Comments on: Microsoft eyeing Teleo?

By: Toktumi’s New iPhone App Makes VoIP Calls Over 3G – GigaOM

Toktumi’s New iPhone App Makes VoIP Calls Over 3G – GigaOM — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:03:02 +0000

[...] Toktumi, which launched at DEMO 2008, has had to traverse a difficult path to get to where it is today, and Sisson is understandably excited about the kind of exposure the approval from Apple of its app will bring. Sisson, a veteran of the VoIP business, sold his last company, Teleo, to Microsoft. [...]

By: epilogue

epilogue — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:57:45 +0000

Microsoft eats Teleo

Microsoft buys VoIP company Teleo.

By: Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Microsoft says it bought Teleo

Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Microsoft says it bought Teleo — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:01:22 +0000

[...] ught Teleo Today might be a good day to yell “touchdown.” Two months ago, I had reported that Microsoft had been eyeing Teleo, a small San Francisco-based VoIP provi [...]

By: Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Microsoft says it bought Teleo

Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Microsoft says it bought Teleo — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:57:35 +0000

[...] Today might be a good day to yell “touchdown.” Nearly a month and a half ago, I had reported that Microsoft had bought Teleo, a small San Francisco-based VoIP provider. [...]

By: Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Teleo, the portable VoIP that no longer clicks

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 18:09:58 +0000

[...] licks Apparently, Teleo-software is no longer available for downloads. Did Microsoft swallow them so quickly? Repeated requests for clarification on Microsoft-buying-them have e [...]

By: Om Malik’s Broadband Blog » Earthlink’s free VoIP with Vling Beta

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 18:01:18 +0000

[...] Skype competitor is creating a lot of buzz. Yahoo is making (VoIP) noise with Dialpad, and soon Microsoft will have something in the market as well. Perhaps that is why it is opportun [...]

By: Yelling Lizard » Portable Phone Service For $4.95 A month?

Yelling Lizard » Portable Phone Service For $4.95 A month? — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 15:24:47 +0000

[...] ntly they have a split-client design that is patent-pending. Also, according to scoopster Om Malik, a deal is in the works between Microsoft and Teleo. Apparently Microsoft wants a [...]

By: Frank Daley

Frank Daley — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 11:14:05 +0000

Skype’s call quality + ability to work through firewalls and on LANs with NAT have made it especially attractive to many.

However, earlier this week Michael Robertson of Lindows/Linspire fame launched a VoIP client (http://www.gizmoproject.com/) he claims offers all those ease-of-use benefits of Skype, but is fully SIP compliant.

That is another one to watch.

By: curious

curious — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 09:03:01 +0000

interesting. nikotel has stuff like that since 4 years with SIP and flawless NAT traversal. nothing special I guess.

By: accessline

accessline — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 01:29:26 +0000

what about accessline?

By: Om Malik

Om Malik — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 03:34:04 +0000

Jake… good arguments and i think you bring up some good points. i am mulling over them/

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 01:15:17 +0000

Interesting question.

Even though Google is all about the Internet, the Web, and the Browser, you can extend that to say they’re also about the PC.

You would think that they would be looking at a PC Client and a service that has a strong PC Client. Being strong on the off net/PSTN side probably is not as important to them. In fact, establishing direct, paying/billing end user relationships for phone call level micropayments probably does not thrill Google (at least until they get their PayPal clone in place).

Of course, Skype would come to mind. Strong PC Client with a Google-sized audience built in.

Vonage (with basic XTen client interface) treats the PC as a second class citizen – they are more focused on being a telephone replacement vs a communication innovation – probably does not fit.

AT&T CallVantage is a more innovative telephone replacement than Vonage, but still does not pay much attention to the PC. Probably a hard nut to shake out of the AT&T/SBC tie up, even though it will probably continue to whither there.

DeltaThree as a behind the scenes enabler of telephone replacements at Verizon and SBC doesn’t seem to fit either.

The power of Skype in this scenario is that it brings both an IM (non-PSTN) communication component, an internet (PC-PC) communication component, and the PSTN bridging function all at once.

I think when looking at the potentials, the things to consider are: how much emphasis is on internet communication (IM, PC-PC) vs PSTN off net calling and how strong/unique is the PC client. I think that’s what a Google would look for.

Plus, doesn’t Skype have the ability to show html/advertising. This is important, too, since Google would derive revenue by showing them ads.

By: Om Malik

Om Malik — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:32:22 +0000

guys thanks for making all those great points. just wondering if you had thoughts on who are the likely players who could get snapped up – i.e. most importantly who will google by to get into the game.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 17:48:17 +0000

If MS does use it for its own client needs, here are the reasons Teleo is attractive to MS:

1. Extensive integration into MS Office applications
2. SIP based
3. Traverses firewalls without special setup
4. PSTN connectivity
5. Works in Corporate environments

I could see MS buying Teleo based on any of #1, 3, or 4 alone. Teleo is known for its MS integration; firewall traversal is a big hurdle for SIP; and MS could just be looking for PSTN functionality.

I’ll be interested to see how Yahoo succeeds in the firewall traversal. One reason why Skype is the best.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 17:26:50 +0000

Personally, I thought Teleo would be very attractive to Google.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 17:24:22 +0000

In fact, I always saw this as Teleo’s business strategy – not so much the direct consumer, but rather a wholesaler of their product.