Watching, Testing, Digesting: Skype Software & Hardware Gadgets.

My personal impressions on the ITU fair. Flat F(r)ee or pay per minute to the ostridges in the walled garden, wondering why the dumb pipe is drying up...

When I came back from the ITU fair in Hong Kong last week one sentence kept popping up in my mind… It sounded a bit like «the telecoms and their powerful lobby-groups are like ostridges living in a walled garden, wondering why their dumb (cash-flow)pipes are not delivering as much water into their water-buckets… and instead of leaving their walled garden, they stick their head in the sand to wait till more water comes in…». I also realised the huge power and presence of the global telecoms. But still I am trying to get out of the behaviour that we all learned to accept «give coin for dial-tone». I think it will take a while before that changes, if it ever does. Your technology can be very good (in this case disruptive) but you will have to establish a new balance and fight resistance on all levels. Again : my personal impression. For the record…

Besides this the ITU fair is a huge illimunating summary on the current status of Telecom related technology. It really gave me a wake-up and was a great eye-opener. After all the information you get during the forums is the result of probably 6 months of preparation by the experts. If you are looking for a good summary, well don’t miss out on this event. I loved it.

I also had the distinct impression that WIFI and WIMAX were looked as inferior technology, that could be neglected in the over-all landscape of how to get connected. This gave me a strange feeling since (speaking for myself here) I was constantly looking for a wifi-solution that allowed me to use Skype at an affordable flat fee. I could not find any connection. Maybe I was not close enough to city center. Anyways. Many of my questions on the effect of disruptive technology (during the very interesting forums sessions on ITU) on the revenue where received with some … well how would I say… well they did not like that type of questions… Maybe they were more interested in devices that could cause some latency on the foreign VoIP – signals floating on their network. I will never forget the visionary projection of one of the keynote speakers during a forum-session «in the future you will have a cell-phone that will project a hologram of the person you are calling». That is very possible, but it is also likely that revenues of the telecoms will be hologram if the business-model is not changed drastically. I believe that that pay per minute for telephony is going to be a dead concept. But not yet. Maybe in 2 years from now. Who knows… The role of the regulators is a major factor in this process. If the regulators allow the telecom to put a stop or slowdown on the fast evolution and progress of all kinds of foreign VoIP-systems (that not necessarily create a revenue for the country itself), then things will go slow. Think about the different countries and environments that are already blocking or capping Skype and the likes of Skype.

I just wonder what will happen when the handset-makers are going to put WIFI-chip-sets in the more powerful range of WIFI-enable cell-phones… Surely people would love to put Skype on their cell-phones, or the like of Skype and honestly the GPRS-data (which will increase the ARPU / revenue stream of data-services) will not work with Skype. Maybe for chat yes.

My point is that the flat-fee data-channels will have to be more affordable and available than the occasional (free) or hotspot WIFI. But again, I believe that if you are in the business of selling telephony-minutes that this will be very tough. There always somebody cheaper, and lately I have been using my IPAQ PDA-phone with Skype Mobile in it to do unlimited chats (cheaper than SMS), send affordable global SMS and even do Voice Over IP. In this type of scenario, I used a free WIFI service. It worked fine and not telecom was touched. I don’t like and I don’t have to pay for telephony per minute any more. I want flat f(r)ee and I got it.

I also don’t like the feeling of being milked like a cash-cow, which exactly explains why I love wifi so much. And honestly If I need to make a phone to the outside world. I will just go to Starbucks, drink a coffee and do my VoIP phone-call. Much cheaper than the expense Voda-Phone.

In that perspective I am looking forward to hear more on the business-deal between www.iskoot.com, www.three.co.uk and www.skype.com. I have seen some videos of a presentation in London whereby a cell-phone (Ericsson and Motorola type)had an «embedded skype».

But being an MS Windows user, I did go for a IPAQ with a sim-card. It is still more computer than phone in my world, but due to the built-in wifi I don’t have to carry a brick (laptop) in my backpack anymore on short trips that just need a communications device.

For typing and working the laptop is still needed – at least in my world.

Israeli solution allows Hutchison to launch cellular Skype. How how will Malaysia react to Skype it’s affiliation with Iskoot

« Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. (HKSE:0018) last week announced in London the global launch of the X-Series from 3. The X-Series is a service that enables broadband Internet use from mobile devices. Hutchison will install Skype software on Nokia and Sony Ericsson telephones.  The X Series launch has an Israeli aspect. The Skype solution that will enable Hutchison to offer customers Skype calls is from iSkoot Inc., a company founded and run by Israelis, which has a 35-man R&D center in Beit Shemesh.» source.

I am not into politics but I do I wonder how Malaysia will react to Skype it’s affiliation with Iskoot in the long run, knowing that Malaysia has «bilateral relations with other Asian, African, Middle-Eastern, and Latin American countries would continue to be pursued without neglecting our traditional economic partners in Europe and America. Japan, the European Union, the US, and Australia and the Republic of Korea, would remain Malaysia's major trading partners as well as the source of investment and technology, particularly in connection with the establishment of Malaysia's multimedia super corridor. The only exception is Israel. Malaysia would consider beginning relations with Israel when a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the PLO is successfully concluded.» source.

