TelePresence

Can This Broken Robot Help Save Cisco Systems?

Arik Hesseldahl in News on January 22 at 9:00 pm PT

A new advertising campaign aims to help Cisco Systems reintroduce itself to its customers, and remind them what it does best.

The Video Conferencing Business Just Got Interesting

Arik Hesseldahl in Enterprise on June 8, 2011 at 5:45 am PT

Just as the office video conferencing business was getting good for Cisco Systems and Polycom, a start-up called Vidyo aims to turn it upside down.

Cisco Drops Price of Home Video-Calling System

Cari Tuna, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on March 8, 2011 at 12:00 am PT

Cisco Systems has cut the price of its umi video-calling system for consumers, a flashy offering released in October to great fanfare–and widespread criticism about how much it cost. The network-equipment giant on Monday said it is reducing the price of the existing umi system to $499 from $599, and introduced a $399 version with reduced high-definition resolution that requires a slower Internet connection.

Cisco Makes a Push in Office Video, While Its Switching Business Is Under Attack

Arik Hesseldahl in Enterprise on February 24, 2011 at 8:26 am PT

Investor confidence in Cisco Systems hasn’t yet come back after it offered an outlook that disappointed analysts. However, CEO John Chambers has high hopes for its video business, and the company unveiled some new products today.

Video: BoomTown Gets a Taste of Umi and Chomps into Cisco Execs Too!

Kara Swisher in News on October 7, 2010 at 5:16 am PT

Yesterday, BoomTown dragged my weary bag of bones to downtown San Francisco for the unboxing of a new consumer telepresence product from Cisco called Umi. The networking giant is making yet another big foray into the competitive space for, well, space in the living room. At the event, Cisco dubbed Umi as sweet as chocolate. Is it?

Like BoomTown Said: Cisco Announces "Umi" Consumer Telepresence

Kara Swisher in News on October 6, 2010 at 9:37 am PT

In a post last week, BoomTown wrote that Cisco would introduce a consumer telepresence product. It did today at San Francisco at a press event. It is called, inexplicably, ?mi telepresence. I’ll be honest, it sounds like sushi I refuse to eat. In any case, Cisco’s entry into the crowded consumer video-chat arena will be $599 with $24.99 monthly fee and can be used with a high-definition television.

Wednesday Is Prince Spaghetti Day in Silicon Valley

Kara Swisher in News on October 6, 2010 at 8:15 am PT

Hey, geeks and anyone named Anthony! Today is a special day for tech rollouts, it seems. So don’t be late, because whatever Google, Cisco and Facebook are serving up might be as tasty as a delicious plate of pasta. Or not!

Cisco to Unveil an Affordable Home TelePresence Product for Consumers Next Week

Kara Swisher in News on September 29, 2010 at 3:01 am PT

Cisco, the networking giant, is making yet another big step into the consumer space, with the introduction next week of an inexpensive home telepresence product for personal use. Consumer or Home TelePresence, sources said, might be launched with Comcast and Verizon. It is not clear if AT&T is involved. The cost for a small unit is reportedly around $200, but that price will be heavily subsidized. Another source said a $500 price point was also possible with fewer hooks.

Cisco Does Doobies–So What's Next in the Consumer Space?

Kara Swisher in News on September 28, 2010 at 8:15 am PT

Yesterday, BoomTown made a brief stop at what felt like an underground bunker in a hotel in San Francisco to see the Doobie Brothers. Yes, the legendary band of indelible hit songs such as “Black Water” and “China Grove” and misspent youth way, way back in the day. Except the band, which was founded in San Jose, Calif., in 1970, was performing in a Cisco studio down south in Silicon Valley to telepresence-launch its first album in a decade, called “World Gone Crazy.”