Three: One Billion Skype Minutes Served

Skype's Linda Summers told Monday's Mobile Monday London audience that Hutchison's 3 mobile network served one billion Skype minutes on its 3 Skypephones and other Skype-enabled phones in the UK, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Australia and Hong Kong. Those Skype calls run through Skype's Skype Lite servers, a potential Skype as a Web Service Platform.

Update: Minister for Digital Britain the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP rings up the "billionth minute."

Thanks to James Body for the tip, to Paul Downey for the notes.

tags: skype, statistics, stats, trends, audioboo, gips, hdvoice, omtp

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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UK broadband miles behind its counterparts

Guest post by Shahul Hameed, broadband analyst at VAC Media. Shahul reports on UK broadband provider performance, technologies, and markets for VAC's Broadband Suppliers site.

Will instant downloads ever happen here? Can we play online and watch videos without interruption? We have been expecting these changes with our UK broadband services a long time.

A recent study by Broadband Suppliers states our international peers, especially South Korea and Japan, are miles a head of the United Kingdom. Even though the UK ranks among the top thirty richest nations, the UK's telecommunication infrastructure is worse than rest of Europe and most of the countries in the world.

South Korea, for example, is the first country in the world to bring fiber optic cable connections to every school nationwide. Online games are a national event.

The maximum broadband speed offered in UK is 50 Mbps while the average monthly bill shoots up to 10 times higher than other countries. Expert analysis claims houses in most part of the country still connect to exchanges using old BT copper wires. Copper wires do not have better data carrying capacity compared to fiber optic cables. Moreover, the longer the wires are from the exchange, the slower the speed will be. The fiber optic cables have been laid in major cities while other parts of the country still wait for network expansion.

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) recently announced that the UK is worse on broadband penetration by standard measures. They also reported that one in every five users (21%) express dissatisfaction with broadband speeds. 16% are dissatisfied with the price of the plan and 13% with the reliability and performance of the connection. Almost 26% of customers say broadband providers set a wrong expectation about connection speed.

Some of the major factors affecting speeds include:

1. Line capacity of the ISP's
2. Cable quality
3. Distance between the residents and exchange

Awareness about the speed of the broadband is mixed. Many people are well informed about the factors affecting speed and choose the fastest ISP, while almost 40% are unaware of the head line speed. Broadband suppliers continue to mislead the public regarding download speeds and tag customers with higher prices. This was also reported and criticized by Ofcom this year.

The UK Government should speed up the process of laying fiber optic cables and increase the coverage of wireless networks. Else we will remain in the 26th position or fall further when it comes to the quality of broadband service in the world, while competitors like Japan and South Korea are future ready.

tags: uk, broadband, rok, southkorea

Thomas Howe leaves Jaduka, retakes Voice Mashup King status

Thomas Howe left his CEO role at Jaduka a few weeks ago, leaving the VoIP platform company in the capable hands of COO Jack Rynes. Thomas is back filling demand for Communications Enhanced Business Processes (CEBP) from his Cape Cod office.

We'll see Howe at the Emerging Communications Conference in Amsterdam next month, the Telco 2.0 Executive Brainstorm in London after that. Here's his talk from the Spring 2009 eComm.

tags: jaduka, austin, thomashowe, cebp, ecomm, telco2.0

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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Fidelity Wars: Microsoft strains video call resolution

From the Competition Is Good Department. Microsoft will sell its upgraded LifeCam webcam starting September 9. The "Cinema's" resolution is now 720p, 1280×720 pixels at 30 frames per second.

Your PC must convert all that video into streamable bits. The image encoding/decoding and compression take serious processor power, lots of memory, and real broadband bandwidth. Microsoft says this requires a dual core 1.6GHz processor, and recommends a 3GHz dual core processor and 2GB of memory. No news yet on which drivers and codecs they'll use, how much burden using the Cinema will put on your system (will you be able to run Outlook while calling?), nor how much bandwidth a HD video call will take.

This year Skype published the free SILK audio codec for wideband audio at the same bandwidth and Google announced it's buying On2, the maker of Skype's video engine. The race to fidelity hasn't been this hot since Skype promoted the GIPS audio codec suite in 2003, followed by Yahoo!, Google, AOL, and Microsoft.

