Skype's P2P architecture supports freemium

Skype can give away free video calling because customers pay for all the expensive marginal costs.

• With every account, Skype hosts account creation, account backup, and presence service on their servers. These are very lightweight, low cost services but they grow linearly with the user population.
• Skype also provides technical support, customer service, security and R&D, spread across all users, fee and free. The costs of these services grow slower than the user population.
• Skype's customers pay for their own microphones, cameras, computing, and P2P connectivity. So while this is a linear marginal cost, Skype doesn't pay.

Contrast this with Yahoo!, Microsoft, SightSpeed and other VoIM providers. They have Skype's fixed costs and more. They pipe all talk through hosted servers. So every additional free user requires them to pay for more server capacity, bandwidth, and server farm management.

Skype doesn't pay when customers

• speak more often
• to more people
• for longer times
• through more bandwidth-consuming media.

P2P's low marginal cost helps Skype scale and tweak their freemium rate.

tags: skype, p2p, architecture, free, freemium, business, yahoo, microsoft, sightspeed, voim

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Measuring Freemium with Minutes is easier than with Money

Hudson asked me about using minutes instead of dollars and the trend of the Freemium Rate I described Monday.

Comparing apples to apples, minutes-talked is the only data I have on both sides of the free/fee equation.

Money as a measure is useful. It leads us to the lifetime value of a customer. How can we measure free in dollars?

We might value the free minutes at some averaged rate and compare that to Skype's overall revenue.

Skype earns money from licensing its brand, the rental of SkypeIn phone numbers, from its online store, ads in Skype’s yellow page directory services. Sadly, I don’t have access to revenue data broken out by source.

We might include costs with dollars, seeking profitability or net value of customers. Costs for fee-based services are higher (transaction costs, higher security, admin, sales costs, customer service, technical support, business development) than for free. 

Meanwhile, we have customer behavior in the form of minutes. And the simple freemium rate comparing free to fee. It will suffice.

tags: skype, freemium, metrics, business, strategy, free, skypeout, directory, yp, yellowpages, skypein, revenue, costs

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Skype is tweaking the freemium model

Following up Monday's post about the Freemium Rate, Hudson Barton wrote "in a normal 'freemium' relationship, it is the higher valued services that have a fee attached to them."

Most freemium services offer free but limp, shallow versions of their paid products. I show that on the chart below by the boxed "0" (free, few features) and the upgrade path to the boxed "$" (high cost, more features).

In Skype's case, that's not how it works. SkypeOut users call a voice line and pay for it by the minute or with a subscription. Skype-to-Skype users get free multi-modal talk (persistent IM, voice, video), file transfers, voice conferencing, public chats, audio fidelity far better than mobiles and landlines.

So Skype is making the free experience rich and sophisticated and full. On the chart, users start in the bottom-right quadrant (free, full features) and ADD SkypeOut (costs, simple features).

Skype has a pricing advantage in their freemium model. A year's national SkypeOut subscription can cost less than 10% of what people spend on land lines. So even Skype's premium charges are cheaper than many alternatives.

tags: skype, freemium, business, strategy, free, skypeout

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Scar Search

"Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever." – Shane Falco, The Replacements

IPEVO's cute handheld pointercam inspired the Scar Search. IPEVO and Rockstar Energy Drinks held the contest this summer, the public voting on the best scar story video.

Winners:  

Jeremy (Grand Prize)

Danielle (Editor’s Choice)

I love this promotion. Intimate, direct, sub-cultural, social, bold. The cutting edge. Scraping the bottom of the elbow. Leaving your mark. Branding your customers; literally.

tags: skype, ipevo, webcam, pointercam, contest, scar, scars, injury, scar search, scarsearch, marketing, promotion, brand, branding

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Star Trek : The Continuing Mission : Learning Curve

Just in time for Halloween, Learning Curve is out, the third episode of Star Trek: The Continuing Mission. Written by Andy Tyrer, "on the shakedown cruise of the newly refitted USS Montana, the ship is attacked without provocation by a heavily armed unknown vessel. Captain Edwards and the crew of the Montana must defend themselves and come to grips with 24th century technology or face certain destruction."

Executive Producers Andy Tyrer and Sebastian Prooth use Skype for ST:TCM's production, pulling together this audio adventure with cast and crew from Europe and the Americas.

Download episode 3 (42 minutes, 57MB) or its short trailer for your iPod or mp3 player.

CAST:

Captain Paul Edwards (Tim Renshaw), Commander Darius Locke (Stephen Perkins) Lt. Commander Thomas Plummer (Brian Bonner), Lt. Commander McGuire (Patrick McCray), Lt. Commander Kyle Wilson (Gabriel Diani), Lt. Stephen Knight (Scott Martineck), Ensign Susan Palmer (Etta Devine), Lt. Numi Natukov (Tiffany Tallent), Lt. Meechum (Matt Adams), Telara (Corinne Tandy), Lt. Michaels (Craig Clayton), Alien Leader (Andy Tyrer), Captain Pelmon (Sebastian Prooth), Doctor Richard Plummer (Brian Bonner), Ships Computer Voice (Cheralyn Lambeth).

DIRECTORS: Sebastian Prooth and Patrick McCray
SOUND DESIGNERS: Andy Tyrer and Tim Renshaw
ARTWORK: Andy Tyrer

tags: skype, star trek, sttcm, mptheater, drama, scifi, science fiction, workflow, entertainment, collaboration, commmunication, radio, conferencing, continuing mission

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See also:

• Skype connects cast and crew of Star Trek: The Continuing Mission, November 2007
• The Continuing Mission Launched: Fueled by Skype, January 2008
• Star Trek: The Continuing Mission. Episode 2: Integration, September 2008

P.S. I'd have loved appointment listening, narrowcasting Star Trek: The Continuing Mission episodes in Skypecasts rooms with the built in back channel.

Two more reasons why SightSpeed is good for Logitech

Video cameras are being built into everything. Phones, monitors and nearly every new laptop. Logitech buying SightSpeed marks the end of the generic webcam add-on market, as Jim Courtney wrote up yesterday. Or the beginning of the end, at least.

Logitech can sell its high-end webcam technology to laptop and mobile OEMs like Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus and Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson, Motorola, Qualcomm.

Logitech Video Inside. With Carl Zeiss Optics. With SightSpeed MultiParty Video. And Skype High Quality Video.

SightSpeed's white-label distribution has been effective, accounting for many more users than its own brand. Logitech could very well become a Dolby Labs for personal video, licensing the best quality video features, and de facto standards for video, to the world's devices.

Logitech wants freemium marketing power. Free video calling entices newbies who pay later for multiparty, higher quality experiences. This is a branding and customer relationship program that could spill over to Logitech's hardware products. It may also be Logitech's strongest relationship with end consumers since most of Logitech's sales go through resellers. SightSpeed's own revenue stream is a nice bonus to the strategic value of direct customer relationships.

A larger theme is synergy between realtime social networks and devices. Skype and Skypephones. Twitter and mobiles. Gtalk and Android. And now SightSpeed and Logitech.

tags: skype, logitech, sitespeed, dell, video, hp, lenovo, acer, asus, nokia, samsung, sony, ericson, motorola, qualcomm, optics, dolby, freemium

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Global IP Solutions Coming Back to Life: Driving the Desktop Video Space

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

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Over at GigaOm: BlackBerry Storm Should Be Called BlackBerry Stealth

This morning a post on my observations of BlackBerry's role in the smartphone wars were published in a post entitled: Why BlackBerry Storm Is An iPhone (and G-1) Killer.

It's a classic case of the importance of working with customers who have large customer or user bases such that this asset alone may trump all the technology arguments out there.RIM designed the Storm to meet Verizon's and Vodafone's requirements. It's the embedded user base that will be a most significant factor in determining the extent of market penetration.

Full disclosure: I have both an iPhone and a BlackBerry Bold. Each has its niche of applications and target markets. iPhone finds me the closest Tim Horton's or Starbucks. Bold is still my multi-processing smartphone of choice for business applications; its precision trackball pointing device allowed me to transcribe the Josh Silverman interview - an application I could not do with the iPhone. And Bold provides Skype Chat messages in real time in background when using iSkoot.

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Logitech to Acquire SightSpeed. Questions Arise.

According to Tech Crunch and GigaOm posts late last night Logitech is about to spend $30 million to acquire SightSpeed, the video messaging and video conferencing service that recently was selected ot provide the infrastructure for Dell's Video Chat. Congratulations to Peter Csathy and his team. And to Andy Abramson and his team; another Comunicano client achieves success.

Seems like the video calling and video conferencing market is about to heat up. There will be another post later this morning involving an announcement that can bring video conferencing to a much broader user audience than Skype's (though it's not exactly insignificant) and SightSpeed's.
Questions that arise from this acquisition:

• How is Logitech able to continue to partner with services such as Skype when they are now entering the desktop video services market? Logitech's co-operation was vital to Skype's ability to provide High Quality Video.
  
• Or is it a produce marketing acquisition? Is Logitech acquiring SightSpeed simply to have additional collateral software to provide with their webcam offerings? Will we start to see Logitech's Carl-Zeiss optics in embedded webcams on Dell PC's?

The economy may be in recession; it's driving less travel and more audio and video conferencing. They're seeing a rise in customers and use of audio conferencing at both HiDef Conferencing and Calliflower. It will be an interesting winter for expanding user experiences involving desktop video.

Logitech Press Release

Update: Alec Saunders comments on the same theme here.
Tags: Logitech, SightSpeed, Skype, Peter Csathy, Tech Crunc, GigaOm, HiDef Conferencing, Calliflower

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TOM-Skype Breach: Nart's Recommendations to Skype

This is the fourth and final of four posts resulting from an interview with Nart Villeneuve, principle investigator of the Citizen Lab report "Breaching Trust".

Having discussed some background to Nart's research, the activities of the Citizen Lab and answers to Phil's questions, Nart had a couple of recommendations for Skype going forward. As background, the Citizen Lab is a affiliated with the BerkmanCenter for Internet & Society's "Principles on Free Expression and Privacy" initiative"to protect and advance individuals' rights to free expression and privacy on the Internet through the creation of a set of principles and supporting mechanisms for ICT companies".

The goal of this project is:

Through the articulation of a broad set of common principles, the development of resources for implementation and a compliance structure, this collaborative effort is working to formulate an industry-wide response to guide businesses when they encounter laws and practices that may contravene international human rights standards or be at odds with law or culture in their home jurisdiction.

Participants in this project include Microsoft, Google, Yahoo along with several human rights organizations. It is hoped that having a joint industry-activist initiative would help companies avoid situations similar to the one which Skype has encountered in its TOM-Skype relationship.

Update: as I was writing this post today, a New York Times story on this initiative, now called the Global Network Initiative, broke and has more details.

An initial draft document (update: final document to be released tomorrow) is under review amongst the participants but Nart brought out three recommendations for Skype that would be consistent with the guidelines in the draft document:

1. Include in Skype and/or the TOM-Skype client, as appropriate, an ability to provide notification to all participants in a conversation that a contact is participating in the conversation via the TOM-Skype client. In effect, this could be included in a more general identification of the version of Skype that other participants in a conversation are using. The reasoning for the providing version information was to let other participants know, via the version number, which feature set a participant can use in their Skype client installation.
   
2. When a user types a message that is diverted via the TOM-Skype filter, a message, indicating that the recipient is missing content due to government regulations, comes back to the initiating party. For example: "To comply with local laws, this message has not been displayed to your contact." Often Nart found conversations where someone would type a message repeatedly when it was apparent the receiving party was not understanding the message being sent, yet the sender did not realize that the message was being filtered.
   
3. Become a participant in the Global Network Initiative and its dialogue.

The hope is that, through an industry-wide initiative, foreign companies entering the Chinese market would have more negotiating power and a protocol for addressing issues that are raised in the process of establishing a business relationship in countries where the climate for free expression and human rights is restrictive. In an Opinion piece today, Om has other thoughts on the morality of this approach.

Tags: TOM-Skype, Skype, Nart Villeneuve, Citizen Lab, Global Network Initiative

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Josh Silverman at the Absolut Ice Bar

A few video questions with Skype CEO Silverman at Skype's fifth birthday party.

tags: skype, london, uk, absolut, party

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Skype and the Freemium Rate (free/fee)

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.

tags: skype, trends, charts, statistics, stats, freemium, business models, conversion, rates, behavior, revenue, minutes, billions

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waaaaay better than skype

(ooVoo moves multiparty video through their servers. costly awesomosity)

College Basketball Voice-Mashup

See this promotion for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Funny, intimate, surprising for the Spokane, Washington, university’s women’s basketball team. You’ll need a US/Canadian phone number.

tags: voip, mashup, basketball, marketing, education, sports

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obviously very necessary

great googly moogly

(have you seen non-sexual skype spam?)

Marathon Skype voice call: 66 hours 40 minutes

Guest post by Monty, a Palmdale, California, ham radio operator and computer geek. Monty blogs on LiveJournal, tweets, and is on Skype.

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

4:08 AM. Chatting with Guthro. We've been connected for over 10 hrs 45 mins, wow!

8:02 PM. Attempting to have a single Skype call that lasts at least 24 hours, to see what Skype's display shows after 1 day call duration

8:04 PM. Guthro's PC crashed, so call duration only got to 22 hrs, 31 mins, trying again now though shooting for 24 hours.

 

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

6:05 pm: a pointless but interesting Skype call duration experiment

Beginning Monday evening, I got this crazy pointless idea where I wondered how Skype would display call duration time on a call if it exceeded 24 hours. I wondered if it would show time as days, hours, minutes, seconds, or if it'd show hours, minutes, seconds, as it does for calls greater than 1 hour.

So in an attempt to find out what would happen after the 24-hour mark of a Skype call, I called my friend Adam Guthro in Canada, and kept connected, even after he went to sleep and everything. My previous Skype record for a single call was actually a Skype out call to Bec that lasted 12 and a half hours.

