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To: Mohan Marette who wrote (123032)5/7/1999 9:58:00 AM
From: D.J.Smyth  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 176387
 
ERICY envisions 3G calls coming through your laptop: (from their site - of interest is that the laptop becomes a connection to your mobile phone, i.e., the laptop becomes indespensible for business people)

<<A wireless terminal that is your gateway into the world of
voice, data, video and multimedia communications.

The year is 2005. You are travelling on the high-speed train
across Europe or anywhere else come to that. On the table in
front of you is your laptop computer. You sip a cup of coffee
while you write a short report on the meeting you attended
earlier that day.

Suddenly, you hear the tone that tells you there's an incoming
videoconference call. You click on the screen icon, the
computer screen changes and you see your assistant's face.
The two of you have a brief conversation. Then she tells you
about a new Intranet site that could be useful for your next
customer meeting. So without interrupting the conversation,
you take a look at the Web site, and your assistant guides you
to the most interesting pages.

A few minutes later, your sales department calls and sends
direct to your computer the technical specifications and price
data you need for your next meeting, while you send your
completed report automatically to the eight people who need
copies.

Meanwhile, a memo from one of your co-directors arrives on
your computer. It's about an important item on your own
company, broadcast on that morning's TV news report. A clip
of the TV item is attached to the email, so you watch it.

This is not science fiction.

It is a preview of everyday communication services that will be
a commercial reality within the next few years.

So-called 'third-generation' wireless services (also referred to
as '3G services') will significantly expand the range of options
available to users and allow communication, information and
entertainment services to be delivered via wireless terminals.

The exciting thing is that the foundation for these services had
already been laid down -in the shape of today's digital
mobile phone networks. What is needed in order to support
these advanced multimedia services is to expand the
information capacity, or 'bandwidth' of the radio
communications technology.>>



To: Mohan Marette who wrote (123032)5/7/1999 10:02:00 AM
From: Boplicity  Respond to of 176387
 
Mohieman, I bet you haven't found this mention of DELL, I live to find news you didn't.

Karatz Calls for a 'New Homebuilding Revolution'

High-Technology Industry Can be a Model for Industry's Future,

Kaufman and Broad Chief Says at Homebuilding Conference

LOS ANGELES, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Calling for homebuilders to "fundamentally change the way we look at our industry and the world around us," Kaufman and Broad's CEO Bruce Karatz challenged the homebuilding industry to adopt many of the business practices of the high-technology industry - if builders want to be considered among America's elite companies.

His remarks were made last night at the Builder 100 Conference in Aventura, Florida where the country's leading homebuilders gathered to plot the industry's future.

In his keynote address to the conference, Karatz oulined how Kaufman and Broad has become the country's leading builder by following the new rules of business laid down by leaders in the high-technology industry. That includes:

-- Loosening up the corporate culture, in order to attract top talent

-- Making strategic acquisitions to make an immediate impact and expand

the company's brand in key markets

-- Focusing intently on building market share in order to develop

economies of scale

-- Adopting aggressive marketing campaigns that bolsters the company's

brand

-- Offering greater consumer choice

-- Staying on the leading edge of technology

"We'll have to let go of some of our more cherished beliefs about homebuilding," said Karatz. "We'll have to be willing to learn from businesses that are outside the industry in order to keep pace with our customers and our markets."

Karatz went on to question the conservative marketing approach adopted by most homebuilders. "We've lulled ourselves into believing that homebuyers crave strength and stability above all," he said. "Many of us think that 'flashy' also means 'flaky' - that if we're revving up our image, we must be cutting back on our quality. Unfortunately, the cult of the boring rules supreme."

He noted that when Kaufman and Broad recently launched a promotion that involved giving away a real-life version of The Simpsons' cartoon house, sales and traffic spiked sharply. "It's a different world," he said. "Not only do consumers want the sizzle, they expect the sizzle," Kaufman and Broad was also the first homebuilder to use a nationally recognized spokesman in its print and broad cast advertisements - award winning actor Tom Skerritt.

Karatz also compared the direct sales model pioneered by Dell Computers to Kaufman and Broad's KB2000 business operating model. Both are based on giving customers maximum choice, which increases their satisfaction. That's the driving force behind Kaufman and Broad's 16 retail-quality New Home Showrooms. "The priority is to meet the demands of the customer - not to anticipate them," Karatz said.

Karatz also said that the consolidation trend that's been a staple of the high-technology in industry will gather momentum in homebuilding industry. "I think there will be a time in the not-so-distant future when we'll see less than five companies dominate the industry. What's more, Kaufman and Broad intends to lead the charge."

Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation (NYSE: KBH) is the nation's largest homebuilder with operating divisions in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. The company is also among the largest builders in metropolitan Paris, France.