Was just on a briefing call about some news from Metaswitch. I don't track news items as a matter of course, but this announcement came my way on short notice, and being a company I follow closely, it's worth noting.Metaswitch is a great example of a company that goes about its business quietly, deliberately and effectively. These really aren't 2.0-style virtues, but I'll take their track record any day over the fast and furious.The news item is pretty pedestrian - Kevin DeNuccio takes the CEO reins from John Lazar, who now moves into the Chairman spot, in turn from Ian Feguson, who remains…
Selected by jonarnold
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Jon Arnold's Analyst 2.0 Blog
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Metaswitch Announces New CEO
4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am -
UC Strategies - ITExpo/Industry News Recap
3 Feb 2010 | 5:32 amAfter a brief hiatus, I was able to join the weekly UC Strategies podcast on Monday. This week, the focus was a recap of recent industry events as well as news of note, namely the iPad launch.A few industry events were discussed, but ITExpo was the only one I had attended. I shared my thoughts on the Expo along with others who were there such as Jim Burton and Dave Michels. All told, it's a nice recap, esp from Dave, who was attending for the first time. Towards the end, we also talked about the iPad, and I managed to add my take to the mix.The podcast is running now on the UC Strategies… -
DAVE Wireless/Mobilicity - the Next Wave in Canadian Wireless Competition
2 Feb 2010 | 8:37 amThe second shoe dropped today in terms of new entries for Canada's wireless market. I've been following this space for some time, and the winners of last year's AWS auction are starting to make moves to shake things up here. About six weeks ago, the most ambitious entry - Wind Mobile - was the first to launch. I've generally been skeptical of the chances for these new players, and as first movers go, I haven't been overwhelmed with Wind.Enough said for now - but we can talk more about that later. Let's focus on today's news, which has a few angles of interest. The next entry making noise is… -
january media roundup
1 Feb 2010 | 9:15 amFairly light month in terms of media coverage, but I certainly had my hands full with the Smart Grid Summit. No quotes in the press - which hasn't happened in a long time - but I've already done a couple of stories that will run this month.Basically, my citings are all article-based - three written by me, and one as an interview about the Summit. Let's start there:- PR Vibes - Smart Grid Summit Preview, Q&A with Jon Arnold- UC Strategies - Interactive Intelligence Moves Toward CaaS for Contact Center Automation- Service Provider Views - Google in China - What Business are you Really In?-… -
Service Provider Views - Why Life is getting harder, not easier
29 Jan 2010 | 10:45 amMy latest Service Provider Views column is running now on TMCnet. Having just come back from the ITExpo, a few things struck me there that would work well for my next article. This would have been enough material, but on top of that, the last week or so has been full of news that pose new challenges and raise new questions for service providers. Not the least of which is the iPad launch, Jajah's acquisition by Telefonica, and the latest earnings news from AT&T and Verizon.I could probably squeeze a few more columns out of this morass - and I just might do that - but for now, I've managed to…
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VoIP Watch
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DataJack Coverage (or Lack Of)
7 Feb 2010 | 7:34 pmIt seems that DataJack has lost their ability to link to the T-Mobile coverage map. That implies that T-MO has had a word with them about using their network, or I should say, likely NOT using their network. By clicking through to the DataJack coverage map one finds that they don't have one. Coverage information is currently unavailable. Check back for updates soon. There was at one time a legacy agreement in place between TMO and a company that was rolled up into or acquired by DataJack, but more than likely that was an EDGE/GPRS agreement for some other form of data service. Normally in… -
Make Those Calls on Kwedit
7 Feb 2010 | 10:43 amMy guess is some ingenious VoIP type will figure out how to mashup making telephone calls using the new form of virtual currency called Kwedit. The story today in the New York Times about the new way to pay could be a key to many a carrier's future user base. -
One By One VoIP Companies Adding 3G, Today It's 8 x 8's Turn
4 Feb 2010 | 5:54 amEver since the iPad announcement we have seen one company after another make noise that their application is now able to make calls over 3G. First was iCall. Then along came Fring and today we have 8 x 8 making their's. What I have yet to see though are any real time reviews that this is working perfectly in a mobile environment. My attempts with 3G VoIP are mixed. If I'm standing still and have really good connectivity the calls work, but when driving, the experience has been less than optimal. Of course this will improve, but I doubt the experience over 3G will come close to my solid… -
Cisco Voice App Coming For iPhone
3 Feb 2010 | 7:34 pmMe Too, Me Also....sorry Cisco, you're not me different. Cisco should just buy Skype or Truphone and stop being so far behind the curve. This iPhone app will be big and Cisco will be a major force to be reckoned with as usual. So, where does this leave Avaya? -
Are AT&T & Apple Having A Tiff or Developer Turf War?
