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Logitech Wireless Headset H820e Review

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:54:16 -0500

The Logitech Wireless Headset H820e targets the UC space nicely, sporting an amazing 300 foot wireless range, call indicator LED to let co-workers know you're on the phone, and wideband audio. The H820e is available in mono and dual versions and I took the dual version for a spin.

After initially charging up the headset I made a test call using Skype. After putting on the headset the first thing I noticed was how well this headset seems to block out ambient noise. They did a good job with the speaker padding and it's also worth mentioning they were kind enough to put padding on the underside of the TOP of the headset so you have some cushion and comfort when the headset is on your head all day. The call quality was very good.

The boom sports a mute button that I didn't even notice since it's recessed into the boom's rubbery and flexible material. The mute button is also black like the boom, so it really blends in. If not for the 6 small bumps I may not have noticed it all. The 6 slightly raised bumps make it easy to be on a call and slide your index finger and thumb down the boom mic until you feel the bumps, allowing you to mute/unmute without taking your eyes off your computer screen. Very handy. Some headsets you start pressing the wrong button thereby increasing or decreasing the volume, causing the headset to enter pairing mode or do some other function you didn't intend. I know I've had to remove headsets in the past just to look at the button labels and then put it back on. There's no mistaking where and how to mute with this headset! Also, when you are muted, a red LED mute indicator lights up at the end of the boom.

Although the 820 has an in-call indicator LED light, it didn't work with Skype. Apparently, it only works with Microsoft Lync and other leading enterprise UC software. Bummer.

Curious if this headset had decent bass response for music I played some Journey and noticed the low-end was definitely missing. Definitely sounded a bit tinny to my ears. I switched back to my Plantronics wired headset which has nearly identical speaker sizes and the full richness of the Journey sound returned. I was a bit puzzled why the decent-sized speaker couldn't handle low frequencies, but it dawned on me that this product was designed with UC in mind - talking to customers and coworkers and not necessarily listening to music. So I can understand designing speakers optimized for voice. Still, I'd imagine executives are loathe to want to switch headsets just to listen to music. Having two headsets when discussing "unified communications" seems like a contradiction to me.

But I cannot fault Logitech for this. They are following the TIA/EIA-920 specification for audio wideband, which is defined as 150 Hz to 6800 Hz. The low-end (150 Hz) obviously doesn't touch the bass frequencies and obviously missed some of the higher end frequencies as well that crashing cymbals (& other music instruments) can generate. Although, the specification gives "minimum" requirements, so there's nothing to stop Logitech and others from offering an even wider range of frequency response in their speakers. As telephones and computer entertainment merge, it would seem to make sense to do so.

In any event, I also tested the microphone and it performed very well and it was very good at not picking up ambient noise. It's flexible/bendable so you can bend it left or right and you can rotate the boom up or down for the best voice pickup. It's also worth mentioning that the H820e headsets automatically pair when placed in any H820e charger dock, making it easy to use the headsets with any workstation in large deployment or hot desking situations.

Interestingly, there is a wideband/narrowband switch on the base. Why would you ever want narrowband? Well, you can switch to narrowband for even longer talk time.

Features:
• Double-ear (dual) or single-ear (mono) wireless design options
• Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)
spectrum wireless connectivity
• In-call LED indicator light
• On-boom mute button and mute indicator LED light
• Intuitive on-ear call controls
• Up to 10 hours of wideband talk time
• Up to 100-meter (more than 300 ft.) wireless range
• Optimized for Microsoft® Lync™; compatible with most leading UC platforms
• Auto pair by docking
• Flexible microphone boom
• Padded leatherette headband and earpad
• Visual incoming call indicator
• Acoustic echo cancellation and noise-cancelling microphone
• Wide band/narrow band switch
• Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
• Contemporary, ultra-lightweight design

Product Specifications
Part #: Dual: 981-000516, Mono: 981-000511
Dimensions: Headset: 6.75 x 6.5 x 2 in (174 x 165 x 50 mm), Base: 5 x 2.8 x 3.25 in (128 x 73 x 82 mm)
Weight: Dual: 4.5 ounces (128 g), Mono: 3.1 ounces (88 g), Base: 16.8 ounces (475 g)
System Requirements:
Windows® Vista, Windows® 7 or Windows® 8 (32-bit or 64-bit), Mac OS® 10.7 and higher, Linux®, avalable USB port
Inside the box:
Headset, charging stand, AC power adapter, USB cable, Quick Start Guide and warranty info

Microphone: (Tx)
Type: Bi-directional ECM
Frequency response: 100 Hz – 7 KHZ
Sensitivity: -45 dB +3 dB
Distortion: <10% @1kHz, 10dBPa (MRP) input
Operating voltage: 1.4 – 5.0V DC

Speakers: (Rx)
Frequency response:
150 Hz – 7 kHz (ITU-T TIA920)
Sensitivity: 103dB +3 dB at 1KHz,
Input 1mW/Type 4153 artificial ear
Max output: <100 dB SPL
(compliant to EN60950-1)
Distortion: <4% @1kHz, 0dBm0, 1kHz
2 yr warranty

Price: Dual: $199.99, Mono: $179.99

Overall, I really like the Logitech 820e. It sounds awesome on a VoIP call using Skype, Lync, my SIP app, or any other voice app. The wideband audio quality really shows - on both legs of the call. I just wish this wireless headset could be my all-in-one headset. Then I can blast Journey in my wireless headset while simultaneously walking 200 feet down to the cafeteria to buy my lunch.

