Technological improvements in cars over the decades have generally reduced costs or increased performance and safety. “Analog” technologies including collapsible steering columns, crumple zones and seatbelts have saved car occupants from death or serious injury. Many digital technologies have also improved our in-car experience...
Super Game Sunday greetings from Kansas City (H&R Block Headquarters pictured) and Charlotte. The Patterson household is eagerly awaiting the 49ers/ Chiefs matchup and the return of the Vince Lombardi trophy to the City of Fountains. Regardless of the outcome, there is no doubt...
The pressure is increasing on Huawei. They need to prove they can continue to make it without Google Android and US chips. Huawei introduced their first folding smartphone with their own HarmonyOS. It’s called the Mate X. It will compete with a growing number...
Mobile phone trends have followed a familiar pattern for years: Consumers become accustomed to a new feature, usually starting with their personal lives. Then they begin adopting the behavior in their work lives. For example, if they can check personal email on the go,...
Late January greetings from Charlotte, where one of the start-ups I am advising, Lucid Drone Technologies, won two awards this week (pictured are the happy founders David Danielson, Andrew Ashur, and Adrian Mayans). The Charlotte Inno Fire award includes a red blazer which Adrian...
The stage is set for Feb 13th, 2020, hearing of FTC vs. Qualcomm antitrust case at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). In preparation, FTC, Qualcomm, and many interested parties have filed their briefs in support and against...
Every time I take a flight, I cringe over how bad the Wi-Fi experience will be. Years ago, I got excited when airlines started to offer Wi-Fi connectivity for the flying public. However, after using the service, I quickly learned it was too slow...
Greetings from Davidson/ Lake Norman/ Charlotte, North Carolina where winter has finally begun its return (picture is from earlier in the week when our dog, Abby, was chasing ~40 ducks into the Lake). Thanks again for the emails and comments on last week’s column...
Qualcomm briefed me on how their 5G technology is working with the automotive industry and transforming the driving experience. This briefing was very exciting because it showed what tomorrow will look like and the central role these companies and technologies are playing in that...
As the headline suggests, this analysis should be seen in context. It offers only rapid arithmetic around the World Economic Forum’s (expanding) list of ‘lighthouse’ factories, which claim the most success with digital change. It considers the available data (the location and ownership of...
Once again, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas blew the roof off and got everyone salivating on what is being introduced and what is coming. Let me share with you some thoughts about what I learned at CES 2020, about certain companies...
Greetings from Las Vegas, NV where 170,000 tech-hungry attendees gobbled up products and services from hundreds of exhibitors. Pictured is our motley crew at the first Sunday Brief CES dinner held this year at Gordon Ramsay’s Pub at the Caesar’s Palace. Everyone had a...
With the market for 5G devices set to grow exponentially in the next 18 months, there are several complex challenges ahead for the OEMs. Chief among these is the ability to solve the integration of the whole 5G cellular system design into their devices,...
Greetings from the slopes of Fraser, CO (pic from the previous week) and Lake Norman, NC where we rang in 2020, toasted with friends and caught up on sleep. We hope each of you have a banner year filled with happiness and success.
About 170,000 of...
Dish Network is in-play in the T-Mobile, Sprint merger trial. Dish said they will become the number four wireless competitor, so the deal should be approved. While I love their commitment, spunk and confidence, they have absolutely zero wireless history and experience. So how...
Greetings from Fraser, CO, where near zero temperatures are the norm in December. We hope each of you have a very restful and happy Holiday season. 2020 promises to be an eventful year and we will be here to follow every inch of it.
Due...
** Sorry for this week’s length. The footnote citations from the book are in the PDF. Happy New Year! **
End of year greetings from Fraser, CO and Lake Norman, NC. This has been a week of reflection, not only on the year but also...
So much of the hot, new and innovative technology we will see at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show centers around one core technology, wireless. CES 2020 will show how the mobile industry is the backbone of a growing number of different industries, companies and...
It seems that T-Mobile US and Sprint have been trying to get their merger approved for years. They have been changing who they are and still nothing. Today, T-Mobile is showing growth, as is Sprint, but to a lesser degree. However, when this merger...
Longstanding and economically efficient balance in Standard-Essential Patent licensing is being destabilized by misinformation and manipulation of commercial practices and of benchmarks in Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory licensing. This is epitomized in litigation between Apple and Qualcomm, commencing January 2017, until settlement in April...
Greetings from Charlotte, where the Holiday spirit is in full swing (picture courtesy of Alex Gerrard, a Davidson friend). We are focusing this week’s TSB on three foundational trends: a) Increased home broadband competition, b) Increased “channelization” of content thanks to Verizon and AT&T...
AT&T Mobility just made a major announcement. They now offer 5G wireless in 10 markets for consumers and business customers with more coming in the next few weeks before the end of 2019. I spoke with Igal Elbaz, Senior Vice President - Wireless Technology...
I just returned from a whirlwind session of 3GPP RAN Plenary #86, held at the beautiful beach town of Sitges in Spain. The meeting finalized a comprehensive package with more than 30 Study and Work Items (SI and WI) for Rel 17. With a...
The 5G wireless race is on and there is a debate raging over whether the USA or China will lead. Current leaders are companies like Qualcomm and Huawei. Many say China based Huawei has the early lead. Qualcomm is the American company and technology...
