IP Telephony, SMB Channels, VC's & More

We Have Moved.

2008-05-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

The ChannelStrength blog is now TelecomTales. Please click here to view it...

ShoreTel's Long Road to Green UC.

2008-05-26T18:04:00.001-07:00

Some memories are clearer that others. Perhaps fewer of them as years go by, but some nonetheless. One for me dates back to very early 2000's if not the very late 90's.

At the time, I was building distribution for a company named LocusDialog - a first mover in speech-enabled auto-attendants. And in cruising one of the last CT Expo's, I stumbled upon a start-up then named Shoreline. To begin with, it was not yet in vogue to start a telecom company and it didn't help to call it something abstract like Shoreline, but this little company was determined to take on the giant - Cisco - in the then emerging wars of IP telephone systems. Note that it was still a time of PBX's and for that matter not necessarily ones built purely for IP networks.

Back to my memories. I remember two things vividly about my brief discussion with the Shoreline folk in their booth. One that were not ready to look at integrating my speech application (it was my job after all) and two; they were headstrong on selling direct only, as they saw it as the only way to compete with Cisco (who conversely had the best distribution in the market).

Since then, a few things have changed. Shoreline became Shortel, and today are in every conversation that Cisco is in. And they're public. An amazing story, really. But they didn't get here on their 'direct-only' high horse. In fact, today they sport a much envied distribution network (in no small thanks to my friend Sandy Hill) and won't sell direct to anybody! In retrospect, they probably needed that initial direct push just to get them started and to build traction in the market. But to scale, they had needed partners all over the world and credit to them, they have done it well.

Now another evolution at Shoretel is underway. After such a pure play at the IP-PBX vendor, their messaging has shifted distinctly to UC, as evidenced in this recently release. See if you can find the little, green-friendly reference they snuck in...

More later.

Ooma update.

2008-04-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am the first to admit that not enough people read this blog. Yet. But I can offer an interesting stat on what readership there is. Of all the search terms or referring URL's used to reach this page, the leading common denominator appears to be Ooma - the home appliance promising free calls for life, among other things.

Let me explain. A while back when Ooma came out from under, their PR folks did a real number on the launch. I picked up on it and penned a few posts on the topic. Now, it seems, when people are looking for Ooma reviews (I assume to maybe buy one) they land here. And then leave promptly thereafter.

So to my surprise (kind of) I read Om Malik this week concerned about whether Ooma was dooma'd. Seems they have gone through some changes at the top and are re-packaging and re-pricing their offering. Look, the free call market can be an unrewarding one. It's a fun space for making noise and for some easy enough to build a user population, but long term traction and revenue are challenging. The ladder two are pretty important when running a business.

Hmm. I have probably now just doubled the Ooma review-seeking crowd on my blog. Oh well. I hope they make it. Ooma, that is. If they can, it spells better days for the many others using free calls to start their dream business.

Tag, you're it. SimulScribe re-brands.

2008-04-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am officially addicted to receiving my voice mail as text in my email. In fact, I can't recall the last time a technology won me over so quickly; it may have been voice mail itself, some 15-20 years ago.

SimulScribe - the folks that turned me on to it - re-branded to PhoneTag this week, rightfully so. As time passed, I imagine the need for a more consumer-friendly name became evident. With it they're adding a very intuitive feature to the mix. Assuming you upload your contacts to your account online, they'll use their technology to match your incoming message with a contact in your list. Why? So that the converted voice to text email comes to you in such a way that you can simply reply to the caller by email - to their email, that is. Brilliant. As a user, I can attest to the very natural tendency to want to hit 'reply'. Nice going.

There is one caution I offer. While this service no doubt offers productivity and convenience, it can lead to a voice-less transaction between you and your caller. You not bothering to listen to the wave file and catch any of the intended intonations, and then you replying by email. Maybe voice-to-text emailing will soon have etiquette rules of its own.

Social Networking + Voice = Equals.

2008-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Equals was born this week. Or at least made more noise that it has since dribbling out over the Winter.

