Blue Jeans Network Demonstrates Industry’s First Video Conferencing Interoperability between Skype and Microsoft Lync

Blue Jeans Network brings together the most popular consumer and enterprise desktop video conferencing solutions just one month after Skype acquisition by Microsoft

The addition of Microsoft Lync to the Blue Jeans offering creates, for the first time, the opportunity for interconnected videoconferencing for nearly one billion people worldwide

November 10, 2011— Mountain View, CA – Blue Jeans Network, the leader in interoperable video conferencing services, today announced that at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference, it will demonstrate a single video conference that connects users on Skype and Microsoft Lync to each other and with other video conferencing endpoints (such as Cisco/Tandberg, Polycom, Lifesize, Google, etc.). The Enterprise 2.0 Conference will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California, on November 14-17^th.

Blue Jeans Network’s demonstration at its booth at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference will be the first public display of Microsoft Lync working with Skype in a single video meeting. The demonstration will take place just one month after the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft was completed.

Blue Jeans Network is a cloud-based video conferencing service that makes video meetings as easy, interoperable and affordable as audio. It’s the first video conferencing service to bridge together business solutions from Cisco/Tandberg, Polycom, Lifesize, and now Microsoft, with consumer solutions such as Skype and Google. For the first time anyone with access to Skype and a video-enabled desktop or mobile device can participate in high quality video meetings with those using traditional video conferencing room equipment.

“Not only will we provide increased flexibility for our users with the addition of Microsoft Lync and OCS to the Blue Jeans Network offerings, but for the first time, nearly a billion people worldwide will have the ability to video conference with others thanks to Blue Jeans , ” said Krish Ramakrishnan, CEO of Blue Jeans Network.

By offering interoperability between so many popular business and consumer platforms, Blue Jeans Network is creating a “network effect” for video conferencing. Blue Jeans Network is enabling more people to communicate easily with each other and expanding the reach of video communications beyond corporate boardrooms and across the enterprise to telecommuters, remote workers, travellers, suppliers, partners and customers.

The Blue Jeans Network service launched in June 2011. Since then it has grown rapidly, expanding to over 1,500 cities in 150 countries, providing video collaboration solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Initial rollout of Lync support for Blue Jeans customers is expected next month.

More at http://bluejeans.com

Polycom’s Video Collaboration Solutions for Small Businesses

Last month, unified communications firm Polycom introduced Polycom® RealPresence™ Ready, its new comprehensive open video collaboration solution optimized that delivers the highest quality video collaboration at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). Tailored for the tighter budgets and leaner staffs of emerging companies, this cost-effective solution is integral to Polycom’s strategy to offer small and medium-sized businesses a fast on-ramp to the benefits of video collaboration and a flexible expansion path in line with their business growth.

In this short Q & A with Laura Marx, the Senior Director of SMB Planning & Operations at Polycom, we learn a little bit more about what the company has to offer small businesses in the realm of video collaboration.

1. For those who say – well I have Skype or ooVoo – what do you say?

We’re hearing from SMB customers across many industries that they want reliable, business-grade and secure UC solutions. Our offerings are not only of the highest quality, but also are extremely reliable, interoperable and scalable. SMBs want to project a polished and professional image to their customers and employees without breaking the bank. Polycom solutions, such as RealPresence Ready, enable SMBs to focus on their businesses rather than worrying about the quality and security of their communication devices.

2. How does this compare to other systems from Tandberg for example, which many businesses have?

We’re in the market because our business-grade solutions are perfect for SMBs: they’re affordable and easy to use, and they help SMBs reduce costs and maximize productivity. Polycom solutions differ from the competition as they provide the best TCO and security. Polycom solutions have backward and forward compatibility, and are open standards based for interoperability. These qualities are critical for SMBs that want solutions that can grow with them, integrating with their existing and future communication systems. We’re also the only company delivering H.264 High Profile, a standards-based technology that compresses video files-without compromising on video clarity-and reduces bandwidth needs by as much as 50 percent, which helps avoid costly network upgrades.

