Pardon my exuberance but I am about to write about a product that I have been beta testing for the past few months. Seven months ago I knew very little about small business PBX’s other than to know they had big $$$ signs associated with their operation.

Back in 1992 my employer of the day paid $28,000 for a PBX that would service our local Canadian office of six to ten employees – and all the extensions had to be physically in the same office. Of course we would also be paying significant long distance charges, especially for out-of-country calls. The same employer was paying about $10,000 per month for a T1 line between California and their European office in Ireland. The economics of worldwide communications has changed somewhat since then; today’s announcement from In Store Solutions of the FREETALK Connect small business PBX takes small businesses further down that path.

About six weeks ago, while visiting In Store Solutions head office in Spain, using Skype for iPhone in a WiFi zone at my hotel room, I called a SkypeID that gave me the options to press 1 for Jim, 2 for another person and 3 for another person. I pressed 1 and a few seconds later my BlackBerry was ringing me back in Spain, But the PBX was at my home near Toronto, Canada as was an attached Linksys VoIP phone that the PBX also rang simultaneously with my BlackBerry in Spain. Had I answered my BlackBerry the only charge would have been my voice roaming package $1.25 per minute. Had somebody else originated that call in the way I did, I also would have had the option to answer the call, with no resulting charges for either party, on my PC’s Skype client which at the time was also in my hotel room in Spain¹.

Bottom line: any Skype user worldwide could have reached me via this PBX on a “local” or “remote” phone, a mobile smartphone or my Skype client with minimal, if any, costs for the call. And, in practice, geography as a factor to Find Me or Follow Me was not in the equation.

Today In Store Solutions announced FREETALK Connect, a small business PBX that changes the algorithm and business model for small business voice communications. With FREETALK Connect a business can benefit from:

• accepting inbound calls made via Skype, a Skype Online number, a SIP client, Asterisk (IAX2) or the PSTN, via either an analog line or a VoIP service provider.
  • incorporating Find Me, Follow Me features
• accept calls on local analog phone lines, local or remote VoIP phones, mobile phones anywhere or remote PSTN-accessed phones – all provisioned within the PBX.
• placing outbound calls over Skype, SkypeOut, a SIP-connected VoIP service or an analog PSTN line.
• managed voice mail including consolidation of voice mail and email into one mailbox

As I experienced the different communications paths this product opened up, I realized that this box can revolutionize how small business communicates with their suppliers, customers and business partners – worldwide.

The press release lists all the services that will be on board the FREETALK Connect when it becomes available for purchase by U.S. registered Skype users in March on the Skype Store:

Some of the key features from the Jazinga platform found in the FREETALK Connect include:

• Callback / Dial-around
• Access to Skype Buddy lists
• Auto Attendant / IVR
• Paging
• Call Parking
• Remote Extensions
• Music on Hold
• Conferencing

The FREETALK Connect also has an easily configured and updated:

• Managing routes to users, telephone services, and applications
• Providing SIP/Skype telephone service management
• Router management (networking, port forwarding, DNS, DHCP)

“Jazinga’s products consistently ensure call integrity by integrating quality of service and prioritizing voice traffic on the network into an affordable, simple product,” said In Store Solutions COO Craig Smith. “There was no question that FREETALK wanted to partner with Jazinga to develop the FREETALK Connect, because it continues our goal of working with the best providers to distribute outstanding products around the world.”

“FREETALK Connect is designed for small businesses with between 2 and 49 users, an undersold market that desperately needs UC functionality,” said Randy Busch, CEO of Jazinga Inc. “As a result of our partnership with In Store Solutions, the telecom technology playing field is much more level between larger enterprises and their smaller competitors.”

In terms of the technology within FREETALK Connect it incorporates both Skype for SIP and Skype for Asterisk to provide an optimum level of Skype-based services but at the same time providing inbound calling flexibility and optimizing outbound calling expenses, all combined with the call integrity features quoted above.

FREETALK Connect will requires users to have a Skype for Business account, available through the Skype Business Control Panel, associated with each unit. More on this aspect of FREETALK Connect is the subject of a future post.