3 Feb 2010 | 8:30 amSometimes it isn't what you say or how you say it, but what you don't say that speaks volumes. Now this may not ring true, but on the surface it does seem to insiders to be either clear as a bell or simply a matter of not reaching out and touching the right people. In black and white, plus blue and orange, AT&T issued a call for Applications in an event called Open Call. Funny thing though. One big platform in the mobile device eco-system that makes up AT&T that's missing is Apple's iPhone platform. Another is Symbian from Nokia. Now the latter I can understand as Nokia's Series 60…
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Om Malik
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With SMS, Twilio Continues to Shake Up Communications
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amAbout 25 months ago, when I first met Jeff Lawson, formerly of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the founder and CEO of Twilio, I was skeptical of his chances. After all, he wanted to marry the world of voice to the world of web applications. This oft-discussed marriage of web and voice has been attempted many times and has often met with failure. So for the longest time I resisted writing about it. Fast-forward to today and my skepticism about Jeff’s business is decreasing, for multiple reasons. For starters, the company, which has raised $4.3 million in total funding from the likes of… -
GIPS Wants iPhone to Video Conference More Often
9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amGIPS, a San Francisco-based company that licenses intellectual property including codecs for audio and video, says it’s come up with a technology that would allow third-party developers to embed video chat in their iPhone-related applications. The new technology is called VideoEngine (VEI) Mobile. The VideoEngine utilizes H.263 (video codec), GIPS wideband/HD voice (iPCM-Wb) and G711 (audio codec) to provide functionality that would allow real-time video chat or multipoint video conferencing. GIPS is using the H.263 codec because it (and in turn the developers who use VEI) doesn’t… -
Fear & Loathing Over iPad Pricing
8 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pmThe Wall Street Journal in a blog post today points to a research note by Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope that he wrote in the wake of meeting with Apple executives. It reads: Apple wants the iPad to be the best device for a few key use cases. For instance, the company believes it could eventually be seen as superior to both handheld and notebook devices for browsing the Internet, using the App Store, and consuming mobile media (video, photos, and e-books). Nevertheless, in other areas, notebooks, the iPhone, or an iPod may be more appropriate. This clear segmentation of capabilities… -
What You Should Be Reading This Weekend
6 Feb 2010 | 9:42 pmAt our GigaOM company meeting, Simon Mackie, editor of WebWorkerDaily shared his views on why every weekend he publishes and shares a collection of articles & blog posts he had read over the week. Taking a cue from him and my friend Paul Kedrosky, I am sharing a list of articles/posts which I think you should read this weekend. Rolling Stone Magazine interviews Steve Jobs: One from the archives. This interview conducted in 1994 lays out Jobs’ vision of the future. Much of it is coming true. Google Me to the Moon: In a beautiful nostalgic essay, Angels Riechers writes on Google Maps,… -
Mozilla to Developers: Let’s Build on Weave Sync
6 Feb 2010 | 6:32 pmAs you know, we’ve been following Mozilla’s Weave Sync project for a long time. Last week, the Weave Sync add-on for Firefox was made available. Installable as an extension for Firefox, Weave is way to synchronize bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history and open browser tabs across multiple browsers and computers. Now Mozilla Labs is hoping that developers will adopt Weave Sync and build upon the service using a set of Weave Sync and User APIs. Mozilla is launching a whole range of developer resources that also include Python & Javascript client libraries. The idea behind…
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Rich Tehrani
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Apple Antitrust Issues
9 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amApple has a very closed ecosystem and at least some think the company may be headed down the road of antitrust litigation if it isn't careful. This article asserts the problem Apple could get into is an area where Google absolutely dominates - advertising. To me, Google will act as an eternal counterbalance letting Apple get away with a great deal as it fights the search giant. This by the way, this is why regulators allow Oracle to buy anything and everything... The argument is we need this stuff to compete with Microsoft. In some ways Apple is double protected as it will argue it needs to… -
IfByPhone Interview ITEXPO East 2010 Miami
9 Feb 2010 | 6:27 amI just came across this video of Irv Shapiro at ITEXPO explaining why his company just purchased CloudVox -- the Asterisk-based IVR solution. Now you get the best of a blended open-source premise/hosted combo which is not that different from the Hybrid-Hosted model used by Fonality. Tags: andy abramson, asterisk, cloudvox, didx, ifbyphone, irv shapiro, ivr, merger, open source, ruby on rails, sip, softphone, suzanne bowen Follow me: Facebook Profile Google Reader Profile Twitter Profile Related Entries Summary of ITEXPO East 2009 Coverage - Feb 17, 2009 Digium Picks Integrics to Power Carrier… -
DataInherit: A Will for Your Passwords
9 Feb 2010 | 5:54 amWith so many people putting off any plans which take into account their death, I wonder what the response will be to DataInherit, a service which allows you to specify who gets your data, passwords, etc when you die. Tags: datainherit, password, will Follow me: Facebook Profile Google Reader Profile Twitter Profile Related Entries All Hail the (Malicious) Human Brain - Jun 26, 2009 Lost Smartphone? Take These Precautions First - Jun 01, 2009 I Was Wrong About Boingo - Feb 11, 2009 Google Growing too Quickly? - Feb 22, 2008 WiFi Hotspots Still Not Secure - Jan 16, 2008 Spear Phishing - Jul 09,… -
$1,000 For Pic of Al Gore Shoveling Snow
8 Feb 2010 | 3:51 pmWith all due respect to the VP who was a past TMC expo keynoter who by the way did an outstanding job. It just seems too ironic to not request such a picture - I would want exclusive rights of course. A snow blower works as well - and it needs to be from this recent snowstorm. Tags: al gore, carbon, global warming, green, green technology, shovel, snow blower Follow me: Facebook Profile Google Reader Profile Twitter Profile Related Entries Antarctic Waters Less Salty - Apr 19, 2008 Microsemi's Green PoE Midspan Opportunity - May 31, 2009 TMC Celebrates Earth Day Yippee - Apr 21, 2009… -
TMC Marketing Job Opening
8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pmHi all, here is an ad we are currently running for a new position. Please forward this to anyone who you think is a great, not good fit. Thanks -- we are really looking for the best of the best!Ideally, the perfect candidate will submit a video resume as well. Fast-growing B-to-B publisher based in Norwalk, CT is looking for a proven leader to head their marketing department. Ideal candidate possesses the perfect mix of strong managerial and leadership skills, and hands-on marketing abilities. TMC is a fast-paced environment where success is often driven by our marketing department's ability…