Note also that « Citizens of Israel, Serbia and Montenegro are not allowed to enter Malaysia for any purpose without prior approval from the Malaysian Government… Nationals of these countries require special approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs to enter Malaysia : ISRAEL, YUGOSLAVIA, MONTE NEGRO».

Related info : The Proposed U.S.-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement

» source.

Cordless Skype Dualphones popping up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysia Boleh ! (means that Malaysia can do it). During a stroll in the shopping-center I saw these Skype-phones popping up. I have not tested for example the Aztech phones, but I guess they are like any other Skype dualphone. No test-report, some images yes. Good to see that there is something on the market. Where are the others ?

    

I saw some interesting replica’s of the Ipevo phones too. Allmost the same .

Strange Calls from John Doe <4000>? Scanning the entire internet for misconfigured SIP/VoIP.

As thrown to me by a scotsman : «It’s someone, or something, actively scanning the entire internet for misconfigured SIP devices….trying to find insecure SIP devices.»

Kind of important to know that this is happening and to setup secure manageable VoIP wether is SIP, SKYPE or anything else.

And then you will read this. Concerns over the latest hi-tech security vulnerabilities have been highlighted at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as emerged on Hack in the Box, Asia's leading hacking and security gathering, So be careful, not paranoid. Just careful. Everything what happened with http:, mailto: ftp: and many other protocols will happen to callto: and skype:. It’s nothing new.

News-source. 
More on Security.

point-to-point Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone call made within Malaysia would have to be re-routed to either Singapore ?

 MCMC, Telcos And ISP Directed To Work On Malaysian Internet

Nothing is more useless than a phone without a network, but it will be fixed... Some issues for the Skype Wifi Phone hardware vendors, Skype, the Network WIFI Operators and Boingo.

I just read a good review on the Netgear Skype Wi-Fi Phone  and the SMC Skype Phone, a White Saintly Twin of Belkin Phone revealing some of the potential problems of Skype WIFI Phones, like «Pricey; runs warm; limited battery life; won't work at hotspots that require authentication.» I am not saying it’s pointless, I am saying that it might not work, they way you expect it to work, but I am waiting for the sample to arrive so I can test this for myself. I did have some phone-call with Bill Campbell (SJ) via the Netgear and he seemed happy with it. The soundquality was perfect. He was on an open WIFI.

I can’t wait to test this phone in real-life. It is still a good device to have around on a location if you control the access to your WIFI yourself. Meaning if you can get access. I guess it should not be so difficult to patch that problem. In order for Skype to Break the Mobility Barrier, Skype will to get their p2p/voip system into mobile phone with a network (WIFI,EDGECORE,CDMA and so on). Nothing is more useless than a phone that is not connected… This might be reality one day but currently there is No Timetable for Mobile Skype, Says Niklas Zennstrom. Maybe they are focusing on the Skype for Business project…

I also had a interesting chat with the guys from boingo (who provide special connectivity for roaming Skype users). Here is my summary / interpretation. Now mark my words : «nothing is sure until it is tested in reality» (the Skype Wifi Phones) and that is what I will do from the moment I get some real Skype Wifi Phones in my hands. Remember : No samples. No hands on test reports, only assumptions of 2nd hand reviews that have tested something. I assume they are right. Anyways never forget that in the beginning nobody believe in Skype too and look now… It is a major player… In this case my point is that I find the concept of the WIFI Skype Phone a big promise, but I don’t find that it is executed in a good way… Nevertheless I would recommend to test it out and buy a Skype Wifi Phone, use it in your own WIFI network or open WIFI and wait till the patch comes out that will fix the browser-based login of these phones, so you can in effect use your phone everywhere and make a global call over the internet at allmost no cost. Then the performance of this concept can really be tested and how it effects the stock of EBAY, GOOG, MSFT, YHOO. Here are som issues that where raised on the connectivity of the Skype Wifi Phones :

A new gadget for the "Corporate Skype Cullprits". Wireless USB-phone with a good range and easy to stow away.

Singapore… The Singaporeans seem to be always a bit faster than Malaysia  on the level of acquiring and distributing technology, but not this time with this Skype-geek in Malaysia (me).. I can see that Malaysia is catching up quickly, and yet I hear many people that tell me that this market is a slow moving one on the matter of embracing technology, which does not mean it is not going to happen ! SME’s are moving forward, believe me. But in general I guess they are right. Still so much work for the MSC/MDEC to do here.. Anyways, do checkout this company that offers an interesting USB Skype Phone. I still have to test it. Will be done, once I get the sample.

US Robotics Skype Phones in Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia. US ROBOTICS climbing back to position number 1 in a strategic alliance with Skype Certified Phones.

