Video Action Keeps Expanding: In addition to service launches on the video communications front, (Skype, SightSpeed), it was a week when we learned where Skype's founders, Niklas Zennstrom and Jaanus Friis, may be spending some of their eBay-generated wealth.  (Keep in mind that Niklas and Jaanus had VC partners with whom they shared probably a significant portion of that $2.6B sale price.) Phil has commented on their Venice Project, a forthcoming... ... continue reading.....

BlogHer starts today, perhaps the live blogger event with the least recycled blatfarb and the most human context. In honor of women bloggers everywhere, here's a guest post by Matt responding to our SkypeMe Eve post by Dina Mehtacontinue reading.....

We reported last week Skype's been experimenting with radio spots. Here is one spot that played in New York on hip hop station Hot 97.

"With Skype the whole world can talk for free. Skype is a free piece of software that you download at skype dot com. Skype...

Many of graphics and images that you see in Skype Journal  (including the ones in this post) have been captured using TechSmith's Snag-It. Snag-It has been a core utility for my Windows computing over the past five or six years.  Need to capture an object on your Windows desktop (or your entire desktop)? Snag-It does it and allows you to output it in many ways, including several... ... continue reading.....

Since its introduction at the final Fall Comdex in 2003, I have been following the SightSpeed video communications service as it has evolved into one of the more highly respected personal video calling services. Today they are releasing a new version 5.0; last week I spent an hour talking with Peter Csathey, CEO of SightSpeed, about SightSpeed, its direction and their forthcoming new version.

Peter, who has... ... continue reading.....

Expanding Skype's user base beyond "geeks who use softphone clients" is key to Skype's ongoing growth that would justify eBay's $2.6B purchase price.  But the non-geek world is much more familiar with another user interface for its voice communications, namely, the 12-button TouchTone telephone keypad. This interface is associated with that large installed based of traditional telephone handsets incorporating the keypad. So when a device comes along that can effectively connect those phone sets into... ... continue reading.....

Recently a couple of posts discussing VoIP Quality:

Om Malik reports on a Brix Networks study, based on data collected on Acceptable Call Quality via their TestYourVoIP.com site.  Note that Brix also announces the availability of this service as a Google Gadget (for Google Desktop) providing ongoing measurement of the quality of your connection for voice and video activities. The study reports an ongoing decline in VoIP Acceptable Call Quality from... ... continue reading.....

See the Mac 1.5 Beta announcement. BETA release: 1.5.0.48. Also: Interface refresh, import contacts from Apple's Address book or Entourage, more languages (French, Spanish, German, traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch), support for presence and SkypeMe buttons, and Mac starter packs. For OS X v10.3.9 Panther or newer. The last minor update was May 11, and the last major update (1.4)... ... continue reading.....

BusinessWeek broke the story of Skype's founders launching a TV net distribution biz as a venture separate from Skype. Not known if it will be in the eBay family, but Zennstrom and Friis will remain 100% and 80% at Skype, respectively. It is code named "The Venice Project," not likely related to a 1999 time travel movie about... ... continue reading.....

What does the Internet mean to you? How will you celebrate it on Friday, 22 September 2006? Join me and many others in sharing the web with friends, family, neighbors and strangers on One Web Day.

For this year's OWD, I want to share the joy of internet calling, so I need a One Web Day... ... continue reading.....

The gambling and telecom industries are both very effective at lobbying the American congress to raise barriers protecting their cash cows and starving innovative startups. Mike at Techdirt writes about the new U.S. ban on online gambling. All it will do is drive online gamblers underground, virtual casinos offshore, and the whole industry out of the reach of regulators, taxation, consumer affairs and law enforcement.

Who benefits? continue reading.....

Skype for Outlook Toolbar has become one of my key tools in day-to-day communications. In fact, I am at the point where I seldom actually "dial" a phone number; just look it up in Outlook Contacts, click on the Toolbar and click on the relevant "phone" number to launch a Skype or SkypeOut call..In his post on GizmoProject's All Calls Free offering, Alec Saunders says: "At iotum,... ... continue reading.....

A few items this week:

Cynthia Blumfield an analyst blogger at IP & Democracy, demonstrates how Skype is on the path to $200 million in revenue in 2006 when revenue per registered user increases by $0.02 per quarter for the remainder of the year. (Hat tip to Andy.)

In response to an email from one of his readers that starts out with "Why are so many people in the VoIP sphere excited by... ... continue reading.....

I came across this recipe in the bottom of a drawer...

Bittersweet mashed telco business model compote -- Serves 6 billion

Ingredients:

1. Legacy telco 800 number business.
2. Parasitical Internet payment subsidiary.
3. Large e-commerce hub.
4. Merchant base looking to increase revenues.
5. Rapidly growing private voice network.

Directions:

• Create new intermediary 800 number, 1-800-VIA-EBAY.
• Create namespace for extensions, e.g. "PLUMBER" is 7586347 on your phone keypad.
• Get users to register their phone numbers; send SMS or callback to verify and enter activation...

One of the challenges of entering the VoIP consumer space is to simply sign up users; so how do you match up the fact that Skype has over 100 million registered users (even if only max 7 million, and climbing, are on Skype at any given time)?

A lot of posts yesterday about Gizmo Project's newly announced "All Calls Free" program whereby registered GizmoProject users... ... continue reading.....

If you have ever used Google Language tools to help understand or communicate in another language then with this Skype Add-on is for you.

Sadly, the product's name, (makes me sound like a robot or someone speaking with a mouth full of marbles ULRTMT v2.6 (Beta) - Universal Language Real-Time Message Translator), does a great disservice to this very useful utility. It is simply marvelous.

I... ... continue reading.....

In a press release issued today, Skype announced "collaboration with [four] hardware partners to deliver the first WiFi phones for Skype(TM) software, making Internet calling on the move a reality". Basically these devices will eliminate the need for a PC to make Skype calls in a "authorization-free" WiFi-enabled environment. Sounds like we may finally see the mildly overdue offering from NETGEAR but they will have some competition.

Andy at VoIP Watch... ... continue reading.....

Skype announced four WiFi phones today. Mobility for Skype user got a real boost with this news. And just maybe this will be the spark that will wake up the Skype Market in the US.

We saw these at CeBit show, but now they are real. All four come preloaded with Skype.

Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype (F1PP000GN-SK)

Edge-Core WiFi Phone for Skype (WM4201)

NETGEAR WiFi Phone for Skype (SPH101)

SMC... ... continue reading.....

Skype ran a few radio commercials in the San Francisco Bay Area in the last few weeks. So far I've confirmed KFOG, easy listening, and KQED, a public radio station. I've only heard the fifteen second KQED spot, a simple description of skyping.

Meanwhile, Skype's continue reading.....

From today's Form 10-K:

"Communications net revenues totaled $44 million in Q2-06, representing a 26% increase from the $35 million reported in Q1-06."

The trend: large but linear. Skype's net transaction revenues six months' ago were $24.8 million (q4-2005). Linear growth means Skype's viral spread is offset by switching to a rival or people just dropping out.

The number of Skype accounts is growing slower than revenue.

Registered Users -- Communications had a cumulative...

I had a quick conversation earlier today with a vendor who was sitting in the departure lounge at SFO airport waiting for a flight. He is based in the UK, and this is roaming on a US network.

Here's how the sequence of interactions went.

1. He calls my SkypeIn number.
2. I get an incoming call from a UK cellular number. Assume a UK-based caller.
3. I don't have my headset plugged in, or Skype set up...