Last week Google announced Wave, a pre-alpha browser application project. The experience is like instant messaging but with the extensibility and variety you might find in facebook or OpenSocial applications. Wave can be highly decentralized, like email, with Wave servers hosted by any person or company that cares to. Wave clients run in browsers. (Good to know: Skype desktop clients have tiny browsers inside.)
Extensibility makes a container useful in more ways. Like adding new tools to your Swiss Army knife or multitool. Apps could change what goes on inside the chat. We will be able to combine them in interesting ways. To surround chat with useful information about people. To enrich ways we discover people to talk with, to initiate conversations, to conduct those conversations using the right tools for that conversation, and to use the history of those conversations meaningfully.
Wave solves several Skype problems:
One size doesn't fit all. People are diverse. So are the ways we want to talk. Skype is mastering the middle ground, ignoring the long tail of experience demand.
Skype is closed. Promoting the Skype namespace so non-Skype users can chat with Skypers should increase demand for access to Skype services. New blood to boost the number of people in the Skype network.
Skype isn't developer-bait. Skype might siphon off Wave talent. Opening up Skype to developers gives them immediate access to a world market, a great opportunity to bring them in to the Skype developer program. Done well, you might do without giving up control of Skype's added value.
Skype doesn't run in browsers. Waving the Skype desktop client could lead to a browser-based rich Internet application, a Skype that runs in a browser without a 20MB download.
The flip side is opportunity:
Skype meets more needs (lock-in in more markets).
Skype attracts new customers (faster word of mouth).
There's a disconnect between what people say they want when you ask them (in focus groups, for example) and what they really want and do. We all say we like dark, rich, roasted coffee but many of us like weak, creamy coffee.
Horizontal segmentation can reveal that there are many variations of a product, each with their own appeal to the many variations among people. I like chunky tomato sauce, you like spicy. Until you reveal and test the clusters across a zillion dimensions, you'll never know how you should extend your product family.
While chefs have an idea that there is one right way to make a particular dish, they are wrong. The Platonic Ideal of a product misses that everyone in that restaurant has a different experience, different tastes, and that the chef's perfection of poached halibut will only produce an "average" happiness.
By searching for human variability and embracing human diversity, we'll find a truer path to true happiness.
Talk is a fundamental human activity and it's tough to create access to the Skype network from everywhere people talk (or would talk if they could).
So Skype gives us one Skype. It's squeezed into different shapes to adapt to different devices and operating systems, but it's the same Skype.
This is not enough. Skype knows it.
Skype is resource constrained. Everything they have is going into creating access to Skype dialtone. There is no way they can create 20 variations of Skype for Windows to serve different market segments. Let alone the thousands of variations by which people meet, engage, interact, play, learn, discover, fight, love, and experience each other.
So Skype needs a multiplier.
A multiplier that lets thousands of teams of developers fashion a Skype that meets their way of talking and being social.
We call that platforming. Giving a solid foundation, a platform, on which others can build.
Skype has several weak programming platforms now, all of them under review. The review is good.
Because for as big as Skype's market is now, it can be orders of magnitude larger. And Skype doesn't have the time or people or money to make Skypes for all those contexts.
Skype for WoW.
Skype for First Responders.
Skype for Shoppers.
Skype for Stock Brokers.
Skype for Grandparents.
Skype for the Hypersocial.
Skype for Twitterers.
Skype for Getting Things Done.
Skype for Lovers.
Skype for Musicians. (I met a company that has this as a business plan)
Skype for Projects.
Skype for Poken.
Skype for Sales.
Skype for Lawyers.
Skype for eBay Power Sellers.
Skype for Product Managers.
Skype for Hello Kitty.
Skype for IMDB and other movie lovers.
Skype for Manchester United.
And a thousand more.
Each with their own social and communication patterns, their own feature priorities, different measures of success, integration with different other systems, and support requirements.
What would they have in common? An underlying brand ("Skype inside"), one login, backup, in-network connection to other Skype users, encryption, contact lists, history.
And an ecosystem eager to pour a liquid Skype into the forms that make each community, each niche, each segment, each person very very happy.
Caveat Lector: this is a rough draft of my thinking on what a Portability EULA /TOS should say/do/include. Please comment. - Phil
We've discussed Graceful Exit, the ability for people to control their departure from a site or service.
Open Arms starts at the beginning of your relationship with a service. Let's summarize it, break it apart, and explain why this is a powerful way to do business.
Open Arms is a combination of policy and technology.
The policy says:
When you come to our site, bring all of yourself. We'll help you put it to use in our context. We'll make it easy to come. We'll keep it safe. We'll respect ownership as you see it.
What you add while you are here will join your collection and be portable in turn.
The elements.
All of yourself.
Bring your identity, your contacts, your history with your contacts, your photos and videos, your playlists, everything digital.
We'll ignore what we cannot use.
Put it to use in our context.
Every site has a context.
Things it does
Purposes people share
Community standards of behavior.
For example:
Monster brings work and workers together.
Flickr helps people manage what comes out of their cameras.
YouTube is a community of video.
QuickBooks helps you manage your business.
Chemistry helps you find true love.
Amazon and eBay bring buyers and sellers together.
We need your data. These sites could help you do more and do it smarter with more and fresher and truer information from you. Monster could create team job search features if it knew your social graph. Chemistry could be more accurate if it had your music and video playlists.
Our sites are verbs. We do things. The more data you bring, the richer the data, the fresher and more standardized the data, the more we can do, the more creative we can be.
Most people don't try new sites because it's hard to recreate data. Especially for every site you visit.
Easy.
So for Open Arms to work, bringing your onlife to each site you join must be fast, simple, easy, and obvious. And correct.
Safe.
We will protect everything you share. We will protect it from damage, theft, natural disaster, financial ruin, legal physical threats, from legal threats, from Martian invasion. As best we can. And we'll explain the threats we perceive and how we're protecting you and your onlife from them.
Ownership as you see it.
"Ownership" is a tricky word: it means one thing to lawyers, something else to most people. Our online and mobile social experiences are a little ahead of the law. So all we can do is try to the right thing for you and for all of our guests.
We'll respect that your stuff is only "mostly" yours and that you may not have permission to share them with strangers. You may not have permission from the subject of a photo, or their parents. You may have clipped a blog post to share under fair use, but not for general distribution. You may have a confidential email that could endanger lives if leaked.
We will assume everything you bring is private to you and that you will tell us what can be shared, with whom, and under what conditions.
We'll make it easy for you to re-use your choices, so you don't have to explain yourself everywhere you go.
Portable in turn
Reciprocity works. So we're going to share with other sites the part of your onlife you spend with us, as you see fit. So you never feel we're holding your data hostage.
What's next?
So, we've "Open Arms" at the start of our relationship and "Graceful Exit" at the end. Next up "Ever Fresh" in between.
UPDATE: A Skype executive asked Omniture to ask Skype Journal to take down this post, said Kristi Knight, Omniture senior director of corporate communications. "It was information that wasn't meant to be made available to the general public" said Brian Watkins, Omniture's public relations manager. Omniture removed the Skype part of the webinar from the site after an employee accidentally sent a link to it to prospective customers in an email prospectus. Skype gave permission to use their story at The Omniture Summit in Salt Lake City this past February, a closed pre-sales pitch and customer education event. Someone at Skype was apparently very upset that this high level case showed up on our blog; enough to persuade Omniture to take a PR hit.
Before I explain what I'm going to do, let me explain why this information is blogworthy, maybe even newsworthy.
Skype Journal helps its readers understand the Skype universe. Skype's product features, business model, financials, performance, product strategy, technology, user stories, design philosophies, and everything that explains this rapidly changing, growing, influential company. This ongoing Skype story affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
Today's story shows Skype uses state of the art practices to get more out of each customer visit. This is not rocket science (social science, actually) and we'd expect to learn a little about the active management of one of the most visited sites on Earth.
While the information was released by accident, it was released nevertheless. As a courtesy, I'm removing the slide screenshots.
The overall goals: improve downloads and sales by adding or subtracting "branding" intensity.
Test one was for the Skype.com home page:
Three versions of the page are offered randomly to users, their behavior is logged and compared. In this case, A was heavily branded (more screen space devoted to art, people, and slogans.
1A was the existing design, "Heavily Branded," used as a control. About half of the page was a large horizontal block with a lifestyle photo showing a young couple on a swing, a screenshot of Skype for Mac contacts list, and a "Download Skype" button.
1B was simpler, with a lighter branding touch. Everything "below the fold" was cleared off, the screenshot removed, and the lifestyle photo down to half its previous size. The number of words on the page was cut in half.
1C was very light, no photography or screenshots, word count cut in half again, focused on the transaction ("Get Skype Now").
Test 1 showed less is more with newbies. Recipe B improved click throughs by 1.4%. Recipe C increased downloads 4.6%. If all you want to do is drive new visitors to download, then simple, elegant, and focused could work.
This adds up. By constantly optimizing site design, Skype's visits to download.Skype.com rose 235.76 % year/year, twice as fast as visits to www.Skype.com, which rose 93.59 % in the same time according to Compete.com. More than 3 million people visit Skype.com monthly, and most of them land on the home page.
So Skype is now doing a better job of converting prospects into users of free Skype services.
What's the best way to convert users of free into paying customers? Skype uses a landing page for returning users.
For test 2, can design alternatives improve the sale of minutes and gear? Again, three flavors of the same page.
2A is the control again, minutes in a big, dark Skype Pro block on the left, a Phillip cordless phone package ad on the right. Below the fold was a row with "download Skype" and "Skype SMS" ads, and a row with three columns beneath that with seven different offers for gear and services.
2B is all about the minutes. The dark "Skype Pro" block is lightened and expanded to two-thirds width of the page. To the block's right are Skype Credit and SkypeIn links. Gear ads below the fold were cut to three bigger ones with photos.
2C also de-cluttered like 2B. The right hand credit and SkypeIn ads swapped places with below-the-fold gear ads.
Unlike the home page test, the results were mixed and had no confidence score.
So they dug deeper by seeing how different segments behaved.
It turned out that weekday users liked 2C a lot, improving click-throughs by nearly 14%. However weekend users disliked 2B and 2C so much they offset weekday users.
Segments behave differently, even when you compare something as mundane as day-of-week. So the big lesson is to test how customer segments react to design ideas.
I haven't really thought of Skype.com as a product, but it's clearly part of the Skype experience and contributes directly to Skype's growth, customer retention, and sales.
Making the most of every night is not enough. Vampires want to make the most of every day too.
German Skype partner PamConsult announced Pamela V software that turns on automatic voice mail and IM attendants before dawn. You never need to miss a daylight message from humans or from vampires in other time zones.
A new clock counts down the minutes until dawn, with alerts at the –60 and –30 minute marks. For early risers, the clock also reports the wait until dark.
Because sunrise and sunset times depend on longitude, Skype now gathers location information from IP addresses on laptops and desktops and more accurate GPS data for S4V Mobile users.
Five Digit Years
S4V resolve bugs that bothered vampire Skypers for years. Skype now holds birth dates going back 100,000 years. The big change was changing age in profiles to support five digits, complying with IETF RFC 2550.
Still on the wishlist: Century. Many senior vampires were raised in eras when calendar dates were less standardized and education less common. You should be able to pick your origin century as an alternative to Julian calendars dates.
Skype restores birthday alerts. Adds death day alerts.
The first release of Skype for Windows 4 left out contact birthday reminders. Skype for Vampires restores them. Skype added two new fields to profiles. First Death Date is your date of conversion to vampire status, or a rebirth as some call it. Last Death Date is when you are really, truly, completely dead. So now Skype helps you celebrate two lifecycle milestones with your friends.
Last death date turns out to be very useful in managing your relationships but hard to get people to fill out.
Just because you're dormant doesn't mean you're offline. New advances in Ground Penetrating Wi-Fi (802.11gp) let your mobile phone or laptop stay connected to Skype and the rest of the Internet while you're six feet under. Your persistent Skype chats and voice mails will be all queued for you at dusk.
Cemeteries are a growing market for Skype partners Linksys, Cisco, and others making routers supporting the new technology. The gold standard is the D-Link Red, above, able to deliver 100Mbps two meters under soil at a distance of 25 meters.
Coffin makers are also equipping their products with batteries and uninterruptable power supplies. Laptop and smartphone batteries still have trouble making it from sunrise to sunset without a charge.
Cemeteries are racing to zone plots with Wi-Fi coverage, hoping to charge tenants a premium.
On the down side, privacy advocates urge caution, warning most graveyards have lax security, even online.
Vampires vary more than humans in the degree of social connectedness and styles of social interaction. Skype for Vampires brings several features built on their social behavior.
Groups in Groups. Groups of vampires are called different things in different countries and subcultures. Depending on size and strength of ties, they have been called nests, clans, families, tribes. Skype "contact categories" now let you nest contact categories.
Unflattening Social Graphs. Skype contact groups are flat and democratic, unlike pecking orders among vampires. S4V lets you define hierarchy within contact groups. So you know who's the master.
Instant Cabal. A Skype preference automatically form groups by clan/bloodline affiliation. This can be a big time saver and better models real vampire-vampire relationships.
People Rank. S4V can sort your contacts using bloodline social proximity calculations. Social proximity shows how close you are to someone within a social graph, answering the questions "how many contacts do you share?" "how strong/active are those connections?" LinkedIn shows social proximity in a business context; Skype in the vampiric context.
My Vampire(s). With a nod to twitter, Skype now lets non-vampires "follow" a vampire, and a vampire "claim" a non-vampire. Vampire affiliation and custody of non-vampires now shows up in search and search results, profiles, and automatic contact lists. Unclaimed humans can set their profile to the "BiteMe!" option in the My Species field.
Dating. Skype partnered with Lovebitten, a portal partnership for interspecies dating. The bitecurious can launch Skype chats and voice/video calls from the Lovebitten site.
Skype's designers had a unique brief: enrich Skype IM conversation for vampires. Notes from the original design specification:
Title
vampire IM emoticons
Short Summary
We're building an IM product for vampires. One visual element are the emoticons vampires might use in ordinary conversation. We're looking for a few, well crafted emoticons in small size and larger display size.
Description
User Considerations:
vampires are real, having coming out of the coffin in 2006;
vampires drink TruBlood, the product featured on the HBO show;
vampires vary in age from teenager to ancient (think centuries);
vampires are social with tribes, territory, and "bloodlines".
vampires, like Skype, are global with social connections that cross national borders.
Emoticons used for feelings are typically derived from the smiley face.
Potential emoticons from our Thursday brainstorming session (and we're open if you have other suggestions):
Vampire, V''''V
Thirsty
Bite
Smiley Fang
Blood
Garlic
TruBlood bottle (first emoticon product placement, see http://www.trubeverage.com/)
TruBlood Type O - hearty and satisfying
TruBlood Type A - light and delicate
TruBlood Type B - aggressive and energizing
TruBlood Type AB - smooth and refined
Plasma (weak blood)
Stake
Holy Water (H2O with a halo)
Sunrise (when we go to sleep)
Sun Glasses
Sun Block (SPF-1000)
Toothbrush, dental floss
Sunset (when we get up)
Sire (the vampire that brought you over)
vampire, Vampiir (eesti spelling) ,veripard, vere-imeja
@PacificIT community leader Robert Sanzalone and I have been chatting about Skype and its use as social software. Robert penned this blogworthy bit that started about a Skype client on the iPhone. Robert:
As you saw me mention, I have literally been OFF SKYPE waiting for this client to appear from SOMEONE and it still hasn't arrived.
About half a dozen apps exist to do various basic functions of Skype such as one-to-one text and voice. A few can now also connect with the Skype Out/In services as well.
With the recent development of the latest client focusing on video, it looks once again that "sexy" wins over practicality and what is really needed to keep this service at the front line. I'm almost expecting announcements for new deals with Friendster and Plaxo any day now (yes, it's that bad).
