BlinkMind has begun carrying the recently released Polycom VVX1500 for use with BlinkMind’s current video feature service offering. The VVX 1500 supports BlinkMind’s video to video, video conferencing and enhanced video applications as well as regular voice calling features.
BlinkMind’s video technology has allowed users around the world to experience communications like never before. The efficiency for business users and emotional connection for residential users is unprecedented. I’ve personally connected closer to family and friends along with co-workers and business colleagues alike. The communcation experience is truly remarkable for me.
Amidst the howling winds, torrential rain, extreme wave action and lightning bolts galore, we managed to put the GXV3000 through one of the ultimate field tests, a hurricane. On September 1st, 2008, Hurricane Gustav made landfall near Cocodrie, LA. My brother has fished there plenty of times and caught lots of redfish and trout, but now the small Louisiana town is forever written in history as the landfall mark where Gustav ravaged the La coast. I jokingly called it Hurricane Guster Vee in honor of my late grandfather Guster Veazey. Where am I going with this? Gustav gave us the perfect testing grounds and prompted new uses for the video phones provided by BlinkMind.
Yes, it takes electricity and internet to run the phones, but when everything was said and done, the use of the video phone proved its worthiness. With phones in Baton Rouge, Maurice and Houston, we were able to use BlinkMind’s video conference bridge to keep abreast of the deteriorating weather conditions as well as provide some since of normalcy for those in the midst of the storm. We laughed and joked as the full brunt of Gustav passed overhead.
My parents evacuated to Houston after a mandatory evacuation was ordered to flee the wrath of the storm, but were able to keep in touch with my brother and sister throughout the storm. We were able to see the storm as it unfolded in front of our eyes. Debris was flying, roofs rattling and walls shaking, but for my parents, it was a sense of communication never before experienced. We were able to communicate with loved ones, see the storm as it unfolded and comfort them.
Needless to say, the communication change is here. We proved that during this highly stressful event and personally I don’t know how we’ve ever lived without this technology.
Ever thought that the world would have to put on a nice shirt to talk on the phone? Well the time has come where our society will be able to actually view each other while communicating on the telephone. New technology has been forming which will allow our phones to connect through our internet service and will have video access. The phone will have a monitor on it which will display the person on the receiving end. As with any new technology, there will be some people who will not be willing to change. Regular phones have been around for several years and will probably not fade out quickly. The truth is that there are differences between video phones and regular phones that will create different opinions from the public. While regular phones are what people are comfortable with, video phones are a new technology that will form a curiosity that will out weigh normalcy.
As we grow from children to adults, we tend to move away from our families and begin new families. We begin to have children and have our own lives. This is a natural part of life. The problem with that is our parents are not able to see our children as much as they would like to. All of that is about to change. Think about sitting in your home and visiting with your family in another state or country. Video phones will allow you to do that. With a simple phone call, you will be able to see your family and friends who are not able to live close to you. Your parents will be able to visually know how much their grandchild have grown.
The problem will be introducing a new technology into a world that has had regular phones for years. Some people will not feel comfortable with learning new technology. The good thing is that the design of the video phone will be just as easy to use as the phones we know today. The difference will be that the video phone will allow for many more options. For instance, it is capable of playing real time T.V. and movies. If you have your phone at your desk you are able to watch the weather or you may watch Pretty Woman. You would also be able to bring your phone any where that is internet capable. This is highly effective when making business calls. According to a new company called BlinkMind, a computer is not necessary to use the video phone, as long as an internet connection is available. Video phones also set the bar higher by being easy to use for even the most novices of computer users (www.blinkmind.com).
Probably no means of communication has revolutionized the daily lives of ordinary people more than the telephone (www.ideafinder.com). The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Even though the telephone has come a long way since the 1800s, the concept behind it is still the same. It has become a fast and easy way for people to stay connected. In today’s world, it is hard to imagine how anyone lived without a telephone. The majority of the population has a home phone and a cellular phone. Staying connected is obviously important to people. One thing that a regular telephone has that a video phone does not provide is stability. Since the telephone has been around for hundreds of years, it is safe to say that there are few kinks that need to be worked out. There are tons of technical workers that can support a regular telephone service. The fact is that video phones are brand new so there will be kinks to work out and there will be a smaller range of technical support. Engineers are still designing and working on making these phones work without any problems which make them less appealing to the public. People want to know that their means of communication will be reliable.
Even though technology advances, we can not discard the fact that telephones have been around for many years and will not die out easily. It is safe to say that video phones will not replace telephones they will just be an addition to the wonderful technology that our generations have portrayed. Video phones and regular telephones have differences however, their main purpose is communication. In the society that we live in, communication will continue to be as important as it was hundreds of years ago. While regular phones are what people are comfortable with, video phones are a new technology that will form a curiosity that will out weigh normalcy. New ways to stay connected will always be welcomed in the world today. In five to ten years, video phones may be considered a regular phone and there will be some new form of technology. The bottom line is that as long as there are people on earth, there will be a need for communication.
Most of us have seen a video phone in futuristic sci-fi movies, but probably most of us have never used one.
The first videophone launched by AT&T way back in 1964 at the International World’s Fair caught the attention of everyone who saw it, but because of technical and financial problems nobody wanted to get one.
Recently because of the rise in broadband Internet around the country and the drop in the cost of high-definition cameras, video phones are now gaining popularity as an alternative to a regular phone line.
Increase in Video Quality
Previous video phones like the ones developed by AT&T in the early 1970s used analog phone lines to transmit voice and video which had the capacity of transmitting video at a maximum rate of 10 Frames Per Second (FPS). This is much lower TV-quality video, which is normally at 30 FPS. In these early video phones, the video looked choppy and was transmitted at a very low quality, and there were even long delays as the video was transmitted back and forth.
These technical difficulties have been overcome as companies like Blinkmind have developed new software and techniques for transmitting the video at a much higher speed. We’ve been able to achieve movie-quality video, even when you’re talking with more than three people at one time.
Lower Cost of Camera Optics
The initial version of videophones launched by AT&T cost around $160 per month in 1970, which was an enormous cost for a phone service in that decade. And, it only included 30 minutes of calling time per month - barely enough time for a single call with a far-away family member.
Low Adoption Rate
Aside from the technical and cost difficulties, there’s always the people factor. Because computers weren’t as widespread until the late 80’s, average people just didn’t understand the technical benefits to video calling. Moreover, it was a useless product since there was a high chance that if you had a video phone, the person you were trying to reach wouldn’t have one.
According to the 5 Forces Theory popularized by Michael Porter, the “availability of a close substitute product can lead to customers switching over in response to pricing”. This was evident in case of webcams which were accepted by people because it became economical to buy with near zero cost of operation. Webcams became very popular for video chats; however, there were certain limitations attached with it like lack of regular telephone features. People who are not familiar with using a PC or browsing the Internet can hardly use webcam for communicating with others.
Why Are Videophones Taking off Now?
With BlinkMind’s videophone service, you can have an unlimited residential calling plan which includes both voice and video calling for as low as $39.95 per month. This is a savings of almost 1300% compared to the cost of a video phone service from AT&T in 1970!
Best of all, anyone in the family including older adults with no computer experience (such as grandparents and great-grandparents) can use it because it works like a normal phone and doesn’t require you to even have a computer in your home.
