Google Voice

Image by marcopako  via Flickr

Google, Google, Google... Do you REALLY want to put us all out of a job? (No, not really going to happen, but read on. They're on to something - again.)

Haaaaave you met Google Voice? :)
http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html


One of these days, it is going to raise it's ugly head.
With a single number to rule them all - with multiple phones that will ring, voicemail you can monitor and get transcribed into an e-mail, SMSes that, if they arrive to your Google Voice number can be forwarded to multiple mobiles, personalised greetings, phone-switching mid-call... All things that have up to now been the domain of the (enterprise grade) VoIP PBX - Asterisk in the free/SMB enviroment, ours and Ciscos and everybody elses offerings in the SMB/Enterprise. We've had Skype, and we've had multitudes of VoIP service providers - and now, we add Google. Did anyone notice the proverbial elephant on the proverbial 19-inch rack?

It's going to be - LEGEN-wait-for-it-DARY. Not just the service (and, I must confess, I'm a GoogleFan, to the point of using a T-Mobile G1, which means that I'm signing up the moment it's made available), but also in helping everyone to "bringig VoIP and advanced telecoms services to the masses". And yes, there will be challenges all of us vendors are going to have - hopefully only from a bigger awareness of the VoIP technology and our collective offerings that will spring more sales in the enterprise market, but, very likely, we're also going to start hearing things like "if Google does all of this for free, why should I pay multiple tens of thousands to you" from customers - I can just see a small company going "all Google"... Google Mail on their domain for E-mail, Google Apps for data sharing, the new Google Sites for a cut-down version of Sharepoint, and, yep, you've guessed it - Google Voice for their phone needs.


It's not all bleak though - thank R&D and marketing we now have Avaya Aura - more at www.avaya.com, but I'll post some comments on it in the next few days as well - to respond to the new challenger in the field. And I think they're going to put up a fight.

As an end note, I'm waiting to see the pricing structure. Dave, Sergey, please don't make it too cheap? :)

I'll take the chicken, the cornflakes, and an IP-PBX

Image via WikipediaNo, really. Read this:


"Microsoft Response Point Phone System Retails on Costco.com
Response Point small-business phone system from hardware manufacturer Quanta Computer is now available for purchase directly from Costco.com.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 28, 2008 — Microsoft Response Point, an easy-to-use voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system designed uniquely for the needs of small businesses (one to 50 employees), is now available to purchase on Costco.com, a leading global retailer. Costco.com will now offer the award-winning Syspine Digital Operator Phone System from Quanta Computer Inc. featuring Microsoft Response Point phone system software.
“A small-business owner does a little of everything — CEO, accountant and IT trouble-shooter — all before lunch,” said Richard Sprague, senior director, Response Point at Microsoft Corp. “Costco.com’s easy online purchase process, combined with Response Point’s easy setup and intuitive magic blue button for voice dialing, gives the small-business owner another easy way to gain a powerful communications tool to help grow his or her business.”

You have GOT to be kidding me. I first thought that it was April 1st, but then, well... It's a good thing (TM) that IP is making its way into low-end telephony, but I would - and that's just me - have reservations buying my business critical hardware at Costco. Support, anyone?

It's probably too early to say - and, to be honest, I really want one of these to play around with - http://www.syspine.com/ - but I really, really hope that this will be marketed properly - as a small business or prosumer only system, with decent support and reliable and tested upgrades and replacement parts.

Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll just go back to the "IP telephony isn't ready for primetime" and "it has horrible voice quality" and "it keeps breaking up", and, and, and... Well, at least it's got G.711.

http://www.syspine.com/Spec-A50.html