The Blog known as Skype-watch.com, Skype-gadgets.com.

Death by Cellphone, breaking your rib and drive it into your heart.

" Reports out of South Korea say a 33-year-old quarry worker was found dead by co-workers today, his shirt covered in evidence that implicated his cell phone. One witness described the scene: “He was already bleeding from the nose. He had a mobile phone with a melted battery in his left shirt pocket. His shirt had soot on it in the shape of the phone.” Professor Kim Hoon at Chungbuk National University, who examined the body, said signs pointed to a battery explosion. “He sustained an injury that is similar to a burn in the left chest and his ribs and spine were broken,” Yonhap news agency quoted Kim as saying. “It is presumed that pressure caused by the explosion damaged his heart and lungs, leading to his death.” The phone was an LG unit, and while company officials declined direct comment, an anonymous spokesman claimed a fatal battery explosion was a virtual impossibility. The family of a 22-year-old welder in northwestern China may beg to differ. According to reports in July, a phone battery exploded in the man’s pocket, breaking a rib and driving it into his heart, killing him." source.

Anybody heard anything about exploding Skype WIFI phones (they can be used as earwarmers, during calling, that's how hot they get !) or 3 Skype phones ? I have heard not report of such nature yet. Anybody ?

Internet has been closed in Burma / Myanmar.

" The shutdown of communications in Burma has slowed information to the outside world to a trickle, with the number of reports to one exile group cut by half and websites with the .mm Burma suffix being unavailable, campaigners said yesterday. "It is difficult to get information out because the internet has been closed," said Moe Aye, an editor at the Democratic Voice of Burma, a media group set up by exiled Burmese students."
source.

Toivo resurfaces. Skype co-founders invest in Asian 3D social networking company.

"HONG KONG May 28, 2007 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), established by the four co-founding engineers of internet telephony software company Skype, will acquire a stake as part of a Series A funding round in 3D social networking company Frenzoo, to bring to market an exciting new online experience across the region" source.

Remember Toivo Annus ? He is now managing Partner of Ambient Sound Investments. If I remember correctly Toivo was somebody who left Skype at a very early stage. I always wondered why. I did like the little emoticon he left behind in the Skype IM. It is still there.

Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) was established by the four founding engineers of internet telephony software company Skype. ASI is a professional investment company with a specific interest in technology start-ups ranging from software and services to applications and devices. Since March 2006, the company has invested in several sectors including telematics, biotechnology, software, services and others. For more information, please visit: http://www.asi.ee/

Project : http://www.frenzoo.com/

If lightning strikes then your computer and telephony gear will probably be fried, your data will be gone.

This scenario above happened to me few years ago. I was not aware enough of the danger of many the many lightning over here. If it get's to your hardware, then it will be fried, which is why I am going to fix this with proper surge protectors. This is a lightning I filmed in 2004, hitting the Petronas KLCC Towers on the top. Imagine if that hits your office building... The below is what I took from about 5 km away from this Petronas towers.

But somebody took a shot from closeby.

Lawsuits and Loosers ?

Viacom sues Google for $1bn
Vonage Attempts Penny Power Play

No more Starbucks in the Forbidden City.

As read on

Chinese Discontent Only Minor Setback in Starbucks Growth Potential  " It may have been a mistake for Starbucks (SBUX) to open its store in Beijing's Forbidden City. This issue has attracted media attention and Chinese citizen discontent ever since the shop opened in 2000. Last week this issue reached a new height when Mr. Jiang Hongbin, a lawmaker representing the Heilingjiang province, submitted a motion to the National People's Congress to close the outlet immediately. " source : Seeking Alpha [www.seekingalpha.com] - Chinese Discontent Only Minor Setback in Starbucks Growth Potential

Small RJ45 with a linux computer.

Imagine the possibilities. You could put virtually any application on this type of invention; small firewalls, monitoring this and that, detection of credit-card numbers being send out (to protect yourself from abuse), things like that…

http://www.picotux.com/producte.html (RJ45 connectors with with 2 MB and 4 MB Flash).

RIAA college settlement plan. The 'incriminate yourself' web site

Nice one by www.p2pnet.net (I thought it was for sale…) : “Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the Big 4 music cartel, think they've figured out a neat way to save themselves embarrassment in the courts, and costly lawyers' bills, as they try to sue you into buying their 'product'. Their 'incriminate yourself' web site is now online.” Read more...  

Secret Conference of Belgian Skype Bloggers in Ghent, Dreupelkot.

