Amnesia in Mobile Technology markets
Short memories twist IT insiders in knots

Amnesia in Mobile Technology markets

The CTIA wireless event in New Orleans did not reveal IT leaders at their best Nothing worse for a good nights sleep than the memory of what you should not have said at one of those social encounters. Let me change the names to protect the guilty, and Ill give you some examples:

An old friend shows up. ?Hi, Louis, hows life?? you ask. He replies: ?Just fine! Have you met Lucinda?? and introduces Lucinda. Louis is notoriously gay and proud to be gay. So you wait for Lucindas place in the party to bemade clear… ?And this is our son, Bill.? Too late; youve already asked Lucinda ?So, who is Louiss boyfriend this week?? Oops.

Or: ?Hello Phil! Gather youve got a new job? Bet youre glad to have left that unutterable shower… Ah, whose badge I see youre still wearing, after all. And this is your CEO?? Nice to see theyvemade it up. Pity nobody told you they had.

The CTIA wireless convention in New Orleans this month was a lot like that. Suddenly, people who werent speaking last year were doing deals.

In 2004, it was all ?portal control? and ?margin retention? and this year, suddenly, all the ring-tones and other crap downloads are going through ?unmediated? channels. And people for whom death was ?too good? 12 months ago are ?our staunch allies?.

Corporate amnesia is evident. ?Here we are, releasing our first-ever 3G handset.? Great, but isnt it just three months since you were saying that there werent any good 3G handsets on the market? ?You must be thinking of Vodafone.? Well, yes, they did say that, too, but so did this guy. Whats changed? ?And this is our new investor, Nokia Capital.? Ouch.

There were a lot of conversations like those. Many are unrepeatable with traceable names attached. Then there were lawsuits suddenly ?amicably settled?, allegations shrouded in mystery.

But the best was one ebullient sales blaster, life and soul of the cocktail reception, who was introduced to JP Rindhorn, his new boss. ?Rindhorn? I once had a trainee salesman of that name, cheeky kid, Jimmy Rindhorn. Had to fire him after he got the bosss daughter pregnant! Ha Ha!?

Seems Rindhorn has done OK since then, married the bosss daughter, started a new business, smart haircut, shaved, went bald, took over the old firm. May now be looking for a new sales blaster, Im told…