december 2013 volume 42 dear...
TRANSCRIPT
December 2013 Volume 42
Dear Subscribers,
I hope this letter finds everyone healthy, happy, and enjoying the holiday season!
The big stories this month are: • Vidyo’s internet-friendly H.264 video codec has been integrated into another social
media application that combines video conferencing with games, watching videos together, and other fun applications.
• Oblong released a new version of their “InfoPresence” visual collaboration environment and struck a deal with AVI-SPL for distribution.
• Finally, there is an interesting interview with ClearOne’s Adi Regev on what they are doing with their videoconferencing acquisition and new product line.
Other News of Interest: The VCDireXions Summit @ ITExpo in Miami on January 28th – 30th – The Visual Collaboration Industry Group (VCI-Group) is hosting a conference during ITExpo in January. VCI-G represents visual collaboration end-users and to that extent they are collecting the industry’s top 100 Interoperability requests to present at the conference. Are you ticked off that LifeSize doesn’t natively connect with Vidyo or your cloud-based videoconferencing app isn’t HIPAA compliant? VCI-Group gives you the opportunity to have your voice heard. Simply drop them your interop request here: http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/2013/12/what_is_on_your_interop_wish_l/
Telepresence Options Charities: Every year at Christmas we promote a number of charities, many founded by members of the visual collaboration industry, that we believe are doing solid work in helping to relieve suffering, improve health and welfare, and solidify civil liberties. You can find our list of charities from 2012 Here. Please check back next week for our 2013 list. We would especially like to bring attention to our Telepresence Industry Professionals lending team on Kiva. Our team has sponsored 24 loans to deserving entrepreneurs around the world. Once the loan is repaid the funds are then made available to loan to another deserving entrepreneur in a virtuous cycle of economic development. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!
Howard S. Lichtman Publisher - Telepresence Options
From our on-going review of the most important stories on visual collaboration technologies and reporting on the visual collaboration industry.
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Vidyo Flexibility Allows for New Uses (Rounds and ETIAM Partnerships) December 17, 2013 | David S. Maldow, Esq.
Two recent announcements from Vidyo provide the latest examples of the flexibility of the Vidyo offering suite. According to Vidyo VP, Joan Vandermate, "the VidyoWorks platform can be included in just about any application." This is also part of a larger trend that we have been covering at Telepresence Options. Three to five years ago, the big story in videoconferencing was, "Hey look, VC actually works really well now!" Today the big story is, "Hey, check out all the cool and new VC applications people are using!" Please click through for the details on two new Vidyo partner integrations.
Continue reading... Catching Up With Tely Labs: Flexing Their Partnership with Blue Jeans Network December 15, 2013 | David S. Maldow, Esq.
Tely Labs and Blue Jeans Networks recently announced a new (limited time) hardware / software bundle offering. The basic principle is simple, new purchasers and existing owners of the TelyHD Pro will get a Free 60 day Blue Jeans service subscription. With both Tely and Blue Jeans being notable for user friendly videoconferencing, this new bundle offers a lot of synergy, and a lot to like. We spoke with Dave Crilley, VP at Tely Labs, to get the scoop. Let's take a closer look at the elements of this offering. Continue reading...
Ubergizmo Offers Sneak Peak at AnyBot's New Q(X) Telepresence Robot December 13, 2013 | Telepresence Options
Ubergizmo has published the first pictures of AnyBot's new Q(X) telepresence robot which has been built with a Polycom RealPresence videoconferencing engine. The new design is a departure from the company's iconic QB which featured an oversized head, tiny screen, and big eyes on a stick in favor of a significantly larger display and form factor. The bot will be competing with robotic telepresence platforms including Suitable Technologies' Beam and iRobot's Ava. Please see the Telepresence Options Comparison Chart: Robotic Telepresence: Tale of the Tape 2013 for the most comprehensive comparison of all the leading Robotic Telepresence platforms. Bookmark our Robotic Telepresence page for the latest coverage of the industry. Continue reading...
What Is On Your Interop Wish List? Speak Your Mind Here And Now! December 11, 2013 | David S. Maldow, Esq.
The information requested below will be used in support of the VC DireXions Summit. The goal of this event to help give a voice to users and customers of visual collaboration technology and services. Through the VC DireXions program, we will directly share these concerns and requests with the VC community (including Vendors and Providers) and create an open dialog to discuss the potential for working together on solutions. Continue reading...
Forbes Talks Telepresence with Human Productivity Lab President & TPO Publisher Howard Lichtman December 9, 2013 | Telepresence Options
Telepresence technology has taken some giant leaps forward in recent years. The difference, said Human Productivity Lab founder and president Howard Lichtman, is the human factor. Continue reading...
