As of November 9th, 2022 VoipWatch is now part of AndyAbramson.com. To see my latest writings go to andyabramson.com This site will remain for easy access to archives, Google Searches (for now) and things like my historical in the news details. Overtime, this will all get migrated to andyabramson.com but for now it's here. Continue reading

In today's business world, almost everything is done remotely. We conduct meetings via conference calls, we collaborate with co-workers in different time zones through video chat, and we even interview candidates for open positions without ever meeting them in person. While this may save on travel expenses and time, it also presents some unique challenges—namely, ensuring that everyone involved has the proper equipment to participate in the call effectively. First and foremost, if you're going to be participating in a lot of conference calls, you need to have great lighting. This may seem like a small detail, but it's actually... Continue reading

I've been doing lots of blog posting on LinkedIn while the site host, TypePad was having issues. You can read the posts here. Continue reading

It seems TypePad has been offline for a few days. What I thought was an intermittent outage was much worse. I can see that everything is still not right, and offer my apologies to my readers and loyal followers of many, many years. Andy Abramson Continue reading

The wireless industry is constantly evolving. Every year, we see new technologies and trends emerge that have the potential to change the landscape of wireless forever. So, what's next for wireless? Here's what to watch: 1. eSIMs: Embedded SIM (eSIM) cards are the next generation of SIM cards. Unlike traditional SIM cards, which are physical cards that must be inserted into a device, eSIMs are embedded into devices and can be activated remotely. This means that users will no longer have to physically swap out their SIM cards when they want to change carriers. Instead, they'll be able to simply... Continue reading

Perhaps you've heard of eSIMs but aren't quite sure what they are or how they work. With all the traveling I've been doing lately, eSIMs have become more and more helpful, with the added benefit that you won't lose a physical SIM. For me, I"ve got Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi active on various devices, all with eSIMs, which makes activating any of them when I'm back home, or roaming, really easy. An eSIM is a "virtual" SIM card that is embedded in your device and can be activated without having to use a physical SIM card. This means that... Continue reading

You've likely experienced it, especially since the pandemic started. You're on back to back conference calls on ZOOM and say your 10 AM call that's scheduled for 30 minutes is about to end--but you're not done, or someone else on the call isn't finished making their points and BAM-someone due to be on your next call dials in around 1025--thinking of course they'll be early for the call and maybe they can catch up with you. So, because the call your on has nothing to do with them, you let them sit in the waiting room, much like doctors do... Continue reading

With the release of the new iPhone 14s, and the features in it, Apple has both done something new and something old. The new are features like satellite connectivity, eSIM only editions, virtual ID, enhanced maps are the major differences, along with pricing, when you compare the US editions vs. those being sold in the rest of the world, reports Phone Arena. It was back in the days of the single digit iPhones when I used to buy "world editions" of the smartphone. I still have my last "world edition" iPhone SE (the original) in a drawer somewhere, as a... Continue reading

An item that just crossed my desk was about ZOOM and how they are coming out with email and calendar applications named Zmail and Zcal. My first thought was why is ZOOM not sticking to its knitting and just being a communications company that has taken the world by storm. Then as I gave it more thought, I really think it's more about user data and privacy. You see, for years everyone has contended that Google and to a large extent Microsoft both know more about you and what you're doing, as well as the information you produce and store... Continue reading

The New York Times has a story on how Wegmans, a regional supermarket chain has decided to drop self checkout. As I was just in London where self-checkout is all over the place in Tesco, M&S and even the really hip Amazon store on Wood Wharf, I found myself wondering how much money is being lost to theft. Well it seems Wegmans has the same thoughts. Cutting labor to save money only works if the solution doesn't cost you more. Continue reading

Ya gotta love longtime pal Om Malik. He has a way of just being the "editor" who kicks one in the posterior at just the right time. Today he posted about Blogging, and it reminded me how much I've missed it. Sure I've been doing some Medium and LinkedIn writing now and then, but to be honest, the last few years for me have been diffused and focused on the client work. Now it's time to resume -when there's something to say. Over time, I've created EV Watch for Electric Vehicle News WineSiders for my wine reviews WineScene that was... Continue reading

It’s head scratching time. Or, as the Ben Grimm character would say “it’s clobbering time.” Why both? Well Ericsson bought Vonage today for an immense about of money. More than they ever paid for any company and which clearly helps set a new high bar in value for cloud service companies which focus on the enterprise market globally. The price is high and that’s the scratcher. The clobbering means someone will be. It may be the Vonage customer base which will have to endure integration and transition, vendors to Vonage who are used to their payment and procedure processes, employees... Continue reading

There's a lot being written today about RCS (rich communications suite) from Google/Android and how the three major U.S. mobile operators-AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have all embraced it and are rolling it out. Well, they're clearly not doing it to replace the legacy SMS platform on Android devices because it's the greatest invention since the iPhone (which it doesn't currently work on). And, if you think about it, the whole encryption thing being bandied about is another red herring. Any mobile user wanting to use encryption is using Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp or any of the many other apps that already... Continue reading

