TECHNOLOGY
TOOLS
of theTRADE
tion and Stereo Bluetooth 2.0
anywhere at home. It has six
same time while also charging a
wireless. An accelerometer shifts
universal connectors in one
BlackBerry and a Bluetooth
the screen view as you turn the
neatly arranged tray. The plugs
headset. Actually, using the two
unit, and there are a light sen-
and cables store beneath the
iPod connectors and two of your
sor and home screen widgets
inclined, rubberized platform.
own iPod cords, you could
for improved usability. The
You can charge up to four
charge four iPod/iPhones at the
microSD card slot comes with a
devices simultaneously, and the
same time. If you’re charging
2GB card, but you can increase
device is compatible with more
the same devices, the cables,
that to 32GB. HTC Sense offers
than 1,000 products, including:
which are stored under the top
seven home screens with a lot
Apple, BlackBerry, Creative,
tray, have some memory, so they
of freedom for customization.
Dopod, Eten, Garmin, HP, HTC,
will begin to assume the same
Other features include visual
i-mate, Insignia, Iqua, iRiver,
configuration each time. The
voice mail, Sprint TV, NFL Mobile
Jabra, LG, Memorex, Motorola,
Refresh is available in white,
Sprint HTC Hero
Live, NASCAR Sprint Mobile,
Nokia, O2, Pal, Philips, Plantron-
black, and pink. There’s an
Sprint will launch its first Google
and a music player with a
ics, Qtek, Samsung, Sanya, Side-
unboxing video on the site that
Android smartphone, the HTC
3.5mm headset jack. The HTC
kick, Sony, and Toshiba. There
explains the way it works.
Hero, on October 11. The HTC
Hero joins two other best sellers
are USB sockets that allow you
www.bluelounge.com
Hero will synchronize with a
in the carrier’s catalog, the
to plug in your own connectors
number of built-in Google
BlackBerry Tour and the Palm
to charge headsets and addi-
Ezio Time Token
mobile services, including
Pre. Preregistration for the
tional devices. Short USB con-
If you’ve decided to start work-
Google Search, Google Maps,
Hero is available at
nector cables are also available
ing in the Amazon Web Services
at Bluelounge for many others,
(AWS) Cloud, you can get an
including Nokia, Samsung,
additional layer of security with
Gmail, and YouTube, as well as
www.sprint.com/hero.
more than 8,000 applications
54
that have been built on the
Refresh Recharger
Palm, Sony Ericsson, LG, Sony
the Ezio Time Token from
Android platform. The Hero has
The Bluelounge Refresh is a
PSP, Nintendo DS Lite, and
Gemalto. The Ezio password
an integrated 5MP camera and
beautifully designed charging
more. The charging station can
generator is compatible with
camcorder. There’s access to
station for use in the office or
charge two iPod/iPhones at the
Amazon Web Services Multi-
personal and business e-mail,
Factor Authentication. The oper-
instant messaging, and text
ation of the hand-held device is
messaging through POP, IMAP,
extremely simple. There’s a sin-
and Exchange Active Sync
gle button and a display screen.
accounts. Wi-Fi capable, the
The Time Token generates a
phone has a 3.2-inch touch-
unique password that’s valid for
screen with pinch-to-zoom and
only one attempt and for 30
a fingerprint resistive coating.
seconds. There’s no software
There’s integrated GPS naviga-
loaded on your PC. From the
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
I
October 2009
TECH FORUM
eBay Liberates
Skype
By Michael Castelluccio, Editor
On September 1, an eBay press release announced that
the company had signed an agreement to sell its Skype
and the Gemalto site is here:
communications unit in a deal valuing the business at
http://onlinenoram.gemalto.com.
$2.75 billion. On the same day, on the Share Skype blog,
Skype President Josh Silverman wrote, “Today, Skype
3M Mobile
Privacy Films
begins a new chapter. We’re spinning off from eBay to
Amazon FAQ, this is how the
As you spend more of your time
exciting news for all of us here at Skype, and I want to
device works in the AWS Cloud:
reading your e-mail on hand-
give all of you a brief overview of what’s happening. The
“AWS MFA uses an authentica-
held devices, you make your
new investors will buy approximately 65% of Skype, with
tion device that continually gen-
information more susceptible to
eBay continuing to own 35%, in a deal valuing Skype at
erates random, six-digit
“shoulder-surfers.” The screens
$2.75 billion US. It means we’re back to being a fully
authentication codes solely for
are getting bigger, and the vari-
independent company again, but with a new group of
your use. Once you enable AWS
ety of information available on
owners who believe passionately in our mission and in
MFA, every time somebody tries
the portable displays is also
the ability of our team to deliver on it. I can’t wait.”