LifeCam Cinema Features: 4x digital zoom, glass lens, auto focus, Microsoft "ClearFrame" frame-rate doubling technology, noise-cancelling microphone, Windows Live calling button, aluminum body. For Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. £70 or $80.

tags: cameras, webcams, microsoft, lifecam, cinema, skype, clearframe, codec, compression, HD

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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The Skype's Not Falling

On behalf of headline writers everywhere, sorry for the fear escalation.

Take a deep breath.

Skype is not shutting down.

All's running well.

Skype remains very profitable. Likely more than $100 million this year.

Skype has at least 10 months until a court date.

Joltid must prove to a judge that Skype broke a contract.

Joltid must prove the breach in one part of the contract was big enough to justify voiding the whole thing.

Joltid has to prove they were harmed by whatever they claim Skype did.

Joltid has to prove the proper remedy is killing the goose that laid Joltid's golden egg.

Not easy to do.

But let's say Joltid beats Skype/eBay in court.

Let's say the judge tells Skype: stop using Joltid's code and pay a fine too.

That probably won't matter.

Skype's busy making new code.

Skype may even buy code from a Joltid competitor.

Code to swap out sometime in the next 10 months.

So even if Skype loses in court, users keep on Skyping, Skype keeps making money, and everyone's happy except for the people at Joltid.

Skype knows this.

So they're working hard to be ready.

In the middle of next year.

Four seasons from now.

So don't panic.

Don't fret.

Sleep well.

Keep Skyping.

And don't forget your towel.

tags: skype, joltid, dontpanic, towel, pin

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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Skype races to replace Joltid's p2p by June 2010

From eBay's SEC filing of form 10Q: 

Skype licenses peer-to-peer communication technology from Joltid Limited pursuant to a license agreement between the parties.

That's the software that lets your Skype client find and talk with other Skype clients. Joltid Limited is a British Virgin Islands company.

The parties had been discussing a dispute over the license.

Skype's founders want a second payday. They flubbed their $2 billion dollar payout at eBay, missing targets, settling for a nine figure buyout.

In March 2009, Skype Technologies S.A. filed a claim in the English High Court of Justice (No. HC09C00756) against Joltid Limited.

Skype picked the venue.

Following the filing of the claim, Joltid purported to terminate the license agreement between the parties.

"We're ending your license." "You're just purporting to end our license."

In particular, Joltid has alleged that Skype should not possess, use or modify certain software source code

Presumably, someone at Joltid provided that source code to Skype. Their contract (not yet public) may have detailed how that code was to be used. Or not.

and that, by doing so, and by disclosing such code in certain U.S. patent cases pursuant to orders from U.S. courts, Skype has breached the license agreement.

Since this is about facts, discovery should be interesting.

From an earlier SEC filing:

In particular, Joltid has alleged that Skype should not possess, use or modify certain software code (the "Code") and that, by doing so, and by disclosing the Code in certain U.S. patent cases, pursuant to orders from U.S. courts, it has breached the license agreement.

On the basis of, among other things, the parties' mutual dealings since the execution of the licence agreement, Skype is asking the English High Court for declaratory relief, including findings that:

(i) Skype is lawfully accessing, in possession of, using and modifying the Code so that Skype is not in breach of the license agreement with Joltid and accordingly Joltid's notice of breach and subsequent notice of termination are invalid;

(ii) Skype lawfully disclosed the Code in the U.S. patent cases so that Skype is not in breach of the license agreement with Joltid and accordingly Joltid's notice of breach and subsequent notice of termination are invalid; and

(iii) Joltid has certain indemnity obligations in relation to the U.S. patent proceedings.

Skype sued first, to finalize Joltiid's claims. Skype is asking the court to rule Skype didn't breach the contract and the contract is still in effect.

So, of course, Joltid sues back...

Joltid has brought a counterclaim alleging that Skype has repudiated the license agreement, infringed Joltid’s copyright and misused confidential information.

If Joltid wins on copyright infringement, Skype users downloaded the software more than 1.5 billion times. Is Joltid the new RIAA? 

On the basis of, among other things, the parties’ mutual dealings since the execution of the license agreement, Skype asked the English High Court for declaratory relief, including findings that Skype is not in breach of the license agreement, that Joltid’s notice of breach and subsequent notice of termination are invalid, and that Joltid has certain indemnity obligations in relation to the U.S. patent proceedings.

"Dear Judge, shut up Joltid."

Trial is currently scheduled for June 2010.

