3Screens

#SURC Remote Is a Universal Remote and iPhone 4 Case All In One

On my most recent trip to Israel I was introduced by my good friend Jeff Pulver to Michail Kalman, a US expat who recently retired and came to live near his parents, also expats.

What was most unusual about this introduction was that Michail, a senior citizen in age turned out to be anything but that. Standing around a bar in Old Jaffa, he proceeded to whip out his iPhone4 and started demonstrating a gadget that at first glance looked like an ordinary case to protect the iPhone.

It became readily apparent that this was no ordinary case, rather a sleek device in the form of a case. He called it the Surc and quickly showed me how Surc with its companion application downloaded from iTunes, enabled the iPhone to function as a fully programmable universal remote control able to replace all my remote controls at home and office and create mini havoc in sports bars or the mall.

 This is not going to be a product review as there are a number of those to be found on the company website (www.getsurc.com), along with photos and many interesting videos.

 What I was interested in and want to relate to you here is the story of how an individual at retirement and no previous experience or interest, became an entrepreneur and founder, or as he calls himself: Worrier-in-Chief for a new enterprise. He had related his story previously to Jeff Pulver who encouraged him to put his story on paper and on video. Jeff liked it so much that he posted it on his blog along with a link to the video that was shot in the garden of one of his co-founders, Lee.

Here is his story, which I am sure you will find as fascinating as did I:

 

The Accidental Entrepreneur - How I ended up with the Only Remote I’ll Ever Need!

Surc came about as a result of some fortuitous events in my recent life.

I recently retired and moved to Israel. Life on the beach with books, movies and music beckoned; After 40+ years of working, I was ready.

My retirement lasted a mere three days, as I met Mr. Uzia Galil, the father of Israel’s High Tech industry, who is still going strong at 85 years young. He convinced me that my experience as a healthcare consultant is needed and that I am too young to retire.

This meeting changed my life irrevocably as I got to meet a number of young inventors, engineers and scientists all over Israel. Consequently I got the Start Up Nation bug and become an entrepreneur and investor, something I never contemplated in my wildest dreams

Around this time, my younger daughter Daphna together with Brian, a highly talented computer engineer from the Caribbean started developing iPhone applications. They asked my advice on how to finance such an enterprise; not being familiar with this I consulted an entrepreneur who told me that the ideas are great and given a business plan he would consider making a seed investment. I was surprised but went home and decided to help them put together a business plan.

During this same time I was looking to buy a universal remote control, to replace the many remotes I was using to watch TV or listen to music. What I found cost over $300 and seemed complicated to set up and use.

I was advised to look for an iPhone application that ought to be simple, inexpensive and take advantage of the sophistication of the iPhone. My cousin, Ramy, the engineer, found that there was no such device out there. Challenged, he started tinkering and a week later showed me a wooden contraption with electronic components that when connected to an iPod was able to turn on a TV, change channels and volume from across the room. I immediately realized that there is a potential product here that could be in great demand.

Ramy explained that the circuit needs to be miniaturized, put into some package and the iPhone needs an application to manage all the functions of a remote control, a good project for my daughter, Brian and for a few of my new found friends in Israel. My curiosity and Start Up Nation bug took over! This seemed like a product I could understand and would invest in. A new company, Mashed Pixel, was born.

Little did I know what I was getting into.

Over the subsequent 18 months we embarked on a project that saw the combined talents and efforts of a number of very smart and hardworking young people in the US and Israel under the guidance of the MFI unit at Apple and under the ever worried frown on my face.

The end result is Surc, an Apple Approved, universal learning remote, recently launched commercially and available on our web site and elsewhere on line and in stores.

So much for my retirement! But I would not trade one second of it.

 

 

 

AT&T's 3G Microcell Really Improves Reception

Two years ago, we (like zillions of other Americans) cut off landline voice service in our home.  Part of the decision to do so was to save money and the fact that my kids never got calls on our "home" line.  If they needed to be reached, their friends would do so on their iPhones.

Being that I work more and more from home, having reliable and quality voice service is important to me for personal and business reasons.  

I know that in giving up a land line, you are going to be dependent on a wireless network.  Even with all the upgrades AT&T has made to its network, there are still times when service fades in and out.

