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UMAThought Leader Steve Shaw on TMCnet

May 9, 2008
Few people know more about UMA than Steve Shaw... He really lives and breathes this market. This is why I am thrilled Steve will be writing for TMCnet with a special focus on unwired mobile access or UMA.

Here is his first column -- which presents a good overview of the market and really plants the seed for future articles.

As always, we at TMCnet do our best to present our audience with the best writers in the market and we are thrilled to continue to be the primary global resource for communications and technology purchasing decision-makers.

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10 Reasons SPOT Watches Died Out

May 9, 2008
As one of the biggest advocates of SPOT watches, the wrist-carried devices which allowed you to receive immediate stock quotes, news and calendar updates on the go -- I could not be more sad to hear these gadgets will no longer be supported by Microsoft.

Here are the reasons the watch is gone:

1) High Cost: Many of these devices cost around $400+ and this is simply too much for a digital watch.
2) Ugliness: The watches are horrid looking but the Tissot High-T which was the best looking one of the bunch was priced high and is now discontinued.
3) Battery Life: 4-5 days of life was just not enough for a watch. One month is more acceptable.
4) Reliability: My experience with these watches (at least from Tissot) is that they break often.
5) One-Way Signals: The network only works in one direction so traveling to another location means telling the service ahead of time that you are going to be away from your home "range."
6) Weight/Size: Not everyone wants a big and heavy watch.
7) Watch Popularity: Watches are less popular in general -- SPOT watches are no exception.
8) Cell Phone Competition: They say the latest generation won't even use a watch because they have phones. Phones do everything a spot watch does and more.
9) Geek Factor:  Do I need to explain this one?
10) Cost: $10/month is a lot to spend if you are also paying a phone bill.

Having listed all of these items, owning a watch that vibrated 15 minutes before each meeting really helped me stay on track. In addition, it was easier to glance down at my watch for information because in many cases my phone was in my pocket or not in reach.

Sadly, the High-T was the only device in this genre that vibrated and I am not interested in devices that beep as they interrupt meetings, etc.

So basically I really am not as enthused  about SPOT watches as I once was.

I suppose life goes on and I can now focus on using my cell phone to do all the things my watch used to do.

Then again, I am sure Apple's iWatch will probably be the must-have gadget of 2010.

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Cablevision's WiFi Network in New York City

May 9, 2008


WiFi is not new and providing WiFi to a city is not new. What is new and worth noodling on is the fact Cablevision will soon have a WiFi network in New York City -- well over the next few years really.

The network will be voice-ready -- supporting WiFi telephony/VoWLAN and speeds could reach 1.5 Mbps.

Over the decades, Ethernet technology has always evolved to kill the competition. Although LTE and WiMax will be viable options, one wonders what would happen if WiFi continues to evolve -- like Ethernet to eventually cover more and more areas of the world.

Of course this scenario seems unlikely based on the fact that most companies haven't figured out how to make money in the WiFi ISP space. Still, it will be worth watching to see how this all plays out.

After all, I still don't have a WiMax or LTE radio in my cell phone or laptop.

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