Ratings	Score
Installation
Features
Usability & Design
Voice Quality
Music Quality
Overall

Tags: 820e, echo cancellation, headset, logitech, lync, microsoft, review, uc, unified communications Related tags: wireless headset, ambient noise, frequency response, worth mentioning, using skype, headset

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Nokia Lumia 928 Camera Shootout Against Galaxy S III & iPhone 5

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:29:55 -0500

Nokia put up some comparison footage from the PureView 8.7MP camera of the Nokia's Lumia 928, which is rumored to be the Verizon version of the popular AT&T Nokia Lumia 920. The video shows how it compares against the iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S III when capturing video on a New York roller coaster. The results show the 928's superior color saturation, sharper focus and fewer overexposures from bright light sources than the competition. You can see how well the optical image stabilization works in the Lumia 920 by checking out this article and video.

The website also confirms rumors that it will feature 8.7 megapixel resolution and optical image stabilization, which surprisingly is identical to last year’s Lumia 920. I would have thought Nokia would have beefed up the camera specs if this will indeed be a Verizon exclusive phone. Many Verizon fans have envied the AT&T Lumia 920 and have been awaiting the Verizon equivalent for close to a year. To see how Nokia's 928 stacks against the competition, check out the video below.

Via The Verge

Tags: 920, camera, galaxy s3, iphone, lumia, lumia 928, nokia, s4, samsung, verizon Related tags: optical image, nokia lumia, image stabilization, lumia, nokia, video

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SIP Trunking - What You Don't Know Could Cost You!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:25:51 -0500

SIP trunking is one of the best ways for businesses to save money on telecom costs, but it's not without its pitfalls, including: not all SIP trunking providers are created equal, latency / QoS issues, SLAs, and more. If you are the decision maker trusting your critical business phone calls it's perhaps easier to choose an expensive PRI over SIP trunks because you know it will work. It's like the old adage "No one ever got fired for buying IBM", which was later adopter by Cisco. The fear of choosing a SIP trunk, even if it saves hundreds of dollars may be too much for a decision maker to put their neck on the line if voice quality issues crop up.

TMC in conjunction with Sonus Networks is putting on one-day "Putting SIP to Work" seminars across the country. These one-day seminars teach businesses the advantages of SIP trunking while offering examples of how it differs from the widely used PRI (primary rate interface) trunking. Sonus Putting SIP to Work events have offered sessions which discuss why companies should switch to SIP technology, SIP architecture options, implementing a SIP migration strategy, and panel discussions which allow those in attendance to ask questions easily.

You don't have to put your head in the sand when it comes to SIP trunking and pay a premium for PRI trunks. Come to one of these sessions and talk with some real experts in SIP trunking that can help alleviate your fears and save your company money. SIP trunking even has some disaster recovery advantages over traditional analog and T1/PRI trunks.

You can check out the seminars here: http://sip-seminars.tmcnet.com/

Here's some info on cities and dates to save you the click...

Dates & Registration Links:

• Dallas - May 9
• Boston - May 14
• Minneapolis - May 15
• Detroit - May 16
• Houston - May 21
• Scottsdale - May 22
• Los Angeles - May 23
• Atlanta - June 11
• Washington, D.C. - June 12
• Philadelphia - June 13

Agenda:

» 8 - 8:45 am: Registration & Networking Breakfast

» 8:45 - 9:00 am: Introduction [Presented by Sonus]

» 9:00 - 9:45 am: Outlook 2013: Trends and Technologies to Watch in Telecom [Presented by Phil Edholm]
The Outlook 2013: Trends and Technologies to Watch in Telecom session will focus on how the large IT megatrends of cloud computing, ubiquitous bandwidth and device growth are transforming the information industry and the Enterprise IT and Telecom environment. Discover the link between these changes and the massive growth in SIP and Lync deployment, increased mobility, and the need to re-think key elements of your communications strategy. Examine new ways to think of your organization and how to successfully plan for Unified Communications deployment. You will also get a sneak peek into emerging technologies that will make the next five years in telecom dramatically more transformational than the last ten years and how they change the walled garden approach to managing enterprise security and operations.

» 9:45 - 10:15 am: Save More / Do More with SIP – Now [Presented by Sonus]
Today, enterprise communication is disparate, ranging from UC and video to plain old PSTN. Each communication type has its own set of requirements. SIP unifies and enhances enterprise communication. SIP Trunking is a critical element of SIP based enterprise communication, offering significant benefits for both service providers and enterprises. SBC is an integral part of SIP Trunking and plays an important role in enabling SIP based enterprise communication. This session will explore the ROI benefits of SIP Trunking, and also help you understand the features and capabilities that an SBC must support for SIP Trunking.

» 10:15 - 10:30 am: Break

» 10:30 - 11:00 am: Lync Your Enterprise [Presented by Sonus]
When it comes to cutting-edge Unified Communications technology like Microsoft Lync, the choice of session border controllers (SBCs) is a critical one for both enterprises and the operators who service them. While SBC adoption rates continue to illustrate the value of this technology, not all SBCs are created equal. Decision-makers must carefully weigh factors such as real world session performance, robustness of features, resiliency, scalability and customization before choosing an SBC for their network. This session will help you evaluate an SBC appropriate for your Lync deployment and business needs as well as distinguish the differences between those that deliver superior performance and features.

» 11:00 am - 11:30 am: Moving to the Cloud: All or Nothing?
As companies strive to preserve cash, hosted and managed Unified Communications (UC) services continue to gain traction in the market. From audio and video conferencing solutions to virtual contact center offerings, enterprises today are turning to service providers and new cloud-based services for a wide range of IP communications needs. By leveraging the expertise and capital investments of an experienced service provider, enterprises can improve business agility while reducing Capital Expenses (CapEx) and Operating Expenses (OpEx) using private, public or hybrid cloud models. This session will explore key considerations and opportunities for service providers and enterprises alike.

» 11:30 am - 12:00 pm: Panel Discussion/Closing [Presented by Sonus & Contributing Speakers]

» 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Networking Lunch

To register, head over here.

