Disqus
The Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, what do they have in common? They both have wireless capabilities built in. It’s a feature that many wireless operators are only now starting to capitalize on. After all, what better way for operators to increase their bottom line than to partner with companies who then go and offer simple bundled connectivity to their customers? ABI Research predicts that between 2008 and 2014 the number of consumer electronics devices with mobile broadband built in will increase 55x reaching 58 million units per year in 2014. They don’t include the non consumer electronics category of devices such as environmental sensors, like Japanese operator DoCoMo is deploying, or wireless enabled power meters. It’s even been hinted that Nintendo plans to make their next mobile gaming system connected out of the box.
“When you embed a cellular or mobile broadband modem in a device, it becomes tied to a particular operator’s service billing. That changes the device vendors’ business model dramatically.” — Jeff Orr, ABI Research Senior Analyst
[Reminder: "Embedded Connectivity" was one of my 2010 predictions]
About The Author
Stefan Constantinescu
Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.