A deadline!

Although Skype is confident of its legal position, as with any litigation, there is the possibility of an adverse result if the matter is not resolved through negotiation.

It's to Skype's advantage to strike a deal with Joltid as soon as possible. Joltid, however, may enjoy a better bargaining position the closer they get to the court date.

Skype has begun to develop alternative software to that licensed through Joltid.

When did this project begin? While the Joltid founders were still running Skype for eBay? Five minutes after the founders left? When Joltid claimed breach?

Skype can improve their bargaining position by replacing the Joltid p2p engine. They could buy the technology from Bluemoon.

This is an opportunity to improve on the original p2p engine. Skype could build a p2p engine that:

• scales faster and more reliably,
• crosses more residential and enterprise firewalls,
• works at low power on wireless networks,
• survives hostile conditions including blocking,
• updates status and presence more quickly,
• recovers more quickly from disruptions in the p2p fabric,
• efficiently creates creates supernodes and relays.

Skype's new CTO has one year to design, test, and deploy a new p2p engine assuming they started construction in 2009q2 (would eBay have reported it if they'd started sooner?). That's a tight deadline when p2p isn't at the center of your expertise.

However, such software development may not be successful, may result in loss of functionality or customers even if successful, and will in any event be expensive.

No pressure.

If Skype was to lose the right to use the Joltid software as the result of the litigation, and if alternative software was not available, Skype would be severely and adversely affected and the continued operation of Skype’s business as currently conducted would likely not be possible.

Where's that countdown clock? 305 days to go.

See also:

• Skype: p2p Explained
• Joltid: p2p networking

Hat tip to the Skype 5.x chat room.

tags: skype, joltid, p2p, uk, litigation, lawsuit, suit

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
Visit our Skype Journal private roundtable, one of the longest running public Skype chats.

When Skype Goes Mobile: INQ1

Guest post by Martyn Davies, News Editor at VoIP User,  Principal Consultant at Dialogic, Podcaster at Blue Box: The VoIP Security Podcast, and contributor to the Voice of VOIPSA blog. @martyndavies on twitter.

The INQ¹ is the third generation of phones from the “3” network (Hutchison 3G) that has Skype integrated into it. The INQ1 is designed and made by a division of 3, so the handset is currently for 3 only, and more handset models are expected to follow this year. On 3, Skype calls are free, which means that INQ1 to Skype (on a PC/Mac) calls are free as well as INQ1 to INQ1. 3 also offer flat-rate data (even for prepay customers), and this gives a lot of freedom to use IM and social networking without the bill worries.

Brushed, Bright and Vibrant

The INQ1 comes beautifully packaged in a cuboid box with a Japanese painting design. Opening the box you see the handset itself (in my case silver, there is also a matt-black version), with all the cables, power supply and so on underneath. The handset itself has a brushed metal case and feels strong and substantial; the screen is bright and vibrant, and the sound is good and loud. The handset is quite thick because it has a slider that reveals the keypad underneath. The slide action is strong, and tactile. The keylock is automatic when you shut the handset.

I won’t go in to the full specs, as they’re available on the 3 website [editor: inserted following this review], but it has an adequate camera for still/video (with comparable quality to my Nokia E71, although without flash).

A stereo headset is provided for hands-free and music listening, although unfortunately this has quite an ugly connector that goes into the side, making the phone less easy to put in a narrow pocket. There’s one connector for everything, a mini-USB that accepts the power supply, data cable and the headphones. It has 3G data (HSDPA) and can be used as a PC modem (tether), via cable or Bluetooth.

It also has a micro-SD slot, so you can store quite a bit of music or photographs/videos.

Social Mobile Software

The key feature of this handset is obviously the integration of Skype and other social networking features. 3 have been pushing this hard with the Skype (S1, S2) phones, and the INQ1 is offered with the same free calling to Skype contacts. The Skype client in this phone works well, and offers presence, IM and calling as you would expect. The only niggle I had was in the implementation of Skype chats, which seemed to want to open a new chat window every time someone posted to the chat.

Once you have logged-in with your Skype credentials, the client offers to integrate the contacts into your address book. In fact it does this trick for Facebook (FB) too, and this turns out to be a very compelling feature of the INQ1. Once done, all of your contacts appear in the same contact directory, with an icon to show which social network each contact comes from. There is also a ‘favourites’ list; so it is possible to make a preferential list of your ‘real-life’ friends, so that you don’t get swamped by FB and Skype contacts if they number in the hundreds. When you receive a call, caller ID is used to match up with the FB list, so the handset can display the photo of your friend downloaded from FB.