Tags: education, seminar, sip, sip trunking, sonus networks, tmc Related tags: enterprise communication, presented sonus, service providers, unified communications, technologies watch, trunking

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Vonage Mobile Adds Video Calls

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:48:17 -0500

After 12 years as a voice-only business, Vonage is finally making its first foray into video conferencing with the announcement of free video calling for Vonage Mobile. The app now features voice & video calling, texting, photo sharing, and location sharing.

Vonage Mobile video calling works over both Wi-Fi and 3G/4G and on Apple iOS and Android platforms. Features include the ability to toggle back-and-forth between video and voice, flip camera views and mute your call. The app also features limited time free calling to U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Tags: 35, 4g, android, apple, video calls, vonage, vonage mobile, wireless Related tags: video calling, vonage mobile, video, calling, vonage, mobile

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Continue reading Grandstream GXP2200 Review...

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Grandstream GXP2200 Review

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:33:49 -0500

The Grandstream GXP2200 Gigabit IP phone is another Android-based IP phone in a growing line of Android-based IP phones that includes the Panasonic KX-UT670, CloudTC, and the ESI 250. A couple years ago I espoused the benefits of a tablet-based desktop phone running either iOS or Android, so that this "universal" device becomes your portable tablet/computer and your desktop IP phone. We're not quite there yet, since all the Android desktop IP phones are not battery powered and require either a Power over Ethernet (PoE) or AC adapter for power. Further, as with anything, cost will play a role. While a large 10+" tablet acting as both your desktop phone and computer is nice in concept, the larger screen adds a premium to the price-tag, not to mention higher processor requirements, more memory and storage, etc. The Grandstream GXP2200 on the other hand retails for just $229, which is pretty reasonable.

The Grandstream GXP2200 supports 6 lines and runs Android 2.3. It features HD audio, which is becoming more standard in all IP phones now, sports a 480x272 capacitive touch screen TFT LCD, dual Gigabit network ports, integrated PoE and Bluetooth.

Getting in Sync
What I really liked about the GXP2200 was how easy it was to sync my Exchange Server Contacts so it populated the phone's address book. It supports the standard Android "Accounts & Sync" capabilities, so you can add a corporate (Exchange) account as well as your Google account. Nice! Even cooler, I went into Grandstream's Android marketplace called GS Market and installed a 3rd party Android app called Voice Dialer. Then I was able to press the Voice Dialer icon, speak the name of one of my Outlook Contacts and it would recognize the name remarkably well, allowing me to dial by voice.

I did however discover a minor bug which I reported to Grandstream. The Voice Dialer recognizes the names just fine. The problem is it seems to stick parentheses around the phone number’s area code and a dash after the phone exchange, i.e. (203) 555-1000. The parentheses (and dash) then get passed to our Asterisk-based IP-PBX which causes a message “Sorry, invalid extension. Please try again.” It's obviously tripping up the Asterisk dialplan.

Obviously, this is more of a 3rd party app issue than Grandstream’s issue. However, this app is in the Grandstream Android store on the phone, so I assume it’s been somewhat certified to work on this phone. I did notice that any contacts I add directly on the phone are added without any parentheses or a dash and they dial out just fine. It's only Outlook synced Contacts that fail because Outlook forces formatted phone numbers with parentheses and a dash. Probably a simple software fix to strip out parentheses or dashes.

Fortunately, when using the built-in Contacts app it doesn't have any issues. Just scroll through the Contacts list and press the green phone icon to dial. It's your standard Android Contacts app so you can delete or search for a contact as well.

Angry Birds Benchmarking
The GXP2200 supports up to 5-way conference, a phonebook with up to 1000 contacts, call history with up to 500 records, and it comes with 3.18GB of storage giving your some initial room to load up your favorite Android apps, though you can use the USB port to add more memory. I tried out some of the Android apps in the GS Market. I noticed Angry Birds Rio was one of the apps, which I decided to install and play. You're probably thinking why am I playing games on desktop IP phone I'm supposed to be reviewing, right? Well, if any app is the standard benchmark for Android, Angry Birds is it! Angry Birds launched, it started playing some music and then the app closed/crashed. There, see? I told you Angry Birds is a good benchmark and you thought I was only trying to play a game.

Die Process, die!
I swiped from the top down on the screen to bring up a screen that allows me to view notifications and processes running. I had quite a few processes running, so I killed a few of them and re-launched Angry Birds Rio. This time it worked. Playability on the ~3.5" screen was pretty good since the touch screen was very responsive and the speakerphone's audio quality was excellent. Here's a snapshot of the game loading:

Skype for the Win!
Now onto more business-related Android apps. Skype is hugely popular, and Grandstream was one of the first to support Skype in their products. Skype is available in the GS Market, so I gave it a go. It installed and I made a few test calls. The GXP2200 doesn't have a camera built-in, so it cannot transmit video, but it can receive video. I made a video call and the frame rate and quality on the GXP2200 was excellent. Skype calls default to speakerphone mode. Interestingly, if you pick up the handset to talk you hear dialtone added into the voice conversation, making it impossible to carry on a private conversation with the handset. It's possible you could use the GXP2200's Bluetooth feature with a Bluetooth headset to get around this, but I suspect it would also default to playing dialtone as well.

Update 4/9/13:
I was able to get the handset to work while on a Skype call:
1) Pick up handset, wait for dialtone to timeout and go silent
OR better option:
2) Pick up handset, hit Home/House icon to silence the dialtone

Then after either method above, swipe from top of screen down to bring up Notification window. Switch over to System Settings. Then change Media Channel from Speaker to Handset. Now I can carry on a private Skype conversation from the handset.

