Hello! And welcome to our Friday 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:
I know there is more going on in the wireless space than this battle of billionaires over Sprint Nextel, but I can’t for the life of me get enough of it.
Sure, there is some rubber-necking in seeing poor Sprint Nextel sort of flapping in the breeze over its financial future at a time when it can’t spare a minute of hesitation. But, honestly, the best aspect of this whole ordeal is the back-and-forth between Softbank and Dish Network in trying to convince anyone that will listen that their offer is the best.
The latest pile-drive to the face was the establishment of rival websites by the suitors involved.
Softbank unveiled its fairly straightforward softbanksprinttransaction.com site, while Dish Network when its usually off-kilter way with completedishsolution.com. (Don’t go to the Dish site expecting tips on the perfect way to spice up a plate of toast. You will be disappointed.)
Anyways, these sites are full of one-sided information as to why their respective offers are indeed superior to their rival and if you were to read each in a vacuum, not only would you be deaf and have some messed-up hair, you would also think that each company makes a pretty compelling case. I, unfortunately, can’t fit into most consumer vacuums and thus find myself just laughing at the “he-said, she-said” nature of all of this.
I also love the fact that these competing websites were created just for this feud. Nothing legitimizes someone’s point of view as well as a website, though arguments on a message board with lots of capital letters is a very close second. (NO IT’S NOT! YES IT IS!)
And, as funny as this whole struggle over Sprint Nextel has become, the internets is a perfect venue for fighting it out in public.
I am a bit surprised that no one has created a meme of some sort including both Son and Ergen stating their respective cases. Come on internets folks, get on that!
In fact, I think all wireless telecom negotiations should be played out via biased websites. I know several trade organizations have differing opinions on certain topics, and what better way to “inform” the general public on the “rightness” of a particular viewpoint than through a website.
Better yet, how about a Facebook page begging people to “like” one side or the other in a battle? Or, how about a Twitter account constantly spitting out a viewpoint, 140-characters at a time? Now we are talking progress that I can stand behind.
I guess what I am saying is that while I like differing viewpoints, I would like them more if they are televised. I think we can all agree there is not nearly enough “drama” already infesting the airwaves and clogging our bandwidth. Let’s televise this battle!
OK, enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Worst of the Week column. And now for some extras:
–Juniper Research recently released a report earlier this month claiming LTE services will generate $1 trillion in revenues for wireless carriers over the next five years. That’s right, $1 trillion! You knew this was coming:
–The CTIA spring event is right around the corner, but the winner for best product, or at least product description, is already a lock. That would be the Powerocks’ Super Magicstick, which the company describes as a “line of beautifully designed, light easy-to-carry lipstick/cigar-shaped power banks to charge smartphones on the go.” The product comes in two versions: the traditional Super Magicstick and the Classical Texture/Super Magicstick.
I have always said there were not enough lipstick- and/or cigar-shaped products with optional texturing in the wireless industry. Now, that complaint has been answered.
–Finally, HIS ISuppli wins this week’s award for best headline in a press release with a teardown of different versions of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 device. The analyst firm noted: “Korean and American versions of Galaxy S4 as different as Kimchee and Coleslaw.” Zing!
I welcome your comments. Please send me an e-mail at dmeyer@rcrwireless.com.
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