That long standing record of mine was shattered yesterday when Adam Guthro and I reached the 22 hour, 31 minute, 20 second mark of our long call. The attempt to reach and pass 24 hours failed at that point, as Guthro's computer decided to reboot itself due to Guthro working it too hard.

So we tried again yesterday into today, and this time results were much better, and in fact the experiment is ongoing as I write this.

As the counter passed 24 hours, Skype did not switch to showing call durations as 1:00:00 as you may have expected, but rather it continues to show time in hours.

As of this entry, our call duration is 24:20:00.

Now I wonder how much longer we can keep the call live? I wonder if we can break a record for longest connected Skype call? Guthro wants to try and break the 100 hour mark. I'll be very amazed if we get anywhere close to that, but if we do, I'd have to guess we'll shatter any known records for longest Skype call ever. Wouldn't that be unique.

Hmm wonder if I should try for longest SkypeOut call duration next? Yes pointless experiments, but fun nonetheless.

2:56 AM. Going to bed, just finished chatting on radio with a good friend, then chatting with Patrick for a bit, that was fun 

2:59 AM. Skype duration now 9 hours exactly on my Skype experiment. 

10:59 AM. Installed Skype scripts, current duration of experiment with Guthro, about 17 hours now and counting! 

12:01 PM. Just finished watching the news, another warm day, temperatures in the 80's to low 90's in much of Socal.

5:09 PM. Longest Skype call experiment continues at this hour, previous record broken, now at 23 hours, 10 minutes! 

6:01 PM. We've passed 24 hours of Skype call duration with Guthro and I, and Skype shows call time in hours after 24 hours, interesting! 

9:32 PM. Just had a good dinner with sausages, Skype experiment continues now past 27 and a half hours! 

 

Thursday, 23 October 2008

3:22 AM. Guthro's up for another day, our long Skype call continues at over 33 hours now!

11:08 AM. 41 hours, 8 minutes now, Skype call duration, and on we go, trying to wake up.

about 18 hours ago. We've now passed the 50 hour mark in my Skype call with Guthro, and we're still going, wow how long will our PC's stay connected? 

about 11 hours ago. Waking up on this Friday morning. Skype call at 58 hours 18 minutes, Jdawg left at 50.5 hrs 

about 6 hours ago. watching the Lunar lander challenge live at http://spacevidcast.com/live, though not totally sure what it is.

about 3 hours ago. Skype call with Guthro and I now over 66 hours in duration. 

about 2 hours ago. Skype call ended abruptly thanks to computer rebooting itself. gurr piss! about 66 hrs 40 min record to beat 

Friday, October 24th, 2008. 1:18 pm

Skype experiment ends abruptly, 66 hours, 40 minutes the new record to beat

My crazy experiment with Skype to try and see how long I can maintain a single Skype call, has ended abruptly after 66 hours and 40 minutes.

It ended without warning, as my computer decided to reboot itself suddenly while I was browsing the web, disconnecting not only my 66 hour plus chat with Guthro, but my telephone call I was on hold with as well! I don't know why the computer randomly rebooted, but I'm assuming it does that when there is low memory, as I did have a couple web browsers open at the time.

If I try this experiment again, I'll have to try and be sure only Skype is the only active window most of the time.

Ironically, Guthro's call duration is still climbing, since Jdawg remained connected to him when I dropped, therefore his portion of the experiment continues, and he's up over 67 hours now of total call duration, and he's shooting for 100 hours. Can he make it, or will he suffer the same fate as me and get the dreaded random no warning reboot? I'll let you know.

UPDATE: The Skype experiment has in fact officially ended with all parties, as Guthro['s connection] died after 73 hours, 15 minutes. so that's the new record.

tags: skype, marathon, endurance, hours, days, record, fun

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skype in cisco telepresence?

iSkoot Available Through Android Market on T-Mobile's Newly Launched G-1

The new G-1 phone based on Google's Android platform is slowing getting out to market this week through T-Mobile stores in U.S. locations where T-Mobile supports the 3G wireless protocol. At launch there appear to be about 50 third party applications available for download to the G-1 via Android Market.
One of those applications is iSkoot for Skype. From iSkoot's description at Android Market:

iSkoot for Skype puts the features of Skype in your Android handset. Acess your Skype contacts, make & receive Skype calls, chat, and place SkypeOut calls to phone numbers all over the world. iSkoot delivers unsurpassed mobile Skype call quality and does not require a WiFi connection.

From the iSkoot press release:

iSkoot for Skype makes it easy and affordable for people to keep in touch with friends, family and contacts with an always-on-the-go lifestyle. iSkoot for Skype leverages the voice-optimized circuit-switched wireless networks of mobile carriers, allowing for full operation even without access to WiFi or 3G networks and ensuring the best possible call quality. Normal carrier voice and data charges always apply.

Make SkypeOut calls? Seems like T-Mobile is the first North America carrier to tolerate SkypeOut calling from a mobile handset over a 3G network. (3 recently added SkypeOut calling to the various Skype/iSkoot-enabled services they support, including Skypephone; Truphone for iPhone only works over a WiFi connection.) T-Mobile will make their revenue through the "local" minutes required to place a Skype call via iSkoot.
VoIP over 3G? Not really, recall that the iSkoot model is to use the data channel for chat messaging and call setup information. The voice call itself is handled over the much more robust and voice-friendly GSM voice channel.
And why iSkoot on the Android platform before on the iPhone? Seems that the Android platform fully supports the background multi-tasking requirement of any Skype-enabled product where you want to have Skype chat sessions running in background - while using any other Android application - and only want to bring them forward when a new message appears. That's my experience when using iSkoot on my Blackberry Bold.

• iSkoot for Skype on Android Market made Tech Crunch's Top 10 Android Launch Apps.
• Android Developers Blog: Android Market: Now available for users.

Tags: iSkoot, Android, T-Moible, G-1, SkypeOut, Skype

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economic heartache

"More economic heartache! Email from Skype just notified me that my $0.18 of Skype credit will expire in 7 days!" - Scott Sorheim

HiDef Conferencing Aids Business During Credit Crunch

HiDef Conferencing, a leading audio conferencing service that incorporates HD Voice when accessed via Skype, but can also be accessed via designated country-specific numbers and toll-free 800 numbers, wants to assist those businesses and professionals who can save travel and meeting costs in today's economic environment through teleconferencing services. As its key differentiator HiDef Conferencing is a server-supported business grade conferencing service with full host/moderator support as opposed to Skype's multi-party conversation service (mistakenly called "Conference Calling").
For their current customers they have waived their monthly subscription fees for the balance of 2008; new subscribers can now have a free trial that lasts until December 31, 2008.
As a free trial subscriber, what do you get?

• Up to 25 participants in a conference.
• Free Web Controls, Recording and Hand-raising
• No reservations required
• Unlimited Skype access duration
• Participants responsible for long distance charges to the country's HiDef Conferencing access number

Recall that not only do Skype-enabled participants have unlimited access to calls, they also have the benefit of Skype's inherent high quality HD Voice wideband audio when both speaker and listener are participating via Skype. To quote Tom Evslin's experience earlier this year:

I used to think the reason I have a hard time understanding people on the phone is because I can’t see their lips and their expressions. Now I realize much of the problem is the terrible audio quality – which we’re so accustomed to – of a traditional phone call.

Landline and wireless participants remain limited to the audio bandwidth inherent to the underlying landline or wireless service.
With an Outlook plug-in it's easy to set up a call from Outlook; calls can also be set up via the HiDef Conferencing website.

• Pat Phelan: HiDef Conferencing gives an amazing recession offer
• PhoneBoy Finds Conference Calling Solution: Score 1 for HD Voice
• VAPPS leaves Freemium for HiDef Conferencing
• VAPPS Rebrands Its Service: High Definition Conferencing

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Wednesday Reading

Staffing

I didn't make Obama's short list for U.S. CTO. Darn.

Teachers interview for jobs via Skype video.

Family

ReadWriteWeb summarizes a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project:  

"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

Design

James Kendrick dives deep into deaf users and text messaging. Text 4 Deaf serves this community.

Freedom

Skype could license Microsoft's patent on real-time speech censorship to improve the quality of filtering and monitoring in the TOM-Skype client.

UAE regulator reconsidering ban of Skype and Internet calls by year's end.

Economy

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".

Competition

Mobilkom austria fights the 3 Skypephone with a Fring phone. News release in German.

Nomad Life

Anywwwhere Internet Café Services features Skype calling.

Deal

DLink DPH50U Skype Phone Adapter - $14 Shipped from Amazon.

Skype for Barack Obama

Local phone bank host invites you to bring your laptop and Skype.

Corner Pocket

Performance Pool Cyber League. Shoot from home over Skype video.

Touch Skype

Asus Eee Top one-finger touch PC. Hot boots with Skype.

a jedi you must be

"skype, a jedi you must be to beat it." - Marc Lehmann

What businesses prosper in harsh times?

Who prospered in the great depression? There were three strategies:

Businesses that helped you survive tough times. 

Five and Dimes, buy/sell stores (pawn shops, used clothing, thrift shops) and other local retail.

Repair shops (shoes, tailors/seamstresses, furniture) extending the life of what you own. When shoe repair shops get busy, you know the economy is in pain.

Vegetable seed catalogs and others who helped you garden your own food. Disintermediate farmers and middlemen by using your back yard or roof garden.

Labor market-makers (employment agencies, unions, guilds, clubs) helped employers avoid long lines and people find work. Nepotism and social networks trumped formal employment processes. And political patronage became a lifeline to families that repaid jobs with votes. 

Businesses that served escapism. 

Music, movies, and booze all took off. Quality fell with prices, but you could make a healthy living in making, delivering and serving

• Music (records, sheet music, used instruments, live performance),
• Movies (theaters and the birth of Hollywood), and
• Booze (moonshine, speakeasies, juke joints).

You paid cash directly for all of these goods and services.

No advertising subsidies.

There was some bundling; music came with booze at a speakeasy or juke joint.

Hope was a product too.

Churches, tent revivals, populist politics, and activist newspapers helped people acknowledge the crushing emotional burden of new poverty. They also gave hope for a better future. 

It is easy to share bad news, harder to find a silver lining. Those who provide meaningful hope in bad times not only prosper, they shape the society that emerges.

 

Harsh, apocalyptic times trigger basic human needs for relief, survival, and optimism.

• How will you and your organization serve those needs?
• How can you redesign your company and its products to align with those values? 
• How will you revise your marketing communications, your brand identity, your conversation with suppliers and customers to fit the new realities?

Thanks to Jason Calacanis for asking "What ideas do you have for winning in a down market? How do you stay inspired in bad times?"

tags: economy, depression, apocalypt08, strategy, history

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TOM-Skype Breach: Answers to Phil's Questions from 2006 SJ Post

This is the third of four posts resulting from an interview with Nart Villeneuve, principle investigator of the Citizen Lab report "Breaching Trust".
Two weeks ago Phil republished an April 2006 Skype Journal post with about sixteen questions related to the TOM-Skype security breach discovered by Nart. My interview provided answers to several of these questions but I ran them by Nart for more completeness, where an answer or response was feasible.
1. Is TOM only filtering chats where at least one of the callers' accounts were signed up by TOM Online?
A: One party must have the TOM-Skpe client installed. For example, if you (a normal skype user) sign in via a friends Tom_Skype client you'll be filtered. If you (tom user) sign in on a normal Skype client, you won't be filtered.
2. Will TOM filter chats if both parties are Chinese nationals but outside the PRC, say traveling in the US?
A: It is all dependent on which client software is installed. If you are using TOM-Skype you'll be filtered no matter where you are (although the degree to which you are filtered may be dependent on your IP address). TOM-Skype would definitely have the Call Detail Record associated with the call.
3. Is TOM only filtering conversations where at least one of the parties are using the custom [TOM-Skype] version of the Skype client written for the joint venture?
A: Yes
4. Will TOM filter conversations using the TOM client being used by non-PRC nationals who are outside of China?
A: Since you have a TOM-Skype client here, Yes.
5. Does TOM's contract with Skype provide for disclosure to Skype and Skype users when their information is provided to a government official? Not at this time.
A: I don't know. It would be nice to have a Chinese speaker read the EULA you agree to on the install.
6. Are records of what the filter does kept? If so, by whom? Does Skype have or keep copies of those records?
A: Yes: TOM-Skype’s servers: unknown.
7. Does the filtering mechanism use a list of keywords? If so, is the list public? May I have a copy? Who has the list? How often does it change?
A: There is an encrypted keyfile that the TOM-Skype client downloads that I believe contains the keywords. There are also a few entries from the keyfile hardcoded in skype.exe (TOM-Skype version)
8. Are the keywords only in Simplified Chinese or are they in other languages too?
A: All languages but 60% English and 40% Chinese for the majority of conversations. English appears to be swear words, Chinese appears to be political.
9. Is China the only country where Skype and Skype's partner have set up filtering? Have you done any testing for any other countries?
A: I haven't tested any others.
10. Do all Skype chats have the potential for a hidden participant, whether human or a robot? ??
A: I don't know.
11. Are filenames for transfer subject to filtering?
A: There are logged messages that are essentially the "this file was shared with participants of this conversation" message.
12. Are people's names among the keywords?
A: Possibly SkypeID's (but not real names), but also names of Chinese political people e.g. Hu Jintao
13. Are the content of files transferred via Skype also subject to filtering?
A: Unknown.
14.. Does Skype encrypt end-to-end the IMs that are subject to filtering? ??
A: Yes. TOM added an addition layer to the client that uploads the messages.
15. In a multiparty, multinational chat, can I as an American citizen have my text to a British subject filtered if someone from Shanghai is in that chat too?
A: I am not sure about it being filtered (such as not to be displayed in the recipient's chat window) but it can be logged.