I haven’t tried pairing a BT headset to see if dialtone is also inserted. I get the design decision here though. You want the IP phone, which is primarily a corporate desktop phone, to default to getting dialtone as soon as you pickup the handset. You could be in an Android app such as Google Voice, Angry Birds, or whatever, but as soon as you pick up handset, it gives you immediate dialtone to make a call, or in the case of an inbound call it instantly connects you to the caller. However, I’m wondering if it's possible for the screen to display something like “Mute dialtone” so 3rd party apps such as Skype and others can be played over the handset speaker.

Besides Skype, the GXP2200 works with Google Voice, Microsoft Lync Client, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, and more. They also have an advanced SDK toolkit for custom business application development and deployment control. One other nifty Android app worth mentioning is Blacklist, which comes preloaded. I added my cell phone number as a test, dialed the phone and the call was immediately kicked back to the auto-attendant. Bye bye telemarketers and recruiters! It's this sort of feature that shows the power of Android and its utility in the desktop IP phone space. One other feature of note is you can record calls (SD card required).

Tags: android, angry birds, grandstream, gxp2200, ip phone, review, skype Related tags: angry birds, desktop phone, voice dialer, phone number, standard android, phone

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Detailed WebRTC Research Report Out

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:35:01 -0500

Well, it was inevitable - a detailed and possibly first WebRTC research report is out with full analysis of the WebRTC marketplace & value chain. I've been blogging on VoIP since 2004 and writing about VoIP since 1996, when I wrote what I believe was the first VoIP product review (Vocaltec). But I've never been as excited about a new VoIP technology as I am WebRTC. WebRTC is going to be huge, which is why TMC launched a show WebRTC Conference & Expo focused exclusively on WebRTC.

So I'm interested to check out this research report which measures 160 pages in length, including detailed commentary, analysis, forecasts and over 50 tables and charts with over 70 WebRTC companies discussed. Here's a sample chart:

Key takeaways

WebRTC adds easy, flexible voice & video into websites and apps
Applicable across sectors: telecoms, consumer web, enterprise etc
One of most disruptive web/telecoms innovations for years
Extremely fast pace of evolution: weeks and months, not years
Microsoft & Apple slow, but unlikely to cause major roadblocks
3bn capable devices & 1bn individual users by end-2016
-0% penetration of PCs by end of 2013
Smartphone & tablet WebRTC will ramp from 2H 2014 on
PCs adopt WebRTC through browser; phones/tablets more complex
Early use-cases for web calling, conferencing, e-learning & verticals
Strong interest for UC, contact centres & IMS, but will take time...
.... so telcos must start work now, to work through the issues
Magnifies “OTT” threat for telcos, but also helps Telco-OTT
- Numerous “gateway” sub-types for vendors to target
Peer-to-peer use of WebRTC to drive unexpected new web innovations
Monetisation of WebRTC will be heavily use-case dependent
Still early pre-standard implementation. Caution/patience needed
But for once, the hype is justified

Disruptive Analysis writes, "Imaginative prototypes, demos and early commercial offers are appearing, even before the standards are finalised. Problems are being resolved in weeks or months, not years. Unlike most telecom-only solutions, developer interest seems to be accelerating, fed by Google's evangelism and WebRTC's appearance on the list of cool new additions to HTML5." And then adds this teaser, "This report is an attempt to bring together an analysis of the key strategic issues, make some bold predictions about major milestones, and put some first-cut numbers on this nascent industry."

Here's an excerpted breakdown of the report. For the full report summary & to order, head over here.

Title Index:

Executive Summary

- Strategic issues
- Use cases
- Impact on key stakeholders
- Market forecasts
- WebRTC industry timeline
- Companies

Introduction & Strategic Issues
- Structure of this report
- What is WebRTC & why is it important?
- The web always embraces new capabilities
- The analogy with Flash
- We already have 2-way in-browser comms: IM chat
- Voice is more than just telephony
- And there's more....
- WebRTC, RTCWeb, HTML5, WebSocket etc: Acronym Central!
- WebRTC APIs
- History of WebRTC
- Industry dynamics: competition, standards & politics
- Which companies are involved in WebRTC & why?
- Codec wars
- WebRTC vs. Flash / Plug-ins
- Microsoft and WebRTC
- Apple and WebRTC
- Fit with mobile broadband, LTE & WiFi
- Regulatory considerations
- Developers
WebRTC use-cases - Voice or video?
- Gaining scale & avoiding the n-squared trap
- Use-case evaluation criteria
- Web-based "calling"
- Enterprise contact centres
- Unified communications and collaboration
- Conferencing & hypervoice
- IMS extension / exposure via WebRTC
- Telco-OTT via WebRTC
- Consumer social comms / entertainment / education apps
- Other use cases

Stakeholders: impacts & recommendations
- Overview
- Telecom operators
- Key background trends for telcos
- Current service provider involvement with WebRTC
- Overview of WebRTC options for telcos: Not just IMS
- Fit with PSTN / IMS / RCS / VoLTE strategies
- Fit with enterprise comms businesses
- WebRTC + Telco-OTT initiatives
- WebRTC + telco developer / API initiatives
- Reselling third-party WebRTC services
- Internal uses for WebRTC at telcos
- Summary, and organisational & executional issues
- Network equipment vendors
- Gateways at the forefront
- Implementation complexities
- New product categories
- Threats to network vendors
- Impact on Enterprise UC/conferencing/contact-centre vendors
- Impact on Internet players / developers
- Will WebRTC advantage existing web companies or new startups?
- Impact on social networking & VoIP "OTT" services
- Impact on device vendors

WebRTC market sizing & forecasts to 2016
- Methodology & definitions
- PC/Mac support of WebRTC
- PCs remain in the vanguard of WebRTC uptake
- Post-PC era?
- PC browser share and dynamics
- PC browser adoption of WebRTC
- Non-browser support
- Mobile & device support of WebRTC
- Installed base of smartphones and tablets
- "Native" WebRTC capability in mobile browser or OS
- 3rd-party WebRTC support in aftermarket browsers or app SDKs
- Overall WebRTC device installed base
- WebRTC active device/user base
- Scenarios, accelerants & inhibitors

