Mobile Telecommunication and gadgets

 

Tablet chatter this week might be skewing heavily in Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s favor, but if you can manage to wrestle yourself away from the hype around Apple’s admittedly sexy iPad, you might be interested to see what other tablet makers are working on. I had a chance to stop by NVIDIA’s headquarters recently, where the Tegra team showed me a couple super-early prototype Android tablets powered by the company’s new Tegra2 multi-core processors. Compared to the iPad, the Android tablet prototypes are far more flexible and functional than Apple’s tabet – they are Flash compatible, feature front-facing cameras, support multi-tasking, and have expandable storage options. If you want a tablet, but hate iPhone, these tablets might be for you.

The video you see here shows two tablets. The black tablet on the left is made by a company called ICD and features a 7-inch resistive touchscreen. The beige tablet on the right is made by FoxConn – the same company that manufactures iPhones for Apple – and boasts a generous 10-inch resistive touchscreen. More importantly, though, both tablets are running on the NVIDIA Tegra2 1Ghz multi-core processor. Thanks to the dual-core Tegra2 CPU and the dedicated GPU core, both tablets made quick work of web surfing, Flash animations, HD (true 1080p) and high-resolution photos.

The prototype tablets were still getting some Adobe Flash-related kinks ironed out, so I couldn’t show you Flash video playback. But, you can clearly see that other embedded Flash content works like a charm. Both tablets will e fully Flash 10.1 compatible by launch time, which means that all embedded videos and interactive content will play straight from the web. Try to do that on your iPad.

If you want to play with the NVIDIA Tegra2 platform for yourself, or you feel like trying your hand at manufacturing a Tegra-powered tablet, you can grab the Tegra hardware developers kit here.

Source: Intomobile.com

Free voice calls, that is, as long as you have an iPhone 3G and a VoIP app that lets you make internet voice calls over the 3G wireless data network. How is that possible, you ask? Well, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has apparently done an about face on their policy that prohibited VoIP apps from using a carrier’s wireless network to make free voice calls. Following AT&T (NYSE: T)’s decision to allow VoIP on its 3G network, Apple has opened the doors to a whole new world of VoIP calling, where iPhone users can make no-cost calls to other VoIP users from anywhere they please (as long as they have a decently strong signal). The implications of the move are huge – AT&T risks losing revenue from its wireless voice business if customers wholesale adopt 3G VoIP calling. For the customer, though, it doesn’t get any better than this.

VoIP iPhone apps, like fring, have been available for a while. But, their usefulness was previously limited to WiFi networks (unless you had a jailbroken iPhone, of course). You could make free phone calls from your iPhone’s fring app, but only if you had a WiFi connection handy. Today, that all changes. fring has announced that it’s iPhone app is now completely functional over a AT&T’s 3G network. That means fring users can make free voice and video calls to other fring users, Skype, GoogleTalk and MSN on both WiFi and 3G networks!

“fring users and our team alike are very excited that Apple Inc. have allowed independent iPhone VoIP applications over 3G networks, letting users make voice and video calls over whichever internet access suits their needs at any given place and time,” said Avi Shechter, Co-Founder & CEO of fring in a statement released today.

Now that VoIP is officially allowed on AT&T’s 3G network, will we see more iPhone users adopting VoIP apps as their voice call method of choice? That could hurt AT&T’s bottom line in the long run, while putting additional stress on their network. With the iPad expected to bring even more pain to AT&T’s data network later this year, things should get interesting for Big Blue.

fring for iPhone (FREE) [iTunes link]

Following its not-so-subtle exile from the AppStore, the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Voice app VoiceCentral will soon make a return to the iPhone as a new web-app. VoiceCentral developer Riverturn calls their reincarnated app the VoiceCentral Black Swan Edition. Okay, so maybe it won’t be called “Screw Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)” edition, but the return of VoiceCentral to the iPhone is clearly a middle finger in Apple’s general direction. In early 2010, Riverturn will go live with their web-based app, which integrates all of Google Voice’s features with the iPhone in ways that the Google Voice mobile website just can’t. Google Voice apps were banned from the AppStore for reasons that weren’t too clear. The service allowed users to give out one Google Voice phone number that automatically rang multiple phones at the same time. It also allowed for voicemail transcription and allowed users send SMS text messages on Google’s dime. The decision to pull Google Voice apps put Apple in hot water as consumer criticism moved the FCC to kick off an investigation into Apple’s motives for banning Google Voice apps. VoiceCentral, one of the banned third-party Google Voice apps, was kicked off in July 2009, and has yet to make its way back to the AppStore. The app’s return to the iPhone, says Riverturn, is slated for 2010, and will completely sidestep the AppStore. VoiceCentral Black Swan will be a web-app capable of supporting all Google Voice features – send/receive phone calls, transcribe voicemails, SMS text messages, Google contacts, and a dialer screen. Unfortunately, because Black Swan isn’t a native iPhone app, it doesn’t have access to your iPhone contact list or your iPhone earpiece. That means you’ll have to import your contacts into Google Contacts, and all audio comes through the speaker or headphones, instead of the earpiece. Still, the VoiceCentral Black Swan web-app promises to be a fully-functional replacement to the original VoiceCentral app. It looks like a native app, it feels like a native app, but it won’t be tied to the AppStore. You can get in on the beta by signing up here. source: http://www.intomobile.com/#ixzz0avPOueLY

Spain's Telefonica SA said Wednesday it is paying 145 million euros ($207 million) to buy Jajah, a communications startup that lets customers bypass long-distance fees by connecting their calls over the Internet.

