Sametime 8.5 is almost here!

After talking a break from blogging for a while, I have decided to start up again with the release of Sametime 8.5. Some of you have been wondering when this is coming and all I can say is it is coming very very soon and it will definitely be released to the public before the end of the year.  Over the next few months, I will post tidbits which will help you understand the changes made in Sametime 8.5.  Stay tuned!

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Sametime Wiki article: Optimizing Sametime’s Name Lookup Solution

I would like to announce a series of Wiki articles which outline what you can do to improve Sametime name lookup performance. I have given some presentations on this in the past but the wiki article below gives the most comprehensive set of documents on our optimization strategy. I would encourage every administrator to take a look at these documents.

Special thanks to David Tull and Jeanmarie White for their contributions in publishing these articles.

Sametime Wiki: Optimizing_Sametimes_Name_Lookup_solution

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Webinar: Using online collaboration to improve productivity & reduce costs.

Any of you who are interested in getting instant messaging compliance tools should attend this webinar sponsored by IBM and Facetime tomorrow.  Here is a blurb which I received in an email from them earlier today:

Join IBM and FaceTime at this web conference and learn how you can get your Sametime licenses off the shelf and your employees on the road to collaboration and productivity — without exposing yourself to compliance or security risks. Register today – and when you attend the live web event, your name is entered into a drawing to win $150 of Amazon vouchers!

The collaboration power of Sametime UCC can not only increase employee productivity and streamline communications, it helps you and your company reduce travel costs and improves communications.

Concerned about the security and compliance issues the next generation of collaboration tools may introduce to your company?

Register now and hear industry experts discuss how IBM and FaceTime are partnering together to secure your real time communications against inbound spyware threats, potential loss of confidential information, and how to address policy enforcement issues to meet corporate and regulatory compliance requirements.

We look forward to seeing you online!

Register by clicking on the URL below or visit FaceTime Communications home website, news & event page.

http://tiny.cc/3zgTA

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Apple iPhone 3GS

The Apple iPhone 3GS has finally been released to the market and I finally got mine at the Apple store.  While there were some glitches with the point of sale system going down once the store opened, everything with the activation process has gone smoothly.  Apple has definitely learned their lessons from the activation server meltdown which occurred last year when the iPhone 3G was released.

The iPhone 3GS is much more responsive than the iPhone 3G and I am impressed with the quality of the new features which have been integrated into the iPhone 3.0 OS.  The video capabilities are extremely smooth and the quality is good for playback on another computer.  The photo system and autofocus results in better quality photos with more vibrant colors.  Some of the problems such as the keyboard freezing when typing too quickly have also been resolved.

Some of the new features which were not mentioned in the WWDC keynote which are included in the new iPhone are:

  • Battery percentage indicator
  • New earphone design with a focus on the mic/volume control.
  • Wipe feature has been increased to 10 invalid attempts
  • SMS has been renamed to Messages
  • The convoluted AT&T hotspot login procedure has been replaced with a more streamlined system.  Now all you need to do is connect to the hotspot and the iPhone 3.0 software will log you phone in.
  • New screen coating which prevents fingerprints.  However the screen is still slick so I put a screen protector over it.
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IBM Webcast Recording is now available

The recording of the IBM Webcast on Sametime Resolve, Notes Instant Messaging and Directory Performance Considerations is now available for download.  If you have any comments or questions on the information provided, please send an email to andy_yiu@us.ibm.com.

Download IBM Webcast Recording

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IBM Webcast slides now available for download

I would like to thank all of you who attended today’s IBM Webcast on Sametime Resolve, Notes Instant Messaging and Directory Performance Considerations.  I sincerely hope that everyone who attended took away some new nugget of information.  Please feel free to post comments about the presentation here.  I do welcome your feedback.  Alternatively, you may also provide feedback to me via email at andy_yiu@us.ibm.com.

The slides are now available for download and the recorded presentation should be posted shortly.  I will update this post when I receive the links to the recorded presentation.

PDF of Presentation: IBM Webcast – Sametime Resolve Performance Considerations

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