US Robotics launches their Skype Phones and USR MAX G Router in Malaysia. I went early and got number, but I did not win the free router… I guess next time I have to choose my lucky number from the middle of the pack… Anyways, I just came back from the opening event at Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur of the new US ROBOTICS routers and last but not least their newly launched Skype Phones, which have been selling like hot-cakes in Europa and USA. USR has a strategy alliance with US robotics and both representatives Hishamul Hasheel (Technical Sales USR Middle East and North Africa) and Sumit Kumar (Region Sales USR Middle East & North Africa) stressed the importance of this strategic alliance with Skype in the framework of a successful long term partnership and getting their products on the market. Looking at the new way of how global communications will be conducted with the help of the Internet and VoIP, I think they are definitely right and this might be important for both parties. This is also a chance for US Robotics to climb back into the top of the charts, because to me it seemed that after their big success with the 1st and 2nd wave of good PSTN-modems , they seemed to have "dissapeared" from the landscape. Hence the theme of the event : «The return of USR» ( see small movie of opening music)

It’s interesting to see how Skype can play a role in this … But coming back now on a global scale and certainly moving forward in Malaysia. This is the first big brand that I see selling these type of devices on the Malaysian market and all their Skype phones are certified, which is certainly a selling/buying argument. USR will mainly focus on the SO-HO and SME market with these products, but they do have higher end solutions too.

I remember also that US Robotics was one of the first to have Skype callto: button to provide support on their web-site.

What is important is the combination of their products (WIFI-routers and Skype / VoIP phone) as a package.

You cannot successfully deploy 50 usb/VoIP skype phones in a network without thinking about bandwidth issues and that is exactly where this Powerful USR Max G router fits in. Better performance and QOS (quality of service). I guess that is what will might make USR stand out from the other seller who just sells a phone of a box… I have seen the USR product and it comes piggy-packed with some free Skype-Out credit, so they thought about that too. Nice one.

Finally the beer was good on the opening (it always works, especially when you are a Belgian in Malaysia, like me).

Malaysia Boleh ! It will be interesting to see how Malaysian companies will embrace this new technology. After all Malaysia want to be seen on a global scale and export itself to the world. In that perspective what is better than a global free voice– and video-phone running on Skype.

Soon I will be testing their USB Skype phones and USB Skype Boxes to see what they really can do. I expect no less than perfect. . They said that there is a USR WIFI Skype phone model coming up too.

Principal Distributor US Robotics Malaysia :  www.pristinetechnology.com – www.pristine-wireless.com
Manufacturer : US ROBOTICS – www.usr.com – What is US Robotics ?

Related info : coming up. from the moment I find it online and in the newspapers.

Netgear SPH101 WiFi Skype Phone Shipping Now?

Gizomodo mentioned that the Netgear SPH101 WiFi Skype Phone is Shipping Now but also that «Unfortunately for Europe and Asia, they won't be getting theirs until October» . I am going to cut out the Netgear Phone Image and print it as paper model to put on my desk. At least I got something to look at then…  Just like the origami Ipod. It almost feels real. Good for demonstration also these detailed origami models.

Serious now. If you want to know more about the different models of Skype Cordless Phones (that is what I call them in general of Skype Wifi Phones) well callto://cordless-phone or callto://wifi-phones 

 

 

Using Skype as a business guy in China.

Interesting testimonial on Welcome to my (chat) world! … Jianming's father Olsen Oei, 48, a businessman who travels to China thrice a month, uses Skype chat and Internet telephone to communicate with his wife..

Digg Malaysia

Digg Malaysia

digg / on: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:08:39 -0700 / category: Entertaintment (5) comments
We are pround to annouce Digg.com.my the Malaysian Digg Version of social news and bookmarking website where the editorial is controlled by you, the users. We hope that this site can provide more suitable local content for Malaysians

Malaysia : terrestrial digital transmission for free in about 15 years

I just found this via the Malaysian Digg.com.my that refers the article to The Star Online : TechCentral - Malaysia Technology  "KUALA LUMPUR: Two thousand households in the Klang Valley will participate in a survey that will be conducted by the Information Ministry next month.

Each household will get a set-top box each, from which they will receive terrestrial digital broadcasts of RTM1 and RTM2 programmes, as well as a new channel called RTMi. The highlight of RTMi's programmes will be interactive content.

From the six-month long survey, the ministry hopes to get feedback on the quality of the transmission signals, as well as identify any problems related to digital broadcasting.

If the test is successful, the entire nation would enjoy terrestrial digital transmission for free in about 15 years, said Chia Kwang Chye, Deputy Minister of Information."

Something about blocking Skype and 2 chinese guys.

I was just reading here why you can't block Skype... , but still it might be kind of dangerous (or at least controversial) for some companies or individuals to just start selling skype-credit or bundle voip services with hardware (handsets, phones, devices of all kind)  while the government will in most cases say that  you are providing a phone 'service' and it is against the law to do that without a licence. So where is the profit in that for small business. Skype should provide them with some proper advice on that matter and the hardware vendors should come forward and inform their potential hardware dealers on that matter. After all if some "Skype Resellers" or promotors get cought this is just comprosing the position of Skype. There should be a public list by Skype that states where Skype is deemed illegal or not. At least to make it clear. There should also be a bunch of local consultants that can help the cowboys to stay in line... It's should NOT become the world wild web out there...

In Malaysia (where I live) you will need a licence if you terminate the signal of Skype to the PSTN-lines. It's very unclear today how to become a Skype reseller, which is why not so many will just "go for it" (unless you got all the issues figured out, or unless you are don't know what you are doing). I remember last year some guys somewhere on the world (they asked me not to mention the location and country) got raided by the police and local telecoms. It's one way to limit Skype in it's growth... Wether it is going to work on the long run, well that remains to be seen.

Remember these guys that just (ab)used the situation in UAE to make some money (1.25 million USD)... "Two men (Q.J. and A.R.) who made more than Dh5 million worth of free phone calls through Etisalat have been arrested by police." (10/25/2004).