16. Are audio conversations, where at least one party is in China, being listened to, filtered or recorded?

A: Only the Call Detail Record, there appears to be no interception of the voice stream.
17. Are all calls filtered, or only if users meet certain criteria, or are conversations selected for filtering randomly?
A: Other than the call detail record I don't have evidence that suggests the content of voice calls were being filtered or monitored, but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility.
Bottom Line: If your chat conversation includes someone using TOM-Skype, you can assume there may be filtering of chat messages and/or logging of Call Detail Records. Conversations where all participants are using the normal Skype client cannot be filtered or logged.
Next post: Nart's recommendations to Skype.
Tags: Skype, Citizen Lab, Breaching Trust, TOM Online, TOM-Skype, Nart Villeneuve, china, privacy, security, regulation

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garbled skies

"Report from 40,000 ft on AA's new WiFi service: It's very fast (YouTube works great) but Skype is blocked (calls are garbled)." - Philip Kaplan

14 million online - The fastest million ever

Skype Numerologist Jean Mercier writes: "We needed only 35 days to go from 13 million concurrent users online to 14 million."

17h55 GMT

New US HEART tax law should be good for Skype

Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act, a new US law, will tax the income of green card workers for ten years after they leave the US if they stay in the US for 8 years or more.

Dean Collins, an Aussie geek in New York, suggests permanent residents should leave before their 8th year to avoid the painful double income taxation.

Any forced exodus should boost the demand for international talk, an area where Skype is growing quickly. Few people want to abandon their social capital when preserving their financial capital, so services like Skype, facebook, LinkedIn, and Upcoming become more important.

tags: skype, tax, heart, taxes, exmigration, green card, permanent resident

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oom pah pah

by David Yack

(is this a good thing?)

(the world is getting smaller)

Monday reading

Gear

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.

CNET reviews the Sony PSP 3000 (black). Skype inside.

Nokia N810 WiMAX starts shipping in the US. Skype inside.

Business

3 orders a campaign for the new Skypephone S2 from glue London. Glue explains their approach. Online ads "Poke" and "Beard." 

Pike & Fischer predicts US may have 25 million Vonage-like households by 2010.

7300 Family Mart stores are selling Skype credit tokens throughout Japan.

Joonathan Mägi, Skype web front end team lead, now leads Edicy user interface development. More vested Skype alumni finding startup homes. CORRECTION: "web front end team lead", not "UI designer"

Freedom

UK Home Secretary to roll back privacy, blames Internet phone calls like Skype for crippled fight against terrorism

Life

Charleston, West Virginia, high school teacher Skypes her AP English class from home while recovering from injury.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist lists Skype as one of five ways to use your PC to save money.

Slate's Barack Obama & John McCain Crank-Call Generator.

Dan Benjamin explains How to Record a Podcast with People in Multiple Locations. In short, talk on Skype, but record locally and mix together in post-production. Hardware recommendations for podcasters.

Communicating in military families. Skype one option among many.

but skype is working

by Eva

(how cool is that? skype finds a way)

Skype Joe The Plumber

"They need to get Joe The Plumber conferenced into the debate on Skype" - ijefff

Too late for that. But you can SkypeOut to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, an employee of Newell Plumbing & Heating (a plumbing firm), and a resident of Toledo suburb Holland, Ohio. Skype your drain and sewer cleaning problems to +1-419-868-1228, +1-419-472-5304, or +1-419-868-3045.

Wishlist: sharable emoticon sets

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: 

(borscht)
(bagel)
(matzoh)
(2candles)
(feh)
(oy)
(minyan)
(lox)
(kvel)
(tzitzit)
(dancingchasid)
(chelm)
(kosher)
(treif)
(bris)
(guilt)
(crushingglass)
(daven)
(dreydl)
(megillah)
(lchaim)
(shofar)

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.

And fun.

tags: skype, wishlist, emoticons

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Plip! Ploop! Nreeeerrrr

by casi

is there a setting for this?

by totally_anon

Hello Apple! IPEVO diversifies

Speakerphones. I love 'em. I'm using one from IPEVO now.

Swing by your local Apple store and you'll find IPEVO's new TR-10 for iChat in the speaker section.

It's the TR-10 for Skype but with reprinted buttons and software for your Mac. IPEVO's software lets you control iChat from the trio and record your iChat calls. $79.90 MSRP.

Gee. Apple? For a company created to build products for Skype in North America?

Skype hasn't promoted IPEVO's seven Skype-integrated products much.

• Only occasional referrals from Skype.com to IPEVO.com.
• Skype certification which lets IPEVO put a Skype logo/badge on their boxes, for which IPEVO pays a hefty royalty.
• Skype helped some hardware partners find some shelf space in Wal-Marts for the last two years, but not IPEVO.
• It's only been this year that Skype is finally becoming a consumer brand name in the US and Canada.

I can't find IPEVO in the online Skype store.

Apple, on the other hand, has stores. These are shots of the merchandise on Cupertino and New York City shelves. 

 

Skype had the potential for a large and healthy hardware ecosystem. Sadly, hardware partners from Skype's early days have burned through so much cash, talent and goodwill, that most have walked away from Skype.

The few remaining, like IPEVO, are eager to partner with companies that help them demonstrate design leadership or even simple distribution support. They may love Skype, but relationships are two-way streets.

From the spec sheet:

Package Content

• IPEVO TR-10 for iChat
• Installation CD http://www.ipevo.com/mac
• USB Cable
• USB Extension Cord
• Quick Guide

Dimensions / Weight

• Size: 15.1x4.2x3.7cm (LxWxH)
• Weight: 140g

Color

• White

Control Buttons

• iChat window launch
• Dial / Answer
• Cancel / Hang up
• MIC mute
• Volume control
• Record / Pause
• Stop record
• Mode switch

LED Indicators

• Green Active LED to indicate: incoming call, outgoing call, call in
  progress
• Red Active LED to indicate: microphone mute
• Green Power LED to indicate: power on/off
• Red Record LED to indicate: record on/off/pause
• Green Switch LED to indicate: speaker / handset mode

Audio Performance

• Microphone Voice Sampling Rate: (UPDATED 17-October-2008)
• Speakerphone: 8KHz
• Handset (holding up to your ear): 16Khz
• Communication: Full Duplex
• Echo cancellation: up to 60dB
• Support AGC (auto gain control) function

Electrical Specifications

• Operating Voltage: 4.5V ~ 5.5V
• Magnetic Speaker
  • Coil Resistance: 4 +/- 0.6 Ohm
  • Sound Pressure Level: 80 dBSPL@0.5m
• Condenser Microphone
  • Omni directional
  • Sensitivity: -36 +/- 3 dB
• Receiver
  • Sensitivity: 90 dBA
  • Frequency response: 180~7Hz

Hardware Description

• USB 2.0 compatible
• Internal omni microphone
• 4Ω 2W speaker
• Power from USB

System Requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP and Vista (32-bit)
• Mac OS X 10.4 up
• 400MHz processor
• 128MB RAM
• 40MB free hard disk space
• USB port
• CD-ROM drive
• Broadband Internet connection (DSL, Cable Modem…, etc)

Regulatory Compliance

• FCC
• CE
• RoHs

See also:

• IPEVO's TR-10 speakerphone makes nice with iChat, Engadget
• Le téléphone compatible iChat, macplus
• IPEVO Teams With Skype To Offer A Range Of Skype-Enabled Devices in US, Skype press release, October 2005

tags: skype, ipevo, voip, speakerphone, speaker, microphone, ichat, apple

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Photo credits: IPEVO.

TOM-Skype Breach: The Citizen Lab

This is the second of four posts resulting from an interview with Nart Villeneuve, principle investigator of the Citizen Lab report "Breaching Trust".

After discussing the report itself and some of the follow up activity, we went on to talk about The Citizen Lab, its mission and its activities. From their own website they are "focusing on advanced research and development at the intersection of digital media and world civic politics". Nart described their activity as research on the politics of technology.
Under the leadership of Professor Ronald Diebert, their activities are carried out by graduate students with an undergraduate degree in either computer science or political science who join the lab to build up expertise in the other discipline while carrying out their research. They explore issues using their strong understanding of technology to "lift the hood" behind various politically and/or economically motivated intervention of web-based information exchange by governments and other agencies.
Assisted by a worldwide network of volunteers and a check list of relevant websites, they can develop a sense of the content that governments are censoring. According to Nart, all governments do some form of surveillance but definitely not to equal levels of resulting actions. At one extreme one finds outright blocking of content but the UAE has economic motivation to block Skype to protect a local communications monopoly. Apparently the Saudis are most interested in blocking porn. China obviously allows "uncensored" content to pass through but we are aware that Skype Journal is often blocked.
They will look at filtering techniques used by various countries, the type of content being blocked and try to determine the "local" government's policy environment in which filtering is taking place. At this point in time most filtering addresses websites but gradually some countries are moving into screening applications (as we have seen with TOM-Skype). There is also "social filtering" censorship activity that involves blocking of porn, drugs and gambling.
At this point companies, such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, are modifying their products to address various "local" issues. For instance, Google has modified their process for enquiries from designated countries to "pre-filter" results delivered from their own servers in the U.S.. But then they put out a notification for "filtered" results with the wording for some search results: "to comply with local law, some results are not displayed". On the other hand Google will not offer GMail accounts with a ".cn" domain name and does not make Blogger available in China.
The Citizen Lab also participates in a broader effort to develop guidelines for Internet companies operating in China. But, given that has much broader implications, it will be the subject of another post.
Next post: Answers to Phil's Questions

Tags: Citizen Lab, censor, filter, Nart Villeneuve, Ronald Diebert

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critical mass

by Malena

(how many friends must switch to make a new network worthwhile?)

(what is the frequency distribution of buddy list size? how does that distribution vary by duration of Skype experience? by activity?)

New Skype Accounts Drive Calling Growth

 

The blue line (top left) is quarterly account creation.

The red line (bottom left) shows what people do with accounts. 

Skype's language from today's 2008 Q3 eBay Investor Conference Call.

"Skype surpassed 13 million concurrent users at certain peak times."

13 million – congratulations Skype!, Skype Journal, 15 September 2008.

"Skype-to-Skype minutes reached nearly 16 billion, a 63% increase year over year."

A new record.

From the Form 8-K filed Oct 15, 2008

"Skype continued its robust growth trajectory,
reporting $143 million in revenue for the quarter,
representing 46% year over year growth."

$572 million per year run rate. With about 500 employees. 

"Skype added 32 million registered users in the quarter,
ending the period with more than 370 million registered users around the world."

Skype added 25-35 million new users every quarter for two years. This quarter is not exceptional.

Skype doesn't report account abandonment, so we have no direct measure of user churn. 

"In addition to growing its user base, Skype is focused on product strategies to enhance customer engagement."

sprint being uncooperative

by Leslie Wilkinson

(Using the Internet as alternative to POTS, mobile service, and roaming charges)

tags: skype, sprint, venezuela

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VAPPS leaves freemium for HiDef Conferencing

Chatted with Ben Lilienthal, CEO and founder of VAPPS, this morning.

Skype Journal: Saw you turned off HiGhspeEdconferencing.

Ben Lilienthal: Yes, we are in the process of shutting down highspeedconferencing.com. In reality, we stopped operating this service almost a year ago when we launched the 2nd iteration of it -- www.HiDefConferencing.com.

SJ. HiGhspeEdconferencing was novel for its Skype integration when you launched it. How has the world of conferencing changed since then?

HighSpeed was the first integrated Skype and Phone conferencing service.

HiDefConferencing.com replaced it and is the first and only wideband, fixed price, better than PSTN sound quality conference calling service in the world!!!

Q. What was HighSpeedConferencing's business model? How is it different than HiDefConferencing?

With the shutdown of Skypecasts last month, we more than doubled the minutes on the service and the number of registered users. Highspeedconferencing relied on payments from rural LECs to generate revenue.

HiDefconferencing.com is targeted squarely at the SMB market which currently spends over $1billion/year on audio conferencing services. That segment of the market is projected to grow to over $2bn in the next five years.

HiDefConferencing.com is the only service in the world that offers fixed price, unlimited minutes plans for Small and Medium sized businesses

Q. Will Skype for Asterisk lower barriers to entry for voice conferencing?

We don't compete with free. If people are going to use free services there are plenty available within Skype itself for conferencing.

Q. How is the shocking news about our changing world economy affecting your plans?

Collaboration, especially the type of collaboration that we have been working on for the last 5 years, which is a product of fearless innovation and delivers high quality for lower costs just happens to be a counter-cyclical business.

In other words, as the economy does worse, www.hidefconferencing.com does better.

People still need to collaborate but they are looking for low-cost, innovative solutions such as www.hidefconferencing.com to replace getting on airplanes, and staying in hotels.

Q. I use HiDefConferencing for weekly meetings of DataPortability.org. What are three features we're probably not using that we should try?

Three features you should use and probably don't are recording, hand raising and web controls.

Also, we will be launching a new UI later this month to streamline the scheduling and invitation process.

See also on Skype Journal:

• HD Voice: "Priceless", January 2008
• High Definition Voice: Bringing Skype's High Bandwidth Audio to Conference Calls, October 2007
• PhoneBoy Finds Conference Calling Solution: Score 1 for HD Voice, April 2008
• HighSpeedConferencing.com - When The Meeting Grows Beyond Ten, February 2007
• The Skype Mega Conference, January 2006

tags: skype, vapps, highspeedconferencing, hidefconferencing, asterisk, skypeforasterisk, conferencing, collaboration

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Skype 4.0 Beta 2 for Windows build 168

Minor update. Download page.

Version 4.0.0.168. File size 24 MB. Beta release. Release date: October 15, 2008. File name: SkypeSetup-Beta.exe. Update to Extras Manager, 22 bugfixes.

TOM-Skype Breach: Meeting the Primary Investigator

This is the first of four posts resulting from an interview with Nart Villeneuve, principle investigator of the Citizen Lab report "Breaching Trust".

Last Tuesday afternoon I returned to a University of Toronto building I had last visited in its role as an engineering students' residence in the mid-1960's. Abandoned as a residence in the 1980's, the building was restored in the late 1990's to house the Munk Centre for International Studies, when the university's Centre for International Studies was designated as a strategic priority for future growth. In the basement of the former Devonshire Place South House, I found the Citizen Lab, "an interdisciplinary laboratory focusing on advanced research and development at the intersection of digital media and world civic politics".


