Surprisingly, Madhu Yarlagadda has left the Skype too because of these negative and inappropriate comments flowing in for him on TechCrunch. Its been just one month when he joined the key position at Skype. This is one of unique case on web where a high profile and key position holding employee leave the company because of comments he read on a blog. However as per a company spokesman from Skype, Madhu Yarlagadda has left the company for personal reasons.

More Surprisingly, TechCrunch made it more worse by posting another post and this time posted by founder of the TechCrunch, Michael Arrington, quoting that one commentator also said, (although I couldn’t able to find this particular comment in all the comments thread of controversial post) -

Like many others, I received an email from Madhu yesterday pleading for me to write a positive testimony of his work on this website. I never liked him and am surprised he didn’t pick that up in our interactions. Maybe he just emailed everyone he still knows at Yahoo! I can’t say we had many negative interactions together but his reputation as a politicker was well known and so I stayed far away from him.

As per CrunchBase, TechCrunch’s own sibling website profiling people and start-ups – “Madhu served as founder, president and CEO of MyQuest, Inc., a real-time messaging company acquired by Yahoo in 1999, then started his career at Yahoo! in 1999 as the GM for Yahoo! Mobile (1999 to 2003). He was responsible for developing operations and management of Yahoo! Mobile strategy to extend Yahoo beyond the desktop. Under his lead Yahoo! mobile grew to being the most popular mobile designation across 18 countries.”

Michael Arrington, founder of the TechCrunch has been listed in world’s 100 most influential people of year 2008 by Time magazine, however rather than making the situation evenly poised he has pointed out comment that again glimpsing something negative about Madhu Yarlagadda as if Michael is in support of negative comments and he is making sure to rotten down an individual reputation. Seems the first post of Leena Rao to Michael Arrington’s was more on side of cheap journalism and irresponsible behavior.

Its being said that Madhu Yarlagadda’s wife is planning to file a law suit against TechCrunch. Michael Arrington on this whole situation and one of a unique controversy on web said -

I’m not very pleased that any of this happened. We spend a lot of time moderating comments and generally try to remove random negative stuff about individuals. But in this case the outpouring of negativity was detailed and overwhelming. And the threat of legal action ensured that we weren’t going to do anything very quickly about it. It’s just a bad situation all around.

What Michael is saying through his post from above excerpt and what he is projecting is different from each other. I would personally suggest him to be more responsible and think twice when it comes to an individual reputation and try to make situation evenly poised rather than being so defensive that you downgrade and mishandle one’s reputation.

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The newer version of Skype is offering free group video calling feature to its Windows users, but may soon (in three to four months) start charging for it. According to the Skype Blog, “Group video calling is just one in a set of new premium features you’ll see us roll out during 2010. We haven’t set prices for these premium features yet, but rest assured that we’re still absolutely committed to bringing you free voice and two-way video calling.”

Currently, Skype’s software offers a wide range of free services, which includes voice or video and instant messages. The users only have to pay for making calls from a PC to a cell phone.
Earlier this year, Skype Ltd. had released cheaper rates for 170 countries, which has brought about 60 percent savings on calls made to landlines and cell phones.

For more information click here

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The service requires no credit card info and not even software download are necessary. You just need a Skype account, select the city where you want the “Online Number” (there are currently more than 100 options), and Ring2Skype sends that Online number to your email.

An online number is your own online personal telephone number people can call you on, but which you answer directly on your Skype. With an online number friends who aren’t using Skype can reach you by dialing your online number – you receive and answer the call in Skype no matter where in the world you are.

Although the service is still in beta mode, Ring2Skype works flawlessly and quite worthy service for off-shore offices, small businesses with global clients and even families with their love ones abroad.

Allthewhile, I am waiting to get the service for India as well !!

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With over 2 billion people in the world identifying English, Chinese or Spanish as their first language, Moka is providing mobile language translation and learning solutions in support of both the consumer and business markets for an increasingly borderless world. Having recently partnered with China Mobile to bring its mobile language translation service to the Chinese market, Moka is now expanding its reach across new markets and communication platforms with Moka Chat for Skype.

Using Moka Chat, English-speaking Skype users can now easily send translated text messages to Chinese or Spanish Skype buddies, enhancing their Skype experience while at the same time improving their language skills. In addition, Moka Chat for Skype enables users to send translated SMS text messages using Skype’s built-in text messaging service.

