VOIP News

Late yesterday, Google snapped up GrandCentral Communications, a start-up that lets users use a single phone number that forwards to all of their phones, essentially giving them one number for life. The service lets users manage their existing phones and voice mailboxes over the Web. Rich Tehrani does a good job describing the service here. Financial terms were not disclosed. GrandCentral was founded by Craig Walker (one of TMC’s Top 100 Voices of IP Communications) and Vincent Paquet, both veterans of Dialpad Communications, which was acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. I guess this proves that there are still innovative companies working out there, and that their innovation is not going unnoticed. Congrats to the team at GrandCentral.

As reported earlier, Inter-Tel had set last Friday, June 29^th as the date for their shareholder meeting to determine the fate of the planned merger with Mitel. Well, that plan took a strange twist Friday, as the Board of Directors decided to postpone the meeting.  Friday, it was announced that the Special Meeting of Stockholders to vote on the merger with Mitel Networks Corporation has been rescheduled for July 23 in Phoenix. The Board of Directors has set the close of business on Monday July 9 as the date of record to determine the Inter-Tel stockholders who are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. Steven G. Mihaylo, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Tel issued a release, expressing “dismay at the Board’s decision to postpone the Special Meeting.”  According to Mihaylo, “I am confident that shareholders have had sufficient time to evaluate their investment in order to determine the course of action that would most maximize their returns, and should have been allowed to express their wishes today. I urge shareholders to demand that the Board cease these delay tactics and accept the voice of the shareholders.”  In his Friday statement postponing the meeting, Alexander L. Cappello, the Chairman of the Special Committee of Inter-Tel’s Board of Directors said: After careful consideration, the Special Committee has decided to postpone the vote on the Mitel merger so that all Inter-Tel stockholders can evaluate recent developments when deciding how to vote their shares. We believe stockholders should have the opportunity to consider the significant recent changes in the debt capital markets adversely affecting the availability and cost of financing for acquisition or recapitalization transactions and the disclosure in Steven G. Mihaylo’s definitive proxy statement, which has only recently become available. In addition, given that the second quarter is concluding, the Special Committee believes that Inter-Tel stockholders should have the benefit of an update regarding the Company’s preliminary second quarter sales results, which the Company expects to announce at the end of next week. So what happened? Did Inter-tel think they would lose?  With Mihaylo owning 19.2% of the company, did they feel they just might not get the majority they needed to get the merger passed? The saga continues, and it will be interesting to see what if any effect the upcoming earnings announcement will have on the whole process. If the numbers are good, will it bolster Mihaylo’s plan to recapitalize the company? If the numbers are bad, will it prove that the merger with Mitel is the best course of action? Stay tuned.

 It’s 2pm on the East Coast. The Apple stores are now closed, pending a 6pm (technically 5:50) re-opening and the first iPhones will be up for grabs. I’m trying hard to keep up with the iPhone news that keeps flooding in from every conceivable direction. Articles are going up on TMCnet, opinions are flooding the blog pages, it’s full-on iPhone OVERLOAD! However, if you want a single place where you can check in and see what the deal is, then just click on TMCnet’s iPhone Snapshot page. All the iPhone news you could possibly want. All in one single, easy-to access spot. I know, I know… You’re welcome.

TMC’s executive editor Richard “Zippy” Grigonis, offers yet another angle to today’s super-hyped (or as my kids would say, “super-duper-scooper” hyped) Apple iPhone launch. Richard actually paints a scenario that shows that things are not altogether perfect when it comes to the iPhone and the AT&T service upon which it will run. In an article called EDGE, the Fly in Apple’s iPhone Ointment, he points out certain issues with the EDGE network offered by AT&T. In fact Richard refers to a NYTimes interview with Randall L. Stephenson, the new AT&T CEO, who said that the fact that the iPhone offers faster WiFi networking would more than make up for the relatively slow pace of its cellular EDGE data network. Check out Zippy’s article here.