Regardless, my hope is time, money and effort isn't being put into making a VIDEO CLIENT for the iPhone before group chat is solved. I think building community around the client is far more important and the fans keep coming even though Skype seems to be telling them to go away.
My alternative challenge to the community is to look at other common technologies which can bridge this gap.
My crosshairs are on email. Understood and common.
One of the most attractive features of Chatterous was the ability to completely interact in a dynamic IM group discussion exclusively by email. It was (and is) amazing.
BUT.. the name recognition and trust is not as well established as Skype. I PERSONALLY found out people would rather stay with the tried and true recognized name than to move a whole community to a platform or service no one has heard of or is interested in experimenting with.
How to interact with email?
Again, the lesson comes from Chatterous. Essentially, you can choose how to have digested messages sent from a group chat to your email account which you can then react to, or not.
The email sent in completely blends in with the rest of the chat. I was amazed even with the latency of tapping out an email minutes after the initial digest was sent me that the conversation wasn't completely backward (since there are frequent delays, even with real time IM chats).
Now, apply this capability to a mobile device with email capability, and you have the whole issues of a "Skype group chat client" solved. You CAN interact with a group chat even without a specific client on the iPhone, or ANY mobile device anywhere in the world. A sweet solution.
Though I'm not a developer, I'm told time and time again the API in Skype does give the ability to make these types of toys. I have no way to verify this one way or another.
All I know is, it's JUST NOT HAPPENING. I was looking for a few smart people to get on the ball and do something about it.
Turn off your darn video cams and let's get the community together first.
When a manager leaves the company and takes her Skype account with her, will the company lose access to its control panel? To its funds? To its records? To its control over control panel membership?
BCP "ownership" should belong to a defined role, an alias, perhaps even a shared alias.
A manager, their manager, the telecom manager, someone from HR and someone reporting to the front line manager could share that role.
Skype's current architecture prevents proper:
Succession
Delegation
Supervision
Audit
Without management through roles, powered by aliases, Skype's BCP will create problems outside of very tiny, unusually stable organizations.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
Integrate and automate provisioning of Skype business control panel (BCP), Skype account, and Skype aliases.
So you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a quarter on per-seat-licenses for email, accounting, virtualization, commerce, manufacturing systems, tech support, operating systems, security systems, HR software, and the home-grown systems that make your business work.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
define a role (the person who orders office supplies, for example),
use it (call and IM suppliers, build a contact list of suppliers, accumulate a call/chat history), and
hand it off to another person when I'm no longer in that role.
This preserves continuity of relationships so work is not interrupted when I change roles or change jobs.
Enterprises spend billions and mount great efforts to define workflows that survive an individual's path through the organization. Skype, even with aliases, will break proven and well-automated roles, relationships, and contact channels if Skype aliases cannot be transferred as needed.
Web domains can be transferred. Email accounts can be transferred.
Let me easily get and give my aliases to other Skype users.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
I need one for my external customers, another for my team, another for external suppliers and partners. Also, my boss doesn't need to know I'm GorgonTheDestroyer in Warcraft, my clan doesn't need to know I collect taxes for HMRC.
Each alias should have its own profile, presence, permissions, history.
My account should give me a view of all of my aliases.
My account should come with two default aliases: @work, @life.
Let me log in once and present myself well in each context.
Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.
A lesson from the cloud computing community: When your data leaves your country, the country where your data is stored may define and apply rights and liabilities that don't exist in your own.
For example, libel, privacy, copyright, and free speech laws vary wildly even with the EU, let alone the whole world. You may not want your medical records to be arbitrarily stored outside your own country.
Your activity may be illegal in some countries but not in yours. For example, countries enforce laws against vices (gambling, sex, alcohol, narcotics) and monopoly protection (criminalization of copyright infringement, VoIP banning) that may be legal where you live.
2. What options do I have for controlling where my data is stored?
Can I choose to keep my data within my country? Within a specific state/province?
Can I choose among countries or adherents to specific treaties?
Which ones?
3. Are all countries receiving the same terms of service?
If not, which ones are receiving variants and how are their TOS/EULAs different? Some countries don't recognize any right of privacy from the government. e.g. China, Burma, etc. I should be able to shop for the best flavor of TOS/EULA that works for me.
4. Who owns the company?
This reveals potential for bias and conflicts of interest. Share with me whether you are "Privately held", "Subsidiary of", or "Publicly traded".
A hypothetical Skype employee may not want to share certain information with a StumbleUpon site where her web surfing behavior (looking for a new job on company time?) can flow back to eBay (which owns both Skype and StumbleUpon) and her boss.
5. In which country/countries (and states/provinces) is this site's owner incorporated?
This information tells me how much access do I have to legal remedies and which laws govern this company. My choice to use a service and how much information I disclose to/through it depends on whether the company is chartered in a war zone, or in a country with stronger privacy laws than my own.
On the path to location informed social data portability
Does your TOC/EULA disclose this information? Few do. How do we make disclosure valuable to site operators?
Can you even answer these questions? Are your back-office operations so decentralized, diffuse, virtualized, and outsourced location metadata is hard to find? How can we make it easier to collect this information and organize it for sharing?
How can we present answers effectively? Nobody wants another zillion pages of legalese. Designing generic TOC/EULA for rapid understanding and visualization will make disclosure useful and worth the effort.
I'm eager to discuss this at the O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference in May 2009.
No use of Skype names or address books to send video greetings.
No use of the Skype client to record the video message. Or to view video messages from others.
No use of the Skype client as a way to continue the conversation in a voice, chat or video call.
No use of Skype's advanced audio/video codecs for higher quality.
Skype Video Card highlights where Skype's technology is creaking with age at the end of 2008.
<geek>
Skype doesn't offer a browser-based client. Rich Internet Apps improve virality and adoption with less downloading and faster time-to-value.
Skype's APIs don't expose an open web services platform beyond simple presence. So third parties cannot build Skype into, oh, say, video card apps running in browsers.
Skype doesn't support third-party authentication, identity interop, profile synchronization, or personal contact synchronization, or personal contact group synchronization. Far from the data portability ideals.
Skype's identity model does not facet identity. So you're stuck with one profile for everyone. For family. For every job. For every relationship. Forever.
Skype clients don't support inline media sharing. No playing of images, videos, sounds or other objects during a conversation.
Columnist David Pogue in a New York Times article reviewing Skype 4.0 starts by going back to the AT&T video phone demonstrated at the 1964 New York World's Fair and user experience from then. Not a lot of calls due to technical and psychological issues. He talks about why Skype has been so widely accepted (did he remind us it was "free"?) and why Skype has been a survivor when up against iChat, MSN Messenger, SightSpeed and others.
He goes on to mention several issues that have inhibited video calling in the past but then says:
The video quality still varies when you use Skype. Fast Internet connections and fast computers still work better than slow ones. But if you do have a good setup — wow. With certain Logitech or Philips webcam models, Skype 4.0 can deliver a picture that’s as big and sharp and smooth as a TV picture (30 frames a second, 640 by 480 pixels), with almost no delay.
In my test calls to friends in California, New York and Virginia, we were amazed at what a difference it makes when the delay goes away. (Maybe, for its next trick, Skype can lend its technology to the world’s cellphone carriers.)
He then went on to make calls using iChat, ooVoo and SightSpeed: "None of them matched Skype’s immediacy or video and audio quality." He discusses Skype's new level of audio quality (with the SILK codec) and reduced network bandwidth speed requirement. He mentions some features that he would still like to see and mentions what differentiates services such as SightSpeed. His closing comment places Skype video calling into a historical perspective:
..... Will we one day adjust to the idea of being on camera every time someone calls?
Nah.
In the end, video chatting isn’t a replacement for phone calls, but a supplement to them, a perfect way to check out someone’s new place, check in with distant family and friends or show off a new talent (or baby). They saw the possibilities back in 1964 — they just didn’t realize that we wouldn’t always want to use them.
Go read David's post (free registration may be required); it's an excellent yet objective review of the personal video calling space from the end user perspective. I guess David doesn't watch Oprah; she seems to be using Skype High Quality Video almost daily according to reports from my wife.
Updated 3:40PM: These screenshots are in my flickr set Skype for Windows 4.0 Gold. We're walking through download, install, orientation, and testing. Five minutes or so if you do everything.
Software is always too hard. Skype's advantage five years' ago was it just worked. That's no longer enough. Skype serves pioneers and early adopters just fine, but now Skype is mainstream and needs to be easier, simpler, more streamlined in turning prospects into loyal users.
4's user experience revamp shows much of that thinking.
Skype needs Scale
Skype is actively driving for scale. Despite being the world's largest VoIM network, they feel small. With more people using Skype (new record set yesterday), Skype can earn three benefits.
Social Graph Lock-In. When everyone you know has a Skype name, you need a good reason to leave the Skype network. When all your contacts are organized nicely and you'd have to recreate those relationships elsewhere, you're going to stay.
Becoming a default communication channel. Do you reach for your phone when you want to talk to someone? Or do you reach for Skype? Once you have that kind of mind share, the cost of getting and keeping customers goes down and rates of use go up.
Better people discovery. Think white page and yellow page directories. Less important for close friends and family, more important for finding useful strangers and friends-of-friends.
Why do you rob banks? Because that's where you keep the money.
Where do hundreds of people talk to each other?
Online. Voice over Instant Messaging (VoIM providers like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, Tencent and many others) and social networks (like facebook).
Mobile Telcos. Serving billions.
Landline Telcos. Serving billions.
While it's great that up to 16 million people are logged in at the same time, thousands of millions of people have mobile or landline dialtone.
So Skype is still small.
And needs to get more customers, keep them, and help them become active.
Skype is bringing in people from many sources. But Skype loses people to just three: death, defection to a competitor, or abandonment of Skype-like activity. What can Skype do about defection and abandonment?
Optimizing User Experience for Heightened Experiences
While Skype doesn't use this language, they've applied industrial engineering ideas like the Theory of Constraints to improving design. The TOC says to look at your factory, discover the biggest throughput bottleneck, unplug it, see how throughput changes, then start over with the new biggest bottleneck.
Skype applied this to the newbie journey, finding points of pain and abandonment (and improving them), and moments of joy and satisfaction (and enhancing them).
For every thousand people who hear of Skype, only a fraction look for it, download it, try it, and have delightful experiences that keep them hooked on Skype.
Skype's improvements should translate into higher download rates, more new account registrations, more contacts per address book, more first voice calls, more first video calls, more IM chats (a surprising number of people don't know Skype has instant messaging features), longer calls, more time logged in (Skype dialtone), and stronger word of mouth.
... Starting from this version we've included the new Super Wideband Audio codec. This is our second in-house built audio codec especially designed for calls over the internet with superb quality. The Super Wideband Audio codec will help you most on lousy network conditions and when you have lower bandwidth available, although it also improves quality in normal conditions too.
SILK is basically a significant improvement on Skype's previously acclaimed HD Voice performance. I have now experienced a couple of calls where this SILK codec was available at both ends of the call; it certainly provides a clearer, crisper audio experience. (For those unfamiliar with the term "codec" they are algorithms engineered into the voice communications network for converting audio waveforms into digital streams for transmission over the communications network and then converting them back to an audio waveform at the receiving end.)
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Jonathan Christensen, Skype's GM for Media Platform to learn more details about this "SILK" codec. This codec is the outcome of a three year development process with a focus on:
improving the audio bandwidth out to 12,000 KHz
providing bandwidth management to deal in real time with degraded network conditions
balancing the codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience
overall robustness to provide a more consistent user experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual caller's voice signature.
While the human ear can hear sounds up to 22 KHz the actual sound produced by human vocal chords has a frequency range of 20 Hz to 14 KHz; however, sounds below 70Hz are not what you would call "pleasant" (as experienced with those "thump, thump" car speakers). Skype's SILK codec is optimized for the transmission of audio between 70 Hz and 12 KHz. Compare this to the bandwidth of the PSTN's standard G711 codec of 400 Hz to 3.4KHz; wider band codecs, such as AMR-WB and iSAC cover the range of 50 Hz to 7 or 8 KHz respectively. And, as indicated in both the AMR-WB and iSAC Wikipedia entries, there is a major licensing cost consideration:
AMR-WB has been standardized by a mobile phone manufacturer consortium for future usage in networks such as UMTS. Although its speech quality (similar to Skype, including glitches) makes it likely that older networks will have to gradually be transformed to support wide band, its high legal costs may limit its uptake.
However, in order to deliver on this audio bandwidth, Skype also had to consider getting the voice stream across the Internet. SILK interacts with Skype's redeveloped (network) bandwidth manager that uses a feedback algorithm to provide "adaptive bandwidth management". SILK is a "variable bitrate" codec that can scale the bitrate (amount of data being transmitted as voice packets) up and down as necessary. The key network parameters governing this adaptation are packet loss and jitter changes. Fundamentally, to the end user, this means incorporating a level of call robustness that results in improved consistency of call quality, especially for lower speed Internet connections (below 3Mbps) with no user intervention required.
Another factor to be considered are accommodations for differences in perception of audio quality depending on whether there is voice, music or random background noise involved in the audio signal. Suffice it to say that Skype's engineers have been involved in a balancing act amongst these factors in the development of the SILK codec.
The bottom line is that Skype has set new barriers for voice call quality and and the associated user experience. Since there needs to be SILK at both ends of a call, the number of calls I have experienced with SILK has been limited but, as mentioned above, those I have made had a very crisp, clear audio quality. With Skype's launch today of Skype for Windows 4 Gold release almost all my Skype-to-Skype calls will be able to achieve this performance level. Going forward expect to see SILK incorporated into Skype for Mac in the near future. But the the SILK codec has been modularly designed for embedding into silicon; we can expect future Skype-enabled hardware platforms to be able to take advantage of SILK's performance.
And finally note that, in order to keep costs low while improving call quality, Skype has no licensing costs associated with their proprietary codec. Is there a potential for a new Skype revenue stream by licensing this codec to other communications service providers as well as hardware vendors?
We've built this brand new Skype so you can have the conversations that make a difference to you, every day. It's easy to use, plus step-by-step guides help you get started.
While most of the new features have been revealed during the beta period, Skype's marketing will focus on three key features:
New user interface; with over 25% of Skype-to-Skype calls involving video this new release has been designed with a focus on improving the video call user experience.
Bandwidth management: a new bandwidth manager has been developed with the goal of improving overall call performance by adapting, in real time, to degraded or low speed network conditions, such as those caused by excessive packet loss and/or jitter.
The new user interface also has taken into account factors that encourage users to explore Skype beyond voice calling. Incorporating beta user feedback Skype has found that the new UI is driving up adoption rates for Instant Messaging, file transfer and video. When you open a contact window launching a voice, chat or video conversation requires a single click on the respective voice ("Call"), chat or video button. The associated text pane tracks not only chat messages but also voice and video call detail information (launch time, end time) as well as file transfer information. And, as in the past with chat, the entire record is all archived on your local PC for future recall.
Other features: You can choose to view your Skype activity in one larger window or in individual "conversation" windows. During a call a drop down menu on the "call audio control bar" provides quick access to making any necessary audio or video settings. Single click buttons allow you to quickly change or add conversation modes to adapt to the context of the conversation. A wizard provides assistance with testing audio and video settings. During their testing they found that these features drove new users to more quickly experience chat and video while there was an increase in usage of these modes by legacy users.
On-the-fly the bandwidth manager can adjust both video and audio transmission by making real time adjustments to parameters such as video resolution, frames-per-second or audio bandwidth. to ensure an ability to maintain a basic level of communication while enduring these conditions. When combined with SILK's reduced network bandwidth requirements, the overall goal is to improve the overall user experience with minimum or no user intervention required.