I spent 90 minutes with Nart Villeneuve, the PhD student and Psiphon Fellow, who was the principle investigator resulting in the Citizen Lab's recently published "Breaching Trust: An analysis of surveillance and security practices of China's TOM-Skype platform". We covered a wide range of issues related to this report, from the initial contact with New York Times through to the follow up activities as a result of the report's release. We also discussed the broader mission of the Citizen Lab and some recommendations for how Skype should address the challenge of participating in the China market while making all parties aware that their conversation activity may be tracked.

Key points about the report and the follow up activity:

• A major issue to address in dealing with the media has been the confusion resulting because there is a need to separate out the security breach that allowed Nart to gather the data he has gathered and the functionality of the TOM-Skype servers resulting in the capture and logging of chat conversations and Skype calling activity. (There was no evidence of capturing voice calls themselves).
• As a result of reporting this breach prior to release of the document to New York Times, the security breach itself has been closed but there is no evidence that the actual information capture activity has ceased. Nart has been checking periodically to confirm that the security breach remains closed.
• There was a period of several hours between finally establishing contact with someone at Skype who could initiate action to address the security breach and the final close down of the breach. During this time Nart observed blocking of read access to the directories but since he knew the file names he was still able to follow a reconfiguration of the web servers, removal of sensitive files, such as an encryption key, and disappearance of the log files such that they were not accessible.
• While they have captured a significant quantity of call log data going back a year, they are being careful not to expose any of the detailed information which comprised both chat message logs and what amounts to call detail records for voice calls; more details are in the report itself. Basically they don't want to compromise anyone individually.
• While the log files are still under analysis, they have been encrypted while he continues to mine them for any additional information they may expose. Eventually it is his intention to destroy even these files.
• Messages were about 40% Chinese, 60% English with a small smattering of other languages.
• While it would be very difficult to reconstruct an entire conversation thread, as only each individual message was logged with no ready reference to other messages within the thread, they could build social graphs of conversing parties.
• There are at least two versions of the TOM-Skype client: a normal version and a second version with additional features such as a Baidu Toolbar; however, the promote.dll module in this can trigger off anti-virus scanners such as Norton.
• Other evidence that the servers had been compromised was the discovery that the servers were hosting "pirate" movies and had the appropriate software to support Bit Torrent transfers.

Nart had three definite recommendations for Skype; we also covered the broader issue of global enterprises doing business in China. These will be covered in future posts.
Next post: The Citizen Lab: Its broader mission and findings.
Tags: Skype, Citizen Lab, Breaching Trust, TOM Online, TOM-Skype, Nart Villeneuve, Munk Centre for International Studies

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eBay Q3-2008 Financial Conference Call

Wednesday is eBay's Q3 2008 Earnings Call. October 15, 2008 at 2:00 PM PT.

Join us in Skype Journal's Investor Relations Chat. eBay usually reports Skype activity and high level financials.

Has the weak dollar and world economic anxiety affected eBay buyers and sellers?

tags: skype, nasd, ebay, skypejournal, q3, 2008 earnings, chat, skype journal, conference call, financials

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more sister

by Kurtado
(the power of presence, convenience, affordability, quality to change behavior)

tags: skype, uk, usa, family

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Blackberry Bold: Challenged to Deliver on Its Full Potential

Over the past five weeks I have had the opportunity to work with the Blackberry Bold on the Rogers network, including a week in California where I used it on AT&T's network. While it has provided significant performance improvements over my previous 8820 and has several applications that just are not available for the iPhone, I still had the feeling I was running with late beta stage or release candidate firmware. The availability of a new firmware release over the past weekend has changed that feeling. But its U.S. release on AT&T has also been dogged by 3G network robustness issues.
Let me put some of these issues in perspective, incorporating my own experience with the Bold on both networks.
There are two major technical issues related to the Bold:

• Network robustness issues at AT&T
• Firmware issues that have possibly resulted in suspension of deliveries at Orange (and reports of inventory shortages at other carriers)

First, to cover the AT&T network robustness issues:

• as reported in RIM's second-quarter report, 60 carriers in 29 countries have launched the Bold, including Canada where I've had a Bold running on Rogers for the past five weeks.
  
• several recent news reports have reported on network robustness issues as a contributor to the delayed launch on AT&T: Globe and Mail, TMCNet, CrunchGear
• a personal indicator: on a recent trip to California both my Blackberry Bold and iPhone 3G found an "EDGE" signal on AT&T more often than it found a 3G signal (in spite of setting the Bold to only operate on 3G). On the Rogers network I find the "3G" signal (in supported urban areas, such as Toronto and Montreal) more than 95 percent of the time.

I have to conclude, combining these issues, that the AT&T network robustness issues are real and serve as a threat to RIM's ability to penetrate the U.S. market via the Bold. On the other hand the pending launch of Blackberry Storm at Verizon may become RIM's primary route to to the U.S. market for their 3G smartphones, given Verizon's reputation for, and experience with, 3G networks along with their extensive customer base. (Why else would several of my U.S.-based blogging colleagues attending the recent IT Expo all be running their laptops on Verizon for Internet connectivity with no complaints?)
Five weeks' experience with the Bold tells me about its firmware:

• It delivers a significant performance improvement relative to the Blackberry 8820 I have been using for the past year. An half-VGA display with over 200 dpi resolution, 3G network speed and 624 Mhz processor speed all contribute.
• At no time has my experience to date inhibited my ability to carry on my normal mobile-supported business activities. I have had an opportunity to successfully take advantage of new applications such as editing Word documents.
• The display grows on you; when you find crystal clear small fonts or view Google Maps, you get this "how did they do this?" feeling. As indicated in other reviews, it's stunning. And the supported resolution is a major contributor to my next point.
• The Bold is definitely a game changer. After my week of traveling to California with the Bold, I realized that I was experiencing a significant change in my mobile device work patterns. I was simply going to the Bold to keep current not only on email (using a strategic combination of both Blackberry Mail and GMail) but also on my Twitter feed, Facebook and Google Reader. I was able to not only read but also edit Word documents. I had lost the anxiety-inflamed urge to fire up my laptop PC to remain "always connected"; One non-technical acquaintance who has had a Bold since the Rogers launch in late August commented to me last weekend "I'm beginning to think my Bold is more powerful than my notebook".
• At Mobilize 08 I met Google Maps senior product manager Steve Lee who pointed me to a new version of Google Maps for Blackberry which added Street View to the feature set available on Blackberry. While Google Maps itself is an excellent demonstration of both the Bold's display quality and speed, turning on Street View and either moving down a street or rotating around a selected address brings into play both network and processor speeds to dynamically generate high quality images. (While this is a feature that will be included on Android, it is still not available on the iPhone.)
• Using Blackberry's MediaSync, I can keep my music files updated by syncing with iTunes. But I also found having the trackball mouse a significant benefit when transcribing our interview with Josh Silverman via the media player; basically I was using the Bold as a Dictaphone.
• Skype chats running in iSkoot can run in background and provide notification when new chat messages appear. Also when my home office broadband was down recently for a neighborhood cable upgrade, I was able to use iSkoot to call into the daily SquawkBox conference call.
• Performance on WiFi has been excellent; walk into a registered WiFi zone and the Bold picks it up immediately. The actual registration process itself for a WiFi zone could be smoother but otherwise it works as expected.
• However, the Bold has been by no means perfect. Web pages would sometimes come up slowly; on some sites I would randomly get either the actual PC version of a page or the mobile version of the site. Sites were often stripped down to their basic content, absent of banners and sidebars. YouTube videos would stall with a "buffering" indicator appearing in the display; I was never able to view the complete video. I started to feel this was late beta stage firmware, not quite ready for "Main Street". And then Friday reports appeared that Orange was possibly suspending Blackberry shipments due to software quality issues.

Friday evening I learned that RIM had released new firmware for Blackberry Bold on Rogers. It was described as addressing browser issues, delivering more stability and improving memory management, amongst other issues. I installed it quite seamlessly Saturday morning with the following immediate observations:

• The browser is much faster at bringing up standard web pages and renders original web pages correctly. Pages with few "feature enhancements" involving "scripts" load as rapidly as on the iPhone; pages with lots of "scripts" do take longer but are correctly and much more rapidly rendered.
• YouTube videos can now be played to the end. On some videos I encounter a momentary "buffering" delay but they always went to completion. The actual player itself could provide better video quality to achieve the superb quality I have seen on the Bold's display when mpeg movie files are run but a user can readily follow the YouTube video action.
• After two days' use, using the phone itself only minimally but with lots of web activity over WiFi, my battery is only down to the 40% level whereas with the earlier version I found I had to always do a daily overnight recharge.

Other issues need a few days' use to determine if they have been addressed. But overall this upgraded Bold firmware appears to spell good news for not only Blackberry Bold but also the Blackberry Storm whose major differences involve radio bands supported, slightly larger display resolution and the type of keyboard but otherwise are based on the same underlying operating system, application and browser firmware.
The question that remains here is whether AT&T can fix their network problems in the near future or will the pending launch of Blackberry Storm become the real Blackberry 3G device launch product? For once I am quite happy to be a Rogers customer where they have spent over a year working with 3G technology prior to the Bold's launch and the network performance is "just there".
Bottom line: the Bold allows new user work patterns for mobile smartphones. It significantly reduces or removes the reliance on laptops to keep current with many communications activities, whether Skype Chat, Twitter Feeds or even minor document modification. Its 480 x 320 display makes it easy to read blog posts without ribbon bars. Background processing allows true multi-tasking. If you're in a country where it is available it is worth checking out (especially once any residual firmware issues are resolved; if you're in the U.S., it's worth having the patience to await its release on AT&T or even the Storm's release on Verizon.
Disclosure: the author has held a minuscule number of RIM shares since 1998.

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Mikogo: free desktop sharing with Skype

Mikogo spun off in July 2007, from BeamYourScreen.com, a Mannheim, Germany, company. Since then, fifty thousand users registered for free desktop sharing.

They publish a Mikogo Skype extra, a small plug-in program, so you can start screen sharing sessions from within Skype, using Skype contacts. Nearly ten thousand downloads of the extra.

People use Mikogo for poker training and other live distance education. Companies use Mikogo for technical support, using the remote controlled desktop and file transfers. Sales people host presentations. Small companies and freelance workers are the early adopters.

Features:

• Up to ten participants in a meeting
• Switch presenter
• Access remote keyboard and mouse
• Pause/resume session
• Select applications
• 256-bit AES end-to-end encryption
• File transfers up to 200 MBs within a session

More features are available for a BeamYourScreen subscription. Up to twenty participants, whiteboard, recording and playback, live support. Their browser viewer is pure dhtml without ActiveX, Java or Flash required.

P.S. The giraffe is named Mikogo too.

tags: skype, mikogo, screensharing, extras, software, giraffe

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4 generations

by Sean Moran

tags: skype, video, family, recording

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Monday reading: New PR firm, eduSkype, Emergency dialing, Sex Video, Dating, Multiparty Video

Text 100 became one of Skype's PR firms. Text 100 is a much larger firm than 3 Monkeys Communications, dropped after just five months. Text 100 has presence in North America (new New York office opening last May), EMEA, and APAC (ten years in Japan). They already serve clients eBay, PayPal, Nokia, Cisco, and IBM. via PR Week UK.

♦

Education and music was the topic on the MusTech.Net podcast. Skype's Ian Robin guest starred on last week's show. Distance learning, language instruction, music education, music performance. Ian is an alum of Skype partner Vosky.

♦

Tom Keating's "Vonage slams Skype for not following emergency rules" is a simple and thorough explanation of UK Ofcom's rules, how they apply and don't apply to Skype, who claims what, and where policy conflicts with technology. 

• Clear labeling for UK VoIP by June, March 2007
• Who's In Charge Here? Carrier Battles for Revenue Sustenance, June 2007
• Will It Take UK's Ofcom To Make Canadian SkypeIn Numbers Available?, December 2007

♦

Deadspin's "Kendra Wilkinson Will Skype Your Brains Out" delights in a Playboy Playmate's experience that Skype video is better than phone sex. So that's what all the Skype High Quality Video fuss is about!

♦

Michael Pennington's Wazzum is making turn-key software for dating services. Project "Orange" should launch next month. Key feature? Launching Skype video calls. Saves hosts from paying for video bandwidth.

♦

It's been more than a year since Philippe launched ooVoo's six-way video calling, a year that included an upgrade to high resolution video, Windows only. Apple iChat has had multiparty video for years, Mac only. Meanwhile, Skype just teases...

tags: skype, video, sex, dating, apple, ichat, wazzum, playboy, playmate, "Kendra Wilkinson", kendra, wilkinson, text100, text 100, mustech, ofcom, uk

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Michael Robertson: Use Skype - Go Directly To A Chinese Prison

Reposted with permission from Michael Robertson's blog.

A research firm recently revealed that eBay and TOM are colluding with the Chinese government to spy on users of Skype. Together they monitored user's text chats and stored those containing politically sensitive topics like freedom, democracy, Tibet, opposition to the communist party and Falun Gong. They also track voice call participants. Presumably they turned this data over to the government and it's impossible to track how that data has been used.

“What people have been implicated by their Skype usage and subsequently interrogated, imprisoned or executed?”

If history can be a guide it's logical to assume that the data resulted in prison terms or worse. In 2005, Yahoo was involved in a similar disclosed incident in which it turned over emails to authorities which netted a 10 year prison sentence for a reporter who dared to talk about democracy. I wrote about it when it happened and questioned where one draws the line chasing the almighty dollar (or Yuan). Two years later Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang was in front of Congress explaining the situation and apologizing to the mother of the imprisoned.

