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  • Why Isn't VoIP Videoconferencing Taking Off?

    Voip.biz-news.com spoke to Huw Rees, VP of marketing and sales at Internet-based voice and video telephony company 8×8, to get his feedback on VoIP videoconferencing as a corporate communication tool.
    In these times of budget cuts and soaring travel costs, videoconferencing has been hailed as an effective means of communicating with far-flung employees and customers.

    Companies such as Cisco TelePresence, HP Halo and Lifesize have invested heavily in videoconferencing – or telepresence – technology and offer a range of HD products, some of which cost upwards USD $100,000.

    While these studio-type devices are beyond the range of small businesses, there are an increasing number of affordable desktop IP-based videoconferencing systems on the market.

    With early problems of video quality now overcome, VoIP videoconferencing products would seem to be an ideal corporate communication tool.

    Although more geared to two or three-way conference calls – rather than larger groups – they a provide clear, face-to-face visual link.
    Yet these easy to use, low-cost alternatives have still to catch on.

    Internet-based voice and video telephony company 8×8 introduced its videoconferencing solution, the Packet8 Virtual Office Tango Video Terminal Adapter (VTA), in January.

    However, Huw Rees, vice president of marketing and sales at 8×8, said so far it had not proved to be very popular.
    He said it had been adopted by around 5 per cent of subscribers.

    “It’s not really a runaway success,” he said. “Generally people do not use video to phone a lot of people.

    “They are still a bit unconfortable being in front of a camera rather than having a straight audio call.”

    Headquarted in Santa Clara, California, 8×8 is the second largest stand alone VoIP service provider in the US.

    Benefits Of  Videoconferencing?



    Rees said that, apart from in specific circumstances, business people didn’t see any benefit from using video.
    “We believe that will change, but we have been saying that for several years and haven’t seen it yet,” he said.

    Rees said that he remained to be convinced that even the expensive room systems with giant HD screens were realy going to catch on.

    “Presumably these companies have done their research but it will be interesting to see what happens,” he said.

    “There are certain circumstances where these set-ups work, such as when a business has two teams involved on a project in different parts of the country. But this is very specific.”

    Rees said the VTA, which has a built-in TFT LCD 5” display, has been adapted from an existing consumer product for its business customers.

    He said the main difference was that it was an extension on a PBX rather than being a stand-alone device.

    A phone is supplied with the package, with features such as call transferring built into it.

    Video Quality Not An Issue

    Joan Citelli, direct of corporate communications for 8×8, said video quality had been poor in the early days of IP-based videoconferencing but that was not the case today.

    “Quality is not an issue any longer,” she said. “Videoconferencing does seem to make a lot of sense and you would think that it would allow companies to cut down on commuting and travelling.

    “But it seems that seeing someone on a phone call is not a replacement for meeting and sitting down with them.”

    Have you used a desktop videoconferencing package? We would be interested to hear your comments on videoconferencing and whether it is going to catch on with small business users.

  • Strategy For HDMI Success Now Being Applied to Wireless HD

    Wireless High Definition Special: In the second of our articles looking at the competing next generation wireless high definition TV systems hdtv.biz-news.com spoke to John LeMoncheck, president and CEO of SiBEAM, and a leading member of the WirelessHD (WiHD) consortium.

    Before assuming his current role as president and CEO of SiBEAM in 2006, John LeMoncheck, was vice president of Silicon Image’s consumer electronics and PC/display business.

    In that position, he led the company’s efforts to promote the worldwide adoption of HDMI.

    Since joining SiBEAM, a high-speed wireless applications business, LeMoncheck has been at the forefront of its endeavors to develop WiHD technology it expects to transform the wireless landscape.

    He said he had adopted a similar strategy with WiHD as he had done when he pulled together the HDMI standard, which now has almost a billion installed links worldwide.

    “I called up my HDMI buddies and said let’s do this, but wirelessly,” he said.

    WiHD replaces HDMI wires with radio links and is designed to handle HDTV video streams between AV equipment.

