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Follow-up on Ooma

I called Ooma and discussed the issues I’d reported earlier and have since been issued a replacement Hub device. I’m amazed at the number of people interested in this topic (Home VOIP) and am thinking things have matured considerably since my last foray a few years ago.

With the new box in place I am noticing better call quality though to be honest it’s not as good as we have on the landline. There’s still a buzz in the background, which I do not detect when my phone line is not running through the box. Since my initial install I moved the Hub and main cordless base (we have a Panasonic 3 phone system which runs from a single base) upstairs with my router and the scout to our Kitchen so the HPNA network is really only relaying voicemail notices via the scout.

The Ooma team has called a number of times and we’ve spent a good amount of time troubleshooting to make sure the issues are resolved which I certainly appreciate, though I’m still unsettled on whether this will remain as our phone system…stay tuned!

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Vringo – Video Ringtones!

Asian woman with Vringo on Nokia Handset

Vringo has been working hard to shake up the ringtone market with video ringtones and a focus on sharing. Currently the service is free and supports Nokia, Sony Ericsson and the Motorola Q. I’ve been playing with the Nokia edition on the N95 and it’s pretty cool. While I don’t have any friends currently using the service to really get the full effect here’s how it works.

You choose a piece of video content as your Vringo (video ringtone) and share it with a friend. When you call your friend they see what you’ve shared and you see what they’ve shared back for you. You can personalize the experience for everyone of your friends. Vringo has enabled a feature in the latest software release which lets you set for a local Vringo (a feature most phones don’t offer natively) so you can get the effect without needing to connect with another user.

This week Vringo announced a deal with Meez which let’s you create a custom avatar to be shared in addition to their existing content partners. I also noticed that you can choose to import a piece of content and by simply providing a URL to what you have to share, you can upload GIF, JPG, MP4, AVI, 3GP and FLV files as well as a video right from YouTube! This is a really great addition to the Vringo system as it allows the content and experience to be truly personal. You have complete control of what and with whom you share.

For now the service is free. When things roll out of beta there may be a charge for certain content partners and pieces of content. If you buy something and share it though it will remain free for your friends to see so there’s nothing to worry about with unexpected charges. If you’ve got a supported phone, give it a shot!

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Native iPhone Apps with AppTapp

I’ve been playing with Nullriver’s AppTapp / Installer.app for a few days now and I have to say it’s very cool. To get started you simply download the right version for your device, disable auto-sync (only temporarily) in iTunes and connect your iPhone. During the installation process, you choose which firmware your iPhone is running and things then install onto your device.

Once the installation process is complete, you’ll see a new icon on your iPhone’s screen which is the Installer application. This name is a tad misleading as it’s far more of an applications manager than simply an installer. Unlike my experience with the Nokia N800’s maemo linux, there are no repositories to learn about, everything just happens from within the program itself. By everything, I mean you can browse and install new applications, get notices on updates and remove things you no longer want. All of this is arranged in nice tabs at the top of your screen.

Keep in mind that installing applications and hacking around with the iPhone is something you do at your own risk. I had downloaded a version of the installer before the last iPhone firmware update (1.02) and ran into crashing issues as a result. I restored my iPhone via iTunes two times before realizing there was a later version available to try.

There’s still a shortage of really compelling applications, but there’s quite a bit to play with here for the adventurous iPhone user. The Mobile Twitterific application looks gorgeous and seems to work very well — though as best as I can tell does not continue to update in the background. There are some IM apps but they currently only support AIM/ iChat. I’m looking forward to seeing multiple service support with background notification which will really be a killer addition. Much of what I’ve done thus far has been tweaking the interface on my iPhone. I’ve updated my dock image background (DockSwap), adjusted the Main screen flow with SummerBoard and added some new WallPapers and Ringtones as well as used SendSong to make any track I’ve got ring. I’ve also dabbled with the just released Colloquy (IRC) and played a few games. While I’ve installed SSH, NES (Gameboy anyone!?), Books (ebooks reader) and MobileFinder I have not had a chance to try these too much yet.

There’s little to no documentation with most things listed in the Installer directory, so take it slow if you are not really sure or confident. Nullriver is planning to eventually release the system for installation as well as the package format into the OpenSource community which will be a great addition to how things work now. I’m not that familiar (as a non-dev) with what’s required to release apps, but I’m hoping people start picking up where some of the early releases are headed.

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All Hail the US HSDPA Nokia N95!

iPhone or not, I want this phone!! No memory issues AND 3G which I’ve just noticed is finally available where I live!