3. There are many video conference systems on the market – what are some key tips for a small biz owner knowing how to buy the best system for them?

We’ve been in the SMB market for many years, serving tens of thousands of customers, so our team is very well equipped to help SMBs figure out the best solutions to fit their specific needs. It’s important that SMBs consider solutions that have the flexibility to seamlessly integrate new video technology with their existing communications systems now, and implement solutions that can scale with them as their businesses grow. When customers choose Polycom open solutions, they can be assured that all their communications systems will work together seamlessly today and tomorrow. Polycom and its ecosystem of thousands of partners and resellers offer SMBs a vast array of solutions to meet their needs. Whether an SMB wants an on-premise solution, a hosted solution or wants to evaluate leasing vs. purchasing solutions, Polycom and its partners offer choices and flexibility – all with the high quality, reliability and security that are imperative to any SMB solution.

4. What am I buying for $18,000?

The RealPresence Ready solution includes two Polycom® HDX® 6000 room systems, one Polycom® HDX® 7000 system, and five Polycom® Telepresence m100 software licenses with an installation deployment guide and demo video. RealPresence Ready makes it easier than ever for SMBs to purchase, install, and operate high-quality, business-grade video collaboration solutions. For more information, SMBs can visit our website: www.polycom.com/smb or call 1.800.Polycom.

“There’s something about seeing the person you’re working with that a voice alone can’t provide,” said Gene Crosby, chief operating officer at Jackson Spalding, an Atlanta, Georgia-based firm of 80 creative professionals who develop advertising, media, and public relations campaigns. The company is currently using Polycom as a video collaboration provider.

“We need to be able to communicate face-to-face, internally and with our clients, even if we aren’t in the same place. When looking for affordable, high-quality and secure video conferencing capabilities, we needed to weigh the investment carefully. Choosing Polycom telepresence solutions was easily the smartest purchase we made last year, and we’ve seen amazing results. Polycom improves our productivity and the work we do, and our employees and clients feel much more engaged.”


Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/

Microsoft Patents VoIP and Skype Wiretapping

Microsoft was recently granted a patent for a technology called Legal Intercept, which apparently enables Microsoft to secretly intercept, monitor and record Skype calls. I'm skeptical. Many Skype calls are peer-to-peer (P2P) with the packets traveling across different router hops. There's no way to predict exactly where the packets are going.

Of course, if you know the target user's ISP, a government entity could put a packet capture device at the ISP where all the user's traffic goes first. However, Skype uses 256 bit AES encryption, which is very difficult to crack. So simply capturing the packets doesn't seem like a feasible way to wiretap Skype. Unless Microsoft's patent involves remotely turning off the encryption within the Skype client, I just don't see how this would work. Of course, this would be classified as a "back door", which Skype users won't be happy about.

According to Computer World, Microsoft's patent application for Legal Intercept was filed in 2009, which is before Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype. The patent was apparently granted last week. The abstract description of the patent doesn't really explain how exactly Microsoft intercepts peer-to-peer Skype traffic, but perhaps this patent only covers when Skype calls touch the PSTN? Here's what the abstract says:

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to silently recording communications. In aspects, data associated with a request to establish a communication is modified to cause the communication to be established via a path that includes a recording agent. Modification may include, for example, adding, changing, and/or deleting data within the data. The data as modified is then passed to a protocol entity that uses the data to establish a communication session. Because of the way in which the data has been modified, the protocol entity selects a path that includes the recording agent. The recording agent is then able to silently record the communication.

Later in the patent application it mentions Skype and reads:

As mentioned previously, traditional techniques for silently recording telephone communication may not work correctly with VoIP and other network-based communication technology. As used hereafter, the term VoIP is used to refer to standard VoIP as well as any other form of packet-based communication that may be used to transmit audio over a wireless and/or wired network. For example, VoIP may include audio messages transmitted via gaming systems, instant messaging protocols that transmit audio, Skype and Skype-like applications, meeting software, video conferencing software, and the like.