Founded in Austria in 2005, Jajah offers Internet calling known as Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. Users can go to the Jajah Web site and enter two phone numbers — their own and the number they want to call. The company calls both numbers. If the calls are answered, Jajah connects them, making it a high-tech version of the long-distance calling card. Callers use their own phones, instead of computer headsets that other Internet phone services can require.

Jajah says its users can save up to 98 percent on their bills. Calls are free between Jajah users in many countries. To call Brazil from the U.S., for example, two Jajah users can talk for free. If only one of the callers uses the service, the call costs 5.4 cents per minute.

Jajah also connects the calls of Yahoo Messenger users. It is also integrated into Twitter, and the dating site Match.com, letting users call each other through the sites without revealing their phone numbers.

Telefonica said the "opens up new capabilities in the voice communication space" for the company.

"People using social networking sites such as Twitter now have an even wider range of communications channels available — and have the option of speaking directly to each other as well as communicating by text or keyboard," said Matthew Key, Chairman and CEO of Telefonica Europe, in a statement.

As part of the acquisition, Jajah will continue to operate under its own brand and report to Telefonica Europe.

American Depositary shares of Telefonica rose $1.05 to $85.05 in afternoon trading.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the adoption of Bluetooth low energy wireless technology, which is the hallmark feature of the Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0. As a result, the SIG hopes new markets for devices requiring low-cost and low power wireless connectivity will be opened. Among the examples they talk about healthcare, sports and fitness, security and home entertainment.

This enhancement to the Bluetooth Core Specification allows two types of implementation – dual-mode and single-mode. In a dual-mode implementation, Bluetooth low energy functionality is integrated into an existing classic Bluetooth controller, whereas single-mode chips will enable highly integrated and compact devices with a lightweight Link Layer providing “ultra-low power idle mode operation, simple device discovery, and reliable point-to-multipoint data transfer with advanced power-save and secure encrypted connections at the lowest possible cost”…

Exact details when we’ll see first Bluetooth 4.0-powered devices were not unveiled, unfortunately. And you can get additional information from Bluetooth SIG’s website.

Opera, the browser vendor based in Norway, has released their latest “State of the Mobile Web” report, based on Opera Mini usage.

The top 10 countries using Opera Mini are: Russia, Indonesia, India, China, Ukraine, South Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Poland. In November 2009 Opera Mini had 41.7 million users who viewed 18.8 billion pages and consumed 271.8 terabytes of data. That’s up 5.3%, 9.5% and 8.3% compared to last month, and up 154%, 231% and 213% compared to November 2008. If you crunch the numbers then you discover that the average Opera Mini user viewed 15 web pages everyday during the 30 days of November.

This month’s report features facts and figures from the top 10 countries in Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Tanzania, and Namibia. In six of those countries Facebook is the most visited website. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) handsets dominate the region, except for South Africa where Samsung is in the lead.

Some interesting facts about North America: this is the first month that Amazon.com had made it to the top 10 most visited sites, meaning mobile online shopping may actually be picking up. The device that is using Opera Mini the most in NAM is the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 8330, and out of the top 10 devices accessing Opera Mini during November 2009, 6 of them were made by RIM. Since November 2008 the number of users has gone up 103.3%, and data consumed has increased by 232.6%! It’s a shame Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) doesn’t let people like Opera make their browser available on the iPhone. AT&T could benefit from all those iPhone users using less data.

Click here to read more if you’re into these kinds of statistics.

In September 2009 Nokia (NYSE: NOK) launched the Calling All Innovators competition, which was a search for talented UK developers to create the next big thing in mobile applications, and the winners have now been announced.

Taking the top prize is woZZon (from Wozzon Ltd), with the woZZon search engine that gives access to a comprehensive events database of 60,000 geo-coded venues and 90,000 unique events of all genres.  The data, checked by editors daily, ranges from large stadium acts to local village hall gatherings and syncs with Ovi’s rich mapping to create a powerful social tool.  The top prize includes having the woZZon application published on Nokia’s Ovi Store, £20,000 cash, a ticket and paid travel to a Nokia developer event in the Spring 2010, Nokia’s sponsorship to become an Ovi Store publisher and one year’s membership to Forum Nokia Launchpad.

