Source: gigaom.com

Source: goebel.net

I always wondered about the power of Comunicano. That’s the marketing communications company of Andy Abramson, one of the most intesting bloggers in the VoIP industry. From some of his blog posts I already had gotten the vague feeling that he must be some kind of mastermind.

Many of my blog posts lead back to information that Comunicano spread. But I could realize that only recently, because Comunicano’s website is nearly empty. No press releases, no list of clients - while Andy, the company’s founder and head, is one of the most influential bloggers in the VoIP industry.

Some weeks ago I wrote how I feel about this situation:

Especially the VoIP area, which became a main focus of this blog, is dominated by blogs of entrepreneurs who have an interest in maximizing their profits. Luca, Andy, David, Alec, Pat and others run great websites, but there you will hardly find tipps on how to hack their companies’ services for free phone calls. They use their blog as a business tool.

Today I realized that my blog is full of Comunicano’s clients: Covad, Entriq, IntelePeer, iotum, Junction Networks, Mobivox, Nokia, PhoneGnome, SightSpeed, TalkPlus, Thomas Howe, Truphone, Voxalot and Vringo. Comunicano has set up a blog with their latest press releases and finally published their list of clients.

Thank you for this disclosure, Andy. I feel better now. It helps me to judge the posts on your blog which often are starting points for my own articles. I would have written these texts anyway because the topics were interesting. But it’s always better to know precisely who is feeding you an information.

Also now it’s easier to get first hand information about these companies without delay. Kudos to Comunicano for interesting and not annoying press relations so far!

I appreciate openness.

Source: www.voip-news.com

TalkPlus, provider of Mobile 2.0 services, announced today that now their services can be used by Apple iPhone owners, allowing customers the ability to have multiple telephone numbers and separate business and personal calls all on one device. With TalkPlus’ virtual service, users can choose a phone number (or two) from most major US cities and international numbers in 28 different countries. Each number has its own voicemail and customizable greeting, which is perfect for those who want to use one phone for both their business and personal needs.

“By enabling TalkPlus features on the iPhone, we’ve given it a whole new dimension,” said TalkPlus founder Jeff Black. “It’s especially attractive for mobile professionals and individuals who want to manage a variety of business and personal calls all from one device,” he added.

“Doctors, lawyers, sales professionals and international travelers are just a few of the people who have been using TalkPlus to better manage their communications,” continued Black. “Now we’re excited to make our services available to those who want to take their iPhones to the next level of functionality.”

Additional features include:

Low-cost international long distance service enabling users to place calls to any country from any phone—at significantly discounted rates;
Visual Voicemail to identify voicemails and quickly jump to a message to listen or delete;
Voicemail Screening to listen in as callers leave a message and pick up the call if desired;
Call Screening to send specific callers directly to voicemail or a busy signal;
Call Transfer to easily transfer to another number while on a call; and
Conference Calling with as many as 10 people.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Let’s face it. Traditional media will either adapt or die. Newspapers are feeling it more than any form of old school media so when I saw this story about our client TalkPlus and their just announced iPhone deployment I had to riff about it here.

Here’s my take on this. The Tribune knows they are being eaten alive by the blogosphere and alternative media. News happens too fast and there are way too many niches. Alternative newspapers have been cutting into the mainstream media’s ad revenue for years by providing more and deeper lifestyle coverage for the last decade or more. Business weeklies are covering local business with greater depth and with more specialized focus. Both genres of news coverage are weekly, not daily, and for the most part they have been late to really go full bore into the web-a mistake in my view. Enter the big media company, with the niche focus via the blogs. For their ad sales teams this is a potential goldmine if they can learn web math.

The concept is very much a media mashup and one that is seriously worthy of consideration? Why? The media has to morph and by going blog, with a mix of reporters and topics that are timely, they will get eyeballs. What’s more the ability to serve up ads that are reader specific means the "paper" isn’t just regional, its global. Just as IP has no geographic boundaries, neither does media. The fact that the authors/reporters can combine local with globally relevant story angles, tips, advise and more makes this a very interesting approach and could be a step in the right direction for the future of traditional print journalism. I’ve seen a similar approach in Austin, TX with the Statesmen and also in Pittsburgh, but not to this level.