Two changes;
The SkypeMe! status button has been removed as a result of its tendency to be used for spamming and other forms of unwanted calls. (Of course you also still have the option to only allow callers in your Contact list to call you.). Along with this Skype has introduced "abuse reporting" which is monitored by Skype personnel for dealing with undesirable calling activity.
While you can still participate in Public Chat sessions launched or joined from Skype 3.8, there is still no ability to launch or join a Public Chat from Skype 4.0 for Windows. This is my primary complaint about the new user interface. We have had a Skype 4.x Public Chat discussion ongoing since May, 2007; it has provided an interesting dialogue amongst Skype users and Skype personnel, including some feedback on features in Skype 4.0. And it has supported many other informal "water fountain" conversations amongst special interest communities of Skype users. Skype for Windows Product Manager Mike Bartlett claimed yesterday, during an interview, that Skype was reviewing how to embark on "public conversations" in today's messaging world where services such as Twitter and Friend Feed also provide ongoing dialogues. However, Skype Public Chat has its own "space" in terms of user community; it needs to be brought back as soon as possible.
Over the next few weeks, with more experience using Skype 4.0 for Windows we may cover some features in more detail. In the meantime you can download it here. We look forward your feedback in the Comments.
Of course, the best news is that Skype-to-Skype calls (including multi-party calls), chat and video calling remain free. And there are calling plan subscriptions available for low cost calling to landlines worldwide.
With the rollout of the new 4.0 version of Skype for Windows, Skype has completely redesigned the user interface of the popular internet telephony and instant messaging platform. Skype has long had a user experience that is very familiar "instant messenger" look and feel, not all that different form other IM clients such as AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo Messenger.
Redesigned For Usability
In an interview with Mike Bartlett, Director of Windows Product Management for Skype, he told me the new version of Skype was re-built from the ground up to enhance ease-of-use with regards to interacting with your contacts and getting Skype set up to use your microphone and webcam.
Skype version 4 uses a fresh user experience, incorporating more of a conversational point of view. When loading Skype 4.0 for the first time, users might be shocked to be greeted with a client that takes up much more screen real estate than before. The new Skype version is tailored around those who hold open multiple IM conversations, calls, video calls, and file transfers in one horizontally arranged tabbed window. Before this new user experience was integrated into Skype, users were required to manage multiple windows for each open conversation.
Have Your Conversation Your Way
The new Conversation Tabs is aimed at make it easy to manage multiple conversation and IM streams in a single window. By separating the open conversations away in a separate tab than your contact list, Skype has made it very easy to track open communications, whether they are IM conversations, voice calls or video calls. Of course, if you don't like the Conversations view, you can switch to Compact view that will separate each active contact into it's own window, much like the classic Skype client versions.
As you can see in the screenshot, video calling is a major component of the new user interface. A prominently placed video call button is present when conducting an IM conversation. Also, another very useful feature: conversations with new unread messages or actions will flash orange to draw your attention to the new messages, whether they are from an individual or in a group chat.
Also, with a single click on a Skype contact, you reveal the various options. These options before were hidden behind the right-click context menu, as Skype was centered around voice communications in prior versions. The new version helps bring to life the various contact options that have always been available.
Summary
While Skype 4.0 on Windows took a while to get used to, I see the usefulness in the conversational views and refreshed user experience. In fact, I recently went back to a computer that is running an older 3.0 version of Skype and missed the conversational changes in 4.0 Also, being able to see freshly updated conversation items as they happen makes conversation tracking easier.
This post is written by Skype Journal columnist Jason Harris, an internet telephony writer and enthusiast.
To follow Jason further: check his website, follow him on Twitter. Also, you can reach Jason via Skype as harrisja or on his mobile at: +1 503 334 2574.
... your partner fails to provide an obvious path to download and install your software.
In early July last year I wrote about the launch of Dell Video Chat, based on a newly announced agreement between Dell and SightSpeed to use SightSpeed's video services. The bottom line was that Dell Video Chat would become available on an expanding range of Dell PC's.What follows is a story about what turns users away from Windows PC's and why Apple is doing so well with its iMac's and MacBooks these days. But it also has to be an embarrassment to Dell.
As background I should say that recently I have watched as two non-tech persons have started up their MacBooks for the first time. Turn it on, asks for your name and contact information, upgrades the software, takes your photograph with the built-in webcam, finds the WiFi, connects to the Internet (and finds other PC's on your LAN). In about 20 to 30 minutes you're up and running. No hassles, no new software to install; it just happens!. And subsequently these people do not come back to me for technical support, especially on security, operating system upgrade and new software installation issues.
This weekend I am helping an acquaintance getting transitioned to a new Dell Vostro 220 desktop PC. Due to one critical business application that only supports a Windows installation this person could not change to a Mac. In the course of starting it up I found there was a webcam embedded onto the monitor and installed the appropriate webcam software. (No, Dell did not pre-install it even though a monitor with embedded webcam was included in the initial order.) Ran a client called Dell Webcam Central. You could take photos or record video while seated in front of the monitor.
Then I noticed in the upper right hand corner an option to "Switch to video chat". Recalling that I had written about Dell Video Chat last summer I clicked on the link. And got a dialogue box stating: "You have not installed the video chat application 'Dell Video Chat'. Do you want to download now?" Clicked on the "Yes" button.
This took me to a Dell web page that asked for my Dell Service Tag. Entered it and ended up on the standard page of driver downloads for the Vostro PC. Looked through the various categories (after identifying my OS as Windows XP) and could not find Dell Video Chat software anywhere. No application downloads. Nothing about it listed in a sidebar on the same page. Nada, Did a search. No luck.
So, at this point, not being sure if I had installed Dell's webcam software properly I installed Skype on this PC and found it recognized my webcam, including its associated microphone, with no problem. Dell had failed to provide any means (let alone a user-friendly means) to download and install the Dell Video Chat software.
Sort of defeats the purpose of having this SightSpeed-Dell agreement and the associated easy access to the relevant software somehow. It actually turned out to be easier for me to download and install Skype (and have ready access to voice and/or chat conversations with the huge Skype user base).
A couple of points made in posts since my initial one about the arrangement between Dell and SightSpeed have happened since last summer:
Aside from Dell's obvious quality assurance problem described above, the sceptic in me might ask:
Did Logitech's acquisition of SightSpeed somehow sour the Dell relationship with SightSpeed
If it's all but impossible for a somewhat technically savvy person to find and install Dell Video Chat, is there any Dell Video Chat user registered out there with whom a user could have a conversation?
Has SightSpeed been tracking any metrics on Dell Video Chat adoption?
Is there an opportunity here for Skype to leverage a Skype executive's previous relationship with a current Dell executive to initiate discussions about having Dell provide Skype with all its PC's?
Will "Skype Everywhere" include Dell PC users when they want to hold voice, chat and video conversations simply by default? "No biz dev required."
Just wondering .....Where's the value in a Dell partnership? It's all about execution!
In spite of being a 14-year purchaser of Dell PC's, it's one more nail in the Dell/Microsoft coffin as I contemplate a transition to a MacBook for my next laptop purchase.
And, in case anyone was wondering about what Steve Jobs brought to the table at Apple: a discipline within Apple's corporate culture that focuses on a friction-free and overwhelmingly successful user experience. In spite of Steve's current absence that corporate culture is not going away anytime soon.
During our conversations with Skype COO Scott Durschlag last week at CES, Scott outlined Skype' criteria for its software development going forward.
First was the emphasis on "liquid communications" through statements such as "Skype Whenever, Wherever". Just as today you can pick up any PC or mobile platform and find all the Google Tools (Search, Maps, News, Reader, etc.). Skype wants to be on virtually any platform or device.
Pick up a smartphone, find the Skype button. Turn on the TV, find a Skype button, have a conversation. Open a web browser; start a Skype session. All this to complement Skype on the desktop. Today, besides on the desktop, you can find Skype on over 200 mobile phone handsets, several (Sony) mobile devices, Skypephone and Apple TV. But Scott emphasized, this is only the beginning. It will only start to get real when we see Skype on higher profile devices such as the iPhone and BlackBerry or when we start to see Skype seriously back into the hardware device business with vendors such as Philips and iPevo.
Then Scott outlined four benchmark criteria that every implementation of a Skype on any platform or device must meet:
A key reason for Skype's rapid and widespread adoption has been associated with its ease-of-use. Yet Scott says the Skype conversation user experience needs to be even easier to encourage adoption by a broader user base. Developing a more effective user interface has certainly been a focus of the Skype for Windows 4 beta program. At the Skype CES press conference Scott reported that, in a recent survey of users, 88% preferred the new UI to the previous Skype for Windows 3.8. But I'm still wondering if the Skype for Windows team could take a look at Skype for Mac and implement a "drawer" type interface to manage and select the active conversation. For the longer term evolution of Skype clients hopefully Skype also has a look at Dan York's post on Skype's fragmented product strategy.
Security is an issue that I'll leave to Dan York and others who are able to cover this issue more knowledgeably and effectively. Suffice it to say that we would expect security to continue to be a feature of all Skype products, including those that use the mobile voice channel for placing calls from mobile phones.
Two take-aways from these statements:
Fundamentally we should expect Skype, going forward, to be a provider of real time conversation-enabling software on desktop, web, TV and mobile platforms. To use an old telegraphy term: Full Stop! For instance, rather than developing their own social network, we should expect Skype to seek out agreements with other social network service providers, such as the MySpace agreement. Skype is an enabler of real time conversations; it is not in the community building or social networking business. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, amongst others have already captured that space and done an excellent job at it.
These benchmarks also provide a basis not only for deciding what product offerings Skype will develop but also when they are in a position to release a product.
The new Skype executive team is finally starting to set some benchmarks and guidelines against which we can not only measure executed performance but also have a better understanding of where Skype wants to go.
The power landlords have over tenants is overwhelming, unless restricted by law. The argument: if they want to shut down a service, essentially evicting users, they should be required to give notice and keep things running for a year.
This would allow people to safely migrate their digital objects like photos and videos and blog posts, renew relationships with people in their contacts and agree on where to move, file change of address notices for their businesses, and otherwise minimize the logistical, economic, political, emotional, and familial havoc forcible ejection can create.
Death and Taxes
Should Terms of Service (TOS) defend a user from data loss? from identity nullification? from contact list deletion? from history erasure?
The closure of the Skypecasts service is the example from Skype history that comes to mind. Skype could have given more notice, preserved the site for archival purposes, turned off commenting and new sessions, allowed people to extract contact lists.
Might Skype have designed Skypecasts services with "graceful exit" in mind?
Everything dies. Plants, animals, families, civilizations. Even businesses and web sites.
It's wise to acknowledge mortality and plan for service end-of-life. And it's prudent to build societal safeguards outside of company-issued boilerplate.
From a company's view, it's like setting aside resources for taxes you know you must pay later. Or contingency funds in a project budget.
Maybe this is green service design. Designing web products for recycling and reuse.
It was time for Skypecasts 1.0 to die. What was the right way for Skype to retire the service? How could they have preserved user equity in data and the social capital created through use of the Skypecasts services?
What is the moral thing to do?
The question is broader than the one product.
It goes to the tension between consumer rights, enterprise service rights, and the health of our society. For example, if a province decides to demolish your building, you have many rights under law to contest that decision. In the US, many cities have laws about protecting historic landmark buildings.
In my case, as a user of Google mail, I have no power over Google. If they decide to cancel my account, delete my email or spam all my contacts, that's within their power. They don't need to give notice, or offer me a chance to back everything up. Nobody outside Google will hear my appeal or listen to my concerns.
Societies, civilization and economies have an interest in protecting and preserving the intellectual work of individuals. Even family photos, business blogs, and the most idiotic of forums have value. Value to their creators, value as history, value even as part of the creative commons.
Action.
So what can be done to redress this imbalance of power? I'll suggest six things, by no means a complete or even feasible list.
First, intervene.ArchiveTeam.org is a rapid response team. They will respond to a pending shutdown by backing up as much as they can. They are a volunteer team but just starting. I can easily imagine this being a not-for-profit or a government agency.
Second, prevent. Promote exit strategies in project and product design. This is an education program for product managers. Knowledge about the issues, checklists for planning and conducting a graceful exit, forums for getting help, directories of certified Graceful Exit professionals.
Third, commit. Write model language for EULAs and TOSs. After a company implements preventive measures, give them the language for making promises legally. Plain language, lawyer approved. Even a badge to show at registration to give that safe, comfortable feeling.
Fourth, insure. Create a mutual insurance fund. Put money into a pool to pay for recovery and distribution of digital assets if you should shut down a service. Coverage is proportional to the number of clients and the size of their assets. Risk factors include the health and activity of your business, how well you've engineered preventive measures (discounts for readiness). Money may be paid to outfits like ArchiveTeam.org. Insurance spreads risk, but proper tweaking of rates can incent better behavior; fire insurance led to fire codes (prevention) and fire departments (remediation).
Fifth, advocate. The cause needs a forceful voice for consumers. When companies, large or small, threaten to willfully destroy their customer's digital works, they should be educated, persuaded, and publically shamed as needed. I'm thinking some cross between Electronic Frontier Foundation and Consumers Union.
Sixth, enforce. Teeth, if you will. I want laws that enshrine cherished principles and adapt to changing times and fluid technologies. Injunctive relief is a powerful incentive to do the right thing. Class actions in the public interest might convince the reluctant to do the right thing.
P.S. Dave Winer was the first person to bring this issue to my attention, eight or nine years' ago. His response was to create a specification to hold your structured data from his manila blogging services and features that let you backup your blog in one step. Thanks, Dave.
At a Skype's CES 2009 press conference today recently appointed COO Scott Durschlag provided the first hints of a vision statement for Skype under its new executive team along with some initial software offerings that hint at the direction Skype is taking towards "liquid communications" or "Skype Whenever, Wherever".
In leading up to the new software announcements, Scott made a few points about Skype's recent accomplishments and focus going forward:
Skype now delivers 8% of the world's telecom minutes through clients that now support 28 languages
New software will drive a liquid experience on the desktop, web, TV and mobile devices
A key goal is to liberate the Skype experience from a captive device (desktop) to more user aware devices (mobile, TV as well as embedded into appliances)
41% of Skype calls on Christmas day involved video, only to be surpassed at 47% on New Years day.
New software offerings have to pass a bar of four basic criteria:
high call quality
super simple user interface
sensitivity to power management issues
security
He then went on to talk about new software offerings:
Release of Skype Lite, a thin client for Java-enabled mobile phones with Skype for Android to be available within a few days on Android Market on T-Mobile's G1TM and Skype Lite general availability in the U.S. (in addition to several countries previously announced) resulting in Skype availability on over 100 mobile smartphones.
Internally developed new Skype "SILK" audio codec which is twice as efficient with respect to bandwidth requirements for the audio and video experience.
Skype for Mac 3.0 to be available by year end with the feature set of Skype 4.0 for Windows.
This afternoon Phil and I spent an hour with Scott discussing the restructuring, support issues, the TOM Skype Breach and how Skype will work with its developer partners to provide a win-win direction for the development and marketing of partner applications. These topics will be the subject of future posts over the next week.
First impression: it's the first event where a senior Skype executive has provided in a public forum an outline of its vision, guidelines for achieving that vision and how it wants to work in the real time communication and IP-based conversation space. The real challenge now lies in the execution.
Skype's bundling free screen sharing into Skype's software will popularize the feature to hundreds of millions of people. This makes the market for online conferencing bigger.
The bundling will also kill the freemium business model (try our free version, upgrade to our posh version) conferencing companies use to get customers. This will hurt the following Skype developers directly:
Back in mid-2005, Bill Campbell asked "Does Skype eat its children?" when Skype competed with presence developers with Skypeweb. Those developers abandoned Skype. Since then Skype competed with video developers, who've abandoned Skype. And with Outlook integration developers. And with Salesforce integration developers. And with mobile developers.