Bottom line: Targeted at small businesses with 2 to 25 employees and/or business partners with its wide range of inbound and outbound calling options, an attractive price point, incorporation of Skype for Business infrastructure and the ability to self-configure via wizards, FREETALK Connect represents a game changer in the small business communications market. Lots more will be written about this product as the applications experiences evolve.

¹In this situation I could not have the Skype client answering option since I was using my Skype account to originate the call.

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.

Other posts:

Saunderslog: FREETALK Connect, the worlds first Skype-enabled Unified Communications system.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Skype’s Growth Outpaces Phone Companies’ (blogs.wsj.com)
• Skype Steals Even More Minutes From Phone Companies (gigaom.com)
• Traveling in a Bipolar Mobile Mode (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Is WiFi Becoming the Unregulated Stealth Carrier of the Future? (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Business Long Distance: Death By a Million PBX’s, Part II (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for iPhone: Now Legally Available for Canadians (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for iPhone 1.3 Released (voiceontheweb.biz)

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.

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.

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”.

Related articles by Zemanta

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

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.

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.

Towards the end of February there were several news reports about DoCoMo suspending their recently launched BlackBerry Bold service due to an overheating issue. In my six months of using a BlackBerry Bold I had never encountered any heating issue. But during my Toronto to San Francisco flight to eComm 2009 on Monday, March 2 that changed. I’ll get to the details but first I need to provide some background.

As reported previously I often use iSkoot or IM+ Plus for Skype (BlackBerry  version) for accessing my Skype contacts via voice or chat while away from my home office. One benefit of the BlackBerry version is that chat sessions can occur in background while using other applications. (This also applies to iSkoot for Android.) As new messages arrive, I receive a notification which provides me with an option to look at the message or continue my current foreground activity.

Early in February I attended a BlackBerry App World Developer presentation in Toronto where Tyler Lessard, RIM’s Director of ISV Alliances and Developer Relations, made the point that, in designing third party applications, developers need to “write to the device platform”, not simply to the “application”. For instance, any IM or “voice enhanced” application should include access to the native Blackberry address book as a matter of convenience; iSkoot on the BlackBerry can access the BlackBerry address book for setting up SkypeOut calls. But most importantly, RIM provides API’s such that an application can run in the background and receive data in a “push” fashion rather than requiring it poll the network frequently for data. Tyler pointed out that this approach minimizes an application’s dependence on the radio and, ultimately, battery life.

Finally, as background to this story, I should mention that, due to an allergic reaction to watch back covers, I cannot wear a watch; I use my Bold as a clock for time checks.

So what happened during my flight to SFO that resulted in a mild searing of my left hand? While at the Toronto airport waiting area I made a Skype call to Spain via iSkoot. Immediately after completing the call, it was time to board, so I simply pocketed my Bold and boarded. Once seated I turned off the Bold’s radio, more to conserve battery rather than worrying about interfering with aircraft radio.

But about two hours into the flight I pulled out my Bold to check the time and noticed that it was somewhat warm. Checked the radio settings; both GSM and WiFi were off. Checked again half an hour later when I wanted to listen to music on the Bold and all but mildly seared my hand while holding it. And, what had been a completely charged BlackBerry Bold at the beginning of the day was now showing battery level down at one-quarter. Obviously something was still active and draining the battery.

At that point I realized that I had left iSkoot running when I boarded the plane; maybe its background processing was attempting, unsuccessfully to check for my Skype messages; however, being unsuccessful resulted in frequent re-attempts. I closed iSkoot; within 15 minutes the Bold’s temperature had dropped to a point where I could hold it comfortably; an hour later it was back to ambient temperature.

I have contacted iSkoot with a suggestion that they look at:

• checking whether at least one of the Bold’s radio channels (2G/EDGE,3G or WiFi) is on before attempting to contact the network , and
• ensuring they are using RIM’s  API’s appropriately, especially with respect to their “push” feature, to reduce the heavy battery consumption I have experienced in normal use of iSkoot.