The Mezzanine "Infopresence" Room - New, Improved, and Available from AVI-SPL December 4, 2013 | David S. Maldow, Esq.
Earlier this year we covered a new, and unique, visual collaboration solution. The Mezzanine by Oblong. Please see our previous article for the full details, but for a vast oversimplification, think of the futuristic displays in the Tom Cruise movie "Minority Report" (which the Oblong scientists happen to have worked on). Continue reading... Could Sweden's Social Robot Furhat be used for Telepresence? December 4, 2013 | Telepresence Options
Most people are amazed at the fluidity and naturalness of the responsive speech by Sweden's social robot called Furhat. We are impressed at the potential for telepresence where anyone's face can be projected onto the head-shaped transparent display. The head is remotely controllable similar to the head-and-neck telepresence systems like Revolve Robotic's Kubi which allows for remote participants to look around and interact with people using videoconferencing-equipped tablets. We are looking for someone to build a telepresence model. Luckily the good folks at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have published some instructions on how to replicate their work.
Continue reading...
Telepresence Options Interviews ClearOne's Adi Regev December 2, 2013 | Telepresence Options
ClearOne is best known for their quality personal and Pro audio gear, which can be critical to providing an immersive and productive visual collaboration experience. However, they haven't been the first company that comes to mind when thinking of the video equipment itself. That is starting to change. In January of 2012 the company announced that they had acquired the Israeli videoconferencing innovator VCON for a reported $4.5M in cash.
Continue reading...
Company Profile: Masergy
Company Profile: AVI-SPL
Solution Snapshot: WebRTC Expo
Solution Snapshot: Vu Telepresence
From our on-going review of the most important stories on visual collaboration technologies and reporting on the visual collaboration industry.
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Meta Pro promises Tony Stark-style computing with a $3,000 pair of sunglasses
Story and images by Michael Gorman / Engadget As opposed to the rudimentary capabilities of the current king of wearables, Google Glass, a company called Meta is building a full-fledged augmented reality computing platform into a pair of aviator shades and a pocket computer. The platform aims to provide the kind of user experience heretofore seen only in Hollywood films -- think Tony Stark using J.A.R.V.I.S. in Iron Man. Continue reading...
KUBI telepresence robot arm for tablets now shipping, starting from $399 Story and images by Richard Lai / Engadget It was almost a year ago when we checked out Revolve Robotics' KUBI, a motorized tablet cradle that lets you remotely pan and tilt your device -- via an iOS app (Android version coming soon) or web portal -- during video calls. After missing its summer launch window, this US-made telepresence robot is finally shipping to its Indiegogo backers starting this week. Continue reading... Cisco acquires Collaborate.com, eyes mobile
Story and images by Larry Dignan / ZDNet Cisco on Tuesday said it has acquired Collaborate.com, a company that develops mobile tools for document sharing, task management and team communication. In a blog post, the networking giant said the acquisition will help it better navigate mobile collaboration and cloud computing. Collaborate melds with
email and third party cloud services for so called "enterprise workstreams." Continue reading...
Students, astronauts talk in real time during NASA downlink Story and images by Charles County Public Schools / TheBayNet.com Students began lining up to ask their questions as the words "We are ready. Charles County Public Schools, this is mission control Houston. Please call station for a voice check," flowed from the Telepresence screen at La Plata High School. Two astronauts appeared on a large screen and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) began Expedition 37/38, a live downlink from space as part of NASA's Teaching from Space initiative. CCPS is one of seven school systems selected to participate this year. Continue reading... Anybots' New Monolithic Telepresence Robot: Q(X)
Story and images by Evan Ackerman / IEEE Spectrum Last we heard from Anybots was back in February of last year, when they were offering a robotic receptionist service called AnyLobby. Since then, it's been fairly quiet over there, but apparently, this is why: they've been working on a new telepresence robot called Q(X), which made its first appearance at a party last week. Continue reading...