This new Nokia N95 offers North American 3G/HSDPA/UMTS compatibility while retaining all the award-winning functionality of the existing Nokia N95. In addition, a number of new product upgrades have been added including: assisted GPS (A-GPS) for faster navigational fixes, 124MB of RAM to complement the included 1GB microSD memory card and the 160MB internal memory, and a higher capacity battery for extended operating time.

The Nokia N95 is expected to start shipping in September to a growing number of independent retailers in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco, as well as the Nokia Flagship Stores in New York and Chicago.

The Nokia N95 will also be available from Nokia’s online store (www.nseries.com) and multiple online retailers with an estimated retail price of $699. [Symbian.com]

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Thinking the Mac MS Office Product Manager’s need to think of a better reason to upgrade…

This sounds like a complete non-event…

Microsoft’s next release of Office for Mac, due in January, will include business features that PC users have taken for granted for years.

That will include the ability to set up out-of-office messages, according to a preview in Microsoft’s Office for Mac team blog.

‘With Entourage 2008, you now have the ability to configure your out-of-office settings,’ said Andy Ruff, program manager for Entourage, the counterpart of Outlook in the Macintosh version of Microsoft Office.” [CNET News.com]

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Are we there yet?

The jokes are old with regard to blue screens of death in cars… but I can’t help but think how complex life with kids in the car might become if Microsoft controlled the infotainment… The current car systems might be far from perfect, but a MS driven “standard” is not what I am looking for to make it better. I can get my ipod / iPhone working just fine today without assistance from either Apple or Microsoft thanks to good old standard audio and video jacks.

Microsoft and Siemens will join forces to develop in-car entertainment and navigation products that should make it easier for consumers to connect devices such mobile phones and music players.

The two companies said on Friday the first Siemens products based on Microsoft software should go into production in 2009.

The market for automotive infotainment products is set to grow to about $54 billion by 2012 from $38 billion currently, according to research group iSuppli.

The rise of portable media players and content downloadable from the Internet is forcing carmakers and their suppliers to rethink their offerings, which have until recently centered on standalone audio systems. [CNET News.com]

Something about this announcement just made me think of this classic Apple commercial…

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Nokia responds to new iPhone pricing… with MOSH? Apple sticks it right back… to the early adopter?!

Techcrunch reports on an interesting adwords response by Nokia to the latest iPhone news and pricing. Of all the things Nokia could have offered, MOSH seems an odd choice. Their pitch is that you can salvage your lost $200 with the free content offered by the MOSH social sharing network. Sorry to say I’m not feeling that …

When I actually did a search for the same terms I found an ad from Apple which was even more frustrating!

iphone price drop - Google Search

That might be a bit hard to read, but it says – Congrats, Late Adopters iPhone drops $200. Now you get all the iPhone for 2/3 the price and links to store.apple.com. This is like salt in the wound for the early adopter while I was initially bummed by the price cut news, this makes it infuriating! I’m a big boy and made the choice to stand in line and have fun with the rest of the faithful on iPhone day. I can handle a price change or even a new product, but for the price to be cut so drastically so quickly and then to have it rubbed in my face like this by Apple is just wrong.

I’ve tried a few more searches (refresh) since capturing that screenshot, but neither Nokia nor Apple’s ads are showing for me which says they’ve either reached their threshold for cost or someone noticed and had things removed immediately.

Update — Searchengineland snagged a shot with both ads running head to head.

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Ooma Annoyances

We are a couple of weeks in with Ooma and there are a few rather annoying things I’d like to report.

  • About 80 – 90% of the calls we receive and 10% of the calls we make have an audible buzzing background sound and make it very difficult to hear the other party. The sound is audible on both sides of the conversation.
  • My Caller ID (outbound) has yet to activate. It’s been several weeks and I’ve even received a piece of mail (paper) confirming things from Verizon.
  • Verizon is still listed as my carrier for Regional Toll Calling and Long Distance. Unless I missed something here I was under the impression that Ooma was making changes to my call plans with my existing carrier (as per their agreement on signup) which would eliminate all but minimal charges with VZ. Instead I’ve got both though I’m missing the standard features like CallerID and have been given crappy call quality as an added bonus.

I tried calling Ooma this am to discuss but while their web site says they open at 8am PST, the recording states they won’t be open until 8:30 instead. My wife is less than pleased… Operators are standing by…

Update

— My buzzing sound has been reported and has been forwarded to engineering. CallerID is apparently hidden for “Security Reasons” by default, but you can enable it on outgoing calls by dialing *82. I expressed my discontent with this option and suggested it be a one time activation with the option to block as needed – the way everyone else handles it. Provisioning Ooma, apparently does NOTHING with your existing carrier LD service and you have to actively cancel Long Distance. I’m going to wait another month to see whether my call sound issues go away before trusting Ooma to be my sole provider at the house…

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Nokia to integrate Twango into S60

This is great news from Nokia on how they will use the Twango assets and technology, though I wonder what this means for Mosh…

“‘We are going to integrate it with our S60 platform,’ Stephen Johnston, senior business development manager at Nokia, said in a speech to a trade fair in Helsinki.

