More specifically, you need a Gmail account and calls through your computer to American and Canadian numbers are free through “at least” [...]]]>

Making free phone calls just got easier through Google(www.google.com) (so long we all remember that “free” is not really free, but subsidized through someone else’s money) via “Voice Calls from Gmail.” 

More specifically, you need a Gmail account and calls through your computer to American and Canadian numbers are free through “at least” January 2011.  As is typical in the Great VoIP shell game, calls to other countries start at around 2 cents a minute to landlines, 15 cents a minute to cell phones.

One can get inbound calls through Gmail if you have  (free) Google Voice account.

Timing on this offer is everything, but when you pull up the comparison between Google’s rates and “Leading internet telephony provider,” The Goog’s per minute rates are equal to or better than “Leading.” 

If the folks at Skype haven’t already figured it out, Google is NOT their friend.

Let’s look at the [...]]]>

Google (www.google.com) says they’re going to invest in an “experimental” gigabit to the home network for anywhere between 50,000 to 500,000 subscribers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the same Google that said they were going to bid on 700 MHz wireless spectrum a couple of years ago?

Let’s look at the details on this vague and puffy blog piece–

1) Google says they’re going to have a “small number’ of trial locations across the U.S.

2) It plans to offer service at a “competitive price” to “at least” 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people – that’s a factor of TEN variance.

3) It’s all an experiment to generate next gen apps, new ways to build fiber networks, and how to teach the grubby phone companies a better way to do business

OK, I’m making up the last part, but seriously, it’s getting rights-of-way and digging ditches.  Verizon and others have figured out how to put down fiber to the curb and to the home, so how is Google going to “learn something new” here?

4) It will supposedly be an “open access” network to give users the choice of multiple service providers and be managed in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.

5) Here’s the kicker for me: “We’re putting out a request for information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public.”

Add on that The Goog hasn’t said how much MONEY (cash) it will invest in this “experiment” and you get a verrrrry interesting fishing expedition.

Let me speculate how this goes–

1) The Goog will “select” townships offering free rights-of-way and potentially some of that FCC broadband build out cash.   Anyone expecting Google to actually p-a-y for right-of-way is probably out of luck.

2) Looking to 1), I would expect a rural build out or two or three.   And a lot of splash, waiving of the American Flag, big speech, marching bands, etc.

3) Fat chance on an urban build out with the potential exception of one place – San Francisco.  Comcast is the dominant home broadband provider and AT&T just hasn’t gotten its act together to deploy higher speed service beyond hyped-up DSL.

I could see Google playing some Jedi mind tricks in/on one of the San Fran municipalities — “This is the broadband you’ve been looking for…” and try to shake AT&T out of its penny-wise/pound-foolish lethargic approach to home service.

Will this play work to shame providers into more/better/faster speeds? Verizon should feel pretty secure with FiOS and AT&T just doesn’t care.

FYI for the techies out there – later deployments of Verizon FiOS (like those going into my neighborhood) use GPON (Gigabit Ethernet PON) technology, so if Verizon wants to pull a media stunt to counter Google’s hype, it could (in theory) offer Gigabit speeds to the home in newer deployments overnight

Of course, GigE to the house translates to what you put on the backend network and doesn’t THAT make for some interesting network discussions?

The timing of this rumor/impending announcement is, shall we [...]]]>

According to TechCrunch, Google has shelled out around $30 million in cash to scoop up Gizmo5.   Of course, the rumor mill last month had Gizmo5 being bought by Skype as a SIP backup plan if they couldn’t get JoltID and various other proprietary technologies secured.

The timing of this rumor/impending announcement is, shall we say, interesting at best because it comes on the Monday after Skype had indeed kissed and made up with its former owners and had secured all the code/intellectual property it needed to continue without a cloud of lawsuits.

