Rich, I don't agree. My Lingo service is $20 a line, unlimited calling to
Europe-US-Canada, and I use simultaneous ring to cell when I'm away, I use
voicemail-to-Email (instantaneous) when I'm at the office or away, and use
quite a few other features. My AT&T line was 3 times that and no Europe
(when you finally get the bill with universal sevice fees, taxes, etc.).
I put my second line on Lingo...it's seldom used and pay $15 for 500
minutes
which is rarely approached by even 1/2.
It's hard to beat. And, I can take my tiny box to Budapest and have my
home
phone in the Kempinski hotel room. But, I don't have to because of
simultaneous ring to my Skype-in number. Maybe it's just the fun of
somebody who grew up before the Carterphone decision.
. . . j o n a t h a n
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Rich Comroe
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 6:00 PM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: Re: [WISPA] VoIP Is About More Than Replacing The Phone
Business users, sure IP video conferencing is great. I love it, and use
it
myself. Residential: sure I've setup skype video-conferencing with other
techie friends ... and then not turned it on again (everybody else I call
just has an ordinary phone). Ya'never'know. But I wouldn't wager any
money
that residential IP video conferencing is going to make any inroads. Just
my opinion.
On the multi-line steering you describe, I switched my phone service
(again
... seems like I keep switching it every 2 years) and they offered me free
picks from the advanced feature list which includes distinctive ringing.
Didn't really interest me. But I'm sure the multi-line feature you're
describing would appeal to some (especially small business where you don't
want phones ringing on every desk when the call is intended for one
particular desk). Problem is with most residential and most small
business
is that you may be anywhere in the facility (so you really *do* want all
the
phones to ring so you can pick-up anywhere). Again, just my opinion.
I don't see any VoIP killer-apps. It's just a phone that is at the moment
offered at a marginally lower price by IP providers that are not required
to
charge the same government assessments the the traditional providers are
required to charge (at the moment).
Rich
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'WISPA General List'" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 4:41 PM
Subject: RE: [WISPA] VoIP Is About More Than Replacing The Phone
Rich
In general I would agree with you expect for two features, one is video.
Phones like the Grandstream GXV-3000 have are low cost with all the
features
one would need. I am not saying this is there yet as its not plug and
play
but it's a step in the right direction.
Also the second is incoming lines, I do not see this offered that much as
a
feature but its there. One VoIP phone can handle lots on incoming lines
when
setup with a provider that offers It. This is very cool as one can have
one
phone number with 4 lines coming in each going to its own ext. This setup
on
standard pots would cost much more then VoIP, so you get more features
and
save $$ at the same time :)
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Rich Comroe
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 5:03 PM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: Re: [WISPA] VoIP Is About More Than Replacing The Phone
Nah. It's just a phone. Ordinary wired phones already offer more
features
than people want without VoIP. Ordinary phone service typically offers
you
a list of 25 features. People don't want em, so in my midwest Ameritech
area (now AT&T land) they typically throw in 5 features from the feature
list for free. Most people don't even want the 5 free features ...
they're
just nuisances. There's a "damn it, just take 'em" attitude where the
phone
company now bundles several of the features into all local service
whether
you want 'em or not.
For the mass of the population it's simply about dial-tone & plain local
/
long distance talk-time. The phone companies learned to accept this.
The
same hype that "it's more than replacing the phone" used to be said about
ISDN for 20 years (yes, ISDN *is* that old). Not one advanced ISDN
feature
EVER became popular with consumers. Within the telecom industry ISDN
eventually became known by several alternate names, one of which was
"Inventions Subscribers Don't Need" (my favorite).
Rich
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter R." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 2:55 PM
Subject: [WISPA] VoIP Is About More Than Replacing The Phone
VoIP Is About More Than Replacing The Phone
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060530/0032231.shtml
For way too long, most of the attention on VoIP has focused on how it's
a
cheaper telephone replacement option -- which a few people have pointed
out is the wrong lesson to take from VoIP. Yes, it can provide cheaper
calling, but the real value of VoIP is that it opens up the ability to
add
new and useful applications to voice communications. When looking for
game-changing ideas, simply doing something cheaper tends not to be
nearly
as revolutionary as enabling something that couldn't have been done
before. That's why it's been disappointing to see so many VoIP providers
focus on price wars rather than offering something different. The good
news is that we're starting to see some companies offer something
different using VoIP. The disposable phone numbers idea seems more like
a
gimmick (though one that some folks might find useful). However, what's
more interesting are the features the service is looking to add on top
of
the disposable numbers, such as the ability to offer specific content to
callers. Who knows if this particular solution will catch on, but it's
nice to see companies trying to provide something more than just a
telephone replacement service when it comes to VoIP.
--
Regards,
Peter
RAD-INFO, Inc. - NSP Strategist
We Help ISPs Connect & Communicate
813.963.5884 http://4isps.com/newsletter.htm
--
WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
--
WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
--
WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
--
WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
--
WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