Skype's ecosystem is littered with the bleached bones of third-party software developers. They filled gaps in Skype's product line. They made Skype's network more valuable. They bet their jobs on Skype's partner program being safe from Skype itself.
Clearly, a bad bet.
Skype desktop sharing will be wildly successful. Building it into Skype clients and putting it one or two clicks to add sharing to a call makes it 10 to 100 times more convenient than other systems. Ubiquity will change the way people think about desktop sharing the way ubiquity is changing how people think about video calling.
WebEx-style meeting, sales, training, tech-support, and webinar services comprise a multibillion dollar industry. Skype desktop sharing will be disruptive to the industry: vastly cheaper, more convenient, more social. We'll hunt for market share stats this year.
So while this announcement is great for Skype, the choice will chill investment by software development partners. Platforms must be safe, trusted, with manageable risk. And platforms must foster creativity, innovation, and opportunity.
Skype's choice subverts developer trust. That's one hell of a brand note.
Tonight out at the "ShowStoppers" event at MacWorld in San Francisco, Skype announced the new 2.8 Beta for Mac OS X. The new version will apparently be available for download tomorrow, January 6, 2009, from Skype's website. [NOTE: I will update this post with the download link when it becomes available.]
Continuing Skype's rather fragmented product strategy, they have rolled out some new features in this 2.8 beta release that will at least stop us Mac users from whining about Windows users always getting the good stuff first. Here's the quick list of what Skype notes is in this release:
Skype Access
Screen Sharing
Improved chat management: ability to sort chats in the drawer and set priorities to chats
Quick Add: much easier to add people to chats
Mood message chat: mood message updates from your friends as chat messages
Large avatars: 256x256 pixels
Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests
Ability to add your own notes to contacts
Courtesy of Skype's PR team, I've had a chance to play with the 2.8 beta for a couple of weeks and have these thoughts below...
SKYPE ACCESS
Probably the largest "new" feature is "Skype Access", a service that lets you go to any of the 100,000 Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots and - using Skype - connect to the Boingo hotspot. When you connect, you pay on a per-minute basis and the fee (roughly 20 cents per minute) is deducted from your Skype Credit. You do not have to pay the Boingo monthly fee. You do not have to pay any hourly or daily fees.
Judging from the news release and pre-release info, Skype is immensely proud of this feature but I will be honest and say it does little for me. I just don't use Wi-Fi hotspots as much while traveling (especially now that I'm paying for a wireless broadband adapter). However, I can see how this could be of value. If all you wanted to do was crack open your Mac and send some email, this gives you a great way to do that on a per-minute basis. If I were a heavy user of Wi-Fi hotspots, I'd want to do the math to figure out if it would just be cheaper to buy a monthly Boingo access.
Regardless, it's an interesting move for Skype to get into the business of connecting you to Internet access.
SCREEN SHARING
The coolest feature of the 2.8 beta is a "screensharing" feature where you can share either your entire screen or just a portion of your screen with the Skype user on the other end. Now, this works with all other versions of Skype because it replaces your video stream with the screen sharing. So a Mac Skype user can share their screen with Windows and Linux users.... which is pretty cool.
It's hard to show in a blog post, but if you watch my screencast about the 2.8 beta, you can see it in action:
You can share either your entire desktop or just a section of your screen. You can also resize the section you are sharing while you are in the middle of sharing. When you stop sharing, you just flip back to showing your video.
CHAT PRIORITIZATION
By far the most useful feature I've found in the 2.8 beta is the ability to set the "priority" of a chat session - and then sort your chat sessions by priority in the Mac's "drawer" way of displaying chat sessions. I can just control-click a chat (either a private or public chat) and then go down to the "Set Priority" menu choice:
You can then sort the chats based on their priority using the drop-down menu at the top of the "drawer":
You can also sort based on title or date. Personally I've found the Sort by Priority to be very useful when you have, as I do, a zillion chats open at any one time. (And yes, I report to RJ, our CTO, so his chat gets the highest priority! ;-) )
MOOD MESSAGE CHAT - AND FOLLOWING (like Twitter)
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the 2.8 beta is the new "Mood Messages" pseudo-chat that you can enable in the Advanced part of the Skype Preferences:
Once you enable the "Mood Message Chat", you get a new chat window that opens up that shows you the mood messages of all of your contacts:
It also very nicely lets you set your mood message simply by typing in the window as you would to any other chat window. This is quite nice for someone like me who almost never changes my mood message in the regular window.
This actually makes Skype mood messages useful to me.
However, because of that other option that says "Show iTunes song in my mood message", you rapidly wind up seeing that a whole lot of people have that option checked and your Mood Message Chat rapidly fills with updates of music people listen to. What if you don't want to see their updates? Well, Skype has made it so that you can "follow" updates from your contacts through a simple menu choice:
The down side here is that if you enable the Mood Message Chat, you are following all your contacts by default and have to go through and "unfollow" (i.e. uncheck the menu choice) people you don't want to follow. It would be great if Skype had a "follow by default" or a "stop following all contacts" choice... something along those lines to let you control who you are following.
The intriguing aspect here is that this enables you to turn Skype mood messages into the kind of status updates that you typically have in Twitter, Facebook, or any of the other zillion services offering status updates. The great thing here is that it is simply another Skype chat window like all your other chats. (Of course, you can get a Skype chat for Twitter using "twitter4skype", but this is now with Skype mood messages.)
I think, though, for it to reach any kind of real usage, you need more people to enable this feature (it is off by default) and actually start using it - and for that it also needs to be on more platforms.
[As a tease, I'll mention that there is a way to integrate this mood message chat with Twitter, so anything I type there also shows up in my Twitter stream... but I'll write about that in a separate blog post as it's not directly tied to the 2.8 beta release. Soon...]
QUICK ADD
Another nice feature is the ability to quickly add someone to a chat through a button at the top of the chat window. You click on the window and start typing in a contact's name:
Before you could always drag-and-drop a contact from your main Skype window into a chat, but now you can use this quick add button. It is particularly useful if you have a large number of Skype contacts.
NOTES ON CONTACTS
Another useful feature is the ability to add private notes to each of your Contacts. So you could store information about how you know the person... their interests... basically anything you want as it is a free-form text field:
What's not yet clear to me is where these notes are stored. Are they accessible through multiple Skype clients if you were logged in on multiple machines? Or are they tied to the machine where you create the Notes? I'm guessing that they are stored with the local client like chat histories are.... but I'd need to have multiple installations of the 2.8 beta to really know this.
OTHER FEATURES
Skype also added a few other features:
New set of icons
Large avatars: You can now have images up to 256x256 pixels in size.
Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests - so you aren't exposed to images that might be offensive.
There are undoubtedly other features that we'll find as we work with it more.
CONCLUSION
So with this 2.8 Beta for Mac OS X, Skype provides some interesting new capabilities. I can see the screen sharing being quite useful to show people what's on my screen. The chat prioritization is great for heavy chat users like me. The possibilities of actually making the Mood Messages useful intrigue me. Frequent Wi-Fi hotspot users may find the Skype Access feature useful and economical.
All in all, it's a great evolution of the Skype client for Mac OS X.
I do wish, though, as I've discussed before, that Skype's product strategy weren't so fragmented. Sure, as a Mac user, it's fun for a few minutes to have some features that Windows users don't have... but that fun rapidly fades when I can share my desktop with a Windows user but they can't share their's. And they almost never use the Mood Messages because it's not convenient to do so.
Perhaps most annoyingly, I am currently in a position where I am helping some Windows users get started with Skype and so I'm trying to help them with their Skype client... when mine is markedly different. It's a frustrating experience. I do hope Skype's new management can help converge the product streams so that the user experience (and technical support experience) is closer between platforms (while, yes, acknowledging that platforms have UI/behavior differences). We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy using this new beta on my Mac and seeing what else might be inside the release.
Again, Skype indicates that the 2.8 beta will be available tomorrow, January 6, 2009, for download for Mac OS X users.
I'll look forward to reading what you all think...
Over the past few years we have seen the evolution of several conversation communities, some simply employing instant messaging; others employing both instant messaging and voice. Skype is the primary example with its support of IM, voice and video as well as auxiliary features such as file sharing (and, as announced tonight, basic screen sharing) but we are also seeing these services diffuse into Google, via GTalk's voice and chat capability, MSN Live via Live Messenger, and, in spite of its trying to define who they are, Yahoo.
Truphone is a mobile voice calling service that I have used for a couple of years from a Nokia N95-1; it became critical in a situation I encountered in Germany two years ago. I have liked both the quality of the voice calls as well as the user interface, especially its use of the device's native address book for initiating a call. While they have had some hiccups with their recent product launches, Truphone has become the leader in providing low cost calling from the iPhone while breaking the carrier barrier via Apple's App Store. I will soon be reporting on Truphone Anywhere for BlackBerry. Now, under recently appointed CEO Geraldine Wilson, Truphone is making a move to grow their user base rapidly by leveraging the user bases of other services.
This evening at the MacWorld Showstoppers event Truphone announced an enhanced Truphone for iPhone providing connectivity to these four conversation communities. Supporting both instant messaging and voice conversations, voice calls to, say, Skype contacts are free provided they go over a WiFi connection. Calls to these communities can also be made over a carrier's 3G network, usually at the cost of a local call. In addition Truphone is providing access to Twitter as one additional messaging service accessible via Truphone's iPhone application.
In my interview this evening with new Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson, she pointed out:
Using Skype as an example, Truphone's enhancements set up an appropriate Skype client on a Truphone gateway and complete the call to the Skype contact, taking advantage of Skype's peer-to-peer architecture such that there are no resulting termination charges.
By introducing instant messaging, Truphone is recognizing the key role IM is taking on in IP-based conversations where a conversation may start over a chat session and migrate to a voice session if deemed appropriate.
Truphone sees the introduction of these enhancements as a key to building the Truphone user community; Truphone generates revenue through offering low cost calling to/from the landline and mobile PSTN network.
Truphone is looking at adding BlackBerry and Android to their supported platforms for this service over the next few months. Key here are devices that support an application store in order to make user access to these services simple and trivial.
To avoid high roaming charges it is recommended that Truphone for iPhone be used either over a WiFi connection anywhere worldwide but only over a user's home country 3G carrier.
These new features go live on next Monday, January 12.
Some outstanding questions:
Given that the Truphone application needs to be active for conversations, how will this work when other applications are open? Currently if I have Truphone as the open application on my iPhone, I can receive free Truphone calls and my presence will be indicated to other Truphone for iPhone users if I am in their "Favorites" tab. However, if I am in another iPhone application, I cannot receive "free" Truphone calls over WiFi; nor is my presence indicated to others. I look forward to seeing how the enhanced Truphone handles Instant Messaging when Truphone is not the "open" application on the iPhone. This is where BlackBerry's full multi-tasking capability is a major advantage over the iPhone.
Calling Skype contacts involves providing your SkypeID and password. What security is in place to maintain the confidentiality of this information. What other security aspects are compromised as a result of placing the calls via a connection to a gateway that supports the caller's Skype client.
What is Skype's reaction to having Truphone siphon off what could otherwise potentially be SkypeOut revenues while leveraging the Skype user base and using the "free" aspect of Skype? We know Skype is working to launch mobile phone applications, probably this week at CES. With iSkoot and the Skypephone on 3's networks, as we learned at last year's eComm 2008 iSkoot presentation, a portion of carrier revenues are shared between Skype and iSkoot.
A major step forward in making low cost calls worldwide, Truphone's moves once again emphasize that WiFi is becoming an ever growing alternative connection option to making wireless calls. At the same time it will be interesting to see how the business model plays out in a world where the cost of voice calling continues to move towards zero.
In my early 50's youth when I was delivering afternoon newspapers in somewhat remote Saskatoon, Saskatchewan I always tried to be at one customer's home at 4:30. Why? At that time the only television viewable came via high rooftop antennae from transmitters far away (~400 miles) near Minot, North Dakota. If atmospheric conditions were favorable my customer would let me watch half an hour of a kid's program (probably Howdy Doody); most of the time we got to watch it masked by a snowy blizzard of faint reception. Getting any type of television reception at that time and location was, at best, a challenge and an adventure.
Fast forward 55 years to this past week's 2009 New Years day afternoon. While riding as a passenger in our car, we sped along Ontario's main 401 freeway as I watched the CBC Sports color telecast of the third period of the NHL Winter Hockey Classic (live from Wrigley Field) on my BlackBerry Bold. It was one more test to carry out during the public beta of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry.
I viewed all the action in full color; equally as impressive was the quality of the stereo sound (which "swells" out well beyond the device). The only frame freezing probably occurred as my BlackBerry switched between cell tower sites. Otherwise I was experiencing a crisp picture with sharp colors and clear sound coming from my home cable TV box. Talk about convergence - a Rogers cable TV signal being transmitted back out over Rogers High Speed Internet to a BlackBerry Bold via Rogers 3G wireless.
I have provided the detailed basic requirements for using SlingPlayer for BlackBerry Mobile on my recent Web Worker Daily post: "A New BlackBerry Experience Goes Beta: SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry" along with a history of SlingMedia's hardware and software products. Note especially that it requires a version 4.5 firmware upgrade of any BlackBerry 8x20. While it works via a WiFi connection on all supported devices, over a 3G HSDPA network (Rogers, AT&T and T-Mobile in North America) it only works currently on the BlackBerry Bold.
Over the past 15 months I have been using SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian on a Nokia N95-1 over WiFi connections. It has been a consistently reliable experience over that period; it also provided me with some benchmarks for testing the BlackBerry version's user interface and video/audio quality. Here are some of the experiences I have had with SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on my BlackBerry Bold 9000 over the past few days of beta trials:
a rock concert on HDNet where percussion, guitar chords and voice cover a wide audio frequency range
a rebroadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas eve concert on PBS where over 200 voices, soloists and the orchestra provide an excellent source for testing the clarity of audio as well as the resolution of the video
several sports events, including fast moving football and hockey action as a test for shadowing and pixelation
Oprah Winfrey making Skype High Quality Video calls
In all cases the experience on the Bold took full advantage of the Bold's processor power, network speed, native stereo audio and its widely acclaimed "stunning" color display. Simply stated, I became immersed in the programs I was watching to the point where the experience was transparent to the underlying technology. My only negative was more physiological than technical: I found full "playing surface" views of sports events could cause a bit of dizziness due to focusing on all the action within the Bold's display size; holding the device further away from my eyes addressed this issue.
While I had some excellent viewing and listening experiences, a few comments:
instead of a full visual representation of the cable box remote control, the remote control buttons are represented on a menu bar across the bottom of the screen. Note that in addition to the icons on the menu bar, one can "fast-track" to an item using the keyboard (for instance, M=Menu, O=Power On/Off, etc.)
scrolling across any of the three menu bars is done via the BlackBerry's trackball.
audio comes out by default over the Bold's speakers without the need to click on the "speaker" button
the "Favorites" menu bar picks up your "Favorites" channels stored via SlingPlayer for Windows1
changing channels may cause a video freeze up for 10-20 seconds; this is an issue SlingMedia is trying to minimize.
no apparent viewing experience difference whether using either a WiFi or 3G connection
needs a bar to display volume level when using the BlackBerry's volume +/- buttons
switches readily between a full screen video and a display that incorporates one of three menu bars
needs to "reconnect" if you switch to another BlackBerry application while viewing (SlingPlayer application remains open in background but disconnects from the source); the "reconnect" time is 5 to 15 seconds.
battery life on the Bold for continuous reception of a broadcast via WiFi is about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.; it's probably shorter on other 8xx0 models.
I have also been able to get SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry beta working on a BlackBerry 8820 over WiFi where, once again, it provided an excellent true reproduction of the video signal within the limitations of the 8820's video and audio hardware.
it can also be used to operate the PVR on my cable TV set-top box.
latency: at midnight New Year's Eve, SlingPlayer for BlackBerry Mobile rang in the new year seven seconds after the broadcast version directly connected to a cable service.
you can almost read those real time scoreboard bars that appear across the top of the screen during football and hockey broadcasts.
