Archive for November, 2011

Open questions about the Skypebook video calling

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Love the announcement about Facebook video chat powered by Skype. Lots of questions not answered. Here are a few. I?ll update with answers as they come in.  Video calling API from Facebook? Video calling on the mobile Facebook app? Video calling on mobile browsers? Desktop browser compatibility? Is the video p2p or does [...]
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TED Talk of the Week: Rebecca MacKinnon: Let?s take back the Internet!

Friday, November 25th, 2011

I?ve long been a fan of Rebecca MacKinnon, a reporter turned Internet civil society advocate. Society?s multi-decade conversation about privacy, censorship, and access are turning into a fight for control over the Internet. It?s a contest between government, corporate, and citizen power. Rebecca uses her TED talk to tell stories of this conflict [...]
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Web Developer usability: 3 lines of javascript per feature

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Product management has a natural tension between features and elegance, the richness of more and the simplicity of less. This is true for APIS as much as for user interfaces. Telecom technology is complex, a high learning curve for outsiders. In the last year I?ve seen Voxeo, TokBox, Skype and now Twilio expand [...]
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Skype for iPad is like Skype for iPhone, with elbow room

Friday, November 25th, 2011

UPDATE: Screenshots including one of my friends and text mentioning him have been altered to hide his identity. Apple added Skype for iPad 1.0.1273 to the iPad?s App store last night. Skype soon tweeted they were not quite ready for the launch, tidying up web sites and such, but they are ready now. [...]
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Vote for my ?Let My Data Go!? SXSW panel

Friday, November 25th, 2011

People need more power over their data. If you think so, vote for my SXSW panel called ?Let My Data Go! Open data portability standards.? I need your vote before Friday, September 2nd. This will let us bring this issue to an important audience. ?Another year and corporate silos still hold your data [...]
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How is it different from Skype?

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Every startup founder is getting this question from investors, and customers. This wasn?t true in 2009. The question speaks to two of Skype?s strengths as it approaches its 8th birthday: brand and network effects. The first strength is brand awareness. Everyone knows Skype. Literally half of Internet users have tried Skype. So Skype [...]
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Skype to buy GroupMe texting service

Friday, November 25th, 2011

I agree on nearly all points with Om?s analysis of why Skype is buying GroupMe, why GroupMe picked Skype, and why it isn?t enough for Skype.  For Skype management, more for the Skype everywhere strategy, it fills a gaping user interaction hole, and brings very active young users in many international markets. Skype?s [...]
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Happy 8th Birthday, Skype! Many happy returns.

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Wow, It?s been eight years since Skype launched. 2003 to 2011. I?ve been writing about Skype on my own blogs or on Skype Journal from the start. SJ alum Jim Courtney salutes Skype today and Skype pats itself on the back. Looking back… The company has been bought and sold, and sold, [...]
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New Freetalk adapter makes Skype more like MagicJack

Friday, November 25th, 2011

A $39.99 box the size of a coffee mug, the FREETALK Connect.me lets Americans plug your dumb phone into your Ethernet network. Your phone rings when someone Skypes you or calls your SkypeIn phone number. You can call out to phone numbers using your Skype credits or your SkypeOut subscription. And you can [...]
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EU to give first glance decision on $MSFT buying #Skype on 7 October

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Jim Courtney has a complete report on the European Commission?s review of the merger. News early next month but Jim works through how they?ll get there. Think the Commish will call for public comment? Is Microskype good for telecoms competition in Europe? What do Europe?s big telcos have to say? Is Skype a [...]
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