I also had SocialScope running while in flight; however, on my return flight with SocialScope open, I did not notice any heating issues. And, while I made reasonable use of my Bold during eComm 2009, I have not noticed any heating issues. Blogging colleague Jon Arnold did mention that, during phone calls, he did notice his Bold got warmer; however, it was not uncomfortably warmer. To me this was simply an indication as to how much I use text for conversations from my Bold: BlackBerry Messenger, SocialScope, iSkoot (for Skype IM and chat), email (either BlackBerry or GMail), web browsing and how little I use it for normal voice conversations.

Bottom line: if you’re writing applications for the BlackBerry, ensure you are only accessing the Internet when one of the BlackBerry’s radios is on, take advantage of the BlackBerry’s “push” feature, using the appropriate API’s to help extend battery life while using your application and check for other opportunities to “write to the device platform” as opposed to simply attempting to port an application from another platform.

Final question: does this provide a hint as to the cause of the DoCoMo problem? Is it possible that some DoCoMo-exclusive software is encountering a similar problem? To date a Google News search does not provide any mention of restoring availability of the Bold at DoCoMo.

And I’m still awaiting notification of a new build of iSkoot that addresses this issue. In the meantime make sure iSkoot is closed when turning off your BlackBerry radios (GSM/3G/EDGE and WiFi).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bold Twittering: When is a SmartPhone Truly a Mobile Microcomputer? (voiceontheweb.biz)
• BlackBerry Bold sales suspended in Japan (reghardware.co.uk)
• NTT DoCoMo’s overheating BlackBerry Bold not caused by battery, says RIM (engadget.com)
• Overheating BlackBerrys not big in Japan (vnunet.com)
• NTT DoCoMo pulls BlackBerry Bold (mobilecrunch.com)
• Palm Pre, BlackBerry Bold, Android G1, iPhone: What’s best? (lucafiligheddu.com)

At this year’s CES 2009 Skype press conference, COO Scott Durchslag provided an overview of Skype Everywhere (or Skype Wherever Whenever). Basically Skype is looking to become installed wherever there is a communications device with embedded intelligence (processor and memory) and an Internet connection capability. Along with the announcement yesterday of the new Skype – Nokia partnership, Scott put up a post on the Share Skype Blog that outlines the three components of Skype’s strategy for mobile devices:

• Current users: Make Skype available for consumers to download onto their existing mobile handsets. Skype Lite is architected for incorporation into any of over 100 Java-enabled handsets, including any supporting Google Android. In discussing Skype for Windows Mobile, Scott mentions that SMS messaging and File Transfer are being integrated into the forthcoming Skype for Windows Mobile 3.0.
• Smartphone manufacturers: Develop partnerships with smartphone manufacturers “tightly integrate and pre-install Skype on their devices”. Skypephone and INQ are two existing examples; the Skype – Nokia partnership announced earlier this week is the next step. These phones will be targeted to consumers who may never have attempted to use a computer to connect to the Internet. But it requires simplicity and a familiar algorithm in the user interface:
  • Find a number in the device’s native address book, click on the green “Call” button, the party is called transparently over Skype. If the call is to a Skype contact anywhere worldwide there is no additional cost; if to the PSTN, SkypeOut charges will apply at a minimum.
  • But these phones are also capable of supporting Skype IM’s presence information and chat conversations worldwide.
• Carriers: The Skyephone relationship with Hutcheson 3, using embedded iSkoot firmware, has certainly been a success. Most importantly, its “free calling” marketing campaign has certainly helped 3 acquire new users who previously would never have thought of getting such a smartphone, even if it has a limited feature set (relative to, say, iPhone, BlackBerry or Android). From the Skype Lite announcement at CES it is apparent that Skype is developing relationships with carriers in at least ten other countries, including the U.S. But details of the specific carrier relationships have yet to be announced.

Many of these services involve using the data network for Skype IM and call setup while using the robust and readily scalable GSM voice channel for voice conversations. Other issues that will provide market differentiation include:

• keyboard: QWERTY or T9? this makes a huge difference as to how much Skype IM will be used.
• display size: how readily and effectively can the device display Internet-originated content?
• battery life: will there still be enough battery life after a day of work to enjoy an evening of entertainment without a recharge?
• overall user interface: bottom line for the user experience – how readily can I get access to the services I want, using a familiar calling algorithm?