    LeMoncheck said the need for wireless connections was becoming essential as more HDTV manufacturers produced super-thin panels for hanging on walls.

    He said WiHD had enough bandwidth – more than 4 Gbits/s – to ensure “perfect, lossless uncompressed video”.

    Picture Delays Avoided


    This meant there were no memory, compression or latency issues – essentially delays which can cause sluggishness in gaming or even when changing of channel.

    Coupled with this, the technology had a low rate back channel which enabled activities such as pictures to be moved around while still satisfying the “big pipe” to the display.

    LeMoncheck said SiBeam had taken the decision to change the fundamental frequency it worked with to 60 GHz.

    He said they had done this rather than adopting the “apple polishing tricks” of rival wireless technologies, which he said suffered from an “obvious loss of quality”.

    However, he said one factor that had limited the 60 GHz technology’s mass appeal was that it depended on a clear line of site between devices.

    Beam-steer Fixes Broken Signal

    This had been overcome by developing a technique to beam-steer the signal by bouncing it off walls.

    He said the technology was now omni-directional – allowing it to detect all available devices – and then direct data to the receiver as a tight beam of energy with only micro-second delays if the beam was interfered with.

    “If you walk in with a new device, it will get added to the network of devices,” he said. “To the user it feels like an omni-directional radio – you don’t have to position it to make sure it works.”

    As well as SiBEAM, members of the WirelessHD consortium include industry leaders such as Intel, LG, Matsushita, NEC, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.

    But it was also important to have the confidence of Hollywood and last month WiHD announced that a content protection scheme for the transmission of wireless high definition content had been released by the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator and approved by major film studios.

    High Cost Factor

    Another problem encountered in the WiHD technology was the high cost of transceiver circuits.

    This has been tackled by using a radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit (IC) manufactured with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

    GaAs technology is commonly used in millimeter-wave transceiver circuits, making it hard to lower costs.

    The use of general-purpose CMOS technology is expected to lower costs to about the level of the costs of wireless LAN.

    SiBEAM is the key driver in chipping the CMOS RF transceiver and in January this year it announced the world’s first WiHD chipset.

    LeMoncheck said this was very small and simple to integrate.

    He said if it was possible for manufacturers to add the chip solution to, for instance HDTVs, for the same cost as a 10m cable then it was a “no-brainer”.

    “It’s a strategic gain for them as they are gaining from the cable dollars that they would not have got before,” he said.

    Potential Uses Are Vast

    LeMoncheck said future uses, once a single chip solution was perfected, would allow it to be put, for instance, on the back of a camcorder.

    He said the PC world was also very interested in wireless docking giving access to displays, printers and so on.

    “There are a lot of different devices that this can go into,” he said. “That’s our other key advantage – we are capable of working with data.”

    He said an iPod could synchronise effortlessly between devices, transferring a whole DVD file in five seconds.

    “That’s why we are working with the IEEE and looking at personal area networking,” he said.

    The WiHD consortium has entered into contracts with about 40 firms for the use of its technology and the first equipment compliant with WiHD is likely to appear in early 2009.

  • Tiny LCD Step Closer to Mobile HD


    Casio has unveiled a two-inch LCD that brings the arrival of HD video on mobile devices a large step closer.

    With a resolution of 960×540 the company is rightfully excited that its latest offering gives its sharpest display yet.

    By contrast, LCD screens on PMPs usually come with a screen resolution of 800×480.

    The size and resolution of the new screens makes them ideal for use on future cell phones, digital cameras, and portable media players.

    The display uses a new Hyper Amorphous Silicon TFT LCD with an extremely small pixel structure and 15.5 micron dot pitch.

    The output is a full quarter that of 1080p HD and results in an extremely dense 546 pixels per inch, giving the final image its excellent quality.

    Casio said that despite the advances in resolution images still carry a complete 16.7 million colors and have a 160-degree viewing arc from any direction.

    No information has been released on when the new two-inch LCD will start shipping.

  • AT&T To Boost HD Line-up With MPEG-4


    AT&T is to continue growing its high-definition channel line-up in the US with the help of increasingly efficient MPEG-4 compression.