In a word…Impressive.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I have to give credit to two of my agencies clients, Truphone and TalkPlus. Both showed a lot of guts and insight in betting the farm so to speak and going forward with advanced development of clients and processes that will let their services work (or work soon) on the iPhone from Apple in the face of all the perceived direction of Apple, none of which was I buying for one minute.

This story by Matt Richtel in today’s New York Times pretty much sums up how I’ve felt all along, especially with the quote from the Gartner analyst, Michael McGuire, who seems to feel the same as me. Apple had this in the plan all along. Here’s why:

1) The initial iPhone had to be better than any other new phone on the market. To be that way meant, control. No one would ever say Apple is anything less than about control of their intellectual property. It was in keeping with their behavior, but not core to their beliefs.

2) Apple has always embraced the developer community. While big companies had shied away from writing software for Apple products, new upstarts were embraced. Did anyone, other than maybe some folks at AT&T, think the Leopard had changed their spots?

3) The iPhone is a computer. It’s an extension of the Mac OS universe. To be the most seamless mobile extension of the world’s easiest OS to use, it has to have extensions of those applications, and not all can be browser/Safari based.

4) Apple has always been about creativity and imagination. It has been about thinking different. The iPhone is a different way to be thinking about a mobile device.

5) The second generation iPhone will more than likely feature HSDPA or HSUPA. Apple has had a knack of being first with wireless embedded in its Mac’s ahead of other manufacturers. They have embraced Bluetooth first, WiFi first. My guess is they have a deal with AT&T to embrace HSUPA first or even WiMax with Sprint or Clearwire. The new wireless platforms will require new applications. That means there is a need for a thriving developer community, just like what Symbian and Java have, but done the Apple way.

So, I’m not surprised. Just feeling like my clients were right all along for taking the time and effort to be leaders, not followers as they blaze the trail of development for the iPhone.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Check out Jeff Black’s interview with Bambi Francisco.

Client Thomas Howe will be a featured speaker at the rapidly rising Telco 2.0 conference in London. The event organizers’ blog has a nice summary about Thomas and his mashup approach as well as his award winning eTel performance.

Source: goebel.net

I found another good article about the potential of VoIP. It deals with "numbers that ring where you are", "free calls . . . to the right people" and "anonymous calling for social networkers".

Review: 6 Skype Alternatives Offer New Services
In an effort to compete with the market leader, these VoIP services have come up with some interesting and useful features that may inspire you to switch.
By David DeJean
InformationWeek
Jul 3, 2007 12:00 AM

The featured companies are GrandCentral, TalkPlus, Jajah, Talkster, Jangl and Jaxtr. A good summary of what’s possible today.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Alec Saunders has written a very insightful and glowing review of TalkPlus’ new application that runs on Nokia N and Eseries phones now.

His review is a must read for all those who have the N95 or other Nseries phones and wish to add another number as well as other features.

Source: goebel.net

The San Francisco Chronicle has a nice comprehensive overview about some of the most importantVoIP companies and minute stealers:

Numbers are adding up for international callers
Internet services help to cut consumers’ phone bills
Thursday, June 21, 2007

They cover Jajah, Rebtel, Talkplus, Truphone, EQO Mobile, Mino Wireless and iSkoot. I would have liked to read also about Gizmo Project, Mobivox, Fring or Mobiboo. But then again the article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle, and paper isn’t endless.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I get asked by many people what are the services I should be using to better manage my personal and business life, related solely to telephone service. Friends and colleagues know that as the "early adopter" and alpha tester, not to mention agency to many early stage companies including Truphone, TalkPlus and GrandCentral as well as Nokia and Covad that I have real world experience and understanding of what the implications are to using these "next generation" services.

