GigaOM » SightSpeed

Logitech Buys SightSpeed For Video Conferencing

Om Malik — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:10:01 +0000

[qi:086] Logitech, a Swiss maker of computer peripherals, has acquired video conferencing software maker SightSpeed of Berkeley, Calif., for approximately $30 million in cash. The deal is expected to close sometime in November and will have no material impact on Logitech’s business. SightSpeed was started in 2001 and has about 25 employees. Video conferencing is becoming a larger part of business for peripheral makers such as Logitech, who are seeing an increase in the sales of computer-attached video cameras. Logitech, I suspect, is trying to distinguish itself by tightly marrying its hardware to software from SightSpeed.

The acquisition of SightSpeed will provide Logitech with video calling technology and a software and services development team that can be focused on future video calling initiatives that can enable cross-platform video communications with an intuitive, lifelike experience, for people sitting in front of a personal computer or with their family in a living room. (Press Release)

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SightSpeed VideoChat Comes to Linux, Netbooks

Om Malik — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:16:13 +0000

SightSpeed, a Berkeley, Calif.-based Internet video chat and conferencing company is going to announce a Linux-version of its video chat service sometime later this week. The Linux app is going to help target the fast-growing netbooks (others call them mini-notebooks) category. As we have noted, Linux is the preferred operating system for NetBooks. This video chat client can work with SightSpeed software on other OS platforms. Dell is going to bundle this app on its new Mini 9, on both Windows XP and Linux versions of the device. Dell already offers SightSpeed as “Dell Video Chat.” The company has optimized the software for the netbooks, which are not as powerful as regular computers and have cheaper components.

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Growing Your Conference Call Capabilities with Calliflower

Aliza Sherman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:00:25 +0000

I’ve been finding more and more of a need for conference calls in my work and suddenly more and more conference calling solutions coming online. I also find that conference calls add something to my work that has been lacking since I’ve become so reliant on email: the warmth of human voices!

I recently reviewed Rondee, the easy-as-pie phone conferencing site, but just heard about a new conferencing site worth mentioning to expand your options for free conference calls.

Calliflower provides services to cover the entire process of conference calls – from setting them up to holding them to the followup and continued dialogue after the call is over. Calliflower is all about “building conversations” and sharing media, and they do it through a relatively clean dashboard so all of the elements of your call are on one screen.

Calliflower actually began as a FaceBook application adding free audio conferencing capabilities to people’s FaceBook accounts. As the app grew in popularity, the demand for the services apart from FaceBook became increasingly apparent to the company’s founders. They expanded their solution for not just conference calls but kept an eye toward being a solution for holding teleseminars and teleclasses as well.

To showcase their site’s capabilities, the company is offering their Calliflower Communiques, regular tele-conversations between a host (life enhancement speaker and writer Allan Hunkin) and authors and celebrities ranging from Alan Alda to William Shatner presented as teleseminars.

Here are some of the aspects of Calliflower worth noting:

1. Pin-free access to calls. After registering a call participant’s phone number becomes their personal pin. Easy to remember. Those who don’t want to register can access calls with a pin sent to them when the call is set up.

2. Controls at your fingertips. You can mute and unmute participants; acknowledge raised hands (a little hand icon that participants can use to signal they have something to say); lower hands; and other moderator functions. Everything is visible on a handy dashboard, a single Web -page view of your controls.

3. Multiple ways of accessing calls. Participants can opt to use VoiP (Truphone) or even a “call my phone” service (Sitofono) which is especially popular in Europe were mobile phone calls are free when received but incur a fee when made.

4. Enhancing call with a chat wall. You can carry out a simultaneous text chat as well as drop in links to MP3 files, flicker URLs to embed photos, share slides, and other multimedia resources to supplement the call and allow others to follow along.

5. “Seeing” the callers. You can see the names, pictures and caller status of everyone participating in the call – all on the dashboard. You can also see if their mike is open or closed or if their hand is raised.

6. Accessible call archives. You can archive the call agenda, any handouts, links and files to be accessed anytime after a call has been completed. This can also include an MP3 recording of the call.

Calliflower is looking to “reinvent business conversations” and provide new ways for people to interact within a conference call. Looks like they are on their way.

Some other conferencing call sites and services we’ve covered recently include FreeConference.com, SightSpeed (video conferencing), and Yugma.

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SightSpeed Offers Useful Video Conferencing

Jason Harris — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:55 +0000

With travel costs rising each and every day, business are seeking ways to not only save money but be more conscience of the way their business practices are affecting the environment. Video conferencing is a hot space currently with many options for web workers to choose from. Being able to see your team on a video screen is vastly superior to a run-of-the-mill conference call.