    The telco’s U-verse TV service currently delivers MPEG-4 video in the range of 6 to 8 Megabits per second.

    The use of improved video compression will allow that to be reduced to 5 Mbps, with the expectation that further improvements are likely.

    Earlier this month, AT&T launched Total Home DVR, initially in San Francisco, which lets U-verse TV deliver five simultaneous HD streams: two live and three from the DVR.

    John Donovan, AT&T’s CTO, said efficiency gains would allow it to support more simultaneous IPTV streams, upping the live HD streams to three and the recorded HD streams to four in 2009.

    MPEG-4 equipment is allowing IPTV service providers some help against their cable TV competitors, who mostly use MPEG-2 compression.

    Speaking at an investment conference, Donovan noted that video now exceeds 40 per cent of AT&T’s total IP backbone traffic whereas three years ago it was negligible.

    “If you download one HD video movie, it’s the equivalent of 35,000 rich-content web pages, or 2,000 songs,” he said. “So it’s very, very dramatic.”

    The growth in broadband data is driving the telco’s content-distribution network services, which replicate Internet content.
    AT&T will invest $70 million this year tripling CDN storage and server capacity, according to Donovan.

  • Who Said Smartphones Were Just For Fun?

    While the iPhone and Google’s HTC-made G1 may be introducing a more consumer-oriented market to the smartphone, it is still very much a business tool.



    The high-end handsets are being used to carry increasing amounts of confidential data, yet only 35 per cent of companies have a mobile device security strategy in place.



    Smartphone.biz-news.com spoke to Larry Ketchersid, chairman and CEO of Media Sourcery, about how it’s helping enterprises with mobile workforces securely distribute confidential information.

    Epitomised by RIM’s BlackBerry, with its reputation for secure email and text messaging, smartphones remain a powerful data communication tool for companies.

    Larry Ketchersid, chairman and CEO of Media Sourcery, believes that role is likely to gain in importance as more enterprises latch on to the benefits of utilising smartphone-based products.

    But security and data regulations have to be a major consideration when dealing with highly sensitive information.

    His company has developed a secure smartphone application called Mobile Data Messenger (MDM) that allows the sending and receiving of encrypted traffic.

    It securely transfers data files through a network without the need to use E-mail or FTP, or having to burning CDs or DVDs and sending them via snail mail or courier.

    Intended for use in virtually any size of organisation, it also enables companies to do away with the need for significant numbers of paper forms and provides real-time information that can be integrated directly into a data system.

    Ketchersid said the result was secure data transmission – but also increased productivity.

    “Security is great, and it’s required, but when it gets down to doing the ROI, the company and CEO are looking for simplified and improved accuracy and efficiency for their mobile workforce,” he said.

    Ketchersid said the MDM package was written in Java and was already being used by a major US healthcare company on its BlackBerries.

    “Security of patient health information is required in the US by the HIPAA regulations, and our solution solves that and other problems, such as the removal of paper forms, automation of data entry, cleaner data, mobilization of their application and so on, for our customers,” he said.

    Ketchersid said MDM wasn’t restricted to the RIM handsets or the BlackBerry encrypted enterprise server.

    Larry Ketchersid

    The package has been adapted for use on Nokia’s S60 platform at the request of the Finnish phone manufacturer.

    Media Sourcery has also just completed a request by HTC to port the application to Windows Mobile and Ketchersid said he was keeping a close watch on Android to see if it became more enterprise focussed in the future.

    “By having Symbian 60 and RIM, we have the two big ones,” he said. “So we have a pretty large market share.”

    Ketchersid said MDM was initially intended for use in heavily-regulated industries with a need for high security and audit trails.

    All transactions are encrypted and tracked for full regulatory compliance and once securely sent and succesfully received, confidential data is wiped from a smartphone’s memory.

    Simplicity Essential For High Adoption Rates

    Ketchersid said a prime example of the importance of this was in the healthcare industry, which has a mix of technically-trained staff and employees with low technical skills.

