1 or 2 Cameras ? that's the question

Everybody knows how one of the most promising features of 3G technology, the videocall was not successful. Carriers, with initial limited 3G capacity launched low profile the videocall, it was more related to say "we have videocall" rather than "videocall is powerful, use it". Initial prices were too high and the person to person videocall is not really "the killer application".
A lot of services can be deployed using Videocall, IVVR (video IVR), user generated content for enterprise use cases, online journalism, multimedia blogging, law enforcement use cases and also social media interaction. But the initial "not correct promotion" just discouraged solution developers from innovating based on mobile video. The point is that as videocall/videoShare was not being used, right now, in order to reduce the cost of the handsets, the 3G devices are missing the front camera, not only useful for videocall/IMS_videoshare features but also for well known applications being ported to mobile.
When mobile bandwidth & stability capacity is ok, and some carriers (as 3G in UK) are welcoming 3rd Party VoIP/ToIP communication applications as Skype, now it is time to reconsider that the front camera is really a need, not only to use properly videocall and IMS videoshare, but also be used in traditional full multimedia and UC conceived applications.
In our opinions it makes no sense to add megapixels to the main camera, (not usefull when the device has not the zooming and optics of a photo-camera device) and remove from the design the front camera.
Just a mere example, when using a mobile to live broadcast a breaking new, the online journalist will need to appear him/herself during moments, and later...be streaming what is happening.

Carriers can still monetize videocall/videoshare when using them for added value use cases and other front camera based apps can help to monetize boost data plans.

Hope carriers and device suppliers reconsider this...WE WANT BOTH CAMERAS !!!

LiveServe Solutions Framework (LS 3.0)

We are please to announce our last release of our LiveServe platform. We unveiled it at MWC 2009. New features:

• Support of VideoCall as live mobile incoming stream (to be added to the intially VideoShare feature supported)
• Framework designed to create "tailored" solutions based on "skin look and feel changes"
• Timeline and Geoview Media repository. Cell ID script, GPS and carrier LBS supported to get the location.
• Live Windows exportable as iframe to other websites
• Tagging/edit comments on posted media
• Connectors to personal accounts of social media sites: YouTube, Blogger, OVI...
• The web framework is also supporting VoIP audio from our VoxServe Push to Talk platform.
• Live mobile video not only broadcasted using WEB, LiveServe is also providing 3G streaming to mobile devices.

The LiveServe Solution Framework become the ideal platform to build mobile/convergence added value use cases for online media, socia media, law enforcement, task reporting, emergencies...

when IMS ?

Several years talking about IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) as converged core, the way to interconect mobile and fixed worlds all carriers with trials, the technology ready, but.... there are not being launched commercial solutions.
Always we are facing the same circle.....no commercial service available because of no perceived demand, and not perceived demand because no commercial service available and real added value services showcases.
In exemple, the "video sharing" feature (also labelled as "see what i see / rich voice call), voice over circuit switch + video over packet switch (data), only one way, the needed one. This feature has some advantadges comparing with 3G videocall:

- videocall uses 64 kbps to be merge signalling, voice, and video and videosharing use a different channel for voice, more bandwidth then for video, higher quality.
- using data bearer for video, whatever improvement in uplink rates allows to transmit video with more quality, with future HSUPA, broadcast quality.
- using data bearer we could share video from mobile and internet worlds without costly infrastructure as Videogateways are.

(now it seems TMN in Portugal and TIM in Italy launched this service...but and the other european carriers?)

Currently a lot of amazing solutions based on mobile video in the uplink, as mobile journalism, blogging, law reinforcement are "on hold" until mobile carriers will decide to push forward IMS services....please...do that, we need that soon :-)

(in spanish)
Años hablando del IMS, el core convergente, la red perfecta donde no importe el acceso, la conexión del mundo fijo con el móvil, la tecnología ya madura, pero....todavía no se lanzan servicios comerciales por parte de los operadores.
Siempre nos topamos con la misma pescadilla que se muerde la cola o si debe ser antes el huevo o la gallina. No hay servicios comerciales sobre IMS porque no hay demanda, pero no hay demanda porque no hay servicio comercial de IMS y casos de uso con valor añadido debidamente demostrados.

Por ejemplo, el videosharing (también llamada "mira lo que veo"), sobre una llamada de voz convencional en un momento dado se envía video en tiempo real por paquetes (como conexión de datos), al ir por caminos distintos, todo el ancho de banda de datos es para el video redundando en una mejor calidad. Aparte tiene más ventajas sobre la videollamada 3G:

-al usar el video una portadora de datos, la mejora del ancho de banda ascendente as 128 kbps, a medio plazo a 384 kbps o incluso en el futuro con el HSUPA permitirá mandar video con calidad broadcast. (algo que los operadores podrán rentabilizar compitiendo en mercados hasta ahora de radioenlaces fijos de banda ancha).

- al usar el video directamente una conexión de datos...es directamente accesible al mundo fijo/internet, no así la videollamada, que requiere una infrastructura costosa, el videogateway que pasa de conmutación de circuitos a paquetes el video.

(ahora parece que TMN - Portugal) y TIM -Italia lanzaron el servicio de IMS videosharing, para cuándo el resto de operadores europeos ??? )

Ahora mismo un buen número de casos de uso interesantes y de alto valor añadido (periodismo, seguridad, blogging, reporte visual de tareas) están "en la nevera" a la espera de que los operadores se decidan a lanzar estos servicios...por favor, que sea pronto, ...los necesitamos :-)