Frozen Syrup
7 hours ago
A brief-yet-ongoing journal of all things Carmi. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for your mouse to click back to Google. But you'll be intrigued. And you'll feel compelled to return following your next bowl of oatmeal. With brown sugar. And milk.
Sorry to hear about [name of the deceased]; he was a nice guy. Have you made any plans about what to do with his aprtment? My wife and I always liked the location and would pay a handsome finder's fee to move in. We don't want any of his stuff; I'm sure you would want want to keep his junk as a keepsake. Please call us at [phone number of the writer] when you've cleaned up the place. Thanks.I'm on the fence as to whether or not this was a joke. If it was, it's highly misplaced. If it's serious, then it's about as tacky as anything I've ever witnessed online.
Another scene from my find-beauty-wherever-possible tour of my burg. See here and here for similarly-themed entries.For reasons that I often have difficulty understanding, Sammy's Souvlaki has always seemed to define our life in our transplanted hometown. Here's a rundown of why I think that may be the case:
Me: While I'm always interested in lowering my interest rate, what I really hope you can do for me today is help me get my phone number removed from your database.This outfit calls at least three times a week, always with the same idiotic come-on. During the day (great for us home-office types), evening (conducive for spending quality time with the kids), whenever. I'd like to taser them through my phone, but I suspect that might be illegal.
Him: You pressed 1 to lower your interest rate.
Me: I pressed 1, but only to speak to a live person. Please remove me from your list and do not call me again.
Him [Getting nasty]: Look, buddy, you pressed 1 because you want to lower your interest rate.
Me: Who am I speaking to?
Him: Who I am doesn't matter.
Me: May I please speak to your supervisor?
Him: [Click...dial tone]
As one industry analyst noted, the text access debate touches on everything from censorship to the First Amendment to federal rules relating to non-discrimination against people with disabilities.Your turn: Do you get text message spam on your cell phone? Does it tick you off?
"This is a slippery slope with signification constitutional implications," Carmi Levy, senior vice president of strategic consulting at AR Communications, told InternetNews.com.
"Their [carriers] role is to provide service, not to judge access. There is no way for them to come out of this looking good. This is the land of the First Amendment and messing with that is sacrosanct in any form."
Quick note: If you're just joining us, I've been taking my camera to seemingly desolate places - parking lots, crumbling downtown blocks and other forgotten locales - and challenging myself to find either beautiful, memorable or otherwise compelling images. This photo continues the theme...I came across this woman in a back alley during my downtown walkabout. I was using a longish lens, so I doubt she even knew I was there. While I was wandering around, there was a steady stream of folks coming and going - mostly to the nearby liquor store or bus station. I had no idea what this woman's story was, but as I took the picture, I wondered where she was coming from, where she was going, and whether she gave much thought to the tumultuous depression of her surroundings.
Analyst Carmi Levy said Internet service providers have invested huge amounts of money in their networks and need technology to increase bandwidth that can work with what they already have in place.Upstart Globalive ready to take on Canada's big wireless players. Also picked up by AM1150 Kelowna, CFTK-TV Terrace BC and CanadaEast.
"The doomsayers have been warning about an Internet apocalypse for years and magically that has not yet happened," said Levy, senior vice-president of strategic consulting at AR Communications in Toronto. "Bandwidth will continue to grow to account for the increased demands of such bandwidth rich-applications like video," he said.
Analyst Carmi Levy said these companies have to project years forward how they expect consumers to be using their mobile phones.Your turn: Do you want to break the cell phone carrier monopoly as badly as I do?
As the phones become more multi-functional with capabilities such as being able to surf the Internet, listen to music and watch video, those with the necessary Internet bandwidth will have the competitive advantage, said Levy, senior vice-president for strategic consulting at Toronto's AR Communications.
"Canada needs the winners of this auction to bring something new and to bring something different - new technologies, new networks, new pricing structures that align more closely with the experience of consumers in other markets because we are still paying too much for too little," Levy said.
RIM has also signaled that it is preparing to do battle with Apple. The Canadian company says it plans to introduce at least four new handsets this year, though it won't provide details. Analyst Carmi Levy of AR Communications believes that at least one of the devices will have a touch screen.Business News Network (BNN). I spoke with Michael Hainsworth on Wednesday afternoon, just before Research In Motion announced the results of yet another strong quarter. Click here to load the interview (yes, Mom, I brushed my hair.)
