ClearOne, an HD video conferencing service, announced the release of a new customer service portal called ClearoneExpress. The collaboration tool allows a company’s suppliers, distributors and dealers to place orders for new products, pay online, print shipping information and check the status of orders all through this single system.

The account-based system creates permissions for different individuals and different options will be available depending on who logs into the system and what they will need access to. ClearOneExpress has a live chat feature so that at any point in the process, the end user can contact customer support and chat live to resolve any issues that they can’t complete automatically online.

ClearOne VP, Joe Sorrentino:

 ClearOneXpress was designed to give our partners the ability to easily and securely take care of their own immediate needs, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are always looking for ways to further improve our best of class customer service. ClearOneXpress can be used as a single point of contact to consolidate all transactions into one user friendly and efficient interface.

The ClearOneXpress system uses viaKLIX, a merchant system from NOVA infromation systems to guarntee a robost and reliable  system with secure transfers.

Skype has finally released an iPhone application that will allow iPhone users to access the popular VOIP services through their handset. Since all iPhone contracts offer unlimited (actually 5GB) of data, calls within the Skype network will be absolutely free to Skype users, and they will incur a nominal charge for calling numbers outside of that network.

Unlike a standard phone call which transmits voice over a cellular network, Skype’s VOIP system turns voice into data and can send it through the wi-fi network.

In the initial release of the Skype iPhone app, second calls and video conferencing won’t be enabled, however its rumored that these features will be in a future release.

Skype COO, Scott Durchslag:

We’re considering video carefully but we have a really high bar on the quality. If we do it we will have to do it incredibly well. The number one request we get from customers is to make Skype available on iPhone, there’s a pent-up demand [for Skype.

Skype plans to launch a similar version of their VOIP service for the Blackberry this Summer and are working on version for other smart phones for future release.

Last month Cisco released an iPhone application for its popular WebEx webconferencing service, and has plans to expand that release to BlackBerry and other smart phones that can support the capability. One concern though as web conferencing technology moves out of the office and onto mobile phones is the concern of information security. Web conferencing on mobile devices need to be secured at the same level that Pcs are.

Symantec VP, Eric Hoh:

The consumerization of IT has changed the way the CIO or CSO deals (chief security officer) with the threat landscape.

Increasingly, employees are using a variety of mobile devices to connect to corporate networks. While there have been more instances of security breaches and holes in personal computers, with mobile devices becoming more popular and used more frequently, special attention needs to be taken to secure their connections and the data they share. In a recent study by Symantec, nearly half of the businesses in Asia allow mobile devices to acccess office email and other data, but only 1/3 of them implement the same security policies as they do with computers.

Sophos Executive, Paul Duklin:

In a Web conference, for instance, some companies assume keeping invite lists private provides sufficient security becausethere is lower risk of eavesdropping on a meeting that lasts only an hour or so. But, an hour is a long time on the Internet clock.

Mobile devices themselves are also becoming more capable and more comparable to personal computers, creating connectivity and accessibility not conceived when most corporate mobile polices were created.

A new study conducted by Frost & Sullivan suggests that if investment in web conferencing and other conferencing services can be sustained through the economic slowdown, that there is a large opportunity for the market in the near future. while demand across Europe has been mixed, conferencing services in the Central and Eastern European region has been increasing. According to the study, the Central and Eastern European region generated about $22 million in 2008 and if the economy can continue to support the technology, this number is expected to reach $218 million by 2014.

Frost & Sullivan Analyst, Iwona Petruczynik:

Rapid growth since the end of the Soviet era and accession to the European Union has resulted in the CEE region offering exciting new growth opportunities - both for local service providers, and also for global specialist firms.

The report goes on to suggest that the Central and Eastern European region faces a different set of challenges than other markets because of infrastructure development, technology currently in use and their client base. Since the adoption of the technology is relatively new in the region, it is also likely that conferencing services may be slower to catch on than it has in the U.S. and other countries where conferencing is in high demand.

Unlike many web conferencing and collaboration services that are flash-based and therefore natively cross-platform, Mikogo is an actual program that until now has been PC specific. Today Mikogo announced the launch of its beta Mac version of the popular online meeting tool.

Like the PC version, the now cross-platform software is free for both private and commercial use, PC and Mac users can share their desktops around the world. The service is ideal for online meetings, webinars and other presentations that require screen sharing.

Here are the new client-side features of Mikogo:

Desktop sharing for up to 10 users
Switch presenter
Participant pointer
Pause of transmission
Copy/paste/email meeting info
Voice conferencing service
Instant screen build-up

Mikogo Co-founder, Mark Zondler:

Mikogo has already appealed greatly to the Web and business community thanks to it’s ease of use and free offering for both commercial and private use. Now with its cross-platform functionality, we wish to serve the ever-growing Mac community by providing a simple, fast and effective solution to online meetings and Web presentations.

The Australian federal government is installing Cisco video conferencing systems across 20 sites in an effort to reduce it’s domestic travel bill which on average has been $280 million annually. The four year contract was warded to Telstra and has been reported worth $13.8 million.