See here Jean Mercier (the Skype Number Guy) and Jan Geirnaert (me, www.skype-watch.com) in Belgium in het Dreupelkot in the historic center of Ghent, drinking “ nen dreupel”. Topic of the meeting can not be disclosed. But this picture can be seen. . If I had told somebody few years ago that I would be one day drinking something with a new friend in Belgium and that we could continue the conversation on big screens via video/voice conferencing (for free), people would have said that one had been watching too much sci-fi movies, or worse that you had escaped a mental institution. Nevertheless today this is possible, thanks to innovations like www.skype.com. It is simply a new way of doing things. Write a blog, create a topic of interest, link it to a voice icon and after a while you’ll be part of some online community that certainly can extend into “normal” reality. See the proof below : two belgians drinking “dreupels”. One in living in Malaysia, one living in Ghent and still virtually linked with Skype and blogs. It’s just takes one little click to continue talking and that is great.

See the report by Jean here.

What the Chinese will not find on google ...

As found on Google China Search Comparison “Chinese authorities have used filtering technologies to block users in China from accessing Google's cache, as well as Google News, and restrict users' searches by filtering for specific banned keywords. Google did not censor its own search results, however, as the system operated independently of Google and at China's backbone level.”

You can try the filtering here if you like.

http://opennet.net/google_china/

www.skype.com + www.facetime.com = Skype for Business ? Skype and FaceTime will unveil a collaboration at the RSA Security conference next week

“Reliable rumours suggest that Skype and FaceTime will unveil a collaboration at the RSA Security conference next week. FaceTime already has a product that offers some control over peer-to-peer applications such as Skype, while Skype is working hard to increase its use in the business environment.” source.

“ Skype plans to announce a partnership next week with a security company to help organisations gain control over usage of the net telephony tool at work. The partnership is with California-based FaceTime Communications, a maker of software and appliances that let businesses monitor and secure use of instant message tools on their networks, people familiar with the announcement told CNET News.com.” source.

Companies : www.skype.com – www.facetime.com

Skype Licenses HelloSoft's VoIP Technology

“ Promising to enhance the performance of Skype for Windows Mobile, Skype has teamed up with HelloSoft. HelloSoft, a provider of VoIP products, announced today that Skype has licensed its Internet telephony technology, which will be incorporated into Skype's communication software. HelloSoft's technology will allow consumers to enjoy free, high-quality voice calls anywhere their smartphones and Pocket PCs can connect to the Internet.” source.

Skype Sensor Net being (re)inventeered...

Something is definitely cooking here. Finally all good ideas culminate in the code of a smart programmer.

soon more.

Will nimbuzz link us all ?

Nimbuzz, the mobile application funded by Mangrove Capital Partners(the same smart guys that provided the initial funding for Skype) has just launched their new “talk” application into beta. source news.

 

I have not testing this one yet. I think the big boys that started first will overshadow all this. Depends on how big this will all be.

Slow internet in Asia slowly recovering.

My friend J.S.R. from the Phils threw me these 3 interesting links (again the best information comes from people, not from google) which explains why everything is is slow on the internet in S.E. Asia here lately. Skype does seem to work mostly from skype to skype but making Skype-out calls is something that does not really work these days. At least that is my observation.

" Internet and phone companies in Asia may take at least two weeks to restore services as they struggle to fix undersea cables damaged by earthquakes off Taiwan. Chunghwa Telecom Co., the island’s biggest phone company, said four ships are heading to the damage site off Taiwan’s south coast for repairs starting Jan. 2 that may take two to three weeks. China Network Communications Group Corp. said two boats have started to fix the fiber-optic lines. Companies from Kuwait Finance House, the Persian Gulf’s largest Islamic investment bank, to Nippon Yusen K.K., Japan’s biggest shipping line, are suffering from the loss of online services after a 7.1 magnitude quake struck southern Taiwan on Dec. 26. Cable operators are using other lines or satellites to help alleviate the bottleneck as parts of Hong Kong, China, Singapore and India remain without access." source.

Related links (really to the point and good background info on the cable break in Taiwan and it's effect on current internet-backbones.

http://cryptome.org/fiber-weak.htm
http://noc.cbn.net.id/pda/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/uswtan.php#summary

Skypejournal.com shutdown or simply offline for maintenance ? Since Pluto is no longer a planet, is Skypejournal no longer a blog ? Is it lost in sky(pe)Space? Skypejournal to become a huge Skype Archive Graveyard ?