WebRTC company snapshots
- Acme Packet / Oracle
- AddLive
- Alcatel-Lucent
- Apple
- Asterisk / Digium
- AT&T
- Avaya
- Bistri
- Cisco
- frisB
- Google
- Hookflash
- Microsoft
- Mozilla
- NetDev / Drum
- Opera
- Plantronics
- Plivo
- Priologic / easyRTC
- PubNub
- Siemens
- Telefonica / TokBox
- TeleStax
- TenHands
- Thrupoint
- Twelephone
- VidTel
- Voxeo & Voxeo Labs
- Zingaya
- 40+ Other WebRTC players

For more information head over here: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/mof9z7/webrtc_market_status_forecasts_the_hype_is

Tags: conference, disruptive analysis, expo, google, research report, webrtc Related tags: webrtc telco, research report, strategic issues, developers webrtc, months years, webrtc

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Skype for Windows Phone 8 Gets HD First & More Feature Love

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:22:55 -0500

Today, Skype released an update for the Skype for Windows Phone 8 Preview, version 2.4, which for the first time ever adds HD video calling to a mobile version of Skype. This version leverages the hardware acceleration capability of Windows Phone 8 to enable the HD video experience.

It offers VGA video (640x480) on lower end handsets and 720P HD on higher-end devices including the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ S. Importantly, the app can intelligently determines the best quality available based on the speed of your connection. They also added People Hub integration, landscape mode for calls, and the ability to switch between front and back cameras.

Finally, the Microsoft acquisition of Skype appears to be paying dividends. Get the updated version now from Windows Phone Store.

Tags: hd, nokia lumia 920, skype, video calls, video conferencing, voip, windows phone 8 Related tags: windows phone, skype windows, skype, version, windows, phone

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Continue reading Windows 8 Underscan / Overscan & HDMI Resolution Problem Solved!...

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Windows 8 Underscan / Overscan & HDMI Resolution Problem Solved!

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:31:05 -0500

I had a problem with Windows 8 having underscan (& overscan) issue where the screen was not filling entire TV screen over a HDMI connection, resulting in abnormally large black borders. Who wants to watch 1920x1080 (1080p) HD video content with black borders? Well, after some extensive researching I was able to resolve the issue.

The specific computer I'm using is a Dell Zino HD with a ATI / AMD 4330 video card, which was running Windows 7, but I upgraded to Windows 8 and which was when the problems began. On Windows 7, you simply install AMD/ATI's Catalyst Control Center (CCC) and then you can launch CCC and change the underscan/overscan settings to fill your whole screen. Unfortunately, AMD video driver support for legacy video products isn't so great, especially for Windows 8. I did find a supposedly compatible Windows 8 driver and it installed, but launching CCC did nothing. Back to the drawing board.

With the CCC software failing to launch I figured my next step would be to edit the Registry. These steps resolved my underscan issue:

Tags: black borders, edid, full screen, hdmi, overscan, problem, resolution, startup, underscan, windows 8 Related tags: underscan overscan, black borders, windows, video, underscan, issue

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WebRTC Screen Sharing Demo!

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:14:42 -0500

In a recent post WebRTC Test Demo Fun, I gave some real world "working" examples of WebRTC. One of the demos I covered was browsermeeting.com which uses WebRTC and allows for multiple video participants and the ability to share files. BrowserMeeting.com is built on XSockets.NET and is a product created by Team XSockets.NET and their affiliates.

Uffe Björklund, one of the founders of XSockets.NET told me, "We are consultants and XSockets.NET is a sparetime project that we have invested about 8000 hours into. Browsermeeting is an implementation on XSockets.NET. XSockets.NET has previous been targeting realtime communication but mainly websockets (and fallback for it). Since we consider XSockets.NET to be a mature realtime communication platform we also implemented WebRTC into it. A big reason to why we are doing this is our love for technology and also the good feeling of pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a browser. Never the less we would of course love to monetize on what we love to do!"

I asked Uffe to explain XSockets. Uffe said, "XSockets allows websockets (it's one of the built-in protocols), but any device that talks TCP/IP can interact with XSockets. We have used XSockets with Kinect cameras, NetDuinos, From with in compiler trigger and stored procedures, from Powershell etc."

I asked Uffe about screen sharing support last month and he said, "We have talked about screen sharing and that we would implement it as soon as Chrome (and the others) supports it. I think that Chrome 25 will have support for screensharing/tabsharing with WebRTC.(http://updates.html5rocks.com/2012/12/Screensharing-with-WebRTC). But real screensharing will also be included in the future as well as recording and other cool stuff."

Well, he reached out to me and told me that they have a working demo of screen sharing! So I decided to give it a go.

Steps to get it working:

Install Google Canary (developer / bleeding edge release)
Type this in Chrome URL: chrome://flags/
Find 'Enable Screen Capture support in getUserMedia() and enable it:
Relaunch Chrome Canary
Go here: https://screensharing.azurewebsites.net/
Click Screensharing button option
You will then be given a 'unique' URL to give to others so they can see your screen. Type this URL on a 2nd PC.
On both PCs you will see a small thumbnail which displays a real-time (small) view of the other PC's entire screen:
Just hover your mouse over the thumbnail in right-hand corner to get option to go full screen.

Overall, the performance was decent, though it was compressed resulting in text and fonts not looking as sharp as I would like. It doesn't appear WebRTC is ready to replace paid solutions like WebEx or GoToMeeting just yet. If I was looking for a free screen sharing solution with video conferencing capabilities and high-quality video conferencing I'd consider using Watchitoo's free Playground web-based solution, which I reviewed. Still, WebRTC is new and Google very quickly removed my gripe about WebRTC only supporting tab-sharing, so I have high hopes for WebRTC.