Moka Chat for Skype is now available for free during the beta period and can be downloaded from http://www.moka.com. After downloading and installing the Moka Chat for Skype application and selecting a language pair, users can easily enable real-time language translation for any text messaging conversation with anyone on their Skype buddy list. Because it allows the user to see both the original and translated text every time a message is sent, Moka Chat is also a powerful language learning tool. Moka’s learning-while-chatting feature makes language learning fun and interactive for all Skype users.

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Answer - That works only over net-enabled PCs. You couldn’t terminate internet telephony calls on fixed and mobile networks and vice-versa. Now TRAI newest recommendation has now made it possible to do so.

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has broken the ice finally after all that scrutiny over illegal Internet telephony in India in last year’s October when big names such as Skype, Google, Net2Phone has to go under scrutiny and alleged of 10 million minutes of illegal net telephony without any license.

On 12th of May TRAI released a 12 questions consultation paper on “Issues related to Internet Telephony”, which needs to replied by the stake holders, example of various countries and background of Internet Telephony in India. The question relates to whether ISPs should be permitted net Telephony services to land-line phones within India, what would be implication and Interconnections between computers and land-line/ mobile phones.

On Aug 18 TRAI come with detail recommendation i.e. conclusion to permit Internet telephony to ISPs with permission to provide Internet telephony calls to PSTN/PLMN and vice-versa within country along with necessary amendments made in the license provisions.

TRAI in its recommendation interprets to provide end-users in country the innovative and cost effective services. Due importance have been given to level playing filed among various service providers, Interconnection mechanism, Interconnect usage charges (IUC), Numbering, Lawful interception, Emergency number dialing, Interoperability, Quality of Service etc.

Now calling relatives/ friends abroad will be just for Re 1 to 2 per minute, a sharp drop from the present average of Rs 7/minute. National long distance rates could drop to 30-50 paise per minute, against Rs 1-2 at present. And local calls could be virtually free, at just about 30 paise per minute, against today’s Re 1.

Major Internet Telephony/ VoIP Resources in India

Yahoo Voice, Net2Phone, Packet8, Go2Call, Lingo and will look forward to see more such products and services in India after such new major recommendation for Internet Telephony and VoIP phenomena in India and noticeably Skype reaction towards this.

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One can use it like an ordinary mobile Phone and can also make free calls although to Skype-to-Skype calls only and send instant messages as well. Skype-phone user has to top-up (recharge what we call in India) after every 30 days.

Hutchisson’s ’3′ unit operates mobile phone networks in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K., although Hutch, the market of whom is now acquired by Vodafone in India, the launch of Skype-Phone in India cant be figure out as when would Skype see India as one of the market of their latest released product.

The recent scrutiny faced by Skype in India over free Internet PC-o-PC call service might have something to do with India not being considered as one of their Skype-phone market along with norms and policies for same in India, which still in infancy stage for such products and services.

The launch of Skype-Phone is seen as a launch closer to Google’s much more anticipated GPhone, which every now and then is being rumored to launch in a week or two but still Gphone is expected to launch worldwide by the end of November.

Skype which is being acquired by Ebay has launched this product to increase their revenue, which is said to be over-priced when got acquired.

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Internet Service Providers Associations of India (ISPAI) are alleging that internet companies mentioned above are eating market share of Indian companies and thats too illegaly i.e. without any licensed net telephony services. ISPs also allege that voice chat through Google, MSN and Yahoo is resulting in revenue leak for the government.

Internet telephony, estimated at 200 million minutes a month in which use of illegal net telephony without valid license is estimated at 10 million minutes a month.

ISPAI had alleged that an ISP licence or a unified access services licence (UASL) is required to provide Internet telephony, which these companies do not possess.

However, MSN and Yahoo denies such claims by putting a point that they offer free service so levying a service tax through licencing is not an issue anymore.

In India, companies like Skype, Vonage, Packet 8, Go2call, Lingo, Impetus, Dialpad and Net2Phone have been offering unlicenced net telephony services, which is mostly illegal. If they don’t opt for a licence the government should block them,” said ISPAI president Rajesh Chharia.

The director general, Central Excise Intelligence, has written to ISPAI, directing it to furnish the local addresses and overseas offices of firms provinding Internet telephony service, with details of revenues and major service receivers.

References – ISPAI.in

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