A further integration feature is that all the messaging inboxes also appear in a single list. The Messages screen shows you inbox (= texts), FB inbox (also pokes and requests), Skype chats, Windows Messenger chats and email. It’s great to have that all in one place. The email is slightly schizophrenic, in that 3 offer an email aggregator (to pull emails out of existing accounts), but there is also the separate Gmail application.

There are other useful applications too. In addition to Gmail, there is Google Search and Google Maps (a cut-down version with no location features). The music player is quite useable, and can log-on to your Last.fm account and ‘scrobble’, i.e. tell the world in real-time what music tracks you are listening to. The web browser works well, and I find that I use it a lot in ‘landscape’ mode, as turning the phone sideways does switch the display. This landscape trick also works in the music player.

Navigation between applications uses a side-button (the ‘switcher’) that controls a horizontal app ribbon at the bottom of the screen. You can quite happily run multiple apps (e.g. browser, Skype, music player) and switch between them quickly and efficiently.

Most of my criticisms of the handset are really trivial: The FB font is incredibly tiny and (unlike the browser) couldn’t be changed using the +/- buttons; the landscape mode screen should work in all apps; the volume control wasn’t granular enough, and jumped to fast from quiet to “too loud”. Also, because I’ve been using Twitter a fair bit recently, it would have been nice to have a built-in app for that.

All in all, it’s a well-made phone with a lot of features of a smartphone for much less money (£80). I imagine this handset appealing most to people in their teens and twenties, and with these kind of features built-in to a prepay handset, I'm sure there will be a lot of interest.  3 is the smallest of the five UK mobile phone networks, but they’ve already seen that the Skypephones help retain the notoriously fickle prepay customers. What 3 are trying to do in this area of Skype/social software integration is still unique, and kudos to them for creating their own path among the mobile operators.

tags: skype, 3, hutch, Hutchison Whampoa Limited, hutchison, inq1, facebook, fb, mobile, handset, inq¹, review, uk

Call me at +1-510-455-4384, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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From 3's data sheet:

Overview

The INQ¹ handset is the next device to feature in our internet category and is designed exclusively for 3. It takes the principle of easy-to-use internet to new levels and is the world’s first fully integrated social networking phone. Purpose built for 3 customers in the UK this handset is designed to get the best out of the biggest and best 3G network in the UK.

Highlights

Internet services such as Facebook, Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Last.fm are deeply integrated into the handset, transforming the mobile internet experience that consumers are used to.

But rather than constrain internet usage with artificial caps on downloads we’ve created a new tariff which, for only £15 a month, provides UNLIMITED mobile internet access, UNLIMITED texts, UNLIMITED 3 to 3 calls and 75 cross network minutes. Or for £20 a month you can get the same deal, but with 200 cross network minutes.

Pricing Info

• £79.99 on PAYG
• Free on Mix & Match tariffs
• Free on the INQ¹ £15 and £20 tariffs

Key features:

• Advanced integration of Skype, WLM, Facebook and Last.fm, plus home screen widgets
• Integrated phonebook with Facebook status & profile picture, Skype and WLM presence
• Switcher key and menu carousel for easy navigation to major internet sites
• 3.2MP camera, 2.2” screen, and auto-landscape browser
• HSDPA 3.6Mbps technical spec, and pre-loaded with modem drivers making it a plug and play dongle
• Picture blogging; upload photos directly to Facebook

Full Specifications

• Size: 97 x 47.6 x 14.4 mm
• Weight: 110g
• Battery: 329 hrs (standby) 324 mins (talktime) application dependent
• Connectivity: Bluetooth A2DP, USB 2.0
• Camera: 3.2 Megapixel
• Network: HSDPA enabled
• Games: Java compatible - xgames preloaded
• Screen: 2.2”QVGA -262K colour TFT
• Memory: internal 50MB - external to 4GB (Note 1GB card supplied in-box)
• Music: MP3 player
• Integrated Facebook
• Integrated Skype
• Integrated WLM
• RSS support
• Widget support

See also:

• INQ1 flickr photo set

As phones becomes PCs, shouldn't you control your phone, not the phone company?

