. Skype operates as an “uber-communications” infrastructure supporting conversations worldwide, independent of underlying carriers or service providers. In a similar vein Store Solutions is developing a “uber-store” capability that ensures Skype hardware products can be purchased worldwide at low cost while addressing country-specific issues such as currency and delivery times.

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