Let’s think this through a little bit: Either A) For some reason, Gizmo5 and Skype weren’t really getting together, or the deal was contingent upon some bizarre clause that said “If we make up with Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, all bets are off”, B) Gizmo5 and Skype had a deal, but one or the other party got scared off by the evil lawsuits of Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, and/or C) Gizmo5 has shopped itself around to both Skype and Google, with the winner being the first guy that provides a check that clears.

If Google has purchased Gizmo5, it’ll likely take about a year or more for the company to figure out what to do with it, so there’s no need to start frothing at the mouth about this being a “Skype killer” by any sense of the imagination.

Keynote audience at AstriCon 2009

It was a full ballroom for both days of keynotes.

Allworx founder Jeff Szczepanski at AstriCon 2009

You run into a lot of interesting people in the hallways of AstriCon — like [...]]]>

Glendale, AZ & Washington DC – Pictures from AstriCon 2009 on Wednesday October 14, 2009.

Keynote audience at AstriCon 2009

It was a full ballroom for both days of keynotes.

Allworx founder Jeff Szczepanski at AstriCon 2009

You run into a lot of interesting people in the hallways of AstriCon — like the founder of Allworx.

Google Chris DiBona keynote at AstriCon 2009

Chris DiBona delivers the Wednesday morning keynote, talking up all kinds of goodness about open source software.  You need stats on open source downloads and popularity? He’s got ‘em.

Digium's John Todd showing off his shirt at AstriCon 2009

John Todd shows off his newest tie-dye shirt. He gets them custom made, only going to show there’s no accounting for taste.

So the [...]]]>

Apple decides to pull the plug off of Google Voice-related apps, supposedly at the request (or a wink and a nod) from AT&T, because the App allows free text messaging and two cent per minute international calls.  The Federal Communications Commission decides this Isn’t Right and has launched an investigation of sorts.

So the latest showdown on Net Neutrality begins, and it couldn’t come at a worse time for AT&T.  Some members of Congress are already up in arms over the absurd profitability on text messaging along with the grumbling about extensive exclusivity on the iPhone.  Verizon, being no dummy, decides to sit up straight and open up its “exclusive” arrangements to smaller carriers within six months and announces it will have a crack at the Palm Pre shortly, thereby further highlighting the oh-so-monopolistic-esque practices of AT&T.

Apple? It could care less. Apple does what Apple does and the rest of the world takes it or leaves it.

Google Voice is rolling out a web site for access to GV services, so now the whole app thing is about ready reach a new level of absurdity.  Would AT&T go so far as to block access to the Google Voice website? Well, if it did, the torches and pitchforks would be out in full force from all sides, so I don’t think it’s going to happen. If it did, AT&T would have another public relations fiasco on its hands and Verizon would probably do another posturing stunt to show A) How nice it really is and B) Why the government really doesn’t need to regulate the free market…

So where’s Skype?  One would have thought that Skype would have been at the top of the highest soapbox bellowing out the virtues of Net Neutrality, but the company has been strangely quiet as the Apple/AT&T-Google Voice cat fight has evolved.  Perhaps this is because for all of Skype’s public rhetoric about Net Neutrality, the company has preferred appeasement to confrontation with a neutered version of Skype for the AT&T iPhone.

Or perhaps with Google Voice getting most of the spotlight and potentially stealing away long-distance minutes from Skype, Net Neutrality is a good idea for Skype so long as it doesn’t promote competitive alternatives…

The Goog was brainwashing, showing off its latest Google Voice apps to Om Malik yesterday, with Google Voice service for BlackBerry and Android clients available.  Integration with GV and address book, cheap long [...]]]>

Forget all this crap about Google Voice being “your next phone company.” It’s Skype that is going to have some issues.

The Goog was brainwashing, showing off its latest Google Voice apps to Om Malik yesterday, with Google Voice service for BlackBerry and Android clients available.  Integration with GV and address book, cheap long distance calls, yadda-yadda.

