Oct 19

Study: 60 Percent of Workers Say They Don’t Need to Work in an Office

Posted in: cisco, Today's Chili

Offices are for suckers–so says roughly 60 percent of “workers and IT professionals,” according to a new study conducted by Cisco. The company surveyed 2,600 professionals in 13 countries and determined that three in five workers believe that they would be just as productive if they worked outside of the home.

The numbers were especially lopsided in Asia an Latin America. 81 percent in China, 76 percent in Brazil, and a whopping 93 percent in India had absolutely no attachment to their respective offices.

Also interesting–45 percent of those who have access to their work information outside the office put in two to three extra hours of work a day–25 percent put in four extra hours. That’s a lot of 2:00 AM meetings.

Granted, as a major supplier of teleconferencing technology, Cisco has a fair amount invested in the results of the survey. Still, that’s not going to stop us from slipping them under our boss’s door…

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Oct 08

Gadget Lab Podcast: Windows Phone 7 and the Madness of Sony and Cisco

Posted in: cisco, Microsoft, sony, Today's Chili, windows phone 7

First things first: In this episode, Brian X. Chen and I show off the Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter from ThinkGeek. If you know a Trek fan who enjoys eating pizza — and what Trek fan doesn’t? — this could be a fine gift. It’s weighty, shiny silver, and looks just like the starship piloted by Captain James T. Kirk. It’s not the most solidly built cutter, though, Brian points out — as he holds it dangerously close to my neck.

In more substantive tech news, we discuss the upcoming launch of Windows Phone 7, planned for Monday, Oct. 11. Microsoft will be taking the stage with AT&T at this press conference, which pretty much confirms that AT&T will be one of the carriers offering Microsoft’s next mobile operating system.

In other news, Cisco unveiled its Umi videophone, a $600 piece of kit that turns your HDTV into a videoconferencing system. You’ve also got to pay a monthly fee to support the Umi service. Are these guys crazy? Have they never heard of Google Chat?

Brian reviews Instagram, a hot new photo-editing and photo-sharing app for iPhones.

And we talk briefly about Sony’s risibly ugly Google TV remote, images of which popped up online earlier this week. If this is what the future of television looks like, I want to change the channel.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #91

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0091.mp3


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Oct 08

Cisco Umi hands-on

Posted in: cisco, ctia, hands-on, Today's Chili, video

At Cisco’s CTIA press conference this week we got a chance to “experience” the Umi consumer video conferencing system, and it’s pretty much what you’d expect: FaceTime for your living room. Just bigger, wider, and with, well… more living room. The hardware consists of 3 parts: a camera unit, a set-top box, and an infrared remote. The camera is able to pan and zoom, and connects to the set-top box via two cables. The set-top box features connections for power, Ethernet, and both HDMI in and out (for passthrough) as well as optical audio out We also got a video demo of Umi Connect by Steve Sullivan, product manager at Cisco — it’s the online portal which handles your messages, videos, call history, and contacts. There’s also a “share” feature, for posting videos to Facebook and YouTube. Take a look at some video of Umi in action after the break, and please: remember to keep your pants on.

Gallery: Cisco Umi hands-on

Continue reading Cisco Umi hands-on

Cisco Umi hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 06

Cisco Unveils Umi Videoconferencing Phone for HDTV

Posted in: cisco, Phones, Today's Chili, video


SAN FRANCISCO — Cisco on Wednesday morning launched an electronics kit that turns a high-definition television into an expensive videoconferencing phone.

Called Umi (pronounced “you-me”) Telepresence, the product includes a console, an HD camera and a remote control. The console containing the video-conferencing software hooks up to the television and a broadband connection. The Umi kit costs $600 and an additional $25 per month for the phone service.

Umi videoconferencing is not limited to Umi users. Cisco has partnered with Google so that people can use Google’s video chat service on their computers to chat with Umi users, Cisco said during a morning press conference in San Francisco.

“Video is the most powerful medium of all, and if the experience is right it changes behavior and it changes the way people live, play and learn,” said Marthin De Beer, Cisco’s senior vice president of emerging technologies. “Umi telepresence is about you and me connecting in new ways on your television.”

Video conferencing broke into the mainstream in the 2000s when the feature became available in instant-messaging clients such as iChat and Google Chat. In recent years, tech manufacturers have been pushing the technology beyond computers onto devices like smartphones and televisions. The iPhone 4, for example, includes a front-facing camera for “FaceTime” video chatting anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. TV-based videoconferencing is catered to group interactions: business meetings, for example, or connecting with family members.

Gina Clark, vice president of the Umi Telepresence product group, said that the Umi will be extremely easy for any type of user to set up.

“The natural behavior and sense of being able to roam around that living room and really enjoy each other is the difference with Umi Telepresence versus competing products,” Clark said.

The Umi is shipping November 14, available at Best Buy and Magnolia Home Theater retail stores. Pre-orders begin today.

Product page [Cisco]

See Also:

Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com


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Oct 06

Cisco unveils Umi consumer video conferencing system

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, cisco, Today's Chili

Well hey — Cisco’s finally announced the consumer-level HD video conferencing system that’s been rumored for a while now. Called Umi, (you me — get it?) the system consists of a 1080p camera module, remote, and a separate set-top box. Cisco says Umi will allow for full 1080p video calls with 720p/30 recording, with a fallback to 720p / 480p if bandwidth is constrained. The camera itself has a glass lens with an optical zoom, autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance, as well as motorized pan, tilt, and zoom. There’s also a motorized privacy shutter, which is a nice touch. The service is compatible with Google Voice and Video Chat, and Cisco says it’s looking into FaceTime integration as well — we’d expect Skype and Fring are also high on the list of potential partners.