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Thomas Howe
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FREETALK Connect Alliance Formed at IT EXPO 2010 with 14 Charter Members; Open Alliance Members Will Offer Products and Services that Leverage FREETALK Connect, Voice 2.0 Applications and Cloud-Based Services
28 Jan 2010 | 8:56 amMembers will offer innovative products and cloud-based services that interoperate with FREETALK Connect via Asterisk, Skype, SIP, Skype for SIP, or PSTN MIAMI, January 21, 2010FREETALK and 13 other companies today announced the formation of the FREETALK Connect Alliance, an open alliance of companies that will provide innovative applications, products and services to expand the capabilities of the FREETALK Connect communications system. The alliance is open to companies that offer products and services which build on the capabilities of the FREETALK Connect, “Voice 2.0” in concept, and… -
In Store Solutions Introduces FREETALK® Connect, World’s Most Complete Communications System Enabling Skype Calling for SMBs
28 Jan 2010 | 8:55 amUltra-simple System Offers Multiple Options for Small Business Owners To Save On Calling Costs MIAMIJanuary 20, 2010In Store Solutions today unveiled the FREETALK Connect, the first communications system designed from the ground up to allow small and medium business owners to enable Skype calls from supported office phones. With the FREETALK Connectcompanies can make free Skype-to-Skype calls with the more than 520 million registered Skype users worldwide and can view and manage Skype contact lists using their supported office phones. Companies can also receive inbound voice calls from users… -
Cloud Communications Summit Wrap Up
28 Jan 2010 | 8:50 amThanks to everyone that came to visit us at the Cloud Communications Summit at the ITExpo in Miami last week. On behalf of the speakers, Pam and myself, thank you for choosing to spend your day with us. After the first session (at the godless hour of 9:00 AM, we had standing room only, an engaged audience and (I thought) great insight and information from our speakers. Danielle from Twilio was kind enough to video many of the sessions. We’ll post them when they are available, so if you missed the opportunity to attend, you can still listen in on what we were talking about. In your… -
Pretty clever…
12 Nov 2009 | 12:52 pmSusan Scrupski tweeted this today: the opening video intro for Information Architected’s session at Enterprise 2.0 show. Pretty clever. -
CEBP Ecosystem Report
12 Nov 2009 | 8:32 amFor months now, management teams have been struggling with understanding how the CEBP market matures, how to create sustainable value chains, and how each actor in the ecosystem survives (or not). I’m really honored to have the chance to put some ideas to paper with Dan Miller from Opus Research. Over the past two weeks, Dan and I had a chance to collaborate on a report called The Recombinant Telephony Ecosystem that identifies the landscape, sizes the opportunity, names the players and makes educated guesses on how each can thrive in this new opportunity. If you’d like a copy of…
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VoIP News
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Cloud Net launches VoIP handset bundles
8 Feb 2010 | 9:57 amCloud Net has launched its Cloud Net Connect Hosted VoIP service for small businesses, start ups and freelancers in the UK. Cloud Net is the UK’s only VoIP provider that guarantees call quality by owning and managing its own network and also providing its own Internet Protocol telephone handsets (for free). Cloud Net Connect allows [...] -
SMC Pneumatics chooses NextiraOne to upgrade telephony systems
8 Feb 2010 | 9:19 amNextiraOne, Europe’s leading expert in communications services, has won another contract for its highly successful Unified Communications solution in the UK. SMC Pneumatics UK Ltd, part of SMC Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of pneumatic components and associated equipment, chose NextiraOne to upgrade its Telephony Systems and provide a scalable solution that will allow the [...] -
Nimbuzz partners with Indonesian Operator, Telkomsel
5 Feb 2010 | 5:58 amNimbuzz (www.nimbuzz.com), the multi award-winning next generation mobile messaging service, has today announced a unique partnership with Telkomsel, Indonesia’s largest mobile operator, that sees Nimbuzz delivered to more than 82 million Telkomsel subscribers via a radical new mobile data subscription plan. The partnership is Nimbuzz’ first as part of a monetizable program, with Telkomsel using the [...] -
UC Testbook simplifies VoIP installation
5 Feb 2010 | 5:48 amVoIP installation and testing has suddenly become faster and easier, with the introduction of the industry’s first dedicated installation and maintenance tool for VoIP/UC. UC Testbook, designed by the same team who created the original “Trend aurora” product line, has proved to be a valuable asset when testing SIP or H.323 trunks, PABXs and Call Managers, [...] -
XConnect’s 2009 Revenue Nearly Doubled
5 Feb 2010 | 5:20 amXConnect, the leader in next-generation interconnection and carrier ENUM-registry services, today announced robust 2009 growth figures, demonstrating the effects of rapid global adoption of VoIP. The company also said it has launched a new London point of presence (PoP) to support growing demand for cross-network interconnection of IP communications services and augment its European capacity. [...]
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Skype Journal
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Three: One Billion Skype Minutes Served
9 Feb 2010 | 8:57 amSkype's Linda Summers told Monday's Mobile Monday London audience that Hutchison's 3 mobile network served one billion Skype minutes on its 3 Skypephones and other Skype-enabled phones in the UK, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Australia and Hong Kong. Those Skype calls run through Skype's Skype Lite servers, a potential Skype as a Web Service Platform. Update: Minister for Digital Britain the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP rings up the "billionth minute." Thanks to James Body for the tip, to Paul Downey for the notes. tags: skype, statistics, stats, trends, audioboo, gips, hdvoice, omtpCall me at… -
Icons for a data portability policy – a few thoughts
27 Jan 2010 | 5:36 amI sat down with the DataPortability Project's Elias Bizannes a few months ago to organize the elements of a model portability policy. Your site's portability policy will be part of your Terms of Service or End User License Agreement. Your portability policy should help your sites and services communicate the data portability parts of your relationship with the people who use them and your business partners. I'm heading down to an all day privacy forum co-hosted by Lauren Gelman and Mozilla this morning to discuss what browsers might do with a "privacy" icon. The Clusters We… -
Skype Journal FAQ: Do I pay roaming when my son Skype's me from Argentina?
