Worst of the Week: A vote for the smart folks in wireless

Hello!
And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
So I think there’s a presidential election coming up in the next week or so? There seems to be some rumblings about it on the TV nowadays. I keep hearing about it during the commercial breaks for “America’s Next Top Model.”
(Side note: Can you believe Tyra liked Joslyn’s latest photo shoot?!?! In my humble opinion, it was hideous!)
Anyway, it seems one of the big election stories lately involves the hazards presented by electronic voting machines. According to a recent report from CNN: “Touchscreen machines can occasionally fail or register votes for unintended candidates. Optical-scan systems can have trouble reading paper ballots that are too long or marked with the wrong ink. At least one study suggests that electronic voting machines can be easily hacked.”
These troubles come a full eight years after the voting debacle in Florida, which if I remember correctly involved someone named Chad punching Al Gore in the face. (Side note: I have a terrible memory.)
So what does this all have to do with the wireless industry?
Well, last I checked, the wireless industry contains some pretty smart folks. Indeed, I suspect the average IQ of the readers of this column far exceeds that of the author. (Which raises the question, why would there be any readers in the first place?) But the point is that there’s a lot of intelligence in wireless that perhaps needs to be directed at this whole voting thing.
For example, there’s scattered reports of voters’ problems with touchscreen machines. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s a lot of innovation going on right now in the touchscreen market for mobile phones. Perhaps our nation’s election officials, and the vendors they’re working with, could tap into those innovations?
Further, there are concerns about the security of electronic voting machines. This seems an area where those involved in mobile banking could offer some solutions. I mean, if those in the wireless industry have figured out a way for me to replace my credit card with my phone, I suspect there’s some security-related technologies they can apply to voting.
So what’s the point?
The point is that, if we as a nation can build a phone that can access the Internet, e-mail, GPS, streaming video and bank-account information – all via a touchscreen – surely we can figure out how to efficiently record and tally a voters’ selection from among a half-dozen candidates for president.
Seriously, how hard can it be?
OK! Enough of that. Thanks for checking out this Worst of the Week column. And now, some extras:
—Bang & Olufsen announced it will get out of the mobile-phone business. Seems people aren’t so keen on buying specialized phones from fancy brands. This worries me, as I was hoping for the eventual introduction of a Taco Bell-branded phone (double-stuffed broadband!). Or perhaps a Procter & Gamble phone. Yup, that would be awesome.
–Did you hear that Wal-Mart is going to sell a discounted G1, the new Google-powered phone from T-Mobile USA? I think this is great news. Now, the next time I’m in Wal-Mart buying 50-cent flip-flops, 20 bags of Cheetos for $5.99 and Aqua Net for my mullet, I can pick up a G1. It’ll be rad, bro.
—Dolly Parton filed a comment with the Federal Communications Commission in the debate over the use of white-spaces spectrum. If there’s one thing I know, it’s to always – always – listen to what Dolly Parton has to say.
I welcome your comments. Please send me an e-mail at mdano@crain.com. Or, if you prefer, leave a comment in the space below.