And, for now for those not able to take advantage of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry due to its current specifications:
it works over a GSM/EDGE connection on unsupported BlackBerry 8xx0 devices; however, SlingMedia does not guarantee the resulting performance. This is really an application for 3G or faster wireless networks only; an attempt to connect my Bold in a rural area where there was only EDGE wireless failed.
once SlingMedia releases this HSDPA version of SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry they will look at doing a version that runs over Verizon's, Bell Mobility's and Telus's 3G EV-DO network
A suggestion for RIM: SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry demonstrates the full potential of the Bold's and 8900 Curve's 480x320/360 video display. Let's hope that newer versions of their firmware can achieve the same level of high quality video on the YouTube player and other video applications supported by these devices.
If you have both a SlingBox and one of the supported BlackBerries, upgrade your firmware (where necessary) and give SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry a try (U.S., Canada, U.K.). Sling Media is now looking for feedback from its targeted user public.
With over 500 channels to choose from, at any location worldwide where I can find a WiFi or (unlimited data plan) 3G HSDPA connection, television broadcast viewing has come a long way from having, in a fixed location, a single channel available only when atmospheric conditions permit.
SlingPlayer for BlackBerry has significant potential for business road warriors; in addition to the entertainment aspect, it also provides immediate access to "breaking news" and business broadcasts from taxis, airports, coffee shops, restaurants (mind your etiquette, however). For those states considering legislation prohibiting texting while driving, they may also want to include viewing videos as a potential distraction.
(I would have put up a screen capture; however, the video does not make it to the BlackBerry screen capture programs I employ, including PC desktop programs.)
1SlingMedia's remotely stored "Favorites" feature will be supported by a future version of SlingPlayer for Mac.
File transfer is a feature of Yahoo! Messenger but it seems Ashlyn, Mischa and Val don't use it. Despite using Yahoo! Mail. Is Yahoo! converting its mail users to Messenger faster than they're switching to Skype?
Online social proximity leads to social intimacy, but one size doesn't fit all. Faceted identity and faceted presence adjust what we share according to our relationships.
Skype brings back Skypecasts with a new feature: with one click, introduce spammers, con artists, and sexy webcam girls to each other.
Skype for Neocortex. Mood based on serotonin levels. Very high quality audio and video by tapping directly into the optic nerve and auditory system. Some side effects.
Skype for Lovers. Extension of Skype 4.1. Just one buddy to dial. No interruptions. Ultrasimple UI: click the heart.
Skype's new platforms have more active developers than BT Ribbit. More than Google Android. Fewer than Apple iPhone.
Litigation. 1530 sleep deprived patients sue Skype for keeping them up late.
Google Central will be exciting.
Google Video Talk adds multiparty video.
The Emerging Communications Conference (eComm) will sell out.
Yahoo! fires thousands of people. Decimates the messenger team. Hires a new executive team. Reorganizes. Again.
Skype introduces multiparty video. The kids love it. WebEx hates it.
Skype for Asterisk gets video call support. Dating sites love it.
Skype for WoW builds on Skype for Asterisk. The raiders love it.
Skypephone comes to the Americas via partnership with with US mobile carriers. Wal-Mart will carry it. Nothing for Canada.
3 INQ1 sales will cut into 3 Skypephone sales in the UK.
U.S. Mobile Carterfone rules (to free mobile phones from carrier contracts) will be considered by the FCC.
VoIP falls from telecom jargon. Even VoIP bloggers stop using the term. The public starts using Skype as a generic name for internet talk.
eBay's auction businesses will do well in tough times, better in the second half of the year.
Skype will make $630 million in FY2009.
Peak Skype usage will top 18 million simultaneous users.
The social model emphasizes privacy. Your identity is secret. You must exchange Speak IDs before you can talk, and there is no public directory.
Wii Speak let’s you IM, leave voice messages, annotate video messages, and speak live during some games. In City Folk, your Wii Mii avatars speak your chats with comic strip style balloons.
It’s a closed system. Only microphones licensed by Nintendo will work with the system. Approved gear will show the Wii Speak icon (on the right) on their packaging.
This is not a platform play.
But it could be.
In-game talk is a fixture of RTS like World of Warcraft (voice chat and conferencing through third parties like Skype, TeamSpeak, or Ventrilo), virtual worlds like Second Life (includes f2f and distance voice chat), and multigame platforms like Xbox Live (voice and video chat).
The Wii, however, is culturally different from other online gaming social spaces. Wii folks don’t consider themselves as “hard-core gamers”. Yet. So it’s good for the Wii Speak team to slowly discover what works best for Wiiland. Wii Speak is a good first step.
If I ever had any doubt about the value of Twitter as a commercial social networking tool, it evaporated this weekend as a result of following some Tweets on the subject of smartphones that appeared this weekend. They certainly provide an independent perspective on issues that I'm sure others are wondering about:
Luca Filigheddu has just gone through the process of evaluating the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone over the past few weeks. Saturday he sent me a Twitter direct message to say that he had acquired a BlackBerry Bold; after he had had a few hours experience Saturday I see this on his Twitter feed:And when I came home yesterday evening I see that my acquaintance Olivier Chaine has put up this Tweet (earlier yesterday I had suggested, in response to his request for smartphone Twitter client recommendations, that he look at Slandr.Net as a mobile platform Twitter client):
First I would suggest that the mini-computer industry died many years ago, to be replaced by the microcomputer era, especially server banks. Trust me, I spent a major part of my career relying on mini-computers. I think I would need a backpack to be mobile with a mini-computer.
So I'll assume Mark is really looking to have a mobile microcomputer or PC experience on a smartphone. Having had several months' experience with both an iPhone and a BlackBerry Bold, here are my criteria for a mobile microcomputer or, more aptly, a "Laptop for the Hip or Purse":
Minimum 480 x 320 graphics display.
Full QWERTY keyboard.
Web browser capable of supporting PC-type browsing.
Supports "Cut & Paste" (of significant value more often than one would initially imagine until it's not available)
View and edit MS Office documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) with potential to add document creation.
Supports video recording and MMS
Background processing (especially after experiencing both Truphone for BlackBerry and Truphone for iPhone)
Supports true Instant Messaging in background while running other applications
Equipped for memory upgrades through a removable memory card.
Supports both Both WiFi and 3G wireless protocols
A great set of specifications but the key question here is: "How does it change the user experience?". In particular does it eliminate the "urge" to turn on, or always carry, a laptop to keep up-to-date with real time activities?
As I have mentioned elsewhere, after a month's experience with the BlackBerry Bold, I found I had lost that tugging "urge" to turn on my laptop for keeping current with real time (and often mission critical) information. This change did not just involve email and web browsing but also Instant Messaging, Twitter and attached document editing.. RIM would do well to position Bold as a "Laptop for the Hip or Purse", bypassing all the technical comparisons and moving on to succinctly promoting Bold based on the actual user experience.
I like my iPhone for many of its personal information delivery features; it gives me a feel for what is appealing about the iPhone. I can find Toronto Transit streetcar times, do unit conversions, find the nearest Tim Horton's or Starbucks; it has lots of great information delivery features. On the media side it's definitely an extension of the iPod although it does not have the full audio performance of the Bold.
However, a mobile microcomputer the iPhone is NOT! Yes it uses a modified Mac OS; it uses Safari browser; it has an iPod variant.
However, I find myself turning to my Bold much more often than my iPhone for real two way interactivity. Just as important as the keyboard is the ability to track instant messaging sessions, whether on iSkoot (for Skype chat), Palringo or BlackBerry Messenger in background while carrying out other activities. On the subject of low cost international calling I find I can make much more use of Truphone for BlackBerry than Truphone for iPhone (that's the subject of a future post).
I am encountering more and more acquaintances who have no use for a touch keyboard; certainly my typing error rate is much worse on the iPhone. For this reason alone I consider the iPhone to be a very good one-way information delivery device whereas BlackBerry is a true two-way communications device.
As for applications, suffice it to say that over the next six months, where feasible, business savvy developers will publish applications running on both devices. For instance, The Hockey News has just released mobile applications for both the BlackBerry and iPhone. I mentioned Truphone above; Mobile Google apps are another example.
Keeping up with iTunes music via BlackBerry MediaSync is a trivial operation. Frankly from some video and audio streaming experiences I have had, BlackBerry Bold provides superior stereo audio performance even without earbuds or a headset.
Bottom line: when I leave my home office or hotel room with my Bold, I no longer have to take my laptop to keep current.
Yes, at the moment, the iPhone browser a superior user experience but rest assured RIM is not ignoring the issue. At this point the Bold's browser issues have sometimes been frustrating but they not been an inhibition to my browsing activities in any major way - I still get the information I am seeking. The critical parameter here is the 480 pixel display width, which is sufficient to view most websites and weblogs without the need for horizontal scrolling via a ribbon bar. When RIM releases carrier-specific versions of their upgraded operating system - including browser enhancements, the Bold will live up to its full potential as "A Laptop for the Hip or Purse".
(As for pricing on Rogers, both the Bold and iPhone are C$199 with a three year contract.)
In future posts I'll cover in more detail some of the issues mentioned above, including my Truphone evaluation on each device, some very amazing real time video and audio experiences, the range of third party applications available on each device and why both background processing and WiFi is becoming critical to any smartphone.
And, Mark, if you're looking for a mobile microcomputer, I would suggest serious consideration of the BlackBerry Bold. As a final determinant, have a look at the Bold's display - it's been universally acclaimed as "stunning"; I can only agree.
In closing, can we expect Skype to include BlackBerry as one of their supported platforms for Skype for Mobile? Or will iSkoot improve on their user interface to take advantage of some new BlackBerry developer tools? (Most Skype executives I meet are sporting a BlackBerry - it's supported by eBay IT.)
Update: Luca published a post this afternoon, A Bold New Experience, and asks about his Tweet above: "Why Did I Say That?"
1) Always on Experience: the BB is offering me a realtime always-on experience never found in any device I used before 2) Multitasking - It lets you receive IMs while writing an email or making a phone call, for example 3) Stunning display 4) Wide availability of apps 5) Crazy speed 6) Great usability
SyncMood and Twype copy your twitter updates into Skype for Windows. I’ve had great success with Twype for a while. Now I’m trying SyncMood, happily so far. Thanks, Andrej.
This is part of a few broader patterns.
Open Platforms. Skype’s and Twitter’s APIs are public, free, and easy. So people can build apps that work with them.
Social Sync. Update once, see it everywhere you want it seen. As a category, this is getting smarter. I’m seeing useful features like
Deduplication. Your update gets caught in feedback loops among networks, creating echoes. Deduping dampens the feedback loops.
Time stamp preservation. Assures an update’s original date/time is passed through, not the time it was last passed along.
Accurate provenance. Keeping metadata about an update’s original system/service source.
Lifestream Shaping. Setting up filters and agents so you and others see only what matters, at the best times, in the best media, in the right contexts. One response to social network overload.
Data Portability. The social platforms, and the sync and lifestreaming tools which use them, put some power in user hands. It puts a little proof behind a promise that your-data-is-really-yours.
Joost’s experiment in p2p video distribution is over. Technology is secondary to user experience and enterprise flexibility. Joost.com took over from the Joost software client today. This increases Joost’s market reach, shortens release cycles, and slashes a user’s adoption costs (no downloads).
I’m not saying this approach would work for Skype (whose founders invested in Joost) but this gives some insight into the tradeoffs product architects consider.
Ownership. Skype reserves the right to use your video any time in any way. For example, they might include it in a television commercial, give copies to YouTube, share them with your next boss.
Privacy/Anonymity. You're giving Skype the right to use your name in connection with your video. You're giving Skype the right to use anyone else's name too. No privacy. No authenticity.
Vague Archival. Skype doesn't promise to keep your videos. They may delete videos when it suits them. Or not. They may keep them until the end of time.
This Video Upload and Download Is Unencrypted. Unlike Skype video calls or messages.
The video card site doesn't use Skype. At all.
No use of Skype names or address books to send video greetings.
No use of the Skype client to record the video message. Or to view video messages from others.
No use of the Skype client as a way to continue the conversation in a voice, chat or video call.
No use of Skype's advanced audio/video codecs for higher quality.
Skype Video Card highlights where Skype's technology is creaking with age at the end of 2008.
<geek>
Skype doesn't offer a browser-based client. Rich Internet Apps improve virality and adoption with less downloading and faster time-to-value.
Skype's APIs don't expose an open web services platform beyond simple presence. So third parties cannot build Skype into, oh, say, video card apps running in browsers.
Skype doesn't support third-party authentication, identity interop, profile synchronization, or personal contact synchronization, or personal contact group synchronization. Far from the data portability ideals.
Skype's identity model does not facet identity. So you're stuck with one profile for everyone. For family. For every job. For every relationship. Forever.
Skype clients don't support inline media sharing. No playing of images, videos, sounds or other objects during a conversation.
At the same time Truphone announced a new version of their iPhone application. Whereas the version released at the time of the Apple App Store launch back in July only supported outbound calling over WiFi access points, the new release not only supports inbound calling to your iPhone number but also makes outbound calls via the 3G carrier networks that offer the iPhone.
Innovation driven competition in delivering low cost international calling services appears to be heating up during these challenging economic times - at least for calls originating in your "home" calling country or area code(s). Here's a brief summary of what is evolving:
We've seen the evolution of two architectures for making VoIP-enabled calling from mobile devices; it's all a matter of where the calling party's Skype (or VoIP client) session is opened up - directly on the device or on a dedicated hosted server. This leads to two other considerations:
Carrying the voice portion of the call from the mobile device into the network cloud, either via the carrier's robust and proven (GSM) voice channel or over via a WiFi access point
The need to support Skype's instant messaging (chat and presence); this always occurs as a data activity
VoIP Client on the Mobile Device; VoIP over WiFi
Skype for Windows Mobile places the VoIP client directly onto the device. As a result the device must handle the "VoIP processing" to generate the packets that are transmitted over the supporting data network (either a carrier's 3G network or via a WiFi access point.) As mentioned previously, it places heavy demands on the device's resources, especially the processor (running at much lower speeds than on a PC) and the battery.
Truphone's original voice offering also runs on the device (usually a Nokia Smartphone). While both Skype for Windows Mobile and Truphone can run over either WiFi access points or a 3G network, it is strongly advised to use these only over WiFi access points to have a reliable, robust, high quality voice service. For instance, the Skype for Windows Mobile download page says:
Log into Skype from any WiFi zone to make free calls and send instant messages to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world, any day of the week.
WiFi connection or 3G/2G data connection (we cannot guarantee voice quality over 3G/2G. You may also be liable to additional data charges so please check with your operator before using)
Truphone's original iPhone outbound calling offering was also only available using the iPhone's WiFi capability; however, details of their architecture were never revealed.
Accessing VoIP via a Wireless Carrier
Over the past year we have seen the rise of several services that use the alternate architecture where a call is placed via a local access point to a hosted server that then opens up a Skype client. The server-based Skype client then completes the call as a Skype-to-Skype call.
While originally pioneered by iSkoot, a service using this architecture, such as Skype Lite beta, makes a call to a SIP Gateway server via a local point of presence while data about the call is concurrently sent via the underlying data network to a hosted Mobile Gateway. This dedicated gateway then sets up a Skype-to-Skype call between the SIP Gateway — now connected to your cell phone — and the destination Skype contact. Skype chat messages can also be exchanged concurrently over the data network. We are now seeing various offerings using this architecture:
The highly successful Skypephone offered by 3 in nine countries.
iSkoot providing service for a wide range of phones including BlackBerry, Nokia and T-Mobile's G-1.
