:: Sense - The Way I Sense ::

VoIP Redux: Skype at the Forefront Again

Subrahmanyam — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:05:28 +0000

Skype sure has a thing for fancy numbers. I’ve been particularly attracted to Skype, given its strong product, and its untapped potential. Naturally, I had blogged when news first came out of the fancy valuation numbers that Skype was quoting, and again when eBay actually shelled out $2.6 Bn to acquire the company. Back then I was trying to speculate on the reasons that eBay acquired the company, but had to give up as I did not really see any synergies between the two. That kinda became more clear when eBay had alluded to selling ringtones for Skype calls !!

What goes around comes around, and nowhere is this adage more self-serving than the Internet space. And finally, Skype has been able to rid themselves of the albatross around their neck. And to their credit, they have managed to do so in a manner that hasn’t hurt either them or Skype, too much. They have managed to allow Skype to grow in to a company with over $0.5 Bn in sales and over 500 Mn subscribers, racking some of the highest minutes for a carrier (over 2Bn paid minutes and over 100 Bn minutes of free minutes). Now that Skype is going to the fold of PE players, and the original team of founders back in play, sure will be interesting to see the road that Skype takes.

Writing on One…Too Many

Subrahmanyam — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:26:22 +0000

Came across Wordle a few days back. Figured it would be kinda interesting to do a word cloud for this blog, and see if it matches my gut feel. The results weren’t completely surprising. In the past five-odd years that I’ve been blogging here, “Google” continues to hog most attention. Although I got to admit, I am much more sceptical of its moves in the recent past as compared a few years back. Anyways, the image makes up for a nice pin-up on the desktop, and as a reminder to broad-base writing

Tech Blogging…On…Off…On

Subrahmanyam — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:08:18 +0000

Been a while since I’ve posted here….Work’s been slightly better than earlier, in terms of workload. But then it’s always a mixed bag, ain’t it !

Am hopefully on track to revive my old desire to have an active blog on tech stuff. Hopefully being the keyword. Have started to blog adhoc at http://simplyconverged.blogspot.com along with a colleague at work. No great intentions as of now, but am keen to convince myself that I can actually stick to something…. In fact, this blog is a kind of proof that I can stick to things despite my short attention-span to anything. It’s been close to five years that this blog has been going steady. Anyways, trying to see if I can be more active there. Will probably cross-post occasionally.

Voicing its way ahead…

Subrahmanyam — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:06:03 +0000

It appears any and all news in the online world in the recent past has been doomed to be focussed on the GoogApp duo ! Be it Apple’ announcement on its new iPhone OS or Google’s launch of a souped up Grand Central or the more controversial move to have behavioral targeting in adsense !

Google’s frontal move into voice appears, as always, ominous to the telcos that have hitherto survived in locking out users in closed environments. Google’s attempts to open this ecosystem up, with all its efforts on spectrum/platforms/handsets, whilst having minimal immediate real impact, are however forcing telcos to go in directions that they have resisted up until now. Whilst Google has thus far restricted itself to what can best be described as Guerilla tactics in targeting telcos, Google Voice goes a step forward and takes the competition right into the backyard of the operators. With free domestic calls in the US, and low rate international calling, Google appears to be looking at a revenue stream that goes beyond its staple diet of search advertising. Of course, directory services will likely be a focus and be tightly integrated with Google Voice. However, I am more inclined to look at this launch as an acknowledgment of the fact that establishing platforms and ensuring Android based handset uptake grows is an uphill task. In its home market, Google is yet to tie up with the top two operators for the Android platform. And with the global handset market showing clear signs of losing steam, mobile advertising could take that much more time in becoming mainstream. And it is in this backdrop that Google’s launch of Google Voice appears all the more interesting. Instead of building an ecosystem that is favorable to its core business from ground up, Google appears to have realized the advantages of taking a multi-pronged approach that effectively uses their repertoire of acquisitions.

Telcos will definitely not be pleased with Google’s latest move. However, there’s little that they could do, other than accept the fact that their distance from the consumer is rapidly increasing. Being a dumb pipe now appears to be thrust upon them, even when it comes to delivering their core service, voice! And while the extent of upside for Google is debatable, what appears certain is the downside for telcos that competition of this nature is likely to bring to the overall telco industry.

Stagnant Change

Subrahmanyam — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:47:13 +0000

Been away from blogging for a while…But then, things have been more or less stagnant…be it with my state of life or be it in the world elsewhere….

Yahoo!’s still struggling to decide where it’s Forte lies and whether M$ is the only option left ! Google still continues to perform better than most at the markets, along with the usual share of privacy concerns and service outages….Amazon’s out with the Kindle2, hoping to extend the successes that they’ve seen with the original version, and along the way, destroying myths that a single screen is all the digital consumer needs…..

Closer home, desi online firms are indeed bracing for a harsh summer, with ad rates dropping. 3G auctions are set to be postponed yet again, and telecom firms are pulling up their socks for what is soon to be a 10+ operator market…

Work has gotten interesting in the past few months, however, same can’t be said of the people, as always ! However, in these turbulent economic times, that is something that one can’t really hope to change rapidly

Expanding White Spaces…Google Ishtyle

Subrahmanyam — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:06:02 +0000

Yes, Google gets me blogging again!