I love Skypejournal. I really do. Once in a while I even was allowed to post a blog on the SJ platform. And see what happens now : www.skypejournal.com was off-line today (23th december) I noticed. Maybe it is time to write a little summary… on why «it is not there anymore…» and also my notes that I collected on the ITU Telecom-fair in Hong Kong have not been published. Anyways. It looks like the publications have been frozen on SJ since the 4 of december and today it is off-line. Probably migrating to another server. The question is why all those changes…

Maybe the are just on vacation… as read here on Alec Saunders  Or maybe the elves of Skypejournal are on strike till Santa Claus fixed the problems…

Read here the summary on Wiki of what Skypejournal is.

One of the comments by  Jim Courtney on December 13th, 2006 at 11:31 pm states that : «There have been technical difficulties re the hosting provider and their ability to support Moveable Type. Expect Skype Journal to return early next week with a new hosting provider who has a more solid ability to support MT. It appears we have been able to transfer all the archived content.»

That is a good PR-strategy to not highlight the real structural and maybe other problems behind the surface. Here are the questions I would ask the gentle-men of Skypejournal. Take not that these are my personal observations, meanderings, thoughts and nothing of this is of any official value… (for the record). The questions and issues are real I think on the other hand. At the end of 2006 I am left with many basic questions in and around the Skype Ecosphere. Remember these are questions, not statements, questions need answers. Things must be clarified, not hidden like some bigger companies do… because the reality is to nasty to be highlighted. But then again, how do we really learn then, if we cannot think aloud and find the truth… Here goes.

• what problems caused Skypejournal not to publish anything for such a long period of time ?
• are the members of Skypejournal splitting up and causing Skypejournal to become a huge Skype Archive Graveyard ?
• what are the Skypejournal.com elves currently doing ?
• since Pluto is no longer official a planet, is Skypejournal no longer a blog ? Is it lost in Sky(pe)space ?
• did the absence of a legal structure and proper agreements between the partners of Skypejournal accelerate the current «downfall» ?
  why has nothing been published anymore (after about 4 december 2006) on Skypejournal.com ?
• why is there no year end review by skypejournal.com ? what is going on there. Shouldn’t the elves be working instead of fighting…
• I know you guys visited Skype in Estonia some months ago, why was there never a report published on that visit ?
• Is there currently an internal dispute in the Skypejournal.com ranks ? If so, how can it be solved properly to ensure continuation of the Skypejournal.com project
• what mistakes have (not) been made during the management of Skypejournal
• will Skypejournal be bought over by an unknown entity ?
• is it true that skypejournal.com is the only external "news-service" that has gotten the permission from skype to use the word skype in their domain-name ?
• does it make any sense that Skypejournal will become the the in-house skypejournal magazine for Skype ? Would that not compromise objectivity ? Business and Journalism or bloggerism are not easily mixed and there are certainly conflicts of interest…
• why can skypejournal.com get the permission of using skype in their domain-name and others such as skypeteer.com skype-news.com skype-watch.com and so on NOT. what is the rule here.politics, preferred partners or it this just random luck ?
• Do you think that some poor commercial thinking lead to the current situation of Skypejournal.
• Who is funding Skypejournal ? What revenue-stream do you have and it is this sufficient to run Skypejournal ?
• Is Skypejournal.com a commercial skype blog with vested interested of Skype owners or is it an independent magazine ?
• I guess nobody expects their blogging hobby to become their business, taking that into account, what will be the next step for Skypejournal.com ? 
• Is this the demise of Skypejournal or are you guys just undergoing a normal identity crisis ?
• What has happened to the original constellation of Skypejournal.
• Ending question : Is Skypejournal.com dancing the jyve ?

to be continued.

X-Series customer will be able to make and receive unlimited Skype calls with Skype PC users anywhere in the world, and to any other Skype 3 mobile customer. Skype to Skype calls on a 3 mobile will be free

Reading this make me wonder what the viability is of devices like the early Skype Wifi Phones … Anyway… who cares, right… Reading this you should now know what cellphones to buy… Let’s move on… It is interesting that a company like Skype that is not a Telecom Company is moving in on the cellphones like this. Who cares what they are anyways. It is happening right ? I wish I had never had a phone-bill in the past 30 years, then I would have saved so much money to buy a good expensive cellphone today …  Check this out :

• « The company has announced the global launch of the X-Series form 3: a move it describes the beginning of Internet access via mobile broadband, saying it will extend access to several of the core applications and uses of the broadband internet to the mobile handset, with a new pricing model.
  
  The full range of X-services from 3 will initially be available on two handsets the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i. An X-Series customer will be able to make and receive unlimited Skype calls with Skype PC users anywhere in the world, and to any other Skype 3 mobile customer. Skype to Skype calls on a 3 mobile will be free.»  source.
  
