Jim I see you are highly excitable, as usual.
Be that as it may, if you care to assume that
Motorola gave up 1/2 billion dollar order
that is your perogative. If that explanation
fits your investment habits, then I'm happy
for you. I'll tell you again, Motorola had its
feet held to the fire for once. They have a
LONG history of costily rollouts and then charging
the customer for it. Don't believe it, that your right.
I've only been dealing and competing with Rotomola
for over twenty years. So I don't have any firsthand
knowledge of their silk suited business practices.
By the way, a Wall Street analyst, whom I can't recall,
point this out about 9 months ago about dear old
Rotomola. Frankly, I hope Ericsson rams it up their you-
know- what and breaks it off.
Now to the free phone issue. I just called Southwestern Bell
and two other location with 'free phones' . They are analog
only. Digital/analog cell phones.....what they are digital and
analog.....yes Margo they are....cost extra. $69 to $99 for an
Ericsson 353 phone, depending on rate plan. Now, I'm not
in Chicago, so I can't vouch for what is going on up there.
In the Houston market, digital is extra. We do have all kind of
options here, too. Again a digital/analog cellphone cost
extra.
Sitting before me is a catalog from a group called Hello
Direct. Mail order communications. Their cellphone
section, which has activation with GTE, has only 5 phones
in it. Their URL is hello-direct.com I haven't
visited that yet so I don't have a clue what is there. Anyways,
Motorola 650 w/o activation $259.95, w/$49.95. Nokia 232
w/o $319.95, w/$119.95. Audiovox MVX850 w/o $599.95,
w/$349.95. Motorola MicroTAC elite w/o $599.95, w /$349.95.
Mitsubishi is free w/activation, w/o $179.95. Any of these
digital, as they say in India, I NOT KNOWING?
Now this mighty fine, low end Ericsson phone doesn't get the
battery time you stated. The regular battery is 2 hrs talk
6 hrs standby. 3 hr talk 18 hr standby with extra capacity.
The Nokia the chap in London had was about 3 hr talk
and 18-20 hr standby, extra capacity. His words, not mine.
Again the switching off the phone on the motorway
was the issue that got my attention. Now this Lithium battery
phone will not be cheap, by the way, some other time
I'll tell you how Motorola rob the guy who came up with the
lithium battery and circuitry sometime.
The dual mode phone isn't anything newsworthy Jim. As a
matter of fact there is talk of dual TDMA/CDMA phones.
With the broadband characteristics of mircoelectronics
that should be very doable. As a matter of fact Motorola
has had a phone out that uses a smart card to facilatate it
being able to work with any standard anywhere. Thats
been around for a couple of years. Bet that phone
ain't free. (Speaking of smart phones, you might
want to checkout a company called Geoworks, GWRX.
they have the software O/S going into these phones).
I won't disagree that all hell will break loose in 1997.
It most certainly will. I tell people to hold off buying
for right now. I think the cats out the bag with
the MCI/Nextwave deal. I believe I've said this before,
PCS is the vessel for AT&T, MCI, Sprint to go heads
up with the ROBC's in local access. Also there is some
heavy duty fights ahead as to what the ROBC do to
charge the 3 LD companies to use their copper.
Enter the fray cable. Oddly they will use CDMA and
not TDMA, but that is a different intellectual discussion.
They aren't wireless. The competition will be hot
and heavy for all manufacturers and service providers.
The truth of the matter Jim, Ma Bell wasn't a very nice
lady when she was a monopoly. She was a Dominatrix
whipping and beating us, hurting us.....pleeaassee (See
Maurice I tried real hard to get this sexual thing in)!!!!
More truths we become apparent in the future about
the cost we have been paying. Stay tuned.
The market is a two way street. You need longs and shorts,
buys and sells. You can believe what you want and invest
accordingly. I just read a book from IEEE Press. It had
two of the 'authorities' cited in the resent WSJ article. They
very anti CDMA, especially Cox. Funny they are the only
authorities in this large book about Mobile Communications
anti CDMA. About 15 others are quite positive or at least
objective in the viability of CDMA in the mobile or wireless
environment. Dr. Frezza wasn't published however.
|