Tags: canary, chrome, demo, desktop sharing, google, screen sharing, webrtc, xsockets Related tags: screen sharing, video conferencing, realtime communication, webrtc, xsockets, screen

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Continue reading Windows 8 Sync Settings - Security Hole...

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Windows 8 Sync Settings - Security Hole

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500

Windows 8 has a cool new feature that lets you login with your cloud-based Microsoft account (@hotmail.com, @live.com, @outlook.com) and it will synchronize your settings between Windows 8 PCs, but with a "security catch". We'll get into that in a moment. First, here's a list of features and settings that you can sync:

Personalize - Colors, background, lock screen, and your account picture
Desktop personalization - Themes, taskbar, high contrast, and more
Passwords - sign-in info for some apps, websites, networks, and HomeGroup
Ease of Access - Settings for Narrator, Magnifier, and more
Language preferences - Keyboards, other input methods, display language, and more
App settings - Certain settings in your apps, but not all
Browser settings - Internet Explorer history and bookmarks/favorites
Other Windows settings - Windows Explorer, mouse settings, and more
Sign-in info - For some apps, websites, networks, and HomeGroup

Looking at this list, you'd probably be just as excited as me. If you have a Windows 8 tablet and a Windows 8 PC, now you can easily view the recent websites you viewed in either due to the "shared" History. That feature has already come in handy for me several times. I also like how I can have a picture of my family, dog, or my favorite picture on the lockscreen of all my devices. I set it one one device and it automatically syncs it to the others. Easy peasy!

But here's the problem. You must use a Microsoft cloud-based account for sync settings to work and you cannot use a local account. Why is this bad? Well, suppose Hotmail gets hacked and the hackers gain access to your Microsoft account credentials. Now, not only can they access your email, but they can Remote Desktop to your home PC and access every photo, every video, every confidential financial file - everything. Your entire digital life is laid bare.

Now you could argue that the hackers would have to know your IP address in order to login (via Remote Desktop) using your stolen Microsoft account credentials. Fair enough. But who's to say Microsoft doesn't store the last IP address used when you logged in? Let's go a bit deeper. What's to stop a Microsoft employee from logging into your home PC and seeing you have a pirated copy of Microsoft Office along with thousands of pirated movies? What's to stop a Microsoft employee from logging into their ex-boyfriend's/ex-girlfriend's PC for nefarious purposes?

The only workarounds to this major "potential" security hole are:

Disable Remote Desktop (not feasible for many users, since it's so useful)
Change the Default Port for Remote Desktop from 3389. Though this will only slow a determined hacker or Microsoft employee
Switch to VNC remote desktop sharing program (& disable Remote Desktop)
Switch to a local account (Unfortunately, you lose the benefits of 'synching' across your Windows 8 devices)

Now here is where it gets interesting. I have two Windows 8 PCs joined to a corporate domain, one Windows 8 tablet joined to a corporate domain, and one home Windows 8 PC not part of a domain. For all of my domain-joined Windows 8 PCs (& tablet), I am not required to use a Microsoft hotmail.com/live.com/outlook.com account. I can simply "link" my domain account with my Microsoft account, but continue to use my domain credentials to authenticate / log-in to my PC either locally or via Remote Desktop when remote. Here's a screenshot showing how my domain account can be linked with my Microsoft hotmail account (blurred for privacy):

Tags: cloud, credentials, hotmail, outlook.com, remote desktop, security hole, settings, sync, windows 8 Related tags: remote desktop, microsoft account, microsoft employee, microsoft hotmail, disable remote, microsoft

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Japan Goes the Way of the Dodo & Still Supports Fax

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:16:21 -0500

I've admired Japan for their innovations since the mid 1970s, including the Sony Walkman, the Sony portable CD player, and how their took on the American automobile juggernaut to offer smaller, more fuel efficient, and yes, more reliable cars. While Japan was killing American companies with their superior consumer electronics, I couldn't help but admire their ingenuity.

Well, to my shock and horror I just read a NY Times piece claiming that fax is alive and well in Japan and in fact the Japanese are reticent to ever give it up. Say what? In the age of email, social media, online banking, etc. the Japanese people don't want to give up fax?

According to the NY Times:

Last year alone, Japanese households bought 1.7 million of the old-style fax machines, which print documents on slick, glossy paper spooled in the back. In the United States, the device has become such an artifact that the Smithsonian is adding two machines to its collection, technology historians said.

The article even goes on to explain how one company, which delivers traditional bento lunchboxes tried to modernize by taking orders online and getting rid of fax. Apparently, sales quickly plummeted.

First of all, who faxes their food orders? By the time you find a piece of paper & a pen, then hand-write out your order, then walk to the fax machine to fax it, key in the fax number, wait for the fax machines to negotiate & transmit (60-90s), I could have called a take-out or delivery restaurant and be done already. Not to mention Japanese letters take longer to write than the English alphabet.

Further, unless the fax machine has speed dials to your favorite restaurants, you have to look up the number as well, where on my cell phone they're in my contacts or I can quickly look it up on the Internet. This just does not compute. Do the Japanese not like to talk on the phone? I don't believe that's the case and surely, the Japanese, with one of the fastest broadband connections in the world like to be online, so why not order online? Heck, I have a Five Guys Burger & Fries app on my iPhone that lets me order from my phone.

