VoIPWatch

Put Facebook on Your Blackberry

It looks like Facebook has really graduated.

Now there will be a native application for the Blackberry, something no well dressed MBA would be without.

Basically this puts a sub network within a sub network running over multiple carriers. It's ingenious.

My guess is that with the MSFT investment we'll be seeing a Windows Mobile version, as well as an Apple iPhone version. I mean, why not?

Skype 3 Phone Details Leaking Out

The Times of London has a story today about the new Skype enabled phone that the carrier named 3 will be rolling out reportedly this week.

Basically, there will be a Skype button that brings up your Skype buddies who are online and you can call them. Ok. But you can't use Skype Out. Strike One. There is no mention of Skype In, so one wonders if that functionality is permitted or if the handset rings when a Skype pal calls the user. Lastly I wonder about roaming? What happens when the user leaves the 3 Network?

Lots of questions..but few answers....

AIM Call Out

Tom Keating reports on AIM Call Out which looks and acts very much like Jajah to me. Some well placed sources lead me to believe it may be a private label version.

Jim Courtney on Skype Mobile

With Skype on 3 getting lots of play, pal Jim Courtney has an extensive piece on Skype and Mobile.

It is seriously worth a read.

Comcast's Packet Detection And How They 'Splained It

The New York Times in so many words, along with the Associated Press have basically, in so many words labeled Comcast liars, around the Bit Torrent issue.

Let's not go that far. Let's call them experts in managing the truth.

That kind of crisis management may have worked when Comcast was growing, but now in the era where the customers are able to determine things better than the company's front line techs and support folks, and where the blogosphere and journalism industry has the ability to get information faster than ever, there's no time for that kind of "spin control."

Let's face it, Comcast would have been better off saying "we have decided to do this and effective xx date we are deploying such and such unless you opt for another plan."

I for one don't have an issue with tiered service offerings, as long as the service provider offers the options, but in this era, there's no time for trying to hide reality. So while I see the reasoning to do what Comcast did, its the way they handled it, and the people who decided how to handle the matter who should be looked at as close as the traffic is being inspected.

Martin Geddes has his usual on the mark insight...very much worth a read.

Sprint Says Come Play on XOHM To Developers and Customers

Unlike the very locked down EVDO world, WiMax offers the promise to developers of a greenfield play.

When I read comments like this from Sprint I'm jazzed. But I'm also guarded as Sprint has always talked promise but then never delivered. If true to their word this could be a bonanza for many companies looking to really be part of the next generation of communications.

The prospect of an open platform means Sprint is looking at recreating what the Internet was supposed to be. A pipe with connected computers at the ends. Instead what we have are commercial service providers deciding what you can use, watch and accomplish.

I welcome this Brave New World....

Apple Leopard and SIP--Not Happening

SIP and Leopard are like oil and water as of the general release version of the new Apple OS dubbed Leopard.

After years of peaceful coexistence with the VoIP world the new OS and SIP based applications that I'm using on my Mac Book Pro Core 2 Duo just aren't working.

No EyeBeam

No GizmoProject

No SightSpeed

In an email exchange with SightSpeed's Aron Rosenberg everything was working fine through the final release candidate.

A CounterPath support person tells me the issue with EyeBeam is known and a fix is in the offing, in the next version.

I'm waiting to track down either Michael Robertson or Jason Droege of SIPPhone about Gizmo Project for their take.

Om told me by phone that he saw this problem with the Developer's versions, but all it took was reinstalling the software...No joy. Tried that and had zero success.

Oh, Skype works fine, which leads me to believe its a SIP related issue, likely tied to STUN or ICE. Hopefully one of the more technical types like Ted Wallingford can help unravel this mystery, as he is Mr. MacVoIP or Erik Lagerway of SipThat and now Lypp, as he's been a Mac SIPPER longer than me.

Update-It looks like this was a known issue for EyeBeam for some time and they have been working on a fix. My sources tell me it is in QA. How the heck can this not have been known to Apple's or if it was, why wasn't it fixed before the GA release. It appears things were working fine up to a point but with a new build the socket issue arose so something changed in the final release version.

Update #2 Derek Jacobs of CounterPath tells me "We were working on a patch for the Leopard issue and do have something ready. It did not get applied to the upcoming release until Friday, which is why the holdup. We are now running it through QA. If no additional problems are found with Leopard, then we’ll release the updated version as planned."

Update #3 One of the Gizmo Mac engineers forward me a link that shows they too are working on a fix. They even have a beta out now.

Update #4 I can report that the Gizmo client has loaded on my Mac Book Pro. Hats off to Michael, Jason and their team for moving so fast...and just in time for VON.

Update # 5 SightSpeed's Aron Rosenberg gets a gold star. On his day off, with a major release of a new product next week looming, he came into the office and fixed the Leopard's issues. He let me know "Build 6097 for Mac has passed QA and been posted live which fixes the Leopard issue. Download via our website."

In The News-Two for Truphone, Vringo One Each for Mobivox and SightSpeed

The Inquirer and GigaOm both heap praise on client Truphone.....lots is happening with our lads from the UK..and they're just getting going.

Mobivox, the easiest way to call your friends for free from any phone, scored a Windy City story in the Chicago Sun Times while video ringtone client Vringo hit the Wall Street Journal on the heels of their CNBC online story and TV appearance last week.

Then tonight the Investor's Business Daily story on the fires in Southern California hit the net, with a bonus pickup by CNN Money, featuring SightSpeed's CEO, Peter Csathy, leading off the story.

Om With Randy Stephenson of AT&T

Pal Om spent some time (all of 15 minutes was his allotment) with AT&T Prexy Randall Stephenson last week at Web 2.0. His recap of the interview is full of promises by the giant telco's new leader.

What is obvious to me is the new AT&T is not your daddy's AT&T anymore. Stephenson is talking a story which has to have T-Mobile, Sprint and Level3 all looking over their shoulders, but its clear AT&T is really gunning for the cable companies customers in my book if you listen between the lines.

Maybe I Should Move

Verizon's FIOS just started offering 20 megs symmetrical. That means 20 megs upload and 20 megs download.

Ok...its time for the cable guys to get off their horse, look at DOCSIS and say "we have fiber. Let's go to the home." If they do, speeds can go higher than what Verizon is offering because Verizon is using DOCSIS with back end support from Big Band Networks..

On the other hand their is AT&T selling their ill-conceived UVERSE offering a whopping 6 megs down, and some speed up. This is really nothing more than DSL updated, as the network to most homes mirrors how DSL was installed, thus eventually speeds drop. Well I guess that's better than what happened over the weekend to UVERSE. A national outage. Well their IPTV platform is based on Microsoft Windows technology so likely it was a weekly patch being applied that required a re-boot.