Ever wanted to use the Web to make a
telephone call but didn't know how? Have no fear because Google, Skype
and EarthLink plan to finance an educational program. The Internet
Voice Campaign will focus on getting the mainstream comfortable with
VoIP - consider it the "Got Milk?" campaign for the tech-set. Perhaps
IDC is involved given it has bravely forecast there will be 27 million
people in the U.S. using VoIP by 2009 compared with 3.1 million this
year. While the campaign could be the target of a good-natured (?)
ribbing by Luddites and other non-believers, it's sounds like a good
idea. One of the problems being too intimate with new technologies - or
"sitting close to the fire" - is you sometimes forget there are lots of
people who have no interest or no idea about what's on the
leading-edge, let alone the bleeding-edge. A good example is the Web,
which moved into the mainstream in 1995 when Netscape came on the
scene. Still, it took several years before the Web really became a
mainstream tool. If you think about it, one of the reasons
everyone is hyped about Web 2.0 - whatever that means - is there is a
large and enthusiastic market for Web-based services - an audience
that didn't exist a few years ago. If done well, the Internet
Voice Campaign could provide VoIP with a jump-start. It will also be
interesting to see how the carriers react strategically as VoIP
becomes more of a mainstream service and starts to seriously
cannibalize legacy phone service. Bell Canada, for example,
is scrambling as it loses business to cablecos such as Videotron
(more than 100K customers since February), as well as players such as
Vonage and Skype.
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Mark Evansthe blog - examines the world of telecom and technology from a distinctly Canadian perspective.the person - lives in Toronto, CA with his wife and three children, and works as director of community with PlanetEye Inc. 
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Thursday, November 3
Is Flock Dead?
by
Mark Evans
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 07:53 AM EST
 Silicon Beat has put the spotlight on another blogger - Whitespace
- piling on the "Flock Sucks" bandwagon. This criticism is different
because Whitespace has never used Flock "....because I didn't see a
need for it." While I'm hardly a Flock fan,
it's difficult to pass judgement on something you've never
experienced. How you say you don't like pumpkin pie, for example, if you've never
tasted it? Flock has its shortcomings that may or may not be addressed
when it moves to the next version (By the way, Flock, take your
time because if you launch another half-ass product, you really are
cooked.) but you have to give most things the benefit of the doubt.
There are some intriguing features within Flock such as the ability to
blog and get RSS feeds that some people will find endearing,
if not useful. Flock's problem so far is its Web 2.0 bells and whistles simplyh don't
have enough sizzle to make anyone think twice about abandoning Firefox
or IE. In fact, most people expect Firefox and IE to simply add Flock-like
features - thereby neutering Flock. If Flock can't get enough users,
it's economic model disappears and it becomes yet another free browser
desperating looking for users.Update: According to OneStat, Firefox's market share has broken through 10% - 11.51% to be exact. OneState co-founder Niels Brinkman said Netscape users and some IE users are moving to Firefox, while Mac users are switching to Safari from IE.
Where Art Thou Blackberry Killer?
by
Mark Evans
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 07:26 AM EST
Here's a high-tech mystery that would even stump Sherlock Holmes:
why hasn't Blackberry-killer emerged yet? This question raised its head
again after I read a yet another "Blackberry-kiler" story in
yesterday's Wall St. Journal
that looked at new devices coming from device makers such as Nokia,
Motorola, Palm, HP and Samsung. While I've seen a few people with Treos
and one guy who, for a strange reason, has a Danger hiptop,
Blackberry still reigns supreme. In fact, the Blackberry has start to
filter down to a growing number of non-C-level executives due to lower
retail prices and the voice-friendly 7100. It's not like non-Blackberry
devices
are missing key elements such as mobile e-mail. The Treo 650
has even more bells and whistles, including a pretty good Web browser.
The bottom line is the Blackberry is still the best device for mobile
e-mail, and the new 8700c
unveiled by Cingular this week should cement this status with its
faster network access. What Blackberry enjoys - as does the iPod - is
the hard-to-attain but valuable cool/it works factor. This isn't to say
rivals won't pick up mobile e-mail market share but it is unlikely
there will be a Blackberry "killer any time soon.
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