    “Our biggest customer in the US is the country’s largest hospice company,” he said.

    “We provide a user interface for healthcare workers to enter patients’ data, which is then sent back to the company’s database and automatically integrated into the back-end health information system.

    “What we have to do where the customer is not as used to smartphones as in other industries is make the application very simple.
    “We are talking about making the transfer from filling out a paper form, yet it has to be something everyone can do.”

    But Ketchersid said feedback from the client was good, adding: “They are loving it and asking us to put all the forms they have on it.”

    The MDM package is either sold as a hosted subscription service or as a software version for companies to manage themselves.

    Ketchersid said the decision on which version to adopt came down to whether IT departments wanted to have complete control of their own systems.

    MDM is also being used in the oil industry where security is an important feature, as are GPS requirements, a timestamp and automatic integration.

    “We have a customer in the oil field professional services that has to go out to remote locations,” said Ketchersid. “What they really need is an audit trail to show they were at a site and did tasks. It’s like a timesheet on steroids.”

    He said there was a growing market for MDM from companies looking for a forms package with Media Sourcery’s security built into it.

    Aside from the healthcare and oil industries, MDM is being used in the legal profession.

    Potential future uses include a law enforcement project where officers are required to record possible evidential data or prove a vehicle was stopped.

    “It’s a pretty open field. We got started in the healthcare market and will continue to have healthcare customers but are expanding out from that,” he said.

    “There are so many possibilities. It’s really going to be where the customer demand comes from.”

  • SDK For Android Developers Released


    The Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing applications for Android and its new app market has been released and is available for downloading.

    While it won’t remain static, developers can rely on the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in the SDK, and can update their applications to run on Android 1.0-compatible devices.

    The Android Market beta is also to be launched with the T-Mobile G1, providing developers with a way to distribute their applications on that and later devices.

    It remains to be seen how developers will respond to Android since, unlike Apple’s strictly supervised apps, those for the open source market will have to support multiple handsets.

    Meanwhile Gadgetell has an interesting piece on how Google and T-Mobile plan to protect the network from malicious apps.

  • G1 Cheaper to Run Than iPhone


    T-Mobile has introduced the first Google Phone, the HTC-made G1, which the company hopes will rival Apple’s iPhone.

    The much-anticipated G1, formerly known as the HTC Dream, is the first open-source Android-based smartphone.

    The handset touts touchscreen functionality, a QWERTY keyboard, and a Google-centric mobile Web experience.

    Inevitably, comparisons with the iPhone were going to be made and the price – both of the handset and monthly contract charges – was going to be an area of key interest.

    The G1 will be available for USD $179 in the US from 22 October where it will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile’s network.

    It will be offered with either a USD $25 data plan with unlimited Web access but limited messaging, or users can opt for true unlimited data for USD $35.

    T-Mobile’s voice plans start at USD $30, meaning a total cost of USD $55 for unlimited Internet access.

    Wired has done an interesting price comparison which estimates that, based on a two-year contract period, the G1 is around USD $380 cheaper than the 3G iPhone.

    While the initial reaction to the USD $179 price tag for the G1 was positive, there have been complaints that it doesn’t apply to existing T-Mobile subscribers who have been reportedly been offered an unsubsidized price of USD $399 and a USD $100 online discount.

    This ends up giving the G1 a USD $344 total cost – although this would still make it cheaper using the Wired calculations.

    In terms of the spec, “solid but not spectacular” would probably sum up reviews of the handset, which is to be launched in the UK in November and elsewhere in Europe in early 2009.

    As would be expected, the G1 comes loaded with Google Search, Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube and other popular Google software that PC users are familiar with.

    A full HTML Web browser lets users see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then zoom in to expand any section by tapping on the screen.

    Importantly, the G1 builds on the promise of the Google mobile operating system, which gives users access to the Android Market.
    Customers can find and download applications from there to expand and personalize the HTC-made handset.

    However, while the G1 has generally been greeted with praise, there has been some criticism of its styling and design – with complaints that it’s thicker and heavier than the iPhone and lacks features such as video playback.

