Transformation is in the air. History is changing course. A feverish buzz is sweeping the nation. And we think we know why…
Autumn at iSkoot has been kind of a breakthrough.
First, we scooped up Social.IM (iSkoot’s first acquisition: check). Then, iSkoot for Skype landed front-row placement in the highly anticipated Android Market (Android’s first mobile “VoIP” application: check check). And now, on the heels of these excitingly notable “firsts,” we’re pleased to announce what TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington has called…a “downturn-busting venture round.”
Last week, iSkoot closed its third round of financing. (Complete details here.) It was a very good day, thanks to generous investments from Vision Opportunity Master Fund, Charles River Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Jesselson Capital Corporation and ZG Ventures. As if that weren’t blushworthy enough, Techcrunch had some very kind words to say about the news:
“One thing’s for sure - the cream rises to the top in a downturn. And San Francisco/Israel based iSkoot, which has built technology that lets mobile users access Skype via normal mobile handsets, look like it’s the cream.”
“Given the economy the raising of an additional $19 million dollars is a feat unto itself. I hear that there is a lot of good things coming from iSkoot so this round will be the round to get them over the top.”
Of course, humble gratitude goes out to our investors, and sincere thanks goes out to our well-wishers at Techcrunch and in the blogosphere. Last Friday was definitely one for the books at iSkoot.
Seeing is believing. The folks at AndroidApps.com have posted a quickie video demo of iSkoot for Skype running on the new Android-powered T-Mobile G1. Feast your eyes, iSkoot Fans:
For those of you who might have missed the buzz, the first and long-awaited Android-powered mobile phone, the T-Mobile G1, finally hit stores today. And one of just a handful of cool apps made available right out of the box in Android’s Market (the only mobile VoIP app the Market currently offers) is none other than everyone’s favorite mobile Skype solution, iSkoot for Skype. Of course, it’s always been a big priority for us here at iSkoot to get iSkoot for Skype working across a wide variety of mobile devices; and designing our solution for one of the slickest new platforms around just makes our job that much sweeter.
We’re also fairly giddy to report that people are already liking what they see! The folks at Techcrunch –concluding after a week of testing the G1 that for them “it’s all about the apps”–gave kudos to iSkoot as one of their Top 10 Android Launch Apps this morning. As early as last week, before the T1 had even hit the shelves, early reviewers at jkOnTheRun and Switched were sizing up the new device, running test calls via iSkoot for Skype, and declaring that “it’s the third party applications that will truly set the device apart.” ZDNet also highlighted iSkoot as one of the Market’s cool new apps to try.
Guess there’s only one thing left to do…go grab yourself a G1! In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted as the buzz continues to unfold.
…Particularly when Mark Jacobstein is running the show. Mark zipped down to San Jose yesterday to moderate a panel at the Mobile Content and Marketing Expo. The subject? How To Mobilize Existing Content.
Alongside panelist execs from Skyfire, Hollywood.com, and New Media Broadcasting Company, Mark led discussion on the various avenues for bringing current Web and TV content over to the mobile realm. MobilizedTV.com posted a great recap on the event, so we’ve pulled out a couple of highlights to share:
Topic 1: “Best Examples of Mobilized Content”
Hollywood.com’s Kevin Davis points to Flixster on the iPhone. an application that lets users find movie show times, watch trailers, get maps to local theaters and tap into Flixster’s database of 70,000 movie listings.
Highlighting the the natural fit of mobile and dynamic media-centered social networks, Russ Lujan of New Media Broadcasting volunteers Twitter for mobile as his mobile conversion of choice.
Skyfire sports junkie Nitin Bhandari admits ESPN’s mobile goodies are his personal favorite - where he tunes in for the scores but usually sticks around for all the additional interesting content.
Topic 2 (and arguably Mark’s favorite): “IS the mobile phone a PC in your pocket?”
Davis: Has his doubts, but understands that the inevitable shift into mobile isn’t something to be ignored. “This is a fundamental question. We went through a major re-design [on Hollywood.com], and even on this most amazing device that changed my life [the iPhone], it doesn’t work. We have to decide where this fits into our business model.”
Lujan: Acknowledges the overlap, but points out that it isn’t one-to-one. “We’re nearing earlier generation PC platforms on the handset. It does have the mobility factor…We’re probably a generation or two out from the mobile phone being what the PC can provide.”
Bhandari: Argues that the “PC” comparison doesn’t do the potential of the mobile handset proper justice. “The technical answer is that the mobile phone is absolutely a PC. It’s not as good as the PC of today that we’re all used to. But then part of me thinks that thinking of it as a PC is a failure of imagination. It’s so much more. It’s always on, always with you, nobody else uses it. It’s way more than a PC.”
As the conversation shifts to the future of mobile, Bhandari speculates that the mobile browser will become central to the mobile media experience. Naturally, Mark is all over this one with some ideas of his own.
Countering Bhandari, Mark contends that even PC-based browsers are still limited in terms of what they can access, and that mobile browsers won’t be ubiquitous in the foreseeable future.
