Can You Hear Me Now?

Access is still the issue.

Being connected is everything.

I’ve been thinking a lot about technology, mobile and where this is all going from a Marketing perspective.

I think we’re not going anywhere until we resolve the issue of connectivity. I don’t care if it’s WiMAX, Edge networks or anything else, but being connected needs to become ubiquitous like radio. We need it everywhere.

It’s also not enough for it to just be everywhere. It needs to be everywhere and it needs to be fast.

I’m seeing more and more mobile devices that are wi-fi enabled. Recently, Nokia sent me the N810 Internet Tablet. It’s not a phone – just the Internet. And here’s the thing: I love it when I’m in an area with wireless access. When I’m not in a hotspot, I hate it – because it’s a brick.

It fascinates me that when you think about the power of the Internet and what mobile devices can do, the availability of high speed access everywhere is the last barrier for taking this media to the next level. I used to look at devices like laptops and mobile phones and see the limitations in the hardware. Seeing new devices like the Nokia N810, Apple‘s iPhone and even my Sony Vaio ultra-portable laptop demonstrates to me that the hardware is there… all we need is high speed access everywhere.

I know there’s a net neutrality comment for this type of talk too, but I’ll save that for another time.

With true wireless everywhere, just imagine the possibilities.