Skype will announce results of their Zogby consumer survey tomorrow. Findings support Skype's bargaining position with mobile carriers (pre-install Skype, embed SILK) and their freedom-to-connect regulatory rhetoric (delamination, Skype Carterfone).

UPDATE: announced.

The issue: Do you want the control and power over your mobile phone you have over your PC?

People under 30 years old think of phones as PCs. They want the same choice over software, connectivity, and services they have with PCs.

US carriers block a phone's features and restrict which programs users put on their phones, a "walled garden" approach. Skype clearly wants people free to choose Skype software and hardware. 

Consumers in countries where they have more control over their mobiles, like Spain and Japan, get the idea that smartphones are like PCs, platforms for software. 

The timing is great: just two weeks until more Skype announcements at CTIA Wireless 2009 in Las Vegas. CTIAw is a tradeshow where mobile carriers and those who sell to/through them gather. Mobile phone manufacturers, transmission technology companies, software companies (the whole stack) will be there.

Mobile carrier execs decried consumer control at the September 2008 CTIA event.

In this survey, 1800 US consumers were asked:

Recently, an upper-level executive from a mobile carrier said that consumers would rather have their mobile devices' applications chosen for them than to have the ability to choose the applications for themselves. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

4 out of 5 want the ability to choose for themselves:

Strongly agree	1.8%
Somewhat agree	10.6%
Somewhat disagree	25.2%
Strongly disagree	55.3%
Not sure	7.1%

Nick says the study shows users want the kind of application choice iPhone users find in their app store.

tags: skype, zogby, survey, statistics, stats, demography, users, customers, mobile, usa, us, jp, japan, es, spain, uk

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Skype's news release:

Worldwide, consumers still perceive wide gap between their computers and mobile devices; want greater control over mobile experience

Zogby survey of U.S., Japan, Spain and U.K. mobile users shows most do not currently download applications to mobile devices; Skype calls for greater collaboration between carriers, software providers and device makers to assist consumers in embracing next generation of mobile experience

LUXEMBOURG, March 17, 2009 - Skype published data today from a recent Zogby survey showing that most mobile users still perceive a gap between the purpose and controllability of their computers versus their mobile devices. This gap correlates with the finding that the vast majority of mobile users do not yet download applications to their mobile devices.

However, the same people expressed a strong desire to be able to choose mobile applications for themselves, and not have their carriers decide what applications they can use. The results also indicated that people will pay more for a device that will allow them to control the applications.

The study surveyed approximately 3,000 mobile users in four markets -- the U.S., U.K., Japan and Spain - between December 2008 and February 2009. Highlights of the findings include:

• 62% do not yet view their mobile device as an extension of their computer.
• Only 23% feel that they have more or the same level of control over their mobile device as they have over their computer.
• 70% have never downloaded an application to their mobile device.
• 67% want to be able to choose their mobile applications for themselves, rather than have their carriers choose for them.

Regional Breakout: Spain Leads the Way

When the results are broken out by market, regional differences emerge. In Japan, the U.S. and the U.K., respondents felt the least control over their mobile devices versus personal computers (67 percent, 78 percent, 65 percent, respectively), which correlates to few users downloading applications to their mobile devices (22% in Japan, 26% in the U.S., and 28% in the U.K.)

The results from Spain, however, paint a different picture, one that hints at what happens when mobile consumers are given more control. In that market, more than half of the respondents felt there was no difference or they had more control over their mobile devices (53%) as they have over their computers (46%). Nearly half (47%) view their mobile devices as extensions of their computers. Given these attitudes, it is perhaps not coincidental that nearly half of Spanish mobile users (48%) have downloaded applications to their devices, a much larger percentage than the other markets surveyed. And, a much larger percentage of Spain’s mobile users – 50% -- are willing to pay more for a mobile device that allows them to control their applications.

The Age Gap: Younger People Less Likely to View Mobile Devices as Merely Phones

The survey results also indicate that younger adults have a different view of what a mobile device is than their older counterparts. When asked if they view their mobile device as a phone to make calls on, a computer to access the Internet and download applications, or both, younger respondents were less likely to consider their mobile device to be just a phone. For example, in Japan, respondents under 30 were more likely to view mobile devices as a computer, or both (50%) than view them as merely phones (47%), while only 1 in 4 respondents in that market between the ages of 50 and 64 shared a similar view.