“I would argue that the most interesting services that people will build will be completely integrated. The coolest thing on iPhone is that level of integration, and that takes more than a browser.”
Another point scored for iSkoot’s “VoIP via voice” approach to mobile Skype this past weekend! Jim Courtney over at Skype Journal was tinkering with a data channel-based mobile VoIP app for the iPhone on Friday, and in a virtual side-by-side comparison with iSkoot, the result was, well…read for yourself!
“The benchmark in call quality would be my experiences earlier this week where twice, when my home office cable was disconnected due to “cable plant” improvements in my neighborhood, I used iSkoot on the Blackberry Bold to call into SquawkBox via the CalliFlower voice conferencing service over the Rogers 3G network.
Let’s just say in the iSkoot calls, the technology was transparent to the discussion and I could lay the phone on my desk while still actively participating.”
As it should be! In this day and age - mobile Skype shouldn’t be about what you can do, but what you can do well. Thanks–as always–for the positive plug, Jim!
Everyone knows the 3 Skypephone made major waves when it hit stores last November. In it’s subsequent 10 months on the mobile scene, the infamous dedicated Skype handset has enjoyed rave reviews, stellar sales and a Silver Medal nod at the legendary Global Mobile Awards. Now with last month’s launch of the new and improved Skypephone S2, the mobile VoIP handset heard around the world is back in the spotlight, and our friend Frank Meehan, GM and Director of Handsets at 3, is happy to tell the story.
In an interview at the Mobilize conference in SF last week, Frank explained how the 3 Skypephone came together, pointing to iSkoot’s mobile Skype solution as a key ingredient:
“Every carrier (besides us) relies upon big voice and SMS revenues. For us, Hutchinson, every decision is made upon a financial viewpoint. The first breakthrough for the Skypephone was that we found Skype to be a powerful and disruptive technology, but we couldn’t handle the heavy packet load it would put upon our system. Then we came across iSkoot. Which, at the time, was a small company who figured out how to use Skype system and take a Skype call and transfer it over a circuit. With this development, Skype calls become very clear, in fact, we have customers who say calls are clearer on the handset than on a computer.”
iSkoot’s mobile-to-VoIP technology strikes again! Clearer Skype calls than on a PC? Aw, shucks Frank.
Our VoIP-Watching friend Andy Abramson caught wind the big play soon after, and had this to say about it:
“A company I’m rather fond of is iSkoot. They make the client that works on the SkypePhone that I use when I’m in the UK. Well today VentureBeat is reporting how iSkoot is getting more social, and in my view moving away from simply being a Skype connectivity client making company and into a lot more.”
A lot more indeed. As Chris Crum notes in his WebProNews post:
“iSkoot has its own thing going. Research shows that mobile social networking is going to grow big time over the coming years, and iSkoot recognizes that.”
We can’t argue with that. In the meantime, we appreciate your recognition of, well, our recognition, and we promise more big news to come.
Following iSkoot’s acquisition of Social.IM, Calcalist, the Economy section of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Acharonot visited iSkoot’s Israeli office for an interview with our CEO Mark Jacobstein and David Guedalia, iSkoot’s CTO.
One of the topics they covered in the interview: how iSkoot for Skype’s one-of-a-kind technology sets it apart from other mobile Skype applications. Of course, Mark loves nothing better than an opportunity to defend the iSkoot business model. Here is an excerpt:
Calcalist: Most start-ups nowadays use technology which circumvents the cellular networks to direct their calls- like the Israeli start-up, Fring. What is unique about iSkoot?
Mark: In contrast to the majority of the companies which offer VoIP
service from the cellular phone, iSkoot does not circumvent the cellular networks, but utilizes them. In reality, iSkoot’s Skype conversation begins as a cellular conversation and is directed to the data traffic from there. Cellular service providers do not like VoIP conversations on their network, as it clogs the network, and takes away from their income. I do not think that a company which provides VoIP services will be successful in the long run without working together with the cellular service providers. RIM, the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, is a good example of how this works.
Calcalist: So doesn’t courting the cellular company come at the expense of courting the clients?
Mark: If you work with the cellular company, you will also be able to provide better service for the clients. For instance, Hutchison provides iSkoot for Skype for free (with purchase of the X-Series package or a 3 SkypePhone).
A big move for iSkoot this week - we’ve just acquired Social.IM - the social network IM client!
We’ve got some cool new products cooking, and Social.IM’s customizable desktop application and Web service - which gives social networkers real-time desktop notifications and the ability to IM w/their community members - will be a serious feather in our cap as we roll out our next generation of Web-to-mobile push services.
Mark Jacobstein calls this play a “key step in our path to introduce later this year a groundbreaking new communications platform that will revolutionize the mobile landscape.”
Social.IM’s creative mastermind, Yanda Erlich says that iSkoot’s now “ideally positioned to become the leading push services communications provider, both on the mobile platform and the Web.”
