The slow death of Metricom threw their customers for a loop. Here was a
company that provided a unique service, yet burned through a billion dollars,
and is now seemingly missed by all. Denver-based Aerie Networks recently
bought most of the key Ricochet assets for a mere $8.25 million during
bankrupcy court proceedings. What went wrong? Here, leading voices from the
industry give their take on why a great product wasn't enough... and what the
future holds for investments in the mobile Internet space.
When one door closes, another door opens. Or does it? Those who are building
mobile Internet service companies would like to believe that this axiom is
true. But how do new entrants distance themselves from recently deceased
providers who've blown through billions of dollar... (more)
As a platform for games and entertainment, the mobile phone seems to have
ascended to a position that now demands serious attention. At the E3
convention in Los Angeles this past May, it seemed that an entire generation
of growth and development had occurred in less than 12 months.
E3 (Electronic Enter-tainment Expo) is the video gaming industry's largest
gathering, and it is now clear th... (more)
In a sea of seemingly incompatible MMS strategies, divergent mobile operator
schemes, and innumerable advertising campaigns aimed at would-be U.S. camera
phone users, Philippe Kahn navigates enviably.
Philippe Kahn is the CEO of LightSurf Technologies, his third successful
startup in as many tries (and the second founded with his wife Sonia Lee).
Well known for his pioneering leadership a... (more)
More than 6 million handsets featuring the Symbian OS shipped last year.
WBT's Tim Bresien takes a look at the company's prospects for 2004, a
critical year for the smartphone market.
If London-based Symbian Ltd. was a traditional venture-funded startup, this
would be the time that investors would demand to extract a return on their
dollars, pounds, and Euros. You see, many private ventur... (more)
Utilizing unlicensed, near-infrared wireless spectrum, Idealab's Omnilux is
about to make a run at the Free Space Optics (FSO) market with its mesh
networking vision.
Is it possible that Idealab, the accidental icon for all that was exaggerated
about the early Internet Era, is overseeing the growth of a fundamentally
sound wireless company? Yes it is! In fact, there are several Idealab
... (more)