The acquisition is clearly a consumer play, but I was thinking how it might evolve differently...
Suppose you shoot video using your Flip Mino or MinoHD, and then plug it into your computer – what if the USB-based software included the WebEx/UC components so you could not only just upload the content to a social network site or video sharing site but also to a WebEx web conference or to a virtual workspace (i.e., WebEx Connect)? Could Cisco squeeze the WebEx software and some of the IP telephony software on the Flip USB so you could participate in a conference and have a VoIP call to discuss the video?
UPDATE: twitter.com/aewang offer a great idea. "I can see Cisco create integration pt btwn Flip and WebEX, DMS, and its new collab platform. Make it super easy to publish video"
I had not thought of the DMS connection. Flip could be another front-end to a Cisco "Corporate YouTube"?
Dunno ... there are lots of better options but I was just thinking out loud...
March 19, 2009, 9:07 am
Cisco Flips Over Pure Digital
By Ashlee Vance
Cisco Systems went through with its head-scratcher of an acquisition, announcing on Thursday the purchase of Pure Digital for $590 million in stock.
Pure Digital’s 3.3-ounce Flip Mino HD camcorder.
While you may not recognize the Pure Digital name, there’s a decent chance that you’ve run across its Flip Mino products. They’re the tiny digital video recorders that come in a variety of colors and make taking some video, slapping it on your computer and sending it to the Web about easy as it can be.
Rumors of Cisco’s interest in Pure Digital started to appear a couple of weeks ago, and most of the people I talked to couldn’t quite figure this one out.
You just want to buy one and write it off on expenses :-)
Posted by: Carl Tyler | March 19, 2009 at 04:13 PM