Truphone Anywhere: when Truphone found they could not offer a highly reliable service over 3G networks (largely due to device resource considerations), they launched Truphone Anywhere that allows Truphone calls to be made over a 2G (GSM/EDGE) or 3G (UMTS/HSPA) voice/data network as well as over WiFi access points.
Skype for Mobile beta - Skype's first attempt to go beyond Skype for Windows Mobile onto other platforms such as Nokia N-Series and E-Series devices. This never got out of the beta phase; while you could use Skype chat anywhere, the voice service was only to be available in a limited number of countries (that did not overlap with countries where Skypephone was available).
Skype Lite beta: building on the Skype for Mobile beta experience to a service that supports not only smartphones but also over 90 cell phones that support a Java client and include basic web browsing and data capability. According to the Skype Lite page it appears that Skype is working with carriers in ten countries to support this service.
Key features of these server-hosted VoIP client services:
They are most cost effective when calling from your home country or local calling area. You could incur long distance or, when outside your home country, roaming charges that would run up quite quickly.
An unlimited or high cap data plan minimizes costs associated with using these services.
Only Skype provides a full Instant Messaging capability covering both chat and presence. Some Truphone offerings have shown support for SMS messaging.
Calls to Skype or Truphone contacts are no additional cost beyond the "local" connection cost.
Calls to the PSTN, such as SkypeOut calls, require Skype or Truphone subscriptions or credits.
Calls to mobile numbers outside U.S. and Canada will still invoke the charges incurred in "caller pays" mobile services.
Why only the cost of a "local" call? Your cell phone makes a call to a local number which puts the call through to the service's SIP Gateway. At this point you connect into a Skype-to-Skype call for which there are no termination charges involved as a result of Skype's unique (and secure) peer-to-peer architecture. The same applies to Truphone where Truphone-to-Truphone calls are free.
This Skype Lite beta announcement portends that we could be seeing mobile Skype-to-Skype calling, along the lines of 3's popular Skypephone service in nine countries, become available to mobile customers having a much broader range of cell phones and in up to ten additional countries.
One other service that can be accessed from any phone is Mobivox. However, there you have to build up and manage your address book online such that VoxGirl can help you make your calls; it does not access your mobile phone address book. It's purely a voice service with no messaging component (other than using SMS to facilitate setting up calls under certain circumstances).
While we're getting a first step in driving down mobile costs for international calling, the next step needs to be finding a user-friendly way to drive out roaming costs. MaxRoam and Truphone's SIM4Travel are starting to offer some hope on this front; however, at the moment their costs for USA-Canada calls are much more than my Rogers roaming charge. The winners will feature not only lower costs but a very friendly user interface, interacting with the device address book, that also provides the most complete ranges of services in terms of coverage and complementary conversation modes, such as IM.
Over the past ten years Orlando, FL-based Voxeo Corporation has grown to become one of the largest hosts of enterprise Interactive Voice Response ("IVR") applications, building not only tools for developing and hosting these applications but also a track record of twenty profitable quarters as a self-financed private company.Historically Voxeo has provided, at no charge, resources for C++/Java and Web Developers to produce customized IVR applications that are then hosted at their network operations center. Their developer community has grown to over 31,000 participants. As their expertise has grown they have also developed their licensable Prophecy SIP platform for those enterprises that wish to host their own services using Voxeo's tools.
While acquiring ownership of Voice Objects' technology assets, Voxeo CEO Jonathan Taylor emphasized in an interview with me yesterday that Voxeo's first reason for making an acquisition is to acquire the expertise and professionalism of the employees. Contrary to the popular perception of making an acquisition and focusing on the technology assets, Voxeo looks for team players who can fit into Voxeo's culture and then look at the technology synergies.
As a bonus the Voice Objects acquisition brings to the table as customers a new layer of developers; namely those who routinely develop "self-service" applications for service providers and enterprises as a full time occupation. Jonathan described Voxeo's current developer resources as having two layers: API-based telephony libraries favored by C++/Java "low level" developers and XML-based telephony languages using Voxeo's proprietary but simplified CallXML as well as other XML standards for web developers. The acquisition of Voice Ojbects introduces a higher level of object-based telephony tools, employing drag-and-drop and visual rapid development techniques.
Whereas Voxeo's legacy tools facilitated people-to-people connections, Voice Ojbects' toolkits facilitate the development of "self-service" applications where no human is involved in delivering or provisioning enterprise or carrier-based services. It is multimodal in that not only is voice involved but also SMS messaging and video can be brought into the application where appropriate. For example, T-Mobile Czech can easily program changes into their self-service applications reducing development times by an order of magnitude while dynamically addressing market needs.
Taylor described Voice Objects' toolkits as having three major components: a rich development environment, unified self-service middleware - that connects customer information within an enterprise with customers who desire access to this information via voice, SMS or other modes - and, finally, extensive analytics. The analytics component gathers real customer usage data and provides justification for making application modifications based on user experiences as well as changing local market conditions. To quote Jonathan: "Business owners don't want to build a bad experience; however, it is challenging and difficult to build applications that work well for customers."
In closing our interview, Taylor mentioned that Voxeo, recognizing that the best way to recruit talent is through acquisitions of this nature, will be looking at three or four similar acquisitions in 2009 building up a team of "great people who understand the industry well".
The acquisition of Voice Objects will not change Voxeo's business model of making their developer resources available at no charge while charging either for hosting of applications or for platform licenses sold to enterprises that wish to host their own applications.
It appears that Voxeo continues to set a benchmark for operating a sustainably profitable business in the Voice 2.0 world. On a broader scale Jonathan has provided an overview of the various levels of developer segmentation and classes of tools available on the market today for creating Voice 2.0 applications.
Attention scarcity is overcoming carrier scarcity. Phone companies deliver interruptions. This doesn't work when your time, attention, and concentration are valuable. So...
Power is shifting from caller to callee. Power tools, rich with context sentience, are emerging from our primordial voicemail and caller ID services. Like social secretaries, these tools assess relevance from the callee's view. One effect is...
Multimodal replaces voice-only communication. Because every conversation needs a different blend of media, tailored to the people, the subject, and the environment.
Lee speaks to the growing irrelevance of phone companies.
Over the past year one of the leading IP-based voice service offerings for low cost international calling from wireless smartphones has been Truphone whose service primarily runs over WiFi access points. Their Truphone Anywhere service, launched last spring, provides an option for making calls via 3G networks using a combination of the data channel and voice channel in a manner similar to iSkoot's architecture where the caller's VoIP client resides on the service provider's server(s). When the Apple App store launched last summer Truphone launched an iPhone 3G application that once again offers the ability to make outbound calls over a WiFi access point.
One more user experience consideration: a key user friendly Truphone feature is its complete Address Book integration; when using Truphone on a N95 8GB I can simply go to my standard address book (synchronized with my Outlook Contacts), select a contact, select a phone number for the contact, press the green "Call" button and initiate a call over Truphone.
So it was not a total surprise, with this experience, that today Truphone announced a new Truphone application for the second generation iPod Touch, which supports a headset with a microphone. But it's not simply about making low cost phone calls. Support for chat and social networking has also been included. The client does require the use of a microphone adapter; while available elsewhere, Truphone does plan to offer one as well. From the press release:
Truphone for iPod Touch will become a one-stop-shop social hub with the following features coming soon:
Calling to landlines (PSTN) at low cost (simply set yourself up with a Truphone account);
Instant messaging to Skype and MSN (free);
Calling to Skype users (free);
Calling to MSN users (free);
Check and set facilities for Twitter (free);
Check and set facilities for Facebook (free).
Contrary to what many in the media are saying, the client that resides on the iPod Touch is a thin client, not a VoIP client. This client supplies a Truphone server with the information required to open and set up a VoIP client on a Truphone server which, in turn, completes the call via a VoIP connection.
What can we envision from this announcement for future releases of Truphone for Nokia, BlackBerry, iPhone 3G and Windows Mobile devices? Beyond the calling and SMS features currently available in their respective Truphone clients I expect we'll be seeing:
Truphone access to Skype IM and calls to Skype contacts, as well as to Microsoft Live contacts
Facebook access, including possibly the ability to import Facebook contacts into your phone address book
Following Twitter messages
In addition, Truphone is a Voxbone iNum partner; initially Truphone for iPod Touch users will be assigned an iNum "883" country code number. I have also recently observed use of iNum "883" numbers on iotum's Calliflower conferencing service and at Mobivox. Using Skype today, I confirmed that placing a Skype call to an iNum "883" number results in a SkypeOut call with the appropriate charges.
Looks like we're about to see some interesting innovation coming from Truphone over the next few months.
Reform the blob namespace so blob-names are short, even with a dozen hosts. Very long blobs impair our ability to use those urls in email, chat, or over the phone.
Add permanence. Create public chat permalinks that don't change with time. Right now they change with time, as hosts change. We need more permanent links, even if it increases dependence on a referring server.
Preview before click-through. Rebuild the redirection service to show more information about a public chat before a person clicks through. I'd like to see for example,
date created,
number of people,
title,
description,
tags,
moderator name, and
date (or days since) someone last joined via public click.
Group chat owners should also be able to end-of-life a listing by withdrawing it or by setting its status to retired-but-still-visible-for-historical-purposes.
Directory. As long as you have the data, host a searchable directory of public chats, for chats that opt-in.
Bonus Points: The directory is an opportunity for community behavior, including comments and feedback on directory entries, integration with event sites for cross posting and updating, and embedding within group sites using protocols like OpenSocial, RSS/ping mesh. This might even become a successor to the Skypecasts service.
Platform. API for search, to extract data about public chat objects. The better to create topical directories elsewhere, and create smarter badges.
Grandfather older public chats to the new services.
First, the Democratic party learned grassroots organizing on W's watch. There's an exponential curve moving:
from nothing in the 2000 Gore/Bush election,
through substantial roots activity in the 2004 Bush/Kerry campaign,
to overwhelming in the 2008 Obama/McCain victory.
Second, the elements that made campaigning so lively, engaging, social and meaningful may show up in Obama's governance.
You may not know this about me but my gig before Skype Journal was volunteering on the John Kerry presidential campaign.
Ten of us met in Berkeley a few months after the first Howard Dean meetups in San Francisco's East Bay. We became five thousand full time volunteers over 18 months until election day 2004. Our two-county grassroots operation made more than one million phone calls to swing states. 1,000,000.
We had no control over the candidate and his campaign staff, so we focused on what we could do ourselves. Using an American football analogy, we thought of East Bay Kerry as the ground game and the national campaign as the air game.
We modeled many of the practices used today in the Obama campaign.
Communications and coordination
Local blogs. Feed aggregation. CMS. All with free/cheap technology.
National event directory. Developed locally, adopted by the campaign, used to drive activity.
Yahoo mailing lists.
Focus on organizing, not policy/issues.
Managing
Grassroots organizational structures that scaled and split.
Professional guilds (writers, coders, designers, speakers, lawyers) ran service bureaus for grassroots orgs in swing areas.
Lots of peopleware with just a touch of technology to
speed things up,
keep costs down,
push activity out to the edge, and
help more people make smarter decisions.
We also revealed many problems.
How grassroots fund themselves without violating campaign finance law (or not).
Web applications absurdly hard to learn and use.
National message management vs. local enthusiasm.
Strangers instead of locals in GOTV efforts.
The speed and efficiency of offline missing the disconnected and offline.
Difficulty pairing union efforts with grassroots efforts.
Inability to activate and motivate stale and tired Democratic Party organizations at the state and local levels.
Costly voter and geographic data sets that grassroots couldn't afford. Weak geomapping software for precinct walking.
Most of these problems were tackled by the Democratic National Committee in the 2006 races.
The Obama crew really built on those basics, applying four years of advances in
social media,
GIS,
cogsci,
smarter/mobile phones,
VoIM (like Skype),
streaming video,
agile methods,
creative commons and open source licensing,
emergent organization design,
more reliable and scalable server hosting,
SMS/texting (thank you American Idol),
internet sousveillance and surveillance,
flat rate long distance,
cheap conference bridges,
real estate 2.0,
and all the rest.
Near the end of the 2004 campaign we hoped to bring the Democratic netroots into the new administration.
Would there be a Chief Blogging Officer (CBO) as part of the white house communications office?
Would local groups be able to meet and have a say on national policy with a channel not just to their safe congressman but to the cabinet and to the white house policy advisors?
Would the conversation started in San Francisco's East Bay with 10 people sitting in a coffee shop, ending with 5000 full time volunteers in liberal Berkeley and Oakland and conservative Walnut Creek and Danville, continue into the new year?
We lost then. But what about now, after the Obama-Biden win?
Today, the hundreds of thousands of people who gave up work, family time, and school to volunteer want to continue the experience of being connected civicly with each other and of influencing their nation.
Over the past 21 months, millions of individuals have used My.BarackObama to organize their local communities on behalf of Barack Obama. The scale and size of this community and its work is unprecedented. Individuals in all 50 states have created more than 35,000 local organizing groups, hosted over 200,000 events, and made millions upon millions of calls to neighbors about this campaign. There can be no question that these local, grassroots organizations played a critical role in Tuesday's victory.
What has made My.BarackObama unique hasn't been the technology itself, but the people who used the online tools to coordinate offline action. My.BarackObama has always been focused on using online tools to make real-world connections between people who are hungry to change our politics in this country.
And the site isn't going anywhere. The online tools in My.BarackObama will live on. Barack Obama supporters will continue to use the tools to collaborate and interact. Our victory on Tuesday night has opened the door to change, but it's up to all of us to seize this opportunity to bring it about.
In the coming days and weeks, there will be a great deal more information about where this community will head. For the moment, let's celebrate this victory and know that the community we've built together is just the beginning.
Competition fuels innovation. The pursuit of power, the struggle to help millions of people climb ladders of engagement and participation in your cause. These are a crucible with real consequences, measurable results, and strict fitness tests. How many lessons can we draw for the private sector, for education and for governance from what politics invents? Let's pay attention and dive in.
Global IP Solutions today announced a white paper on Desktop Video Conferencing, providing a background for their video infrastructure technology that has the potential to make video calling and video conferencing available to a much broader user base beyond Skype's (even though it is quite large) and SightSpeed.
Many of you will recall that Skype's original voice engine came from Global IP Solutions (formerly Global IP Sound) and contributed to Skype's initial adoption through both its ease of use and voice quality. In April 2006, Skype acquired Camino Networks whose voice engine provided improved features such as echo cancellation. Camino's President and CEO was Jonathan Christensen, Skype's current General Manager for Audio and Video.
Global IP Solutions went on to supply their voice engine to other players, such as Oracle and Yahoo but, as a company, they have been struggling; their most recent quarterly report demonstrated the extent of the revenue drop-off after loss of the Skype royalties.
This past April, GIPS announced the appointment of a new CEO, Emerick Woods (see full disclosure below). Since joining GIPS Emerick has led a reorganization of the company that included dropping their professional services offerings due to not only lackluster revenue but also the channel conflicts that operation created for their core audio and video infrastructure technology business. They have also closed a Tokyo office and settled outstanding customer lawsuits, including one with Skype where GIPS' previous claims were denied in an arbitration resolution. As indicated in this interview with iLocus, they are moving to extend their customer base for their Voice Engine product line. As an initial move in August there was the announcement of Voice Engine for iPhone accompanied by a white paper.
In my interview with Emerick at that time, he pointed out that, while GIPS offers, through its various Voice Engine products, a total solution linking the Internet inbound/outbound connection to the user's microphone/speakers, customers can also customize the voice engine, particularly when it comes to codecs. Customers can use either the GIPS codecs available with the voice engine or any other standard codec. Another feature he emphasized was their independence from operating system restraints and their support for various mobile platforms.
One additional focus has been on working with their current customer base to build stronger customer relationships that can extend their various Global IP Solutions implementations. Going forward, GIPS will be investing in innovation with video as a key focus.
