The Under $100 Turf Wars

There’s a battle on the street folks.

Hide yo’ momma. Hide yo’ daddy. Hide yo’ kids.

The under $100 turf wars are on!

It use to be that the only VoIP phones you could find under $100 came from Grandstream or some unheard of Chinese manufacturer. After all this VoIP technology was simply too “advanced” for it to be “cheap.”

As the years rolled on, Grandstream dominated this market. That is until late 2007/early 2008 when other manufacturers started to sense that under $100 was where it was at.
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$95.88 Isn’t Enough

$95.88.

That’s the cost of a year’s worth of unlimited North America calling via Skype.

Apparently that’s not enough. Skype now wants to monetize me by showing ads.

Sure they’re not directly in your face.  And one can understand advertising to FREE users.

But why am I paying to be advertised to?

This sort of feels like cable TV – which I hate – since a good third of the time spent watching TV is viewing ads.

Most people hate their cable company too. This is a slippery slope for Skype.

Over the last two years my Skype usage has increased due to the user experience. Skype is simple, easy and devoid of distractions.

The collaboration tools and general accessibility fit my work style. It’s just that ads don’t.

For paying users ads should be opt-out.

And if you really need more, just charge me double.

Top 5 Offerings Spotted At ITEXPO

Phew! What a show.

For the first time in two and a half year I attended ITEXPO as an exhibitor. As usual, the TMCnet team did a great job in putting together the conference and expo.

The show provided productive meetings, new business connections and even allowed for the closing of some deals

It also provide me with a number of notable offerings that I want to share with you.

• hookflash – Softphone king Erik Lagerway is at it again with hookflash, a soon to be released service that SIP enables any IP enabled endpoint. With hookflash one will be able to access their SIP service on their computer, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows 7, iPad, etc. Having seen it in its early stages, I can’t wait to see it when it is out.
• Yealink T38G – I got a sneak peak at Yealink’s soon to be released color screen phone. If you haven’t heard of Yealink by now you will this year. They are quickly emerging as a strong player in the IP handset space. And when I say compete, I’m not just talking about sub-$100 handsets.
• VoIP Fulfillment by VoIP Supply – This is a new suite of services specifically designed for VoIP providers, allowing them to increase operational efficiency, decrease touch costs and bolster their customer experience. Through services such as warehousing, device configuration, direct end user shipments, returns processing, device reconditioning, extended warranties, technical support and real-time on-demand reporting, a service provider can get everything they need to power their VoIP service operations.
• Grandstream GXV3175 – Grandstream’s latest IP video phone, the GXV3175, is their sexiest offering to date. It features a 7″ color touch screen and a much improved user interface that makes this phone an excellent for those looking to get into video calling.
• PRISM – Last, but certainly not least was PRISM, a services management tool from StarView Solution. PRISM provides current and aspiring VoIP providers with everything needed to run an efficient, profitable operation through instant order provisioning, activation, routing of DID phone numbers and SIP connections. Broadsoft look out – I’ve yet to see something as simple and easy to use.

Why Would You Pay $20 To Port Your Number

I still don’t get why people are on Google Voice like it’s a dog in heat.

It’s a half-baked Frankensteined service. It’s greatest feature, contextual voicemail, is bad at best.

While I have an account and occasionally use the service it nowhere near as good as the plethora of alternatives available.

WooooHoooo one number to ring them all! That’s so 2000.

So today when the fan boys circled the wagon once again to tout the almighty service, I had to chuckle.

“Google Voice to offer local number portability to select customers for $20.”

Why would you pay a company $20 to port your number to them? Especially Google Voice, which despite the fan boy’s best efforts to support the contrary, simply isn’t worth the money or the hassle.

And since when did,  “Hey Mr. Customer, pay us $20 so we can test our own ability to port numbers,” become such a huge piece of news. Usually people are up in arms about paying for anything.

After all, I thought you Google Voice users were cheap?

Skype’s Business Dilemma

Who’s on first?

Andy Abramson has interesting thoughts on the future of Skype’s business pursuits based on an article in today’s New York Times. Skype currently finds itself in a precarious position – as Andy points out – as they prepare for their public offering and next phase of operations.

For the longest time Skype has been thought of as a consumer service. This has served Skype well in the past and gotten them to a tremendous scale, but it will not allow them to prosper in the next phase of their business.

To do that they need to find lots of customers to spend lots of money on minutes.

Enter businesses.
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Cheap VoIP + Oversea’s Call Center = FAIL

If there’s one thing us arrogant American’s hate more than anything it’s not being able to understand a foreigner.

Forget tolerance. Forget patience.

We want our shit now damnit!

If you run any business that requires a call center to service your customers remember this formula:

Cheap VoIP + Oversea’s Call Center = FAIL

We get that you want to save money. We do too.

However, you need to make sure that your customers can understand your service and sales departments.

It’s worth the extra money. Trust me.

But don’t take my word for it. This survey says it all.

Plantronics SAVI W430 Review

Overall: The Plantronics SAVI W430 delivers flexibility, simplicity of use and high definition audio quality. Although the SAVI is a bit expensive,  it delivers everything you need from a wireless headset making it an ideal choice for the heavy softphone user or road warrior that demands a high performance headset.

Pros: The SAVI W430 fuses a solid customizable build with high definition voice and proven DECT wireless voice technology to deliver a top notch calling experience. Lightweight construction and customizable ear piece and microphone boom ensure proper fit and performance for all shapes and sizes.

Cons: The biggest downside to the Plantronics SAVI W430 is the price. With a street price around $170 USD, the SAVI is as expensive as a desktop IP phone. Also the SAVI W430 did become mildly uncomfortable after periods of use exceeding two and half hours, but then again so does talking.

Overview: The Plantronics SAVI W430 is a DECT wireless headset system designed for use with softphones and unified messengers. The SAVI W430 utilizes a USB dongle to connect to a PC or laptop.

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