And all this leads to “What is the business model for Skype”? That will be the subject of another post.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Skype Integration On Handsets: Threat Or Opportunity For Mobile VoIP Startups? (techcrunch.com)
• In An Effort To Become Ubiquitous, Skype Partners with Nokia (skypejournal.com)
• Nokia to preload Skype onto handsets beginning in Q3 (mobilecrunch.com)

Later today my family will be celebrating the marriage of my son, a computer engineer and medical doctor, to his fiancé, a materials engineer and MBA by training, and now employed in the financial division of a resources company. Talk about how to win over the heart of her future father-in-law — she recently traveled to the Kyrgyzstan (also known as the Kyrgyz Republic) in central Asia. She has a story to tell about how she downloaded her Blackberry email in Krygyzstan, where Rogers has no roaming agreement.. So the steps are:

• Be employed by a company with a mining operations at a 13,000 foot (4,000 meter) elevation.
• Drive up to the mine over a mining development road from the 1,500 foot elevation of the main plain (and I’m told it’s a very scenic drive from the capital city, Bishkek, to where the mining road starts, along the shore of Krygyzstan’s largest lake.)
• Get out and look north; pull out the Blackberry and search for a network.
• Check a few minutes later and you’ll find your email updated.

The secret: a few miles/kilometers north of the mine is Kazakhstan where Rogers does have a roaming agreement. At a 13,000 foot elevation there is enough residual signal from the Kazakhstan operator’s towers to do a download. I have not asked about the resulting roaming data charges…??

But it speaks volumes about the sensitivity of the rf engineering in the Blackberry where even weak signals can be picked up and carry the data stream. For those who ask, it was a Blackberry Curve.

Now off to the wedding celebrations; I’ll be back next week.

Tags: Blackberry, Kyrgyzstan, Rogers, Kasakhstan

Philips, Sony, IPEVO, Nokia, Belkin, Intel MID demonstrating Skype-enabled hardware.

As outlined in my recent Skype Primer series there are many dimensions to the Skype ecosystem: core real time conversation services, hardware, mobile and partner solutions. At CES we encountered two of these dimensions:

• Skype itself was promoting the spread of mobile access to Skype, supported by displays from three mobile device partners
• Skype hardware partners were demonstrating various phone, headset and webcam offerings.

While providing a brief overview here, there will be future posts as we gain more experience with these offerings.

Philips was exhibiting their 841 PC-Free Dual Mode Cordless Phone (lower left), introduced at CES last year, along with two new offerings:

• Their VoIP251 (upper right) allows for the addition of a DECT 6.0 cordless Internet phone for Skype calls to a home or office environment to complement an existing landline phone. Users are no longer confined to a USB connection. The VoIP251 integrates a built-in display so users can view active, online contacts at all times. And it supports both PC and Mac platforms.
• Their VoIP151 (center right) is designed as a travel companion USB Skype phone; it also supports both PC and Mac platforms. The integrated display lets users easily view their contacts; the handset has been designed for simple cable management by neatly rolling the cable around it.

IPEVO demonstrated their ability to craft unique solutions with their exhibit that included two unique products:

• Their POV WebCam that lets users share their “point of view” during Skype sessions. One feature that makes it unique for Skype users: snapshots captured with the camera can then be sent to other Skype contacts via Skype’s file transfer. It also includes software for remote monitoring via Skype Video. But its main differentiator comes from their press release:

Unlike conventional web cameras designed to focus on the user’s head, PoV is a detachable viewing tool that offers the freedom to capture images and video from any angle and vantage point.

With its pen-like form factor, PoV encourages picking up and pointing. When not held, the camera naturally rests on a base that stands on a tabletop or can be clamped to a laptop or monitor. A well-designed holder clip allows PoV to be attached or detached with a simple drop / pull motion.