EU Court Rejects Cisco's Challenge to Microsoft-Skype Deal Robometrix VisitorBot Mini, new inexpensive consumer-market telepresence robot
InAVate - Chief Unveils Extra-Large Display Cart
EU court rejects Cisco challenge to Microsoft's Skype takeover
NASA gives Robonaut 2 legs
DigiGone Introduces DigiCrew Videoconferencing Service
Ex-Official Says FBI Can Secretly Activate an Individual's Webcam Without the Indicator Light Turning On
Google's Nexus TV Could Launch in Early 2014, Report Says
New app lets children video-chat Santa on Skype
Robots and telepresence: Bandwidth-heavy tools invade the business world
Polycom Taps Ex-NCR Exec as Its Next CEO
The Scary And Amazing Future Of Work
Mixed 3Q13 Revenue Results for Videoconferencing Equipment Market--IDC Says - Unified Communications Strategies
J D Vaughn's Boiling Point: "The Polycom CEO Dilemma"
Software Solutions, Economics Squeeze Video Conferencing Revenues: IDC
How videoconferencing can help redefine your marketing strategy
New Technology Gets To the Bottom of Telemedicine Training: The Robotic Butt Chrome collar: The future of work pt. 1 Tech tethers employees to work 24/7 Motrr Galileo VC Robotic Dock Top Free Software Picks: Video Conferencing LifeSize appoints A/NZ lead 8 Things To Keep In Mind When You Have a Skype Job Interview A law firm uses Skype to bridge the distance San Antonio License Plate Readers and Video Conferencing Resolve Overdue Traffic Tickets Samsung Galaxy S5 May Feature Multi-party Video Conferencing Man Exposes Drunk, Naked Wife On Playstation4 Video Stream Webcams Slash Prison Costs in New York Growing market appetite for video solutions Columbia College students learn nursing 75 miles away Business video conferencing: Will users ever prefer visual calls? Should I Attend a Conference Via a Telepresence Robot? Blue Jeans video conferencing coming to Android Nationwide Building Society Boosts Mortgage Sales with Remote Expert Video Conferencing Building the business webcam use case; solving common install issues Getting to the Bottom of a Digital Lollipop
Check out the latest news from the companies on the forefront of telepresence technologies, telepresence managed services, and inter-networking telepresence.
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Chorus Call Delivers Best-of-Breed Bundled Collaboration Solutions with Partners AVer and Logitech
MONROEVILLE, Pa., Dec. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Chorus Call, Inc., the world leader in high quality conferencing services, is pleased to announce a partnership initiative to offer a complete array of bundled collaboration solutions that include conference room video endpoints along with voice and video services.
Continue reading... Net Medical Xpress Releases Full Two-Way WebRTC Telemedicine Video Conferencing App ALBUQUERQUE, NM--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2013) - Net Medical Xpress Solutions, Inc., an emerging leader in the rapidly growing telemedicine industry, said today the company's new RTC Conference Switch for the iPad has now been released on the Apple App Store and is ready for general use. Continue reading... Sony patents VR headset with object avoidance system and detection of body posture, pupil movement, blinking
December 12th, 2013 -- A new patent filed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. suggests the company is moving ever closer to completing its long-rumored virtual reality headset technology. The latest features, spotted in the patent by NeoGAF user Rösti, describes an "object avoidance apparatus" that detects obstacles in an image of the real-world, calculates their distance from you, and replaces them with different, virtual objects. Continue reading...
ECOTECH Selects AGT to Deliver Interoperable Cloud Video Conferencing Services Kennesaw, Ga. (December 17, 2013) - Applied Global Technologies (AGT), a leader in managed and cloud video conferencing solutions for service providers, today announces a partnership with ECOTECH Solutions Group, a provider of UC, voice, video and data applications. Continue reading... IOCOM Offers Integration of the Award-Winning Visimeet Into Third Party Applications
CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - December 16, 2013) - IOCOM, a leading worldwide provider of universal video conferencing solutions, announced a comprehensive solution enabling application providers, service providers and communications platforms the ability to
integrate into its award-winning Visimeet software platform. Continue reading... Arkadin Wins Frost & Sullivan 2013 Growth Leadership Award for Best Performance in European Conferencing Services Industry PARIS, FRANCE--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2013) - Arkadin, one of the world's largest and fastest growing Collaboration Services Providers, with a full suite of conferencing and unified communications (UC) services, today announced it has been awarded the 2013 Frost & Sullivan European Conferencing Services Growth Leadership Award. In conferring the award, Frost & Sullivan cited Arkadin for excellence in having the highest annual compound growth rate in the highly competitive conferencing industry over a three-year period. Continue reading... Rounds and Vidyo Announce a Strategic Relationship to Bring Mass Scaling HD Video Conferencing to Rounds' Popular Interactive Entertainment App
