Don't forget about VoIP!

I know we're all waiting breathlessly (you can breath! remember to breath!) for the Apple iPad/iTab/table computer announcement, but we thought it would be good to remember that a lot of the tech we take for granted is still looking for mass adoption and refinement. Chief among them is VoIP telephony. Danie Crowther, a partner at consulting firm Deloitte, sees mobile VoIP as a big gainer in 2010.

“The rising adoption of mobile VOIP services could cause a fundamental rise in expectations as to what mobile voice can do.”

Google Voice has been kind of backended onto the iPhone, and Android (in Nexus One and Droid flavors) seems poised to keep mobile telephone technology in the forefront of people's minds. According to Crowther, mobile VoIP could be a $30 billion global business within three years. I'm willing to bet that's a lot more money than the Apple iTable is going earn. It's just something to keep in mind: Our core technologies--email, voice, Internet--may be delivered via ever and more impressive technologies, but they're still the star of the show. VoIP isn't as sexy as it used to be, but it's still a growing technology.

Cisco Networkers Live 2010

If you're looking to sharpen your Cisco training, network with leading IT professionals, and learn a heck of a lot, then you should check out Cisco Networkers 2010. The event is being held in Barcelona! You can check out some registration information here.

The Cisco Keynote will be delivered by Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President, Emerging Technologies Group. Marthin was one of the main creative minds behind development of technologies such as Cisco TelePresence, TelePresence Exchange Services, Digital Media Systems, Media Processing, Video Surveillance Systems, and Converged Building Systems.

There will also be a Guest Keynote from Professor Bruce Thomas. Thomas is the Director of the Wearable Computer Laboratory at the University of South Australia. His talk will focus on augmented reality technology, including head-mounted displays and virtual retina displays.

It's probably a long trek for most readers, but if you're company has a fresh training budget, you might want to get away to Barcelona from 25 January to 28 January and enjoy a change of scene and some great Cisco training.