26 Jan 2010 | 9:41 amQ. My son Skyped my mobile phone from Argentina. Will I see expensive international rates or roaming fees on my next bill? – Dad in USA. A. No. That was a local call as far as your phone company is concerned. Your son only paid "SkypeOut" rates, about $1.20 per hour. Aren't you glad your boy learned to use the Internet? tags: skype, pricing, skypeoutCall me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff. Visit our Skype Journal private technologist roundtable, one of the longest running public Skype chats. -
Vivu plugs multiparty video into Skype for Windows
25 Jan 2010 | 12:34 am$10 a month gets you multiparty video conferencing, screen/application sharing, browser and phone access for your guests, and video broadcasting. Vivu's VuRoom for Skype plugs-in to your Windows and Mac Skype clients. VuRoom launches your session using the Skype client. Vivu notifies your invitees to your call through a Skype chat. They can launch into the room through their own copy of VuRoom or click on a link to the browser version. Your meeting uses Skype's encrypted, high quality audio channel. Here's a flash demo, an offer for a 15 day trial account, and details on subscribing to… -
Skype gave away $12.9 billion in free international calls in 2009
22 Jan 2010 | 3:22 amOne in nine cross-border minutes was a free Skype-to-Skype call last year. That's $12.9 billion in international calls Skype gave its users for free assuming Skype's customers would pay a world average market price of roughly $0.24 per minute. Did Skype take those billions from telephone companies? Just a little. Telephone companies don't offer much in the way of differential pricing, charging more to people who'd pay more and less to people who'd pay less. So they leave a large underserved market. Skype is happy to serve them.Skype is also making the market bigger. When you make…
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FierceVoIP
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VoIP helps Haiti relief effort
8 Feb 2010 | 10:12 amWith much of the telecom infrastructure destroyed in the areas effected by the Haitian earthquake a few weeks ago, communication for relief workers has been very limited. According to a profile in ComputerWorld, CARE, a U.S.-based aid group had to initially rely on text messages to keep up communications with their home offices and each other. As the situation improved, better cell phone coverage and satellite broadband have made communication better. In late January, CARE's wired broadband was working intermittently and they were able to upgrade their speed to 1 Mbps. The aid… -
Study: Wireless VoIP deployments for patient care
8 Feb 2010 | 9:49 amWireless VoIP and unified communications could do a lot for caring for patients at home and in hospitals, but the deployments of these technologies aren't going well because of piecemeal upgrades and a lack of commitment to the technology claims a new study. Read the NetworkWorld article about the study. -
EFF pushes for VoIP patent to be revoked
8 Feb 2010 | 8:26 amThe Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) has requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) re-examine the VoIP patent it granted C2 Global Technologies (formerly Acceris) in 2001. The patent describes a "method and apparatus for implementing a computer network/Internet telephone system" and the EFF argues that prior patents and reference materials existed that described the technology before C2 ever made the claim on the patent. The EFF's request is part of a larger program to get the USPTO to throw out certain patents it believes should never have been awarded. A few… -
Empirix adds new voice QOS monitoring to its OneSight brand
8 Feb 2010 | 6:51 amEmpirix has announced a new addition to thier customer experience monitoring solution OneSight--Voice Quality Assurance. The new offering builds on the OneSight monitoring system by adding active monitoring of end-user voice quality. The OneSight Voice Quality Assurance solution provides companies with tools to measure and report on call experiences through a real-time dashboard view of the VoIP network. The offering provides trend reports and allows managers to proactively locate and repair voice quality problems before users are affected. For more:- read the release Related… -
Google to release enterprise Voice in 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 6:31 amGoogle's Enterprise President Dave Girouard explained in an interview with eWeek that Google has been building on its business app suite and will launch an enterprise version of Google Voice later this year--a combination of applications that may prove disruptive to the Unified Communications (UC) market. With Google's cloud based applications highly collaborative already, and with the combination of Google Voice, Talk, and Gizmo5, Google has the makings of a unified communications app bundle that could be as cheap, easy to use and ubiquitous as its search engine and email offerings.
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Stardust Global Ventures
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Twitter as infrastructure for business? Not today
5 Feb 2010 | 11:59 amI’ve been busy this morning, but reading peripherally the twitstorm about user counts of tweets sent and inflated numbers. Mine currently shows I’ve tweeted 55,553 times. I know reality to be more like 18.5K, and I’m a heavier user than most Twitter accounts. I haven’t researched this deeply. I’m not inclined to. As an enterprise architect and strategist, guiding business decisions, I can simply react. Twitter as a business tool or infrastructure element simply doesn’t exist. We’ve all read how important Twitter is to business, although we mostly… -
Enterprise 2.0 – A Taste of Honey
4 Feb 2010 | 10:33 amFor some readers, this post will feel like scraping the asphalt, then rubbing rock salt in the wound. If it feels that way, you might want to get used to the feeling. It’s here to stay. I’ve written about communications technologies for many years, from every angle. But that isn’t all I do. While I’ve worked in small startups, unlike many of my colleagues, I’m deeply entrenched in enterprise architecture at the Fortune 100 mindset too. I see things from more than one angle. Working as the advising technical architect to a very forward-thinking CTO of one such… -
Of iPhones and Blackberry’s…
2 Feb 2010 | 5:44 pmSomething to keep in mind when reading this, I didn’t do a technical review. If you want that, you’ll have to wait for Ken to write something. These are personal experiences and feelings from a pseudo geek. You’re probably aware of the queries both Ken and I have thrown out about iPhone stuff. We’ve been such strong proponents of RIM, I’m pretty sure most of you can’t fathom us switching sides. We didn’t, at least not exactly. We got iPhones. I know, that’s got to be the big shock of the year. So how come I said we didn’t switch sides? To… -
