Well I could have told you this would happen….hmmmm, maybe I did.
The high and mighty are finding out (I spotted this article by Marguerite Reardon, CNET) that HD video conferencing is not all it is cracked up to be for the average person sitting at home.
Sure you can over-charge those companies with unlimited $$ to buy virtually useless tools (like a TELEPRESENCE ROOM that only talks to another room of equal cost at the other end), but not so at home. It’s not all about the “experience”. DUH.
You gotta be good, you gotta be easy-to-use, but, most of all….you gotta be cheap.
$399 (per end) is still too high, as is $9.95 per month. Ahem…Skype is free, ooVoo is free.
A free version (that, by the way, also works with Skype) is good.
Looking into my crystal ball (because I have seen the high and mightly fall so often in the videoconferencing space) I see tough times ahead for UMI. Unless….well, unless things change, and change quickly, or Cisco’s deep pockets can keep it alive until no one cares anymore…
Why UMI when you can Skype?
That is my question….feel free to comment. And the “experience” is off the table…that is nonsense.
TechyMike: Technology Made Easy 