While I have not used it yet, Equals promises to bring one click conferencing to the Facebook generation. Talk to your closest friends - all together - with one click (or so). Another indicator that voice conferencing has always and will always be the killer-app; it was just too hard to do for so long. Face it, it's more fun to be on a call with many friends instead of just one.

It appears though that Facebook is just a starting point; an instant PR firm for a company with bigger plans. 'Buzz Me', not yet generally available, is targeted at mobile professionals. BTW - I was at Web 2.0 this week. Mobile professionals (who isn't one) better look out. Everyone is after you.

But I digress. 'Buzz Me' smells of a voice portal that will get you hooked by being your automated assistant. As much as Wildfire and so many others failed in the past, I do believe that we are now ready to be married to one speed dial if it can do enough things for us. I for one am looking forward to trying it. Learn more about it here.

My very own telecom beat.

2008-04-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Now this is something to write home about. Today my first article - in what will be a series on telecom for small business - was published at www.smallbiztechnology.com. The publisher - Ramon Ray - is a New Yorker passionate about helping small businesses get the most out of technology. Alongside this growing publication, he produces a Small Business Summit every year in New York with plans to expand nationally. Recently he offered me the opportunity to muse about telephony, and its place in small business. Who am I to refuse?

Here is a link to version one. Thanks, Ramon.

Video is in the green.

2008-04-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

In the first few years that I covered video conferencing - with precious few willing to believe it was getting hot - the technology was being sold primarily on the virtues of collaboration. And for some, novelty. After all, gas was not $4, people were still giddy about how cheap their latest flight was across the country and Green was still for Norther Californians only. Not anymore.

Ironically there was a time when we thought video would be the answer to air travel costs and in fact during its first wave in the late 90's, that is exactly how it was sold. Go to the CFO and show 'em how to cut travel costs. Now, 10 years later and with a much clearer picture on screen, we find ourselves in the same place. Kind of. Video - now believably good in quality - is being sold (or shall I say bought now that the inbound demand tap has opened) on the merits of being green, and saving travel costs. A salesperson dream come true: an emotional itch (green) and something for the CFO.

You've come a long way, video.

note: Andy Abramson over at VoIPWatch has an informative - and convincing - post on this this week.

Montreal. And more Montreal.

2008-04-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a while indeed since I mused about my beloved home town. I may even go back soon now that the 10 month Winter has thawed. Two quick thumbs up for it today:

1. Go Habs Go. Eleven years removed and it still thrills me when the Habs win (code for the local hockey team). Imagine the contest I could run to find a local San Franciscan who could tell me what a Hab is. Anyway, they survived a Boston rush this week and won their first playoff series. Took all seven games to get it done. Either way, I was longing to be at the Bell Center tonight.

2. Hats off to the folks at Tungle, the latest in meeting scheduling technology and the latest Montreal start-up to make news out here. Led a by a very patient yet visionary CEO, Tungle went live this week in time for Web 2.0. While many may wonder about the eventual business model, one cannot argue that they are attacking a very real problem. And from all the reviews from blogs with a gazillion more readers than mine, they have delivered an excellent product.

Skype Primes the Pump.

2008-04-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

For those - like me - who will celebrate once Skype is out from under Ebay, this set of postings from the Skype Journal sounds like the timing may indeed be good over the next year. From increased revenue numbers, that even look good in an Ebay world, to news that the SMB's appetite for voice and video conference is growing (not sure where you might have heard that before), the investment bankers are slowing being handed something to work with.

I also love the new CEO's...'if we can't integrate Skype into the Ebay model in the next year we will have to reassess'....line. So discreetly put. No wonder they hired him.

I for one do not believe they will come cheap. Google might end up wishing they had gone ahead a year ago when rumors first started to swirl. Meg might have been an easier sell.

Sunny Summer ahead for headsets.