“These results show that work could be done to continue to blur the line between the computer and the mobile device, and that advances in new Internet-based services and mobile devices will help drive innovation. Overall, people want the ability to have control over which applications they download and this is consistent with trends in other industries,” said Chad Bohnert, VP Marketing and E-Commerce at Zogby International.

“This is a clear call to action for all of us in the communications industry – carriers, device manufacturers, and software companies like Skype – to work together to deliver what the mobile consumer, especially the next generation of device and data plan buyers, obviously want and expect,” said Scott Durchslag, Chief Operating Officer of Skype. “Together, we can bring a rich PC-like communications experience to mobile devices – one that combines voice, video, presence, instant messaging, and file sharing. In doing so, consumers win, and so does the industry as it fuels growth in data minutes and revenues.”

To answer mobile consumer demand, Skype is focused on delivering more choice, value, and functionality to the billions of mobile devices in the market today. In recent months, Skype now offers mobile applications for a wide range of operating systems, including Android, Windows Mobile, and Java-enabled phones, and is now available on more than 100 devices from LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. In addition, the 3Skypephone, available from Hutchison Whampoa's wireless subsidiary 3, has been used to make more than 300 million Skype-to-Skype calls.

UPDATE: Added "People v. Walled Garden" graphic by Phil Wolff

Skype-XMPP IM Gateway: open source Karaka demoing at eComm

Vipadia's Karaka open source software is another reason to go to this week's Emerging Communications Conference (20% off with 'skypejournal' discount code).

The Karaka libraries manage Skype farms (many instances of Skype running in a data center) and bridge chat users to the Skype network through XMPP applications.

Skype farming is part of building a gateway. Fring, iSkoot, Eqo, Ribbit, IM+ and anyone else who wants to offer Skype chat, Skype presence, Skype profiles and other Skype data must have a gateway. Karaka helps you build your farm management system.

Neil Stratford, Vipadia's CEO, said "we needed the gateway to support our ClackPoint service - as a building block it seemed that it would be more widely useful, so we decided to release it publicly."

 

Scope of a generic Skype gateway?

• Instance lifecycle management: creating, monitoring, and closing instances of Skype.
• Instance virtualization: running your Skype instances on many servers/blades so you scale to meet demand.
• Multisite hosting: minimizing latency (speeding up round trips) by routing conversations to the closest server with available resources
• Skype client configuration:  streamlining instances to avoid using a computer's memory, cpu and bandwidth, and to avoid memory leaks.
• Session management: mapping outside clients to sessions in your gateway, even when they have flaky connectivity.
• Security: the usual, but more so.
• Modeling: associating Skype's data models for people, groups, chats, calls, to your own software and APIs.

What Karaka does and doesn't do:

• Instance lifecycle management: Yes.
• Instance virtualization: Yes. 
• Multisite hosting: No. You can use DNS SRV record load balancing to different sites. 
• Skype client configuration:  Defaults to a basic config, but you can script your own.
• Session management: Yes.
• Security: Up to you. "We have an API to enable encrypted transmission of credentials, but otherwise we rely on the security of the associated XMPP infrastructure."
• Modeling: Yes for those elements in the XMPP definition, No for SIP call elements.

In English:

Look at Vipadia's GPL'd libraries when you want to build a gateway to Skype, to have Skype inside your product or service.

The news release.

Vipadia is pleased to announce the release under the GPLv2 of Karaka, the open-source XMPP-Skype Gateway.

Existing Skype interconnect solutions focus on bridging voice even though the primary use of Skype is for instant messaging and associated presence data. Interconnecting with Skype messaging and presence has been a major stumbling block for many who wish to offer Skype interconnection to their network. Karaka bridges the XMPP and Skype clouds, removing this stumbling block by converting Skype messaging and presence to the popular XMPP protocol as used by, e.g., Google Talk.

Karaka is a scalable distributed XMPP transport that bridges instant messaging and presence between a user's XMPP and Skype accounts. In addition to full presence and instant messaging exchange, it also automatically detects Skype multi-party conversations, elevating them into XMPP conference rooms.

Karaka implements the XMPP standards XEP-0100 for gateway support, XEP-0045 for multi-user chats and XEP-0144 for roster exchange.

Karaka is licensed under the GPLv2 and is hosted on Google Code at <http://code.google.com/p/karaka/>. For more information visit <http://vipadia.com/products/karaka/>.

