Be one of the first to test the new mcePhone for Skype Beta 1! This complete overhauled version 3 brings Skype chats and video calls to your TV using Microsoft Media Center (2005 or Vista). We have spent large efforts on improving the user interface and usability of mcePhone. Just download and try out the new version here:
Be aware that there are still edges and problems in this beta version. Just let us know what you think or if you experience any problem. Our contact form is the best way to submit any feedback about mcePhone.
Written by Christoph on 13. November 2008 in category PamConsult
We’ve done posts before about PamBot but yesterday I was talking to a future client and demo-ed PamBot. It was a cool experience seeing that PamBot, powered by the Alice AI engine and a funny AIML character, just chatted away with us. It was fun being in a Skype multichat and having the bot in it to ask questions and search the internet (I created a Skype multichat with PamBot). I also did a demo of searching Ebay, the results came back instantly. A very easy and quick way to fetch and share (live) data.
The project has been a bit dormant but this is mainly due to the fact that it is operating perfectly. The backed is extremely scalable and can handle literally millions of simultaneous chat sessions. Btw – the same platform we also use in PamFax for sending Skype chat status notifications.
So, if you’re up for some fun just lookup the Skype user “pam_bot” in your Skype and add her to your contact list. Open a chat window and type “help” (without the quotes). Then you can just type away and PamBot will answer based on what you type.
There is also a website with further details. The site is www.pambot.com.
Note that the download is not required when you just want to experience artificial intelligence in a Skype chat.
Written by Dick on 17. October 2008 in category PamConsult
Our company continues to grow: welcome to our two newest team members in our development office in Ebstorf, Germany:
Horst will do customer support for all products (Pamela, PamFax, Scendix Software) and will also be our “face” on fares and exhibitions. Some of you might already know him as he already worked from time to time for us at Cebit and other fares.
Michael is a PHP develeoper who will add his experience to various projects we are currently working on.
Written by Christoph on 5. September 2008 in category PamConsult
We are proud to announce the new version of mcePhone for Skype, which brings Skype to your TV using Microsoft Media Center (2005 or Vista). This next version 2.2 will have integrated Skype Video calls and Skype chat support.
This is a screencam of the complete overhauled version with new UI:
Unfortunately, Skype was unable to add an API to Skype in the past 3 years to give us access to the video of Skype calls directly, although we have asked and pushed hard for so long. As Skype video calls on TV was the most requested feature of mcePhone, we have invested a vast amount of time to make this possible even without any change from Skype’s side. With this new version, you will get fullscreen Skype video of the person you are calling on your TV and even see your video in the lower left corner (see ~1:30 in the video above).
Another very nice new feature is Skype chat integration: While you can still see the current media playing in the lower left corner of your TV (i.e. while the commercials are playing), you can chat with your friends and family. You even get a notification overlayed over your current media (TV, DVD, …) if a chat message comes in. With one click, you are in the chat conversation to answer the incoming chat message (see ~3:30 in the video).
We plan to make a beta of this new version available very soon to you. Be prepared to get a totally new feeling of Skype in your living room
Let us know what you think.
Written by Christoph on 1. August 2008 in category PamConsult
Our callerID-notification tool TapiRex was updated to version 1.7.1. This update improves the communication between the server and the clients and the reverse lookup for contacts.
Also available is now a free plugin for reverse lookup in your Google contacts. This plugin was built by Thomas Ardal using the free TapiRex SDK (see http://www.codeplex.com/trexgooglecontacts). We hope that more users and companies follow this example and add more functionalities to TapiRex. We are more then happy to help you with that if you want to.
The license keys from previous orders are still valid in this new version. To update TapiRex, just download the latest version from our website and run the setup without uninstalling any previous TapiRex first. Be sure to say “No” in the installation when it asks to replace the file “data.mdb” to keep your call-history. The call-history and all settings will then be available in the new TapiRex as well.
We just received the eBay Star Developer Award for Innovative Application 2008! I am currently in Chicago at the eBay Developer Conference, where we were given this award for our newest software Jaast for Wii, which brings eBay to your TV using Nintendo’s Wii console.
We already received this award back in 2006 for our software mceAuction. So we feel very proud of getting this award again this year. I don’t know if there was ever any company who received this award twice.
Here are some photos from us getting the award (click to enlarge):
A slide showing that we received the award on stage
Me and Max Mancini (Senior Director of Disruptive Innovation of eBay) on stage after receiving the award
Max Mancini and John Donahoe (CEO of eBay) giving the award to me
Big thanks to eBay for giving this award to us. Let’s see what we can do for next year
Jaast for Wii has just been released as public beta. Jaast enables you to browser on eBay, search for items and even bid and buy things just with your Nintendo Wii console. This cool new experience makes eBay even more fun. Just sitting on the couch waving with the Wii Nunchuck controller to buy stuff on eBay, just great .
This website has all the details, screenshots, a video and installation instruction for you: www.scendix.com/jaast
New software online shop on Scendix websites: The Scendix software websites (scendix.com and scendix.de) just got their new software online shop that makes it even more easy to buy our software. There are several advantages of the new shop: i.e. you will get the license key immediately after your purchase, you are able to download PDF invoices, rebates for multiple licenses are automatically calculated, ….
All old orders have been imported to the new shop. If you forgot your license key or want to upgrade your existing license, you can click on “forgot password” and then get your new login to the shop where you have access to your previous orders.
As in the past two years, i will be speaking at the eBay Developer Conference this year in Chicago June 16-18. This event is mainly for developers and partners around the developer programs of eBay, Skype and PayPal. As the last events in Las Vegas 2006 and Boston 2007 have been very interesting and lot of fun, I am really looking forward to this event.
I will speak in two sessions presenting our new eBay buyer tool for the Nintendo Wii and PamFax. As a special highlight, we are giving a Nintendo Wii to one of the attendees of the Wii-Session. It’s called “The View from the Couch of the Future in Digital Living Room” and will be on June 17th at 11am. Come in and grab the Wii.
If anyone wants to meet there in Chicago, just contact me.
Do you have a Nintendo Wii? It’s a very cool and innovative game console for the living room. Nintendo has already sold nearly 22million nearly 24million units worldwide (see www.vgchartz.com).
As it’s usually connected to the internet, we thought it would be a good idea to be able to search and browse eBay’s auctions on it and even place bids and buy items with your Wii controller. The program also has very useful audio/visual notifications when something happens in your eBay auctions and gives you access to all items in your “My eBay”.
Here you can see a video of the current development status:
TapiRex was updated to version 1.6: this version contains some improvements in stability and handling. For example, Outlook contacts are now buffered in TapiRex so that access to them is much faster now.
We have also added a TapiRex API so that every software developer can use some of the functionalities from TapiRex in his own software (do something on a call, start calls, …). We are looking forward to your cool plugins to TapiRex. Just contact us if you need a helping hand on how to start a TapiRex plugin….
Written by Christoph on 25. January 2008 in category PamConsult
Read about new stuff on Pamela for Skype, Pamela Call Recorder, PamFax, mcePhone, Jaast and our other media center solutions and digital home projects. But we will also share interesting things with you that we bump into. Profit from our more than 6 years of Skype and eBay experience. Enjoy!