In response to the revelation of spying on calls and instant messages a spokesman for Skype incredibly stated that Skype is "the most secure forum of publicly available communication." eBay points the finger at their Chinese partner TOM claiming they had "no knowledge or consent" of this privacy breach. This level of compromise requires access to source code which eBay would have had to provide them. Maybe eBay didn't have direct knowledge of these alterations. However no one can deny China's well known efforts to police and censor their citizens net activities which surely eBay executives know about. To provide the source code with no auditing or oversight shows at best a convenient excuse. One wonders how long this would have continued without the whistleblower and how many other countries Skype cooperates with to allow the same spying.

More likely at least some within eBay/Skype knew exactly what TOM was doing and consented because it gave them access to the enormous Chinese market. Its estimated that nearly half of Skype users are from China. This is why Cisco and others design special networking equipment enabling the Chinese government to snoop and lock down their country's net activities. Similar to Skype they are lured by the dollars awaiting any country that cracks the Chinese market.

I would call on eBay to be forthcoming with information on this situation by publicly disclosing details of this situation which will require tough questions of their partner and Chinese government. This would demonstrate that eBay's publicly stated "concern" is more than a press tactic. Specific questions eBay should answer include:

1. When did this spying start?
2. What users did it affect?
3. When specifically did it stop? Has it stopped?
4. What specific terms were monitored? (Users have a right to know if their messages have been implicated.)
5. What people have been implicated by their Skype usage and subsequently interrogated, imprisoned or executed?
6. What steps will be taken to defend these people or get their convictions overturned?
7. Has previously stored data been deleted? How can users be sure?
8. What will eBay do to insure that this spying isn't reactivated as soon as the press attention subsides?
9. What other companies and countries are monitoring Skype communications?
10. What auditing steps is eBay implementing to make sure this does not happen again?

Let me be clear about Gizmo5's policy and refute Skype's spokesman's claim that Skype is the "most secure". Gizmo5 doesn't spy on calls and messages and we wouldn't give that info to any government. We encrypt calls between Gizmo5 users and have given no one the decrypt key. We would not allow a partner or government to do wholesale monitoring of communications - no matter how many billions of prospective customers they have. If ordered to take action by a government that defies basic Western freedoms we would do it only under threat of imprisonment and the information would then be disclosed in this blog condemning the action and striving to defend any of those adversely impacted. I challenge eBay/Skype to do the same. Defend their users. Defend their brand. Defend freedom.

-- MR

Michael Robertson is an entrepreneur, co-founder of Linspire, SIPphone, and MP3tunes.

tags: skype, gizmo5, china, freedom, encryption, privacy, censorship

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SkypeOut Feature Added to 3's Skype-Enabled Phones

Mobile carrier pioneer 3 has taken another step that reduces costs for mobile calling worldwide from any of the Skype-enabled mobile phone handsets in their offering. Effectively it means that 3's customers can not only make free calls to other Skype contacts but also to any landline and mobile worldwide via an implementation of a SkypeOut type of service at SkypeOut rates. Skype-to-Skype calls remain totally free as well as Skype Instant Messaging activity.
As a result 3's pricing plans and policy covers monthly subscribers and pay-as-you-go customers. For the latter a top-up will now provide ninety days of free Skype access. Most importantly there are no extra charges from 3 for using SkypeOut. And the fair use policy still applies. These plans apply to the two Skypephones as well as several models of both Nokia E-series/N-series phones and Sony Ecrisson phones.
What is 3's motivation to do this?

• They have no connection charges for Skype-to-Skype calls
• 3 will receive revenues through Skype's affiliate marketing program or a similar arrangement for SkypeOut calls.
• It is a key marketing tool for low cost recruiting of customers, building on their previous "Free Skype call" marketing activities.

With the forthcoming launch of Blackberry Bold at 3, similar customer benefits can be obtained using iSkoot, although without carrier support, there may be additional charges to access an iSkoot point-of-presence.
3 continues to pioneer development of business models for the incorporation of Skype into the mobile conversations world. 3's services are available in U.K., Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Italy, Hong Kong and Australia.

Tags: Skype, SkypeOut, 3, Hutcheson-Whampoa, Blackberry Bold, iSkoot

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Sequoia Capital to Companies: Think Cash Flow

I won't add much more to Om Malik's truly scary report, Inside Details of Sequoia Capital’s Doomsday Meeting With its Companies.

• Of the hundreds of companies in Skype's ecosystem (termination suppliers, API developers, embedded hardware, IP licensors, mobile, payment), which ones lack a year's cash in the bank and a positive cashflow?
• Of those at risk, can Skype help them survive the tough times?
• As markets get mean, will Skype be able to cheaply buy talent and technology from failing startups and competitors? Who could you look at?
• How fast can Skype turn Prime, Find/Directory, and Skype for Business services into revenue generators that delight and scale?

Many great little communications companies are not safe. I fully expect the dead pool to be filling up by eComm09 in March as cash flows dry up and founders call it quits.

tags: skype, sequoia, sequoia capital, doomsday, economy, cash, cashflow

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Carriers, Apps face off at OpenMobileSummit

How open is open? Skype's Jonathan Christensen will be on a panel at the OpenMobileSummit. Open access for apps to carriers is on the menu. 

I'll be there, along with folks from AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone, Verizon, Google, Amazon, AOL, Yahoo!, Nokia, RIM, Qualcom, Sun, Symbian, Funambol, Mozilla, Intel, Disney, MTV.

$100 off if you register with "SKYPEJ". The $300 early bird pricing ends Friday midnight.

tags: skype, openmobilesummit, events, conference, openmobilesummit08, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone, Verizon, Google, Amazon, AOL, Yahoo!, Nokia, RIM, Qualcom, Sun, Symbian, Funambol, Mozilla, Intel, Disney, MTV

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Skype to FCC: Mobile carriers blocking Skype is proof of closed networks

Skype asked the FCC to support unfettered customer freedom following statements at CTIA's conference last month. CTIA and Sprint retorted with balderdash and Skype's Christopher Libertelli sets them straight in this short, direct letter. Emphasis mine. 

October 8, 2008

Electronic Filing

Chairman Kevin J. Martin
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
12th Street Lobby, TW-A325
Washington, D.C. 20554

Re: Ex Parte Presentation; RM-11361

Dear Chairman Martin:

Skype Communications S.A.R.L. (“Skype”) responds briefly to CTIA’s letter of September 24th and Sprint Nextel’s letter of September 26th, both of which take issue with Skype’s earlier letter to you regarding the lack of openness of wireless networks. CTIA and Sprint go to great lengths to rebut Skype’s characterization of remarks made at a CTIA conference earlier this month, which Skype viewed as indicative of a hesitant, closed network mentality among wireless operators.

Rather than prolong an empty debate about whose characterization of remarks at the conference is correct, let me point out that Skype’s application is forbidden, blocked and otherwise interfered with by the largest CTIA members.[1] When CTIA members claim that “the entire Internet is open,” the intended implication is that the entire Internet is open, including to multi-modal Internet communications applications like Skype. The truth of the matter, however, is that, despite their representations to the contrary, applications are blocked even on the most recently-announced advanced handsets.[2] The proof of Skype’s argument is in the conduct of CTIA members, no matter what speeches are made at conferences. If Skype is blocked, the network is not open.

I also would like to take this opportunity to remind you that CTIA is currently suing the Commission to overturn the very openness rule they now claim to embrace. If the wireless industry is serious about openness, CTIA would immediately withdraw that litigation.

CTIA attempts to sidestep the fact that its members’ networks are not open by arguing that Skype itself is closed and, apparently, therefore cannot advocate consumer empowerment principles and network openness. To make this point, they cite a blog post by Mr. Michael Robertson, CEO of Gizmo Project, a VOIP application. Fundamentally, Mr. Robertson is wrong. Mr. Robertson confuses open networks with open platforms. Skype is an open platform. Anyone, anywhere on the planet can download Skype for free, and he or she will be able to use Skype. Skype’s software is open to any application developer through our public Application Programming Interface (‘API’) program. Over 10,000 developers have taken advantage of this API and are part of Skype’s developer program. In fact there are many applications that use Skype’s APIs to send calls to/from Skype users and SIP endpoints, including VoSky, Fring, etc. Skype also recently collaborated with Digium/Asterisk, which will now bring Skype into “soft PBXs” for millions of users and allow many forms of applications and services to connect to Skype seamlessly.

Mr. Robertson is also wrong on the law. He rehashes the incumbent wireless operators’ various arguments against network neutrality and confuses to whom the Internet Policy Statement applies. Openness rules are properly targeted at network operators because of the limited intermodal choices available to US consumers in a wireless market dominated by the top three operators. Conversely, there is nearly limitless choice in Internet applications, with fierce competition and few or no barriers to entry. Quite properly, therefore, the Internet Policy Statement applies to networks and not to applications. Its aim is to assure an open Internet so that consumers can choose from the limitless number of applications available to Internet users, absent discrimination by network operators. To apply it to Internet applications would flipt the Internet Policy statement on its head. What the network operators are doing is very different. They restrict consumer choice by blocking Skype and other applications to which consumers would like to have access. To apply the Internet Policy Statement to Internet applications would flip the Policy Statement on its head.

We greatly appreciate CTIA’s invitation to attend the April show in Las Vegas. If CTIA members would like to prove their openness once and for all, Skype’s top executives will be available to attend the conference. When a Skype user can legally call the Chairman of the FCC on the mobile broadband networks of each of the top three wireless networks, we will know that their conduct is consistent with the consumer empowerment principles of the Internet Policy Statement.

We look forward to working with the Commission and CTIA members to ensure that the whole Internet – including multimodal applications such as Skype – is available to consumers.

Respectfully submitted,


Christopher Libertelli
Senior Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs
SKYPE COMMUNICATIONS S.A.R.L.
6e etage, 22/24 boulevard Royal,
Luxembourg, L-2449 LUXEMBOURG

 

1. Most network operators continue to restrict VoIP and or P2P applications on their network in apparent violation of the protocol-agnostic network management techniques employed by other operators, including Comcast.

2. See, e.g., Daniel Roth, Android: No VOIP for You -- and Other Oddities With the Google Phone. Sep. 23, 2008. In addition, commenting on the iPhone’s closed operating system, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, said "Consumers aren't getting all they want when companies are very proprietary and lock their products down...I would like to write some more powerful apps than what you're allowed." Oct 8, 2008

tags: skype, sprint, nextel, ctia, policy, suit, api, sip, vosky, fring, digium, asterisk

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Fall-Winter-Summer growth

Jean Mercier is the Skype Numerologist and a regular contributor to Skype Journal.

As usual after a Northern Hemisphere Summer, the growth of Skype users is again visible. Not that there is no growth in summer but

• less people are working,
• more people switch their computers off while they are in the garden, or
• they are traveling and have less access to Internet.

Therefore, fewer users are online at the same time.

Those summers are very visible on the "million milestones" graph that I published last week. In all the past years, excluding the first year, the dots representing the "million milestones" are quite close to each other (see the brown left braces), except when there is a July-August period in the middle (see the red "summer" arrows).

So, what for 2008-2009? I would guess that Skype will as usual add two more "million dots' to its graph before July 2009 (see the Sky(pe) Blue extrapolated dots), going well over the 15 million people online. And I predict also that Skype will reach 16 million concurrent users somewhere around September 2009. But it is only a guess :-)

About growth speed

Each time that I pretend that the growth of Skype isn’t exponential, but linear or even slowing down, fellow blogger Hudson Barton tries to refute it. See his comment on my last post for instance (yes, aaytch, is Hudson himself)!

Perhaps I was a bit too fast and too rude to answer (I apologize for this), because indeed the last 12 months were much better, than the previous 12 months. But anyway, let me analyze the table above, to explain why I still feel I am right. The table shows the top or record concurrent users online at several dates in the past.

The third column is the mean daily (rounded) number of additional concurrent users online at “peak time” for a certain time span. For instance:

• The last two weeks (before September 22), the mean increase was 35000 additional concurrent users online.
• The last year it was 9800 additional concurrent users online.
• And so on.

How do we predict the future? Based on the last two weeks (+35000)? Or on the last 6 months (only +5300!), or on the last year? We can’t predict the future of course, we only can make guesses.

Choosing periods smaller than a year is often wrong for predicting long term growth. Changes in speed in smaller periods can however teach us something about temporary effects (the success of the launch of new Skype features, or the seasonal “Northern Hemisphere summer” effect).

For the long term past growth, we the see that the 2007-2008 season (+9800 users/per day) was very much better than the previous season (+6500). Does this mean that the growth is much faster? Is Hudson right? Could be, but in my opinion, the season 2006-2007 (+6500) was a very bad one compared with the two previous ones (+8300 and +10000), and last year (+9800) was just catching up again.

Only the future will tell, and some signs are very promising: Asterisk, Client version 4.0, Skype for iPhone, perhaps even multiparty videoconferencing, …

tags: skype, trends, stats, statistics, seasonality

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TOM-Skype Breach: Questions from 2006

Reblogging this post from 19 April 2006.

The Financial Times' Alison Maitland scored an interview with Niklas Zennström that ran yesterday. In it Zennström confirms the TOM-Skype joint venture censors text messages on behalf of the Chinese government. He claims: "One thing that’s certain is that those things are in no way jeopardising the privacy or the security of any of the users."

I posed the following questions to Skype but they have no comment beyond trying to insulate Skype from responsibility.

"The Skype offering in China is actively managed by our joint venture in the country; TOM Online. Skype works hard to co-operate with local laws and regulations in all markets where we do business."