• Great Podcast : http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/upload_docs/2006/11/Corporate/1840/1840_eng.htm
  

• « Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom told NewsWireless after the presentation that it was absolutely true that Skype was now free over the air from the new phones - but not if you were calling another phone. "Skype Out and Skype In are things the current client doesn't support, and we hope to get them working in 2007 2008 timeframe," said Zennstrom. "But the current client, we say will 'delight' existing users, because it is so simple to use on a mobile phone. You'll not only be able to call any Skype users around the world - on PC or on X-Series - but you'll even have the little green logo to show if they're awake." »  source.

• «  Hutchison Whampoa, the owners of 3, haven't been doing this all by themselves. The partner list is extensive including Skype, Sling Media, Yahoo, Nokia, Google, EBay, Microsoft's MSN, Orb and Sony Ericsson. The service is launching in the UK on 1st December, with Three's other markets (Italy, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, Ireland and Sweden) during 2007. The service will launch with two handsets supporting all of the features, the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i »

• « You don't have to be in front of your PC to email, instant message, share photos, download podcasts or surf the Internet. You can do all of this - and loads more - on your mobile with the X-Series from 3.  To make it happen, we've teamed up with the best names on the web like Skype, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger. You can even watch your home TV on your mobile using Sling. Or use your mobile to access whatever's on your home PC, like your photos, using Orb. » source. But only MSN advertising on this web…

• "Today Hutchinson announced that it would provide unlimited cell phone to cell phone Skype calls via a 3G connection. This new service, called X-series, is part of a new alliance made up of Skype, Sling Media, Yahoo, Nokia, Google, eBay, Microsoft, Orb and Sony Ericsson. According to the article, users will also be able to 'search Google and Yahoo, send MSN instant messages to their friends, watch their TVs from a Slingbox, access their computer at home with Orb and buy or sell stuff on eBay.' Users will only get charged a monthly fee for access, in a similar way to broadband charges." source.

I guess when this service become globally available, it will probably also kill or hurt other Software allows Internet cell calls, like www.fring.com, www.iskoot.com, www.eqo.com, www.soonr.com. After all why would you need these plugins if you can have Skype direct on your fancy cellphone. Skype direct, I like that. Skype goes direct.

Related : launches X-Series - flat fee internet on mobile | X-Series unlimited mobile web to launch | X-Series Launch: Analysis | connects to internet firms | 3'S X Series Live Launch | Hutchison Whampoa brings broadband internet over mobile | X Series from Three | Hutchison launches UK mobile broadband and TV service | 3G Handsets Offering Free Skype and Home TV Services | "X-Series" 3G Mobile Broadband Launched by Hutchison Whampoa | Hutchison unveils fixed-line broadband on mobiles |

 

Test-rapport of these devices by www.skype-gadgets.com : no sample. no report yet.

Finally the new Skype 3.0 for Windows - Business version (with MSI) hits the road on november 16 in the 2006.

Raul Liive from Skype just threw me this valuable piece of information. This is the first Skype for Business executable.  Here it is. If you are a company this is something you must download and install.

Skype 3.0 for Windows - Business version (with MSI)

As mentioned on the Skype page it provides :

Business friendly features

• Includes Windows Installer (commonly known as MSI).
• Increased security for business users.
• Easy deployment to multiple machines in your company.
• More control for IT administrators.
• Manage multiple accounts with the Business Control Panel.

All your favorite Skype features

• Make free calls to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world.
• Video call for free across the world.
• Transfer large files instantly.
• Conference call with up to four people for free.
• Chat with up to 100 people in group chats.
• Call ordinary phones with SkypeOut.
• Get a SkypeIn number, so that people using ordinary phones can call you.
• Forward your Skype calls to your mobile or landline.

So that is exactly what I will be testing in the upcoming days. Thank you Skype, at least I am being kept busy with all those updates…

Product Page :http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/business.html
Current Version : Beta release. Version: 3.0.32.123. Release date: November 8, 2006 / File name: SkypeSetup-Beta.msi File size: 14 MB

Niklas Zennstrom pops up in the US.

The president of the «P2P – VoIP – we are not a telecom company or a telephony replacement but we do have 10 % of global telecom-minutes « company called Skype was spotted in the US (Phil, Skypejournal Editor confirms). No, it had nothing to do with the current elections and the p2p-president  did not meet President Bush either, but it had everything to do with the the Web 2.0 Summit.

More info : 'Skypecasts' coming to your blog soon | Skype 3.0: Transfer or no? | Skype tests new features in bid to diversify sales | Skypecasts (Or Who Needs A Phone?) | Soon, more Skype to come | Web 2.0: Niklas Zennstrom, Skype | Niklas Zenstrom Gets A Big Laugh.