Vipadia <http://vipadia.com/> is a Cambridge, UK based startup that creates and innovates in the field of IP communications, specialising in Voice, Video, Messaging and Presence over IP.

Karaka uses the Skype API but is not endorsed or certified by Skype.

tags: skype, vipadia, karaka, code, platform, platforming, xmpp, ecomm09, ecomm, gateway, opensource, bridge

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diagram credit: Vipadia

Deadpool: BT's Go!Messenger for Sony PSP

No more PSP-to-PSP voice and video calling with Go!Messenger, the product of a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and BT Group joint venture. 

A year from its launch, too few people used Go!Messenger to justify operations. The service will end 31 March 2009.   

Skype is still available for the Sony PSP. Skype has scale advantages over Go!M: you are about 1000 times more likely to find someone you know within Skype's network. You have hundreds more devices to use, like mobile phones and PCs. You and everyone you know are that much more likely to have Skype dial tone.

Skype's scale advantage is so overwhelming that Skype wins even when BT offers video calling and video messaging and Skype doesn't. 

BT didn't rule out trying again. (Maybe with a flash solution based on BT's Ribbit platform?) Meanwhile, Sony is restructuring, bringing games, PCs, mobile electronics and software into one division.

tags: skype, sony, scee, bt, go!messenger, messenger, go, psp, playstation, portable, dialtone

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Skype hosts video cards for Valentine's Day

Skype sets the mood with free video valentines. Pick your cover…

Record your love note using a webcam, and address it to the one(s) you love.

From the Skype media team:

Roses are Red, and Violets are Blue
Chocolates are sweet, but what about you!?

To make someone smile and giddy with glee,
Just video call your Valentine; it's easy and free!

With a click and record, your readers can share, 
Their Valentine's wishes as though they were there.

While overpriced roses can stir up some hype,
What better surprise than a quick call on Skype!

So say 'I Love You' to him, her, or mom, 
By recording a video card at Skypevideocard.com.

Observations from the 2008 Christmas/Chanukah Video Greeting Card version still apply: Skype can use your video as they like, including your name and the name of your recipient. Skype will delete your videos when it suits them. No encryption. While Skype video cards are a great example of marketing fun and elegance, my concerns still stand:

The video card site doesn't use Skype. At all.

• No use of Skype names or address books to send video greetings.
• No use of the Skype client to record the video message. Or to view video messages from others.
• No use of the Skype client as a way to continue the conversation in a voice, chat or video call.
• No use of Skype's advanced audio/video codecs for higher quality.

Skype Video Card highlights where Skype's technology is creaking with age at the end of 2008.

<geek>

• Skype doesn't offer a browser-based client. Rich Internet Apps improve virality and adoption with less downloading and faster time-to-value.
• Skype's APIs don't expose an open web services platform beyond simple presence. So third parties cannot build Skype into, oh, say, video card apps running in browsers.
• Skype doesn't support third-party authentication, identity interop, profile synchronization, or personal contact synchronization, or personal contact group synchronization. Far from the data portability ideals.
• Skype's identity model does not facet identity. So you're stuck with one profile for everyone. For family. For every job. For every relationship. Forever.
• Skype clients don't support inline media sharing. No playing of images, videos, sounds or other objects during a conversation.

</geek>

Love, Phil

tags: skype, ebay, identity, dataportability, marketing, promotion, advertising, video, eula, greeting, greeting card, video mail, videomessaging, facebook, stumbleupon, furl, delicious, digg, friendfeed, reddit, valentinesday, holiday

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Skype UK advertising for Christmas 2008

Skype is running end-of-year banner ads. They are pulling people to Skype.com with “Download Skype now” the call to action. Developed by Albion London.

Here is a video of three flash ads.

The three landing pages. 
 

The intimacy of video. Free. With kissing. Download now!
 

International gossip is a form of social grooming, where people bond and reinforce social structures, family links, and build relationships.
 

Other phone services charge by the minute. Skype-to-Skype is free.

 

Technorati tags: skype, advertising, ads, ad, uk, online, kiss, gossip

Skype video cards: holiday cheer with a side of humbug

From Skype, the people who brought you the Skype Laughter Chain, here's the Skype Video Card service. A little flash widget lets you record a holiday greeting video into your browser. Share it with friends by embedding the video on your blog, emailing a link, or posting it to any of seven sites (facebook, reddit. friendfeed, digg, delicious, furl, or sister eBay company StumbleUpon).