iPhone apps that don’t
31 Jan 2010 | 7:45 amOne of the great values of the iPhone is the rich selection of apps. We know and love them even though the selection of garbage apps is huge. Those apps aren’t a problem. They simply consume space on the App Store and clutter things. This morning my headache is Ping! Which simply doesn’t. I’d read some time back how similar to BB Messenger this app was. Being a recent convert, I had to check it out. It was one of my favorite BB apps. Messages beteen Sheryl and I vanish. We both added @newmediajim, and while it worked fine for Sheryl, Jim never got my messages. My point is… -
More iPad Randomness
28 Jan 2010 | 8:39 amGosh people get so upset about a gadget that not only isn’t in their hands but isn’t supposed to replace current devices. This is supposed to be a new category of device. Why are people so tied to knocking a product or putting someone else’s opinion through a meat grinder? My first thoughts on the iPad hold. I think it’s COOL! I want it. I can’t wait to own one. I would definitely be a first generation owner if I can justify throwing some money at it. I think there are some perspectives missing from this whole discussion. Mr. Jobs said this is not a netbook,…
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Gary Kim
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Wi-Fi Now Crucial for Mobile Networks
9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 amA new study by Coda Research Consultancy predicts that Wi-Fi enabled mobile handset penetration in the United States will grow at 25 percent compound average growth rates between 2009 and 2015.Most of that growth will come as smartphone sales pick up, and the Wi-Fi capability will be crucial for mobile service providers attempting to maintain high quality service. Since much data demand is created by smartphone users, networks can offload quite a lot of traffic to Wi-Fi-connected fixed networks using the Wi-Fi capability.It's a "win-win" situation. Users often will discover their devices… -
User Behavior Changes Mobile Device Design Priorities
9 Feb 2010 | 9:45 amSmartphones get used for work purposes, to be sure, but what really seems to make mobile Web and Internet access behavior different from PC behavior are the things people do on their mobiles. And the Apple iPhone, as much as anything else, points to where we are going.It isn't so much that users increasingly listen to music, play games, use social networking sites and send instant messages on their mobiles. Users can do those things on their PCs as well.They use the Web, catch up on news or watch videos on both mobile and fixed PC platforms. But there seems little doubt that, for most people,… -
Multiple Tools Needed to Preserve Mobile Bandwidth
9 Feb 2010 | 9:30 amChetan Sharma Consulting forecasts that if left unchecked, the costs of delivering mobile data will likely outstrip incremental revenues by the second half of 2011 in the U.S. market and become unsustainable by 2013.The rapid growth in mobile data costs has prompted operators to look at more sophisticated network congestion management strategies that fall into four categories: policy control, data traffic offload, infrastructure investment, and network optimization.Shifting data traffic off a congested mobile network and onto another access technology fundamentally changes the economics of… -
Which Growth Pattern Emerges as Recession Ends?
9 Feb 2010 | 9:12 amMany economists and market watchers think consumers eventually will return to spending patterns as they existed prior to the recent recession, and on the growth pattern of the 20 years before the recession.Others warn that growth patterns are more likely to revert to patterns of the 1945 to 1970s, when annual growth in consumer spending was much more restrained.So the question for many might be, which view is right? For application and service providers, the question might not be as germane. The reason is that consumer spending on network-delivered services and applications was stable over… -
The "Problem" With Nexus One is the Retail Packaging, Not the Phone
8 Feb 2010 | 5:07 pmBy some accounts, the Google Nexus One phone has not sold as many units as some might have hoped. Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, estimates that 20,000 Nexus Ones were sold in the first week. That tracks poorly compared to the myTouch3G, which sold up to 60,000, and the Motorola Droid, which sold 250,000 in the first week.Some people really like the idea of "unlocked" phones, despite the full retail price, as the price of gaining freedom to use "any" carrier (in the U.S. market two of four major carriers). But so far, most U.S. consumers seem to prefer the old "closed" model, where they get…
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Alec Saunders SquawkBox
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VoIP is everywhere
Last week I described the PSTN as simply a legacy user interface to today’s communications networks, based on the fact that most of the core network is already VoIP. The PSTN is simply the average person’s experience of an all VoIP network. While the description of the PSTN as UI drew some comment, nobody argued that the core was anything but VoIP. This morning I draw your attention to two more facts to back the assertion that VoIP is everywhere, even if not widely visible. Tomorrow XConnect will announce their growth from last year – near doubling of revenue, 81… -
For my birthday, help people in Haiti
Today is my birthday. And, while I’m not nearly as talented as Wolfgang Mozart and Lewis Carroll, it’s a birthday I hold in common with these two gentleman. This year I decided to try the Facebook application Causes as a way to celebrate. Causes lets you tell your friends that you’d rather have a donation to a charity than a birthday gift. They even provide ways for you to promote your cause, and collect the money on your friends behalf and send it to the charity you’ve chosen. I selected Oxfam Canada for their relief efforts in Haiti. Oxfam already… -
Video: the next big telephony user interface
At last week’s ITEXPO a question was raised on one of Andy Abramson’s panels about the future of the PSTN. Specifically, the question was whether VoIP will finally triumph over the PSTN, and it was asked in the context of both mobile and landline services. My response was “that’s kind of a loopy question, as the core networks are already VoIP and have been for a long time. The ‘PSTN’ is really the user interface by which the customer accesses the network.” Perhaps that’s an over-simplification of the problem, but despite the fact that last mile networks are not yet VoIP,… -
Great marketing begins with a great product.