2008-04-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2008. That's Day One for the new law forcing drivers in California to either wear a headset, pull over to make a call (unheard of) or - imagine this - not use the phone at all while behind the wheel. Given the options - and our love affair with the phone - looks like people will be paying for fancy headsets, or paying tickets. As a phone hog myself, I use a headset. But while I have tried desperately to adopt one BlueTooth or the other, I find myself reverting back to a faithful wire, over the head gizmo. Better sound for me and for my caller. Let's hope with the law will come headset innovation.

Yes, headset makers/sellers - even the not-so-good ones - will be the obvious benefactor of this new law. But there are other technology providers that will use this to skirt the recession. Text-to-speech, which continues pop up in new places, will proliferate even further. Speech-to-text (see my posts on SimulScribe and others) will also thrive. Jott's new BlackBerry download seems worth trying, although I'm not there yet. It uses speech-to-text to keep you from responding to email while driving (I assume that will be illegal too).

In fact, all speech technology and related innovation will continue to boom as we learn that tiny keyboards are not that handy, after all. Driving or not. Take the example of RingBranch, a new 'personal auto-attendant' application that leverages Faves-type wireless plans to enable people to make endless free wireless calls. While I am not sold on their model (Unlimited plans arrives shortly after they launched) I do like the notion of them becoming a consumer phone portal. Add speech to this application and now any California driver will call their RingBranch number, speak their contact name and be connected. I know many cell phones come equipped with voice dialing but a hosted service will provide better accuracy and be able to use it as a hook for other portal-like features. Personally, RingBranch would interest me if I could use it to make cheap international cell calls.

Who said the government can't influence the economy. The headset law will help many - in more ways that one.

And I Dare Repeat Myself.

2008-04-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Fair enough. I do tend to repeat myself. But when I see news like this - that Google is supposedly once again thinking about crossing the street to buy Skype - I cannot help myself. What a great idea. In fact I don't know who it's better for, Ebay or Google? Ebay gets out from under, and not too badly if the projected price tag is anywhere near right. And Google gets to be the sudden leader of the free (voice) world. But best of all, Skype would once again be in the hands of people who could make something out of this truly once-in-a-lifetime innovation. Go Google!

Voice to Text. To Money.

2008-04-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about the (now even faster) emerging space of voice-to-text applications, specifically converting voice mails to text to allow you to 'read' your voice mail.

I am glad to report that I am no longer in the dark on these. After my post, I heard from the folks at SimulScribe who asked me to try their service. I have been using it for the better part of the last month and can say categorically that the technology works. As someone with some appreciation for how difficult this process can be - think noise, fast or soft talkers, poor reception - I am quite patient with the very small percentage of inaccuracies. More importantly, as a business process, it has had a positive impact on my broader 'message management'. Reading and addressing my messages all in one place - my BlackBerry - just makes sense.

Separately, several other strong indicators on the direction of this space evolved over the same period of time:

- while visiting VoiceCon last month, it was evident that UC providers are either already looking at this functionality as a new feature or will be looking at it;

- SpinVox, the PR (if not overall leader) in this space, announced a huge injection of capital;

- Nuance, the giant in speech technologies, announced general availability of this feature set, making it accessible to its large and very diverse set of channels and customers.

Stay tuned for acquisitions. They cannot be that far off.

No Telecom Recession. Yet.

2008-03-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to go to VoiceCon last week. Not lucky that it was in Orlando but rather lucky to be part of it (...without doing booth duty). And lucky to feel the energy on the inside of the building, a breather from all the economic doomsday talk in the morning papers.

Energy. That is the best word I can find to describe what is quickly becoming 'the' enterprise telecom show. And energy is not often a word we use these days to describe a big, rambling trade show. But this one was full of it, every day. The floor itself was bustling from morning to night, helped in great part by the high-tech, expansive booths put on by many leading vendors. And the keynote sessions bristled with well over two thousand people, especially the one with Al Gore.

