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Thoughts and things I care to share

RIMarkable on Visto Post

RIMarkable has a post on the same Visto story I talked about earlier today.  I still can’t figure it out, and have the same question as Robb Dunewood – who actually uses their technology to get mobile email?  There are dozens of people that we all know that use BlackBerry’s, some that have Palm Treos, Nokia Series 60/S60 devices, and Windows Mobile Smartphones and Pocket PC Phones that use alternate methods like GoodLink, POP3, IMAP and Exchange 2003 solutions.

While I don’t agree with some that question the viability of patents today, I do lament the lack of integrity of patent filers/holders and in the disappointing performance of the US Patent Office itself regarding technology patents.

Vonage adds Europe to calling plans

Vonage has added European access to their Premium Unlimited $25 and Small Business $50 plans.  The international calling fees to the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, and Spain will be waived for these plans.  Good news for international callers!
Check out ZDNet’s article for more information.

Vonage adds Europe to calling plans

Vonage has added European access to their Premium Unlimited $25 and Small Business $50 plans.  The international calling fees to the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, and Spain will be waived for these plans.  Good news for international callers!
Check out ZDNet’s article for more information.

Visto – A Vulture

So here comes wave two of the patent suite against RIM.  ZD Net is reporting about Visto suing RIM over their BlackBerry mobile email system.  This is the same company that is engaged in a lawsuit against Microsoft – and the same one who did a cross-license agreement with NTP (who just settled with RIM themselves) on several of their patents.

Trying to paint RIM as some evil patent-stealing empire, Visto’s CEO Brian Bogosian says:

“Under the law, which protects consumers from products that contain infringing technology, RIM should not be able to sell the BlackBerry system.”

More crybabies who can’t compete fairly.  I’m just curious where Visto’s and NTP’s lawsuites were when RIM was starting the mobile email productivity revolution 5+ years ago?  Wouldn’t it have been prudent (for them) to stop the company then?  I’m really getting tired of this kind of behavior that impacts progress and innovation.

Anyone who thinks mobile email is a breakthrough technology must have been born yesterday.  My advice to Visto/NTP – develop a real, competitive, creative business plan and produce some real products that truly are breakthroughs in the mobile space.

Is AT&T a more powerful brand than Cingular?

Today RCR Wireless News is reporting that AT&T will drop the Cingular Wireless brand name in 2007 – surely not a surprise to many who suggested this when they heard SBC was buying AT&T.  While I’m not sure how this will play out in the end, I believe that AT&T is making a mistake.  With all the effort and dollars invested in the Cingular brand they now decide the old AT&T Death Star is a much more vibrant entity in the minds of customers.

Cingular has worked expanded their brand in the public mind share, they’ve successfully rolled out EDGE services network wide, expanded the network footprint for GSM 850 & 1900.  The only area that they have left to improve significantly on is their customer service.  The Cingular brand is youthful in comparison to AT&T Wireless.  Many mobile users were stung in the conversion from AT&T Wireless TDMA phones to Cingular GSM phones and they won’t soon forget the experience.  I think it’ll take a much more expensive sales job to win these customers over (again) to the AT&T brand when they are beginning to be satisfied with the Cingular service.

Many people also like to have a delineation between their land line and wireless providers.  It demonstrates their power of choice, if only to themselves.  Personally, I think the old AT&T is long dead.  The latest ‘3.0’ rendition of the company is really a renamed SBC, and I’ve never had a good experience with them.

So what do you think of this latest play in the AT&T name game?

mesh conference

So I’ve been following Mathew Ingram’s work on the upcoming mesh conference in Toronto May 15th and 16th.  It looks like a really great conference – good content, and interesting & relevent speakers.  If you’ve been looking for a well-rounded web 2.0 conference, maybe you should check it out.  Cool stuff.

Brighthand Reviews Cingular 8125

The crew over at Brighthand.com have posted a review of the Cingular 8125 Pocket PC Phone.  A varient of the HTC Wizard, its comparable to the T-Mobile MDA and iMate K-JAM.

For you new (or potential) Cingular 8125 owners – don’t hesitate to check out the HTC Wizard Web community site.  You’ll find a lot of useful tips, tricks, registry hacks, etc…  lots of fun.

Updated About Page

I finally updated my ‘About’ page which needed to be done since I started this blog.  Next I’ll continue on some of the work I started a few weeks ago on the ‘Links’ and the new ‘T-Mobile MDA’ page as well.  It just feels good to have that page done!

Quotes


Be strong.

Be of good courage.

God bless America.

Long live the republic.

Sootch00

Lessons cost money. Good one's cost lots.

Tony Beets

Hard times make strong men.

Strong men make good times.

Good times make weak men.

Weak men make hard times.

Unknown

You're only worth what you're willing to work for.

Wranglerstar

You can watch things happen, you can make things happen, or you can wonder what happened.

Capt. Phil Harris

People say I have an issue with control... I say, as long as I have it, there is no issue.

Unknown

Mistakes are just success training.

DarwinOnTheTrail

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Unknown

No man is a complete failure. He can always be used as a bad example.

Unknown

You're either the mouse or the lion. Time to find out which one.

Sue Aikens

Failure is always an option.

Adam Savage

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