Our industry is full of stories of amazing software development feats – people with vision who worked day and night, round the clock, to develop and launch product x, y, or z which became an overnight success. The latest is Tweetie creator Loren Brichter, who gave a talk at Stanford University recently on the unexpected success he had experienced with this very popular iPhone application. Go watch the video here. A friend forwarded me this video after Guy Kawasaki tweeted it, with the following quick bulleted comments: Very interesting discussion of Tweetie for iPhone,… -
Why iPhone is destined to dominate Android and BlackBerry in the market
One of the most common debates among smart phone cognoscenti is which platform will prevail — BlackBerry, Symbian, iPhone, Microsoft, or the latest entrant Android? Common thought is that the platform with the most developers will win, and currently that’s iPhone. Many folks, however, having drunk the “open” kool-aid, believe that ultimately Android must win. Others point to the dominant market share already garnered by RIM in North America, and Symbian in other parts of the world, and say that developers will flock to those platforms by virtue of the fact that they…
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Dean Bubley's Disruptive Wireless
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Traffic management and offload - diverging solutions
3 Feb 2010 | 12:09 amOne of the major trends I'm seeing at the moment is that of mobile network offload - typically "dumping" traffic onto WiFi or other networks to avoid congestion from mobile broadband.I'm expecting it to be a huge feature of this year's MWC / 3GSM in Barcelona.But at first sight the offload trend seems to be a confusing mish-mash of technologies and techniques, all designed to reduce the impact of bulk traffic on cellular networks, but applied in very different ways. I'm trying to start to categorise these various areas, and also work out how they are being prioritised.One important fact to… -
Debating the use of the term "4G"
31 Jan 2010 | 11:48 pmI'm noticing an increasing use of the term 4G to describe either WiMAX or LTE networks.It makes me wince, (although I've probably fallen into the "convenience trap" myself a couple of times).Yes, they're both different to current versions of 3G, and use techniques like OFDMA - but so what? That doesn't make them 4G any more than it made EDGE (part of GSM) into 3G.From a purist point of view, 4G doesn't yet exist. 3G refers to the families of technologies covered by the ITU's definition of "IMT 2000". 4G is expected to be the term used for the forthcoming "IMT Advanced" specifications… -
No mention of MicroSIMs at the next big SIM conference
29 Jan 2010 | 2:24 amApple's choice of a new format of SIM card for the iPad is one of its most cynical moves in a while.While it is a standard (and apparently T-Mobile has mentioned it previously and it's indeed been around as a concept since 2003) it's conspicuous by its absence as a topic for discussion at the next big SIM conference in April.It seems like it's being done to give Apple - and its operator partners - yet another control point. The easiest way to ensure an iPad-specific data tariff (and whatever deal has been done behind the scenes) is to have an iPad-specific SIM card. In theory the device might… -
iYawn
27 Jan 2010 | 4:03 pmSo is that it? A touchscreen tablet?And $130 extra for a version with an embedded 3G module. So much for predictions that HSPA modems will be "as cheap as WiFi" within a couple of years.... And unless I've missed something, there isn't even a normal USB socket so you can use a regular cheap 3G dongle. I guess it would work OK with a MiFi-type modem though.And what was Jobs thinking with a non-standard "microSIM" format? It's not like it's a small form-factor device that can't take a normal SIM card. So now you can forget about going on holiday and buying a cheap local SIM with data access in… -
Customer loyalty, tolerance and contempt
27 Jan 2010 | 5:29 amIt continually amazes me how much self-delusion I hear from operators and their vendors on the topic of "customer loyalty". Many seem to confuse inertia (ie people being too lazy to switch) with loyalty. Or they confuse services which they describe as "sticky" (ie which have inherent user lock-in) as having the potential for creating loyalty.They should have a look in a dictionary: "A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection"This fits rather uneasily with the reality of customers being treated with contempt over things like ludicrous data roaming fees, or (if the hype is to be…
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JAJAH Blog
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Deal Completed
21 Jan 2010 | 4:40 pmTelefónica today received formal approval from the Spanish Competition Authority, so its acquisition of JAJAH is now complete and we are now officially a Telefonica company.As previously announced, JAJAH will continue to operate under its current brand, developing and managing outstanding IP communication services for our customers and partners. -
JAJAH Supports Haiti Victims – Free Calls To and From Haiti and The Dominican Republic
14 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmJAJAH is deeply saddened by the recent events in Haiti. We would like to offer our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a quick recovery to all those injured. To support the thousands of people who were hurt by the earthquake JAJAH is giving free calls to and from Haiti and the Dominican Republic until January 21st, 2010. To get the free calls you can simply dial from your JAJAH account. All rebates are limited to $5 per user. Your JAJAH account will be automatically credited with the 100% rebate during February 2010. May our modest contribution help those in need. Yours…
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Unified Communications Strategies
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UC Around the Globe – A View From Dubai, U.A.E.
28 Jan 2010 | 9:36 amThere’s a buzz in the air in Dubai - the electricity of optimistic growth. The airport gives an amazing first impression, blending the high tech look of the new terminal with touches for Arabia in the arches, sconces with (cloth) flames, and the ceiling painted with the deep blue, star-studded night sky. The ride into town is more of the same: the sparkling new Metro, the smooth-flowing expressways, and the beautiful skyline, now highlighted by the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (at 2,720 feet - over half a mile tall) since the opening at the beginning of… -
UC Around the Globe – A View From Istanbul, Turkey
28 Jan 2010 | 9:33 amImagine a modern city where business, trade, society, architecture, religion, culture, continents, and history all come together in one place. Got it? OK, then Istanbul, Turkey, is very likely that place. Istanbul (formerly Constantinople and Byzantion before that), sits astride the Bosporus, a magnificent waterway that connects the interior of eastern Europe with the civilizations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. One side of the Bosporus is the southeastern tip of Europe and the other side is a southwestern corner of Asia (locals chat about how they commute to work from Asia). … -
It’s a Multivendor UC World
24 Jan 2010 | 11:58 amLast week I accompanied a system integrator in the Midwest to meet with and help educate several of their customers about unified communications and building a UC strategy. In addition to the Midwest hospitality and better weather than I expected, I got some good insights into what these customers are thinking about regarding UC. I was gratified to see that these customers really understand and appreciate what UC can do for them in terms of saving time, making workers more efficient, increasing collaboration between work groups, etc. One thing that came across loud and clear is that Microsoft… -
CEBP + Customer UC + Smartphones = UC-B and UC-U
23 Jan 2010 | 5:38 pmThe bottom line payoff for UC-based business communications has been widely promoted as optimizing business process performance through communications efficiency and flexibility or “UC-B.” While there are also direct benefits to individual end users (UC-U) in terms of personal productivity, the reality is that the more you can automate and the less you need to depend on people to be be part of a business process, the more efficient the process will be. (In the real world, though, we can’t automate everything all the time!) With the rapid adoption of personalized mobile,… -