So what was different from other shows gone by, I wondered on my long trek home. A few things worth mentioning:

- Microsoft was there in no small way and this time it felt for real, instead of surreal. The first time I saw them last year, I was still in shock from their entry into the telecom space. Now, with their many partnerships including the Aspect announcement, they are part of our fabric;

- IBM joined the party this year with a Billion dollar injection along with plug-in relationships with the likes of Shoretel. Suffice to say that other incumbents are 'motivated to innovate by these two giants;

- Video: Another 'for real' moment. Video was everywhere (or at least it felt that way). The market leaders - Tandberg and Polycom - made themselves known and the incumbent telephony guys like Nortel, Avaya and Siemens all had video corners in their booths, even if not their strength. They clearly felt it would be conspicuous by its absence had they left it out.

- Buyers: Vendors I visited with all said the same thing - there are buyers in the house - a refrain not often heard at these events. Perhaps UC - and IP - have matured enough where people are coming to buy rather than window shop.

So could it be, a recession without telecom as a poster child? Wouldn't that be nice. Let's check in at VoiceCon in August to find out.

Do I need to 'see' my voice mail?

2008-03-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

I love telecom products. Whenever a friend needs a new phone, wants to get rid of a home line or just plain - very rarely - wants to talk telco, they call me. They know they can get an answer or opinion of some kind. That is if I am not already on the phone.

But there is one trend I have, up until now, put off. Visual voice mail. Rarely I have seen a technology take off like this one or at least get such ubiquitous coverage. Well done SpinVox, I must say. Particularly for a foreign company.

Yet while I hear and read about it all the time, I have yet to meet one person who uses it. Why, I wonder. Are they just marketing wizards - including buying Rich Tehrani's blog and the 'Visual Voice mail Channel' at TMCNet. (BTW - who needs a Visual Voicemail channel?). Or does the voice mail just not end up that visual?

My sense is that it actually works pretty well and that transcription as whole has a superb future. Think an about an automated application that can decipher which Google key words are being used in a phone call...

Maybe the time has come for me try it. As it is, I get far more email/texts that voice mail, but I can see how I will one day be so lazy that I won't want to have to listen to messages!

Voice mail to text. And to think I used to have beg people just to buy voice mail in the first place. I do love telecom.

London Calling. 12 million times.

2008-03-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

I am the first to admit that I know not enough about the telephony market in the UK except for maybe the fact that they always seem to have cooler mobile phones than we do. I've has some tell me that they barely use auto-attendants, while others claim they are ahead of us in many ways. But I have sensed in the past the BT is adequately innovative - being a telco and all - and this week I heard their name mentioned a few times in the hallways at Ecomm. Seems they had more than a little to do with RingCentral's latest money news.

Earlier this week, I got a Google Alert (more people should use these) that RingCentral has raised $12 million. For once, I thought Google had failed me. After all, that was old news. RingCentral announced a $12m raise back in September - why is Google only picking this up now, I wondered.

Low and behold, Google still works. RingCentral rang up yet another $12m on the heels of their new OEM deal with BT. Being one that loves 'doing deals' I must say this one impresses me. Talk about getting access to new markets. The raging success that virtual PBX's are in this country will now test foreign waters. Will the average English person be as impressed by a small business that suddenly sounds big? Lets hope so for those that have placed a $24m bet in less than 6 months.

Find me. If you can.

2008-03-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

I now know why the term 'find-me/follow-me' meant so little to the friends I used it with 3-4 years back. At the time, it seemed like such an intuitive term - in itself somewhat of an anomaly in technology. Afterall, 'find me' or 'follow-me', what's not to get. And as a telecom person, I had heard the term for so long myself that I just figured people knew it. Not so. Call forwarding seemed to work, but for me, didn't really do the package justice.

Fast forward to now where everyone is being found or followed. The proliferation of personal, web-based telephony applications like GrandCentral, Ifbyphone and GotVMail have certainly helped. Or at least done what their predecessors - over-featured key systems - perhaps couldn't.

Forward even faster and like we see so often, as soon as the masses start to 'get' something, we change the game. The beauty of Find Me apps is that when properly managed, they do just that. They take the finding and following out of the equation for the caller. But there's a hitch. The call receiver has to program and then intermittently manage the application. Garbage in, garbage out. Don't tell your assistant where you'll be at five, they probably won't find you. Neither will your phone.

