End-user perspective on small office tools & technology

A Road Warrior Plans To Shed Some Weight: Part 1

samsonite-silhouette-11-softside-shoulder-bagLike many people I’m making a New Year’s resolution with respect to losing some weight. However, in my case the sphere of concern to be addressed is my computer bag. It’s simply too heavy and I’m finally planning to do something about that.

In truth I’ve needed a new shoulder bag for some months. I’ve had the same one for about five years. It’s an HP branded ballistic nylon bag that I got two laptops ago. I really like the design of the bag, but recently it’s started to look a bit ragged. One of the zippers is even broken.

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New TIA Standards For HDVoice Over Analog Jacks

HDVoice News RJ-11 Wall PlateDoug Mohney of HDVoice News recently noted that The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has issued a series of new standards documents in reference to wideband audio over analog connections. These new standards specify how HDVoice may be implemented with regard to analog telephone, speakerphones, headsets and related terminal equipment.

Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like…formal specifications for delivering wideband voice over traditional FXO/FXS connections.

This is more than just a curiosity, and could be very valuable to the widespread adoption of HDVoice outside of the mobile space.

Let’s consider the case of the Cable Companies. It’s been noted that their “Digital Voice” customers are well positioned to benefit from HDVoice. Cable companies have gained many residential and SMB voice lines in recent years, enough to cast Comcast as the third largest Telco in the US.

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IEEE Spectrum Podcast With Dan Berninger of VCXC

IEEE-Spectrum-Podcast-in-thinkpad-x1-carbon Earlier this month Steven Cherry of the IEEE Spectrum podcast interviewed Daniel Berninger of The Voice Communications Exchange, aka VCXC, about the end of the PSTN. Dan certainly knows this space well. He covers a number of topics, including IP peering between carriers and potential new services, including HDVoice. It’s a good interview, well worth a listen.

However, like the CNet & Ooma interview from June 2012, the production of the interview is done completely ignoring the possibility of using HDVoice to craft the podcast itself.  I’m sure that this was a simple matter of choosing convenience over all else on the part of the IEEE staff.

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Measuring The Real Impact Of Smart TVs

Skype-For-TVSince the introduction of “Smart HDTVs” a couple of years ago I’ve been wondering just how much impact the built-in applications have on the purchase process, and the user experience. A new report from NPD Group sheds some much-needed insight into this area.

The headline of the report states very plainly that, “Internet Connected TVs Are Used To Watch TV, And That’s About All.” Beyond the traditional role of TV the leading role of the smart HDTV seems to be for using “Over-the-top” services like Netflix. Fully 60% of smart TV users report taking advantage of this feature.

The next most common use of the Smart TV is for listening to OTT music services, but that’s only reported as used by around 15% of the installed base. All other applications, including “video calling” services like Skype and Google Chat see use by less than 5% of users.

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DoorBot: A Wifi Enabled Smart Doorbell

DoorBot-LogoSome time ago I installed an analog DoorBell Fone to replace our ancient, traditional doorbell. I described that project hereabouts at the time.

At the time I considered some SIP enabled solutions as well as some video capable gear. In the end budget pressure constrained my decision to the very old skool DoorBell Fone.

Sadly, that device was not long lived. Less than a year later it failed. I now wish that I had gone the extra cost for the Algo Solutions SIP door phone.

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