So the patent application points to the unique challenges of recording VoIP conversations, but doesn't explain how Microsoft solves these challenges. Also, in reading the entire patent, it isn't Skype specific, but mentions any VoIP offering. Perhaps this patent only involves capturing VoIP when it touches the PSTN, which is much easier to wiretap than P2P Skype calls with 256-bit AES encryption. But there are already patents and techniques going back decades for wiretapping calls that touch the PSTN. I just don't get it. The patent application mentions diagrams and images, which would have been helpful, but they wouldn't load for me. If anyone else has any insights, post a comment.

U.S. House of Representatives Approves Skype for Video Calls

Looks like the U.S. House of Representatives is adopting Skype to lower costs. According to Skype's Big Blog:

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Administration announced that they will open up the world of Skype communications to Members of Congress and their staff. Now, Members of Congress can reduce travel time and related costs while increasing and improving communications, transparency, and government accountability through the experience of Skype video calling. Skype enables lawmakers to hold meetings with their constituents who are unable to travel to the Congressional office, participate in virtual town hall meetings when the Member is not in her District, and build relationships and collaborate more effectively with other Members on important legislative efforts.

Skype's engineers worked closely with the Congressional network security team to ensure that Skype is used safely for official business.

That's great that Congress is looking to save costs by leveraging Skype. Of course, I wonder if U.S. Representatives will now avoid contentious in-person town hall meetings like the raucous town hall meetings during the Obamacare debate. Some legislators even called constituents who voiced their disagreement with the healthcare plan "unAmerican". Do we really want our representatives hiding behind a webcam?

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of our government using Skype to improve communication with constituents. Just as long as townhall meetings aren't replaced with a computer monitor in the center of the room. What's next? Instead of 435 Representatives sitting in Congress, we'll see 435 computer monitors running Skype with Representatives working remotely? I can picture it now...

And of course you know once Congress starts using Skype and sees how it easy it is to conduct business, they'll want the ability to work from their home district and use Skype. I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing, considering the corrupting influence Washington D.C. seems to have on politicians. Perhaps if they stay closer to home more often they'll actually listen to what the American people want.

The Ten Challenges of Mobile Video

By Jonathan Rosenberg, Chief Technology Strategist at Skype

On June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone (News - Alert) 4 to the world. High-definition video recording, a new high-resolution display, a new form factor, and a front-facing camera were some of the new features. However, the feature that gained the most attention was the announcement of Facetime, a video calling feature integrated into iPhone 4. Facetime enables one-to-one video calling between iPhone users with just the single touch of a button. It renders in full screen, and enables the user to send video using either the front or rear-facing cameras (for a see-what-I-see experience).

Reactions to Facetime were mixed. Some heralded it as the arrival of video telephony to mobile. Others saw it as a gimmick. One thing is certain however – Facetime is not the first time a company has attempted to market mobile video telephony. The feature has been around for a while, in fact. European mobile phones with video calling have been available for years. Mobile video telephony was one of the original motivations for 3G investments among mobile operators. However, the feature never took off.

Building a successful mobile video solution requires tackling ten technology challenges:

Limited Front-Facing Cameras

Mobile video requires a front-facing camera to accomplish two-way video chat. This feature is more common outside of the U.S., and is only recently arriving on mobile phones in the U.S. It is possible to provide a “see what I see” feature using the rear-facing camera; this represents a substantially different use case.

Low-Quality Screens

To see the other participant, a large, high-resolution screen is required. Up until the arrival of iPhone and phones with similar form factors, screens have been too small to have a quality video experience.

Limited Networks

Video consumes much more bandwidth than audio. Depending on the size of the screen, continuous bandwidth of between 100knps and 250kbps are typically needed, and even more than that is better. This kind of bandwidth is hard to sustain on wireless networks, and not always available.