"Efonica, a VoIP
company actually based in the UAE, is also blocked. So is the 100
million subscriber Vonage, as well as Net2phone, Webphone, DialPad,
Babble, Go2Call, GizmoProject, IConnectHere, Lingo, MutualPhone,
Netzero, Nikotel, Packet8, QuantumVoice, SipPhone, SunRocket, TeleSip,
TerraCall, VoicePulse, and doubtless myriad others.
" source. I believe it is right that you cannot really keep things like Skype out of a country, which does not mean it should be let in just like that. The rules must be clear for business who want to engage in a business venture with Skype. You might be in for some serious surprises if you did not check thoroughly what that really means.

PC Fair Malaysia 2006.

 Let’s find out if any WIFI and Skype phones are for sale there. http://www.pikom.org.my/

 

Can you hear me ? Hallo ? Can you hear me ? :) Will the termination be terminated very soon ? What type of service to choose.

I just did some quick field-testing with Gizmo, SIP and Skype here in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. I tested quickly GIZMO, SKYPE and my SIP-phone linked to . This time not from the Geek perspective but from the «I need it to work NOW and what is gonna cost me» perspective, which is the only valid perspective in the end. When you walk in IMBI Plaza or Low Yat Plaza here in KL, there is more cellphones to buy than people.
So I looked at it from the perspective of a passer-by, a tourist, a business user (whatever) who needs things to work now. I got no time for thing that will be there one day. I need stuff to work today. We live now. Not yesterday, not in the future. We live today. Now.  I hope WIMAX hits the streets fast enough in Malaysia.

Imagine you have a laptop and you get some hotspot connection (or maybe you are lucky to have Skype Wifi Phone). So you already got google earth (also working in KL), so you should know where you are. Then you drink your coffee at Starbucks and you start talking. What works. I called to some cellphones. Here is my preliminary results. Field-testing I call this. I am in hurry. No time to listen to all kind of stories. I need something to work and I need it today. No need to say that what is below are just observations, not in depth marketing studies or test-reports. Just simple stuff for simple non-geek people.

Lucent has a contract with Telecom Malaysia to serve as the lead network integrator for upgrading its high-speed network.

So far I have seen NO Skype traffic being blocked in Malaysia, at least not in Kuala Lumpur (Wilayah Persekutuan) where we live and I don’t think they will.  Malaysia wants to be a Multimedia Super Corridor and Cyberjaya (www.msc.com.my) so I don’t see why indiscriminate p2p blocking would be on the agenda, but managing and controlling will certainly be on the agenda Certainly there will be a big interest in p2p blocking devices. Of course if you are a big corporation with proper IT-policies and standard operating procedures, you just can’t have traffic like of that kind floating wildly in your networks. Whatever marketing hype there is (to be) made around Skype and related. Total freedom is difficult to manage. So having a Skype in your network, (big and small), now that could be a big challenge to manage. And the issue will evolve from technical into commercial into other issues. It’s about freedom and how to deal with it. Being an IT person I would apply the following strategy / tactics (out of the blue here) :

• make a grid of the existing p2p skype usage in your environment.
• analyze existing traffic (put some devices in place).
• define the security needed on each level.
• assess the risks. get an outsider view inside the company. if needed rattle the cage of the «taboo» topics. that is where the (un)usefulness of policy will show itself immediately.
• address the issues with all levels of management and CEO’s. don’t avoid the hot topic of censorship, privacy, security and content control (now that is a though one…)
• find the proper solutions (servers, p2p enabled firewalls) to be able to enforce policies. Don’t be powerless… or at the mercy of marketing who want to have full communications freedom…
• (re)define policies (on Instant messsenging and VoIP) and enforce via proper implementation of standard operating procedures.
• see the advantage of p2p VoIP but don’t forget to look at more manageable alternatives

Those were my thoughts upon reading this «Services: Lucent's network transformation, network integration and other services solutions were components of 19 contracts announced around the world during the third quarter with service providers, enterprises and governments, including:  A contract with Telecom Malaysia to serve as the lead network integrator for upgrading its high-speed network.» source : Lucent Technologies Reports Results

That is interesting because if you search for lucent and netspective, You will see something about Netspective, a p2p blocking device…

Related : verso and netspective | verso and netspective and Malaysia | blocking skype | countries blocking skype.

I wish Skype would release a list of the countries where Skype is allowed and (il)legal. The information is very fragmentaric as we speak. I think that now with the Skype TV project, this issue will become even more important. I can see clearly the interest of companies such as www.verso.com and related to provided blocking and control devices. That is a big market too.

Telekom Malaysia, announced enhancements and data services and fixed-line offerings including VoIP services

Telekom Malaysia unit beefs up VPN infra
Telecom Asia Daily / Wireless Asia - Hong Kong
... NewsEdge) Excelcomindo Pratama (XL), a unit of Telekom Malaysia, announced enhancements ... and data services and fixed-line offerings including VoIP services

REDtone took a 60% stake in VoIP

REDtone subsidiary to submit 2.3Ghz bid The Edge Daily - Malaysia ... It currently has 20 wireless broadband base stations in Malaysia. Less than two weeks ago, REDtone took a 60% stake in VoIP (voice-over Internet protocol

USB Cordless Dualphone System. Great for Business and Home. At the pool with the dualphone in Malaysia.