So, as I reviewed some emails that have been accumulating in my inbox from many companies looking to say why what they are offering is the "next big thing" it dawned on me that there are some latent reasons why I have chosen the mix of services that I have in use and why I suggest what I do to others.

1. I want to Eliminate PSTN

First there are the various phone services that have replaced PSTN calling for me and since I have the Covad T1 in the home office now, that allows for perfect IP telephony.

I’ve been successfully experimenting with GizmoProject, Skype, SightSpeed, BroadVoice and Earthlink using a combination of both WiFi phone from Linksys, UT Starcom and the new WiFi phone from Earthlink, plus the Nokia N and Eseries devices that offer dual mode capability and for the most part find they all work as promised, providing comparable service to my AT&T CallVantage and Earthlink TrueVoice services.

2. I want to eliminate phone tag.

Instant Messaging has been the single biggest elimination of phone tag when I’m in the office. When clients and colleagues need to talk with me, or vice versa we ask "are you free." Once we know we can talk its either SightSpeed, GizmoProject or Skype if they have a headset, or a call to their desk or mobile phone depending where they are. When I’m nomadic in a hotel, I usually use Truphone or Gizmo Project from the Nokia phone, unless I’ve got the headset or mic connected to the laptop.

Since I run all the IM apps, I don’t have one favorite. My rule of thumb is use what the people I need to stay in touch are using. Sure it means lots of open applications, but you can’t get everyone on one platform.

iotum’s TalkNow is great when I’m on the go. That and the RIM Messenger make it a snap to stay in touch and get to people instantly.

3. I want to make it easy to be found and return calls easily and cost efficiently.

This one is easy. GrandCentral. It takes messages, find me on multiple phone numbers and deliver my messages by email. CommuniKate does the same and adds IVR to the mix, but GC is free for now.

5. I want only one number–GrandCentral and TalkPlus. Between the two I can manage my number called and my outbound caller ID, making them appear to be the same when I’m in the USA. Since I’m still experimenting (no one breaks things better) this is more at the beta level, but it works great according to others.

4. If I had to pare down what would I suggest?

VOIP-AT&T CallVantage–still the best voice quality and overall feature set.

Broadvoice and Earthlink run neck and neck for number two

A One Number Solution-The Tag Team of GrandCentral and TalkPlus

GrandCentral for the inbound and call return feature. TalKPlus for the dialing out and CallerID management, as well as identity segmentation.

VoIP on the PC/Mac->Gizmo Project first, Skype second. Gizmo is more like a real phone so it could replace even CallVantage at some point. Skype makes it because of the sheer size of the community

VoIP On a Dual Mode Handset–Truphone edges out GizmoProject by a nose.

Instant Messenger–Skype–sheer size of community, GizmoProject-the interoperability is getting better each week, AIM-I still have many old friends there. You can’t abandon those who are still there and have no reason to move to others.

Video conferencing–SightSpeed. Far and away the best video quality (note I sit on their advisory board)

Personal Computer-MacBook

Mobile Phone-> Dual Mode Nokia E61i or N95

Non-Dual Mode-RIM Blackberry 8800/8700 or the new 8300

5. Why these and not the others? Simply because all of these services have not sought to change the way we communicate, they have just set out and are making it easier and better. Each has been evolutionary and in turn are part of powering the VoIP revolution.

Source: voipcentral.org

Innovative VoIP start-up TalkPlus has moved a step ahead with the launch of a TalkPlus Global beta last week.

Seems to very promising in current VoIP market, the latest TalkPlus offering brings very low cost international calls for the customers.

The company has set a simple procedure for the TalkPlus Global offering. You just need to type your phone number in the company’s site and you’re your friend’s phone number. Then click the ‘Call’ button to make your call.

With TalkPlus Global, you can contact to nearly 30 international destinations sitting in your home.

To make the service more attractive, the company has a special offer under which, you can get $5.00 of free calling. Learn more

Also read

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Client TalkPlus is featured in a Mike Hogan penned article in Entrepreneur Magazine.

It’s a very good read and provides a summary of the recently launched TalkPlus number.