to sign in to your secure pages
increasing. For these reasons,
on the AWS website or AWS
3M has adapted its computer
lective sigh of relief. eBay Inc. President and CEO John
Management Console, access
privacy filter technology to a
Donahoe said, “This is a great deal, unlocking both
will only be granted after the
mobile format. The 3M Mobile
immediate and long-term value for eBay and tremendous
correct Amazon email-id and
Privacy Films use a micro-louver
potential for Skype.” It had been a bad marriage all
password (the first “factor”:
technology to function like
around.
something you know) and the
blinds, darkening the view of
current code from your authenti-
those trying to read your screen
an IPO of Skype in 2010. On the way to the IPO, eBay
cation device (the second “fac-
at an oblique angle. A direct, in-
said it would accept offers for the company it had pur-
tor”: something you have) are
front view is unaffected, but
chased back in 2005. An offer was made in August, and
provided.” The full FAQ is here:
from the side there’s a total
the deal was announced.
http://aws.amazon.com/mfa/
blackout. In addition to the
Three groups put together $1.9 billion in cash for a
faqs/#What_is_AWS_MFA,
security, the film has a light
majority share of 65% of the company. The new owners
become an independent company once again. This is very
Actually, both companies offered something of a col-
There had been plans for a separation beginning with
matte front surface to
include Silver Lake Partners, two venture capital firms
reduce glare and help pro-
(Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz), and the
tect the screen from scratch-
Canada Pension Plan investment board. The Andreessen
es. The full surface adhesive
of Andreessen Horowitz is the same Marc Andreessen
is removable and can be lift-
who cofounded Netscape.
ed and readjusted. Pre-cut
custom sizes fit most popu-
A RETURN
lar phones and personal
Back when they bought Skype, eBay had hoped to
digital assistants (PDAs).
continued on next page
www.3mprotectionfilms.com
October 2009
I
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
55
TECHNOLOGY
TECH FORUM
include it as a communication tool for its community of buyers and sellers. Skype is a free telephone and text service that resides on the
Internet, and eBay wanted to
set up a community dialogue enabled by a click-tocomment function that
would run on Skype. It never caught on.
Meanwhile, Skype was put in the uncomfortable position of being controlled by a larger company that found it was making very little money
on this very expensive investment.
In his remarks to the press, eBay’s John Donahoe described Skype as “a great standalone business,” and a number of commentators agree. Brad
Stone, in his reporting in The New York Times, explained the
Zennström, a Swede, and Janus Friis, a Dane. The company
deal would “essentially allow Skype to go back into start-up
is based in Luxembourg. The program’s code actually was
mode. For example, it will be able to conceal investments in
written by three Estonian developers: Ahti Heinla, Priit
projects and new technologies from the public—and from
Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn. Estonia has quietly become one
rivals—instead of disclosing them in eBay’s public regulato-
of the most wired countries on earth—a place where elec-
ry filings.” There’s also the chance, Stone points out, that the
tions are held online and citizens file their income taxes in
new owners will launch an IPO of their own, allowing the
minutes, also online.
company to tempt new employees with its own stock as part
of the compensation.
It isn’t that Skype has been a failure in what it offers
The name Skype evolved from the program’s original
name—Sky peer-to-peer. A very natural choice for the
Estonian programmer group because they were also
users. Growth has been very impressive. Skype had a report-
responsible for Kazaa, one of the most popular peer-to-peer
ed 276 million users in the first quarter of 2008, and that
file-sharing applications. The group also later developed
number had grown to 480 million registered Skype users in
Joost, an Internet television service based on a peer-to-peer
July 2009. It’s just that it didn’t fit eBay.
model.
Egon Durban, the managing director at Silver Lake Part-
The company describes its current offerings this way:
ners, praised Skype, calling it, “One of the leading Internet
“Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations.
franchises with terrific growth prospects.” It hasn’t escaped
Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make
notice that one of the major investors includes one of the
free video and voice calls, send instant messages, and share
Internet’s legendary pioneers, Andreessen.
files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere
With the announcement of the sale, there’s been much
speculation about what directions the company may now be
also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and
mobiles.”
free to take off to. A lot of the guessing focuses on the video
The basic sign-up is free, and with that you can call any
calls that are one of the current services. There already has
other Skype member online and speak with them, text them,
been dramatic movement with a recent deal to add Skype
or communicate over a video connection. For about $3 a
on Nokia phones as well as the Skype application for
month you can upgrade the service and call landlines and
iPhones, which was released in March and has been
cell phones in the United States. About $13 a month will add
extremely well received in the U.S. and just made available
more than 40 countries. There’s a program for using landline
in the Canadian iPhone stores.
phones to reach a Skype user, voice and video conferencing,
and something called Skype to Go, which will let you make
SKYPE’S PAST AND FUTURE
international calls on your mobile phone at Skype-Out rates
Skype, like eBay, is one of the Internet’s purebreeds. A very
that apply to calls made from your computer.
young company, it was founded in 2003 by Niklas
56
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
I
October 2009
With the sale, the skies have opened again for Skype. SF