Later this week Skype for Windows version 1.4 will come out of beta. Largely it’s about two key features. The first is Skype Forward, while the second is the ability to personalize Skype. The two other features are better Skype buttons for web sites and Skype Toolbars for Outlook and Internet Explorer. Now what the … Read more

Packet 8 landed a deal with Dixon’s in the UK to market a retail VoIP product called FreeTalk. This means now both VONAGE and P8 are in the British Isles with a Voice Over IP product. While Vonage is taking the direct market route Packet 8 chose to sell a private label version to a … Read more

Mark mentions today that the buzz around Skype seems to have slowed. There’s a couple of reasons. Their PR queen in the USA Kelly Larabee is about to have a baby (or may have already given birth). Second and more than likely is that eBay is not a hype, deal, announce driven company and tends … Read more

The Times of London reports that British Telecom is lowering the cost of calls made using its BT Communicator, which was developed in conjunction with Yahoo. Call the pricing change a result of Skype. Due to its P2P and SkypeOut capabilities calling habits have changed. By reacting to the pressure BT has shown just how … Read more

Seems Om is back in action and out of the house, recovered from his bout of viral something or other that kept him from DEMO, VON and elsewhere. Seems in his recuperative state he went out and played with various EvDO cards. I have both the Sierra Wireless and Kyocera cards. Unlike Om, I’ve gotten … Read more

I don’t know what the fuss is all about with the Edge enabled laptops. No one is reporting anything in the way of useful speeds for those who need more than IM and email. I use the EvDO cards from Verizon and have given my Sprint card to my fiancee so she has connectivity on … Read more

Go to market consultant David Deans has a note about research showing that VoIP is beginning to rise. The survey points out two existing challenges, calls during emergencies and keeping your number that are standing in the way of more aggressive adoption. I guess the researchers never heard of my client’s TelEvolution and their inventionPhoneGnome? … Read more

Newsweek has an article on the eBay/Skype deal. What’s interesting is that Meg Whitman used the regular phone for the interview. I guess she heard what happened at VON.

I’ve held off for a few days to catch up on my thoughts about AOL’s TotalTalk, their version of VoIP for beyond AOL’s customers. First one has to look at AOL as a company to understand what they are attempting to do. They want to change what they are and who they server. Their new … Read more

Today a story broke on News.com that Vonage’s two investment banks have suggested a dual strategy to get sold. That likely means the initial round of chats with the hedge funds and institutional buyers are somewhat luke warm about the proposed $600 million dollar flotation that has been widely rumored. Yesterday Om had something too. … Read more