But not all of the change has been welcome."It's an example of mankind's ability to introduce new technologies, but completely miss the boat when it comes to understanding the implications of those technologies," said Carmi Levy, senior vice-president of strategic consulting at Toronto's AR Communications. "In the past, you had to get someone live on the phone who was sitting at his or her desk in a certain location. They were literally tied to their location. Today, that limitation is gone."It doesn't matter if you are on your way to pick up the kids from school or sitting in an airport. The work continues to happen."
"Motorola today is in the same situation it was in yesterday," said Carmi Levy, senior VP for strategic consulting at AR Communications. "It lacks a viable product map and continues to lose market share to competing vendors that are consistently bringing better products to market."InternetNews.com. I also spoke with Judy Mottl. Will Motorola Split Reverse Decline? Here's what I said:
[Snip]
For Motorola's competitors, the news of the split probably looks like chum in the water. Nokia, which now has a dominant 40% market share in global mobile phones, "is in an ideal position to dictate the direction of the market as it continues its transition away from commodity voice-focused handsets toward more feature-rich converged devices," said Levy.
"I'm surprised this took so long actually," Carmi Levy, senior vice president at researcher AR Communications, told InternetNews.com. "It's an effort for Motorola to hold on to whatever traction it still has. They're a fading No. 3 player, and the future is cloudy."Light Reading. Did an interview with Unstrung site editor Dan Jones where I shared some views on the future state of the mobile world. Here's the piece: CTIA & the Invisible Handsets. Here's what I said (gee, reading back, I seemed so negative! What gives?)
[Snip]
The company has been searching openly for a new head for its mobile unit since Brown stepped in at the end of January to personally direct everyday operations.
"They're going to have to find someone willing to swing for the fences, who's looking for a big career risk opportunity," Levy said. "If the person succeeds, they'll be a savior -- or they could flame out."
Retaining engineering and product development personnel is also a key concern, Levy added.
"This is a challenge and a big strategic issue," he said. "Google has proven that recruiting the best and brightest can pay off."
"I think a lot of what in past years would have been released at a major industry tradeshow like CTIA is increasingly breaking beforehand," Carmi Levy, senior VP of strategic consulting at AR Communications Inc. "The era of major announcements being reserved exclusively for major tradeshows is drawing to a close. Blame the Internet for making vendors reluctant to embargo news of the next big thing until a show."Your turn: What wireless device is in your pocket? Why does it matter, anyway?
[Snip]
That doesn't mean that no big names will be making a splash in Glitter Gultch. Windows Mobile 6.1, the latest makeover of the Microsoft Corp. device operating system, is hotly anticipated.
"Everyone is counting the days until Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1 release," Levy says.
"I'll be looking for specific product announcements from hardware vendors to accompany the Microsoft announcement. Those that bring WM6.1-based products to market sooner will gain competitive advantage... Expect the changeover to Windows Mobile 6.1 to be largely complete by early 2009."
"I expect Microsoft to make announcements," confirms Ken Dulaney at Gartner Inc. [Carmi here...kinda amazed that someone from Gartner AGREES with me! Mark this day in history, will ya?]
[Snip]
"RIM continues to deny rumors that its 9000-series devices will ship by midyear -- which likely means that we'll be able to touch, play with, and buy the first such devices by early summer," says AR's Levy. "This release is pivotal for RIM as it braces for an intensified battle against Apple for both enterprise and consumer smartphone supremacy."
Google's Android handsets and initial WiMax devices for Sprint Nextel Corp. network will be the wild cards at the show.
"We'll probably see some Android prototypes," suggests Levy.
"This will continue the trend we've seen over the past few months as members of the consortium try to maintain and grow interest in the still-evolving platform... It's vital for all involved vendors to keep their wares -- however half-baked they may be at this point -- visible to a buying public that's still trying to figure out where this offering will fit in the evolving smartphone space."
"We may see some WiMax device announcements, but they will hardly be from mainstream players," Levy adds. "The lack of a comprehensive national WiMax network makes such device announcements little more than inconsequential sideshows."