ZTE Corporation : ZTE Gains World Top-3 Video-Conferencing Market Ranking in Wainhouse Report
Optimus Launches Maelys - A fully Automated Cloud Based Offering
NETXUSA adds Tely Labs to its portfolio: Tely Labs closes strong 2013 with new relationship
AGT Names Metro-Atlanta Office Headquarters
Leading Eastern European Video Conferencing Vendor TrueConf Will Showcase at Integrated Systems Europe 2014
Zoom Joins Centrify Alliance Partner Program to Bring Centrify Web and Mobile Single Sign-On to Zoom's Leading Video Conferencing Service
LiveDeposition.com Releases Realtime Streaming App for the Amazon Kindle Fire
Glowpoint Releases New Business-class Support Packages to Meet Growing Demand for Secure, Business-class Video Collaboration
Blue Jeans Network and Tely Labs Partner to Provide Free 60-Day Cloud Conferencing Services
Whitlock Selects Pexip to Provide Videoconferencing Solutions to Customers Globally
IVCi Reveals Cloud Video Experience, Solving the BYOD and Interoperability Challenge
Arcadian Telepsychiatry Partners with Connect2Docs
Telesphere Signs Telarus for Hosted VoIP Distribution
Gentera Chooses Cisco to Deploy Collaboration Services and Customer Care Platform TrueConf Unites Users of Multiple Video Conferencing Servers Cisco Holds Off Microsoft Surge in UC Collaboration Market FuzeBox, Internet2 Offer HD Video Conferencing Service to All Non-Profit Universities, Colleges, Schools and Research Organizations in the United States Talk Fusion Releases 260 New Ready-to-Use Video Email Templates Telemedicine Brings Parkinson's Care to "Anyone, Anywhere" Oblong Industries partners with AVI-SPL to deliver Mezzanine collaborative conference room solutions to North America Talk & Vision expands Cloud video services SnakeClamp Products Launches iPhone and Smartphone SnakeClamp ETIAM Chooses Vidyo to Enhance ETIAM-Connect Medical Image Sharing Services with HD Video Conferencing Worldwide Enterprise Videoconferencing and Telepresence Market Sees Mixed Third Quarter Equipment Revenue Results, According to IDC TrueConf Terminal: Firmware 1.3.0 Release Now Supports Full HD Video Conferencing Video Telemedicine Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends Analysis and Forecast 2012 - 2018 Media Alert: Cisco Hosts Panel Discussion on Empowering Women in Business Interact: a London Based Voice, Video and Data Communications Company: Release Infographic That Contains Interesting Video Conferencing Data Huawei and Optimus Unveil 'TE30' All-in-One HD Videoconferencing System in the Middle East NevadaNet Enhances Video Conferencing with Advanced Scheduling and Management Platform Experient Health Helps Explain Trends in Telemedicine in Latest Blog Series Singapore tech start up Temasys Wins Top Award in Silicon Valley Temasys's WebRTC Skyway infrastructure takes Social Media to a new level Temasys heads North - as WebRTC solution of choice in the oil fields of Canada!
Name Company New Title
Christine Perey AR Standards Community Founder and Chair
Jay O’Connor Blue Jeans Network CMO
David LaCava BT Conferencing Service Delivery Director
Bill Thompson Carousel Industries VP of Video Services
Daniel Goepp Fidelity Investments VP Engineering
Phil Marechal Home Instead CEO / Founder
Shanley Stern Mycroft Inc & XSpectra VP Sales & Marketing
Peter Leav Polycom CEO
Tony Scarfo Sonus Exec VP of Technology and Bus Dev
Dean Douglas Unify CEO
Darian Germain VBrick VP Marketing
Julian Philips Whitlock Exec VP
Jack Steinhauer Whitlock Exec VP
Chris Jamison Whitlock VP of IT and Service Delivery
A Breakdown of Industry Talent in the Market for their Next Opportunity. Interested in Appearing in “On the Bench”? Send 1 short paragraph overview, headshot, and LinkedIn URL to [email protected] with “On the Bench” in the subject line.
New Jobs on the Visual Collaboration Job Board VP Of Technology Position: San Diego, CA
Title: VP Of Technology
Field: Information Technology Location: San Diego, CA
Status: Full-Time
Clearance: N/A
Continue reading...
Chief Operations Officer: Louisville, KY
Title: Chief Operations Officer
Field: Hosted/Managed Services and Telephony/VOIP
Location: Louisville, KY
Status: Full-Time
Clearance: N/A
Continue reading...
Telepresence Industry Professionals (TIP) is our telepresence industry association on Linked In which is now over 4,000+ members! We like to call it "the Telepresence industry's cool kids club" because so many of our favorite folks are on-board. The group is a superb venue
for discussion, networking, and industry news and information. There is a Jobs board for organizations looking for talent and for folks that are in the market for their next gig.
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