UC Around The Globe - A View From Athens, Greece
14 Dec 2009 | 6:15 pmAthens! A cradle of western civilization. I arrived in Greece with enough time to visit the Acropolis, the neighboring Areopagus, and the marvelous new Acropolis museum. Even the Metro station in the center of the city has a 100-foot long wall of glass showing the layers of civilization back to 600 BCE, which were exposed during construction of the Metro. You might think that businesses in Greece could be so captured by their history that they would be slow to change. Actually, the business people I met were justifiably proud of their heritage, but they took the lessons of history…
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TMCnet-News
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GE Smart Grid Technologies to Build Sustainable 21st Century Cities
9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 amGE is presenting an outline of GE smart city solutions at the Chatham House conference, "The Future of Cities," which reportedly discusses the challenges faced by cities that are growing at record rates. -
Acme Packet to Demonstrate Mobile Broadband Solutions at Mobile World Congress
9 Feb 2010 | 6:11 amAcme Packet, a provider of session border control solutions, will showcase its Net-Net product family solutions for unifying communications for mobile broadband at the 2010 Mobile World Congress, Feb. 15-18 in Barcelona, Spain. -
Univa UD's UniCloud and Grid MP to Support Amazon EC2 Spot Instances
9 Feb 2010 | 6:08 amUniva UD's UniCloud and Grid MP to Support Amazon EC2 Spot Instances -
Valicom Launches New SaaS Clearview
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amValicom, a provider of telecom expense management, or "TEM," services, has launched their new software-as-a-service, or "SaaS," Clearview. -
Optimum Energy Implements OptimumHVAC Software at Texas University's Cooling System
9 Feb 2010 | 5:56 amOptimum Energy, a provider of demand-based Ultra High Performance HVAC optimization software applications, has installed the OptimumHVAC software at the Chilling Station 6 of the University of Texas at Austin's District Cooling system.
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Holy Kaw!
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Google Buzz's official demo [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 11:25 amGoogle has just unveiled its latest attempt to become more relevant in the social media space—Google Buzz. The product is integrated within Gmail and will be rolled out gradually to all of the webmail service’s users over the next few days. While this development is still unfolding, you can check out Google Buzz’s two-minute demo of Buzz in action both online and via mobile. What are your initial reactions? Another soon-to-be-forgotten Google product like Wave, or a Facebook/Twitter killer? Full story at Mashable. Total Google coverage. Permalink | Leave a… -
Darth Vader’s original wimpy voice [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 11:15 amImagine a galaxy far, far away where Darth Vader sounded like any other British bloke strolling down the corridors of the Death Star. Before James Earl Jones provided the menacing voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, English actor and bodybuilder David Prowse delivered the lines from inside the Darth costume. While George Lucas never intended for Prowse’s voice to make the flick’s final cut, it’s weird to imagine how different Star Wars would have been with a different Vader voice. Full story at Huffington Post. Tons of Star Wars tidbits. Permalink | Leave a… -
7 things you didn’t know about condoms
9 Feb 2010 | 10:14 amRubbers. Raincoats. Inconvenient. Whatever you call 'em, condoms remain a must-have in the safe sex tool box. Long before the days of Durex and Trojans, men used animal intestines to protect their willies (that sounds lovely, eh ladies?) and still to this day use lambskin condoms for latex allergies and supposed extra sensitivity. Want to learn even more fun facts about condoms that will surely impress your friends and potential lovers? Check out Asylum's seven things you probably didn't know about condoms that includes tantalizing tidbits like: Vaseline + condoms = Disintegrated rubber and… -
Horror flick mirror scare mash-up [video]
9 Feb 2010 | 9:25 amHorror movies love to rely on cliches to scare the bejeezus out of us, but does it really surprise anyone that the axe murderer is going to pop in the reflection of a mirror? Ok, yes, it still totally sparks a few pee-in-pants moments. Check out this mash-up of mirror scare moments (fair warning: don’t watch alone in a big, dark, scary house): Full story at Four Four. Boo! Tons of scary and not so scary movie news. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
7 things you shouldn't do on Valentine's Day
9 Feb 2010 | 9:13 amAh, Valentine’s day. February fourteenth marks that special moment in the year when Hallmark cashes in on our emotions and cupid gets busy shooting arrows. Whether you’re indifferent, excited, upset, or madly in love—there are seven things you just shouldn’t do on this lovey-dovey holiday. See a few do-not-do’s below: Go on a first date. First dates are hard enough, why add the extra pressure? Call your ex. Abort mission! On a day like this, it’s normal for your thoughts to drift to the one you used to be with, but you broke up for a reason. So, spare…
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The Joy of Sox
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Workout Videos
6 Feb 2010 | 6:07 pmTwo video reports on off-season workouts: WEEI has Dustin Pedroia and NESN has Jason Varitek.Rob Bradford, on FY:Pedroia had noted how heavy his legs felt throughout much of last year, vowing to alter that sensation in '10. ... "I just felt slower last year," Pedroia says. "That's something I wanted to change. Now I feel a lot better."Redsox.com's "Around The Horn" looks at the 2010 outfield.Over at BR, look at how consistent the percentages of 2-, 3-, and 4-run victories have been over the last 110 years. -
Non-Roster Invitees
6 Feb 2010 | 11:46 amThe Red Sox have invited twenty players not on the team's 40-man roster to spring training:PitchersRandor BierdFernando CabreraKris JohnsonCasey KellyAdam MillsEdwin MorenoJoe NelsonBrian ShouseJorge SosaKyle WeilandCatchersLuis Exposito Gustavo MolinaInfielders Lars AndersonYamaico NavarroAngel Sanchez Gil VelazquezOutfielders Zach DaegesRyan KalishChe-Hsuan Lin Darnell McDonald -
Not Much Guessing About Roster
3 Feb 2010 | 6:37 amThe 25-man roster for 2010 is -- barring injury -- pretty much set.The only big question marks are the final two spots in the bullpen. Daniel Barbarisi (ProJo) and Peter Abraham (Globe) take a look at the candidates.And the Truck leaves a week from Friday.Also: Shitty news at Chez L-sock. -
Howard Zinn (1922-2010)
27 Jan 2010 | 5:12 pmA great American died this evening.[Civil disobedience] is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is the numbers of people all over the world who have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government ... Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world, in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem. -
Wakefield Feels Great, But Rotation Spot Not Guaranteed
27 Jan 2010 | 7:51 amTim Wakefield says he is fully healed from back surgery and he believes he can be a full-time starter.Last year I was on my way to pitching 200 innings [108.2 at the ASB] and then due to circumstances beyond my control -- I didn't hurt my shoulder, I didn't hurt myself pitching, I hurt my back swinging in interleague -- it didn't happen. ... I think I've earned the right to be a full-time starter and go from there.Even if Wakefield is healthy, there are still five other possible starters -- Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lackey, and Clay Buchholz.Jeremy Hermida avoided…
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Over the Monster
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Hey, you! Yeah, you! Scroll down a little and vote for the #15 prospect! Do it!