I recently got a 3G Microcell (disclosure - AT&T gave me the device for my use and evaluation).  Yes, the device costs $200, but there are some benefits and ways to pay for the device.  Depending on your plan, you can lower your cellular rate plan fees and switch to a $20 per month service that gives you unlimited minutes via the 3G Microcell.  

Your mileage may vary depending on your plan, the number of minutes you use, and the number of people on your plan (assuming you have a family plan).  

Set up is easy and took about 10 minutes to get everything done.  You do have to wait about 45 to 90 minutes to get your phone(s) to sync and after they are registered, it's full steam ahead with not only quality, but consistently quality service.

It's worth paying a visit to your local AT&T store to learn more.  

The Right To A Consumer SLA (Service Level Agreement)

 Over the last two months, I started to notice a slight degradation of the speed of our Internet service in our house.

We were paying for 6MB of service and getting 2MB or less.

Nothing had really changed in our usage patterns. 

We did not all of a sudden start downloading or uploading huge files. For the most part, it’s usually my daughter and I doing things most people do at home– email, surfing, being on Facebook, and downloading and playing music.

Paying for 6 MB of Service and Getting 2 MB

We were paying for 6 MB service, which I believe is more than ample for 90% of typical homes in the U.S.  Yes, I know you can get plenty more, but if you're family is on a budget, I believe 6 MB is ample.  

Now back to my story....I was hoping that the situation was some type of temporary blip in service.  After testing our speed using Speakeasy.com and Speedtest.net, we were seeing speeds of slight under or slightly above 2 MB.

Clearly, it was time to call AT&T for a service call.

Over the course of one week, I reached out to, and experienced some very well-intentioned team members at AT&T who demonstrated the face of a highly disparate and dysfunctional team of customer service, technical support and technicians who made 8 truck rolls and multiple attempts to finally resolve my service issue and get me back to 6 MB of service.

In all fairness to AT&T, this has not been the norm.  As a rule, any time I have had a service issue, I’ve generally found everyone at every level to be nice, responsive and competent.   And in the last five years of being a U-verse customer, I've rarely had any problems.  The service has been reliable and like any service provider in my area such as TimeWarner or Grande - or those up in the air - such as Dish or DirectTV, AT&T has generally delivered.

This time, it was different. 

When Everything In The Entire Supply Chain of Getting My Service Issue Resolved Broke Down

Through sheer will, multiple calls and posting content documenting what was happening on Facebook, and by trying to communicate with the @ATTCustomerCare people on twitter, and the involvement of some caring people on U-verse social media team, things finally got resolved.

A Happy Ending of Sorts

Being a long time AT&T customer and having been a beta customer for U-verse, I think I have a pretty good take on the company, particularly in its transition from being more than just a phone company.

AT&T is very much like a giant airline.   They are a huge company, there’s lots of moving parts to make this whole thing run, they are highly regulated and being publicly traded, subject to S.E.C. scrutiny as well.  When things screw up, they tend to cascade big time.

If you’ve ever had an airline lose your luggage, bump you from an oversold flight, or served a really horrible meal, I think you’ll catch my drift.  Everyday, the airlines get millions of people safely from point A to point B.  And like he airlines, AT&T serves millions of customers and completes many millions of calls.  So, in all fairness to this epic fail that occured, I saw this more of an insight in to how the company handles service calls and how it resolves major screw ups.

What’s An SLA?

It’s what’s known to businesses as a Service Level Agreement.  In the business world, companies pay a certain rate for a certain level of service on thing like telecommunications, hosting, and tech support.  This is pretty well accepted in the business world, but I don’t think most consumers are even thinking this way.

I spend a lot of time working from home, and like millions of Americans who work or run a business from their home, we too have the right to what I would call a Consumer SLA. 

There is no official consumer (or residential ) “SLA”  to my knowledge.  And to be fair to service providers like AT&T, one might argue to a subsribption model - where you pay for X amount of speed per month for a flat rate may not be the same as have a dedicated switch connected to your businesses.  

Regardelss, when a service provider advertises speeds of X, and you pay Y, you should have the right to get within 90% of what they are advertising.

You know, you pay for 6 MB, 12MB or more. The higher your download speed the more you pay.  Even though it’s the same pipe coming into the home, you pay more by having your service provider open the spigot a bit more for increased speed.

As a Consumer, You Have the Right to Demand the Service You Are Paying For. 

