VoIPWatch

Arriving Early On Video Conference Calls

You've likely experienced it, especially since the pandemic started. You're on back to back conference calls on ZOOM and say your 10 AM call that's scheduled for 30 minutes is about to end--but you're not done, or someone else on the call isn't finished making their points and BAM-someone due to be on your next call dials in around 1025--thinking of course they'll be early for the call and maybe they can catch up with you. 

So, because the call your on has nothing to do with them, you let them sit in the waiting room, much like doctors do with their patients. But there's a rub-at least on ZOOM. That rub is as soon as I end my 10 AM call and in turn the recording and GRAIN's recording, the person in the waiting room is kicked off too.

There has to be a better way for this. My ask to ZOOM and others where this happens is make the waiting room just that, a place where participants wait  to be admitted vs being treated like their part of the active call. If that happens, they don't get the feeling they've been kicked out or ignored. It's a win win all the way.

Apple's iPhone: Something Old, Something New

With the release of the new iPhone 14s, and the features in it, Apple has both done something new and something old. The new are features like satellite connectivity, eSIM only editions, virtual ID, enhanced maps are the major differences, along with pricing, when you compare the US editions vs. those being sold in the rest of the world, reports Phone Arena.

It was back in the days of the single digit iPhones when I used to buy "world editions" of the smartphone. I still have my last "world edition"  iPhone SE (the original) in a drawer somewhere, as a veteran global worker, yes I was an early nomad, so I tended to need a phone that worked everywhere vs buying phones that were localized. Thankfully, Apple made those, and my life on the road was serene using Truphone sim cards for a while, or local SIMs in every country, and eventually as time went on, Google Fi as well.

Usually, the "world editions" were released a few months after Apple released the variants for the USA, EU and China. While the local variants mostly worked globally for calling and texting, where they differed was almost always on the data side, with the USA editions usually one generation behind when it came 3G, 4G or LTE connectivity, or where the radio frequencies were just not available, where the world edition was complete on the frequencies and more up
to date on the data speed capabilities as well.

The eSIM thing really is minor, as the small percentage of people who country hop and SIM swap, though growing, is small. Prepaid eSIMs are starting to appear so really, it's more a matter of convenience for now, but as time goes on, the eSIM, like NFC, becomes a far more secure mode of identification for transactions, and apps, especially those of a financial nature, will be far more secure. Candidly, friends who had their crypto wallets stolen would not have had this happen (or not as easily) if eSIMs were in use back then.

Another side of me says that the reason Apple is doing things this way has to do with capabilities and being more niche market focused and selling devices that are optimized for what works  in each locale. The virtual ID is USA only. Satellite also (for now) and maps, well both Google and Apple have been constantly fighting a battle to keep their maps more up to date.

If that's the case, for global nomads the 14 may be edition to skip and wait a year for the iPhone 15 or do something else or just buy an Android with global capabilities and keep the iPhone for what it can do. For those who stay closer to home all the time, the 14 provides a suitable upgrade and beyond the speed boosts on 5G, enough reasons to make the switch.

Zoom Is Taking Aim At Microsoft, Maybe Google

An item that just crossed my desk was about ZOOM and how they are coming out with email and calendar applications named Zmail and Zcal. My first thought was why is ZOOM not sticking to its knitting and just being a communications company that has taken the world by storm. Then as I gave it more thought, I really think it's more about user data and privacy.

You see, for years everyone has contended that Google and to a large extent Microsoft both know more about you and what you're doing, as well as the information you produce and store than they should. Do I believe Google or Microsoft actually reads your email? No. But I do think using predictive analytics they are scanning and suggesting to you, while also formulating what they have to do to make their services more robust, as well as how knowing more about you can make their services better.

So why is ZOOM going into the "tools" space? First there's what I described above. Second, and way more important is how they can fill in the gaps between ZOOM conferencing and ZOOM Phone on their own terms. No longer will they need to wait to figure out how to integrate with Google or Microsoft Mail or Calendar, before rolling out new integrations. With ZCal and ZMail they can release those as soon as they want. Third, my guess is they will work with Google Mail and Outlook 365 as both offer IMAP and POP3, so just like the GMail application can connect to any third party email service, so could ZMail, as well as how the calendar app can take a feed, much like Apple's iCal.

But it's the Calendar space that has me more intrigued as that's where I think the sweet spot is. Already services like CRON and Magical as well as many others like MyNook are looking to redefine and reinvent the Calendar and how you use one. I see ZOOM doing that, and possibly buying one of the calendar startups up as there are many great ideas out there that best Microsoft's Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar all day long.

Self (Helpless) Checkout

The New York Times has a story on how Wegmans, a regional supermarket chain has decided to drop self checkout. As I was just in London where self-checkout is all over the place in Tesco, M&S and even the really hip Amazon store on Wood Wharf, I found myself wondering how much money is being lost to theft. Well it seems Wegmans has the same thoughts. 

Cutting labor to save money only works if the solution doesn't cost you more.

Yes It's Time To Blog

Ya gotta love longtime pal Om Malik. He has a way of just being the "editor" who kicks one in the posterior at just the right time. Today he posted about Blogging, and it reminded me how much I've missed it. Sure I've been doing some Medium and LinkedIn writing now and then, but to be honest, the last few years for me have been diffused and focused on the client work. Now it's time to resume -when there's something to say.

Over time, I've created

EV Watch for Electric Vehicle News

WineSiders for my wine reviews

WineScene that was to be my wine blog like VoIPWatch was for telecom.

Working Anywhere for Remote Work (long before it was in vogue)

And in doing so, I lost the focus that Om has helped rekindle. So, now, it's time to Blog again.

Thanks, Om. Thanks.