Where’s the Gee-Touch?
One of my family members has the ever-fashionable, iTouch on his Santa wish list. For various reasons, I have never been a fan of personal media players (PMPs) for kids. It is too easy for a PMP to hijack a kid’s free time and prevent them from having to find creative ways to deal with their boredom (I speak from first-hand knowledge of my own weakness). As a result, I have had the challenge of discouraging the desire for a PMP without seeming like a Scrooge.
Therefore, I adopted the overhang strategy that worked so well for so many years with the Digital Video Recorder. The basic approach is to suggest that something much better is on the horizon, so there is no need to make a hasty decision. In the case of the iTouch, I had been telling my wife and son that Google would soon come out with a technology that would compete with the iTouch.
To prove that the plausibility of an iTouch, I did a little research and then penned the following article that speculates about the possibility of an Android-based, iTouch-like device. Two days later, the Wall Street Journal published rumors of the new Google Phone, the Nexus 1, and then, the next day, I feasted my eyes on this new device. I am more convinced than ever that the Android-based iTouch may be a reality in 2010. Click here to read, the article, Where’s the Gee-Touch.
The Transition to Broadband – The More Things Change…..
“Consumers are going to drive what applications are successful,” said Doug Wenzlaff of Solarus, in this video interview with Roger Bindl. Wenzlaff points out that one of the big changes in the telecom industry is that providers have had to shift from a culture of “build it and they will come” to one where the “customers build the services they want”. Wenzlaff points out that telecom companies need to build networks that are flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen customer-driven applications. Click here to watch the video.
Mobile Packet Core takes Center Sage at IEEE ComSoc SCV Jan 13, 2010 Meeting by Alan Weissberger
IEEE ComSoc SCV is fortunate enough to have two “alumni” speakers from Tellabs (Rehan Jalil) and Cisco (Jay Iyer) for our Jan 13th panel session. Our panel moderator will be ComSocSCV Technical Activities Director Sameer Herlekar…….Why is this subject important? Because India has been and will continue to be the largest market for cellphones. Intel thinks it will be a huge market for netbooks and net tops- low cost PCs with WiMAX built in. Click here for details.
[Editor’s Note: Check out the continued comments on Alan’s article on Clearwire’s WiMAX efforts at Viodi and his latest article on Clearwire on the WiMAX blog.
Roger and I will be covering CES for Parks Associates and their conference at CES on January 7th. Independent Telcos, give us a shout if you are going to be attending CES.
Check out this promotional video that Roger produced for our appearance at Broadband Properties conference in April in Dallas.
Some Christmas CheerCheck out John Schultz’s virtual kettle. This is in addition to the real kettle he will be ringing in Minneapolis this week.
The Korner – Happy Holidays from Viodi
As usual, procrastination got the best of me and the Viodi Christmas cards are still but a thought and not a reality. As usual, my good friend Roger Bindl picks me up; this time by creating a video montage of various Viodi and ViodiTV activities through the years. He mixes these images with some classic snowy Christmas footage from Wisconsin.
Reviewing the video reminded me of how lucky I am to work with such great people and how fortunate I have been to see some see interesting places that I know only because of my independent telco friends. And thanks again to Roger and Jacky for their support and making ViodiTV a reality.
Until we meet again in 2010, peace be with you and your family.
Thanks for reading the Viodi View.
