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Microsoft Lync Mobile Running on Everything

Just this morning a colleague showed me that he had Microsoft Lync Mobile running on an HP TouchPad (rooted running Android of course) and I got the idea to post a blog of photos of Lync Mobile running on everything!

You can help by sending your photos via twitter post @matthewlandis and I’ll add new entries here. A couple devices to “prime the pump”…

HP TouchPad (Running Android)

HTC_HD7WP_000214

Samsung Focus (Windows Phone)

2011-12-12 13-34-22_550_thumb[7]

Samsung Galaxy IIS (Android)

WP_000220

iPad

WP_000223

Asus Transformer (Courtesy: @Triumfas)

convertable

Who Can Federate Tool Coming to Windows Phone Soon #lync #wp7 #windowsphone

Our WCF Tool for Windows makes it one click to see which of your Contacts in Outlook could be Lync/OCS enabled. It has been in demand: nearly 1,000 downloads in a little over a month. This is a big achievement for us and, to keep the momentum, we decided to bring the Who Can Federate Tool to the Windows Phone platform.

We decided to do this for several reasons:

  1. Excellent little tool to have in your pocket for those moments when a client or colleague wonders if so-and-so organization can Lync. This is a feature that PC version does not have. (basically a good way to see if a company is anybody {grin})
  2. Windows Phone consolidates more Contacts into one list than any other place I know
  3. Finally, and biggest business case: I wanted the challenge of writing a Windows Phone app. {another grin}

The first release of the Windows Phone edition will have some slightly different functionality than the PC version:

  • A simple way to check a single domain you type in for Lync-ability
  • You can email the list of Lync-able contacts to your PC with hot URL to test for yourself if they are open (if by arrangement this obviously must be done first)
  • Will entirely depend on the Lync Federation Directory Project domain list--No DNS lookups at the moment.

We have all the tough, behind the scenes code done. Now we will smooth the UI, make a slick logo, more testing and go through app submission process. Keep on eye on this blog for the release, or go and grab the PC WCF Tool right now!

splash screenreturned with menuscan completesmall icontask switcher2tile

Wish You a Happy Christmas!

I’m ready to hang it up and head out for the holiday and wanted to say “Merry Christmas!” before heading out. I hope each one of you a very Happy Christmas.

joseph-mary

One of the things I like to do over Christmas holiday is read the “original” Christmas story. In my perusing I came across this recording (by Max McLean) which you might like. Here is the link

And finally, the words of a very famous carol:

God rest you merry Gentlemen!
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Saviour,
Was born on Christmas-day;
To save our souls from Satan's power,
Which long time had gone astray:
This brings Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

Eagle Eye from Polycom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyijAUsNsNg&feature=related

#Lync User QuickTip #15: Adding VoIP Calling to Lync Mobile for iOS in 10 Minutes #iphone #ipad #ios #lync

Note: The below solution definitely falls into the experimental category. But the exercise “works” and demonstrates some interesting future possibilities. So, please, don’t harass your IT with it and remember: it’s not an Enterprise solution. So much for disclaimers, onward…

lync is loading voip

Some have expressed interest in having Voice over VoIP for mobile devices using the new Lync Mobile client. With a little work around this is actually possible.

Overview

The general concept is that we will have the Lync Server call your mobile via a VoIP call instead of through the mobile voice voice network. (thanks, Microsoft for designing Lync Mobile to do call back. Brilliant.)

Prerequisites

  • Be Using Lync Server On-Premise with Enterprise Voice enabled for the mobile user in question
  • Use Lync Mobile for iPhone or iPad
    • (since Lync Android does not “Call Via Work” and currently there is no Skype Voice client for Windows Phone we are left with iOS based devices. Not trying to prefer iOS friends. ;-)
  • Have a Skype Account with a “Online Number” enabled (approximately $60/yr)

 

Steps

  • Goto www.skype.com and setup a Skype account and buy an “Online Number”
    • a Skype Online Number allows people to voice call you from any mobile or landline phone using a regular phone number.
    • You do not pay for any minutes used while people are calling you. The only cost is paying the monthly fee to skype to rent the phone number which is about $6 USD/mo or $60 USD/yr.
  • Install Skype on the same mobile device as your Lync Mobile client and make sure you can receive calls on the device by calling your Skype “Online Number” from another phone.

ipod skype profile screen

  • In Lync Mobile for iPhone/iPad, Go to Options and change the Mobile Number to your Skype “Online Number”.

mobile number set

  • Now connect to a Lync Contact using “Call Via Work” or use One-click Meeting Join. Lync should initiate call to you via Skype. First you will see the Lync Mobile message “Answer incoming Call”

lync voice 1

After a few seconds (about 10 seconds in my case) you will see the Skype incoming call notification and you can click “Answer”.

lync voip 2

  • Celebrate, that is it! You should now be able to join Lync conference and make “Call Via Work” calls entirely using VoIP.

