Archive for July, 2008
July 23, 2008
This past spring, we reported that one of our iSkoot Board members had signed on to brave the elements in the 2008 edition of the world-famous Dakar road race. (Details here) Things went awry when the rally was canceled just hours before the race, but a few months later Izhar Armony was back in action - for Dakar’s historic, first-ever Central Europe Rally.
At long last, and to our great delight, we’ve gotten our hands on a candid shot of Izhar’s Central Europe Rally rig in action! It’s way too good not to share.
iSkoot leadin’ the way! Too cool.
Posted in: iSkoot Appearances | 1 Comment
Tags: Board of Directors, Dakar, Izhar Armony
July 21, 2008
If you know your iSkoot trivia, you probably know the story of iSkoot’s Bostonian roots, and of our headquarters’ migration westward a few months back. (What? News to you? Get up to speed with the tell-all Welcome to San Francisco post.)
What you may not know is that much of the heart and soul of this iSkoot operation still lies to the East. Way to the East. With a good 10-hour time difference and an ocean between us, we’ve got an all-star team of engineers cooking the code in Israel. And if Tamar Snyder’s recent article in The Jewish Week is any indication, that’s precisely where they should be. Israel is, as Tamar explains, rapidly emerging as the undisputed hub of mobile innovation.
In her piece “Next-Gen Cellphones To Have Israeli Ring,” Tamar shines a light on many of the pioneering efforts happening on the mobile scene in Israel, including those of our own iSkoot Israel team. “Israeli startups with fun-loving names like iSkoot…plan to leverage the draw of social networking on-the-go to change the way you use your cellphone — by introducing and marketing software applications that incorporate Web 2.0 sites like Facebook and make the cellphone experience much more personalized,” she explains. “The days when a phone was used primarily to make calls are over.”
Tamar has also got the numbers to prove it, pointing out that mobile technology outfits are claiming more and more of Israel-bound venture capital. According to Israel Mobile & Communication Association, of the $1.76 billion invested in 2007 in Israeli startups, more than 15% went to companies in the mobile space. As our president and founder Jacob Guedalia told Tamar in an interview, this makes perfect sense:
“There are 3 billion mobile users and only 1 billion PC users,” he said. “As the phones become more like PCs, the opportunities will grow exponentially.”
Fellow entrepreneur and former partner of VC firm Israel Seed Partners Jon Medved told Tamar it comes as no surprise that Israeli start-ups are leading the pack toward these mounting opportunities in mobile. “Israel is a natural hub for mobile technology and innovation. The first cellphone was essentially built in Israel,” he says. There’s also the military advantage. “Wireless communication was always an important military tool. Israelis are very good at wireless.”
Guess our secret’s out now. 
Posted in: New Things | No Comments
Tags: iSkoot Israel, mobile trends, The Jewish Week
July 14, 2008
iSkoot for Skype is two-for-two this month!
After being selected as “Nokia’s S60 Application of the Week” two weeks ago, iSkoot for Skype earned kudos last week from John Halamka–Chief Information Officer at Harvard Medical School and the CareGroup Health System (to name a few)–as his “Cool Technology of the Week.”
With iSkoot enabled on his BlackBerry 8320, John has cleverly unlocked the secret of using local SIM cards to enjoy iSkoot for Skype when he travels internationally. His assessment: “iSkoot and local Sim Cards - a Cool Technology solution for the international traveler.”
iSkoot offers network service in over 40 countries around the world. To use iSkoot when you’re on the road abroad, just pick up a local pay-as-you-go SIM, enter the local phone number into the iSkoot application, and you’re in business. Another handy way to bring Skype with you, wherever you go.
And a big thanks to John for naming iSkoot as his choice of “Cool Technology” last week!
Posted in: New Things | No Comments
Tags: Cool Technology of the Week, iSkoot for Skype
July 3, 2008
Kicking off July with a bang, our iSkoot for Skype solution is enjoying the spotlight as Nokia’s S60 featured Application of the Week. Not a bad gig, since iSkoot for Skype gets face time on both the Nokia and S60 websites. That’s some pretty excellent real estate!
Our friends at Nokia have been great about giving our iSkoot for Skype S60 software a spot in the sun - they invited iSkoot to demo our mobile Skype solution at Nokia’s CTIA booth last fall and selected iSkoot for their invitation-only Forum Nokia PRO developer program. (Details here)
So be sure to check out the Nokia and S60 sites to get their latest take on the iSkoot for Skype s60 experience!
Posted in: New Things | 1 Comment
