Business Phone System Reviews | SE Telecom

A month ago, The first generation Flip MinoHD, a pocket sized digital video camera, was dominating a market with only a few other competitors. Now, after launching the second generation of the device, the Flip is likely to only reinforce their top position.

The original Flip MinoHD more-or-less created the pocket-sized digital video recorder market, offering a product that was inexpensive, easy to use, extremely portable, and a snap to transfer between other computers. In the way that pocket-sized digital cameras changed the way people shoot pictures, the Flip did the same for video.

Other companies, such as Kodak, tried to piggy-back the Flip’s success, but no one could usurp it from ultra-portable digital video recorder’s top spot. Now, with a second generation that launched in the US last winter, and again in Canada this month, Flip is looking to strike back and build on their advantage.

The new Flip has a larger display (it’s now 2 inches), as well as a brighter screen that has better resolution and is more clear under direct light. The new design is similar, albeit a little sleeker and more rounded on the corners. And the device now comes with a HDMI output, allowing users to watch videos directly on a big-screen TV without first transferring it to a computer.

The new Flip stays pat shooting 720p instead of 1080p, a distinction that only matters to some of the more advanced gear-heads. The price too has stayed pretty consistent – it’s now $239.99. Clearly, with a relatively similar albeit upgraded model, Flip is going with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach that’s worked well for companies like, among others, Apple.

The question that faces the new Flip MinoHD now, however, is whether the portable digital video recorder market that they top will continue to thrive like it is currently. As more smart phones are starting to shoot HD quality video, and people start to use their smart phones for more and more uses, even the best sole-purpose video shooter may become obsolete.

The challenge for the Flip going forward, then, may not just be leading the market they more-or-less created. It may be keeping the market relevant in the first place.

INQ, a U.K. upstart, just pushed out a brand new cell phone. This new phone goes by the name of the INQ Chat 3G. You can find this new device at Koodo and Telus. Don’t go running to the store for a sweet new smart phone just yet.

The INQ Chat 3G targets the 16-to-25 age groups. INQ believes this group to be the premier target for the INQ Chat 3G. This is due to the INQ Chat 3G being a phone designed around social media. This new phone includes apps to easily connect to social media services like Facebook and Twitter.

Why did INQ market this new cell phone to the younger crowd? INQ believes the INQ Chat 3G is cheap enough to appeal to this age group. Most of the people in this age group rely heavily on social media. INQ is hoping to cash in on this niche.

INQ also believes this lower priced phone will make a big impact due to cost. Their target audience is at a point where smart phones might cost too much, yet the customers want social connectivity with friends and family.

INQ is using this phone as a way to break into the Canadian cell phone market. INQ has plans to bring higher end phones to Canada over the next year. The hopes and dreams are that INQ will become a major player in the Canadian cell phone market.

One question that lingers here is what INQ has to offer that so many other cell phone manufacturers already provide. Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola all produce phones that offer up the same kind of connectivity as the INQ Chat 3G.

The other issue arises in the dwindling cost of smart phones. Smart phones are dropping in price every year. If INQ can create a niche for its products, it is sure to succeed. At this point, INQ has a long hard road ahead of them.

A phone sitting on the desk has been the primary mode for communication for decades. This one device has been on people’s desks almost as long as the pen and paper. Sadly, the desktop phone is slowly losing its grip as a staple for desk decoration everywhere.

The desktop phone has seen its fair share of tweaks and upgrades. The latest upgrade has been to IP based phones. These phones provide a greater amount of information, while taking up little to no more space than previous analog phones. Sadly, IP desktop phones have taken a severe downturn in sales.

Just how bad are the numbers? Revenues for IP based phones declined by an amazing 26.5 percent. That comes out to $1.89 billion in revenue. Still a good chunk of change, but quite a bit lower than it was last year.

There are many factors playing into this decline. The economy is easy to point a finger at. IP phones carry a substantial cost. All that technology requires a lot of R&D funding.

Another factor is a movement to eradicate the desktop phone that started back in 2008. This movement has only grown with UC, mobility, and PC softphone vendors growing in size.

PC softphones and UC clients saw rapid growth in 2009. Total shipments of these devices had a 362 percent increase in one year. That equates to right around 12 million units shipped. The biggest company taking advantage of this shift is Avaya. Perhaps all that mass marketing and partnerships are beginning to really pay off for Avaya.

That desktop phone is unlikely to leave your desk anytime soon. It has been a faithful companion for many years. Yet, there is change looming on the horizon. Cell phones in particular are becoming the lifeblood of how business is done. The move to PC softphones is another notch on the desktop phone coffin.