Compatibility Challenges

For a video call to work, the other participant needs compatible equipment and software. It can be very difficult for an average user to figure out whether a video call will work, or what to do to make it work. Typically only a small subset of a user’s contacts are reachable on video. This has been especially problematic in solutions that are carrier specific, since users often do not know the mobile operators of their contacts.

Poor Lighting

Good video requires good lighting. This is already problematic in desktop video. In mobile video, where users are under a highly variable set of conditions, and with conditions that change even during the call, the challenges of good lighting are even larger.

Uncentered Video

Users must hold their phones in such a way that the cameras are centered on their faces, and remain centered throughout the calls. This is difficult to do. Since users cannot hold their hands perfectly still there will always be shaking. This reduces the overall quality of the experience.

Discomfort

For calls of any duration, users must hold the cameras at a set distance from their faces, and not change it. This can become uncomfortable after a while. Many users are often uncomfortable with video in general, and don’t want to be seen all of the time.

Limited Use Cases

Mobile phones are often used in cases in which users are wearing Bluetooth headsets and doing something else with their hands. Driving and eating are two examples. Since mobile video requires users to hold the phone, video calls are not possible in these cases.

Insufficient CPU

Decoding and encoding of video are CPU-intensive operations. Many phones do not have sufficient horsepower to run two-way video, especially with the level of quality required. This problem is getting addressed through the natural evolution of mobile CPUs, and is also getting addressed by the presence of dedicated DSPs, which can do the encoding and decoding in hardware.

Poor UI

Video must be easy to use. Many video solutions in the past have had complex UIs that were difficult for the average user to navigate.

These challenges fit into several categories. Some of them are hardware-oriented (limited front-facing cameras, insufficient CPU, low-quality screens), and can be addressed by changes in hardware. Some of them are software-related (compatibility challenges, poor UI), and can be addressed by improvements in software. Others are more fundamental (poor lighting, discomfort), and solutions may be possible through innovation.

Unfortunately, there is no public data available on the usage of Facetime. Whether it has adequately addressed all of these technical challenges to gain market traction, only the future will tell.

Will Video Calls Finally Take Off?

Ever wonder why video calls haven’t taken off? It might.

That’s the considered opinion of FOX News’s John R. Quain, who pronounces himself “enamored with video calling - or videoconferencing, as the business folks know it - for nearly two decades.”

With everything so cumbersome and expensive twenty years ago he says, “okay, I can understand why it wasn’t happening then,” but today, with smartphones and broadband Internet, services like Skype thrive, so could this be video’s time to shine?

Asus has just upgraded its standalone Skype videophone, Quain says, noting that, “the Asus Videophone Touch AiGuru SV1T, which looks like a little television, has a 7-inch touchscreen, a built-in microphone and speaker, and connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. Expected to cost about $300, it makes video calls nearly as easy as making a phone call.”

Much of the optimism is, in fact, depending on Skype's vast user base, Quain says. “Samsung's UN46C7000, for example, is a $2,000 46-inch LCD set that's ready for Skype out of the box. It works only with a special $240 camera, however, the FreeTalk Skype Camera. Panasonic has also Skype-enabled several of its latest HDTVs, including the 50-inch Panasonic TCP50VT25, a $2,360 plasma set. But it too needs a special $170 video camera to make a video call.”

How do these work? In some preliminary tests, with similar television systems, “I found the effect interesting -- but also chilling,” Quain admits. “The picture can be a bit blurry at times, but the idea of seeing distant relatives sitting in their dens in another country on a big-screen TV was appealing.

On the other hand, it was also unnerving to realize that people who were gazing into my living room could see how messy my home is -- and what toys my daughter was playing with (shouldn't she be doing her homework?).”

This, of course, is precisely the reason there hasn’t really been much of a concerted cry for video: We usually don’t want the other person to see us, what we’re wearing -- or not wearing.

