It was another major week of news in web-based real time communications (WebRTC), and that meant there was plenty to go over this week. With the weekend now in our hands, it's a great time to settle in and run down some of the biggest events to hit in a week jam-packed with news, which is just what we'll do with our Week in Review coverage.
First came word from the ATIS Cloud Services Forum, who made the announcement that it had carried out a large quantity of interoperability tests on several different video conferencing solutions geared toward the cloud. Firms like AT&T, Verizon, Cisco, Polycom, and Microsoft were all involved in the testing, and ATIS' study shows that there's plenty of room in the sector for interactions between users over the various platforms available. But it was about a lot more than video conferencing, ATIS revealed, as content sharing, encryption systems and more could all come into play.
Second came an exciting new report from Plantronics, who revealed a new line of UC hardware products, along with a line of software applications complete with contextual awareness, all geared toward improving the integration of WebRTC into its systems. For instance, Plantronics' Voyager Legend UC headset not only works with a variety of devices but even includes a Smart Sensor that works when the headset is put on. The Calisto 620 speakerphone can offer connection with multiple devices on a Bluetooth connection system, further allowing for more WebRTC integration.
Twilio brought in the next bit of news, as we saw it bring out SIP from Twilio, a service geared toward offering support and new options for enterprise users who have SIP in their calling systems. While SIP has a clear use in voice systems, it also has uses as a video delivery system as well, making it a possibility that Twilio has a video offering waiting in the wings. SIP from Twilio is still a little short on functionality—at last report it only works on incoming voice calls—but future augmentations will bring outbound calling to the service as well.
Next, we had a closer look at Andy Rubin, the Android operating system, and the addition of Chrome to the mix, which will in turn likely bring WebRTC to Android devices. Android represents perhaps the only true competitor to Apple, with BlackBerry and Windows Phone also in the mix. But bringing in Chrome could kick off many challenges in its wake, challenges that, if not properly handled, may reduce Android's stake in the market and give hungry challengers the chance to step up.
Finally, we had a look at a video chat recently conducted between a Nexus tablet on Android and a MacBook Air laptop. The idea that Google and Apple could be seen playing nice in such a fashion might be considered outlandish to some, but with WebRTC, it's not only possible, it's being done. The implications of such a successful chat are varied and certainly noteworthy, and pose a variety of exciting possibilities for both the near-term and the far-flung future.
Google and Apple playing nice, Andy Rubin's legacy, and a host of new products add up to make a huge week in the WebRTC sector as we know it. With our global online community constantly in the hunt for news to bring back, there's lots of reason to stick around. Be sure to join us back here next week for all the freshest news in the sector, and of course, every weekend to wrap it all up in our Week in Review coverage!