I am hoping others will test their speeds, call their service provider when they don’t get what they are paying for, get the problem resolved or demand a truck roll so the problem can be resovled in person.  Every time a truck roll happens, it costs your service provider money.  Lots of it.   It gets their attention if you are diligent and share your knowledge with your friends and on your social networks.  You can test your speeds from home here or here.

Over the next few weeks, I will be adding more posts expanding this story a bit more.

Get Your Service Provider To Make it Right.

If you are experiencing a service issue, you have a right to get your service provider make it right.  If they can’t get it right over the phone or through remote diagnostics, they have to do what’s called a Truck Roll, meaning they have to send one of their trucks out to your house to fix the problem.  An average truck roll costs about $200, so they more they have to come to your house to make it right, the more it impacts their bottom line.

Watch for more posts to come. 

You have the right to get the level of service you are paying for.

If you have an experience like mine to share chime in.

 This applies not just to AT&T customers, but anyone who depends on a service provider for a certain level of service.

 

 

When Three Screens Become Three Screens Without the TV

This site was originally intended to focus on the disrupting of traditional broadcast TV when AT&T introduced U-verse.

As U-verse became a mainstream offering, I scaled back on my coverage, and shifted to covering the G.hn standard at Everywire.com

Photo shot on the streets of Tel Aviv by me.  Please share and credit.

When 3Screens meant the TV, the desktop and the cell phone.

Something has changed.  Or rather, lots has changed.

1.  Consuming, sharing and creating content may not always involve the big screen - as in your TV.

2.  When I started this blog, the 3rd screen was my cell phone.  No, it was not a smart phone.  It was a pretty crappy cell phone from Motorola or Nokia.  Even when I shifted to using a BlackBerry, you really could not consume rich media as we can today.

3.  The iPhone.  I don't need to pontificate further.  

Be it the iPhone or any Android smart phone, the fact of the matter is that my smartphone is now a viable option for watching broadcast TV.

Oh... when I say "broadcast TV," it's not the kind that comes from the major networks.

It's stuff like watching a special event like TechCrunch Disrupt, Jeff Pulver's #140Conf events (which I work with Jeff on) or a great show like Kevin Pollak's Chat Show, or my Sunday ritual of watching Leo Laporte's Twit - This Week in Technology.

If you want to know what makes these shows run, it's from a company called NewTek, which makes the Tricaster.  

Think of it as a satellite truck in a box.  You connect the Tricaster to a free service like Ustream.tv and then, you're broadcasting on three screens - where you can watch and engage with amazing content on your computer, your smart phone or your tablet.

I am not here to displell any dire predictions of the death of network TV.  I still like watching and viewing moviews and certain shows, in HD, on the big screen.  

I'm finding my own personal tastes changing and evolving as better quality content that is not on traditional TV is certainly coming into its own.

 

3Screens Has Moved -

 

3Screens has moved over to a Posterous Blog site. 

In time, I will forward this URL. For now, mosey on over to 3Screens.posterous.com and see what's up.

Google TV is way cool, but it ain't middleware - yet.

Before we all jump up and down for joy over Google TV, let's take a quick reality check here.  

There is more to bringing true IPTV from AT&T into the home than having a Google browser and a keyboard.   There's a ton of plumbing and smarts that goes into the middleware that runs the home network and provides for compelling features such as Whole Home DVR.  

I don't want to speculate on what's coming, and I'm all for innovation, but before you call your service provider to cancel your satellite, cable or telephony based TV service, stand by until we see what OEMs will be bringing into the home and if the same or better experience of true HD, 5.1 audio and true wired home networking has been thought through and brought to market.

Comcast shows prototype - making the iPad a way cool Remote Control

This is a great application of integrating the iPad as a remote.  Mind you, it's a prototype, and illustrates where this could go...They are calling i the Xfinity Remote. 

The application is simple, easy-to-use and makes it easy to discover content and even chat with friends and share recommendations – making it a truly “social remote,” integrated with existing social networks. 

Read more on the Comcast blog here.

No, I have not gone away.... here's what's next

I have been absent from 3Screens for a while. 

No excuses here - but some reasoning:

1.  Most of my focus has been on U-verse.  It was very compelling when it was first launched because AT&T was the first operator in the U.S. to do real IPTV.  