Enter presence-based find me solutions. These come in a few flavors. There are those where you can log in and out so the application knows which 'rules' to follow. And now there's 'touch' based presence. Haven't typed on your Mac (or PC) in a while, your phone will figure you're away and your find me rules will kick in. Fonality introduced this feature this week and others have it. Just don't expect your friends to understand it for a while....

One more win for open skies.

2008-02-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago I worked in the wireless business. Fairly un-memorable frankly, except for maybe one thing. I witnessed the fall of the complex, 'sell more through confusion' pricing era. While working for one of Canada's leading wireless networks, an upstart called Fido (now owned by that same network) disrupted the industry North American wide by introducing flat rate pricing. I will never forget: 400 minutes for $40. No weekends, nights or other convoluted restrictions. Just straight up. And the legacy providers were in a panic. This would be the end of margins as they knew them.

Well, 12 years later, wireless operators are doing fine. But, finally, we have more pricing disruption. Verizon - then its closest friends - launch unlimited wireless calling plans this week. It was only a matter of time really, or a matter of who would do it first. It kind of reminded me of the airline business. One offers something, the others follow immediately. How do they know, I wonder, far enough ahead that they even have TV ads ready to support it? Big brother, I imagine.

There has been much debate online about the good and bad of these new offers. As in good for the consumer, bad for the provider. Some would argue otherwise. The best piece I read to date is found here, where Om Malik insists this is a mistake. Om's position is based on the assumption that the providers stand to lose by way of all the heavy plan subscribers - or overage sinners - will smartly change their plans and bid adieu to monthly penalties. Probably right.

On the other hand though, we have the under spenders. Those with the $70 plans who rarely go over. But what a screaming deal for them to spend $99/mth and never again have to worry about overage. And get to tell their friends about it. Is that not an extra $30/mth for the carrier?

It's anybody's guess where this will go. Even for the analysts who will tell you otherwise. But one thing is for sure, number portability is working. After all, back when Fido offered 400 minutes for $40, only those without a phone could brag about their new plan.

Top 10 (actually 11) Ways to Survive Conference Calling.

2008-02-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

There's a reason after all that several Voice 2.0 types are launching next generation conferencing services. Yes, there's the fact that this market has been owned by telco-types for years and that there may (stress 'may') be low hanging revenue to be had. But the underlying reason is perhaps more obvious: We spend our lives on conference calls! And not the big ones anymore; you know the 15 person ones where you could be anonymous.

This is especially true for us telecommuters. My day is nothing if not one big conference call blur, the in-office equivalent to sitting in endless face to face meetings. Many services like Lypp are making conference call easier to set and take from anywhere, while others like Iotum are making them less expensive, if not free.

No one though - until I read this blog post from Italy's VoIP thought leader (Sardegna to be exact) - has taken on the role of Conference Call Coach. In Luca's top eleven, he reminds us to hydrate and not to multi-task, among other things. Both excellent suggestions that I rarely abide by.

One of his tips struck me though as something I should try. And it's not new except for maybe it's easier to do now. Record your calls to re-listen later, pass on to others or simply to have on file for a later date. I have not tried it but presumably the latest Iotum product makes this easy, as does the one from Lypp.

My question: Do you have to let others know that you are recording the call?

Small business telephony. Feature overkill?

2008-02-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

In 2005 I had the good fortune to work at length with GotVMail, a now very well established player in the Virtual PBX arena. And since then, several other entrants into the broader SMB/telephony space. Yet, it never ceases to surprise me when I get word of the latest start-up joining the same fray.

Among many in just the last few months, Ramon Ray over at SmallBizTechnology profiles Toktumi and SIPJunction this week. The former is the latest in companies attacking this space by using the PC on everyone's desk as leverage, while the latter is a VoIP twist on a virtual PBX (hosted). Both offer a robust set of features. The question is, though, no longer whether there are enough features to choose from or even whether the price point works (the GotVMails of the world have proven those points); it's more a function of whether enough small businesses are in fact sophisticated enough to take advantage of the these packaged services.

