The Future of VoIP Podcast – Episode 1 – Michael Robertson
Welcome to The Future of VoIP, a podcast series based on several telephone interviews with key industry stakeholders.
Episode 1 – Michael Robertson, Founder SIPphone & Gizmo Project
http://sipthat.com/mp3/Future-of-VoIP/MR-FofVoIP-1.mp3
A truly inspiring interview with a man who really understands how open standards can impact an industry. Michael draws some very interesting parallels with the digital music industry and the desktop VoIP industry. Michael talks about Skype, Google Talk and his new Gizmo Project. He also speaks on the potential exit strategy for his projects and his preference over private versus public (IPO/RTO) structures.
Michael touches on why Microsoft’s latest purchase of Teleo just doesn’t matter and points out why innovation will continue to come from the smaller companies.
BIO Excerpt: In 2003, Robertson founded SIPphone.com, a company that harnesses the power of the Internet to allow customers to make free long distance phone calls. SIPphone was founded to build a VoIP platform and directory on which any hardware or software developer could offer free VoIP service. Since then the company has partnered with Web communities, universities, telcos and hardware manufacturers around the world to extend and strengthen its VoIP platform. Today SIPphone’s service incorporates all the key elements of VoIP service.
High-tech entrepreneur Michael Robertson has spearheaded a cache of diverse, high-profile companies including MP3.com, Vivendi Universal purchased the profitable company in 2001 for $372 million in stock and cash.
WebRTC.is 
Gizmo Project
Here is a great podcast between Erik Lagerway and Michael Robertson, Founder SIPphone & Gizmo Project. Michael also founded MP3.com and is a pretty good podcast guest. He sees little future for products like Skype that dont embrace open standards….
I have to take issue with the discussion about Real and MP3 as an analogy for SIP and Skype. Real has failed to prosper not because of their use of a proprietary technology but because they failed to realize they had the ability to stream music.
When it comes to any type of media based application, its about the content, not the technology. The counterargument to Real is Apple’s AAC. Nobody really cares that they rip their CD’s to AAC. The only thing they really care about is that they stick a CD in the drawer, 5 minutes later, they double click on it and they can hear it, or drag it to their iPod. You might have a few folks that switch the default rip to MP3 so they can put the tracks on other MP3 players, but most do not.
This view is also validated by Skype. Nobody using Skype really cares about what is used to transport their voice or signal their calls. They want to click a button and talk to somebody, period.
There are a lot of problems with SIP that make it very cumbersome to get it to where something like Skype is with respect to usability. The community really should be focusing on that rather than dogma about openness.
I tried Gizmo after all the buzz on the street. I couldn’t get past the logon and had to ditch it. According to their website, don’t bother to inform them because they are working on it.
At least it’s open… if you ever get logged in, that is.