Without being a fan boy, I think they have done a great job in executing.  Sure, along the way there have been hick-ups, but anytime there was a problem, their customer support on the phone and when they showed up in person was first rate.  So way to go, AT&T.

I also thought it was interesting that AT&T was in the process of reinventing itself.

Other than making slight improvements there was not much more to write about, so I purposely scaled back coverage. 

2.  The other reason for not posting is that aside from my day job, I have also been populating another blog, Everywire, where I am writing about the vision of the wired home network - specifically, the new ITU standard, G.hn.

Moving forward, I am trying to look at what's ahead, particularly for U-verse.  Here's a preview from my Everywire blog.  Microsoft provides AT&T with the "middleware" the stuff that makes the interface pretty, let's you go through the menu, etc.  Think of it as being the Operating System for your IPTV.  The "Contoso" name you see is a made up brand.  AT&T and other operators around the world can take all or just selected feature sets from Microsoft's Media Room offering.  

Now in San Antonio - 40 MBPS (But not from AT&T)

Regional broadband provider, GVTC Communications has just announced that it will now be offering 40 Mbps Internet service, the fastest broadband speed available in South Texas.

While they are not on the size or scale of AT&T, (they have about 31,000 residential and businesses lots connected to GVTC’s all-fiber network) it's compelling to see and ask why AT&T did not step things up a bit when they just announced 24 MBPS service in my area. 

It's pretty obvious that bandwidth hungry consumers use broadband connections for high-bandwidth applications like accessing HD video, playing online games and working remotely from home. Many connect multiple home computers and media devices to a single network connection, sharing it between users.

With GVTC’s new 40 Mbps service, customers will be able to download a standard-definition movie (2 GB) in less than a minute. The service’s 10 Mbps upload speed will let users share large media files, from digital photo albums to complex business presentations, in just seconds.

There is a consumer offering starting at $89.95 monthly as part of a bundled package and a business offering - $209.95 monthly as part of a bundle with a term contract.  I suspect many home based businesses who are in GVTC's service area will jump on this.  And for gamers and solo developers, this is a speed dream come true - and a sign of things to come.

In the company's press release, they also take a swipe at AT&T -  by citing "rival communications providers utilize older copper wires for the “last mile” of their networks, choking their ability to offer comparable speeds. Many also have a shared network infrastructure, meaning users’ speeds slow as additional people in their neighborhood log on."

This sounds good in PR speak but the realities are that not everyone is going to be able to have fiber to the home.  

Regardless, it's good to see innovation continuing and not always coming from the original phone company.  Kudos to GVTC for stepping things up a bit.

 

I

A collective $700,000,000 savings (not a misprint) by following what I do on my AT&T bill.

Yes, you can get a discount from AT&T (and from other service providers) if you just ask, and manage your account by making sure that when your offers expire, you call them back to re-new or re-negotiate new offers.  

Doing this was documented last January when I was on Good Morning America demonstrating how this is done.

On December 8, one of my U-Verse discounts expired, so I called the phone company again to re-new.  So now I am good until June 13, 2010.  This will go in my calendar and I will call them yet again on the 14th of June, 2010 and do the same dance.

On January 6, 2010 another one of my discounts expires, so I will call them back on the 7th of January to see what they will do to work with me.

I really like AT&T as a company and I love U-verse.   

No, I don't want to switch to cable or satellite, or for that matter to Hulu mostly because I really do like the experience of watching live TV and doing so in HD on a nice home theater system.

$10 x 2 = $20 = $260 per year in savings.  Add in another 33% to gross up for taxes and that's another $85.  Add it all up and that comes to $350 just for picking up the phone, spending 5 minutes 4 times a year and doing this dance.

$10 per month may not be a big deal to one person, but if you had 2,000,000 customers (AT&T has more than 2,000,000 U-verse customers) that comes to a $700,000,000 savings in gross dollars.

Even if you don't need or miss the $10 per month, do something good with the money. 

Manage this savings and give the $350.00 to someone in need - maybe a charity that was obliterated by Madoff.  Maybe someone less fortunate than you.  Maybe your local PBS station, your church, mosque, or synagogue.

Or, if you are not in the giving mood, take someone you love out for an amazing dinner, a night or two in a nice hotel. 

It's the little things that add up, and just by calling the phone company, you can save like I do.