TechCrunch 40 Session 2: Mobile & Communications
Session two as follows, including our live notes.
Cubic Telecom
Nice start: global roaming rates suck: tell me about it!
Product launch is today “Maxroam,” allows you to add numbers to the sim. Esssentially calls are routed from one number in each place. Every call on the mobile becomes a local call.
This is a brilliant idea, didn’t mention the price though but said it was cheap. I want :-)
Yap
Presentation problems: no audio on the video, but the music as they went on stage was an interesting touch: Singing in the Rain.
Mic pics up a heartbeat: classic.
Jason Calacanis jumps in to help with the presentation tech issues…deferring to next presentation. We’ll revisit Yap later.
Ceedo
Strong start to presentation: “self contained device” with broad user interface. Any PC can be turned into a terminal for any device.
Nice looking interface. Windows though, no mention of a Mac client.
Uses Picasa to blog, but posts via mobile phone, essentially Ceedo is offering the interface.
Virtualization space is secure: you can access the portable devices without leaving a trace on the PC. Portability is the key…I’m getting this more now.
Fairly cool idea: the ability to plugin a portable device and use the PC as essentially a dumb terminal, not sure how big the market will be for it but that doesn’t take away from the concept.
Yap Mk 2
Yap back on stage, see our notes above.
Presentation video shows the voice to text demonstration. Voice recognition engine works well, question is will SMS TXTing kiddies rather use voice? I would, but then again I suck at txting.
Yap also provides responses to things like Starbucks Coffee, flight arrivals at SFO. Full interface with Yap and mobile browser and other phone parts. Links into Amazon.
Loudtalks
Russian startup, lightweight client.
Messaging can be stored and played back.
Trutap
Strong start: for once using a PowerPoint presentation is a good option over audio/ video…it just works :-)
A slide shows there is no IM in Europe and China…WTF?
Trutap application showing: nice looking product, seems usable, presuming it’s a java app.
Jabber style IM client, links into major network.
Beta program opens today. API coming soon.
The Trutap developers are on stage signing a song…great stuff, clever way to break through the noise. Congrats to Trutap, good presentation.
Expert Panel: Ryan Block Chris Anderson, Marc Andreessen, Om Malik, and Marissa Mayer
Jason Calacanis said that the panel was too nice last time, and Om’s reputation is ruined :-)
Om starts: presentations were “interesting”…laughter in the room. First question to Cubic from Om: how big could the business. Cubic: huge, anyone who travels, global roaming rates are absurd. $100 million business. Calls are made on the phone, not the PC.
Ryan Block asks about Sim cards. Not a BYO number product. Discussion continues about number forwarding, Om thinks most people dont know how to forward a phone.
Marc Andreessen asks about distribution…again (by his own admission though). Various turns, obviously everyone has a distribution model.
Om to Ceedo: how will you work when so many others have tried. Ceedo: we work with standard apps, simple to use, and cross platform…as long as it’s a flavor of Windows.
Talk about phones…Jason makes fun of Apple, trying to get something out of Marissa Meyer about the Google phone. MM changes topic as quickly as she can and says she likes Yap and Ceedo.
Ryan asks Trutap about a Nokia product that competes. Trutap says that they are already in discussion with handset makers.
Om: Trutap most likely acquired, Cubic is an outside chance of being around in 5 years, rest he is “reserving judgement”
Overall: Nick likes Yap due to the contextual tie in to other services. Cubic Telecom for me, if only because I’m paying $2.50 a minute to make a call if I use my mobile while I’m here for TC40 so it had the most personal resonance. The panel seemed to like Ceedo.