Still, Cisco “isn't worried about the privacy aspect,” Quain says: “The company is poised to introduce its own video-calling device for the home this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.”

Home TelePresence coming from Cisco?

Blogosphere lights up with specualtion on Oct. 6 consumer product launch

By Jim Duffy on Wed, 09/29/10 - 4:46pm.

The blogosphere is alive with speculation that Cisco next week will unveil a home version of its TelePresence virtual conferencing system for $200 to $500. The source of the fire seems to be this post from Reuters, but The Wall Street Journal's Kara Swisher is taking her share of the credit as well.

Comcast and Verizon may launch and endorse the product with Cisco, which is expected to compete directly with Skype's Internet video-calling service. Remember when Cisco was going to buy Skype? Instead, Skype hooked up with Cisco's unified communications and collaboration competitor Avaya this week.

Cisco is expected to extol the high-definition video virtues of its home TelePresence system as an advantage over the Skype service, Swisher says in her post. It is also expected to be much easier to implement than Cisco's higher-end, higher-priced business conferencing systems.

Cisco's holding a press event next week to roll out a new consumer device. Swisher, Reuters and many others in cyberjournalism are pretty confident this is it.

NY Times: Video Calling Is Going Mainstream, As Long As Price Stays Down

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Web Editor

Video calling is slowly moving from a science fiction fantasy to a daily reality for a lot of Internet users, The New York Times is reporting.

According to a new survey, the VoIP company, Rebtel, commissioned from Harris Interactive (News - Alert), shows that 14 percent of U.S. adults currently make video calls and 34 percent of them are willing to pay a fee for them, the Times reports.

With technologies like Skype (News - Alert) and its built-in video calling feature, as well as Apple's FaceTime and various other mobile video calling solutions, the market for video calling is becoming mainstream as the tools for making these calls are becoming more easily available, according to the Times.

The survey shows about a third of those Internet users who are making video calls are also willing to pay for it. According to the Rebtel (News - Alert) survey, the price for this feature can't be too high, the Times reports. Most users aren't willing to spend more than $10 per month for this, and 44 percent of those respondents who are willing to pay don't want to pay more than $5, the Times reports on the survey results.

Rebtel's CEO Andreas Bernstrom said, "This opens up a new, non-ad based revenue model for providers like Skype who are looking to monetize on their video services," said Rebtel’s CEO Andreas Bernstrom in the Times’ report.

In a related matter, TMCnet recently reported that mobile video chatting and conferencing has been a hot topic in the telecommunications space over the last few years. While the equipment is available, mobile networks do not have the bandwidth capacity to allow these products and services to be adopted on a widespread basis. With the recent advances in communications technology, consumers demand a higher level of video quality than mobile networks are currently capable of delivering, TMCnet reported.

For this reason, wired networks will continue to be a staple in the enterprise space, according to Rico Vitale, senior systems engineer at Enablence, a supplier of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) equipment and optical components.

Avaya, Skype in deal to offer low-cost, IP-based calling

Skype users would be able to reach a company using Avaya gear for free or at low cost

By Matt Hamblen, Computerworld

Computerworld - Avaya and Skype signed an agreement Wednesday to offer Skype Connect to Avaya customers to help them lower international voice-calling costs through IP-based calls.

Avaya and Skype also plan to deliver a wider range of communications and collaboration capabilities for large businesses, helping both Avaya and Skype users connect with presence technology, instant messaging, voice and videoconferencing. The companies said such a service would be an efficient way for a company call center to resolve customer service inquiries. These services would be offered in the second phase of the agreement, beginning in the last half of 2011.

Alan Baratz, senior vice president of Avaya, said the agreement will offer customers a common user experience. Skype's David Gurle, general manager of Skype for Business, said the relationship with Avaya will help expand Skype Connect's footprint into more large U.S. businesses.

