Unlike the freewheeling and sometimes thought-provoking keynotes of previous CTIA Wireless I.T. shows, Tuesday’s opening keynote session was a trio of rudimentary company presentations on business basics from Microsoft Corp., Nokia Corp. and Intel Corp. executives. The keynotes-spruced up with slick video presentations and flashy demonstrations-offered attendees a glimpse into the goings on in wireless e-mail, smart phone and chipset advances.
Before the presentations, CTIA chief Steve Largent kicked off the show with praise for industry’s response to recent Gulf Coast hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Largent said industry provided more than 2,000 field workers, 25,000 free phones and $15 million in donations to the ravaged areas.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those that have been affected by the storms,” Largent said after a video presentation detailing the hurricane responses from Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp., Cellular South and others.
In his opening remarks, Largent also briefly discussed CTIA’s Mywireless.org program, which he described as one of the industry’s most important initiatives. Largent said the program has helped improve wireless taxation and regulatory situations in Missouri, Louisiana, Oregon and California.
Following Largent’s comments, Microsoft’s Suzan DelBene outlined the company’s views on the wireless enterprise market. DelBene, vice president of marketing for Microsoft’s wireless efforts, summarized the obstacles facing the wireless industry-and described the products and services Microsoft offers to combat those obstacles.
DelBene specifically took issue against wireless e-mail mainstay Research In Motion Ltd., which sells the popular BlackBerry service. Unsurprisingly, DelBene said Microsoft’s wireless e-mail offerings are superior to RIM’s-a statement so blunt it drew laughs from keynote attendees.
DelBene said it would cost Microsoft around $1.4 million to distribute BlackBerrys to its 20,000 Exchange users-and that Microsoft’s competing wireless e-mail offering costs nothing. Microsoft’s tally does not include the cost of the necessary Windows Mobile devices.
RIM declined to comment on DelBene’s statements.
However, DelBene somewhat lightened her tone when she showed off Palm Inc.’s new Windows Mobile Treo. Microsoft’s Bill Gates showed off the very same device in a press conference Monday, and DelBene said the phone’s number was inadvertently displayed during the event.
“It’s been ringing in my room all night, so I had to turn it off,” DelBene said to laughs from the audience.
Following DelBene’s presentation, Nokia’s Mary McDowell offered her own comments on the wireless e-mail space. McDowell is vice president and general manager of Nokia’s wireless enterprise offerings. McDowell too boasted of Nokia’s own products and services. “Our goal is that e-mail becomes as ubiquitous as voicemail,” she said in discussing Nokia’s new Business Center offering.
Intel’s Sean Maloney wrapped up Tuesday’s keynote session with a handful of observations on the development of the wireless market. Maloney also used the event to advocate Intel’s chipsets for laptops and mobile phones.
“Even the dumbest phone is going to get smart,” he predicted.
Maloney said laptops would continue to shrink in size while growing in power-a trend that smart phones will mimic. He said the laptop and smart-phone industries eventually will collide, and that consumer demand ultimately will decide the optimum form factor.
Maloney also discussed the services and applications that would run on top of such advanced devices. Specifically, Maloney proclaimed that broadband Internet access stands as one of the industry’s “killer apps.”
“There’s some challenges in getting the Internet to everyone,” Maloney said. He said Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks would help deliver the Internet to users. The statement comes as no surprise-Intel has spent millions promoting the development of the Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries.
As for WiMAX, Maloney said it would supplement rather than replace third-generation technologies.
“WiMAX is an overlay on top of that (3G) that meets a very different need,” he said.
