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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Have you looked at Voxeo Prophecy? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.voxeo.com/prophecy/">http://www.voxeo.com/prophecy/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>cheers,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Wendell<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Dean
Collins<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 16, 2007 10:45 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [asterisk-users] FW: Microsoft buys Tellme<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><a
href="http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html">http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>I thought I would email this post I made on my blog from yesterday
as a way of stimulating discussion on this. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>It looks like the Asterisk community is no closer to getting a
Pre-Paid ‘Offboard Speech Recognition Processing’ SIP gateway than ever. I’ve
left the </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme">http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme</a>
page up for archival purposes but basically we still have no ‘low value’
pre-paid service for the little people.<span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Dean
Collins<br>
Cognation Pty Ltd<br>
<a href="mailto:dean@cognation.net" title="mailto:dean@cognation.net">dean@cognation.net<span
style='color:black'><br>
</span></a>+1-212-203-4357 Ph<br>
+1-917-207-3420 Mb</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Dean Collins
[mailto:dean@cognation.net] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, 16 March 2007 1:11 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Dean Collins<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Dean Collins] Microsoft buys Tellme</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><a name=8496663316263171814></a><span
lang=EN style='font-size:17.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:16.8pt'><span lang=EN
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;
font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='font-size:17.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black'>Microsoft buys Tellme <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:19.2pt'><span lang=EN style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";color:black'>Hmmm interesting
day today. Basically Microsoft bought Tellme for $800 million dollars.<br>
<br>
Long history between myself and Tellme;<br>
<br>
So basically in April 2005 someone I knew from Australia went to work for
Tellme in CA. He called to talk to me about his new company and eventually I
was introduced to his boss, TellMe's CTO - Don Jackson.<br>
<br>
I was explaining to Don about my involvement with the Asterisk community and
how Tellme could really benefit by getting involved.<br>
<br>
What I was trying to suggest they set up was a speech recognition ASP SIP
gateway.<br>
<a href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme"><span
style='color:black'>http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme</span></a><br>
or<br>
<a href="http://www.cognation.net/asterisk/tellme"><span style='color:black'>http://www.Cognation.net/asterisk/tellme</span></a><br>
<br>
The concept behind this is that there were 20,000 Asterisk servers globally
(now probably closer to 35,000), if Tell Me were able to set up a SIP gateway
that allowed "the little people" to do 'offboard speech recognition
processing' on a low value prepaid basis then there would be sufficient volume
to set up a special channel support team just for the asterisk community and
this whilst initially would require more support, through code reuse and easy
install sample conf files would be a valuable market.<br>
<br>
So long story short, this went back and forward for a while, nothing came out
of it until Tellme announced a joint venture with Skype <a
href="http://www.skype.com/partners/voice/"><span style='color:black'>http://www.skype.com/partners/voice/</span></a>
to do exactly what I was proposing.<br>
<br>
This was just plain dumb because although skype are set up to handle the front
end billing (this is one of the main issues with Tellme setting up a SIP
gateway) no real developer is going to be happy using a skype channel for their
Vxml application.<br>
<br>
Of course they've basically made nothing out of it and the idea for a sip
gateway is still sitting there unrealised BUT... thems the breaks. Besides they
get to work for MS now and become zillionaires.<br>
<br>
Oh and in case anyone out there wants to tell me there is no money to be made
in servicing "the little people" check out how many ITSP's exist in
just north america providing termination services <a
href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Service+Providers+Business+North+America"><span
style='color:black'>http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Service+Providers+Business+North+America</span></a>
the secret is automation from credit card processing to minute allocation to
processing allocation. Get that all sorted and your done, application
stickiness will ensure an ongoing revenue.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Articles linking to the news.<br>
<a href="http://gigaom.com/2007/03/14/microsoft-buys-tellme/"><span
style='color:black'>http://gigaom.com/2007/03/14/microsoft-buys-tellme/</span></a><br>
<br>
Interesting chart in here showing the VC relationships (all told kicked in
$237M over 8 years to get this payoff)<br>
<a
href="http://vcratings.thedealblogs.com/2007/03/tellme_the_next_benchmark_and.php"><span
style='color:black'>http://vcratings.thedealblogs.com/2007/03/tellme_the_next_benchmark_and.php</span></a><br>
<br>
<a
href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/14/microsoft_buys_tellme_networks/"><span
style='color:black'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/14/microsoft_buys_tellme_networks/</span></a><br>
<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Dean <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=post-footer><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";
color:black;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1.2pt'>posted by Dean
Collins at <a
href="http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html"
title="permanent link"><span style='color:black'>11:02 AM</span></a></span><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";
color:black'> <a
href="http://www2.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=18039016&postID=8496663316263171814"><span
style='color:black;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1.2pt'>0 comments</span></a>
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