 

Notes

  • Any issues that afflict voice calls over 3G/wifi will apply. Winking smile
  • Do NOT complain to IT Helpdesk if voice is choppy Winking smile
  • If your iOS device doesn’t support App Switching, don’t even try this.
  • My experience is that Skype on iPad seems to wakeup the device on an incoming call and {usually} works even if Skype is in the background.
  • It may be prudent to “wakeup” Skype if you changed wireless networks (WIFI to 3G, for example) or if the iOS device was sleeping.
  • This same general concept could be used using any VoIP provider and iOS based softphone. We selected Skype because it is well known, simple to setup and has no charge for incoming minutes other than the “Online Number” cost.
  • This same concept could be used by setting up your own on premise infrastructure. Actually the snom ONE IP PBX would make a good starting point and the detailed steps are available here.  snom ONE IP PBX could act as the gateway to handle the VoIP leg to the mobile device. Then you would use a standard SIP softphone such as the Bria softphone on the iOS device. Two items would make this solution superior to the Skype solution:
    • Since you can totally turn off voicemail in the snom ONE IP PBX you don’t have to worry that voicemail will kick in if Lync Mobile user doesn’t answer the Call Back.
    • Lync Server and snom ONE IP PBX gateway can be connected using SIP tie trunk, avoiding the need to “waste” a PSTN trunk when doing a voice call.

Acknowledgements: Concept arrived at separately by @itommyclarke and myself. But he beat me to testing it. Winking smile So, hat tip. See his great Lync blog content please: click here

First Impression Review of Microsoft Lync for iPhone and iPad: The Best Comes Last? #lync #iphone #ipad #ios

It looks like Microsoft has not held back with its official Lync App for Lync Mobile for iPhone and iPad: This app apears to be the best yet with some features even the Windows Phone version does not have.

Some of the features I’ve noticed are unique to Lync for iOS:

  • Visual Voicemail and ability to 1 click call back callers
  • Most Developed Keypad: with dial tone feedback, visual notices
  • Tab showing Meetings and Online Meetings that can be Joined
  • Ability to select All and multi-select chats to be Deleted in the Chats windows
  • iOS Native Contacts are integrated into the Lync experience
  • Ability to Send Location in a IM/Chat

 

Some other small things I’ve noticed

  • iPad version does not have keypad for dialing. iPhone version has nice keypad dialing experience
  • The IM notification sound on iOS sounds just like the desktop Lync making the experience seem more similar

 

My Info Tab

This screen allows you to change your note, status, options and Simultaneous Ring settings.

a-myinfo

Easily set your status/presence.

a-myinfo-setstatus

Contacts

Lync and iPhone/iPad native Contacts are integrated into the experience. You can search for contacts directly from this same screen as well.

a-tab-contacts

Chats

This is the window to see ongoing chats and move between them.

a-chats-1

Below is the IM chat window. Pressing the upper right options” button allow you to take actions on this IM like: Invite more people to this chat, Voice call this contact, send Location and more.

a-chatIM

IM Options

a-chatIM-options

Location: When you are in an IM chat Window you can easily send your location.

a-location

More More

 

Meetings

If you have meetings scheduled they will appear in this window. With 1 click you can see the details or join them.

a-meetings

Meeting details and join.

meeting details

Phone

The Lync for iPhone dialing keypad feels a lot like a mobile phone dial pad. (In contrast to the Lync for Windows Phone where the dialer is a text field you type in.) You can press and hold 1 to access the Exchange UM voicemail system. You can also copy number into the keypad dialer.

a-keypad

Visual Voicemail on the Lync for iOS clients gives the ability to instantly select the voicemail that is of interest to you. You can listen to a voice and delete or callback the caller. You can start listening or move part way into the voicemail using the progress slider.

a-visualvoicemail

Visual voicemail notification

a-visualvoicemail-notification

Summary

The Lync Mobile for iPhone and iPad appears to be the most full featured and refined Lync Mobile client from Microsoft yet.

Some items that are missing are calling history list (missed, dialed, completed) and conversation history is not automatically saved to Exchange list on Lync Desktop. (you can Send as an email) As with all the Lync Mobile clients, VoIP, video and meeting visuals are not included.