Today GIPS released a Desktop Video Conferencing (DVC) white paper, authored by analyst Jon Arnold, outlining "the value proposition behind desktop video conferencing, especially in conjunction with other solutions, such as telepresence. Supporting this is an analysis of the trends that create the momentum we believe will make desktop video conferencing as ubiquitous as PCs themselves, and even mobile phones in the years to come."
Jon talks about the spectrum of video conferencing solutions from telepresence systems employing large "real life" HD video displays, such as offered by Cisco and Polycom, to boardroom systems that provide the basics of teleconferencing via standard display monitors, to desktop conferencing where the user does not have to leave his/her desk to participate in a video conversation.
In short, compared to other video conferencing solutions, the value proposition for DVC is based on three variables: quality, cost and flexibility. Today’s DVC solutions can deliver a high-quality experience, at an affordable price point, and across a wide variety of environments. Aside from complementing the other types of video conferencing solutions, DVC can be deployed in a host of scenarios that are simply not practical any other way.
Jon goes on to provide tables comparing the three scenarios and then goes into details on potential market size for DVC as well as enabling trends that will help provide an appropriate infrastructure for DVC. On a SquawkBox conference call this morning we discussed one aspect: support for HD video. Its minimum 720p resolution will require higher bandwidth upload speeds (> 1.5 Mbps) that I have been told will be coming to Rogers Internet next year with an implementation of the DOCSIS 3 infrastructure and probably to other cable Internet services; recall that the widespread availability of broadband Internet was one factor in the rapid adoption of Skype back at its launch in 2003.
He then goes on to discuss the complexities of the providing and adopting the underlying technologies starting with video quality. Synchronization of audio and video, a consistent user experience, the variability of DVC end point configurations and support for a wide range of camera devices are other factors.
And, now for the commercial: GIPS is offering four products, Voice Engine and Video Engine for the PC client side and Voice Conference Engine and Video Conference Engine for the server side, that will allow ready embedding of desktop video conferencing into their customers' services. Basically GIPS is providing platforms that allow developers, enterprises, service providers and end users to have a high quality DVC experience. Jon concludes:
With GIPS, they have a complete engine that handles all the complexities of IP communications, and with that, a clear path for allowing DVC to reach its full potential, not just at the desktop, but in the mobile world as well.
GIPS has put up two demonstration videos for comparison: one "Traditional Video Conference" and the other "Video Conference Using Global IP Solutions".
The only current customers using these services are Oracle and Baidu, the Chinese portal; however, discussions are being carried out with several prospective customers, probably including many in their current customer Most interesting is their potential for mobile video; the only North American carrier supporting video to date has been Rogers; however, its most obvious problem is finding other users who can take video calls. Introduction of the Nokia N95 8GB was supposed to expand the video calling-enabled user community; however, iPhone and BlackBerry Bold have stolen the 3G phone market.
Skype's High Quality Video, SightSpeed's acquisition yesterday by Logitech, Qik on Blackberry and Nokia N-Series combined with news of GIPS video engine offerings are all precursors to a much broader adoption of user-friendly video in both business and personal conversations in the future. (Yes, we all know users have been looking for Skype video conferencing; when?)
Skype Journal: On2 Powers Skype High Quality Video
Full disclosure: GIPS CEO Emerick Woods was the Vice-President, Internet of Quarterdeck Corporation in the mid-1990's with whom I worked on several business development projects involving partnerships with ISP's of the time. Over the past 12 years, Emerick, in his capacity as CEO of several startups, which have gone on to be sold, has hired the author at various times for his business development services. The author, however, has no business relationship with Global IP Soltuions. One more clarification: Emerick has the same initials as a well known Tiger and loves golf just as much.
Tags: Global IP Solutions, GIPS, Emerick Woods, Jon Arnold, Skype High Quality Video, Polycom, Cisco, Nokia, BlackBerry, Qik.com, Logitech, video conferencing, video calling, video, Jonathan Christensen, Desktop Video Conferencing, Voice Engine, Video Engine
So here’s a little chart for you. Billions of Skype minutes served (left axis). Light blue bars are free Skype-to-Skype minutes. Dark blue bars (at the bottom) are SkypeOut minutes, paid for.
The curvy line at the top is the ratio between the free and fee. It has been hovering between 7 and 8.5 (right axis) for years. I’m calling it the freemium rate.
This is astonishing for being low (a good thing) and for its constancy. Other companies are lucky to get one-in-twenty or one in one hundred.
Skype’s project to make user experiences more convenient should boost all talk activity. Skype for Windows 4 is smoothing the customer journey from first download to routine calling.
"Simply put, technology may bring us closer, but, as this study shows, its constant use also means that we may be sacrificing other activities in order to fit it into our schedule. It really is both a blessing and a curse in many ways." - Sarah Perez
Fareed Zakaria's Question of the Week: "How long do you think this economic downturn will last? Some economists predict 1 yr; others say 4. And you? Email us at FareedZakariaGPS@cnn.com".
Cute. Minoru from Novo 3D stereoscopic webcam, works with Skype. Anthropomorphism intended. They may be competing with IPEVO at the CES I-Stage in Vegas this weekend.
Clearly we need larger, more varied, more topic-specific visual vocabularies. James Bridle is a visual guy and I'm sure he could have come up with emoticons specific to cowboy romance cinema. The better to share stories with friends.
For me, I sooo want a bunch of Jewish emoticons, like:
These have meaning for me, are part of my social vocabulary. Glad to provide translations if anyone cares.
But this list is specific to me and my tribe.
It would be enormous fun to have additional emoticon sets to freely, easily and safely share and trade. If you don't have a set, you see the text. If you do, you see the art. Inherently viral, social, meaningful.
Wednesday, October 1, the second beta release of Skype 4.0 for Windows will become available for worldwide testing. Via a mix of the Skype 4.0 for Windows Beta 1 feedback channels involving legacy users and new users, bug reporting and usability issue forums and direct surveys that resulted in over 45,000 participants' responses and feedback, Skype learned:
70% were in favor of the new "large desktop" user interface; about 30% wanted to return to the traditional compact user interface.
users were looking for improved means of organizing contacts by groups
relative to pre-Skype 4.0 beta 1 surveys, increased awareness of the multi-modal features of Skype such as IM, file transfer and SMS.
there existed problems with how IM presented itself to the new user
users were missing Instant messages and other events due to a lack of appropriate notification procedures
increased conversions rate to paid Skype subscriptions
As a result Skype 4.0 beta 2 includes:
user choice of a default "large desktop" view or a compact view
organization of contacts by categories with several default categories (the term "Groups" now refers to a multitude of users within a conversation such as in a Group Chat, Public chat or on a multi-party call)
new drop down menu to select "Categories" from the "Contacts" tab
new algorithms for message and missed call notification, with the initial notification coming via a tag on the Skype System Tray icon so as not to make the notification activity overwhelming
a new way to display a selected Contact's information when in a call or chat session
several options for resizing the user information, the video images, the chat area of a conversation, etc.
entry of PSTN phone numbers into a Contact's information on your local PC for those Contacts who have not included these phone numbers in their Skype user profile: mobile, home, office, other.
Skype for Windows Product Manager Mike Bartlett has prepared a video to demonstrate some of the new features:
And you can download Skype 4.0 for Windows Beta 2 here.
Skype 4.0 for Windows Beta 2 has the same caveat as we issued for Skype 4.0 Beta 1: this is beta software, there will be bugs and may even be usability issues. This is your opportunity to provide feedback. It is still missing some features of Skype 3.8, the last officially released version of Skype, such as Call History and creation of Public Chats. Do not use it as your primary Skype interface, especially if you depend on Skype for business or professional communications. I am still running Skype 3.8 on my laptop; I run Skype 4.0 Beta on my desktop PC.
Phil will be posting tomorrow with more details on his experience.
Check out Alec Saunders comments. And Mike Bartlett appeared as the featured guest on the October 1, 2008 SquawkBox. Click on the link to access the recording.
We asked about any upcoming Skype for Mac; the response was along the lines of (i) the Mac group is also examining the feedback from the Skype 4.0 for Windows Beta 1 for ideas to incorporate and (ii) when a new version does come along it may have some features that are not available on Skype 4.0 for Windows.
Hint: to activate the Contact Categories feature, go to Contacts | Contact Categories | See All Contact Categories.
Clearly these two behaviors go together well. Watching television can be a social activity, something to talk about or to talk over. It's context or pretext for talking, grooming, bonding. Dancing.
This brings up one problem with simple IM ID's. You need multiple personae for each user account. For example, one username you can give to friends, another to work colleagues, one for family, another to strangers.
This tool of faceted identity helps you manage social network overload. By letting you present different aspects of yourself to different publics, you contextualize relationships and shape the stream of your interactions.
Rudd would love to treat people appropriately.
Skype makes that difficult once your contact list rises above Dunbar's Number (~150 people). In Skype, everyone sees the same name, the same presence and mood, the same autobiography, the same sex/gender data, the same contact information. Everyone is managed by the same privacy rules. All 20 million Australians will see the same Kevin Rudd in Skype, even though he may to keep his mobile number hidden from most and convenient to a few.
Today's monolithic identity is baked into Skype. An upgrade would be worth it.
If only so Kev can talk with his daughter without logging in to his office and political Skype accounts.
Nobody invited me to the Skype London 5th Birthday Party where you might have seen the preview of the ASUS AIGuru SV1. Standalone device, connected directly to the network via wi-fi or ethernet. A good writeup. Photo gallery.
Draft news release below; product name and specs subject to change.
Taipei, Taiwan, September 18, 2008 – September 18, 2008 - ASUS today unveiled the AiGuru SV1, the world's first Skype Certified™ videophone dedicated to unlimited video calling over the Internet. Boasting a large 7" display and a built-in webcam, speaker and microphone, the WiFi-capable videophone lets users make unlimited video calls for free to other Skype users without the need for a computer.
Its simple-to-use, icon-based interface and intuitive button layout take the complexity out of Internet calling - making it easy for anyone to make and receive Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls. Users can even join voice conferences, making the ASUS AiGuru SV1 an inexpensive, all-in-one voice and video conferencing solution for small businesses. Furthermore, the ASUS AiGuru SV1 also allows users to make and receive calls to and from fixed and mobile lines at really cheap rates.
"The AiGuru SV1 is Skype's first foray with a partner into the videophone category," said Jonathan Cristensen, Skype's general manager, mobile and hardware devices. "With more than 25% of Skype-to-Skype calls including video, we know that video is fast becoming a mainstream way for people to communicate. The videophone offers the benefits of video calling to a much wider audience, allowing friends and families to share their worlds face-to-face without being tied to a computer."
Free Calls Whenever, Wherever and Forever With the ASUS AiGuru SV1, free unlimited video and voice calls can be made to anyone on Skype. Whether it's a father, child, or business colleague receiving a video or voice call, they do not have to be using a videophone; as long as they are connected to Skype - via a computer or a Skype-enabled device - the call will always be free. This enables people worldwide to make Skype-to-Skype calls either at home or the office whenever the need or mood strikes, without having to worry about cost. ASUS AiGuru SV1 users looking to make outgoing and receive incoming calls to and from fixed and mobile lines can subscribe to one of Skype's popular unlimited calling* subscriptions or purchase Skype credit to make outgoing calls at www.skype.com
Great Video and Voice Communications Experience The ASUS AiGuru SV1 is designed specifically for video calling and is equipped with a large, high-resolution 7" TFT LCD and an integrated webcam, for the best video calling quality. The ASUS AiGuru SV1 also features a built-in microphone and speaker supporting exceptional sound quality. Users who wish to have privacy during their calls can use a standard mini-jack headset and microphone.
Easy to Set Up and Easy to Use The ASUS AiGuru SV1 offers the quickest and easiest way to make free video calls - at no point is a computer or additional software required. Users can get up and running in three simple steps: 1. Connect to a broadband connection, either wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable 2. Sign-in with an existing Skype name or create a new one 3. Start video calling
The videophone is as easy to use as it is to set up. Its icon-driven user interface and clean, clearly labeled button layout are designed to be immediately intuitive to users.
With its WiFi capability, small footprint and rechargeable battery power system, the ASUS AiGuru SV1 also offers convenience in its portability. The user is neither tied to a wall socket nor a computer during use, which means the videophone can be moved from room to room without hassle, and without interrupting or dropping a call.
Availability The ASUS AiGuru SV1 will initially be available for pre-order on September 18, 2008 in Europe and North America from Skype's online shop (www.skype.com/shop). It will be on sale at the beginning of October 2008 priced $299.95/€249.95/£199.95. The videophone will be available in retail outlets in the Asia Pacific region later this year.
*Unlimited calling: All calls are subject to Skype's fair usage policy which is set at 10,000 minutes per month (which equates to more than 5 hours of calling per day). Unlimited calls to landlines in up to 36 countries worldwide are included. Calls to premium, non-geographic and other special numbers are excluded.
Specifications Key Skype features
- Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls - Call fixed lines and mobiles with Skype credit and/or subscriptions - Online Number (SkypeIn™) – allows anyone to reach you on Skype Presence - Call forwarding - Skype Voicemail - Participate in voice conference calls (as a guest only)
Interface Wireless: 802.11 b/g Wired: 10/100Mb Ethernet port
Protocols DHCP/Static IP/PPPoE
Dimensions 202 mm (L) x 123 mm (W) x 253 mm (H)
Weight 1.6 kg
Display 800 X 480 pixel 7" TFT LCD
Camera type Built in Webcam CMOS (640 X 480 pixels)
Audio Integrated Speaker Internal Microphone
Power supply AC Adaptor: 12V/3A
Battery life Talking Time : 20 minutes Standby Time : 30 minutes
Battery charging time 2 hours
Operating distance Wireless: 50 m (actual transmission distance may vary depending on operating conditions)
Keypad and buttons - Power button - Volume keys - 5-way navigation (Up, Down, Left, Right and Select keys) - Menu key - Back key - Call key - End key
I/O connectors - 3.5 mm Headphone jack and Microphone jack - RJ-45 connector - USB type A connector - DC Jack - Battery connector
This is the second in a series of posts resulting from in interview last Friday with Josh Silverman, Skype's recently appointed President. In this post we talk about the key issues Josh found necessary to address and establishing a framework for employee motivation and empowerment. Over the past couple of years I have written many posts lauding Skype, largely for its conversation infrastructure technology; I have also, from time-to-time written posts about the need for Skype to address the business infrastructure surrounding the deployment and use of the technology. With 300,000 new registrations daily, 30 to 50 million active users within a given day, and demand in the small-to-medium business market driven by its inherent cost advantages, Skype needs to right the ship when it comes to all aspects of turning Skype into a business that delivers customer satisfaction while sustaining profitable growth.. Some have thought that Phil and I are Skype Cheerleaders and, in their simplistic world, want instant solutions to problems. Doesn't happen in a business that has become as large as Skype. To take maximum advantage of Skype's technology, Skype needs leadership at the top that delivers a sense of mission, a set of inherent values and and a management structure suitable to a business that has grown as large and as rapidly as Skype. Business processes need to become readily scalable. Within such an environment, the Skype team needs to execute; employees need to know their responsibilities, to be held accountable for them, and, most importantly, to be empowered to act in their area of responsibility. When we asked Josh Silverman, who took over as Skype's President five months ago, as our first question, :"What has changed at Skype in the past year (since Niklas' departure)?" he replied that he could only speak for the past five months. He then confirmed my suspicion: he has used this time to delve into all aspects of Skype - involving internal team and individual employee meetings, learning more about customers and their needs, examining market differences worldwide, reviewing both current and archived Skype forums and websites and even surveying media, all as input to determine what management structure and what cultural environment were needed to right the ship. What follows is a high level view of his action plan. (Note: where appropriate he has already discussed these moves with the Skype team, so there are no surprises here for them.)