    A major grumble is that instead of standard headphone and USB ports, it has a proprietary combination port, meaning that regular headphones won’t work unless you add a special dongle.

    There has also been some questioning of how “open” the G1 really is, since T-Mobile will be restricting voice over internet protocol (VoIP) applications.

  • Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7


    Microsoft is not expected to complete a final build of its Windows Mobile 7 operating system until the second half of 2009.

    ZD Net Asia said the software maker has informed some of its partners that it has had to delay the much anticipated update to its cell phone operating system.

    The report describes the delay is a significant blow for Microsoft, which has been counting on the next version of WinMo to enable devices that better rival Apple’s iPhone.

    It points out that the delay also comes as competition steps up in the smartphone market.

    Google is preparing to launch the G1, first phone running its Android operating system, while Apple has its updated iPhone 3G, and new models are also debuting from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

    While no major update to its core operating system is expected ahead of Windows Mobile 7 other improvements are likely to take place before then, including an improved browser that brings the rendering engine of Internet Explorer 6 onto Windows Mobile.

    That update should allow Windows Mobile phones to display rich Web pages, including those that are home to Flash content and Ajax applications.

  • Web Sites Must Adapt For Mobile Access


    The rising popularity of smartphones and their increasing use to access the internet means web sites must be prepared for effective handheld viewing.

    With the launch of new phones from the likes of Apple, RIM and now HTC, with Google’s Android-based G1, that trend is set to accelerate.

    Chuck Sacco, CEO of mobile marketing experts PhindMe.net, said the G1 represented another step toward complete Web access for people on the go.

    “What we’ve seen with the BlackBerry and the iPhone is a shift away from cell phones to smart phones and the G1 is going to further spur that shift,” he said.

    “With Google’s Android technology also available to other cell phone manufacturers who want to develop smart phones, we anticipate a spike in the number of people using handhelds for the kind of online information they used to access while tethered to the home or office computer.”

    Sacco said most businesses had yet to investigate whether their Web site was accessible to handheld users.

    But an M:Metrics survey showed that 85 per cent of iPhone users accessed the Web for information and were 10 times more likely to search the mobile Web than cell phone owners.

    Jon Cooper, CMO of PhindMe.net, said companies spentd a lot of resources on intricate Web sites that simply didn’t translate to the small screen.

    He said that with the market transitioning toward smart phones, businesses were missing an important opportunity if they didn’t create streamlined versions of their sites that were both accessible to handheld phones and provided information that people on-the-go actually need.

    “Someone looking for lunch isn’t going to care about the history of your restaurant –they need timely information such as where you are and how to get there, what’s on your menu and what’s on special,” he said.

    “You should make that information accessible on their phone to maximize your marketing opportunities.”

  • Apple Clamps Down On Rejected iPhone Apps


    Apple is to block developers’ abilities to distribute iPhone applications outside of its iTunes App Store.

    Developers were previously allowed to distribute apps directly to users by binding the software to the serial number of their iPhone.

    The move is certain to add to the growing disquiet from application developers unhappy with Apple’s unclear and seemingly arbitrary approvals policy.

    A number of apps, including Podcaster, NetShare, Murderdrome and MailWrangler, have received rejection letters from Apple despite following official guidelines.

    Among those affected by the latest decision is Almerica, the creator of a podcast download and playback tool known as Podcaster.

    It was initially rejected by Apple because the application duplicated the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.

    So it began using a method that created ad hoc licenses for the utility as an impromptu distribution tactic, an approach that left out the App Store entirely and consequently left Apple out of its 30 per cent revenue from each sale.

    The new restriction is being seen as a risky precedent and one that could lead to legal activity if Apple’s attempts to control any and all sales channels of software to iPhone and iPod touch owners falls foul of monopoly legislation.

    Apple is also trying to prevent developers whose applications are rejected from discussing the reasons by issuing a non-disclosure agreement with the refusal notice.

    The situation is in stark contrast to T-Mobile’s G1, which as the first official Google Android phone operates an open source policy for applications and OS development/modification.