Six newly WiFi-enabled IPEVO SOLO desktop phones allowed booth visitors to call anywhere worldwide via Skype or SkypeOut. I was able to make a call back home with excellent voice quality. (You can see people in the background of the picture above making calls.). From their press release:

An always-on device, SOLO lets users place Skype calls without a computer. Equipped with an RJ-45 Ethernet connector, SOLO works wherever a broadband Internet connection is available. In addition, the new Wi-Fi Dongle unveiled at CES brings wireless capability to the device, enabling both home and office users to choose the best spot for their Skype calls, as they no longer need a wired connection to a router.

IPEVO’s North American GM Edware Lucero emphasized to me IPEVO’s focus on “experience-driven” internet devices, responding to customer needs; they certainly demonstrated it here with these unique offerings. Much of this customer feedback comes from their previous affiliation with Taiwan’s PChome Online portal service from which IPEVO spun off last summer. They also need to be commended for finding a way to get a reliable and robust WiFi connection amongst the “WiFi” confusion and limitations that are often encountered at large exhibitions such as this.

Sony had two stands with Skype-enabled products: the PlayStation Portable and new mylo COM-2. Skype will become available to current PlayStation Portable owners via a system software update to the PlayStation Portable; the feature set includes, in addition to Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calling, contact list management, presence and acceptance of SkypeIn calls. No mention is made of Skype text chat in the press release. On the other hand a footnote to the press release mentions: “To enjoy Skype features on PSP, users will need Memory Stick DuoTM, a wireless Internet connection and a Skype compatible audio input device.”

The Belkin booth demonstrated a new dual mode Skype PC Free desktop phone with a full color display; while buried in a “model” bedroom, booth personnel were very aware of the Skype phone’s presence. More interesting at the Belkin booth was their Flywire system for wirelessly controlling home theatre systems.

The second generation Sony mylo COM-2 provides a variety of web entertainment applications including web browsing, a 1.3 megapixel camera, support for IM via Yahoo, AIM, Google Talk and Skype, widgets for Google Search and YouTube amongst others, a music player and games.

For Skype it builds on user experience with the original mylo by introducing a significantly enhanced Skype user interface as well as supporting additional traditional Skype features. Full Instant Messaging (presence and chat), Skype calling and a much more complete account management feature set are amongst the capabilities introduced on this version. In the demonstration I was given, they showed how one can take a picture and then use Skype’s file transfer to send the snapshot to other Skype users. MacSkype? According to the press release: “the new COM-2 mylo communicator devices will receive free access to participating Wayport® hotspot locations in the U.S. including more than 9,000 McDonald’s™ locations until Dec. 31, 2010.”

When I visited the Nokia booth I found that both of the Nokia 810′s available for booth visitor trials had the Skype client open. Obviously a popular feature. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard should provide a better keyboarding experience although I found it almost as difficult as an iPhone for getting the right keys. Also the limited WiFi connectivity in the booth did not allow for any serious evaluation.

Finally the Intel MID booth showed several manufacturers prototype Mobile Internet Devices; however, they were not able to locate the unit with the Skype demonstration. According to Skype’s press release the first implementation of Skype for Mobile Internet Linux on Intel MID’s will be made available “during the first half of 2008″. The full Intel booth also showed strong promotion of WiMax, which is to be supported in MID’s.

Tags: Skype, Skype Hardware, Skype Phones, Philips, Philips VoIP, IPEVO, IPEVO POV webcam, IPEVO SOLO, Belkin Skype Phone, Sony PlayStation Portable, Sony mylo, Sony mylo COM-2, Nokia N810, Intel MID

While returning to the home office from my workout yesterday morning, before I started driving, I pulled out my Blackberry 8820, selected the iSkoot icon to open iSkoot (which auto logs into Skype), selected a Skype contact in the U.K., clicked on Call, heard a message asking me to “please wait while the call is completed” and within seconds I was talking to my contact in the U.K.

We talked for 15 minutes (over my nXZen Bluetooth headset for obvious safety reasons). A simple, straight forward, familiar user experience — total cost was a 15 minute charge against my Rogers wireless monthly subscription for a local call (from iSkoot’s Toronto POP to my phone). Even the callback operation itself was transparent to the user. In fact, it meets my “Truphone test” for user experience: Look up a contact in a device address book, select which phone number, press the Call button and the call is connected with no further user action.

