GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - View Single Post - The Ojo is OUT! Motorola started taking orders 30 minutes ago

azguy · 04-20-2005, 07:17 PM

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...05-478555.html

Hello, Ojo
By CRISSA SHOEMAKER
Bucks County Courier Times

Meet Ojo.

Ojo is the latest offering in a world of instant communication, a real-time personal videophone that will allow users to connect with others around the world.

It's also the product that has saved Bensalem-based WorldGate Communications from disaster.

The sleek and futuristic-looking Ojo (pronounced OH-joe) will be distributed under a deal with Motorola, based in Horsham. Mass production started this week.

Ojo is 20 years in the making, starting with the vision of WorldGate founder and CEO Hal Krisbergh.

"I always had a dream of video telephony," said Krisbergh, who headed Motorola's broadband division for 11 years.

In 1995 Krisbergh left Motorola and founded WorldGate. The new company was to develop products that would provide Internet services through cable, like Web TV. But the concept never took off, and by 2002 it was clear the company was failing.

"We were in a nosedive," Krisbergh said. "We pulled it out just in time, but we could smell the grass."

WorldGate pulled out of its downward spiral by liquidating all of its assets and investing everything into developing the videophone concept.

"WorldGate went through this metamorphosis, caterpillar to butterfly," Krisbergh said.

The time, it turns out, was right. Technology had improved to the point where it was possible to send video feeds zooming across the Internet in no more than a sixth of a second.

Gone are the choppy images and the lip synching that make video feeds look like a badly dubbed kung fu movie. Ojo also allows users to take photographs and store them to create a picture caller ID.

"Motorola is all about delivering consumer experiences. Ojo delivers an unbelievable consumer experience," said Bill Birnie, Motorola's Ojo product manager. "It takes communication to a different level. Our whole focus is about enriching people's lives through the product you bring to the marketplace."

Ojo is available for pre-order through Motorola and will be shipped in early May. It will start appearing in "boutique electronic stores" early next month as well, Birnie said. It will retail for $799 although pre-orders will get a discount, Birnie said. Unlimited video calling costs $14.95 a month.

"Nobody in the world can do this yet, can deliver a consumer personal videophone with this experience, with this level of quality," Birnie said. "We've got the latest, state-of-the-art technology here. This thing is easy to use but there's a lot of advanced technology inside it."

Ojo will work as a videophone only when both people have them. Otherwise, it will work as a regular telephone. The video doesn't automatically turn on, so it won't catch anyone by surprise.

Fans of the Fox television show "24" will recognize Ojo as the videophone employees of the fictional Counter Terrorism Unit use to communicate with each other.

Since the first Ojo call was placed a little more than a year ago, the phones have connected members of the military serving in the Middle East with their families in the United States. Even President Bush has Ojoed, a term Motorola is trying to introduce into the technical lexicon.

But Krisbergh stresses the human side of Ojo. He uses it to talk to family members. One of the company's engineers can now talk to his deaf sister by sign language.

When people tell him they'd rather not see the person they're talking to, Krisbergh said he refuses to believe them. Often, people cry the first time they use the videophone to speak to someone they haven't seen in years, he said.

"For 125 years, we've talked two-way on voice and got so used to it nobody bothered to say how much we missed seeing who we're talking to," he said.

Krisbergh said he is happy simply to say that WorldGate was the first to produce a high-quality videophone. He said he expects competition to come quickly. But he said his company's turnaround will continue as videophones take hold in homes and businesses around the world.

"We're at the mountain," Krisbergh said. "Now it's time to climb."

04-20-2005, 07:17 PM
azguy Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 5,167	http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...05-478555.html Hello, Ojo By CRISSA SHOEMAKER Bucks County Courier Times Meet Ojo. Ojo is the latest offering in a world of instant communication, a real-time personal videophone that will allow users to connect with others around the world. It's also the product that has saved Bensalem-based WorldGate Communications from disaster. The sleek and futuristic-looking Ojo (pronounced OH-joe) will be distributed under a deal with Motorola, based in Horsham. Mass production started this week. Ojo is 20 years in the making, starting with the vision of WorldGate founder and CEO Hal Krisbergh. "I always had a dream of video telephony," said Krisbergh, who headed Motorola's broadband division for 11 years. In 1995 Krisbergh left Motorola and founded WorldGate. The new company was to develop products that would provide Internet services through cable, like Web TV. But the concept never took off, and by 2002 it was clear the company was failing. "We were in a nosedive," Krisbergh said. "We pulled it out just in time, but we could smell the grass." WorldGate pulled out of its downward spiral by liquidating all of its assets and investing everything into developing the videophone concept. "WorldGate went through this metamorphosis, caterpillar to butterfly," Krisbergh said. The time, it turns out, was right. Technology had improved to the point where it was possible to send video feeds zooming across the Internet in no more than a sixth of a second. Gone are the choppy images and the lip synching that make video feeds look like a badly dubbed kung fu movie. Ojo also allows users to take photographs and store them to create a picture caller ID. "Motorola is all about delivering consumer experiences. Ojo delivers an unbelievable consumer experience," said Bill Birnie, Motorola's Ojo product manager. "It takes communication to a different level. Our whole focus is about enriching people's lives through the product you bring to the marketplace." Ojo is available for pre-order through Motorola and will be shipped in early May. It will start appearing in "boutique electronic stores" early next month as well, Birnie said. It will retail for $799 although pre-orders will get a discount, Birnie said. Unlimited video calling costs $14.95 a month. "Nobody in the world can do this yet, can deliver a consumer personal videophone with this experience, with this level of quality," Birnie said. "We've got the latest, state-of-the-art technology here. This thing is easy to use but there's a lot of advanced technology inside it." Ojo will work as a videophone only when both people have them. Otherwise, it will work as a regular telephone. The video doesn't automatically turn on, so it won't catch anyone by surprise. Fans of the Fox television show "24" will recognize Ojo as the videophone employees of the fictional Counter Terrorism Unit use to communicate with each other. Since the first Ojo call was placed a little more than a year ago, the phones have connected members of the military serving in the Middle East with their families in the United States. Even President Bush has Ojoed, a term Motorola is trying to introduce into the technical lexicon. But Krisbergh stresses the human side of Ojo. He uses it to talk to family members. One of the company's engineers can now talk to his deaf sister by sign language. When people tell him they'd rather not see the person they're talking to, Krisbergh said he refuses to believe them. Often, people cry the first time they use the videophone to speak to someone they haven't seen in years, he said. "For 125 years, we've talked two-way on voice and got so used to it nobody bothered to say how much we missed seeing who we're talking to," he said. Krisbergh said he is happy simply to say that WorldGate was the first to produce a high-quality videophone. He said he expects competition to come quickly. But he said his company's turnaround will continue as videophones take hold in homes and businesses around the world. "We're at the mountain," Krisbergh said. "Now it's time to climb."