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To: ms.smartest.person who wrote (307)	8/20/2000 4:53:49 AM
From: ms.smartest.person	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 497

Don't Think You'll Need The Wireless Web? Think Again (08/18/00, 7:16 p.m. ET) OPINION By Jeffrey Harrow, TechWeb News A favorite mantra of wireless telecoms and industry observers is that the next big thing in telecommunications will be mobile Internet services. But many people who have tried using today's Web-enabled cell phones -- and who have given up in frustration -- need a bit of convincing. Forrester Research has a response for skeptics. In a July 27 report, the researcher says there's already tremendous "latent demand" for anywhere, any time access to information. This means that while we may not think that we want or need the wireless Web -- we will. Forrester, Cambridge, Mass., points out four factors that will convert our latent demand into a full-fledged wireless riot. -- Business applications. Innovative companies will create new expectations for, and value from, anywhere, any time access to the Web. -- Ease of use. New products will build on existing technology like cell phones and PDAs to create easier to use platforms. -- Price. As businesses better understand the value consumers will find in wireless access, they'll find ways to bring wireless services to consumers at an affordable price. -- Time. Just as it took time for people to warm up to the Web, it will take them time to get used to surfing over cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless appliances. As we wait for those four factors to pan out, consider these signs of the impending wireless boom: IBM (stock: IBM) has announced that it plans to invest $1 billion and 2,500 new employees in its European mobile Internet consultancy. Ford Motor Co. (stock: F) and Qualcomm Inc. (stock: QCOM) have said they will build the wireless "Wingcast" service into more than one million new cars and trucks by the end of 2002 -- as well as into all of Ford's vehicles during 2004. Furthermore, GM expects to extend its OnStar service into 1 million cars by the end of 2000. And then there's Japan's DoCoMo and its iMode wireless Web service, hugely popular among Japanese youths. The company has just struck a deal with Sony (stock: SNE) to power the new portable PlayStation 2 with iMode, which will make possible wireless games-on-demand and connectivity to multiplayer games while on-the-go. Pay attention to this convergence of games, kids, and wireless services -- games and kids have driven the development and spread of new technology in the past. techweb.com