If this sounds similar to the 3 Skypephone experience, it is. In my case the Skype button is replaced by the iSkoot icon on the Blackberry. Bottom line is that whether via 3 Skypephone or my Blackberry over Rogers a connection is readily made and there are minimal, if any, charges. And it is a very familiar user experience, comparable to making wireless calls via the service provider’s native (GSM) voice network. (Photo above: Blackberry 8820 running iSkoot and Skypephone together at Fall VON session on Goin’ Mobile with Skype.)

Since the introduction of the 3 Skypephone two weeks ago I have seen many commentaries attempting to find issues with the offering. Very simply stated the 3 Skypephone offers:

• Free Skype-to-Skype calling worldwide, reducing or eliminating international long distance charges, provided your contact is also on Skype (on any platform)¹.
• Free Skype IM (presence and chat)
• Unlimited Internet browsing

provided you contract to purchase a monthly minimum of £12 of traditional voice and SMS text messaging services from Hutchison Whampoa’s 3 Service. on an 18 month contract; the phone itself is then free. Alternatively you can purchase the Skypephone for £49.95 and do a minimum £10 monthly Pay-As-You-Go top up.

The Skypephone hardware is a quad-band GSM/UMTS² phone over GSM/EDGE 2G and GSM/UMTS 3G networks. It includes a 2MP camera and video camera along with music services including a (MP3) media player as well as a voice recorder. Think of the additional Skype button as an iSkoot icon on any other iSkoot-supported device such as the Blackberry 8xxx’s and Nokia N-series phones.

Fundamentally, the 3 Skypephone is a promotion to encourage generation of traditional mobile voice business over the 3 network. As a result there is no SkypeOut included whereas with iSkoot I can access SkypeOut numbers. In fact the lack of SkypeOut on the 3 Skypephone service will virally encourage Skype adoption by users’ contacts who are outside the 3 network service areas.

A key benefit of the 3 Skypephone to the rest of the mobile user world is that it is a pioneering carrier-supported service that threatens to be another crack in a disruption of the traditional mobile voice service business models.

Using my Blackberry I get my equivalent voice service with only the requirement to have a Rogers wireless subscription for a set number of minutes per month (I am not on contract at the moment), which I need anyway.

But there are some other comments in the blogosphere that also can affect the user experience³:

1. Having the Skype client on a server (and not on the Skypephone) means longer battery charge lifetimes for the mobile device and a more robust, carrier grade overall platform for connecting to Skype.⁴
2. Roaming on other networks is expensive regardless of your carrier. In fact, this was the number one issue discussed at a recent blogger dinner at Fall VON.
3. Should you have a Blackberry 8xxx or Nokia N-Series phone you can install iSkoot and have a similar user experience on any GSM network worldwide. In fact, 3 itself encourages the use of Skype for their X-Series customers using any of the Nokia: N73, E65, 6120 and N95; Sony Ericsson: W950i; or LG Shine U970 smartphones.
4. UMA/GAN provides an alternative path to low cost, familiar voice calling through its seamless transition of voice calls and data between GSM/2G/3G wireless and WiFi access hotspots.
5. Whether using VoIP or UMA/GAN carriers will still want to have some revenue generating plan, even if it is fixed rate. Both 3′s Skypephone offering with the promotion described above and T-Moible USA’s Hotspot @ Home unlimited use, but fixed rate, service represent the type of plan we can expect to see going forward.

There are three advantages to using the Blackberry 8820 and iSkoot:

• Having a QWERTY keyboard makes it a much easier to enter text messages, whether in Skype IM or SMS
• The WiFi inherent to the 8820 (or 8320 Curve) can significantly reduce carrier data plan usage, especially important when your carrier has no “unlimited” data plan.
• Blackberries inherently have the best battery management and charge lifetime of any mobile devices.

The only issue I cannot fully address is the Skypephone’s voice quality. Certainly the Blackberry-based call I made was limited to the <~3 kHz audio bandwidth of a cell phone and did not inhibit the conversation. Until I know the voice engine within the Skypephone and with no experience using it, I cannot comment. (Link to an experience using Skype on a mobile device with a wideband voice engine.) However, the reviews linked below speak favorably of the voice quality.