1. Is TOM only filtering chats where at least one of the callers' accounts were signed up by TOM Online?
2. Will TOM filter chats if both parties are Chinese nationals but outside the PRC, say traveling in the US?
3. Is TOM only filtering conversations where at least one of the parties are using the custom version of the Skype client written for the joint venture?
4. Will TOM filter conversations using the TOM client being used by non-PRC nationals who are outside of China?
5. Does TOM's contract with Skype provide for disclosure to Skype and Skype users when their information is provided to a government official?
6. Are records of what the filter does kept? If so, by whom? Does Skype have or keep copies of those record?
7. Does the filtering mechanism use a list of keywords? If so, is the list public? May I have a copy? Who has the list? How often does it change?
8. Are the keywords only in Simplified Chinese or are they in other languages too?
9. Is China the only country where Skype and Skype's partner have set up filtering?
10. Do all Skype chats have the potential for a hidden participant, whether human or a robot?
11. Are filenames for transfer subject to filtering?
12. Are people's names among the keywords?
13. Are the content of files transferred via Skype also subject to filtering?
14. Does Skype encrypt end-to-end the IMs that are subject to filtering?
15. In a multiparty, multinational chat, can I as an American citizen have my text to a British subject filtered if someone from Shanghai is in that chat too?
16. Are audio conversations, where at least one party is in China, being listened to, filtered or recorded?
17. Are all calls filtered, or only if users meet certain criteria, or are conversations selected for filtering randomly?

Skype's founders are not strangers to prickly questions of international law and corporate ethics. Their background with file sharing firm Kazaa left them very aware of the business and technology strategies available and their legal and social consequences. This is also a context where phone companies completely block Skype.com and Skype conversations.

Did the ethics conversation ever take place at Skype when they agreed to the Chinese joint venture?

Who was involved and was there a real debate?

And did eBay understand this situation before the acquisition?

See also:

• Jan in Malaysia: "The difference between Asia where Internet is seen as venue for free expression in Asia, unlike China. Thank god I live in Malaysia. Malaysia Boleh ! Wawasan 2020."
• Metafilter thread. "Oh dear, I had high hopes that Skype would hold out. Still, I guess they are telling us. Can anyone find the list of banned words in the TOM client?"
• China Herald: "But on a positive note, unlike Yahoo, Skype does not help to send their users to prison"
• 21talks: "And dear readers, the next time you want to give a call to the holy Dalai Lama, just say you’re trying to reach the smiling guy with glasses and a yellow head cap."
• IP Democracy: "Yeah, well, last I checked, the U.S. and Germany don’t lock up their journalists and throw away the key."

tags: skype, skypejournal, china, chinese, tomonline, tom-skype, filter, filtering, censorship, censor, blocking, ebay inc, ebayinc, ebay, skypetechnologies, policy, strategy, ethics, moral, legal, packetsniffing, surveillance

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TOM-Skype Breach: Does TOM-Skype bring users?

So, why Skype doesn't just walk away from a partnership?

Results matter.

86 thousand new people have signed up daily for two years.

You have to do what's right, but the temptation to stay and the cost of leaving is strong.

Source material...  

In the 2006 Annual Report:

At the end of January 2007, there were over 31.5 million registered TOM-Skype users, up from over 9.0 million at the end of February 2006, an increase of over 22.5 million new registered users.

In the 2007 Annual Report:

At the end of February 2008, TOM-Skype registered users were close to 63 million, up from about 31 million and 51 million at the end of December 2006 and July 2007, respectively.

In the news release titled "TOM Online Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results":

At the end of June 2007, we have over 42.0 mn TOM-Skype registered users up from over 35.5 mn at the end
of March 2007.

So, moving things one day for the convenience of starting on the first of a month:

Date	TOM-Skype Accounts (millions)		Source
3/1/2006	9.0		ANNUAL REPORT 2006
1/1/2007	31.0	71k	ANNUAL REPORT 2007
2/1/2007	31.5	16k	ANNUAL REPORT 2006
4/1/2007	35.5	67k	TOM Online Q2-2007
7/1/2007	42.0	71k	TOM Online Q2-2007
8/1/2007	51.0	290k	ANNUAL REPORT 2007
3/1/2008	63.0	56k	ANNUAL REPORT 2007

tags: skype, trends, accounts, statistics, china, tom-skype, tom, chart

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TOM-Skype Breach: A Promise

Skype made a promise to its users from the very start. Here's a page on their web site, No adware, spyware or malware, where they make that promise to this day.

No adware, spyware or malware

Skype is totally safe from these pesky blighters.

Skype protects and maintains your online security and peace of mind. This means that it will not display unwanted and intrusive advertising, or allow any malware or spyware to operate.

• No adware – no intrusive adverts.
• No spyware – nothing logs your online activity.
• No malware – no programs that could adversely affect your computer.

What is adware?

Adware is a type of software that makes money by automatically delivering unwanted advertisements usually as pop-ups. Normally it is very hard, if not impossible, to turn off the adware causing the problem.

Because you always have the ability to turn advertising messages off on the Skype software, we believe Skype is free of adware.

What is spyware?

Spyware is a type of software that automatically installs itself on your computer, usually without your knowledge, and covertly collects and transmits data about your computer use. For example, spyware may monitor a user’s behaviour and pass on details of a their online activity (for example, their usernames or passwords) to a third party for use in identity theft and fraud.

Skype does not allow any spyware to be included.

What is malware?

Malware (or malicious software) relates to software that is designed to infiltrate or damage a computer operating system or other programs. These are often described as computer viruses, worms, or Trojan horses. They sometimes come combined with other software and load in the background.

Skype never allows any other programs to be installed unless you are clearly informed of their presence.

As of 6 October 2008.

tags: skype, adware, spyware, malware, brand, marketing, behavior

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Andy's Travel Tips ...

Andy Abramson at VoIP Watch travels a lot to keep up with his ever expanding list of clients. And he has been having his home office renovated for the past few months. So he gets more experience than most of us dealing with all the trivia of travel, including keeping his communications costs down. Check out his post "Mastering Better Working Anywhere" for the details including:

7. For places you visit regularly, buy a pre-paid SIM card, avoid roaming rates. If you visit multiple countries get a travel sim from SIM4TRAVEL or MaxRoam. If you are in WiFi environments a lot, get an account with client Truphone. Bottom line is you will save money and be more connected.

He failed to mention his overall mobile strategy but Saturday he called me from a new Skypephone 2; I initially took the call on my Blackberry Bold (to which my Skype account is forwarded). Perfect call quality for a 5 minute conversation; when I arrived home we continued the call over my PC Skype connection with excellent voice quality. Andy thinks 3 sets the standard for carrier services; the final confirmation? He actually bought two Skypephone 2's (the second one for his wife) on prepaid plans for a total of £99. His conclusion:

Bottom line, if you're heading to the UK or any country 3 serves, you can expect this kind of a great experience. That makes 3 a Working Anywhere Approved carrier.

Tags: 3, Skypephone, SIM4TRAVEL, MaxRoam, VoIP Watch, Andy Abramson

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Monday - Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Workshop

From the Yahoo! Messenger Blog:

Have questions about the new Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 that we released recently? Join us for a live, moderated Workshop on Monday, October 6th at 3pm Pacific time (time zone converter).

At the workshop you’ll be able to submit questions directly to Yahoo! staff members about our latest 9.0 version. We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the workshop, and we’ll post the transcript from the Workshop here on the blog afterwards.

Unable to attend on October 6th but still want to participate? You can pre-submit your questions before the Workshop by going here:
http://forums.prospero.com/yh-event001

Melissa Daniels
Yahoo! Messenger Community Manager

tags: yahoomessenger, yahoo, workshop, events

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Nart Villeneuve's Q&A on TOM-Skype's Firewall Breach

Internet Censorship Explorer Nart Villeneuve has been getting lots of questions about his "Breaching Trust" report and issued a Q&A that answers some common questions. Initially he describes how he determined that messages containing key words were being uploaded to a web server. (The technologically curious can get the answer through accessing the link.) He then goes on to say:

Is “normal” Skype affected?
No. The Skype software downloaded from skype.com is not affected by the behavior. The only time “normal” Skype users are affected is when they communicate with TOM-Skype users.
What is TOM-Skype and what is the difference between it and Skype?
If you go to www.skype.com from China, you are redirected to skype.tom.com — so that’s [the] version most Chinese people will use.
In 2004 Skype developed a relationship with TOM Online, a leading wireless provider in China, and announced a joint venture in 2005. Skype and TOM Online produced a special version of the Skype software, known as TOM-Skype, for use in China.
What is Skype saying, have they said anything to you?
I contacted Skype to have the security issue fixed before the report was released. So, they have configured the servers so that one can no longer view the logs and they have deleted sensitive files, such as the one containing the encryption key. Other than that contact, I’ve only seen the statements they’ve made to reporters.

The irony here is that if I find someone using the "F" word inappropriately, at my discretion, they may be deleted from my Facebook friends or Twitter contacts. In one case I reported the use to the person's parent; that person continues to be a Facebook friend but now posts without the expletives. The paranoid in me could ask "are the Chinese trying to clean up the expression of the English language?"
In closing, I would recall that Skype was involved as an element of the process in getting out to the world the message when some "Free Tibet" demonstrators put a banner up on the Great Wall of China last spring.
Hat tip to Rebecca MacKinnon for pointing to this Q&A. As mentioned in my comment to her post, for the first time in its five year history, we have seen a timely response in a crisis situation directly from the top executive at Skype; hopefully this reflects on the new directions and attitude Skype's new management team is taking in becoming more transparent with the public. Of course, along with the reported dialogue between Nart and Skype personnel, it means all the technology speculators out there have no opportunity to exercise their minds by delving into the (non)-complexity of how this was detected and corrected. But the blogosphere will survive; other issues will be taken up.

TOM-Skype Breach: What is filtered most?

Milk powder. Ah, so the list is updated frequently. 

SARS. Cripple public safety worker communications for the next outbreak?

Skype. Hah!

Chart and terms provided in BREACHING TRUST: An analysis of surveillance and security practices on China’s TOM-Skype platform by Nart Villeneuve, Psiphon Fellow, The Citizen Lab, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Information Warfare Monitor Joint Report, ONI Asia (JR01-2008). 1 October 2008.

 

tags: skype, tom-skype, communist, Communist Party, Falun, Hu Jintao, Taiwan independence, Wen Jiabao, quit the party, Jiang Zemin, June 4, Olympic Games, Nine Commentaries, Li Hongzhi, earthquake, democracy, Tibet, Mao Zedong, Circumvention, Deng Xiaoping, Diaoyu Islands, Kuomintang, Tiananmen, milk powder, SARS, Voice of America, free door, filter, anti-blockade browser, Garden Network

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TOM-Skype Breach: Chinese TV News

Ｓｋｙｐｅ在中國的合資公司Ｔｏｍ－Ｓｋｙｐｅ，爆發擅自儲存數以百萬則用戶的簡訊， 並且將訊息儲存在缺乏足夠保密措施的電腦上，使外部人士可以很容易監控這些簡訊，對此 Ｓｋｙｐｅ公司向用戶道歉。

根據加拿大多倫多大學的電腦安全專家發表報告披露，Ｓｋｙｐｅ在中國的合資公司Ｔｏｍ－Ｓｋｙｐｅ長期監控用戶在網上聊天的記錄，並且把包含了敏感內容的訊息，儲存在可從公司外部進入的伺服器上，但是由於缺乏安全措施，使外部人士可以輕易的查看經過監控系統過濾的超過一百萬則簡訊，其中很多包括政治敏感詞彙，包括共產黨、法輪功、胡錦濤、台灣獨立、溫家寶等政治敏感關鍵字，地震、奶粉等字眼也在監控範圍之內，由於Ｔｏｍ－Ｓｋｙｐｅ並沒有將事先這項行為通報Ｓｋｙｐｅ或是獲得Ｓｋｙｐｅ批准，因此Ｓｋｙｐ ｅ向用戶提出道歉。

[Google machine translation:]

Skype's joint venture in China, Tom-Skype, the outbreak of the unauthorized storage of millions of messages the user and the message will be stored in a lack of adequate security measures on the computer, so that outsiders can easily monitor these messages, the Skype's users are An apology.

According to the University of Toronto, Canada, computer security experts issued a report on disclosure, Skype's joint venture in China, Tom-Skype users in the long-term monitoring on-line chat records, and to contain sensitive content of the message can be stored in an external company to enter the server , But due to the lack of safety measures, so that outsiders can easily see through the monitoring system to filter the more than 1,000,000 text messages, many of which include politically sensitive terms, including the Communist Party, Falun Gong, Hu Jintao, Taiwan independence, Wen Jiabao, and other politically sensitive keywords , Earthquakes, and words such as milk powder is also within the scope of monitoring, as the Tom-Skype has not informed in advance of this act or Skype was approved by Skype, so Skype apology to the users.

tags: skype, breach, china, news, tom-skype

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excellent

I think there should be an e-motion on my cell and skype which displays Mr. Burns with hands clasped together every time I type "excellent"

- Ben Ross

tags: skype, twitter, emoticons, emotions, the simpsons, mr. burns, excellent

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TOM-Skype Breach: Stated Risks

This excerpt from the eBay Form 10K for the year ending 2006, Item 1A: Risk Factors, page 32 (screen 36 in the PDF), refers to Tom Online. TOM Group took TOM Online private. 

Our operations in China are subject to risks and uncertainties relating to the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China.

Our operations in the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, are conducted through our EachNet subsidiary, a recently announced joint venture between EachNet and Tom Online, and a PayPal subsidiary. EachNet and PayPal are Delaware corporations and foreign persons under the laws of the PRC are subject to many of the risks of doing business internationally described above in “There are many risks associated with our international operations.” The PRC currently regulates its Internet sector through regulations restricting the scope of foreign investment and through the enforcement of content restrictions on the Internet. While many aspects of these regulations remain unclear, they purport to limit and require licensing of various aspects of the provision of Internet information services. These regulations have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of foreign investments in PRC Internet companies, including the entities through which we do business in the PRC, and the business operations of such companies. In order to meet local ownership and regulatory licensing requirements, EachNet is operated through a foreign-owned enterprise indirectly owned by eBay’s European operating entity, which acts in cooperation with a local PRC company owned by certain local employees. The PayPal China website is operated through a foreign-owned enterprise owned by a PayPal subsidiary, which acts in cooperation with a local PRC company owned by certain local employees. We believe the current ownership structures of EachNet, the joint venture between EachNet and Tom Online, and PayPal comply with all existing PRC laws, rules, and regulations.

