Network World is reporting that the wireline customer base in the USA is shrinking while VoIP service is increasing, but there view is that VoIP has peaked and that cord cutting, with more and more customers moving to wireless is the trend. Not much new in that thinking except for one key factor.
E911. Until E911 on mobile functions exactly like it does on a wireline, the large scale defection won't really occur.
Their second observation I agree with. It's the market that's opening widely in the business and enterprise market. It's one of the core reasons why Comcast purchased/acquired/bailed out (take you pick) NGT, one of the largest, if not the largest reseller of Level3 and why companies like Bandwidth.com, M5 Networks, client Telesphere and others are actively working to grow their customer bases.
Skype is going to the regulator OFCOM in the UK to ask them to have some of the mobile operators in the UK to stop blocking Skype calls over 3G. While 3 in the UK doesn't stop Skype calling over 3G, and actually had a service that worked much like Verizon' Wireless' here in the USA based on the iSkoot technology initially, calling over 3G/4G has been more of a crapshoot for Skype users in most countries. The problem is even worse for those who choose to use prepaid.
As two media outlets report that Ofcom and the EU regulators are looking at mandating the removal of those blockages to help with innovation.
My view is this. Microsoft is viewing the mobile operators with more favor these days. Already they have global initiatives underway with AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and Deutche Telekom (with more to follow) to be the channel of distribution for Microsoft products and services--this is everything from XBox, Kinnect, Office365, to the enterprise services. Skype will eventually a part of that same effort, if it isn't already. This two pronged effort is all geared to make sure the Skype's peer to peer and presence technology, not simply Skype itself works over the data side of the carriers.
Always remember, that when it comes to Microsoft, there's more to what they are doing. So while everyone is looking left, at their actions, it's really what they're doing quietly on the right that matters.
I like the moves they're making and see it as a good thing long term for consumers and business people across the UK and EU.
I'm not giving up on Apple. No way. But what I do like about Android is the true multi-tasking that it offers. Lately, I've been using my Androids and iPads more for multimedia and less for work. Being home helps, of course vs. the 32 days of business travel I did between mid-October through mid-November, but being home has given me the opportunity to test out connectivity between my various BlueTooth and Bonjour enabled devices.
One of the devices is the not yet available in the USA HuaweiMedia Pad which runs Android Honeycomb (3.2). It's a major upgrade from my Huawei IDEOS 7, but lacks the GSM phone capabilities that the IDEOS 7 has as the Media Pad is a data centric device much like the iPad. What I like about it most is the form factor. It's 1/3 smaller than the iPad and light. Given I plan to have some tailored suits and sport coats made in the new year, I'll have the tailor shape the inside pocket for it and use it as a modern day FiloFax or DayRunner with it's easy integration with Exchange via Touchdown for Tablets (beta) from NitroDesk.
Skype and Counterpath's Bria for SIP and GrooveIP for GoogleVoice makes it an ideal communications device, and apps like Spotify, Pandora (despite the bugs), XiiaLive and Radio Tunes Pro I can get all the music and radio I need, and just like my iPad which I use to stream to my Apple TV and connected speakers, the MediaPad and the Jawbone Jambox is a killer combination of music portablility on the go via BlueTooth (though 128K audio does have a buffer issue but that's BlueTooth not the MediaPad's limitation)
With it's HDMI output port and a cable this can connect to my monitors and widescreens as another playback or steaming video device. Since it's 1080p natively you get really true HD playback so again, it's a great media device, so I can put up with the lack of the real phone capabilites that I have in my Samsung Galaxy Tab P-1000 (and soon a Tab Plus.)
The size makes it a nice toss in the travel bag form factor, and with a good headset, a solid VoIP provider or Skype, I can still be in touch with all whom I need to be.
Net net--options beyond iPad abound, and while the iPad apps and capabilities still win out for me, the Media Pad is an ideal device for the entertainment junkie, and like the Kindle Fire is a very good lean back device when I want to be AFK (away from the Keyboard) and in front of the TV and still be staying connected.
I won't go into reviewing in depth the Samsung Google Nexus as enough other reviews are out there, but what I will say is if you're a Google centric person, where you make extensive use of Google Apps, Mail, Calendar, Picasa and all that Google has to, then this is the Android phone for you.
First off an unlocked Google Galaxy Nexus is an ideal phone for anyone going international. It's pentaband so you get 850, 900, 1700, 1900 & 2100 MHZ which means you can use it all over the world. Here in the USA you may want to opt for T-Mobile's pay as you go, or AT&T's GoPhone plan or pay monthly plan and use it as little or as much you need to as your "other phone." Or put it on a subscription plan as your main phone and get blazing fast speeds a managable data plan rates. Another option is TRU from client Truphone, where you get to roam here in the USA on T-Mobile and on Vodafone in the UK. Both have fast networks and both are perfect for this phone as you can have numbers in both places that work so, so well. You can also use local pay as you go SIM's and manage them with a plethora of APN setting apps that are available in the Market (most times you don't have too though.)
Hidden inside the phone's settings is the Android's ability to place and receive Internet calls. Another feature is the native ability to configure your SIP accounts to place or receive calls over the Internet. This is a huge plus for those who already have SIP based VoIP service. I quickly configured mine and presto the calls were coming in and going out. Unfortunately, it's not as configurable as client CounterPath's Bria is but for those who want to SIPley (pun intended) connect, Android offers that feature.
Using Touchdown as my Exchange client solves the issues found with the native mail, calendar and address book.
Tieing in GoogleVoice of course is standard. You simply use that and your calls look like they are coming from your regular number. With this feature it really doesn't matter which phone I'm calling from, and with conditional call forwarding for when I'm busy, not available or not answering, the calls all ring everywhere. But it's the native Google/ Google Voice integration that makes the phone so sweet. That and the lightness of being that it is. Superlight in weight, the Galaxy Nexus clearly makes my Verizon HTC Thunderbolt feel like a brick. The way this phone behaves I'll certainly be thinking about grabbing the Verizon version for coverage here in the U.S.A.
Does the Google Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 beat my Apple 4S out as my favorite phone? No. but with all the features packed in the Samsung Google Galaxy Nexus one has to give the GSM version SERIOUS consideration as your other phone if you are locked to an unlockable AT&T iPhone (I'm not) as the benefits in the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich OS make it a serious contender for the Internationalist who needs more than just a phone.