The government isn’t exactly sure how much money the video conferencing system will save in travel costs, but they hope it will at least pay for itself in the first year. Aside from saving money and time required to travel, the video conferencing system will help increase productivity and reduce carbon emissions that are released in most forms of travel.

Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner:

From a finance minister point of view the most important issue is saving money. We currently spend about $280 million a year on domestic airfares across government. The savings we make on airfares alone will pay for this system.

The government is taking extra security steps to make sure that their video conferences will be secure as they’ll frequently be used for sensitive government information. The first installation will be in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Office in Melbourne, and the entire deployment will be completed by the end of this year.

In December, Cisco-owned WebEx released an iPhone application that allows any WebEx users to view and participate in web conferences on their phone, taking online collaboration to the next level of convenience. Since the release of the free application on the iTunes store, the app has been downloaded more than 50,000 times, making it one of the top 10 business applications on iTunes.

On Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Cisco announced that it will be releasing similar applications for other phones, and expanding their mobile web conferencing presence. The client software will be available to a host of devices, including the popular Rim Blackberry Bold, Storm and Curve, the Samsung Blackjack 2 and the Nokia E and N series smart phones.

Cisco General Manager, Doug Dennerline:

Cell phone users will no longer be second class citizens. The great thing is that people won’t ever have to miss out on a meeting if they’re late to a meeting for some reason or stuck in the airport. They don’t have to fire up their laptop. They can participate right from their phone.”

The software allows users to view slides directly on their phone and participate in the audio conference directly from their device. Rim has also announced that it will feature a “quick access” button on future Blackberry devices for quick access to the web conferencing software.

Cisco CEO John Chambers, noted in a recent interview that his company has saved a lot of money web conferencing instead of traveling, and that those dollars are even more important right now in the face of a recession. Many companies are switching or looking into video conferencing and web conferencing as a viable alternative to conventional travel, to cut costs. Something most companies aren’t thinking of, or at least not in the forefront, is the good that reducing travel does for the environment.

So the environment might end up being one of the few winners in this current economic climate. While fuel prices are down over last year, many companies just can’t afford to send executives or representatives on business trips. Less air and ground travel mean less carbon dioxide emissions from these vehicles and less pollution in the environment. A recent study on the subject indicated that if every small business owner in the US conducted a single video conference instead of traveling to that destination, that it would equate to $25.4 billion, and more than 10 million tons of carbon dioxide in a single year.

Web conferencing and video conferencing services have now been in the market for quite a while and the technology is proven and solid. There are quite a few choices available with varying features and price points depending on your requirements. InstantPresenter is a solid web conferencing provider with reasonable prices and a strong reputation for quality and service. Features of IP include video conferencing, document sharing, online PowerPoint and a host of other features.

As video conferencing services and technology continue to advance, most industry experts feel that the incorporation of portable video conferencing devices are not too far in the future. Video conferencing companies like Polycom saw record growth in 2008, with a 15% increase in sales with a record of $1.1 billion. Polycom offer’s services from hundreds of thousands of dollars for high definition telepresence solutions to smaller offerings for as little as a couple of thousand dollars.

Polycom also hopes to move into the realm of portable video conferencing services. Last month, WebEx introduced an iPhone app that allows iPhone users to conduct and participate web conferences, but only supports audio and slide sharing. The next step would be to integrate full video conferencing, allowing users to not only travel less, but be confined less by business meetings. While standard video conferencing prevents an employee from having to get on a plane, they’re still required to get in front of a computer. What if they were already traveling and needed to hop in on a meeting? Being able to fire up that session on your phone would add a whole new level to the technology.

Coincidental to this article, this week leaked Apple patents suggest that the company is increasing the video conferencing capabilities of the iPhone and might be working on video conferencing software. This would no doubt require that they add an additional forward-facing camera on the device, but suggests that Apple might be forging ahead with the technology.

While many companies are looking to make cuts to get through these tough economic times, video conferencing companies such as LifeSize are growing faster than ever. Travel is one of the first overhead costs that companies look to reduce and video conferencing can fill that void. In the second half of 2008, LifeSize reported growth of 150% in 2008 compared to the previous year.

More and more companies are looking to high definition video conferencing services and telepresence options as a complete replacement for conventional travel which can be expensive, taxing on the traveler and often damaging to the environment.

LifeSize CEO, Craig Malloy:

We are pleased with our industry-leading growth and believe that the opportunity for HD video to deliver value has never been greater. Because the benefits of HD video are so clear, compelling and measurable, many LifeSize customers are accelerating their video communication system deployments.

The majority of sales increases were in the video conferencing market, where competition has forced lower prices and required companies to develop newer, high quality products to keep customers.

LifeSize has been a leader in developing HD video conferencing systems that have raised the bar in terms of quality, flexibility and price/performance, compelling the competition to offer lower-priced high-performance products.

LifeSize saw growth across all of its product lines in all regions as customers worldwide embrace the flexibility, productivity and cost savings benefits offered through video conferencing solutions.