The first phase will bring Skype calling to IP-based enterprise communications systems running Avaya gear. A Session Initiation Protocol channel will be set up between customers with Avaya Aura Session Manager or SIP Enablement Server, CS 1000, IP Office or BCM systems. Those Avaya customers will use Skype Connect to make international calls at lower cost while getting enterprise-level security features in the Avaya systems.

Skype users globally will be able to make inbound calls to Avaya customers in the U.S. market for free or at low cost, and the Avaya gear will add a variety of features for collaboration. A business, for example, could add a Skype Click & Call button to its Web site for a customer to make a call to a customer care center.

Small- and medium-size business customers already using Avaya IP Office should be "very excited about getting access to Skype," said Steve Hilton, an analyst at Analysys Mason. "It will help them save money on international calling and get access to webcam-style video communications integrated with their Avaya phone systems."

Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at Yankee Group Research, said the partnership between Skype and Avaya should enhance the value of the coming Avaya Desktop Video Device and its Flare user interface. "This partnership would open up Skype presence information and voice over IP to be displayed and used by the Flare tablet," Kerravala said.

Avaya will also gain greater credibility as an IP switching vendor with the Skype agreement, Kerravala said. "With Cisco having such a huge palette of unified communications [systems], Avaya can gain credibility through its partnerships," he said.

Skype Tries Its Hand at VoIP for Business

By Christina Warren http://mashable.com

Skype has formally announced its newest product for business users, Skype Connect.

Skype Connect, formally Skype SIP, is Skype’s play at the IP-enabled PBX and Unified Communications (UC) market. With Skype Connect, businesses can now integrate the service into their existing PBX systems.

In addition to making outgoing calls at Skype rates from desktop phones, Skype Connect also lets businesses receive phone calls from other Skype users, landline or mobile phones, or from other phones on the corporate PBX. Also, Skype Connect can be configured to route calls to mobile numbers.

This video gives an overview of just what Skype Connect does:

Skype is one of the most visible players in the consumer VoIP space, but it has a much smaller presence in the business world.

Skype first launched its Skype Connect Beta in March 2009, and according to its business blog now has more than 2,400 global customers. That’s not a bad start, but it pales when compared to some of the bigger players in this field.

Skype also faces stiff competition, not just from companies like Cisco — which has its own IP-PBX offerings — but from startups in the same space, including Bandwidth.com. Bandwidth.com offers SIP Trunking for businesses that want a cost-effective, in-house IP-PBX, and its Phonebooth Free and Phonebooth OnDemand products directly target SMBs.

Skype’s advantage, of course, is going to be that it has brand recognition with new customers. For small businesses that are transitioning to a phone system, IP or otherwise, for the first time, the Skype brand should have its own set of advantages.

Likewise, while other hosted IP-PBX systems have click-to-talk systems like Skype’s own interface (meaning users can initiate a phone call from a button on the Internet()), Skype is a ubiquitous part of many consumer and business desktops.

Skype’s disadvantage, however, is that because it has been such a consumer-centric service, it’s unproven in the business support and infrastructure arena. Skype offers a new dedicated customer support option for Skype Connect users, but it’s going to also off-load some of its support to channel partners and VARs. Depending on the business, this may not be ideal.

Also, we find ourselves confused about Skype Connect’s pricing plan. Rather than bundling together plans with minute buckets or extensions, Skype is charging by the minute and by what it calls “channels.”

Incoming calls are free, and outgoing calls are charged according to Skype’s standard rates of 2.1 cents per minute. Users will also need to pay $6.95 a month per channel. A channel is the number of concurrent calls you want to make or receive at once. So if you want to have five different extensions that can all be in use at the same time, you’ll pay $34.75.

We really think it would be in Skype’s best interest to create some unified or bundled pricing plans for its business offerings, if only to make comparison shopping easier.

What do you think of Skype’s formal entrance into the corporate VoIP space? Let us know in the comments.

