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Last year, however, AT & T and Verizon Wireless in particular made a huge splash with listings of 4G. There was so much excitement that I thought he could steal the spotlight at CTIA Show in the spring, which could have fallen into oblivion like so many other shows.
But this year's CES made it clear that for the wireless industry, CES is always optional and the CTIA show is the first industry event. So, now that I've down about CES, let me tell you what I could get out. There were a couple of bright spots, it was not a complete waste of time.
AT & T came out swinging once again with several major announcements. The company has shown an impressive range of support for developers who want to take advantage of GPS, carrier billing integration, and AT & T TV service U-Verse. This type of integration, although limited to AT & T, can lead to richer applications and more exciting. Glympse starting to see what is possible with GPS integration.
AT & T has done the best job of selling smartphones to existing customers with an iPhone 3G 99-percent and several other smartphones devices of less than $ 30, all requiring at least a $ 15 entry-level monthly plan data. AT & T ads is built on this strategy with the launch of three "LTE for the masses" smartphone for under $ 50 and the launch of two types of Windows Phone 7 with LTE, one of HTC (Titan II) , and the other from Nokia (the Lumia 900).
Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, gushed with praise for the Titan II, noting that it is his personal device. Nokia CEO Steven Elop was a little coy about what his company was unveiled because he wanted people to show up for his own press conference later this afternoon.
Phones at low prices are a big problem because people with disposable income have smartphones. Reach the rest of the people is the trick. He returns to be expensive. A $ 200 phone and an additional $ 30 each month for data is not at the top of the list for some people in this economy. But today's smartphones are addictive. Before people try them, they wonder what they could use them for. After performing for a week, they can not live without one and often end upgrading.The Lumia 900 is a beautiful device, upping the ante on almost everything the Lumia 800 delivered: greater, the brighter screen and LTE. It is well known that Nokia also CDMA + LTE version in the works, which, if it launches with Verizon Wireless, would give the extent necessary for operators to have a significant impact on the market. Operators are well advised to have at least three competing operating systems. Negotiations are much easier when one party has more than two options. With the implosion of RIM, Windows phones are in a unique position to take the third slot.
Greater agreement: With much fanfare, Samsung introduced the note Galaxy - a hybrid smartphone / tablet. In all likelihood, it does not work. Just one look confirms why. It's too big to be a phone and it is too small to be a decent tablet. It does not pass the test pants pocket unless you wear cargo pants all the time, and it seems absurd next to someone's ear - such as keeping a personal pizza pan next to your head.
(Credit: Composite image by Joe Aimonetti)
Other ads operator and the device have been disappointing to say the least. Verizon Wireless and Sprint had announced they could have done during a two week average of the year. T-Mobile in the U.S. of "we are still alive" press conference at CES was cute, but not much more than that. T-Mobile's suggestion that the next iPhone could work with its AWS spectrum has also made some waves, but probably upset the secret Apple more than it appeals to regular consumers.
Some thoughts different.
I'm very skeptical regarding the Intel / Motorola multi-year, multi-device announcement.That means we get two Motorola handsets in two years, using new chips from Intel. Why am I so pessimistic?
Historically, Intel were much more power hungry than the ARM-based chipsets, while the Intel radio purchased from Infineon is significantly lower than Qualcomm. Have you heard of major complaints about dropped calls with Apple's iPhone has gone from Infineon to Qualcomm? Neither do I.
Spectrum and the Federal Communications Commission panels, the focus was on auctions incentive of broadcasters. Almost everyone, including FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, think auctions must be done now. Only broadcasters, who need to be convinced to give up the ghost, do not see the urgency - the longer they wait to sell their spectrum, the more money they will get.
For auctions of incentive to move forward, the House of Representatives and the Senate must first agree on the terms and conditions of the auction, which recent history is unlikely. The auction will be offering TV spectrum is not used for wireless use. Republicans in the House want to limit the restrictions on space, while Democrats in the Senate and the FCC wants to be able to change the rules on who can bid. A block of 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2009, he had conditions on it, and never attracted enough interest by bidders, highlighting what happens when too many restrictions are in place.
So it was a week dull, with few bright spots. I have not completely given up at CES, but I am excited to see what the Mobile World Congress next month and in the spring CTIA show have in store.
