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Telecom's Next Big Thing? Yep, You Guessed It -- Video Calls
from the not-this-again dept
Phone and cable companies' businesses are becoming more and more similar as they move to converge communications and information services. Now, despite the failure of pretty much every attempt to get people to use and pay for video calls, apparently the missing link has been a lack of integration with the TV set. Accordingly, cable and telephone companies have high hopes for video calls via TVs, which they hope to introduce in three to five years. It's hard to see people's lack of interest in video calls changing anytime soon, and banking that it will because they can do it on their TV is pretty unrealistic. It's not as if people can't do video calls or video chat today if they want to, whether on a computer or via mobile phone, it's just that they don't want to. "We haven't reached that tipping point where it gets exciting to people," says an analyst. Anybody waiting for that tipping point is bound to be waiting a long time.
Reader Comments
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Videophone
Videophone has been technically feasible for many years. The only reason that it hasn't seen widespread use is...nobody wants it.
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No Subject Given
Isn't there a Cisco billboard on 101 as you drive to SFO airport advertising something like "Smile, you're on the videophone?"
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The reason VideoPhones are not wanted is....
The most logical one.
Its enough with being 24/7 available through the phone, let alone that 50% of the time (in the most optimistic survey) you actually LIE about where you are and what are you doing.}
I can imagine the fear of having a video-capable net AND phone, and the ramifications of it... "why dont you turn on your video?" "where are you? show me!" etc...
Long live text messaging (that is, in my opinion the reason text messaging has took off so quickly, you can blatantly lie about almost anything (EVEN the time of deliver)
"you didnt get my message? i sent it to you like, 4 hours ago!"
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It will work.
1) Have a Lame idea nobody really wants or needs.
2) Add Porn.
3) Profit!
Video phones are sure to be a big money maker with the above business model.
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No Subject Given
this idea will flop. We don't want it. Stop trying to sell the idea.
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Video calls
Umm, like didn't some experts say this was going to be all the rage a few years back? One in every house. But then I recall it didn't take off. I mean all those people will now have to put on a bathrobe when they jump out of the shower to answer their phone.
Just my thoughts,
Chris
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Re: Video calls
Exactly Chris!
When I'm home, I bum around the house. My hair in rollers and I'm wearing face cream and my husbands big t-shirt while I'm cleaning the house. Or maybe the phone wakes me early one morning, yikes!!!
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Could work
People want video phones that DON'T SUCK.
If there was a "Hi Mom" channel, that looked like a talking head on CNN, instead of like blurry home movies from the Mars Rover.
People would totally use that.
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