Working from home, be Shure to use a MV5C microphone

Shure is known for its professional in-earphones, headphones, microphones and wireless systems and have been around for a long time (since 1925). The in-earphones can produce very high quality audio as they isolate the sound form the outside world and musicians have custom earpieces made so they fit completely into and on to the ear canal (this also allows the audio to play much more quietly which is better for the ear drums and reduces damage).

More recently conferencing systems have also become part of the portfolio very much aimed at businesses.

Now with everyone working from home, Shure has moved into the home office space and produced a microphone to suit video and voice calls, the MV5C microphone.

Shure MV5C box

There is some assembly required (screw the large sphere ended screw through the base into the microphone ball).

Parts from box

The microphone connects to the computer via micro-USB (why not USB-C in this day and age?). There's also a headphone socket at the back for connecting wired (jack) earphones or headphones so it's possible to monitor the raw input.

Back of microphone

The completed unit looks quite professional, though the ball of the microphone is made of plastic.

Microphone with Shure logo on front

The microphone should be placed as close to face of the user as possible (in front of the keyboard, the base can slide under some keyboards and still allow the keyboard to be used effectively). The voice quality is very good.

The main problem is it's very easy to pickup background noise, especially hum from hard disks (i.e. older computers with hard disks inside or backup external disks) and fans. Newer solid state disk (SSD) based systems will sound much better. It would also be possible to mount the microphone on some sound abosrbant material as the hum comes mainly via the base.

The following are 3 recordings made using the MV5C and Audacity (44KHz sampling with 32bit floats) and and images grabbed of the capture - the base line waveform amplitude shows the hum/background noise.

Desktop

The background hum can be heard, but still great quality.

Off desktop was recorded using some sound absorbing material. The hum is slightly lower.

The final version was recording while holding the microphone so isolated from the desktop (which the computer and backup disk is on) and a screen behind the microphone between it and the computer.

With each capture the background noise is reduced and placing the microphone where it won't pickup extraneous noise will make a huge difference to the audio quality - though if offline editing, then noise removal would help.

As a desktop microphone and set-up correctly (and near to the person using it), it is a very good quality mic and can make a big difference compared to poor quality mics in headphones or other devices when using video conferencing or telephony applications.

The MV5C also works with the ShurePlus MOTIV mobile recording software (free download for iOS or Android) though it will require the correct cable (i..e device to micro-USB). The software gives tools to chop audio into clips, fade in and out and save in various formats.

It retails for £115 direct from Shure though it can be found online considerably cheaper.

New look GMail has chat and calls

It seems that the new version of Google's GMail has re-instated free calling into the web based email service.

It has been available to US users since launch as part of Google Voice and appeared briefly in other markets, but now it's come back (at least in the UK version).

Your Google Talk contacts appear (if they're on-line) but there's now also a call icon when clicked brings up a popup with the ability to dial numbers.

If this stays, then there's a good chance their going to introduce Google Voice outside the US and can compete with Skype.

Microsoft completes acquisition of Skype

Yesterday (13/10/11) Microsoft completed the acquisition of Skype which now can operate as a business devision of the Redmond Corporation.

The official Microsoft press release is here.

The sale went through for $8.5bn which is a considerable sum for a service which is basically free, though Skype is generating revenues.

Skype for Windows offers deeper Facebook integration

Skype have released version 5.5 for Windows which now allows checking the availability of Facebook friends without leaving the Skype client.

There are also improvements to the group chat functionality and the video quality.

Though Skype currently dominate this space, Vonage are releasing mobile clients that will allow VoIP calls, there is already a Vonage client for iPhone which integrates with Facebook chat (but doesn't allow access to other Vonage users).

Skype releases v5.2 for MacOS X

Skype have just released version 5.2 for Mac, it now supports group video calling (and sharing screens when in a group video call). Unfortunately these features require a Skype Premium subscription, though a seven day trial is available - a day pass costs £2.99 +VAT while or £4.99 +VAT per month.

There's also a few new features that allow easier multi-tasking so if you move to another program, controls are still available in the video control bar to mute or end the call. The history and contacts areas have also been decluttered making Skype more manageable.

Skype will upgrade via the program itself or directly from here.

Skype brings video calling to Android

Skype has announced that Skype for Android 2.0 now supports video calling which will work with Skype for iPhone, Mac and Windows. Video will work both over WiFi and 3G.

Support for handsets include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson, Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.

Facebook are going to announce a 'major new service' next week and it's rumoured that Facebook video calling will be based on Skype (though the rumour is recent, Skype has been working with Facebook for some time and precedes the Microsoft acquisition). The video calling will be in browser, though it's not clear whether the user has to have the Skype client installed too. This should give Skype a major boost as Facebook has 750m users compared to Skype's 170m (active), it should also help Facebook and Microsoft head off Google's voice service.

Microsoft-Skype kills Skype for Asterisk

Many will know Asterisk the open source IP PBX (IP telephony system) that is commercially supported by Digium.

At Astricon in 2008 Digium announced a partnership with Skype that would allow an Asterisk system join the Skype network as a Skype client, though commercial (costing $66 per channel i.e. each concurrent call the Skype network requires a channel) many people used this to connect their internal VoIP systems to the outside world taking advantage of free Skype to Skype calls and cheap calls to the normal telephone networks using Skype-out.

Unfortunately the partnership is now dead as Skype (or now Microsoft Skype as Skype is to be known after their acquisition by the software giant) have decided to discontinue the licensing of Skype proprietary code that is included in the Skype for Asterisk product.

