Expect more light blogging ahead. I’m getting on a plane tonight bound for Dubai, then Paris, and ultimately all the way back to Tasmania via Sydney for a wedding. It’s a mixture of work and pleasure, but I think even the work will be fun.

So, I’ll blog if the opportunity is there, otherwise expect me back online the week of October 11. Enjoy!

The latest Mark Jones’ Diary is now up on CIO’s site. This month I’ve had fun reviewing Skype. What started out as a column-driven project has morphed into a tool that I now use on a daily basis.

Telstra’s face-off with IP destiny is gathering steam. The company will reportedly spend millions on residential VoIP trials that will see customers effectively connect an IP phone to their broadband connection. (via Google News)

Interestingly enough, AAPT tackled the VoIP issue at our CIO Conference yesterday. AAPT, like all the carriers, are quick to argue that VoIP is not the free phone call nirvana many believe. Buying a stack of Cisco or Avaya kit and ditching the PABX is a task few CIOs will undertake lightly. The cost savings are there, but the calls (in a big company context) are not “free,” AAPT’s Jeff Putt argued.

Putt answered questions about the future of a free service like Skype (which I’ve used twice today for international business calls) by arguing a big company will not migrate to a service that’s great for “individuals.” You just can’t bet the business on it, he said, and I agree for the moment.

But Telstra’s move is all about the individual consumer. And as long as free services like Skype are out there setting the “free” agenda, pricing will always be under pressure. Sure, I’d pay a little extra to add an IP phone to my broadband connection and cancel my old switched phone (assuming the service is good enough). But I’d only do that if my total communications costs dropped.

It’s one of our industry’s great ironies – the more we attempt to simplify IT, the more complex it gets.

During the course of our CIO Conference being held here at Sydney’s Star City Casino today, I’ve heard some very interesting, but sometimes complex presentations.

But one of the great things about industry conferences like this one is that they offer a window into the ICT’s collective consciousness. As such, I think there are a couple of very simple, straight-forward themes underpinning the day.

The first is what you could call the mood of optimism. Whether the subject at hand is a presentation on knowledge management, EAI, infrastructure, or other fundamentals, there’s a common theme that growth is firmly on the CIO’s agenda. The twist is that we’re still a little cautious about what that growth means.

Bob Suh, Chief Technology Strategist at Accenture, hit the nail on the head: “Companies today are caught in an austerity trap.” CIO’s are still conservative about innovation, and its ability to contribute to earnings and profits.

The second theme is an old favourite: the CIO is not only the technology expert, but an agent for change across the business. One CIO lamented to me over lunch that CEO’s increasingly expect the CIO to understand the business, but CEOs and other executives are not meeting them half-way. They don’t understand what IT can deliver.

So who wants to be a CIO? A: Someone who can mix a passion for innovation with profit motives and skills in office politics.

Looking around the room and judging by the questions after each keynote (yes, this is another post via iBurst), vendor presenters with an understanding of that context are getting the best reception.

Gadget Lounge reports on Starbucks’ plan to sell Wi-Fi connections in its Australian stores via Telstra. I’ve used T-mobile service at Starbucks in the US without any problems and anticipate the same here - looks like the pricing ($5 to $10) will be the similar too.

However, I’m starting to wonder how long Wi-Fi will be able to command these premium prices. As iBurst and other 3G services eventually come down in price, why would you bother paying for a hotspot when technology like iBurst makes any location a hotspot?

Starbucks could find itself following the McDonalds model and up-selling a Wi-Fi connection for 50 cents.

Blogging live from ARN’s whitebox seminar this morning in Sydney, thanks to the iBurst card I’m testing. I tell you it’s a completely different experience to walk into a hotel and not need to wonder whether they have Wi-Fi.

Anyway, we’re dissecting and analysing the convergence of consumer electronics and the PC-centric IT industry today. In the audience are more than 100 whitebox assemblers, or system builders. The opportunity for them is to counter the big brands out there and leverage relationships with their local community.

So far we’ve heard from Intel, Samsung, Microsoft, Gartner and my boss, IDG Australia/NZs Don Kennedy. A key theme I’ve picked up is that broadband is the fundamental driver. What we are waiting for are consolidation of standards and more product simplicity.

We’ve also got a bit of a first here: Microsoft is demo-ing the Windows Media Centre Edition. Microsoft’s Tim Schroder is showing how we can use a remote control to access pictures, DVDs, music, TV and Radio etc via the PC on a TV. In fact his demo includes a live TV feed and TiVo-like recording functionality. Very cool - can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Finally, the last plug for this event. We are going to turn today’s presentation into a webcast - the first one for IDG Australia. Exciting times.

UPDATE: Told you the Microsoft presentation was a first! Brian Corrigan, ARN’s editor, reports that Microsoft will start shipping the Windows XP Media Centre Edition on October 13.