SightSpeed (previously covered at GigaOm) is a great offering that does not require you to install expensive equipment to confer with your colleagues and team mates. The application allows you to collaborate with up to 4 locations at a one time and is suited for both ad hoc and scheduled meetings. If you want, you can share your desktop while in the midst of a video conference to enable collaboration on a website, word document, or any window on your desktop computer.

Sharing items is relatively easy with SightSpeed. While in the call window, click Send File to broadcast the file to one or more of your meeting attendees. Also, rather than having attendants worry about taking detailed notes during a call, allow them to focus their attention on you by viewing a recording of the call afterwards. Additionally, files can be shared later in case someone new joins the team.

In case an attendee is not logged onto SightSpeed during a time where you want to reach them, the application will allow you to call them on an alternate phone number such as cell phone or home line.

While SightSpeed might not be for every organization, it can help a dispersed team feel less so. It’s also possible to send a colleague a video message, which feels much more human than a voicemail or email. During 2 test calls, I found that voice quality was very good. Video was a little jerky at times, which is to be expected from any video conferencing application.

SightSpeed is compatiable with both Windows and Mac OS X and can use just about any webcam that works with these operating systems. Of course, to use SightSpeed, you’ll need a broadband connection such as DSL or a cable modem.

Pricing starts at $190/year for a single seat license and $895/year if you want to get a 5-seat license.

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Vid-Biz: Funding, Mark Day, WGA

Chris Albrecht — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:10:15 +0000

Zillion TV, SpotXchange, Votigo Raise Money; Zillion gets $4.01 million Series A for its pay TV subscription services; online video ad marketplace SpotXchange receives undisclosed sum of angel funding; user-generated promotion company Votigo pulls in $1.26 million. (Zillion TV: (PE Hub; SpotXchange: release; Votigo: release)

Mark Day Joins YouTube; bald-headed comedian moves from the yellow wall to manage the video sharing site’s comedy channel. (YouTube Blog)

WGA to its Members: Easy, Tigers; while rumors swirl of the guild and producers reaching an agreement, the WGA reminds is members that they are still on strike and there is no contract yet. (Broadcasting and Cable)

Network Foundation Technologies Enabling “Micro-Casts”; company’s streaming technology allows very small companies to create and target niche video ads. (MediaWeek)

Democrats Tap Level 3; CDN chosen to carry live video and content delivery for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. (release)

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Vista: it’s what’s for dinner

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:50:54 +0000

One thing I truly enjoy about blogging is that I get to meet many people with different points of view. Sometimes we meet virtually, but the best times are where I get to meet some of you off the grid. If you’re a jkOTR reader and we got a chance to meet in the past at some venue, I think you’ll understand as I truly enjoy putting faces with the names.

Tonight I get another one of those awesome chances as I’ll be dining with mobile tech maven Michael Connick. He’s in the area for work so we’re taking the opportunity to meet up, eat a good meal and talk mobile tech. What’s interesting to me is that Michael and I are among the few end users that are happy with Vista on our mobile devices. I have the beta of SP-1 for Vista on my Q1P and so far, I don’t see much impact for better or worse. I’ve been just fine with Vista on this device for months and I wouldn’t go back to XP if you paid me. Michael seems quite happy with Vista on his 600 MHz Kohjinsha SH6 (you can see a video of his device’s performance here) so while our dinner could have turned into a Vista vs. XP conversation, I suspect we’ll instead share our positive experiences. I tend to agree with James that a "lighter" version of Windows would serve mobile devices well, but as I’ve said before, I think Windows is too many solutions to too many customers and businesses for a whole new take on the OS. Needless to say, if Michael brings his Kohji, it will be interesting to compare the performances of our two main mobile devices.

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Place Shifting, Its here & Everywhere

Om Malik — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 14:39:00 +0000

CES is in full swing, and its a shame I could not go. I still feel sluggish, much like a Windows machine infected with spyware. Still, looking through all the news that is filtering in my InBox, I see that place shifting, which I covered in my article, Home Entertainment To Go, is becoming more mainstream. Kinetic Tide, is working with Motorola, while Sling Media is getting kudos for its SlingBox. Orb Networks, which does pretty much the same thing in software and charges a monthly fee, is also getting some traction. Elsewhere, SBC has announced a new set-top box, which grants partial freedom to our digital music. “The big trend for the show is going to be around place-shifting of media,” declared Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for research firm NPD Group.

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