The law may not mean what we think it means.

There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation of current PRC laws and regulations, and it is possible that the PRC government will ultimately take a view contrary to ours. The People’s Bank of China, or PBOC, has recently proposed guidelines for payment settlement organizations which may require PayPal to identify and negotiate a new business relationship to act in cooperation with a local PRC entity that is not owned by local employees and has a substantial operating history, and to obtain prior approval of the relationship from the PBOC.

Just because we have a contract, doesn't mean we have any control.

There are also uncertainties regarding EachNet’s and PayPal’s ability to enforce contractual relationships they have entered into with respect to management and control of the company’s business.

If our partners break PRC rules, we could lose everything.

If any of the entities through which we do business in the PRC were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, they could be subject to fines and other financial penalties, have their business and Internet content provider licenses revoked, or be forced to discontinue business entirely. In addition, any finding of a violation of PRC laws or regulations by any of the entities through which we do business in the PRC could make it more difficult for us to launch new or expanded services in the PRC.

About Skype specifically:

Although Skype does not conduct operations in the PRC directly, it makes its software available through a joint venture with Tom Online and its software is used by residents of the PRC. PRC regulations surrounding VoIP telephony are unclear and the PRC or one or more of its provinces may adopt regulations or enforce existing regulations that restrict or prohibit the use of Skype’s software.

Does China have laws protecting citizen privacy?

Did Skype contract for detailed, SLA-degree security and privacy with TOM-Skype? Or were requirements left general and abstract?

tags: skype, china, privacy, prc, regulations, tom online, law, tom-skype, tom skype

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fring iphone buzz

Fring is clearly tapping pent-up demand for access to Skype on mobiles. The enthusiasm for rejoining your Skype network is infectious.

The biggest limits for me: no multichat support (a big part of my onlife), no background processing (like I only live in Skype?). Jim Courtney's hands-on test may dampen your enthusiasm for fring on the iPhone. Have you had a good experience with fring? 

tags: skype, fring, iphone, apple

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Making Skype Calls from Fring for iPhone

Earlier today Fring, known for aggregating various IM and VoIP services onto a mobile phone, announced Fring for iPhone had become available on the Apple App Store. So I gave it a tryout this evening, exchanging chat messages and then a couple of voice calls to Skype destinations.
My quick comment:

• the other party's voice was both a bit fuzzy and somewhat weak in volume.
• both other parties complained of some echo; I did not hear echo at my end.
• The call appeared to be going out over the iPhone's WiFi connection.
• Calls went out over the WiFi connection.
  

The benchmark in call quality would be my experiences earlier this week where twice , when my home office cable was disconnected due to "cable plant" improvements in my neighborhood, I used iSkoot on the Blackberry Bold to call into SquawkBox via the CalliFlower voice conferencing service over the Rogers 3G network.

Let 's just say in the iSkoot calls, the technology was transparent to the discussion and I could lay the phone on my desk while still actively participating. Whereas my Fring calls would not have been of sufficient quality to carry on natural dialogue participation in a conference call. While Fring has shown to be a leader in demonstrating the potential to make such a call, it has some work to do to achieve business grade call quality.

My other comment, now having used Skype IM chat on both devices. It's much easier to have a text conversation via the Blackberry with a QWERTY real keyboard. Thick thumbs on a "touch" keyboard many errors make; as I said in my brief Fring-enabled IM Skype chat session with Dan York - I was sending these IM messages "under duress" (and with about a 25% typing error rate).

Note that during registration I encountered a bug whereby Fring would not recognize my email address, which includes a "dot" between first and last name. This is a known bug which we hope they will fix quickly, especially due to the privacy issue raised in the linked Fring forum discussion.
More to follow once I will have had a few days' experience in its use.
Other posts: Mac Rumors

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Mobivox leaves freemium services behind

So your free users never become paying customers? What should a smart business do? Fire the freeloaders! Refocus on the profitable customers.

Mobivox did exactly that this week. After studying user behavior, data showed conversion from free-to-fee was near zero, and nothing would change that. Mobivox will devote the freed up resources to enhancing services for its commercial clients and to building up its Mobivox PL voice application platform.

Kudos to Mobivox's new management for an adult decision. 

tags: mobivox, mobivoxpl, freemium, strategy, voip, platform

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eComm 2009 Call for Speakers

Perhaps the most informative event I have attended on behalf of Skype Journal was last spring's Emerging Communications (eComm) 2008, held in Mountain View's Computer Museum. Three days of speakers who covered a wide range of subjects on the Emerging Communications Space.Organizer Lee Dryburgh has been putting together a repeat for next March, In order that participants can intermingle more often outside the event itself, Lee has moved the location to the San Francisco Airport Marriott. And he has just issued a "Call for Speakers".

This isn't a traditional telecom conference. The eComm audience has very high expectations of speakers. They are both seizing opportunities of the post- telecom era (or re-inventing traditional products and services) and can engage the audience. Rules include a ban on "brochure speak" from stage (overt marketing pitches) and a strict enforcement of the clock.

To keep informed on eComm 2009 program developments, join the eComm 2009 Facebook group. For more information visit the eComm 2009 website.

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The Story Behind the Story: How a Canadian cracked the Great Firewall of China

As a four time graduate of the University of Toronto, I am glad to see the atmosphere for investigative research is thriving at my alma mater. A researcher at their unique Citizen Lab, "focusing on advanced research and development at the intersection of digital media and world civic politics", is responsible for uncovering the TOM-Skype security breach that has had widespread coverage.
Globe and Mail reporter Matt Hartley has obviously gone to the lab for an interview with researcher Nart Villeneuve for his article in today's editions: How a Canadian cracked the Great Firewall of China. .... the irony of where "lost passwords" can lead you:

When he couldn't remember the password to his Chinese MySpace account he decided to take a look at Skype.
...Using a TOM-Skype account on one computer and a regular Skype account on a nearby laptop, Mr. Villeneuve would type a word into one computer and see if the other computer received the message, to see what information would be filtered out by the service's censorship tools. When he typed in a common four-letter expletive and hit send, it didn't show up on the other computer. But he noticed something else.

Read on. Further along Matt reports:

After he contacted Skype on Wednesday to inform them of the breach, the company moved quickly to plug the holes in the TOM-Skype servers, Mr. Villeneuve said.

And, as Phil has already reported, Skype President Josh Silverman responds here, including this comment:

It's important to remind everybody that the issues highlighted in yesterday's Information Warfare Monitor / ONI Asia report refer only to communications in which one or more parties are using TOM software to conduct instant messaging. It does not affect communications where all parties are using standard Skype software. Skype-to-Skype communications are, and always have been, completely secure and private.

New York Times, Oct. 2 (registration required)
Wall Street Journal (may encounter a walled garden), noting that TOM-Skype has 69 million users, places this story in the perspective of other "Doing business in China" stories involving Microsoft, Google and Yahoo.

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who's coming to the skypeover?

(first, in July)

(then early September)

(October)

(and it continues...)

(all of this with audio conferencing)

(now imagine a skypeover with multiparty video)

tags: skype, skypeover, sleepover, skype survivor, sleep, party, fun, conferencing

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Skype President Addresses Chinese Privacy Breach

Read Josh Silverman's announcement.

seeing skype commercials

"I keep seeing these Skype commercials. Anyone familiar with it? Does it work well for conferencing?" -- John Kreiss

(what you want to see from big television spend: inquiry, word of mouth, brand notes grokked)

tags: skype, ebay, marketing, advertising, tv, wordofmouth

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Skype 4.0 Beta 2 Makes "Live Messenger Look Outdated"

The PamConsult team, producers of Pamela and PamFax amongst other products, lives and breathes conversation products due to the breadth of their overall product line. In their PamNews blog post on Skype for Windows 4.0 Beta 2 they state:

.... We have tested it and found it to be already stable enough for day to day usage. It has less rough edges [than] Beta 1 and a lot of the Beta 1 feedback has been incorporated in this release. So if you are a bit computer savvy you will definitely want to give the Beta 2 a go.
.... Again, this Beta 2 is a great step forward. It is noticeable that Skype are listening hard to their users and I think the end product will really reshape the way people look at “messenger” applications. Just compare this beta release with the Live Messenger 2009 release - wow, does the Live Messenger look outdated ;).

If you visit their post, you can also vote in their poll.

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card

"quick poll for realtors; what would you put on your business card other than the required info? skype? twitter? website? blog? AIM? others?" -- Sasha Cannon Farmber

"@sashafarmer blog is a must. I also put skype on the card" - Matthew Rathbun

(wishing moo card still partnered with skype)

tags: skype, business card, calling card, identity

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a year in china

"@johnkreiss When my friend spend a year in China, she used Skype to talk to her family back home. Apparently great quality, low/no cost." --  Jenny

Skype 3.8 for Windows update

Download release Skype for Windows 3.8.0.180.
New features:

• Added Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) webcam support
• Added High Quality video support for Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro
• Command line login

Changes:

• Removed Live tab (Skypecasts now gone)
• Removed links to Klonie Avatars (seemingly abandoned by provider Comverse) and Emotive Ringjam ringtone (Emotive apparently out of business chose to discontinue RingJam on Skype) UPDATED
• Updated Firefox plugin to version 2.2.0.102
• Updated Internet Explorer plugin to version 2.2.0.205

Bugfixen:

• Video devices with non-Latin characters in name did not display correctly
• Video calls occasionally caused Skype to crash

tags: skype, 3.8, windows, downloads

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Skype 3.8 Hotifx Released Today

In addition to the launch of the Skype for Windows 4.0 Beta 2 program today, Skype also released a hotfix update for its current public release version 3.8. It includes support for High Quality Video on the Logitech Vision Pro camera in addition to the Logitech Carl Zeiss optics cameras previously supported, support for mjpg webcams (at the legacy 320 x 240 resolution) and updates to the Firefox and Internet Explorer toolbars, amongst other minor changes. Go to Help | Check for Updates on your current Skype 3.8 client menus or download here.

Question (and you Mac users will love this): the initial Logitech Vision Pro press release from Logitech three months ago mentioned that this camera provided support for Skype's High Quality Video. But I have been assured by Skype personnel that this camera also works on Windows (it has the same form factor as the Quick Cam Pro 9000) ... and I know people who have used the Quick Cam Pro 9000 on Macs successfully even though High Quality Video is not supported on the Mac (yet). Is this a hint of one new feature on the next release of Skype for Mac? From the Logitech press release:

Optimized Experience for the Mac

When you and your loved ones use the new Logitech webcam with iChat or Skype, you can enjoy VGA-quality video at up to 30 frames per second – four times as sharp and twice as smooth as any other video-calling solution – at no additional charge.

The joys of an intermingled Mac and Windows world! .....

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eBay publicist kills a meme

Here's a tweet from an eBay publicist, Richard Brewer-Hay, auto-sent from their new new-media aggregator and PR coverage home page. The eBay Ink blog sucks up feeds from eBay and subsidiary blogs, and seems to be a well designed and executed system while suffering from a corporate, inauthentic voice.

And the answer is: No.

When eBay offers IVR (voice menus) and Skype CRM (sales and contact management) for sellers that are: 

1. Turn-key (zero install)
2. Simple (15 minute setup)
3. Hosted (download-free) Skype )
4. Multiple seller brands per Skype account (you don't offer the same customer experience for your auto and your motorcycle customers),
5. Automatically adding callers to your contact list in appropriate contact groups (so your motorcycle customers are all together),
6. Playing music/message on hold including eBay API data driven text-to-speech messaging (4 minutes until the auction closes),
7. Customer experiences so over-the-top fantastic that you'd rush to shop by voice or video call; not wading through web pages,

Then you'll be on the way to integration.

Including the Skype toolbar's Skype linkification feature in another toolbar is fine. Support your siblings. But it is the least -- the very least -- eBay can do to embrace bringing eBay buyers and sellers to Skype and Skypers to eBay. 

Skype me, Richard, when eBay names a "VP for Skype Service Integration at eBay" for the first time. That will be a serious step toward Skype integration at eBay.

tags: skype, pr, ebay, ebayinkblog, hype, annoyed

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Mike Bartlett on Skype 4.0 Beta 1 Feedback

Earlier today we posted information about the availability of Skype for Windows Beta 2 along with a video as well as download and feedback links. This morning Product Manager Mike Bartlett put out a post where he provided more details about the information gathering process that contributed to the redesign:

Different types of users gave us very different feedback. For example, in the Skype forums, where some of our most experienced users hang out, we heard a lot more negativity, in particular around screen size. However, in our surveys we saw quite the opposite. When we collated all of the feedback together, we found that just over 70% of people who tried Beta 1 prefer using it to older versions of Skype.
We’re confident that this is quite reflective of the entire Skype user base. But 70% is not a number we’re happy with because we know that many of you out there would prefer a more familiar experience, and in particular an experience that allows you to work more easily whilst Skype is running in the background.

At 11:00 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) or 3 p.m.GMT Mike will be appearing as the guest on this morning's Squawk Box.

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texas peeps

"loves Skype! keeps me in touch with my Texas peeps!" -- Jackie Gilbert

tags: skype, texas, distance, friendster

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Skype the US Congress

One-click call to Congress.

Email corrections and your stories about your Skyping your elected officials to tips@skypejournal.com.

Revised 30 September 2008.

