WebRTC continues to make noise as more companies integrate its real-time capabilities into their solutions and more analysts drive awareness – the No. 1 barrier to WebRTC’s growth, according to our 2014 Outlook report. Here are the top WebRTC stories this week.
Andy Abramson posted a nice blog entry on the convergence happening at Google with regard to its Hangouts product. In effect, Google’s previous purchases of Grand Central, Gizmo and the codecs already bundled into Google Hangouts, combined with Google Voice’s on-net, off-net capability, make Google Hangouts a Skype that does not need to charge for in and out minutes. We turned the conversation toward the discussion of WebRTC and its relationship to Microsoft (and Apple, as long as we are at it). What’s the catch for Microsoft with WebRTC?
NewViewWear recently announced the world’s first wearable camera apparel: clothing that comes with pockets for a provided small HD video camera. The product features included apparel (three different styles – polo, hoodie and fleece) with a removable 10-millimeter HD camera to capture life on the go. The camera has wireless connectivity and the ability to integrate with apps.
The thought of how this type of technology could combine with WebRTC is very interesting. The camera output could be sent based on an app and the location, context and other factors. Using WebRTC, the device could integrate into social or other applications so your friends (or boss) could see what you are doing. The consumer and professional applications could be very interesting. As are the privacy questions.
As the number of devices we use grows, and the volume of media streaming on those devices continues to increase, more pressure is placed on the networks and service providers to deliver on these demands with reliability, scalability and quality. Artesyn Embedded Technologies, a provider of power conversion and embedded computing solutions, offers solutions that help meet those demands with cost-effective products and technology.
Phil Edholm, a WebRTC World contributor and event producer of the WebRTC World Conference & Expo, will be speaking at the upcoming CX Hot Trends Symposium in Indianapolis. Edholm will be speaking in the session, “WebRTC in the Enterprise,” to talk about Webification of communications.
Imagination Technologies, a provider of multimedia and communication technologies, recently introduced its WebRTC media engine, HelloSoft. HelloSoft’s algorithms enhance voice and video quality across mobile and tablet platforms.
Voice4Net’s WebRTC-based customer interactions solution will be implemented in the City of Dayton as part of the city’s movement to upgrade its telecommunications network. Voice4Net joins partners Mitel and Fulton Communications in the city’s project. The City of Dayton serves more than 1,450 users and will add IVR and automatic speech recognition capabilities to its system so city operators can better serve callers.
Current Analysis recently held the second of its three webinars, “The Impact of WebRTC on Communications and Collaboration: Is There a Disturbance in the Force?” Tim Banting, principal analyst of collaboration and communications at Current Analysis, walked the audience through the “what is,” the “so what?” and the “what now?” of WebRTC. We covered some highlights.
This week, I attended a WebRTC Meetup at the Stamford Innovation Center in Stamford, Conn. Lisa Larson-Kelley was the presenter at the meetup, who brings a background in Flash and HTML and is a prominent name in the online developer community, speaking in sessions, hosting workshops and authoring books.
At the end of her presentation, Larson reemphasized WebRTC’s potential. Those one billion endpoints? They’re expected to grow to 6.2 billion by 2018. Everything from financial services to healthcare to insurance to contact centers to education and social networking has the ability to benefit from WebRTC. But what will be the killer app?
Check out WebRTC World for more stories you may have missed this week, and be sure to check out the WebRTC World Conference & Expo website for opportunities to meet leaders in the industry, network with potential partners and customers and learn more about this disruptive technology. Have a great weekend!
