A Cellular Sea Change

A CELLULAR SEA CHANGE
[SOURCE: New York Times 12/1, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] These are interesting times in the world of mobile technology. Pressures of all kinds — consumer demand, regulation, lawsuits, technological advancements — are driving American cellular service providers in surprising and welcome new directions. The most dramatic example is Verizon, which announced earlier in the week that it would open its network and software platform to a wider array of phones and applications than it currently offers. Verizon’s decision recognizes the new power of openness as a model in the world of mobile technology. There is a deep common sense behind the openness that is being forced on the world of mobile technology providers. If nothing else, it unleashes the twin powers of consumer choice and consumer desire. It gets carriers out of the business of telling us what tools we should want on our cellphones, and it frees cellphone manufacturers from the restrictions placed upon them by the carriers. The logical end of mobile openness is a set of shared, even convergent standards that may mean faster communication for consumers using any phone, any software, and any carrier. And that is where the real revolution in mobile computing will begin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01sat3.html?ref=todayspaper
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