Indeed, the Google that can do no wrong, and the Google whose stock still hovers over $300, has done what it does best again. Which is creating new markets for its sole bread-earner, search advertising. This time, it has been through extensive lobbying with the FCC and others for freeing up the 700MHz white space. While Google’s intentions and motivations for most of its policy stance have always been, arguably altruistic, however, they have in most cases been aimed at extending the realms of search advertising to new frontiers. It appears Larry Page has already hinted at this development contributing to over 20-30% additional revenues in the coming months.

In the past as well, Google has relied extensively on its powerful PR machine, more than in creating monetizable products. They have consistently shown that they can mould public/journalistic/analyst perceptions and that has helped their valuation to no little extent. Going back as far as 2005, one clearly recalls the much-hyped tie-up with Sun Microsystems, the intense lobbying for opening spectrum, and many other similar instances. Try as I might, I can’t stay away from blogging about google and try as it might, Google still is struggling to reduce its dependence on search advertising….Till then…..

i+phone=iphone?

Subrahmanyam — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:08:01 +0000

No! Before you get any further notions on my senility, I am not purchasing the phone on its launch here in India (in the next few minutes actually). Neither do I intend to. But for all the brouhaha over the most coveted gadget in recent times, most hardcore handset lovers wouldn’t even have given a second thought to this masterpiece of an overpriced and under-featured gadget. While Apple might have gotten away with its cake and eaten it too in the US on the iphone 3G (almost), however, I am quite disinclined to believe the same is going to repeat in India. While Apple and its operator partners must obviously have done their math in launching the product at this price point, what is interesting is their expectation that a device which, so obviously, under-serves the needs of the Indian consumers is likely to be lapped up in the droves ! With no visual voicemail (and an audience that hardly uses voicemail), no signs of a 3G network for light years, pathetic public wifi connectivity options, crawling EDGE connectivity (rather GPRS), an sms-crazy public that can’t forward all the jokes/forwards that they receive, I , for one, thought expectations will be more sober. However, the manner in which both the operators have “envisaged” huge rush, and have even started taking advance deposits is, to say the least, funny ! And to add to all this, there’s this funny news item on how people are likely to be given loans to purchase an iphone ! ’tis been a laugh riot since the pricing has been announced yesterday ! Tons of blogs/news having no clue on subsidies and contract plans claiming it to be a travesty on the face of the poor Indian consumers !

Having owned a few gadgets and handsets myself (including the mbp that I am typing this on), I can safely vouch that the iphone, in its current form in India, is something not for the gadget-data freak in me and for a lot others. Am biding my time for that MVNO operator who’s gonna offer an attractive 3G data plan in Mumbai and subsidise the handset with a decently priced contract. That’s when i(’ll get a)phone !

(Aging) tech blogging thoughts

Subrahmanyam — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:22:29 +0000

Just realized this. It’s been over four years since I’ve started this blog. Although, I’ve rarely been a prolific blogger, it’s heartening to see that I can actually relate to something even after all these years !

Since moving to Mumbai on this new job, I’ve been constantly thinking of returning (?)back to active blogging…Or, have occasionally entertained, the odd thought of starting a tech/internet/new media blog as well…Obvious reason being what I now do for a living is, if not the same, similar to what I had been blogging or writing about in multiple forums over the past few years…However, things never really took off….And whenever I see news of blogs being acquired for pretty good amounts (no claims here of being anywhere close to Rafat), that instinct returns….Writing a regular blog on tech/gadgets/web 2.0 and the like is something that I’ve been ruminating on for far too long….Hopefully, I can get on to that in the near future…

Google-PR-namaha

Subrahmanyam — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:54 +0000

Yep. Am back to writing about my pet interest in blogging…..Although the tech world had been obsessed by the Micro(almost)hoo acquisition, it’s quite interesting to see that Google has been doing all that is possible to ensure that it has a continued relevance when online search advertising starts to saturate and moves to different platforms ! Their latest announcement of a $500 million investment in Clearwire, is interesting…I, for one, have kinda taken a liking to google’s strong arm posturing, considering the cash that they are sitting on….Their recent agressive stance on the spectrum auction, the whole jamboree on Android, their habit of talking of any kind of network access at the drop of a hat, and actually succeeding in most part…All show a definite pattern which we have seen in the past as well…The amazingly well oiled Google PR machine that continues to remain at work. What has happened since my earlier 2005 post is only that this has now grown bigger and come to influence matters of policy….Kudos Google!!!

Mumbai…..First Take

Subrahmanyam — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:05:24 +0000

Been a few months in Mumbai….Not much in terms of understanding the “fabric” of this city…But yes, one thing that I did realize….Never ever try to get down/aboard a train at Kurla..If you care for your life, that is …..The city is polluted, dirty, is overcrowded, has rents which make the word obscene sound like Shakespearean prose !!! People keep complaining forever of the traffic, which seems to chug forward at zero kmph !! Socio-economic disparities present themselves at their worst here…And mind you, everyone considers slums an integral part of the city’s fabric …Translation—Too little time to even think if they should exist in the first place ! And with the recent noise over outsiders and conspiracy theories, you have a soap opera of a city that ends every night only to begin the next morning !

I am not sure where I stand…I don’t hate the city….I don’t love the city either…As yet ! But I do intend to keep my eye open for understanding why everyone loves this city and why those that don’t are deemed to not understand the city….Whatever it might be, it sure is gonna be one interesting stint here….