When asked about social networking and the role of communities in Nokia’s future he said: ‘It’s really going to be the underlying layer, across everything.'” [CNET News.com]

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Ah lawyers …



Ah lawyers …, originally uploaded by atmasphere.

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Video Search…Results are still being tabulated

I saw that Truveo re-launched today…

“Last night, Truveo relaunched as a consumer video search destination. Emphasizing branded content (including branded channels), it may be the most comprehensive video search site on the Internet. The site also has a host of personalization and social media features (user favorites, what’s hot, etc.). Truveo CEO Tim Tuttle contrasts the site with YouTube (which is also indexed on Truveo) as a place where branded content is presented in an environment that is favorable and friendly to professional content producers.

Tuttle also says that the organization and presentation of content on Truveo avoids the ‘noise’ that one finds on many video sites and thus enables people to get to the videos they may want faster. For example, a search for ‘Harry Potter’ on YouTube might yield scores of videos and montages put together by fans mixed with content from professional producers. Truveo calls out the professional content, while also presenting the fan content. Compare YouTube and Truveo search results for ‘Harry Potter.’ Many people will watch and enjoy the fan videos, while others just want to see the professional clip or interview.” [Search Engine Land ]

Sounds good to me … I searched for Nokia N95:

Videos that match your query: nokia n95 - Truveo Video Search

I don’t see one professional video in the bunch. I see two from me (orange cat) taken with a Nokia N95 a few video blogs by Phil Campbell and Ricky Cadden and some “other.” If you look closely you can see the tab we are on by default is Top Ranked. I call this to your attention because when I last checked my own videos, the cat outside stuff was viewed less than 1000 times (by Blip’s count) without a rank. When I look at my YouTube videos I see my N95 Walkthrough has over 33,000 views and 100 rankings (3 stars). My Viddler Browser video has over 83,000 views, Google Maps over 49,000 and the N95 Jaiku beta video over 33,000 views. Get the picture? Viddler seems absent from the results all together actually but I don’t understand why a much more viewed (and relevant) video from YouTube would not show up, while my test samples from the N95 camera (the cat outside) makes it twice as a top ranked result.

I did the same search on Blinkx:

nokia n95: Blinkx Video Results

Interestingly Steve Garfield’s iPhone unboxing (with size comparison to N95) is listed first and I saw that was actually posted today. Blinkx, it seems is leading with the most recent as an indicator of relevance which is the default search sort.

These two video search sites work totally differently and lead you to completely different results. If you are searching for something specific it seems you might be better with “the google” or simply making the rounds on the video sites you know and love to use. Search is still working…

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Xohm is coming… um, ok?

Xohm is Coming

The Internet is on the verge of another revolution. Coming in Spring of 2008, Xohm promises to bring fast, secure and smart wireless access to cities, enabling the possibility of a whole new range of high-bandwidth applications and uses. Xohm also will expand the Internet experience by partnering with the best companies in the industry to enable a new class of devices with Internet capabilities. Beyond just laptops, the vision of Xohm is to empower PMPs, video cameras, MP3s and more with Internet access. [Xohm]

Sprint officially announced Xohm as the brand for their pending WiMax service and I’m left feeling like they got taken by their brand guys.

WiMax — It’s all about the X factor!! Yeah, that’s it and if we make it phonetic it’s going to be all web 2.0-like and even though it looks more like Ohm than Zoom, we’ll call it Zoom for that extra hip flavor.

Sprint uses the expression SprintSpeed today which seems like it would have been the most obvious choice since WiMax is a 4G data connection (read speed) than anything else. Sure you can do VOIP, but that’s a data service too. Why complicate things with another brand which actually pushes the Sprint name as a tag (WiMAX from Sprint) rather than part of the branded service? I guess perhaps their agency would not have made that much money on that deal…

SprintSpeed works for me. I know who it’s from (where I can buy it) and I know what it means (fast data). I don’t really even need to know it’s WiMAX! Most consumers will buy direct from Sprint anyway while the more advanced elite users will bring their own WiMAX devices to the network. To this second set, the network more utility, than branded service… Maybe I’m crazy here, but simple works the name does not

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iPhone IM – Just not practical yet

Lot of chatter today of the release of Meebo for iPhone. I checked it out and it’s nice, but think that Beejive’s Jivetalk which I’ve mentioned previously, is the superior client. They both get the job done in an elegant way, but Beejive has better contact management and enables a float on top of either your buddy list or current chat if something comes in from another buddy. Both let you log into multiple services simultaneously.