Microsoft has put a lot of thought into fit and finish. With features like Visual Voicemail and the more complete keypad dialing (on iPhone) and small things like very snappy feel/transitions and using the Lync desktop ring tone, the iOS client feels more like the desktop Lync experience than the earlier released Windows Phone and Android Lync Mobile clients.

Download from AppStore:
iPhone: Click Here 
iPad: Click Here

UPDATE: Microsoft Lync Mobile App for iPad and iPhone is in the AppStore #ipad #iphone #ios #lync

It looks like the iOS Lync Mobile app is now available on the App Store.

If it does not show up in your app store here are some links:
ipad:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/microsoft-lync-2010-for-ipad/id484222449?mt=8
iphone
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/microsoft-lync-2010-for-iphone/id484293461?mt=8

Some quick screen shots below:

contact list

next

chat

next

change status

next

change status

Analyzing and Comparing Microsoft Lync Mobile Data Consumption

 

2011-12-15 17-24-51.034

Note: The below tests have been conducted in a very informal manner. For implementation planning guidance please reference Microsoft Mobility planning documents.

Microsoft has noted that their new Lync Mobile client has been dramatically optimized to operate in most mobile data network conditions. What exactly does this mean? How much data DOES Lync Mobile client use? How does this compare to the SIP based CoMo (Communicator Mobile for Windows Mobile). We fired up our lab and did some tests.

For our comparison tests we used the same Lync user with with the below profile

  • 15 local contacts
  • 50 Federated contacts

The compared mobile devices/clients were as follows:

  • Windows Phone (Mango) on Samsung Focus, Lync Mobile
  • Windows Mobile (6.5) on HTC/ATT 8525, Communicator Mobile

Our test was as follows:

  • Open the client
  • Send an IM "test test test” to another user
  • Have the other reply with “test”
  • Close the client

We ran the tests 4 times on each platform and averaged the results. What we found was that Microsoft has truly optimized data consumption: On the data receive side Lync Mobile was 6.33 times more efficient (less data received) than Communicator Mobile. On the send side Lync Mobile was 3.42 more efficient (less data transmitted).

To Summarize, our finding in our informal and very limited lab is that:

  • Summary: Lync Mobile is:

    • 6.33 Times more efficient on Receive

    • 3.42 Times more efficient on Transmit

Below are the exact data amounts in a grid:

 

Como

Lync Mobile

RX Data in MB

.19

.03

TX Data in KB

49.46

14.43

 

other

Note 2: These lab tests have not been peer reviewed. If you notice any anomalies, please report them to me via comments or @matthewlandis (twitter).

Lab test details worksheet: click here

Video Review of Microsoft Lync Mobile for Android: On a Tablet

Here is a quick first impression review of Lync for Android on an Acer A500 tablet. Enjoy

Ubiquitous VoIP UC over Mobile Data Plans: A Myth? Very Few Enterprise Vendors Seem Willing to Commit


can voip ride on the mobile data plan pipe

I’ve been trying to find a major UC Vendor that supports UC media (voice/video) over mobile data plans (2G/3G/4G, etc). While there is a lot of marketing that makes it appear that UC Voice/Video/Collaboration on VoIP is a smooth ubiquitous experience, when you read the technical details, the solution is really designed to work on “WIFI” or “your corporate” network. In some cases, it is noted, you need to switch to your mobile voice network when you leave corporate WIFI.

As an example of this reluctance read these excerpts found in Jabber for Android release notes:

  • “Voice quality over public Wi-Fi and mobile data network connections cannot be guaranteed.”
  • “When using Cisco Jabber to participate in Cisco WebEx conferences, you may experience audio issues. For example, you cannot hear participants, participants cannot hear you, you hear choppy or synthetic audio, or participants hear your audio as choppy or synthetic. To resolve these issues, tap Hold and then tap Resume.”
  • “Voice quality over mobile data network varies depending on the quality of your mobile data network connection and cannot be guaranteed. Examples of voice quality issues you may experience when using a mobile data network include the following:
    • If you are driving and listening to a voicemail message, you may have problems hearing the entire message and the audio may sound choppy or synthetic.
    • If you are driving and replying to a voicemail message, the recipient may have problems hearing the entire message and your message may sound choppy or synthetic.
    • If you try to access your voicemail and you enter your PIN, the time delay associated with remote access may cause prompts to play out of sync, or you may hear a message that you did not enter the PIN on time.”

Below is my informal (I did not contact each vendor/don’t claim to be expert in their mobility products) compilation of vendors that at first blush appear to do UC over VoIP everywhere, but when you start reading the technical brochures in it appears they are committing only to WIFI and Outside Voice/ Call Back/ Mobile Voice Network when not in WIFI range.