I guess I am probably going to have to revise my opinion on the dual login feature in skype now that I got 2 dualphones… But hey alway great to test this new hardware and find good business-application for it. I can already feel that these 2 will have a place in my working environment. The PSTN phones gets pushed away always further and further in the background… The Dualphone is intended for Internet telephony via Skype and ordinary telephony via DECT. It plugs into your computer for Skype and it plugs into  your normal existing phone-line too, hence the name Dualphone.  Let’s see what this baby can do. Here is the pool video-test. :)

First of they cost certainly less than wifi-phones and the also do PSTN. I got the box this morning. The delivery was done very rapidly (no need to wait weeks and weeks for just a phone…) so on the matter of E-commerce that is a good thing. You can have any website but if your supply-chain (not supply-china) is not working rapidly, people will just turn to traditional ways of buying things.

In the case of www.dualphone.net, now that was fast. It felt like I ordered the phones yesterday, when they arrived.

The boxes themselves are neat. Proper product-packaging. All neatly done. Very professional. Good for shoppers, at least you know what you are buying. Content is properly described on the box.

Good multi-lingual documentation too. This is a classy product. I don’t have any real substantial remarks to make here.

Once the box opened (yummy, yummy), I just put the hardware–pieces togetether. Simple really. A kid can do it. Very important to pass the grand-pa test.  Then I plugged in the USB-cable of the phone-cradle into the pc and installed the drivers and software. Easy.

Once out of the box the charging of the phones took like only 30 minutes. Also good.

Mind you the environment I am using is a standalone PC connected to a wifi-router/hub (Benq AWL-700) connected to a Streamyx ADSL connection. (1mb/384k).

The software procedure starts from CD-ROM and immediately to the website to get the latest software-updates. Great. No need to call anybody or perform later updates. All done at once. Simply great. You can also choose to install the software from CD-ROM. The software comes in multiple language so that helps too.

So far the installation procedure quite seamless. The software will also update the internal of the phone after installation. After installation, I will will ask you for the country. Malaysia is not listed. So I choose Singapore, closeby enough. I think the presence of countries in this list has to do something with regulations on where this type of phone is officially allowed.

What is also intersting is that I will load up all the contact on your contact-list. It would be handy to be able to tag in the Skype-contact-list which contact-data not to send to the phone. The update procedure of the contact-list of this phone seams to go flawless. No questions asked. It will also take the time and date of your PC.

Let’s now start using it.

I just did a quick test-call to some of my friends. Inside the office. Simply perfect. I can also see the voice-mail in the phone. Great. Just sat downstairs about 200 meter away I guess from my home-office.

The only thing  that annoys me is the beeps it does when somebody comes online. But I guess you can switch that off somewhere ? On the other hand, it could be seen as a good feature.

And finally I got some free Skype Out-credit also with the including Skype-Out Card. 30 minutes ! Great, a free voucher. Smart marketing and no hustle. Just redeem you voucher and off you go.

Summary is that I find this a good concept, it works neatly, I had no problems with the setup. Sound-quality of both PSTN and Skype-calls is good (a bit better than a PSTN-phone I think). I was using at a distance from 200 meter from the antenna and no problem at all. 2 years ago I have to forward my cellphone to the cozy place downstairs, now I am calling for free to all my Skype-contacts with this solution. Simply great. I would love to have the water-proof version of this. Maybe an idea for accessories ?

Apart from all that,  it would be great to have something like callto://dualphone.support or callto://dualphone.sales and so on. Maybe even per country. After all is that not what the Skype-system could be used for (too) ?

So, how to use the dualphone in a business environment ? Well that will be documented in a next blog. I will be connecting 2 dualphone to 1 computer to see how it behaves. Should be fun. I think a workable Small business solutions could consist of let’s say 1 powerfull computer with the 6 Skype-account running simultaneously linked to 6 dualphones. Put that computer in the meeting room of such a company and attach an IPEVO XING Conference box to it and you got a good conference solution. Then add a webcamera to and link the PC to a projector and you have just brought video-conferecing within reach of those would not have bought it. Skype is good thing. Sitting at the pool working on my laptop with a Skype Dualphone has a good effect on my mood it seems. And if it get’s too hot, well a dip in the pool will do the trick.

Jan Geirnaert in Malaysia, Skype Out for now.

Company : www.dualphone.net
Product : USB Cordless Du@lphone.
Google Search : Cordless Du@lphone.

There are some good dualphone reviews also here :  DualPhone upgrades to Skype 2.0 features |  Cordless Skype Dualphone coming to U.S.  |  For better Internet communication  |  DUALphone Receives FCC Approval As First US DECT Cordless Phone  |

USB Cordless Du@l Phone, Skype

Asia VoIP links saturday 15 july.

Here is the New club cable coming to Asia | Release of program coming in August says company | Wall Street, Oil Price Batter Asian Markets - Asian Commentary | Will Alltel's Split Pay Off?  |  India has highest percentage of contact centers in Asia: new study | Consumer VoIP set to 'take-off' | Broadband comes of age in India

 

 

 

Skype Protocol Has Been Cracked. The Skype protocol will be reverse engineered by August 2006 and application code will be offered for license.

