Mindblowing applications...
Every few years, there are consumer software applications that just amaze you by their capabilities. Skype and BitTorrent are two such applications. I have been using both for a while and am amazed by their potential to change complete industries.
Just when people thought VoIP phones couldn't be improved much, Skype has telecom players in cold sweat. I use Skype to speak to my family in India almost every day for almost half an hour. And so do many of my friends. When I add up the numbers, I realize it has a significant impact on my pocketbook. (Especially when the cheapest long distance provider costs 13 cents a minute). In fact, when I want to speak to people within school, I prefer using Skype than using the phone (though the phone is also free). Skype is so much more convenient. Now, if Skype starts charging a small monthly tariff for the software, I am sure there are millions like me who will be happy to pay for it. The software is so well built, I can transfer a Gig of data through the send file feature. On Yahoo messenger, I think twice before sending a 1 Mb file!
BitTorrent is another application I expect to shake up industries. If Kazaa made the MPAA and RIAA cringe, BitTorrent is worse. While I do not advocate downloading pirated files, I cannot help but admire the elegance of the software. It took a really long time to go from ripped MP3's to legal music downloads. I hope the movie industry doesn't take as long to harness the potential of the internet to make watching movies easier for everybody. A few weeks ago, Wired had a nice article on how music download has changed the choice available to consumers. We don't need to be forced into the Top 40 world and can access whatever music we like. Now, if the same phenomenon repeats in movies, life would be so much better.
I will be happy to hear any comments about your experiences with Skype/BitTorrent. I have removed the comments feature from the blog since it was on its way to becoming a nuisance.
So, the best way to let me know your thoughts is to mail me at tagad dot tale at gmail dot com. Like they say in marketing - nothing like connecting directly to your consumers :)
posted by Tagad_Tale @ 2:27 PM
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