Cisco says it’ll be demoing Umi on Oprah and launching an ad campaign with Ellen Page in the runup to a holiday launch, but none of that will distract from the required $24.99 monthly / $275 annually Umi service plan and $599 MSRP. We don’t know how well that’s going to go over with anyone, but that’ll give you something else to ponder along with this new Cisco slogan we just came up with:

Cisco Umi: Now you have to wear pants.

Continue reading Cisco unveils Umi consumer video conferencing system

Cisco unveils Umi consumer video conferencing system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

Skype lands Cisco’s Tony Bates as new CEO

Posted in: business, cisco, industry, skype, Today's Chili

It may sound fairly bland on paper, but the potential implications here are notable. Tony Bates, who was seen as a major player within Cisco reporting directly to CEO John Chambers, has just left to take over the CEO role at Skype. Cisco’s own blog affirmed that Bates was leaving “to pursue another opportunity,” and The New York Times has it that Joshua Silverman is stepping aside to make room for Mr. Bates. He’ll arrive just in time to make a serious push for an IPO, grab more profit from its blossoming user base (which largely doesn’t pay anything to make Skype-to-Skype calls) and possibly “make a deeper push into carrier and enterprise markets,” as GigaOM puts it. Frankly, we’d be interested in seeing if any leftover synergies (yeah, we said it) could lead to a Skype-enabled Flip Video camcorder. Bates would obviously have great contacts with Cisco in order to make it happen, and honestly, it’d be a win-win for both parties. Crazier things have happened, right?

Continue reading Skype lands Cisco’s Tony Bates as new CEO

Skype lands Cisco’s Tony Bates as new CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

Logitech’s Google TV offering to also handle HD video conferencing, challenge Cisco’s upcoming solution?

Posted in: cisco, GoogleTv, logitech, Today's Chili
Logitech's Google TV offering to also handle HD video conferencing, challenge Cisco's upcoming solution?

We’re just days away from Logitech unveiling its Google TV hardware lineup, but now VP Eric Kintz is saying that’s not all the company will have to show. You may remember that Logitech acquired LifeSize Communications late last year, a company specializing in corporate HD video conferencing, and now that technology will be coming to the living room. Logi isn’t unveiling details yet, but whatever solution it offers will be compatible with Google TV and, given that Logitech’s C910 webcam was recently granted SkypeHD compatibility, we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some sort of tie-in there. Hardware cost is unknown but no monthly fee will be charged, contrasting with Cisco’s rumored solution — coincidentally also said to be unveiled on Weds. According to The Wall Street Journal Cisco’s HD conferencing option will cost a whopping $600 and, on top of that, will require a $30 monthly fee. That seems somewhat outrageously priced for a one trick pony, so here’s to hoping there’s more to it than that.

Logitech’s Google TV offering to also handle HD video conferencing, challenge Cisco’s upcoming solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones

Posted in: bluetooth, cisco, headset, Today's Chili, VoIP

Got a workplace fancy enough to warrant $500 video conferencing VoIP phones? Then Aliph’s got a Bluetooth headset you might like to own. From what we can tell from the press release, the Jawbone Icon for Cisco doesn’t have anything new in terms of audio quality or styling — the old adage of don’t fix what ain’t broke — but instead adds upgradable firmware and allegedly seamless switching between a Cisco Unified IP Phone (or that Cius tablet) and your personal cell. The idea is that you could walk around all day untethered, and never need to bend over to pick up calls from either phone. The headset’s already shipping in the US and Canada with top-tier Cisco phones. Hear that? That’s the sound of the last vestiges of humanity fading away as the Bluetooth cyborgs take over. PR after the break.

Continue reading Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones

Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 29

Cisco to announce high-def consumer telepresence device next week?

Posted in: cisco, Today's Chili
Cisco to announce high-def consumer telepresence device next week?

Cisco is certainly no stranger to the telepresence world, offering a high-end system catering to your high-paid CEO and his high-def boardroom. However, that doesn’t do Ma and Pa Internet User much good when they want to dial up their offspring and see how the grandkids are faring. This, it seems, is Cisco’s next step, with the company launching an “inexpensive home telepresence product for personal use” according to All Things Digital. At a press conference scheduled one week from today, a device and service are expected to be unveiled with a cost between $200 and $500 (depending on carrier subsidies) that will enable easy high-def video calling — something SkypeHD and others do today, but supporting devices have been slow to find success. What will this device look like? Well, Cisco Senior VP Marthin De Beer said earlier this year: “We didn’t buy Flip to have it be only a video recorder.” He also said: “We would absolutely love to integrate with FaceTime.” That latter bit sounds a little optimistic, but high-def telepresence that’s as simple to use as a Flip HD? It could be good — or it could be another FlipShare TV.

Cisco to announce high-def consumer telepresence device next week? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 23

Scosche freedomMIC for Flip Video cameras is the wireless microphone add-on for Real Americans

Posted in: cisco, Today's Chili

Freedom. Justice. Microphones. We’re pretty sure you can find all of those in the constitution, or inside the pure essence of eagle tears, or in Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” played backwards. Scosche understands, and that’s why they’re unveiling the freedomMIC add-on for Flip Video cameras. It’s one of those new FlipPort-compatible accessories that we’re sure we’ll be seeing plenty of now that Cisco’s new wave of cameras are out for public consumption. The mic itself offers a pretty neat solution to the perennial problem of sucky Flip audio: you plug the receiver base into the bottom of the Flip and hand the wireless lapel mic to your subject. Conveniently, you can start and stop recording with the microphone itself, and a 4 hour rechargeable battery should get you through the most trying of interviews or impassioned YouTube monologues. The mic will be out in “late December” for $100.

Scosche freedomMIC for Flip Video cameras is the wireless microphone add-on for Real Americans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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