As the Covid-19 Pandemic continues, and as the world starts to reopen, the wine industry finds itself in a very different position than it has been experiencing over the past 15 months as businesses far and wide sort of are returning to normal. But with all the changes that the Corona virus caused to so many industries, the wine world, like those others, has seen things change too, and there may be no going back to where things were like in 2019. First, travel is still not back to the pre-Covid levels, but it's getting there. This is impacting international... Continue reading

This week is IT Expo, one of my favorite conferences of the year. And for the first time in a long time, with the last time being due to a cancelled red eye flight over ten years ago, I'm not going. And, unlike that aborted trip, this time it was my choice, and that choice was despite offers from clients to pay for my room, and offers from friends at TMC to continue my moderating streak of many years. Did I want to attend? Yes. But a series of factors weighed in, and given this is a personal choice, I... Continue reading

Wow. As I look at winners of three star Michelin restaurants in France and elsewhere, I'm blown away. No, not by the number of newcomers but by some of the memories I'm having from dining at these places, long before they even earned star one. You can find the list here. As someone who plans trips around restaurants and wineries, I'm often digging into the local news, best of articles what's new and reviews about a town or region long before I even look at the Michelin Guide these days. Sure, the Red Book has always been a data point,... Continue reading

It's been a while since I've written here on VoIPWatch. A lot has changed and yet in many ways the song remains the same. In the hey day of blogging I would post three to four items a day, share my opinion and the cabal of other bloggers like Om, James, Rich, Jeff, Martin, Ted, Alec, Jim, the late Russell, all would also be posting, linking and sharing. Here, I chose to take a perspective based on the core ideas of blogging-I offered insight, perspective and opinion, which I referred to as IPO. I did this, often with a cadre... Continue reading

Today Bandwidth announced they are acquiring Voxbone, a company I'm very familiar with from years of working with them in their early stages before becoming PE-backed. I've always admired their foresight, and recall how they always had Bandwidth in their sights, first as a customer, then wearily as a competitor, and even as a possible merger candidate. The deal makes a lot of sense, as for Bandwidth, as this removes a layer of supplier/co-opitition in North America, while expanding their footprint globally. The obvious layer it removes is the battle for the supply for telephone numbers, a service both have... Continue reading

I've been giving a lot of thought and time to Rose lately. You know, the slightly pink or light salmon red colored wine that fills your glass during summer, and serves as a great accompaniment to charcuterie and cheese as well as salad and grilled dishes too. Rose has really become en vogue as the perfect poolside sipper during hot days all over the world. It also happens to be a great way to “break the ice” with new friends who are just getting more serious about wine, as well as being something you can drink all by itself. Rose... Continue reading

I've been a fan of Tom Krazit since his days at the original GigaOm, and my pal Om Malik introduced me to him. Tom has been "in the cloud" as a journalist from it's earliest days, and his work at Protocol Cloud has continued to be some of the most insightful and spot-on writing in journalism today. His no B.S., non-shill style of reporting is in the Om style, so when he wrote today that "Microsoft wants to be the phone company," it hit the same cord that I heard when I read Microsoft's own unveil. Couple this with the... Continue reading

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking more and more about how much tech jewelry I've been carrying around. In round numbers it's like this: Mac Book Air 2020 $1600 or Samsung Galaxy Chromebook $1000 iPad Mini w/LTE $ 700 iPhone XS $1150 One Plus 8 $ 700 That's over $3,500-$4,000 in tech I'm carrying around when I travel-and well, that's just insane. Add in headsets, chargers, battery packs, plus a nice bag, and I bet I'm not leaving the house with less than $5,000 in tech gear when I travel or even just jet around town on meetings.... Continue reading

The existence of the three-tier system has been around since the repeal of prohibition. As a result, sales strategy, especially for fine wines that are imported, or more limited production domestic wines are significantly handicapped today due to the three-tier system and how it impacts distribution. But with COVID--19 we have seen a steady erosion of the three-tier system in many parts of the United States and at the end of the day all the three-tier system is limiting is where wine can be sold and who can buy it. Let's first look at the situation overall. 1) Wine distributors... Continue reading

The headline on the news release read "Allegiant Stadium to make history as the first American pro sports venue to open cashless" so being a reformed sports marketing executive brought a smile to my face. It was also in a real way, a true to life dejavu for me. You see, 32 years ago when I was working with the Denver Nuggets we were one of, if not, the first arena's to incorporate credit cards at the concession stands. Back then, cash was king. You bought your beer with cash. Paid for your popcorn with dollars. You picked out merchandise... Continue reading

Google Voice, originally Grand Central, continues to be around and used by many people. While Google doesn't put the same effort behind it as they are with Meet, it remains a very useful and viable front end number for many people who have multiple phone number, or devices, when they wish to be reached. For many, it's the second number, often used by people who don't want to give out their personal cell or home phone, but still want to be reached by customers. Today, with one of their iOS updates that they regularly produce, and without much fanfare, they... Continue reading