I learned the expression RFB (Real Frikkin Business) from my friend Jeff Pulver , in response to my describing a new start-up idea. As many of you know, I believe should pay for things, and I believe businesses should only continue to operate if they have a coherent business model.
Officially I am on vacation this week, due to the Jewish holiday of Pesach [Passover], but made the mistake of reading the free International Herald Tribune left in front of my hotel door this morning. In the business section was this headline: "Skype offers a flat rate calling plan." Bottom line of Skype's innovation, is that for certain groups of countries, pay one price and then "unlimited" calling (there is fine print which actually limits it to fair use). This "innovation" has been offered for at least 4-5 years by probably over a dozen companies.
This is it...this is the big innovation we see from Skype ...how depressing. Cheap telephony is so 90s (believe me, I helped create it!). No wonder my old company, Delta Three , trades below its cash and was just delisted from NASDAQ--they too failed to bring out any new innovations since 2000.
As we head to the second half of Passover, may we be blessed to emerge cleansed of all this [over]leavened bread -- all these companies that fail to innovate and/or republish old stories. Its time to move on, to liberate IP telephony from "cheap,"and have VoIP become cool again.