Sitofono - Me too, busta

Hot on the heels of the Busta Widget launched in September comes a similar offering from Abbeynet (to be called SiteBell I believe in the UK and US).

http://www.sitofono.com/

I haven't yet had the time to discern the differences between Sitofono and the CastAlive version of Busta, other than the fact that Busta works in FireFox as well as Internet Explorer (as noted below by Sitofono's CEO, Sitofono also works in FireFox as a plugin).

But the really good thing about these technologies is, although both are based on ActiveX (which limits to Windows only unfortunately) they are both based on the SIP standard.

Reply from mazilo on Nov 26, 2006 - 07:28 PM

dean :

... although both are based on ActiveX (which limits to Windows only unfortunately)...

Does anyone know of click2call that is not activeX based and will work on Linux/Unix/Windows/Mac and/or any platform?

Reply from dean on Nov 26, 2006 - 07:35 PM

I don't think there's anything that's SIP compliant Mazi, no.

Mexuar (more famous here for spamming than anything else) have a java based client, but it's IAX unfortunately.

Dean

Reply from filos on Nov 27, 2006 - 11:01 AM

mazilo :

dean : ... although both are based on ActiveX (which limits to Windows only unfortunately)... Does anyone know of click2call that is not activeX based and will work on Linux/Unix/Windows/Mac and/or any platform?

Hi Guys,
Sitofono works on Firefox and IE, since it's provided as an ActiveX and as a Plugin as well. The "call-me-back" feature works in any O.S. and a plugin version for MacOS and Linus will be released in the following weeks as well.

If anyone own a blog or something, we're offering a free-forever Sitofono to selected bloggers only. If interested please drop me a line.

For more information, take a look here

http://lucafiligheddu.blogspot.com/2006 ... ll_14.html

Thanks

Luca

Reply from filos on Nov 27, 2006 - 11:22 AM

dean :

Hot on the heels of the Busta Widget launched in September comes a similar offering from Abbeynet (to be called SiteBell I believe in the UK and US). http://www.sitofono.com/

I would like to underline that Sitofono is a new name, but a similar product from Abbeynet was out since 2001.

Ciao

Luca

Reply from dean on Nov 27, 2006 - 12:51 PM

Thanks for the input Luca.

Quote:

Purists would say: "hey, why cannot link Sitofono to my SIP user agent ?". The answer is: technically speaking, you can do it. But from a marketing point of view, our sales network cannot go to the shop near home which has a website telling them that they have to install a SIP phone just for this purpose. It's simply a matter of market size. Less barriers, bigger market. And, looking at this first important achievement, it works.

I think this is what is required in the click to call space, and the reason that tipping point for widespread adoption will not be reached just at the moment.

The Busta widget and Sitofono products are great, don't get me wrong, but they are not, as some bloggers are stating, "voice 2.0" products. They are really just voice 1.5 products. A good mash up and a good start, but not the final viral potential product.

Why? Because Voice 2.0 will spell "feature-rich convenience" in every sense. The current range of available products do not offer this, because you are still either tied to your computer headset or tied to an operator calling you. The latter is not click to call, the former is convenience in one respect (a click) and inconvenience in another (a headset).

For these products to truly reach their viral tipping point, the concept of BYOD needs to filter through to a widget level.

Consumers want click to call, but consumers like putting a phone to their ear and like being in control. I want to be able to click a button and have you speaking to me on my phone. I think want to be able to call you back again, should I need to, without having to be next to a computer. Single point of contact, single device (specifically, my own device of my own choosing).

Either that behaviour needs to change (or be changed) or these products need to get smarter.

We are definitely heading in the right direction though.

Dean

Reply from ianplain on Nov 27, 2006 - 01:45 PM

Quote:

The current range of available products do not offer this, because you are still either tied to your computer headset or tied to an operator calling you. The latter is not click to call, the former is convenience in one respect (a click) and inconvenience in another (a headset).

I think the latter needs to split into the two versions that are out there.

1. A message is sent to the operator/company who will then call you "when they get round to it". These are not good.

2. Is when your callback is queued in the call centre till an agent "takes" the call and its placed to you, all call setup is controlled by the server, The workings are similar to systems that give you the option to drop the call in a queue but hold your position. When deployed correctly this works well and customer satisfaction is very high.
Call placement can be delayed or immediate, And when immediate other than entering your contact number call handing can be as quick and seamless as Click2Call and sometimes faster as in many cases with click2call
With most Click2Calls the applet has to be downloaded And if Java based and the JRE isnt installed this can be a long time, speaker and mic checks are then done, only then is the call placed to the queue in which you will have to wait for an agent, And all this time you are tied to your PC.
Where as a well designed click2callback if the call isnt immediate you can get on with what you are doing.

Now what would be nice is your numbers could be stored in a "cookie" so you dont have to enter them more than once, you would just select which you want to be called on.


Ian

Reply from filos on Nov 27, 2006 - 06:47 PM

dean :

Thanks for the input Luca. Why? Because Voice 2.0 will spell "feature-rich convenience" in every sense. The current range of available products do not offer this, because you are still either tied to your computer headset or tied to an operator calling you. The latter is not click to call, the former is convenience in one respect (a click) and inconvenience in another (a headset).

You are tied to a headset if you want to be called back to a SIP client, not if you insert your phone number. In that case, you will use a telephone, so the call will be phone to phone, with Sitofono as intermediary.

Let me say, the Voice 2.0 concept is something introduced by Alec Saunders a few months ago. I consider Voice 2.0 services any service wich provide a value-added to the customer/user, with easy user experience and not tied to the standard concepts of Telecoms, like "minutes" or something. Even the way you sell the product (and your business model) differentiates it from a Voice 1.0 service. So, it's a mixture of elements and each element is fundamental.
Take a look at my view of Voice 3.0. Another step forward.

http://lucafiligheddu.blogspot.com/2006 ... obile.html

ciao

Luca

Reply from dean on Dec 02, 2006 - 12:45 PM

What you describe as "voice 3.0" is what I call voice 2.0

We are currently at a minor upgrade point. Voice is a little bit cheaper. People are getting used to the idea that having voice in packet form is a good thing in terms of what you are then capable of doing with it (flexibility like integration with the web). The notion of "minutes" is diminishing, but it's still far from dead, and actually every (significant) telecoms company is still using minutes as the basic currency.

All this talk of 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4G, 5G etc is just PR-speak and one-upmanship. It's marketing BS designed to give an appearance of adopted innovation.

Voice 1.0 did not exist as soon as Bell/Gray conceived the device and rushed off to the patent office, nor following the words ""Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you". That just represented the birth of an enabling technology.

Voice 1.0 came into existence when voice communications became an epidemic.

The early adopters are now joining lots of things up - wires and bits of sellotape everywhere - Heath Robinson style. I think that's great - we have always encouraged and got involved in that here at VoIP User, but this type of experimentation is not a mainstream movement.

All of these things will happen, it's inevitable. It's obvious - there is nothing innovative about it, it's simply a case of waiting for the enabler to reach it's tipping point and become an epidemic.

Then we can herald in a new era of telecoms and rightly label it "voice 2.0". As Alec Saunders originally phrased it a year ago:-

Quote:

Voice 2.0 is a user-centric view of the world.

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