We're past early adopters now in this market (I think), which means those buying for the first time will want brand and ease of product ramp. The first one - the spots are taken. The second - well that's where new entrants have their best shot. Yet even that does not make for a slam dunk. My friends at Telephony2 have what is easily the most user friendly product on the market, but they would surely be happy to be selling more of it.

Don't get me wrong. I am huge fan of almost all of these new players. Sooner or later, the good ones will get absorbed by the huge small business market. It may just take time - not something all start-ups have the luxury of.

As for GotVMail, they have stuck closely to their plan. Deliver a consistent experience, market aggressively and worry less about adding new fancy features their customers will never use. The plan is working.

Business Networking Arrives.

2008-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I was working on my new web site - which by the way a few weeks from now will become my 'old' website - and I came came across a story on a gentleman named Axel Schultz. Axel's pedigree was heavily steeped in channel work and very connected to how the channel would play a role in the (then) emerging world of the SaaS world. My networking antenna went up instantly - Axel was someone I should know.

Little did I know that I would soon connect with the uber of all uber networkers, and with someone steadily working on the next generation of social networking applications. You see Axel was an early adopter of LinkedIn; I thought I was early until I found out that he had been on the Alpha invite list and that he blew through his first 500 connections before all the lights were on there. While he still likes LinkedIn, seems he needed more.

Fast forward to today and Axel and his team have just launched the generally available version of Xeequa - the world's first application devoted exclusively to business networking. Not to posting pictures of yourself as a kid; not to hoping someone three degrees from you will talk to; but to real, dynamic networking that moves you forward as it should. Think of it as LinkedIn meets Facebook meets SalesForce and you have a pretty good picture of what it can do for you.

I have been fortunate to be included in the Beta and watch the application race ahead with every new release. Surely, with new users now joining on, it will re-invent itself through additional iterations. But what is important here is that we are finally moving social software into the corporate environment. Lets see where it takes us.

Yahoo! should say Yahoo.

2008-02-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

Unlike the average San Franciscan, I am a big fan of Yahoo! I use their email - have for years - and despite many attempts to move away (NetVibes the latest one), my browser opens every morning to Yahoo! But the shadows of Mountain View (aka Google) alas are too dark. Everyone is determined to compare these two companies when, outside of the online ad business, they are indeed different companies. Unfortunately, Yahoo! has struggled to monetize their half billion or so users and as a result, still depend heavily on a Google-like model to make Wall Street happy.

So, as much I am a not a big fan of any Valley companies being inhaled to Redmond, it seems that the timing fits. Better this than to watch a once-considered brilliant company falter through our not-so-pending (as in it's already here) slowdown. Lets just hope they can find enough other parties to drive up the price...

Ribbit does not hop alone.

2008-02-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

As a veteran of voice services and someone who pays close attention to Voice 2.0, I am very encouraged to see Ribbit so successfully get visibility across the technology noise machine. It’s great for Voice as a whole. And from what I can tell, their focus to aggressively bring voice to the developer world, like other technologies have done before them, is well intended - and should pay off in some fashion.

It is my opinion, though, that next generation voice services will need to succeed in the B-B space to create meaningful results for investors. In order to do this - whether through developer or other channels - applications have to be easy to deploy and must generate repeatable results for business.

The enterprise equation for voice is clearer as, in some format, we have been delivering value adding applications to this group for some time. Small business is less obvious and as we know, a more difficult and disaggregated group to market to. But this is where I believe the opportunity is greatest as this is the market that - short of basic telephony - has been under served. With the now more obvious intersection between voice and the web in front of us, there is so much small business can benefit from.

There are a number of exciting, newer companies in this space - something us voice veterans could not claim a few short years ago. One company I suggest having a look at - a little quieter perhaps that Ribbit (in the frozen tundra of Chicago) but very advanced in their product and distribution - is Ifbyphone.

