As of November 9th, 2022 VoipWatch is now part of AndyAbramson.com. To see my latest writings go to andyabramson.com This site will remain for easy access to archives, Google Searches (for now) and things like my historical in the news details. Overtime, this will all get migrated to andyabramson.com but for now it's here.  ..read more

  In today's business world, almost everything is done remotely. We conduct meetings via conference calls, we collaborate with co-workers in different time zones through video chat, and we even interview candidates for open positions without ever meeting them in person. While this may save on travel expenses and time, it also presents some unique challenges—namely, ensuring that everyone involved has the proper equipment to participate in the call effectively.    First and foremost, if you're going to be participating in a lot of conference calls, you need to have great lighting ..read more

I've been doing lots of blog posting on LinkedIn while the site host, TypePad was having issues. You can read the posts here ..read more

The wireless industry is constantly evolving. Every year, we see new technologies and trends emerge that have the potential to change the landscape of wireless forever. So, what's next for wireless? Here's what to watch: 1. eSIMs: Embedded SIM (eSIM) cards are the next generation of SIM cards. Unlike traditional SIM cards, which are physical cards that must be inserted into a device, eSIMs are embedded into devices and can be activated remotely. This means that users will no longer have to physically swap out their SIM cards when they want to change carriers. Instead, they'll be able to simply ..read more

Perhaps you've heard of eSIMs but aren't quite sure what they are or how they work. With all the traveling I've been doing lately, eSIMs have become more and more helpful, with the added benefit  that you won't lose a physical SIM. For me, I"ve got Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi active on various devices, all with eSIMs, which makes activating any of them when I'm back home, or roaming, really easy. An eSIM is a "virtual" SIM card that is embedded in your device and can be activated without having to use a physical SIM card. This means that you can have multiple phone numbers on one dev ..read more

You've likely experienced it, especially since the pandemic started. You're on back to back conference calls on ZOOM and say your 10 AM call that's scheduled for 30 minutes is about to end--but you're not done, or someone else on the call isn't finished making their points and BAM-someone due to be on your next call dials in around 1025--thinking of course they'll be early for the call and maybe they can catch up with you.  So, because the call your on has nothing to do with them, you let them sit in the waiting room, much like doctors do with their patients. But there's a rub-at least on ..read more

With the release of the new iPhone 14s, and the features in it, Apple has both done something new and something old. The new are features like satellite connectivity, eSIM only editions, virtual ID, enhanced maps are the major differences, along with pricing, when you compare the US editions vs. those being sold in the rest of the world, reports Phone Arena. It was back in the days of the single digit iPhones when I used to buy "world editions" of the smartphone. I still have my last "world edition"  iPhone SE (the original) in a drawer somewhere, as a veteran global worker, yes I was an ..read more

  It’s head scratching time. Or, as the Ben Grimm character would say “it’s clobbering time.” Why both? Well Ericsson bought Vonage today for an immense about of money. More than they ever paid for any company and which clearly helps set a new high bar in value for cloud service companies which focus on the enterprise market globally. The price is high and that’s the scratcher. The clobbering means someone will be. It may be the Vonage customer base which will have to endure integration and transition, vendors to Vonage who are used to their payment and procedure processes, employees who ..read more

There's a lot being written today about RCS (rich communications suite) from Google/Android and how the three major U.S. mobile operators-AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have all embraced it and are rolling it out. Well, they're clearly not doing it to replace the legacy SMS platform on Android devices because it's the greatest invention since the iPhone (which it doesn't currently work on). And, if you think about it, the whole encryption thing being bandied about is another red herring. Any mobile user wanting to use encryption is using Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp or any of the many other app ..read more

This week is IT Expo, one of my favorite conferences of the year. And for the first time in a long time, with the last time being due to a cancelled red eye flight over ten years ago, I'm not going. And, unlike that aborted trip, this time it was my choice, and that choice was despite offers from clients to pay for my room, and offers from friends at TMC to continue my moderating streak of many years. Did I want to attend? Yes. But a series of factors weighed in, and given this is a personal choice, I made the hard decision months ago that I wouldn't attend this year, as much as I wanted to. 1 ..read more