So I'm at this recording studio last weekend. There's 50-60 CDs on the wall representing projects recorded in this studio. I'm attracted to one with an old picture of a 60's secretary standing by a desk making a call. The title of the CD:
"When Phones Had Cords"
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
More Telecom Obsolescence
A lot of talk lately about the "death of VoIP"... which, of course, is just a hype headline to stir up some controversy in a slow market economy. If you can't sell it, it must be dead... discuss...
On the other hand, I've read a couple things lately that suggest that telephony itself may be dead. And it's a generational thing, again, since it's the 20 somethings who are communicating differently these days, employing new technologies in novel ways. I generally pick up a phone if I need to contact someone... but apparently, that's so last century...
Zeus Kerravala of the Yankee Group writes that his company has consumer survey data indicating "when given a choice, the 25 and under crowd prefers almost any communications method to voice. "
"So what does this mean for the communications industry? IBM and Microsoft have clearly focused product direction and innovation with application integration across their software suites in mind. They approach the market slightly differently, IBM much more "PBX vendor" friendly, but ultimately both paths lead to the same place. Communications infrastructure becomes a commodity that sits below the software layer. Product leadership will be driven by developer support, openness and adherence to standards. Unlike days past, having 800+ features and your own phones isn't going to be the criteria for winning or losing deals. I know it's conventional wisdom that phones do drive a lot of phone system sales, and they have in the past. The fact is, though, that corporate desk phones get used less and less every day. Many users I talk to say they really only use their desk phones to pick up voicemail (unless they have UM, then the phone sits idle). With the smartphones getting more feature rich and the quality of mobile networks improving, we're not far from the day when workers have a laptop and mobile phone to work with, and all the stuff on the desk is gone. Even for many task based workers, having the phone capability built into the PC allows for better integration to the other tools that the user needs, creating a more productive environment."
Another article by Melanie Turek of Frost & Sullivan revealed a 9 year old who uses YouTube as first choice for Internet search, over Google, Yahoo, or other search engines. "When nine-year-olds start choosing to get research information via video; in doing so, they are changing the nature of the format--what purpose it serves, and how it impacts daily life."
"If that's true, it's not a stretch to assume he will likewise be more receptive to communications via video as well; after all, what is communications if not the sharing of information? And if that's true, companies better start offering next-generation employees access to video conferencing on demand, on any device, and whenever they need it. Given Taylor's age, those companies have some time to deploy the necessary endpoints and infrastructure. But given Taylor's habits, the time when a call must include a video conference may come sooner than we think."
A comment about that article mentioned another youngster doing the same thing. The suggestion was the return of oral tradition, versus reading. Curious...
Oh the horror! No phones, no books... But, this is my obsolescence... for the young, the communications future's so bright, you have to wear shades! (thanks Cake).
On the other hand, I've read a couple things lately that suggest that telephony itself may be dead. And it's a generational thing, again, since it's the 20 somethings who are communicating differently these days, employing new technologies in novel ways. I generally pick up a phone if I need to contact someone... but apparently, that's so last century...
Zeus Kerravala of the Yankee Group writes that his company has consumer survey data indicating "when given a choice, the 25 and under crowd prefers almost any communications method to voice. "
"So what does this mean for the communications industry? IBM and Microsoft have clearly focused product direction and innovation with application integration across their software suites in mind. They approach the market slightly differently, IBM much more "PBX vendor" friendly, but ultimately both paths lead to the same place. Communications infrastructure becomes a commodity that sits below the software layer. Product leadership will be driven by developer support, openness and adherence to standards. Unlike days past, having 800+ features and your own phones isn't going to be the criteria for winning or losing deals. I know it's conventional wisdom that phones do drive a lot of phone system sales, and they have in the past. The fact is, though, that corporate desk phones get used less and less every day. Many users I talk to say they really only use their desk phones to pick up voicemail (unless they have UM, then the phone sits idle). With the smartphones getting more feature rich and the quality of mobile networks improving, we're not far from the day when workers have a laptop and mobile phone to work with, and all the stuff on the desk is gone. Even for many task based workers, having the phone capability built into the PC allows for better integration to the other tools that the user needs, creating a more productive environment."