Note: I should note that vendor reluctance to commit to VoIP over mobile data networks is not a reflection against UC vendors, but a sign that mobile data networks in some (many?) areas are not primetime ready to handle real time communication data.

Note: If you find any mistakes in my informal research or have a vendor that does commit to VoIP over mobile data plan, let me know, along with URL source, and I’ll update this blog. Also if there is another vendor to add, drop me a comment.

Cisco Mobile iPhone Jabber 8.1: Wi-Fi

"Place, receive, and manage calls over a Wi-Fi network using your Apple iPhone..."
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6789/ps7290/ps11156/data_sheet_c78-658146.html
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11596/index.html

Cisco Android Jabber: Corporate Wi-Fi

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11678/index.html
In the video on this page it notes something like: you will need to switch to mobile voice network when leaving corp. wifi

Avaya One-X: Wi-Fi


"Wireless enabled enterprise campus 802.11 b/g/n"
Source click here

Shoretel Mobility: Wi-Fi/Mobile Data Networks

Shoretel Mobility can work over WIFI or Mobile Data Networks. In their technical notes (sources below) they note that when on WIFI you should use the below vendors, and i quote the list:

      • Cisco (including integration with Wireless LAN Controllers and Mobility Services Engine)
      • Aruba (including integrationwith Wireless LANControllers/Switches)
      • Meru
      • Motorola
      • HP
      • Trapeze
      • Aerohive

When on 3G or less I wonder what the plan is to keep from an “experimental” end user experience?

Source: Click Here
Source: http://www.shoretel.com/solutions/enterprise_mobility

AltiGen Mobility for Microsoft Lync: WIFI/Mobile Data Networks/Outside Voice

Altigen supports Outside Voice for situations where VoIP over mobile data networks does not work.

Aastra Mobile Client Plus for iPhone: WIFI

It appears Aastra Mobile Plus for iPhone is designed to work in WIFI:

“The AMC+ dual mode function will setup the call over internet when you are in range of Wi-Fi access and in that way drastically reduce the mobile calling cost…”

Source: click here

AT&T VoIP App: Wi-Fi

"customers will benefit from the same rates using the app over Wi-Fi"
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/converg/2011/110711convergence2.html

Counterpath: Wi-Fi/3G (w/ Disclaimer)

“Bria iPhone Edition is a SIP-based phone for Apple iPhone and iPod touch that uses a Wi-Fi or 3G connection to make and receive calls.”

Do note the Counterpath disclaimer related to mobile operators terms of service:

“*IMPORTANT: VOIP OVER 3G NOTICE*
Some mobile network operators may prohibit or restrict the use of VoIP functionality over their network and may also impose additional fees, or other charges in connection with VoIP. You agree to learn and abide by your cellular carrier's network restrictions. CounterPath Corporation will not be held liable for any charges, fees or liability imposed by your carrier for use of VoIP over 3G.”

Source: click here
Source: http://www.counterpath.com/bria-iphone-edition.html

Damaka: Wi-Fi/3G

“…Moreover, damaka’s technology works across networks (WiFi, 3G, 4G). “
Source: http://damaka.com/damaka/

Some More articles that might be of interest:

Cisco says Call Back is not UC
why Outside Voice makes sense
Cisco Jabber Android Release Notes

UPDATE: Microsoft #Lync for #Android Is Here

 

** This article is in progress and may be updated. **

Looks like Android is #2 to be released after Windows Phone with iOS versions still coming. According to a Technet article released earlier this week, Lync Mobile for Android will have a few less features than Windows Phone, iPhone and iPad in the area of Telephony Support. To see the complete list of features click here. (especially telephony support section, as shown below)

Mobile Client Comparison Tables - Telephony

Looks like Microsoft has designed a very nice and clean interface for the Android version of Lync Mobile.  Just like on Lync for WindowsPhone, on login you may need to type username for successful login. My Android toting colleagues are reporting the Android Lync Mobile client UI is a smooth and pleasant experience. Also, Lync notifications are received even if the Lync Mobile app is not running since Lync utilizes Android “Background Data” feature.

Get it here:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.microsoft.office.lync

See screenshots below.

Settings

myinfo2

Contacts List

contact2

Contact Card

contactcard3

Instant Message

im2

Dialer screen. (Lync for Android does not call as work but will call #’s directly)

dialer3

Handling multiple chats screen

chats2

Android device Sync Settings

sync-settings3

screen

settings3

screen

serversettings3