Can OpenID change the channel?

2008-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

As part their 3.0 effort to get back on top - or at least to cease endless comparisons to Google - Yahoo! made a splash this week about adding OpenID to their user experience. While there will be limitations, I says kudos to them for giving this a shot and, perhaps in doing so, giving OpenID a chance to be what it originally set out to be.

In my partner development work, I often talk to clients about the importance of low friction in relationships that are intended to generate demand from one partner to another. And the SaaS world would appear to offer the change to do lower friction deals than we have before because prospects merely have to pop from one site to another to buy something on referral. But is this really low friction? It would be save for the fact that with every passing day the average online visitor's attention span exponentially slides.

What does this have to do with OpenID. Simple. If you send me from one application to another - even if they are complementary of another - and you ask me to set up and insert yet another password, I may very well abort. Even if I can remember it. OpenID - as a concept - has the potential to change the way us BizDev people make deals; make them based only on the marketing and revenue upside and less on what development would be required to make them work.

Since being enamored with the concept though, I have since learned that the path to worldwide OpenID is not that well paved. Microsoft failed with Passport moons ago and there are at least 2 other OpenID-like groups trying to become the standard. Seems to me that by definition there can only be one standard.

But I love the idea. And, as a big Yahoo! fan, I applaud them for the effort.

More artwork from Cupertino.

2008-01-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

I never used to care about MacWorld being in town, save maybe for the lack of tables at good restaurants. In fact, that can probably be said for a lot of people. Not anymore. Seems like once a week that I talk to once PC stalwarts sneaking off the the Apple store to see what the buzz is about.

And today, Steve and his pals struck once again. After a week of watching the locals guess at what this year's Iphone is, Air was released as a new entrant into the ultra-portable computing segment; a segment that can well use the competition. Having not so long ago purchased my own MacBook Pro, I found out first hand that the combination of very light and very powerful was hard to come by. Once again, Mac is resetting the standard for a segment and in doing so will again be able to straddle both the consumer and business markets. This in itself is an accomplishment many foes cannot seem to do.

At the risk of gushing at them, I am no longer sure what is most impressive about Apple. Product design? Buzz creation? Brand extension? You name it, they're building a Harvard Business case for it. And lets not forget the Fort Knox secrecy. No idea how they keep so many people, so quiet.

Well done, Steve. Again.

Counting the days until LinkedIn Opens.

2008-01-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

While those who know me will never accuse me of having product development skills, I like to think that I can at least appreciate good development when I see it (or use it). With so much 'Open' talk these days though - from Google all the way to Verizon, of all companies - it's getting more difficult for someone of my skills to evaluate just how open platforms or products are going to be.

Facebook has clearly set the bar for openness; every time I log in I see a boatload of new widgets and applications to ignore. Given Google's track record I have to assume that their open, will be really open - as long as it can sell more advertising. As for Verizon, the jury is surely out by what I read. Great concept and a great step for telephony, but they are after all an 'old' phone company.

This brings me to LinkedIn, something I have used since well before the average person felt obliged to try it. And while I like it, I have pined for it to be more meaningful in my broader networking efforts. Yes, it gives me a simple way to grow my posse, but my access to people in my network - or worse, to those once removed from me - is the furthest thing from instant. Some time ago, they announced 'open' intent, but with few details. Still few details are available to this day. We are starting to see some external movement around it, including the SightSpeed announcement I posted about earlier this week. But nothing yet that has changed my LinkedIn experience.

I want presence in my LinkedIn. I want to know when people in my network are online so I can quickly IM, voice or video communicate with them to achieve whatever networking benefit I am after. This may even accelerate the process of getting in touch with those separated from me by a degree or two. Today, I just don't bother anymore if the target is not in my own network.

Because of the job they have done in building these personal databases, there are many other wonderful 'open' possibilities. Conference calling, SMS, integration to your corporate UC applications, to name a few. But this brings me full circle - I just don't know how open is open. Lets hope it's wide. I want a better LinkedIn.