It has been done. IT HAS BEEN DONE. I am doing a total cut and paste job here. Read below. Very bold statements here below. I have just put the most interesting ones in red. Remember the miniskype… Well here is the big news.

«At the end of 2005 I made some predictions about the VoIP industry which I will review further in a day or two. While a couple of my predictions have already proved correct, perhaps the most interesting was:

6. The Skype protocol will be reverse engineered by August 2006 and application code will be offered for license.

Today I received a call through Skype from a friend at a company in China, except according to him he was not using Skype to call me. His company has successfully reverse engineered the Skype protocol and he wanted to call me in the United States to see how it worked between physically distant IP addresses. We talked for a little over nine minutes before the call dropped. Then I called him back using my Skype and we spoke for another three minutes. The first time we talked there was a noticeable echo on my end, which is understandable since they are not using the GIPs iLaC codec. The second time the voice quality was good ol’ Skype clear. At present they only support placing Skype peer-to-peer phone calls and they have not yet implemented presence. They have plans to add presence, instant messaging, and a host of other features. Their end goal is to create a client 100% compatible with Skype. They sent me a screen shot of their software (below) and my IP address was 100% correct. One of their engineers told me the news a few days ago, but I wanted to wait until I had actually seen the software or at least received a call before I wrote about it. They say their software is not stable enough to release to the public, but they are working night and day on a demo which they hope to launch before the end of August. »

source : http://www.voipwiki.com/blog/?p=16

Skype reverse engineering links. Charlie, what did you do now ? :)

Actually interesting to see how the news of an «event» flows. Everybody is watching everybody. We are all linked with the click of a mouse something flies around the earth at hyperspeed. I wonder how long it will take before this hit the main media, after all the blogs below are kind of geek stuff…. Not mainstream (enough). In this case I seem to have been the first to have been informed. Interesting. Nice of all the other bloggers to mention the source. Allthought I think information like this does not flow in a line, it flows in a circle, a sphere and then once it hits the surface somewhere it goes into vertical and horizontal exponential explosion. After about 10 hours or less it becomes untraceable where what originated. It will certainly not be easy for researcher to understand the chronology, but the big pattern will be visible. Here goes. It is interesting to see the difference in interpretation. Also show the moderated opinionated positions and perception of each and one of us on the line.  Anyways if you look for the words «skype cracked» (news) or «skype reverse engineered» (news) on google you will see an increasing number of articles appearing on that issue. Follow the links.

Originally something was published here : http://www.voipwiki.com/blog/?p=16 and floated to the surface at http://www.9skype.com/e_1073.html. But not many have seen the executable yet that claims to do what is says it does : acces the Skype P2P cloud without the original Skype.exe itself.

1st news-line : http://gigaom.com/2006/07/13/skype-cracked

«Can Skype be reverse engineered? That has been the $2.6 billion dollar question Skype watchers often ask themselves. Alec Saunders points to this blog post by Charlie Paglee that claims that a bunch of chinese engineers have done exactly that - cracked Skype.

The hacked clients cannot act as super nodes, the said blog notes, quoting the CEO of the unnamed Chinese company. In other words, the said clients could ride the Skype network without doing any heavy lifting of their own. Virus has mutated, and the parasite has a parasite.

It is hard to vouch for the authenticity of this claim; though if they can reverse engineer stuff like Blackberry, router software and what not, this is not that outrageous a claim. We have contacted Skype PR seeking comment. That said, if the crack is true, then it could have some detrimental impact on the Skype and eBay.»

2nd news line : http://saunderslog.com/2006/07/13/skype-cracked

«According to reports coming from Asia, the Skype protocol has been reverse engineered.  The work was done in China, which, notorious for it’s lack of intellectual property protection, probably guarantees that it can’t be thwarted by legal means.  The crackers are promising it will be available commercially by end of thie month.

Interestingly enough, the hacked clients cannot act as supernodes. Effectively, they are freeloading on the PC super nodes out there.  Impact? Still unknown, but the speculation is that this could slow down the Skype network.

One wonders who Ebay will respond.  My opinion?  The smartest thing now would be to publish the specs for the protocol, and attempt to retain control through attractively priced marketing campaigns.»

3d news line : http://www.skypejournal.com/blog/archives/2006/07/skype_protocols_opening_up_ready_or_not.php

«The VoIPWiki Blog reports a Chinese firm reverse engineered Skype's communications protocol. It allows Skype-to-compatible softphone calls.This is credible; I've talked with a member of the team that built a Skype-compatible softphone. They hope to go public by month end. We're eager to discover if they will publish the protocols, offer Skype-compatible consumer software, offer Skype-compatible engineering products to other developers, sell their firm to a bigger company, or simply offer consulting services.

I've also used a demo version of software that crawls the Skype cloud, downloading profile data. From another group. This is not "the Skype database" but the natural white-page listing that all users put in their public profile. Skype's servers, and the financial data kept there, are not touched by this system. Screenshots:

Both systems build on detailed knowledge of Skype network parts not on Skype's servers.To build a Skype-compatible client, they had to figure out:

• how to see and navigate through the Skype cloud, to find a Skype client.
• publish their own client's profile into the Skype cloud, so a Skype client could find them
• negotiate starting the call session, including encryption and

Publishing the Skype calling protocol would create new opportunities for products and developers:

1. Third parties can build Skype connectivity into their own software, no longer requiring an official Skype client.
2. It may open up creation of Skype-compatible server software. So your salesforce system could IM you.
3. It could open up Skype to PBX integration. So you might preserve Skype identity, authentication, encryption, and presence while routed through an Asterisk server.