Art Rosenberg is taking a Unified Communications and customer service angle in his latest report. According to Rosenberg: I have discussed “Consumer UC” in the past as something that will require traditional telephone call centers to get ready for the “multimodal customer,” and the iPhone release is the tip of the multimodal contact center iceberg. Rosenberg offers a series of insights and perspectives and discusses the: “ripple effects upon enterprise customer contact/support requirements that will stem from the consumer adoption of the iPhone and other successful “smartphones.” In any event check out Art’s latest submission, here in TMC’s Consumer Electronics Center.

Updating yesterday’s entry about queues forming for the iPhone… I placed a few quick calls to the stores nearest my house and discovered that there about 40 people in line to buy an iPhone at the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, according to Travis at the Apple Store there. At Tice’s Corner in Woodcliff Lake Brandon tells me that there are about 50 people in line. The ifoAppleStore blog has truly up-to-the-minute info on how the hype is playing out in the real-world retail locations. They even have a link to a live video feed from one location (courtesy of Zoomr TV).  

I just finished reading an article written by Ofir Michael & Jacqui McDonald of RADCOM. The article, titled, “Is Video Encryption to Service Quality Monitoring like Lead is to Superman?” is a thorough look at video quality testing and monitoring. If testing and monitoring is something you’re interested in, I highly recommend taking a look at this informative article.

Steven Hartley, senior analyst at Ovum issued the following comments regarding Apple’s iPhone, which is set to launch this afternoon. “For the consumer the iPhone is expensive and technically not unique. It is a simple proposition of integrating iTunes and iPod functionality into a wider communications enabled device. However, it is being sold as iconic rather than simply functional, so the high price will have little impact in the short term.” “Despite giving a massive publicity boost for AT&T Wireless after absorbing the more widely known Cingular brand, the benefits to AT&T are limited.” “Apple benefits from an extremely high profile market entry. It will also most likely evolve the device in the future to add the features missing at launch, such as WCDMA. Apple has set itself a target of 10 million units by the end of 2008, but we think this will be a challenge. The device is selling at a high price point and will not be a mass market device.”  How can this NOT be a mass market device? How can you bet against Steve Jobs again, so soon after he made the iPod a must have? The hype is really something to behold.  For a cellphone. Held captive on one carrier’s network.   Personally, I’m torn.  My mp3 player is a first-generation Dell Digital Jukebox. But it works, so I don’t NEED a new one. But I admit I keep eyeing the iPod. I hate the fact that when I tried to purchase an iTunes gift card for a friend, I was forced to install iTunes.  I was able to resist the temptation to download the program, and I hopped over to 7-11 instead and bought a card. I’m among the least likely to go ga-ga over a gadget, but to be honest, I think I want an iPhone. However I will fight the urge for now. Besides, who wants to stand in line for a phone? With an mp3 player… And Web access… and e-Mail… and Video… and Maps… and Widgets… 

The Apple stores nearest my house (Woodcliff Lake, NJ and West Nyack, NY) will be closing tomorrow from 2–6pm to “get ready.” The iPhone will make its debut at 6pm at those locations. So far, no reports of would-be iPhoners lining up in front of the stores to get their hands on the first devices at these locations. However reports abound about lines in NY, SF, LA, Baltimore and other locations. We’ll see how tomorrow goes. Are you going to wait in line to get your iPhone?

Steven G. Mihaylo, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Tel, announced Glass Lewis & Co., a provider of proxy and risk analysis to institutional investors, recommended that Inter-Tel shareholders vote against the proposed buyout by Mitel Networks Corporation at the June 29^th shareholder meeting. Inter-Tel, for their part, announced that PROXY Governance, Inc., an independent proxy advisory firm, recommends that its clients vote for the company’s proposed merger with Mitel. As readers of this blog are no doubt aware, on April 26, 2007, Inter-Tel entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Mitel will acquire Inter-Tel for $25.60 per Inter-Tel share in cash, representing a total purchase price of approximately $723 million.