Frog Design router/AP is cool: but Vonage has bigger amphibians to fry

Vonage was at CES, happy-talking its new baby service bundle (as opposed to the powerful triple and quadruple play stuff)with EarthLink's muni Wi-Fi. And oh yes, seen at their booth the Frog Design router/access point combo- one designed by Vonage and FD rather than simply sent down the pipe by a Cisco/Linksys or Motorola- is pretty cool too. Even if no one knows when this will hit the shelves.

You're looking at it up top.

But if Vonage is to be around and thriving for the long term, there are those inconvenient truths: subscriber acquisition costs that must be brought down to the realm of common sense; a more nimble willingness to offer additional pricing plans in the face of Skype's aggressive moves; and what to do about all those IPO-shareholder lawsuits once they are all consolidated and come to trial.

Citron sounds off about all this and more to Barron's Eric Savitz. By the way a plug for Eric. He's one of the best bloggers I know in terms of fusing the technological and the corporate into assessments owing to both imperatives but not leaning on one to the expense of the other.