Customers can still purchase Skype for Asterisk until 26th July 2011 and Skype will continue to support the product until 2013 (and Skype "at their discretion" may continue support beyond that).

Though Skype for Asterisk only represents a small proportion of the Skype population, is this indicative of the way that Microsoft is taking the company as Asterisk and other open source solutions directly compete with some of Microsoft's offerings? If so it's a shame as it it's likely that only MS products will work with Skype and thus further locking customers into Microsoft's solutions.

Though to be fair, rumour has it that Skype was already looking at ways of ending the relationship with Digium.

Google buys GIPS, Skype quakes?

Google has acquired GIPS (Global IP Sound) a vendor of high quality voice and video codecs used by many VoIP players (except Skype).

Skype have over 600m users and developed their own HD voice codec known as SILK.

Google bought Grand Central and then based their Google Voice service on top of it. Google already had their Google Talk service which is just their implementation of Jabber (or the XMPP protocol). It was possible to 'talk' to other users on Google Talk with their Jingle extensions (which Google published). Google Voice is their preferred and proper VoIP service. Unfortunately they didn't have a nice front-end for Google Voice so they acquired Gizmo5 the service from Michael Robertson. Gizmo5 had a reasonable user base and it was standards based using SIP as the VoIP protocol, though the back-end was meant to be based on Asterisk and other open source technologies. Google Voice has a very good back-end and so the tie-up with Gizmo5 gave them a nice front-end and Google could drop the Gizmo5 back-end stuff.

Now with the purchase of GIPS giving Google 'free' access to high quality voice codecs, they look to really threaten Skype's dominance of the VoIP market, especially if the launch Google Voice outside of the US.

Gizmo5 sells out to Google

The rumours have been flying and it was thought that Gizmo5 would be the sensible acquisition for the new Skype as a basis for replacing the P2P technology that was reliant on JoltID (and why JoltID was suing Ebay).

Events have now significantly changed the market, JoltID has come to an agreement with Skype/Ebay where-upon their P2P technology will be owned outright and Gizmo5 has been purchased by Google.

Gizmo5 was started by Michael Robertson and has around 6m users while using non proprietary SIP VoIP protocols. It is expected that Google will integrate Gizmo5 into their GoogleTalk product line (and maybe Google Voice).

JoltID settles with Skype

Rather than spend millions on court cases it seems JoltID have made an agreement with Skype whereby Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis will join the investment group that purchased Skype from Ebay and they'll get a 14% stake, Skype will gain control of the P2P technology that was previously licensed (or not as the case may have been).

Though the P2P technology is now owned by Skype itself, there may still be major changes brewing with the technology (see previous article.

Skype re-engineering the world

Please note this is completely based on my own thoughts and I have not liaised with anybody else on the content.

Skype is currently having a few legal issues with JoltID who own the P2P technology (known as Global Index) that Skype runs on. Oddly when Ebay purchased Skype from JoltID for $4.1bn they only licensed the P2P technology. Now that Ebay has sold off 65% of Skype to a private investment company, JoltID have said that their licensing has been infringed and there's a UK court case planned for June 2010.

Ebay must be slightly worried (well Skype now) as if the court case is successful Skype may not be allowed to continue to use the underlying P2P technology, which means no more Skype, or at least no more functioning Skype network.

Skype must be doing something about this? Maybe they are as they've taken on-board Theo Zourzouvillys who's job description seems to be "Internet Hippy at Skype Labs". Theo is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to VoIP, especially SIP and he has written many SIP stacks and built hugely scalable SIP networks and is the author of many an IETF drafts on said protocols.

Though Skype are making huge efforts in supporting SIP for business users (they already utilise SIP for connectivity to telcos for interconnect i.e. for Skype In and Skype Out), could Skype be re-engineering their network from the ground up, utilising non proprietary protocols? If that was the case and the underlying technology changed significantly from the Global Index P2P system, then the JoltID problem goes away.

In this case only time will tell.

Skype for Asterisk Open Beta

Digium have announced their Skype for Asterisk Open Beta which anyone can get a license key (and chan_skype software) for the Asterisk open source IP PBX.

The open beta will close on Aug 7th and the licenses will expire on Aug 31st so if you apply now, that gives about a month's worth of testing,

You need to register on Digium's site to make a purchase which will cost all of $0.

The Skype software and license is available to buy here.

This allows an Asterisk PBX to log into Skype which then acts as a channel driver so calls can be sent through the channel.

Comcast turns down Joost

Joost who raised $45m in 2007 are up for sale and have been touting themselves to cable companies where there could be a good fit.

Initially Joost tried to tempt customers with a standalone P2P video player (using the same underlying technology as Skype) but have since moved to a web based model.

Now being one of many web based system, they're facing increased competition and struggling to win customers and advertising revenue with less than 1m unique monthly visitors.

It seems Comcast have passed on purchasing them. Joost do have a decent underlying technology solution which could be utilised by an emerging IPTV player rather than developing their own.

Nokia adds Skype to N800 Internet device

Nokia and Skype have added the Skype VoIP application to the N800 WiFi tablet. This will allow users to utilise the Skype application when connected through a nome or public WiFi hotspot.

The tablet seems more a techie toy rather than a useful Internet device.

Joost is very cool

Joost have launched their service in beta, these are the guys that set-up Kazaa and then Skype. It's an IPTV system that uses P2P. There's a description of how it all works on the UKNOF site (Manchester/UKNOF7).

It's currently in beta and works on invites where every now and again beta users get to invite other users.

Quality is actually pretty good though navigation is a bid odd and needs getting used to.

It's going to be big.