The profile probe is a slightly different issue. In this case, software that mines the Skype cloud for profile data is working with "dirty data." The collection is unverified, often clearly faked (an unbelievable number of people live in Antarctica), old, and incomplete. It does have some gems. Correction: The cloud has email addresses, hidden in the Skype user interface but used to locate friends. The cloud has email addresses, but they are hashed and not human readable. 

I'm not sitting at the management table, but Skype has several choices.

Open. They're already on the path to opening up more of their apps at the API level. Skype could embrace this at the protocol level too. This is the hardest thing to do, but may pay off in the long run. Exposing these protocols is the only way for the Skype network to become an industry standard. And it would put Skype in a position of leadership the way Microsoft is for dot net, Sun is for Java, and Adobe is for Flash.

Switch. Skype could change the protocols, breaking the new software. This is a costly and temporary solution; tricky but doable. Replacing Skype clients for updates is hard enough; getting everyone to migrate could kill the brand love. It won't be long until the Chinese engineers figure out how to get in again.

Quash. Skype might try to blow out the startup's fire. eBay has a powerful combination of PR, lobbyists, litigators, and business allies. Even in China. Skype could try to accuse the startup of piracy. My guess is Skype will tread litely. These tactics rarely work in China and often tarnish the reputation of the outsider applying the pressure.

Ignore. Skype has enough to do. Wait and see.

Invest. Buy the team, put them to work. 

Jim Courtney says technology does not a brand make. It takes quality control, aesthetics, user experience, customer services, an ecosystem of ancillary products, and integration with other systems. Skype's and eBay's marketing are a higher barrier to entry than technology.

Skype personnel were not available for comment. Hat tips to 9Skype, Jan Geirnaert in Malaysia and Lee Dryburgh in Austria.»

4th newsline : http://buckenfush.blogspot.com – Skype Protocol Reverse Engineered

«That's right ! A chinese group ( bless those Chinese! ) Have reverse engineered the Skype Protocol. Jan in Malaysia has the scoop. Jan in Malaysia »

Skype Protocol Has Been Cracked. The Skype protocol will be reverse engineered by August 2006 and application code will be offered for license.

It has been done. IT HAS BEEN DONE. I am doing a total cut and paste job here. Read below. Very bold statements here below. I have just put the most interesting ones in red. Remember the miniskype… Well here is the big news.

«At the end of 2005 I made some predictions about the VoIP industry which I will review further in a day or two. While a couple of my predictions have already proved correct, perhaps the most interesting was:

6. The Skype protocol will be reverse engineered by August 2006 and application code will be offered for license.

Today I received a call through Skype from a friend at a company in China, except according to him he was not using Skype to call me. His company has successfully reverse engineered the Skype protocol and he wanted to call me in the United States to see how it worked between physically distant IP addresses. We talked for a little over nine minutes before the call dropped. Then I called him back using my Skype and we spoke for another three minutes. The first time we talked there was a noticeable echo on my end, which is understandable since they are not using the GIPs iLaC codec. The second time the voice quality was good ol’ Skype clear. At present they only support placing Skype peer-to-peer phone calls and they have not yet implemented presence. They have plans to add presence, instant messaging, and a host of other features. Their end goal is to create a client 100% compatible with Skype. They sent me a screen shot of their software (below) and my IP address was 100% correct. One of their engineers told me the news a few days ago, but I wanted to wait until I had actually seen the software or at least received a call before I wrote about it. They say their software is not stable enough to release to the public, but they are working night and day on a demo which they hope to launch before the end of August. » source : http://www.voipwiki.com/blog/?p=16

REDtone International Bhd's recent acquisitions

Check out this product from Redtone.  «Travelers who use their mobile phones to stay connected while they’re overseas no longer have to pay roaming charges which can be expensive, especially if one is a heavy phone user. Discounted call provider, REDtone Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, has developed an innovative service, TravelFon, where users only pay for calls at discounted rates without any roaming charge at all on their existing mobile phone.»

«ANALYSTS view REDtone International Bhd's recent acquisitions as positive, but expect significant contribution from the new businesses to take some time to materialise. “The two new acquisitions are complementary additions to REDtone's portfolio of services,'' CIMB Securities said in an update on the company yesterday.  Despite its positive view on the latest development, CIMB has kept its trading buy rating on REDtone, largely on concerns over the Mesdaq company's China operations and the slow take-up rate for its TravelFON service. On Monday, REDtone announced that it would pay RM2.6mil for a 54.5% stake in broadband service provider CNX Solutions Sdn Bhd. The move came after the company said it would acquire a 60% stake in voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) specialist Jupitel Sdn Bhd for RM300,000 last Friday. 