 

Paypal office explosion. Blast at PayPal forces evacuation of 26 employees.

An explosion at eBay's PayPal division Tuesday night shattered a window and forced the evacuation of 26 employees, as crews combed the company's North First Street complex for incendiary devices. No one was injured inside the company's four-story network operations center at 2211 N. First St. in San Jose, and no explosive devices were found in the rest of the company's 100,000-square-foot complex, which police had cordoned off Tuesday night. EBay officials say operations were not disturbed. Read more.

 

CBS news movie : here.

Some of Google's Internal Company secrets - Big Goals and Directions - 2006' en 'Objectives and Key Results - Q3 2006 Company OKRs leaked out ?

 Google's bedrijfsdoelstellingen zijn uitgelekt. Een samenvatting van de interne documenten 'Big Goals and Directions - 2006' en 'Objectives and Key Results - Q3 2006 Company OKRs'  and now in English : Internal company documents from Google called "Big Goals and Directions - 2006" and "Objectives and Key Results -Q3 2006 Company OKRs" leaked out.  As mentioned on blogs.zdnet.com; The document contains some very interesting things that are discussed in detail here. Some issues :

• Create a universal search tool for their engineers that contains all public Google information searched on all Google searches
• Build 10MW of green power to be on track to be carbon neutral
• Reduce "Borg" disk waste" by 50% — we're not sure what borg is, but I am guessing it is the cluster of computers that host the data used everywhere in Google
• They want the world's top AI research laboratory.
• There is a prototype for a new Google News being tested internally.  This new version should allow "other news sources, organizations and individuals mentioned in the stories to debate specific points.

Skype's CEO speaks at Europe's largest blogger conference "Le Web 3". 11-12 December.

As read on SJ : Skype's CEO is speaking at Europe's largest blogger conference, 11-12 December.

The vision of Skype surely extend into more than just providing a dialtone, so listening to what the CEO and Founder of Skype has to say should be enlightening.

If only Malaysia was closer to Europe, then I would fly over.

Paypal office explosion. Blast at PayPal forces evacuation of 26 employees

An explosion at eBay's PayPal division Tuesday night shattered a window and forced the evacuation of 26 employees, as crews combed the company's North First Street complex for incendiary devices. No one was injured inside the company's four-story network operations center at 2211 N. First St. in San Jose, and no explosive devices were found in the rest of the company's 100,000-square-foot complex, which police had cordoned off Tuesday night. EBay officials say operations were not disturbed. Read more.

How blogs can bring you in touch with interesting people and events. Disruption - Where Do We Go From Here. Asia Connect 2006.

This is how things work for me today. I have been living in Kuala Lumpur now for about 3 years now, but with so many conferences and events going on and so many things to follow (you can’t read and know everything right). So getting in touch with the right people that filter out information for you is a much faster way to get to the right place in a fast pace. Doors will open. So follow the blogs, they follow reality very close and chat to the right people via IM like Skype or MSN and others. You could be reading RSS – feed and google news alerts all day (please do) and you will surely be informed, but not connected enough. For that you need presence. Instant Messengers, VoIM, VoIP tools are dwarfing email in that perspective. Add some video and voice to your chat, be polite and friendly and you are present. Of course nothing beats a good conference.

Brough Turner (Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer) reads my web and that is how I knew that his organization would have a conference here in Kuala Lumpur. Here is a good summary of day 1. Like B. Said : “ The best (but also the only) question from the audience was from “Jan from Belgium” (also here):  It’s one thing to access Google over the “mobile Internet”, but what do you think of Skype?  Unfortunately, the question didn’t get adequately answered.  Venkat talked about cost of supporting Internet access and the operator needing to recoup their investment, but the discussion strayed from Skype to Internet content.”

What interested me most was the presentation on disruptive technologies by Brough Turner in which Skype was mentioned also. Here are the mugshot I took from Brough his slideshow. It was the only part that mentioned Skype too.  Here is the slideshow available for Download disruption_where_do_we_go_from_here_final_1_brough_turner_senior_vice_president_chief_technology_officer.pdf

So that is how I got to go see some interesting presentations by the way on the Asia Connect2006 Conference (Sheraton Imperial Hotel Kuala Lumpur 31st october 2006)..

Take not that the food and venue were excellent. Very well organized conference too. The representative of Flytxt went even horizontal in his explanations. . Good because the standard slide by slide with supported voice talk were getting a bit monotonous…. But not this one :

 

 

 

 

More pictures here.