I'm reminded of my co-worker Robert Hashemian's infamous "Fax is dead" article, which had some irate responses from fax industry insiders. Rich Tehrani had this to say about Robert's article in 2006:

Years ago Robert Hashemian, who currently employs the position of Webmaster at TMCnet wrote an article "Fax is Dead." This of course didn't sit well with Maury Kaufman who at the time made his living as a fax analyst. Maury sent TMC a scalding letter which we ran titled Hashemian is Wrong which we ran in one of TMC's publications -- I just can' recall which.Well whether Hashemian was right or wrong is debatable but a number of years after Hashemian wrote his articles Kaufman gave up being a fax analyst. So when Maury jumped ship I figured Hashemian was right.But you know what, after meeting with MultiTech Systems this morning and Paul Kraska in particular I learned that the company thinks fax is alive. I thought -- wait till I tell Robert. Boy is he going to be upset.

The NY Times article explains why faxing is still popular in Japan. "Japan quickly dominated global fax production, making 90 percent of the tens of millions of machines built, according to the Communications and Information Network Association of Japan, an industry group that includes fax makers. But its very success has made the fax a hard habit to kick. The demographics of aging have also played a role, because the generations that lived through the nation’s glory years have clung to their faxes. In fact, until 2009, the number of fax machines in private dwellings was still rising, a reflection of the dwindling numbers of young people embracing new technologies, experts say."

Don't get me wrong, I think fax still has a role to play, but it appears the Japanese are clinging to their fax machines way more than a tech-savvy culture should. I recently had to fax something and I got rid of my home's all-in-one fax/printer/scanner years ago. I just have a color printer now with no fax capabilities. At times I have not even had a landline (cell phones only) to be able to fax. In fact, in America many people are ditching their landlines, which means faxing from home isn't possible.

So how did I fax the document? Well, I whipped out my iPhone, took a picture of the page, then emailed it to a cloud-based fax provider called MyFax, which transmitted the fax for me. No big bulky fax machine or desktop scanner on my home desk needed - just my cell phone. I've also directly emailed photographed documents for better quality resolution than fax.

So is fax dead & extinct? I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with Robert Hashemian on this one. Fax is dead - or at least fax is changing from its traditional use and roles. Perhaps "dead" is too strong a word, since email and other technology hasn't entirely killed fax. More like fax, is but a shadow of former self (on its death bed?), but apparently, Japan hasn't gotten the memo - or in this case the fax.

Tags: dodo, extinct, fax, japan, myfax, rich tehrani, vahid hashemian Related tags: robert hashemian, hashemian right, analyst maury, japan, hashemian, japanese

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Cisco Strengthens Products For Midmarket

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:52:12 -0500

Cisco today announced a series of news surrounding their midmarket product line and their partners that sell Cisco products in this space. A quick overview is that they announced some enhancements to Cisco Business Edition 6000, their midmarket collaboration platform, a new Cisco Express Collaboration specialization, simplification of Telepresence Advanced Technology Programs, and tools for Midsize Business Marketing Campaigns.

I spoke with Marc Inderhees, Senior Manager, Worldwide Collaboration Channel Sales about this news. He stated that Cisco sees the midmarket as 100-1000 employees with over 3.7 million midmarket businesses worldwide. According to Cisco, 1 in 6 employees work for a midmarket company. Marc said that the consumerization of IT is affecting the midmarket dramatically due to the explosion of devices infiltrating their business. While larger enterprises may have the IT resources to deal with this, the midmarket often does not. Cisco aims to reduce this pain point of increased consumer devices on the network.

One big piece of news is that the enterprise-scale Cisco Business Edition 6000 (BE 6000) is now dropping down from 50 to a 25-user starter package with improved licensing. Technically, this also hits the SMB and not just the midmarket, but often a larger company will deploy a small trial run or at a branch office and then if it goes well they'll fully deploy. Still, the enterprise-class BE 6000 can now technically hit the enterprise, midmarket, and SMB space. With features such as unified communications (UC), Cisco Jabber, Cisco WebEx, telepresence, messaging & paging, and mobility/wireless features, this is a powerful platform that address business's needs of all sizes. It serves up to 1,000 users and 50 sites with support for Survivable Branch (SRST).

Another new feature is that they've virtualized Cisco TelePresence Video Communications Server (VCS) and have loaded it onto the BE 6000 for free. This is huge, since the licensing for this software was in the thousands. This really opens the door for video conferencing in the SMB and midmarket space. Yet another new feature is Singlewire InformaCast paging for doing overhead paging, mass notification, emergency notification to IP phone endpoints and other devices.

On the partner side, Cisco announced some enhancements to their Cisco Express Collaboration Specialization program including a 50% lower partner training & investment requirements along with Premiere Certification and access to their technical support (TAC). Relatedly, they announced a refreshed Telepresence Advanced Technology Programs (ATP) that is more streamlined and with reduced requirements. They also announced 3% Cisco Capital Financing offer to help close deals on the Cisco Business Edition 6000 portfolio and eligible Cisco TelePresence endpoints, an offer that is available until July 31, 2013. Finally, they are offering a "Demand Generation Kit" (available mid-February) that features email campaigns, customer interest offers (whitepapers, analyst reports, etc.), partner marketing guide, and seminar-in-a-box. They are also offering a playbrief, call guide, competition battlecards, and copy blocks.

We also briefly discussed competitive advantages and Marc mentioned that many of their competitors such as Avaya, ShoreTel, and Microsoft (Lync) often have to partner to complete the feature-set. For instance, ShoreTel has to partner for telepresence, and Microsoft has to partner for certain call center functionality. I think Cisco partners and VARs will welcome the new 25-user license pack, lower cost of certification, and improved functionality (telepresence) in the Cisco Business Edition 6000.

Tags: business edition 6000, cisco, midmarket, partners, resellers, smb, telepresence, uc, var, voip Related tags: cisco business, business edition, technology programs, express collaboration, collaboration specialization, cisco

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It's the Tablet Size Niches!