The two acquisitions have expanded REDtone's offerings to include discounted calls, VoIP telephony and broadband Internet access. CNX, which provides high-speed wireless Iinternet access with an estimated 70% coverage of the Klang Valley, is estimated to have incurred a net loss of about RM900,000 in the year ended Jan 31. Currently, CNX has around 50 corporate clients and 200 retail users.  CIMB has yet to factor in contribution from CNX, but sees minimal impact on REDtone's bottom line should CNX continue to register similar losses this year. 

The research house noted that CNX was expected to turn around in the next one or two years. “More importantly, the deal propels REDtone into a high-growth market segment, as evidenced by the 94% jump in Malaysia's Internet broadband subscriber base to 237,000 users in 2005,'' it added. Meanwhile, the addition of Jupitel to REDtone's stable of companies would boost REDtone's existing VoIP telephony operations, particularly its REDtone015 service. REDtone015 was launched in October last year, but has to date only managed to attract 20 small-and-medium enterprise customers.»

Source : Analysts positive on latest deals by REDtone
Company : www.redtone.com
Product :  www.redtone015.com / TravelFon

SMB Broadband Blowout in Southeast Asia; Number of SMBs Using ...

«SMB Broadband Blowout in Southeast Asia; Number of SMBs Using Broadband in Southeast Asia Expected to Exceed 1.6 Million by 2010, Growing at a CAGR of 22% between 2005-2010, Says AMI-Partners

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2006--Between 2006 and 2010, the number of broadband-enabled SMBs in Southeast Asia (SEA) will increase by over 850,000. Emerging countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam will fuel this growth, with adoption by SMBs in these countries comprising over 55% of overall broadband SMBs in the region. Spending on broadband by these SMBs will exceed US $2 billion by 2010, with Indonesia contributing the lion's share of spending.

These results are based on surveys conducted by AMI-Partners over 15 countries in the Asia/Pacific region, which examined emerging trends, adoption of, and usage of ICT by SMBs. "Within the Southeast Asia region, Singapore stands out from the rest of its neighbors with its impressive broadband penetration rates which is forecasted to exceed 75% by 2010," said Cindy Sim, a Singapore-based analyst for AMI-Partners. "This growth will be spurred by continued positive government intervention, dropping access prices, growing exposure to the World Wide Web and increasing importance and necessity of the Internet to SMBs in terms of brand establishment, e-commerce and communication with suppliers and customers. Malaysia and Thailand were ranked 2nd and 3rd in terms of SMB broadband penetration in 2005, and will continue to retain their respective positions in 2010. Vietnam, which was ranked lowest in terms of SMB broadband penetration, will bring up the rear."

In terms of internet access modes, narrowband access is clearly in decline. In 2010, narrowband penetration is expected to comprise less than one-quarter of SMBs in SEA who access the Internet for their business, down from 50 percent in 2005. This will be driven by factors such as dropping prices of broadband, increasing use of applications such as VOIP and hosted solutions which will drive the need for speed and bandwidth. Not surprisingly, the adoption of narrowband is more widespread amongst SBs than MBs.

For the medium business in SEA employing between 100-999 employees, leased lines will be a popular consideration, with expected compound annual growth exceeding 45% from 2005-2010. Not surprisingly, leased-line penetration is highest in Singapore, followed by Malaysia. This will be driven largely by the need for scalable bandwidth as well as consistent and reliable quality of service (QoS). Wireless broadband is expected to take off by 2010, with service providers in most countries in the region already rolling out or planning to roll out HSDPA, W-CDMA or WiMax.

The increasing adoption of broadband will coincide with the proliferation of related applications offered by the likes of xSPs. This will include software offered on a utility basis, as well as managed security solutions.

About AMI-Partners

AMI-Partners specializes in IT, Internet, telecommunications and business services strategy, venture capital, and actionable market intelligence -- focusing on global small and medium business (SMB) enterprises. The AMI-Partners mission is to empower clients for success with the highest quality data, business planning and "go-to-market" solutions. AMI was founded in 1996 under the name of Access Media International (USA), Inc. by Andy Bose, formerly group vice president at IDC. Since its inception, the firm has built a world-class management team, each with ten to fifteen years' experience in IT, telecom, online communications or multimedia.

AMI-Partners has helped shape the go-to-market SMB strategies of more than 150 leading IT, Internet, telecommunications and business services companies over the last ten years. The firm is well known for its IT and Internet adoption-based segmentation of the SMB markets; its annual retainership services based on global SMB tracking surveys in more than 20 countries; and its proprietary database of SMBs and SMB channel partners in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The firm invests significantly in collecting survey-based information from several thousand SMBs annually, and is considered the premier source for global SMB trends and analysis.»

Source : SMB Broadband Blowout in Southeast Asia; Number of SMBs Using 

Watching Skype in the Asean countries.

Well, let's roll the dices. Since I am based in Malaysia (with Cyberjaya and all that Digital lifestyle thing going), I thought it might be a good idea to open this blog to some input from other Skype users in the region. The Asean countries consist of :

Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam

So you never know it somethings is happening on the matter of Skype in these countries. Let's hear it.  Interesting case-studies on who Skype is being (ab)used in companies, organisation, legislatistive issues. The reaction of Telecom and other VoIP vendors in the region. All very interesting.  Possibly.

You will see that there are different categories set up per country.  Actually having a Skype-watcher per country (we live somewhere right?) would be interesting.  If you got something to say or found something interesting (anything) just mail it to info@skype-watch.com.