Regarding phones and other wireless devices:
Phillipe Kahn Dreams in Wireless
October 14, 1999
by Sylvia Carr
upside.com
Philippe Kahn wants to free humanity from the cubicle.
The founder and former CEO of Borland now heads up Starfish, a company that makes
software and technology for portable devices. Last August, Motorola bought Starfish
and called on Kahn to update Motorola's image.
"Motorola was Sears and Roebuck. We want to make it Armani and Prada," Kahn
explains.
He calls the first bulky, black and gold Motorola phone a "weapon." Nothing like the
sparkly blue, small and contoured Motorola TimePort L7089 Kahn unclips from his belt
while on stage at Upside's Launch show. Already sold in Europe and Asia, the
TimePort is the first tri-ban phone (it works with all three GSM frequencies) that works
across the globe: in Europe, Asia, the United States, the Middle East, Africa and
Australia. Expect to see it in U.S. stores by the end of the year, and an Internet-enabled
version should arrive a few months later.
"We want to put the Internet in your pocket," Kahn says of Motorola/Starfish's vision.
The TimePort is one of many devices that are making the talked-about wireless Internet
a reality. And it's not a moment to soon for Philippe Kahn.
"Everyone is stuck in front of a screen. ... The wireless Internet is liberating because it
takes you out of Dilbert's cube. So you're not stuck in that geek think, you can go
outside, go hiking," Kahn says.
Kahn elaborates upon the unforeseen benefits of wireless technology. "We've put a
whole generation of white collar workers in cubes, getting back pain and carpal tunnel.
... Wireless technology can get rid of back pain and carpal tunnel. Really, it's a service
to humanity," he says with a vigorous laugh.
Say goodbye to your PC. In Kahn's brave new wireless world, we'll surf the Web, get
stock quotes, news and chat via mini, wearable gadgets.
After years of running his own show, Kahn says he likes working for Motorola because
he doesn't have to operate within the confines of a large corporation. Motorola left him
in charge of Starfish, and made him an advisor to Motorola's top brass. Motorola also
understood that he'd continue to be involved in emerging technology companies.
LightSurf is the name of his latest venture. The 18-month-old startup is developing the
technology for wireless digital photography. Soon, Kahn explains, you'll be able to
shoot a photo with a device as small as the sleekest cell phone and broadcast it over the
Web instantly.
Kahn knows it won't be easy. LightSurf will have to overcome the current bandwidth
limitations: High-quality photos don't move fast at modem speeds. "It will take
breakthrough technologies to do this," he says.
And what breakthroughs will we see for wireless devices?
Kahn says cell phone makers will continue to develop smaller and cooler devices. At
the same time, new technologies will create new breeds of devices--like the wireless
digital cameras that could run on LigthSurf's technology.
Kahn also envisions a world where wireless devices made by different companies--your
Nokia cell phone, Motorola pager and PalmPilot, for example--can talk to each other,
and share data and Internet access. To that end, Motorola and Starfish are actively
pursuing the "Bluetooth" wireless standard.
As for Starfish's technology, Motorola will continue to be embed it in Motorola devices.
We've already seen the Starfish magic with the Motorola StarTac mobile phones, in the
form of a credit-card-size organizer than clips on the back of the phone. Kahn says next
year the organizer will be integrated right into Motorola phones.
"Ultimately, the wireless Internet will change how people live their lives," Kahn explains.
"When you liberate people from the cube, it will be a bigger revolution than the
Internet."
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