It dawned on me that if a Shareware guy can write a simple space strategy game and hock it for ten bucks a copy on the iPhone (dude probably earned ten grand his first day on the App Store). This game called Galcon is a space strategy game, and it’s been on the iPhone App Store for just a few days. I’m assuming the guys has already paid for his dev cycle 3x or 4x over.
WHY AREN’T OS X APPLICATIONS OFFERED ON THE APP STORE?
Things to ponder….
My friend Bruce Bishop, who’s chief photographer and a very progressive thinker over at the Chronicle-Telegram (full disclosure: one of my clients), e-mailed me to tell me how the Cleveland Plain Dealer completely blew it in reporting the death of Cleveland city council member Stephanie Tubbs Jones. As it turns out, Stephanie is ill but not dead, and the Chronicle-Telegram did the right thing by not running the innaccurate news of her demise.
In his blog post, Bruce points out that, even though mainstream media folks, and often newspapers, like to point the finger of judgment at bloggers, leveling accusations of innacuracy and unprofessionalism. Well, to the Plain Dealer’s chagrin, it turns out, they themselves made a “blogger mistake”. Once again, a little irony goes a long way.
My friend Duane has written a nice piece about his experience setting up audio distribution using home automation equipment and his iPod / iPhone. I hope I can do something this cool someday too! Check it out.
If you have a SIP-based VoIP network, you can now interface directly with the Skype network without the need for analog phone connections. Here it is, from the horse’s mouth:
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 19, 2008 – VoSKY, the market leader in developing Skype for business solutions, today announced the industry’s first Skype-certified, enterprise-grade PBX-to-Skype gateway for SIP networks. Designed to enable medium and large-sized enterprises to maximize the value of their IP-PBX, the new VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX connects an IP-PBX to Skype to dramatically reduce telecom costs up to 90% over traditional telco trunks. This latest addition to VoSKY’s award-winning PBX-to-Skype gateway family is based on the company’s next-generation Linux platform and offers enterprise-grade performance and scalability.
As the industry’s first enterprise-grade PBX-to-Skype gateway for SIP networks to achieve Skype certification, the VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX delivers unmatched performance and reliability – along with complete interoperability with all Skype features and services. The plug-and-play appliance is also fully certified and endorsed by key PBX vendors to further simplify integration in the enterprise environment.
The VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX seamlessly integrates with any existing IP-PBX through SIP trunk ports and adds up to 30 lines of Skype. As a result, enterprises can add extra capacity and take advantage of Skype’s cost savings and enhanced business features without overhauling their existing network and phone infrastructure. With a VoSKY Exchange gateway, employees can make and receive Skype calls from their regular office phone – no Skype software, computers, or headsets are required.
By centralizing administration, VoSKY Exchange gives IT managers full control of Skype in their network to help address some of the chief concerns of using the peer-to-peer (P2P) service in the enterprise environment. Administrators no longer have to manage and troubleshoot a mix of computer hardware, operating systems, Skype client versions, and headsets. VoSKY Exchange also minimizes security concerns by removing Skype from the employee’s desktop. And by integrating Skype with the corporate PBX, VoSKY Exchange ensures that all inbound and outbound Skype calls are included in the company’s Call Detail Records (CDR).
VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX also adds innovative Skype business applications to an IP-PBX. For example, companies can take advantage of Skype’s newly launched Unlimited World plans for ultra low cost international and long distance calls to customers and business partners. Businesses can also enhance their online sales efforts by adding a Skype-powered click-to-call button on their e-commerce site, online support portal, or web banner, as well as expand market presence by adding a local number in any country where global SkypeIn is available.
Furthermore, the VoSKY gateway lets telecommuters and traveling workers connect to the company PBX from wherever they are, allowing them to talk to the office for free or place low cost international calls. To add remote PBX access, companies only need to install a free Skype client on the employee’s laptop or smart phone. Using Skype dramatically simplifies deployment by eliminating common complexities associated with remotely accessing IP-PBXs, such as VPN configuration or NAT/Firewall traversal issues. Additionally, Skype’s private voice network ensures greater voice quality compared with VoIP calls over the public Internet.
“The enterprise market continues to embrace IP-PBXs as a way to lower their telecom costs. According to a report by The Info Pro, 59% of enterprises currently have an IP-PBX in use, while 29% of them include an IP-PBX in their near- or long-term plans,” said David Tang, VP of Global Marketing at VoSKY. “The VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX was not designed to replace the IP-PBX, but rather enhance its value through Skype’s global reach, enormous user base, robust voice quality, and value-added business applications such as click-to-call.”
The launch of the VoSKY Exchange Pro VISIP-EX rounds out VoSKY’s PBX-to-Skype portfolio to meet the needs of companies of all sizes – from SMBs to large enterprises. VoSKY Exchange gateways seamlessly integrate with legacy and next-generation telecommunications equipment via industry standard analog FX/FXS, digital T1/E1, or IP (SIP) interfaces.
What can I say, I love both the N-Series phones (except the dorky N73) as well as the iPhone, so my decision about whether the iPhone is better comes down to one thing: hassle-free ease of use. Wondering whether I chose the iPhone or the Nokia? Read on.
In the world of vertical, topic-oriented professional blogging (can you say Weblogs Inc. *cough*), there are already several iPhone publications. So why am I starting another one? Well, mainly because my voice is unique within the industry, and I have special, distinct concerns and outlooks about the iPhone–concerns and outlooks not being vetted elsewhere.
But most importantly, I’m not a card-carrying Apple Robot. I’m not on Apple’s payroll, so I have no problem telling the world that Apple’s decision to exclude media messaging from the iPhone was a nearly fatal error.
I hope you enjoy my new publication, “Get in My iPhone“. My longtime friend Duane will be contributing as well. And if you want to contribute, get in touch.
If you’re an iPhone owner with some writing skills, a desire to get paid writing, and would like to join a small community of recognized tech-industry thought-leaders, then I’ve got an opportunity for you. I’m looking for somebody who is completely hooked on the iPhone and wants to blog about it — from apps to GPS to minutes. I want to hear from you. Think you might be the right person for this? Contact me at [ted]@ btstrategy{dot)com
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