Bottom line: it’s the user experience that matters. In architecting the service its goal has to be ease-of-use, robustness and reliability along with a service plan that will be very attractive to generating customers. Using my criteria for evaluating mobile Skype services, it stands up quite well in both in terms of features, especially Skype features, and the user experience. And may it contribute to driving lower mobile user costs for both voice calls and mobile web activities.

Related posts:

• Time Online: On test: the 3 Skypephone

The other great feature of the phone is the ease of use. You sign in on the handset with your Skype account details at the outset. This takes less than a minute. Once signed on, you press a single Skype key and the screen shows all your contacts and their status, exactly as you would see on your computer. You can use Skype to chat or call them. Pretty simple.

• Technical Itch: 3 Skypephone Review

The Skype phone is all about free phone calls, and opening Skype to a whole new mobile audience, and for that purpose it does a good job. With a sub £50 price tag on PAYG it represents great value for money.

• A Primer for Skype’s Direction: Mobile Conversations

¹ Note there is a cap of 10,000 IM messages per month (333 messages/day) and 4,000 Skype minutes per month (2 hour 20 minutes/day). With a T9 keyboard you would be hard pressed to generate 100 chat messages per day.

² 900 MHz, 1800 Mhz, 1900 MHz GSM and 2100 MHz UMTS. Without the 850 MHz band, it is not suitable for North American GSM use. Yes, as evidenced by the photo above, I saw a Skypephone running on AT&T while at Fall VON.

³ Normally I would refer to a press release received by many bloggers in the past couple of days but in this case the release was quite pretentious and misinformed with the result that I don’t want to give it any publicity that it really does not deserve.

⁴ Today a very significant portion of all long distance calls use VoIP at some stage in the connection between end points; the carriers just don’t want to announce that they too have figured out how VoIP can reduce their service costs. The key here is that the VoIP interface does not have to be on the end point device to achieve a cost saving, whether for the user or the carrier.

At Skype’s CES 2007 press conference this morning, there were three major announcements:

• Confirmation of the partnership with Nokia whereby the initial offering will result in Skype as the centerpiece for handling Internet-enabled conversations on the new Nokia N800 Internet Tablet. While the N800 is available today, the Skype participation will be an upgrade expected in the early summer timeframe.
• Initial availability via retail channels of the first “PC-free” Skype Dual Mode Cordless Phones which require a direct broadband Internet connection (and the traditional PSTN connection) while handling both Skype and PSTN calls.
• A new line of Desktop Internet Phones with a larger LCD display that again can be directly connected to a broadband router to make calls.

The Skype Dual Mode Cordless phones comprise a base station that supports up to four remote handsets via DECT technology to avoid interference from WiFi networks while providing enhanced sound quality. Participating at this morning’s press conference were representatives of both NetGear and Philips but we can expect to see similar products from additional hardware partners over the next few months.

With these phones one can place handsets around the home, providing both presence information and Skype access from any location within the home. They have the potential to significantly change the calling dynamics within the family or a group of friends. One U.K.-based Skype employee had already provided these phones to his brother in the U.S. and his mother in Denmark such that mom could see the availability of either of her sons at any time and just pick up any handset in the house to make a call.

Since they operate independently of any PC, both the Dual Mode Cordless Phones and the Desktop Internet Phones eliminate any interference during Skype calls caused by using Skype on a Windows-based PC where other applications, such as Outlook, have the potential to disrupt a call while carrying some activity such as downloading email.

When asked how they would differentiate their products the NetGear representative referred to their user ergonomics and compatibility with other NetGear products to provide a positive customer experience while the Phillips representative talked about how they had incorporated Phillips’ experience with voice quality enhancement using sealed acoustic chamber technology and unique DSP (digital signal processing) algorithms.

With suggested retail pricing of US$229 (NetGear) and US$169 (Phillips) these two products will soon be available at the Skype store as well as via their traditional retail channel partners.

(Once the Skype press releases are available on the Skype website, links to the various announcements will be added to this post.)

Tags: Skype, Nokia N800, NetGear, Philips, Skype Dual Mode Phones