State	District	Home Page	DC Phone	District Phone	Contact Form
AK	SR	Ted Stevens (R)	202-224-3004	907-376-7665	Contact Form
AK	JR	Lisa Murkowski (R)	202-224-6665	907-376-7665	Contact Form
AK	00	Don Young (R)	202-225-5765	907-225-6880	Contact Form
AL	SR	Richard C. Shelby (R)	202-224-5744	205-759-5047	Contact Form
AL	JR	Jeff Sessions (R)	202-224-4124	256-533-0979	Contact Form
AL	01	Jo Bonner (R)	202-225-4931	251-943-2073	Contact Form
AL	02	Terry Everett (R)	202-225-2901	334-794-9680	Contact Form
AL	03	Mike Rogers (R)	202-225-3261	334-277-4210	Contact Form
AL	04	Robert B. Aderholt (R)	202-225-4876	256-546-0201	Contact Form
AL	05	Bud Cramer, Jr. (D)	202-225-4801	256-551-0190	Contact Form
AL	06	Spencer Bachus (R)	202-225-4921	205-280-0704	Contact Form
AL	07	Artur Davis (D)	202-225-2665	205-752-5380	Contact Form
AR	SR	Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D)	202-224-4843	501-375-2993	Contact Form
AR	JR	Mark Pryor (D)	202-224-2353	501-324-6336	Contact Form
AR	01	Marion Berry (D)	202-225-4076	501-843-3043	Contact Form
AR	02	Vic Snyder (D)	202-225-2506	501-324-5941	Contact Form
AR	03	John Boozman (R)	202-225-4301	479-782-7787	Contact Form
AR	04	Michael A. Ross (D)	202-225-3772	870-881-0681	Contact Form
AS	00	Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D)	202-225-8577	684-633-1372	Contact Form
AZ	SR	John McCain (R)	202-224-2235	480-897-6289	Contact Form
AZ	JR	Jon Kyl (R)	202-224-4521	520-575-8633	Contact Form
AZ	01	Rick Renzi (R)	202-225-2315	928-587-3417	Contact Form
AZ	02	Trent Franks (R)	202-225-4576	623-776-7911	Contact Form
AZ	03	John B. Shadegg (R)	202-225-3361	602-263-5300	Contact Form
AZ	04	Ed Pastor (D)	202-225-4065	602-256-0551	Contact Form
AZ	05	Harry Mitchell (D)	202-225-2190	480-946-2411	Contact Form
AZ	06	Jeff Flake (R)	202-225-2635	480-833-0092	Contact Form
AZ	07	Raul Grijalva (D)	202-225-2435	520-622-6788	Contact Form
AZ	08	Gabrielle Giffords (D)	202-225-2542	520-881-3588	Contact Form
CA	SR	Dianne Feinstein (D)	202-224-3841	619-231-9712	Contact Form
CA	JR	Barbara Boxer (D)	202-224-3553	909-888-8525	Contact Form
CA	01	Mike Thompson (D)	202-225-3311	530-662-5272	Contact Form
CA	02	Wally Herger (R)	202-225-3076	530-223-5898	Contact Form
CA	03	Dan Lungren (R)	202-225-5716	916-859-9906	Contact Form
CA	04	John T. Doolittle (R)	202-225-2511	800-232-1336	Contact Form
CA	05	Doris Matsui (D)	202-225-7163	916-498-5600	Contact Form
CA	06	Lynn C. Woolsey (D)	202-225-5161	415-507-9554	Contact Form
CA	07	George Miller (D)	202-225-2095	707-645-1888	Contact Form
CA	08	Nancy Pelosi (D)	202-225-4965	415-556-4862	Contact Form
CA	09	Barbara Lee (D)	202-225-2661	510-763-0370	Contact Form
CA	10	Ellen O. Tauscher (D)	202-225-1880	707-428-7792	Contact Form
CA	11	Jerry McNerney (D)	202-225-1947	925-737-0727	Contact Form
CA	12	Jackie Speier (D)	202-225-3531	650-342-0300	Contact Form
CA	13	Fortney (Pete) Stark (D)	202-225-5065	510-494-1388	Contact Form
CA	14	Anna G. Eshoo (D)	202-225-8104	650-323-2984	Contact Form
CA	15	Mike Honda (D)	202-225-2631	408-558-8085	Contact Form
CA	16	Zoe Lofgren (D)	202-225-3072	408-271-8700	Contact Form
CA	17	Sam Farr (D)	202-225-2861	831-429-1976	Contact Form
CA	18	Dennis Cardoza (D)	202-225-6131	209-383-4455	Contact Form
CA	19	George P. Radanovich (R)	202-225-4540	209-579-5458	Contact Form
CA	20	Jim Costa (D)	202-225-3341	559-495-1620	Contact Form
CA	21	Devin Nunes (R)	202-225-2523	559-733-3861	Contact Form
CA	22	Kevin McCarthy (R)	202-225-2915	661-327-3611	Contact Form
CA	23	Lois Capps (D)	202-225-3601	805-546-8348	Contact Form
CA	24	Elton Gallegly (R)	202-225-5811	805-686-2525	Contact Form
CA	25	Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R)	202-225-1956	661-274-9688	Contact Form
CA	26	David Dreier (R)	202-225-2305	909-575-6226	Contact Form
CA	27	Brad Sherman (D)	202-225-5911	818-501-9200	Contact Form
CA	28	Howard L. Berman (D)	202-225-4695	818-994-7200	Contact Form
CA	29	Adam Schiff (D)	202-225-4176	626-304-2727	Contact Form
CA	30	Henry A. Waxman (D)	202-225-3976	323-651-1040	Contact Form
CA	31	Xavier Becerra (D)	202-225-6235	213-483-1425	Contact Form
CA	32	Hilda A. Solis (D)	202-225-5464	323-307-9904	Contact Form
CA	33	Diane E. Watson (D)	202-225-7084	323-965-1422	Contact Form
CA	34	Lucille Roybal-Allard (D)	202-225-1766	213-628-9230	Contact Form
CA	35	Maxine Waters (D)	202-225-2201	323-757-8900	Contact Form
CA	36	Jane Harman (D)	202-225-8220	310-643-3636	Contact Form
CA	37	Laura Richardson (D)	202-225-7924	562-436-3828	Contact Form
CA	38	Grace Napolitano (D)	202-225-5256	562-801-2134	Contact Form
CA	39	Linda T. Sanchez (D)	202-225-6676	562-860-5050	Contact Form
CA	40	Edward R. Royce (R)	202-225-4111	714-992-8081	Contact Form
CA	41	Jerry Lewis (R)	202-225-5861	800-233-1700	Contact Form
CA	42	Gary Miller (R)	202-225-3201	714-257-1142	Contact Form
CA	43	Joe Baca (D)	202-225-6161	909-885-2222	Contact Form
CA	44	Ken Calvert (R)	202-225-1986	951-784-4300	Contact Form
CA	45	Mary Bono Mack (R)	202-225-5330	951-658-2312	Contact Form
CA	46	Dana Rohrabacher (R)	202-225-2415	714-960-6483	Contact Form
CA	47	Loretta Sanchez (D)	202-225-2965	714-621-0102	Contact Form
CA	48	John Campbell (R)	202-225-5611	949-756-2244	Contact Form
CA	49	Darrell Issa (R)	202-225-3906	760-599-5000	Contact Form
CA	50	Brian Bilbray (R)	202-225-0508	858-350-1150	Contact Form
CA	51	Bob Filner (D)	202-225-8045	619-422-5963	Contact Form
CA	52	Duncan Hunter (R)	202-225-5672	619-448-5201	Contact Form
CA	53	Susan A. Davis (D)	202-225-2040	619-280-5353	Contact Form
CO	SR	Wayne Allard (R)	202-224-5941	970-461-3530	Contact Form
CO	JR	Ken Salazar (D)	202-224-5852	970-224-2200	Contact Form
CO	01	Diana DeGette (D)	202-225-4431	303-844-4988	Contact Form
CO	02	Mark Udall (D)	202-225-2161	303-650-7820	Contact Form
CO	03	John Salazar (D)	202-225-4761	970-245-7107	Contact Form
CO	04	Marilyn Musgrave (R)	202-225-4676	970-522-1788	Contact Form
CO	05	Doug Lamborn (R)	202-225-4422	719-520-0055	Contact Form
CO	06	Tom Tancredo (R)	202-225-7882	720-283-9772	Contact Form
CO	07	Ed Perlmutter (D)	202-225-2645	303-274-7944	Contact Form
CT	SR	Christopher J. Dodd (D)	202-224-2823	800-334-5341	Contact Form
CT	JR	Joseph I. Lieberman (I)	202-224-4041	860-549-8463	Contact Form
CT	01	John Larson (D)	202-225-2265	860-278-8888	Contact Form
CT	02	Joe Courtney (D)	202-225-2076	860-886-0139	Contact Form
CT	03	Rosa L. DeLauro (D)	202-225-3661	203-562-3718	Contact Form
CT	04	Christopher Shays (R)	202-225-5541	203-357-8277	Contact Form
CT	05	Christopher Murphy (D)	202-225-4476	860-223-8412	Contact Form
DC	00	Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)	202-225-8050	202-783-5065	Contact Form
DE	SR	Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D)	202-224-5042	302-573-6345	Contact Form
DE	JR	Thomas R. Carper (D)	202-224-2441	302-856-7690	Contact Form
DE	00	Michael N. Castle (R)	202-225-4165	302-428-1902	Contact Form
FL	SR	Bill Nelson (D)	202-224-5274	305-536-5999	Contact Form
FL	JR	Mel Martinez (R)	202-224-3041	904-398-8586	Contact Form
FL	01	Jeff Miller (R)	202-225-4136	850-664-1266	Contact Form
FL	02	Allen Boyd (D)	202-225-5235	850-561-3979	Contact Form
FL	03	Corrine Brown (D)	202-225-0123	407-872-0656	Contact Form
FL	04	Ander Crenshaw (R)	202-225-2501	386-365-3316	Contact Form
FL	05	Ginny Brown-Waite (R)	202-225-1002	352-799-8354	Contact Form
FL	06	Cliff Stearns (R)	202-225-5744	904-269-3203	Contact Form
FL	07	John L. Mica (R)	202-225-4035	407-657-8080	Contact Form
FL	08	Ric Keller (R)	202-225-2176	888-642-1211	Contact Form
FL	09	Gus Michael Bilirakis (R)	202-225-5755	813-985-8541	Contact Form
FL	10	C. W. (Bill) Young (R)	202-225-5961	727-893-3191	Contact Form
FL	11	Kathy Anne Castor (D)	202-225-3376	813-871-2817	Contact Form
FL	12	Adam Putnam (R)	202-225-1252	863-534-3530	Contact Form
FL	13	Vernon Gale Buchanan (R)	202-225-5015	941-951-6643	Contact Form
FL	14	Connie Mack (R)	202-225-2536	239-252-6225	Contact Form
FL	15	Dave Weldon (R)	202-225-3671	800-939-3515	Contact Form
FL	16	Tim Edward Mahoney (D)	202-225-5792	941-627-9100	Contact Form
FL	17	Kendrick B. Meek (D)	202-225-4506	954-450-6767	Contact Form
FL	18	Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)	202-225-3931	305-220-3281	Contact Form
FL	19	Robert Wexler (D)	202-225-3001	561-988-6302	Contact Form
FL	20	Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)	202-225-7931	954-437-3936	Contact Form
FL	21	Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R)	202-225-4211	305-470-8555	Contact Form
FL	22	Ron J. Klein (D)	202-225-3026	954-522-4579	Contact Form
FL	23	Alcee L. Hastings (D)	202-225-1313	561-684-0565	Contact Form
FL	24	Tom Feeney (R)	202-225-2706	321-264-6113	Contact Form
FL	25	Mario Diaz-Balart (R)	202-225-2778	305-225-6866	Contact Form
GA	SR	Saxby Chambliss (R)	202-224-3521	770-763-9090	Contact Form
GA	JR	Johnny Isakson (R)	202-224-3643	770-661-0999	Contact Form
GA	01	Jack Kingston (R)	202-225-5831	229-247-9188	Contact Form
GA	02	Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D)	202-225-3631	706-320-9477	Contact Form
GA	03	Lynn Westmoreland (R)	202-225-5901	770-683-2033	Contact Form
GA	04	Hank Johnson (D)	202-225-1605	770-987-2291	Contact Form
GA	05	John Lewis (D)	202-225-3801	404-659-0116	Contact Form
GA	06	Tom Price (R)	202-225-4501	678-493-6176	Contact Form
GA	07	John Linder (R)	202-225-4272	770-232-3005	Contact Form
GA	08	Jim Marshall (D)	202-225-6531	877-464-0255	Contact Form
GA	09	Nathan Deal (R)	202-225-5211	706-226-5320	Contact Form
GA	10	Paul C. Broun (R)	202-225-4101	706-886-1008	Contact Form
GA	11	Phil Gingrey (R)	202-225-2931	770-429-1776	Contact Form
GA	12	John Barrow (D)	202-225-2823	478-553-1923	Contact Form
GA	13	David Scott (D)	202-225-2939	770-210-5073	Contact Form
GU	00	Madeleine Bordallo (D)	202-225-1188	671-477-4272	Contact Form
HI	SR	Daniel K. Inouye (D)	202-224-3934	808-245-4611	Contact Form
HI	JR	Daniel K. Akaka (D)	202-224-6361	808-935-1114	Contact Form
HI	01	Neil Abercrombie (D)	202-225-2726	808-541-2570	Contact Form
HI	02	Mazie Hirono (D)	202-225-4906	808-541-1986	Contact Form
IA	SR	Charles E. Grassley (R)	202-224-3744	319-363-6832	Contact Form
IA	JR	Tom Harkin (D)	202-224-3254	712-252-1550	Contact Form
IA	01	Bruce Braley (D)	202-225-2911	563-557-7789	Contact Form
IA	02	Dave Loebsack (D)	202-225-6576	319-351-0789	Contact Form
IA	03	Leonard L. Boswell (D)	202-225-3806	888-432-1984	Contact Form
IA	04	Tom Latham (R)	202-225-5476	515-232-2885	Contact Form
IA	05	Steve King (R)	202-225-4426	712-580-7754	Contact Form
ID	SR	Larry E. Craig (R)	202-224-2752	208-523-5541	Contact Form
ID	JR	Mike Crapo (R)	202-224-6142	208-334-1776	Contact Form
ID	01	Bill Sali (R)	202-225-6611	208-743-1388	Contact Form
ID	02	Mike Simpson (R)	202-225-5531	208-734-7219	Contact Form
IL	SR	Richard J. Durbin (D)