Alec Saunders SquawkBox

Over at 3GSM, Bridgeport, Oberthur, and CounterPath have announced the commercial availability of MobileSTICK.  MobileSTICK is a USB device that plugs into a PC or laptop with a fixed line or Wi-Fi broadband connection and launches a PC softphone, secured by a SIM card that utilizes the user’s existing mobile phone number to make and receive phone calls, SMS messages and multimedia (MMS) messages. 

Now all the content you’ve got on your PC can be easily sent via MMS using a PC drag and drop interface.  Drag a photo to the softphone, and send it via MMS using MobileSTICK. 

It’s a pretty neat take on the whole fixed-mobile convergence space.

 

This is a real pleasure to watch.

Via: VideoSift

Yesterday’s Jajah Web Mobile announcement overshadowed another, and perhaps even more interesting announcement.  The company rolled out Jajah Dynamic Web Buttons in beta.  It brings the combination of click-to-call and presence to a web widget that you can install on any web page.  From the website:

- Buttons allow you to make yourself available without compromising your privacy.

- They work independently from phone numbers, location or email address.
User can change his contact specific in the JAJAH preferences.

- Users can have multiple buttons for multiple purposes/audiences

- Buttons eliminate the need for extra email addresses. Since your email
address is private and non-visible to viewers, you can use a single address
for multiple types of interaction.

- User can create an email signature that enables managed communication

- With Buttons you are able to block specific people from contacting him.

- User can set the time he allows / accepts calls. For example, a person
can specify that he be called between certain hours but at other hours, only
be reached via sms or voice mail.

Single phone number, single email address, all under control of a single console.  It’s a very iotum-like concept, but without the contextual inputs that we provide.

The DemoCamp movement seems to be hitting an inflection point.  With upcoming camps in Dallas, Montreal and DC this month, and more next month, the notion of an informal evening get together to see short presentations on new technologies seems to be gaining a lot of currency.

The next closest event for us in Ottawa is DemoCamp1 Montreal on February 27th.  Several Ottawa DemoCampers will be headed that way, although I myself will be at ETel in San Francisco.

Put it on your calendar!

It’s always dangerous to make accusations when your own house isn’t quite in order.  Jim Courtney has uncovered a couple of very similar trademarks.  PDT has a mark called VoIPVoice for their pioneering line of VoIP hardware.  The logo Cisco displays on the CD for their Linksys product lines is very similar, right down to the words VoIP Voice, displayed in a nearly identical layout.  The PDT logo is the one on the left. 

Pretty similar, aren’t they?  So much so that you might be able to make the argument that one brand dilutes the other.  So who had the mark first?  Well, it turns out that PDT has been selling under this brand for nearly five years, and Cisco is the newcomer. 

I’m no lawyer. If I were PDT, though, I’d be seeking some legal advice. 

If I were Cisco I’d be a little embarrassed about the self-righteous stance I’d taken with Apple… “The action we have taken today is about not using people’s property without permission”, said Cisco when asked about the Apple iPhone lawsuit. 

Unh hunh?  Sure.