I should have seen the Android client coming; that was a no brain, brothers… but the BlackBerry client should be a wakeup call to a lot of people.  Skype’s been working on a BlackBerry phone client for a while, but it ain’t available for download today as a beta.   Since Skype wants to collect business dollars and CrackBlackBerry is the de facto favorite of the biz community, there is a serious hole in the portfolio, hmm? Be interesting to hear why all the delays in a Skype for BlackBerry client. Heck, even Agito Networks has a FMC client for BlackBerry!

Now, let’s talk about pre-loading apps on cell phones, shall we? Skype has been fighting with carriers to get its app pre-loaded on phones with mixed success, but the company has been relatively quiet of late in stomping its feet about open networks and net neutrality.   If you buy an Android phone, having the mobile GV client included as a part of the load would seem to be a natural fit if the carrier allows — and if it doesn’t, it looks like the first or second app an Android fan boy would download to complement his shiny-new ‘droid phone. True, Skype is preloaded on more cellular platforms around the world these days, but not a Lot More.

Given that Google is more “open” than Skype on software matters and has a MUCH BIGGER market cap than Skype, when Google goes up to lobby about open networks and net neutrality, legislators are likely to pay more attention.

Finally, there’s the whole momentum/integration thing going on, whereas Skype is a one-trick (communications) pony. You have Google, the Search Engine, plus Gmail, plus Google Voice, plus Android, plus all the other beta stuff floating around. Put together gmail, the search engine, and Google Voice, plus the small-but-growing Android installed base and there’s a good chunk of critical mass right there.

Will this displace Skype? Well, not today certainly, but if GV rolls in some quick and dirty Twitter support — and it will, because Google has no problem playing with others when it suits its master plan — one might start to see some cracks in Skype’s walled-garden approach to the world.  Software can come off phones and computers (well, just get forgotten) as easily as it can be loaded.

I guess I am suffering from Google-burnout, between the hype for Google Voice, how Google is supposed to respond to [...]]]>

After two weeks of hype and rumors, Google Voice is starting to hand out phone numbers to its waiting list.  Although, after yesterday’s “Today” show segment, the company might not have had a choice.

I guess I am suffering from Google-burnout, between the hype for Google Voice, how Google is supposed to respond to Bing, Chrome, Android,  Google’s troubles with China on censorship, Google Wave, and Google Book Search…

In the “Today Show” segment, there was happy gushing from NBC News user Janet Shamlian, how it made her life easier and for her family to get in touch with her yadda-yadda.  Little downside was given in the piece other than potential privacy concerns since The Google gets access to your recorded voice conversations, voicemail (probably a more valid point if they start datamining the contents, even in a generic fashion) and everything else that flows through GV, like call data.   Heaven forbid that The Goog use that data to target ads!

We’ll see how long it takes for me to get a Google Voice number.  I’m not really convinced it is going to do anything greater for me than my current phone service(s) of Cox (landline) and Sprint (mobile).   Cox has added online Phone Tools, so I’ll get the visual voice mail component and call forwarding set on line. I don’t have a gazillion phone numbers to manage, so being able to simultaneous ring a bunch of devices Does Not Make Sense for me.

Finally, there’s the whole “hand Google my primary phone number when they finally get around to supporting it.”  So, I give Google my house number, and I need a new number (no doubt provided out of the million number stash Google has allegedly built) for my landline and this makes sense because…?

If Google Voice such a big-deal/game changing service, it won’t take too terribly long for everyone else (translation: Any voice service provider with a softswitch and purchasing a service pack upgrade) to do the same thing  After all, GrandCentral/Google Voice has had about two years of “betas,” so it has given those mean old phone companies and the vendors who support them plenty of time to figure out how to replicate the services on their own networks.

“Google Voice invitation request

Please leave your name and email, and we’ll invite you as soon as Google Voice becomes available. If you left us your email address [...]]]>

So today, the world sits with baited breath – NOT. I really wish the Google fanboys would get a life and remember some history.