Define a mission statement
Establish a set of values
Restructure for business success
Improve the user experience
Evolve the business model
Develop a technology roadmap.
Establish a framework for effective customer and partner relationships
Build market awareness
In building out on his response, Josh identified as issues to be addressed:
clarify Skype's mission and strategy going forward
be clear about what Skype is trying to accomplish
be clear about decision making
maintain an ongoing sense of momentum around building great products
the Skype 4.0 beta program
understand their customers and bring their voice into the company.
a big issue: organize the company structure to clarify roles and accountability for people
establishing employee accountability: define who owns what internally
add people skills and resources consistent yet scalable with the level of customer growth
grow internal talent while adding experienced management leadership
bet on the people who brought Skype to this point
bring in experienced outside help to scale
On the core subject of building employee responsibility and accountability Josh responded:
We need to clarify accountability and roles for employees ... I'm a big believer that, if you take a small cross-functional team, give them a mission, a lot of room to innovate, they're going to come out with fantastic products. So we're moving our organization more in that direction. Skype, I don't think is different [from] a lot of hypergrowth companies, in that the business grows so fast that it is very hard for the organizational structure to keep up. What ends up happening is people just take on extra responsibility here and there as the needs come up. And pretty soon you find yourself in a place where it's really not clear who owns "this" ... there are some really important things that nobody owns and some things that two or three people all think they own it. So we need to step back and say, ok, lets' take a fresh look at this and make sure everyone is really clear about who owns what, what are you accountable for, and what resources do we have and then let them go forth and empower them. So that's what we're doing right now and I think in the coming months we'll be in a much better place for everyone. ... I've been very public with my team about it and they're all very supportive .... and they're quite excited for us to do that.
On building the right mix of people, skills, capabilities to execute:
I'm a big believer that, when a company is growing as fast as Skype, just keeping up with the scale and evolution of the company is a major promotion every year. So what we want to do is grow a lot of our internal talent and take bets. I'm also a big believer in taking bets on a lot of the people who have been with you from the beginning, who understand the business and culture. But I also believe in bringing experience from the outside ... who have seen this before and had to scale this way before and can help us to figure out how, as we inevitably get a little bigger, to stay agile and, in fact, I think we can get even more agile as we get bigger, if we're smart about it.
On getting employee empowerment right:
Everybody needs to know what their accountability is. I'm a believer that empowerment doesn't mean everyone can do anything ... because then everyone starts overlapping and, actually, you end up with a big mess. What empowerment means is everyone is really clear about what the company is trying to accomplish, everyone is really clear about what they're accountable for and, within that accountability, they have the scope to make all decisions. It doesn't mean they can make any decisions they want but they're really clear about where their decision making begins and ends. If you do that everybody feels empowered and we grow much faster. By the way I also believe that the best decisions you make are almost always made at the level of the working team. So I aspire to a world where very few decisions flow up to the executive ranks other than "what are we trying to solve for?" and "how much resource are we investing in any given initiative?" and "do we have the right talent?".
From Yopi Djauhari's portfolio. Flink tackles the problems of hot ears in long calls (open area above the speaker) and storage (flexible ring bends into a hook to hang the phone on a computer display.
OK, so it's the fourth post this week where I've referenced Dan York. But over the two years I have known Dan I have to say he is, in my view, one of the most respected authorities on the technology behind today's communications revolution. Yet he also understands the value of the user experience.
In celebration of Skype's fifth birthday Dan has written the most thorough post yet on Skype's accomplishments and how it has changed not only his life but also the communications market space he works in. He starts out with a personal reminder (along the lines of many of the "What Skype Means to Me" posts that Phil has been coordinating):
I had a personal reminder of that the other day when I wound up in a video chat with one of my closest friends who was my best man at my wedding 12 years ago. Although we have spoken in the intervening years, we had not actually seen each other in probably most of 10 years due to living far apart. He and his wife emailed a group of folks that they now had a Skype ID. I added them as a contact, opened an IM chat and wound up calling them... and then moving into video and seeing them both. It was a powerful moment - and a great reminder of the power of Skype to easily connect people.
Dan goes on to discuss some of the imperfections and bumps that Skype has experienced over the years and the need for the new executive team to express its vision for the future. (Although Josh's "liquid communication" term is an appropriate description when I look at the variety of ways I can converse currently via Skype over my PC's, Blackberry, Nokia N-series phones, Sony mylo, Nokia N-800 tablet, Skypephone).
Last week at Rogers' Blackberry Bold launch, RIM's Director of PR pointed out how, during the famous patent lawsuit, settled over two years ago, enterprise IT managers were seeking out alternatives to the Blackberry, should a court injunction force disruption of the Blackberry service in the U.S. This turned out to be one of the best "zero cost" marketing tools RIM has ever had. The IT managers could all report back that the only total solution to their mobile communications needs was indeed Blackberry. (And will remain so, in spite of iPhone's success.)
So show me another multi-modal, secure, archiving, interconnected conversation platform that provides all the features above in a user-friendly means and that can deliver all the user experiences posted on Skype Journal over the past few days and I'll stop being a Skype Cheerleader. (But, going forward, the Skype team still has to earn their way ... and will.) Yet I'll also be a cheerleader for anyone else who delivers beneficial user experiences with access to over 40 million ongoing users.
Over the past few months I have been a frequent participant on Alec Saunders' daily SquawkBox conference call where several of those involved in following today's communications and web developments will discuss topics of the day. Subjects for yesterday's call were the impact of the Internet on this years U.S. President campaign and Skype's fifth anniversary today. Participants included Dan York of Voxeo, James Body of Truphone, William Volk of MyNumo (one of the more successful iPhone Apps developers) and Jonathan Jensen amongst others. The Saunderslog post is here.
The Skype discussion commences about half-way through the call. The one universal agreement was that Skype has succeeded because of the user experience. You can build all the communications technology you want but unless people can get all the way through the setup and readily make a call, people will not use it routinely. And the discussion highlights the importance of getting the Skype 4.0 user interface right but starting with some experimentation that challenges all of us to think through how to set up and manage a multi-modal conversation experience.. Some comments from the SquawkBox discussion:
James Body: participating in a discussion at a smoke-filled bar in London with Nicklas just after Skype launched: "this proprietary thing will never work because it does not use SIP". James then goes on to point out that if Skype had not had the success it has achieved, Truphone may never have been funded to the level they have obtained.
Alec Saunders: basically it was the first VoIP-based service that "just worked".
I then discussed my memories of watching the Quarterdeck team develop WebTalk back in 1995 - and how our CEO of the day drove the engineers to make it work on 50MHz (not 50 GHz - a slip of the tongue) Pentium PC's and over 14.4 kbps modems. But the overall infrastructure was just not there to let it become viable as a consumer in the 1996 time frame.Yes, having widely deployed broadband was one major contributor to the timing element that helped achieve Skype's immediate success. (I did have WebTalk running over a 56kbps modem on a 100MHz Pentium but it was challenging to carry on a conversation. Yet a few small businesses did adopt it.)
William talked about the importance of usability. "Just because it - VoIP - works is not enough. Users are fickle. You will lose a significant number of users at each step where the process of installing and completing a call may fail. The user experience is everything."
Dan York the security expert amongst us, got into a discussion of how Skype worked when offerings such as NetMeeting and CU CMe just did not get significant traction. Firewall traveral across NAT - a major failing of SIP, the first true high quality wideband codec, and Skype's inherent security are all features that impressed Dan.
But listen to the recording via the link/player on the Saunderslog post to get the full story, especially helpful for Skype employees involved in the Skype 4.0 beta.
And Happy Fifth Anniversary to Skype from all of us on the call! There are many challenges ahead as Skype liquifies communications - we look forward to the next generation of Skype under its new executive team. And thanks to the iotum team and SquawkBox producer Alec Saunders for making such a conversation feasible
While there has been lots of dismay about the discontinuation of Skypecasts (Skype's blog posts: here and here), it had appeared for the past several months that the service just did not have the robustness to provide the reliability and quality of service that users would expect. Being a free service, it was obviously placing resource demands with zero revenue potential on Skype developer and support personnel that hopefully can be diverted to bringing feature equality to Skype's basic service, whether on Windows, Mac or Linux.
There are alternatives; in fact, this decision provides a unique opportunity for two third party conference calling services:
1. Skype Multi-Party Calling:
For up to 25 participants on a call, Skype has recently expanded its multi-party calling capacity. The caveat here is that the host must use a multi-core Windows PC and a reliable broadband internet connection (preferably cable). Participants can be on any version of Skype or be accessed via SkypeOut. In this case the host must set up the call and call out to all the participants. More details here. A unique feature of Skype's multi-party calling is its ability to show which participant is actually speaking at any given time. But keep in mind Skype really offers multi-party calling, not a full conferencing service. 2. iotum CalliFlower iotum's CalliFlower has the benefit of no charge other than whatever it costs to make the connection to one of their access points. I often participate in their daily SquawkBox call via my SkypeOut account; the recent availability of SkypeOut CallerID, displaying my mobile phone number when I make a SkypeOut call, has allowed me to participate in these calls within my SkypeOut subscription without even using the provided password for each call. In fact, there are four options for accessing these calls:
Truphone VoIP: A PC, a headset and an internet connection puts you one click away from your conference call.
Phone: Dial from anywhere in the world to one of our U.S. or French dial-in numbers to get connected.
Skype: Call our U.S. dial-in number from within the Skype network, and get high quality audio.
Sitofono call back: Enter your phone number and get called back for free in more than 12 countries
SquawkBox participants regularly call in from the U.S., Canada and U.K. but there is really no country-specific limitation The real gem of CalliFlower is the web-based user interface where participants can see who is on the call, raise a hand, enter text on a "wall". The host can record the call for later playback, mute/unmute participants as well as set up the call, invite participants via email and SMS, and put up the subsequent recording.
As an example of building communities, iotum has worked with Alan Hunkin to provide a weekly interview session, CalliFlower Communiques, with notable personalities such as William Shatner. Immediate future guests include Ken Blanchard, author of "Being a One Minute Entrepreneur" and actor Alan Alda discussions his recent memoir "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself." Recordings of previous sessions are available at the page linked above. 3. HiDef Conferencing
Vapps' HiDef Conferencing (formerly HiSpeedConferencing) provides high definition (HD) voice quality calls for participants accessing via Skype. Their business grade service involves fixed rate monthly hosting subscriptions involving unlimited Skype access, dial-in to specific numbers in several countries and toll-free numbers. Obviously this involves some ongoing expense to the host but their infrastructure supports providing the best possible voice quality, depending on access mode. The host uses their web controls to set up calls, manage call participants as well as record and archive calls.
Looking at the options it appears the best conference experience comes when:
hosts are able to setup and fully manage the calls, including an open access invitation;
users can participate through a web-based experience not only via voice but also via chat.
Skype's fifth birthday is 29 August. As we count down, two huge milestones changed Skype's future in the last twelve months.
The bad one happened last month.
29 July 2008
BT buys Ribbit natural monopoly talk for all onlives
1. BT purchased Ribbit.
Ribbit is the platform play Skype might have been. They are ready to start scaling. And now they have the money, customer base, telecom core, and international operations to reach their potential.
Ribbit seeks to become a natural monopoly for the web's talkification.
Like Skype, Ribbit worked for years to build a software and network infrastructure that combines user computers, phone networks, commerce, social networks, and the Internet.
Skype treats voice like an application, where you control the user experience to control the end-customer relationship.
Unlike Skype, Ribbit thinks of voice as a feature. Features belong in other applications. Developed by the six million people who design and code software. People who solve problems in every country, in every culture, for every situation.
And those people don't work for Ribbit.
Or BT.
They are in the wild. Out of control.
Both BT and Ribbit are happy with that.
Happy not to control the user experience.
Happy not to control the customer relationship.
Once upon a time (a few world wars' ago) the phone company provided your phone. One model. And it was black.
Then the phone company became a carrier. And you could use whatever phone you liked. Even pink ones for princesses.
Today you can get your Skype any way you like it, so long as it is Skype's user interface.
Ribbit will let you get your phone any way you like it. Period.
Made by anyone who can code.
That's what it means to have a public platform culture.
And Ribbit is bringing that culture to BT. And BT is grooving on it.
The race to add talk everywhere heated up.
The frog is no further ahead in the race, but Ribbit now has the fuel to execute on its vision.
And Skype is catching up but remains far behind.
Ribbit/BT is far from the only company building and selling web talkification infrastructure, but they are one of the few with customers, with funding, and a with a compelling architecture.
Exactly how many talkification infrastructure APIs will programmers learn? That's how much room there is in the market.
They didn't mean to, but when eBay offered Skype's founders US$1.7 billion if they hit sales and census targets, eBay forced a myopic tunnel vision on the company.
Any new hire, new feature, new product, new partnership needed to advance sales, to advance user adoption. Any new idea or opportunity, no matter how strategic, that didn't meet that payout test starved for management attention and resources.
So the Skype products didn't change much for two years.
eBay paying off the founders and writing down the purchase left Skype with a fresh start. Free to innovate and reengineer. Free to respond to competitive threats from phone companies (like BT). Free to experiment and examine Skype's underlying purpose and value.
Proof?
Look at the new Skype directory. Hybrid web service and rich client.
Look at how the new Skype 4 beta client is running on top of a Skype for Windows 3.8 engine, further separating UI from services, the way you must to deliver talk via browser.
Look at Skype hiring leaders from outside the phone carriers with street cred at Evite and Motorola.
Look at the coming Skypecasts service retirement.
Each of these decisions speak to a company liberated. A company becoming decisive and thoughtful in its direction.
Very good for Skype.
To recap:
A bad day: Skype isn't even in the paradigm-shifting race to talkify the web
A good day: Skype's US and Canadian markets are warming nicely in Oprah's glow
A great day: Skype freed from golden shackles.
Doesn't year six look interesting?
See also:
Video of Ribbit's Crick Waters describing the Ribbit platform ("the voiceware economy") at the Emerging Communications Conference earlier this year. 20 minutes.
Video of Trevor Baca of Jaduka at eComm. Jaduka offers much of the same infrastructure.
Wave clients run in browsers. (Good to know: Skype desktop clients have tiny browsers inside.)
Coffin makers are also equipping their products with batteries and uninterruptable power supplies. Laptop and smartphone batteries still have trouble making it from sunrise to sunset without a charge. 
claimed yesterday, during an interview, that Skype was reviewing how to embark on "public conversations" in today's messaging world where services such as Twitter and Friend Feed also provide ongoing dialogues. However, Skype Public Chat has its own "space" in terms of user community; it needs to be brought back as soon as possible.
Skype should be treated like landlords.
Tonight out at the "ShowStoppers" event at MacWorld in San Francisco, Skype announced the new 2.8 Beta for Mac OS X. The new version will apparently be available for download tomorrow, January 6, 2009, from Skype's website. [NOTE: I will update this post with the download link when it becomes available.] 
Over the past few years we have seen the evolution of several conversation communities, some simply employing instant messaging; others employing both instant messaging and voice. Skype is the primary example with its support of IM, voice and video as well as auxiliary features such as file sharing (and, as announced tonight, basic screen sharing) but we are also seeing these services diffuse into Google, via GTalk's voice and chat capability, MSN Live via Live Messenger, and, in spite of its trying to define who they are, Yahoo.
Now I’m trying SyncMood, happily so far. Thanks, Andrej. 
Berkeley a few months after the first Howard Dean meetups in San Francisco's East Bay. We became five thousand full time volunteers over 18 months until election day 2004. Our two-county grassroots operation made more than one million phone calls to swing states. 1,000,000. 
Cute
Nobody invited me to the Skype London 5th Birthday Party where you might have seen the preview of the 
worked for years to build a software and network infrastructure that combines user computers, phone networks, commerce, social networks, and the Internet. 