9 Feb 2010 | 10:36 amHey, you! Yeah, you! Scroll down a little and vote for the #15 prospect! Do it! -Me. Right now. -
CP Results: Guesses Close On Kevin Youkilis
9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amMore photos » Chris Carlson - AP 4 months ago: Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis practices Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif., in advance of the team's upcoming American League division series baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Browse more photos » We continue our community projection results with first baseman Kevin Youkilis. Youk had a really solid season, cementing himself as one of the best one-baggers in baseball. How did OTM users stack up predicting his season? Follow the jump to find out. Here's how Youk actually… -
Prospecting and second-guessing - Chad Finn's Touching All The Bases
8 Feb 2010 | 8:38 amProspecting and second-guessing - Chad Finn's Touching All The Bases Chad Finn takes a deep look at Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list from the '90s, dissecting the players who "once called Fenway home." Some really interesting names on the lists. -
CP Results: A Little High For Dustin Pedroia
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amMore photos » Mark J. Terrill - AP 4 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Howie Kendrick steals second as Boston Red Sox's second baseman Dustin Pedroia looks to the umpire in the seventh inning in Game 2 of the American League division baseball series Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Browse more photos » Continuing our community projection results (I promise to be done before Spring Training starts), we continue with everyone's favorite second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. If you noticed, I was going backward around the infield and I skipped shortstop. -
Red Sox full Spring Training Roster so far
7 Feb 2010 | 1:57 pmRed Sox full Spring Training Roster so far SOOOO many pitchers.
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Sox and Pinstripes | Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees – The Greatest Rivalry in Baseball
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Yankees Reunite with Marcus Thames
8 Feb 2010 | 7:15 pmBrian Cashman seems content on the "throw it at a wall and see what sticks" approach towards left field this offseason. With that in mind, signing Marcus Thames certainly wasn't a decision coming "out of left field". In the late 90's the bigger corner outfield was always the Yankees' weakest position. Names like Ricky Leedee, Shane Spencer, Chad Curtis, Darryl Strawberry and Tim Raines were all primarily in the mix, but none of them had any sort of legacy or staying power out there. That's why the amount of stress and chaos associated with the… -
A look at Boston's 20 non-roster spring training invitees
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pmThis is a time of anticipation. The Super Bowl is over, and Truck Day is nearing. This Friday, the truck containing equipment for Red Sox spring training will depart from Fenway Park en route for Ft. Myers. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 18. Though another snowstorm is on the way, spring training is around the corner, as is the promise of warmer weather, sunshine, the pop of a fast ball meeting the catcher's mitt and the crack of a line drive rocketing off a bat.Another sign that baseball is about to begin is the announcement of the list of non-roster players invited to spring… -
In memory of the true founder of Sox and Pinstripes
6 Feb 2010 | 8:59 pmIt was 115 years ago today that this blog was founded. OK, I wasn't born yet, Jeff still had a few years to go before he was birthed and the internet, along with computers, had also yet to be created, but nevertheless this blog does not exist without February 6th, 1895. That was the day Babe Ruth, the greatest player to ever exist, was born.Many like to debate whether "The Babe" was the best hitter, but it is really of little effort to try. There is no other player responsible for starting the game's best, biggest and most heated rivalry, and there is no player who could… -
The Andrew Bynum Theory
1 Feb 2010 | 6:49 pmSundays in February are the most relaxing days of the year for me. There is no baseball yet (and trust me even with spring training games I have an idea of how the Yankees are doing), football is over after the Super Bowl (regardless of when the Pro Bowl is scheduled), hockey has not yet reached the postseason (that’s when I truly zero in on a day to day basis) and the NBA is at the point of the season where the Knicks are mathematically eliminated so I lose all personal investment in NBA teams. Well, almost all of it. Generally, Sunday is special because I’m guaranteed not to work, and… -
Nine Rules for Dating a Red Sox Fan
30 Jan 2010 | 9:59 pmBrimming with the giddiness that only a new relationship brings, you are a woman who has met an interesting guy. This one has potential, you surmise. Nice guy. Decent looking (at least he has his hair and his teeth, so that's a plus). Engaging sense of humor. His idea of a dinner date does not involve the value menu at Mickey D's or the Grand Slam at Denny's. Early on - likely on the first date - he utters five words (or six if he doesn't use a contraction). "I'm (or I am) a Red Sox fan."Chances are, the admission caused you no reason for alarm. Perhaps…