Another article by Melanie Turek of Frost & Sullivan revealed a 9 year old who uses YouTube as first choice for Internet search, over Google, Yahoo, or other search engines. "When nine-year-olds start choosing to get research information via video; in doing so, they are changing the nature of the format--what purpose it serves, and how it impacts daily life."
"If that's true, it's not a stretch to assume he will likewise be more receptive to communications via video as well; after all, what is communications if not the sharing of information? And if that's true, companies better start offering next-generation employees access to video conferencing on demand, on any device, and whenever they need it. Given Taylor's age, those companies have some time to deploy the necessary endpoints and infrastructure. But given Taylor's habits, the time when a call must include a video conference may come sooner than we think."
A comment about that article mentioned another youngster doing the same thing. The suggestion was the return of oral tradition, versus reading. Curious...
Oh the horror! No phones, no books... But, this is my obsolescence... for the young, the communications future's so bright, you have to wear shades! (thanks Cake).
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Google Phone
Finally got my G-Phone via T-Mobile. Nice device, but larger and heavier than my old Nokia. Can't have everything I guess, or, should I say, in order to have everything (on the phone), one must accept a size increase. Now I have email, IM, Internet, music, photos and probably a zillion other features I haven't tried or don't need... yet..
Otherwise, the phone works well. Only Edge in SLC, but the 3G switches in quickly when in SoCal. I have GMail, plus a configured client to get my .mac (MobileMe) email. Internet works fine, but is so small ( as expected)... I'm too old for small, I guess. Need to scroll around (via touch or scroll wheel) to see everything. Some odd ways to get a new URL, haven't figured out the smoothest methods of feature use. Sort of fumbling around with things. The keyboard is a nice feature, but keys still too small for my (not large but untrained) fingers. The lit keyboard dims too quickly when typing an email in a dark area. Possibly adjustable...
The GUI is fine, more app icons pop up easily. Best is having my Calendar available. The phone is fully configurable for synch Google apps such as Calendar and Gmail.
Some hassle getting the phone to initialize with the network. Took some hours before things started working. Can't use anything on the phone until this network synch happens. Replaced the micro SD card (this was a thrill, difficult to get PC to see the new card and format it). I downloaded lots of docs on the phone, but there are still many, many questions about how to do things. Thankfully T-Mobile has a forum for the G-phone, and lots of good info there.
I connect to the phone mostly with my Mac. I'm able to create folders on the SD card for music, phones, tones, etc. Music works fine, not as slick as iTunes, but not bad. Haven't done tones, yet. Gotta have Thelonious Monk for a ring tone!
So I'm still early into this. I really need a Text app (the one I downloaded won't browse for files... worthless). I need some simple text files available with tech info in case I'm traveling and something comes up.
Eventually I guess I'll get everything integrated. But it will take a while. In the meantime, I'm popular with the 20-something programmers at work.
Otherwise, the phone works well. Only Edge in SLC, but the 3G switches in quickly when in SoCal. I have GMail, plus a configured client to get my .mac (MobileMe) email. Internet works fine, but is so small ( as expected)... I'm too old for small, I guess. Need to scroll around (via touch or scroll wheel) to see everything. Some odd ways to get a new URL, haven't figured out the smoothest methods of feature use. Sort of fumbling around with things. The keyboard is a nice feature, but keys still too small for my (not large but untrained) fingers. The lit keyboard dims too quickly when typing an email in a dark area. Possibly adjustable...
The GUI is fine, more app icons pop up easily. Best is having my Calendar available. The phone is fully configurable for synch Google apps such as Calendar and Gmail.
Some hassle getting the phone to initialize with the network. Took some hours before things started working. Can't use anything on the phone until this network synch happens. Replaced the micro SD card (this was a thrill, difficult to get PC to see the new card and format it). I downloaded lots of docs on the phone, but there are still many, many questions about how to do things. Thankfully T-Mobile has a forum for the G-phone, and lots of good info there.
I connect to the phone mostly with my Mac. I'm able to create folders on the SD card for music, phones, tones, etc. Music works fine, not as slick as iTunes, but not bad. Haven't done tones, yet. Gotta have Thelonious Monk for a ring tone!
So I'm still early into this. I really need a Text app (the one I downloaded won't browse for files... worthless). I need some simple text files available with tech info in case I'm traveling and something comes up.
Eventually I guess I'll get everything integrated. But it will take a while. In the meantime, I'm popular with the 20-something programmers at work.
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