Skype Plans to Bring Video Chat to All Android Phones

By Alice Straight, TMCnet Web Editor

Skype (News - Alert) will be offering an application to all Android handsets later this year, which will include a video chat feature. Currently Skype on Android (News - Alert) is limited to Verizon Wireless' handsets.

"Skype envisions a world where video plays a larger role in the way we communicate. It’s on computers, televisions, and it will eventually be coming to mobile devices too. We’re betting big on video, and we intend to set the bar on mobile video calling, and it’s something we’re going to do this year. We will be bringing a direct to consumer app to the Android marketplace later this year. This application will be available for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers," the company said in a statement.

Fring, a Skype competitor, recently announced a new Android application that offers free video calling. Fring wraps together a number of services, such as Skype, MSN, ICQ, GTalk and other IM platforms into a single application.

On Tuesday, Verizon (News - Alert) Global Wireless announced that its customers used 200 percent more VoIP time in 2009 than in the previous year.

"Since we launched our VoIP portfolio 10 years ago, we’ve seen steady growth reflecting customer desire for reliable, cost-effective IP voice services," said Mike Millegan, president of Verizon Global Wholesale, in a statement. “And, as this market grows, we continue to add new VoIP services while enhancing our existing portfolio.”

Verizon has added new applications such as short-duration calling systems for call centers and mass notification systems. The company also announced plans to add a more robust VoIP network interfaces in Europe later this year.

Also by the end of the year, Verizon expects to offer a VoIP-based feature that will enable its users to dispense with paper invoices and instead receive electronic invoices with call details included on them.

Verizon Wireless has forged a close relationship with Skype, the independent VoIP pacesetter, over the past few years.

Skype Has No Plans for Windows Phone 7 Client for This Year.

Skype Will Not Be Available on Windows Phone 7 in 2010

[05/13/2010 10:09 AM]
by Anton Shilov - xbitlabs.com
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20100513100950_Skype_Has_No_Plans_for_Windows_Phone_7_Client_for_This_Year.html

Skype, one of the first VoIP clients for Windows Mobile operating system, will not be available on Microsoft Corp.’s next-generation Windows Phone 7-based phones, the developer said. Instead, Skype will concentrate on improvements of clients for Android-, iPhone- and Symbian-based smartphones.

“[We] are not developing software for the new Windows [Phone 7] software due later this year,” said Dan Neary, vice president of Skype in Asia-Pacific region, at an event in Sydney, reports Smarthouse web-site.

Mr. Neary reportedly was hesitant to explain why no development was taking place for the new Windows Phone 7 operating system (OS). He also did not say whether the company might develop a version of Skype for Windows Phone 7 in 2011.

Skype scrapped versions of its voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) client for Windows Mobile platforms several months ago and said that it “felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows phones were not offering the best possible Skype experience”. The company stressed that it would continue to provide Skype for Apple iPhone and Symbian-based smartphones as before.

The actual motives behind Skype’s moves are not clear. Cell phones based on Windows Mobile operating system are available from many renowned smartphone manufacturers and market share of Windows Mobile operating system globally was nearly 9% in 2009, according to Gartner market tracking firm. Although in 2009 the share of Windows Mobile dropped, those devices still have large install base and the incoming Windows Phone 7 may reverse the trend for Microsoft.

The two best performers in 2009 in terms of smartphone OSs were Android and Apple. Android increased its market share by 3.5% points in 2009, while Apple's share grew by 6.2% points from 2008. Symbian continued its lead, but its share dropped 5.4% points in 2009. Competitive pressure from its competitors, such as RIM and Apple, and the continued weakness of Nokia's high-end device sales have negatively impacted Symbian's share.

At Mobile World Congress 2010, Symbian Foundation announced its first release since Symbian became fully open source. Symbian³ should be made available by the end of the first quarter of 2010 and may reach the first devices by the third quarter of 2010, while Symbian⁴ should be released by the end of 2010. With Android 2.2 and iPhone OS 4.0 incoming, Windows Phone 7 will definitely have a lot of competition.