Today I setup and configured my first 3G Wireless Broadband Router from Powerful Signal. This WiFi router from NexAira essentially connects to the internet via my Verizon Aircard (which looks like and functions simultaneously as a usb flash drive) and it then sets up a WiFi hotspot for multiple computers to access the internet with via just 1 aircard.

Listen to the audio above for more information, or check back soon for our complete review once we have had a chance to put this device through its paces!

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Sometimes when a company goes in the red, its investors, its debtors and its stakeholders fail to recognize their sunk costs.  This might happen due to pride or to save face or to save their job or position or their clients.

I’m not talking about a ponzi scheme, I’m referring to situations that can include vendor financing or a bank bail out or even a hostile take over.

Motorola lost its way in the 1990’s.  Some claim that it never earned its way in the first place and that its resulting fall in late 1999 and early 2000 was less the result of the Internet Bust and more the result of the rest of the world learning that they couldn’t deliver on their promises.

Some might argue that Motorola made so many promises that they fooled themselves out of business.  They forgot that they were good at manufacturing.  Motorola got caught up in the ‘information technology’ boom and thought the future was in inventing and engingeering new products.

But all those products need to be manufactured and sold by someone.  Motorola sold off their manufacturing capability and became reliant on outsourced partners.  They did this in 2000 and 2001 under file sale conditions.  They ended up giving up a great deal of intellectual property knowledge along the way too.

Since that time they have underperformed the major stock indexes.  Underperform is still better than going out of business. 

The question becomes why have they been able to continue?

They have underperformed but they have kept up with the growth rates.  That is somewhat surprising and speaks to some ‘heroic’ efforts by a cadre of Motorola employees attempting to save the company.

A company can only underperform for so long before they go bust or get purchased.  If you have bet on Motorola over the last seven years, you should be ashamed of yourself, for betting.  Investors still holding Motorola are making a mistake.

This company has lost its way, they have lost their identity and they have the lost the ability to be honest with themselves about the big picture. 

Who is propping up this company?

That begs the question who is funding this pending train wreck?  Is it their vendors, is it their investors, bankers, pension fund holders or hedge fund managers? 

I don’t have the answer for that but they are about to get tested.  The ITC has ruled that Qualcomm’s chips are to be banned.  Motorola was counting on those chips to run the Razr 2. 

No Razr 2 success and Motorola might miss the 3G run that every other mobile phone maker has been preparing for since Motorola first started running into problems in 2000.

Next week gamblers betting on Motorola may have their bet called and they may be forced to decide on going ‘All In’.  Would you bet the farm on Motorola after 7 years of poor performance?

The ruling next week could prove to be very difficult for Motorola’s future, but if gamblers fail to bet the farm next week a shake up in Motorola could happen much much faster.

Motorola may not survive long enough to see the ‘Grinch steal Christmas Phones‘.

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Samsung pre-released details of their new 3G smart phone the F700. The phone could prove to be an iPhone killer especially in all the 3G areas where the iPhone is not even on a road map to compete. Samsung will officially unveil the phone next week at the 3GSM World Congress.

Knocking Down iPhone

As a 3G phone this phone will see download speeds up to 7.2Mbps in networks where HSDPA is deployed. That means that a 4mb song could download in 4 seconds and that is much faster than the download speeds an iPhone will see over WiFi.

It has a 5 Megapixel Auto Focus camera. The iPhone only has a 2 megapixel camera.

It has a slide down qwerty keyboard. The iPhone has a touch screen.

It supports Bluetooth and is about twice as thick as a slivr. Oh and it has a 2.78 inch color display that runs a full html browser or Flash.

Taking a Lump or two in Return

Its not WiFi compatible. Its setup for a much more advanced network use, but is not backwards compatible to older WiFi systems essentially(backwards compatible isn’t exactly the right phrase, but I am taking artistic license as this device has leap frogged over the old technology).

The WiFi issue will see that this phone may not be uber popular on college campuses, but the other features could definitely make this popular with twenty somethings or older business executives.

Technorati tags: Samsung, Samsung f700, iPhone killer, 3G

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China has just made a move to Check Western corporations in the high stakes chess game of 3G telecom.  Motorola, Lucent, Nortel and Ericsson all stand to lose out if China proceeds down the path of promoting 3G networks through home grown Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation. 

Both Huawei and ZTE have benefited from various types of partnerships with some of the same Western firms.  China looks at it like their fledgling companies are growing up.  However, many view this as a significant indication that the business culture in China is dodgy enough to take the knowledge and Western Wisdom and employ it internally to the detriment of the firms, corporations and governments that have invested huge amounts of money in the potential of a Chinese economy, which has thus far only paid off with cheaper manufacturing but has not provided a larger contribution to the global economy of consumers.

Chinese Protectionism: Don’t kid yourself about a market that is not Free

Despite the fact that Huawei and ZTE’s home grow technology has not been proven and is not in fact ready for deployment, China appears to be stalling in its decision to license 3G technology to carriers.  This delaying tactic is proving to be further evidence that China is protecting its state sponsored corporations over private firms from abroad, despite the investment of money, knowledge, and time made by those same firms. 

Chinese Politicians Shooting their Own Economy in the Foot

China walks a dangerous tightrope with these tactics.  If they continue to thwart efforts to make the Chinese market a free market then foreign investment and partnerships will dry up rather quickly, which could stunt the Chinese economy significantly.  Many firms are deeply invested and committed to China, however history has proven many times that these same companies will pull anchor and move to a new cheaper harbor of labor and resources at either the first sign of trouble or at the first indication that a better deal is available elsewhere.

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Personally, I love 3G and apparently so do all cell phone users today. We are all just so thrilled to have been using 3G phone services over the last few years that its almost impossible to contain ourselves.

Now, wouldn’t it be interesting if that were true! 3G is taking forever and a day to actually make it to consumers. As we wait and wait and wait and wait, I thought to myself, I wonder if there might be a high tech alternative? I thought about the promise of wifi and microwave technologies and all sorts of things, but came up short. Then I remembered a company founded by Motorola that almost went or did go bankrupt, Iridium.

Remember the idea of low flying satellites offering up phone access all around the world?

Ever wondered what the rates on that would be like?

Well take a look here:

I searched out a dealer and came across a company called Global Star USA (not an endorsement just the first one I found in Google).

They offer rate plans that look surprisingly close to the cellular rates that many carriers were offering 6-8 years ago.

Plus they offer Data compression options Now!

Maybe, satellite has the opportunity to provide broadband to the home, broadband to the car and broadband to the laptop, not tomorrow or 10 years from now, but today!

It would take a bit of new financing for the satellite phone industry, but if they could convert over users to a satellite option, say stealing a page or two from Dish Network marketing book, they might just hook enough customers to bring down the rates and be competitive with the larger celllular carriers.

Voice Pricing: Airtime Pricing: Globalstar

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