In both cases though, I find myself only using IM on the iPhone when I am checking in with something because without either sound or vibration notifications, IM on the iPhone remains a limited experience. I don’t want to leave my IM Safari window open as my primary activity unless I’m actively chatting and when you move on, IM might as well be off since you have no way of know whether something is happening.

Apparently Apple’s Web 2.0 Safari “SDK” did not include hooks into the system audio… Until someone figures this out or Apple let’s me run iChat or Adium directly, I’m leaving IM on the sidelines for regular use.

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Where’s the personalization Sprint?

NY Times Advertisement - what no personalization?!

Seeing ads like this one from Sprint on the NYT make me wonder why they would not simply pay the (presumed) slightly higher CPM to take advantage of registration data for readers. I don’t live in San Francisco and am not on the west coast. Seeing an ad for regional info out of my region does not engage me in a way to want to take part, but instead pushes me away from the ad.

In a case like this where I am forced to view the ad since it’s an interstitial, it really makes me wonder whether the team working on this is just asleep at the wheel. The headline seems smart enough “Forecasts are faster at SprintSpeed” but then this concept falls flat even more quickly by not pre-poulating the right geography.

Partly shady indeed…

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Sirius on Sonos

SIRIUS on Sonos

If you have or have been thinking about a Sonos system, things just got a bit more interesting with the ability to stream Sirius radio. Sonos has done a remarkable job lining up partnerships to make sure you have every option available through the Sonos UI — effectively replacing the need for physical media. Now if Apple would open up an API for their DRM, Sonos would truly be able to do it all.

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Product Advisory: Nokia BL-5C battery

In case you have not yet heard the news, there’s a product replacement advisory for Nokia Nokia BL-5C batteries. I checked my stash here and found I have two – in the N70 and N91. The N91’s battery matched the lot to be potentially replaced and I’ve submitted my info to Nokia.

Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the affected batteries could potentially experience over heating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia is working closely with relevant local authorities to investigate this situation.

Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries that have collectively produced more than 300 million BL-5C batteries. This advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. There have been approximately 100 incidents of over heating reported globally. No serious injuries or property damage have been reported.

Consumers with a BL-5C battery subject to this advisory should note that all of the approximately 100 incidents have occurred while charging the battery. According to Nokia’s knowledge this issue does not affect any other use of the mobile device. Concerned consumers may want to monitor a mobile device while charging that contains a BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory.

While the occurrence in the BL-5C batteries produced by Matsushita in the time-period specified is very rare, for consumers wishing to do so, Nokia and Matsushita offer to replace any BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory. [Nokia]

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HP – Search over Mobile Ads

It’s hard to argue the logic here… Without really knowing where and what (consumer vs. business vs. enterprise) was marketed I can’t comment in any detail over the planning. The current on-deck stuff has remained limited and the more advanced users more likely to be traveling off-deck into the mobile web of their own terms. As with all things though relevance is the key variable which is why search remains a solid online marketing channel.

Hewlett-Packard’s worldwide media director controls a budget of $829 million and is a big fan of nontraditional media. HP, for example, is devoting 70% of its back-to-school budget to online and viral messaging. Yet Mr. Berg is frustrated by the limitations of mobile-web advertising; marketers who push out ads rather than allowing users to opt in; and strategies that overlook the most important consumer need in mobile marketing: search.

‘We’ve had experience with advertising on the deck of some phone carriers — just didn’t work out for us,’ Mr. Berg said. HP also tested off-deck ads on the mobile web and came to the conclusion that search, at least for the time being, is the way to tackle the new media.

Tangible search terms

‘I would much rather spend the money on the search terms than the advertising because I can track it, I can understand it, I can tweak it based on consumer needs,’ he said.

The key, he believes, is for marketers to realize people are using their phones for information — and smart advertisers will market around that rather than simply pump out a steady stream of ads. He said HP’s latest mobile strategy, which is set to roll out next year, will be based on the thinking that the mobile phone is a utility for consumers.

‘I have a number of concerns about the push technology. One of the big ones is there’s going to be a huge backlash by consumers if we start to push text messages or voicemail messages, and that’s going to lead immediately — immediately — to legislation against this type of activity,’ he warned. ‘Right now you have the do-not-call list. That could possibly get more stringent, in my opinion, if marketers tend to go overboard in push technology in mobile phones.’ [Advertising Age]

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