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:54:52 -0500

The original 2010 iPad diagonal screen size was 9.7" (9.5" width). Three years later, the fourth generation iPad is still 9.7". Amazon was able to carve out a new successful tablet size niche with the Kindle Fire, which has a 7.1" diagonal screen size. Apple was forced to respond with the Apple mini which sports a 7.9" diagonal. The Kindle Fire along with its siblings, the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite were successful because they were cheaper, easier to hold and read in bed, laying on a beach, etc. They are the perfect-sized e-Reader, while the original iPad and subsequent generations are too big and bulky as a comfortable e-Reader.

But we're neglecting two other players in the tablet space - Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows 8). Google's Android has a few tablets in various sizes, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (10.1") and the Google Nexus 10 (10.055"), but none of which carve out a new tablet niche. Google's rumored Google Chromebook Pixel device is an interesting device sporting 4 million pixels with 2560 x 1700 resolution and a touch-screen. However, it's a laptop/notebook with a permanent keyboard, not a tablet. If the Chromebook Pixel has a removable keyboard I'd consider it a tablet/notebook hybrid, similar to the Surface Pro or my Samsung 700T Windows 8 tablet/notebook hybrid.

Speaking of Windows 8, the past few days there has been a ton of coverage on Microsoft's Surface Pro, much of it negative. Here's a sampling:

Walt Mossberg, All Things D: "I like the original Surface and see it as a tablet with the extra benefit of some Microsoft Office programs. However, I am less enamored with the Surface Pro. It’s too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple’s full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It’s something of a tweener — a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop."

Joanna Stern, ABC News: "The Surface Pro is a good choice for a niche mobile user, one who is willing to pay $1,000 for the power and robustness of a full Windows computer in a small and very compelling form factor. Many people, however, will likely prefer to get a tablet and buy a separate Windows laptop, so they don't have to make another compromise."

Note the word "compromise" in both of these Surface Pro reviewers. Ironically, I started my Samsung 700T Windows 8 review with these words - "After using and testing the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700t (XE700T1C) for a few weeks I've come to the conclusion that Windows 8 tablets will without a doubt beat Apple iPad tablets and Android tablets. The reason is simple actually and can be summed up in just two words - "No compromise"."

Battery life? Stop being an Apple fanboy. It ain't all about battery life.
Apparently, I disagree with these two respected reviewers. So what's the difference between the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet and the Samsung 700T I reviewed that causes me to believe Windows 8 tablets can combine your tablet and notebook/laptop to be your all-in-one device? Most of the reviews point to the 3-5 hour battery life in the Surface Pro even though the somewhat comparable 11" MacBook Air gets 4 hours of battery life. Many reviewers seem to make the mistake of comparing Windows 8 tablets with the iPad's 10+ hour battery life. Yes, the iPad makes no compromise when it comes to battery life, but it sure as heck makes other compromises, like say: no Flash, no full Office Suite, no 3rd party software except through locked-down App Store.

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad, but to set the iPad's battery life as the benchmark for all tablets is ignoring the various tablet niches that have yet to all be discovered. Apple hit the 9.7" tablet niche out of the park and Amazon hit the 7" tablet niche out of the park, so who's to say there isn't a tablet niche for full Windows with a lower battery lifespan? Features are just as important if not more important than battery life. That said, Apple is killing it with 1 in 6 PCs being iPads and 1/3rd of all tablets.

I've been using my Samsung 700T Slate 11.6" tablet with optional keyboard dock for a few months now and I've stopped using my iPad for quick surfing or checking email. I get about 5 hours of battery life with the 700T, which I find is plenty. If I do get low on power, I can connect the ~10 foot thin power cord to the tablet and it doesn't interfere with it's use at all. The iPad's ultra-short dock/charging cable is useless, unless you are very close to a power outlet and even then it's location on the bottom makes it a bit cumbersome to charge and use, especially in landscape mode where your hand touches the dock cable.

No, battery life is not a valid excuse to knock the Surface Pro (or the Samsung 700T). But after using the Samsung 700T Windows 8 tablet for a few months I have discovered one "compromise" that merits discussion and that is screen-size. Yes, the 700T sports a 11.6" screen which is 1" bigger than the Surface Pro's 10.6" screen and 2" bigger than the iPad, but it's still not big enough.

Metro/Modern UI is Not Enough...
Here's why - Even with Microsoft's touch-friendly Metro/Modern UI, there are occasions when you have to use the Desktop or Desktop app, such as Windows Explorer or Microsoft Outlook. I've found that running 1920x1080 (HD) resolution on my 700T tablet looks phenomenal, but certain apps such as Outlook 2013 or Windows Explorer are a bit hard on the eyes due to small fonts. There are workarounds, such as changing font-sizes or changing the zoom level, but that affects the user experience. Further, using the tip of my pointer finger to click on very small menus, dialog boxes, scroll box, etc. is a tricky proposition - sometimes requiring me to break out my trusty S-pen stylus. Using my Slate as a tablet in Metro mode is fine, but when using Windows Explorer or Outlook 2013 in desktop mode, I'm practically squinting with the small text running at 1920x1080 resolution. So I need... I want a bigger tablet screen.

The Next Tablet Niche...
I know if the screen was just 1-2 inches bigger I wouldn't have to mess with zoom levels or font sizes. By increasing the screen size, everything gets scaled larger making it easier to drag-and-drop, click on menus, move the scroll box, etc. I know 14-15" laptops are the most popular., but that may be too big & bulky for a tablet hybrid, but I could definitely see a 13-14" tablet hybrid being more eye-friendly. Microsoft and their partners need to develop a large 13-14" tablet with some sort of keyboard dock to make it a tablet/notebook hybrid. I truly believe there is a new larger screen-size tablet niche waiting to be explored and I will be one of the first customers.

Tags: android, apple, google, ipad, notebook, surface pro, tablet, windows 8 Related tags: tablet niche, tablet notebook, notebook hybrid, windows tablets, windows explorer, tablet

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