It's fun, fast, free and easy.

You start.

Pick a cover image. 

Confirm the image.

Let the browser use your webcam.

Record your video.

Preview your video card

Skype says
"Free video calls on Skype. Seeing is believing. Download Skype now"

Share your card

Done.

It's lovely. Light. Simple. Elegant. 4 clicks and you're recording. Sweet. Useful.

Nicely done. 

A few cautions from the fine print:

• Ownership. Skype reserves the right to use your video any time in any way. For example, they might include it in a television commercial, give copies to YouTube, share them with your next boss.  
• Privacy/Anonymity. You're giving Skype the right to use your name in connection with your video. You're giving Skype the right to use anyone else's name too. No privacy. No authenticity. 
• Vague Archival. Skype doesn't promise to keep your videos. They may delete videos when it suits them. Or not. They may keep them until the end of time.
• This Video Upload and Download Is Unencrypted. Unlike Skype video calls or messages.

The video card site doesn't use Skype. At all.

• No use of Skype names or address books to send video greetings.
• No use of the Skype client to record the video message. Or to view video messages from others.
• No use of the Skype client as a way to continue the conversation in a voice, chat or video call.
• No use of Skype's advanced audio/video codecs for higher quality.

Skype Video Card highlights where Skype's technology is creaking with age at the end of 2008.

<geek>

• Skype doesn't offer a browser-based client. Rich Internet Apps improve virality and adoption with less downloading and faster time-to-value.
• Skype's APIs don't expose an open web services platform beyond simple presence. So third parties cannot build Skype into, oh, say, video card apps running in browsers.
• Skype doesn't support third-party authentication, identity interop, profile synchronization, or personal contact synchronization, or personal contact group synchronization. Far from the data portability ideals.
• Skype's identity model does not facet identity. So you're stuck with one profile for everyone. For family. For every job. For every relationship. Forever.
• Skype clients don't support inline media sharing. No playing of images, videos, sounds or other objects during a conversation.

</geek>

Meanwhile, Happy Holidays!

tags: skype, ebay, identity, dataportability, marketing, promotion, christmas, advertising, video, eula, greeting, greeting card, video mail, videomessaging, facebook, stumbleupon, furl, delicious, digg, friendfeed, reddit

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Be Skype Journal

There is so much going on with Skype that the independent Skype Journal needs help. Please Skype me if you'd like to change the world, cover Skype, its competition, products and technology, industry events, and business affairs. 2009 will be a dramatic year for the hundreds of millions of people using Skype around the world. Tell that story.

The network of networks is making distance disappear, and everything is becoming the Internet. We are building pixels into the ambience of our homes, into the plastic we carry, into the theaters of our work, onto our cityscapes and into everything with wheels.

Those pixels are coming with sound and sensors. So the web's metaphor moves from paints and surfaces to glass and open windows. We talk through these open windows into other people's lives. And we share our own.

Somewhere in between here and there is the plumbing that connects all of us together. Energy pulses through glass and sand and copper and air, throbbing with life, with attention, with the minds of humanity, with our beating hearts, with our music.

As we make it, we are changing ourselves. We barely understand what that means. We are becoming more connected, seizing control of our institutions, revising what it means to know and remember, to belong.

And the Internet is only five thousand days old.

In 2001 our global blogosphere shared the horror of the 9/11 attacks.

In 2008 our global mediasphere tweeted, blogged, Blackberried, tagged, digged, YouTubed, streamed, Skyped, IM'd the horror of the #Mumbai attacks.

What could it be like at day 10k? 20k?

Rolling Stone magazine told the story of a music and cultural revolution. I hope Skype Journal does it's part to report and interpret this revolution, shine a light where it does good, and invite people to the party.

Which brings me back to you.

Consider this an invitation. Write the change that happens. Write the change you want. Skype Journal needs your voice. Skype me and we'll set it up.

Phil Wolff
Publisher, Managing Editor.

Did Google's iPhone app learn from Goog411?

Google's new iPhone Google Mobile App uses speech recognition. So does their directory assistance service, 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). Is it a big leap to imagine that one learned from the other? Especially since Mobile App has a US English bias. Google's seemingly eclectic talk family is coming together.

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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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.

more sister

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

tags: skype, uk, usa, family

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