Other winners across four categories were:

• Business and productivity: Little Spender from Ribot – Little Spender allows you to discover your everyday spending behaviours. Just by having an awareness of where your money is going will result in a positive change in your spending behaviour.
• Communications and social networking: Live Talkback from Greys Mead Ltd – Live audience interaction for mass audiences.  Vote on your favourite TV shows, live events and conferences.  See what others are thinking in real time.
• Just for fun: Virtual Scorer from Good News 4 Me – The Virtual Scorer Game utilizes advanced mobile handset features and combine them with state of the art motion detection algorithm to create unique virtual interactive gaming environment.
• Social location: woZZon – geo-coded venue and events search engine, whether you fancy a gig in Glasgow, comedy club in London or up to date cinema information.
• Special award (in place of a Games Award): MoviesNow from Endava – MoviesNow is an application that is used for checking the movies running in the local theatres.

Staatssecretaris Heemskerk past de wetgeving aan zodat operators de 900-, 1800- en 2100MHz-banden ook voor LTE kunnen gebruiken.

Broadcom, one of the world’s top providers of semiconductors, announced the Broadcom BCM2763 VideoCore IV processor for mobile devices – a next generation multimedia processor capable of providing high-end performances.

The VideoCore IV uses 40 nanometer (40nm) CMOS process technology, thus requiring lower power consumption than 65nm processors.

The main features of the Broadcom BCM2763 VideoCore IV multimedia processor include: up to 20MP digital camera and photo image processing, 1080p (HD) video recording and video playback, and 1 gigapixel 2D/3D graphics rendering.

Unfortunately, Broadcom says that the first handsets to feature the new VideoCore IV multimedia processor will be available only starting 2011. HTC may be one of the manufacturers to launch phones based on the BCM2763 VideoCore IV, since the Taiwanese company is also evaluating Broadcom’s 3.5G chips.

Source: Press release

The GSA (Global Suppliers Association) is reporting that over the past 8 months there has been a near 100% increase in the number of operators around the world committing to the LTE standard. There are now 51 network commitments in 24 countries, an increase of 96% over the past 8 months. Not all is rosy in terms of a frequencies however with the EU mainly sticking to 2.6 GHz for LTE, American operators using 700 MHz, and the Japanese using 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz depending on operator. Why is LTE (Long Term Evolution) important? It’s going to be 10x faster than today’s networks, with less latency, and it can scale to support more users. It really is going to be the next generation of wireless. Here is a list of who is working on what:

• Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is deploying LTE in the 700 MHz band. Trial networks are set up in Boston and Seattle, each with 10 LTE sites. Verizon in planning to launch LTE in up to 30 commercial markets by the end 2010, giving coverage to roughly 100 million people, and to deploy a nationwide network by 2013.
• AT&T (NYSE: T) will deploy LTE in 700 MHz and plans to launch LTE in “key markets” during 2011.
• China Mobile is building their TD-SCDMA network so that cell sites and other elements can be upgraded seamlessly to support LTE. TD-LTE is estimate to be commercially available around 2012. China Telecom plans to migrate to LTE.
• Vodafone Germany is deploying an LTE system using digital dividend (790-862 MHz) spectrum. The government plans to auction 6 blocks of 2×5 MHz Digital Dividend spectrum in Q2 2010.
• In Japan the LTE operators will use 1.5 GHz (DoCoMo and Softbank Mobile), 1.5 GHz + 800 MHz (KDDI), and 1.7 GHz (eMobile). NTT DoCoMo plans to launch a commercial LTE launch in December 2010. They will initially focus on PC usage and will only begin offering dual-mode 3G/LTE handsets in 2011. By 2014 NTT DoCoMo plans to provide LTE service to 50% of the population from around 20,000 base stations at a cost of between $3 to 4 billion. eMobile says their LTE network will launchin September 2010.
• SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM), KTF and LG Telecom are deploying LTE networks in South Korea right now.
• Telstra will deploy LTE in hotspots in Australia, mainly in urban areas in 2.6GHz spectrum, and will fill rural broadband gaps using 700MHz. Neither of these bands has been auctioned yet though.
• Telecom Italia plans to deploy LTE and reported in December 2009 that a technical trial using 14 LTE cell sites on its existing mobile broadband infrastructure in Turin delivered 140 Mbps down.
• TeliaSonera Sweden is deploying LTE using nationwide 2 x 20 MHz 2.6 GHz spectrum. On May 25, 2009 TeliaSonera unveiled the world’s first commercial LTE site, part of the LTE network scheduled to launch in Stockholm in 2010.
• Tele2 Sweden and TeleNor Sweden are jointly building an LTE network. The joint venture includes spectrum sharing in the 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. Launch of LTE services is targeted for end 2010, or when modems are available. By 2013 the operators expect 99% of the Swedish population to have access to mobile broadband at speeds up to 80 Mbps in rural areas and up to 150 Mbps in urban areas.
• TeliaSonera Norway is planning to launch an LTE commercial launch in Oslo in 2010.
• TeleNor has an LTE trial network in Oslo and has also committed to commercial deployment.
• France Telecom (Orange) is trailing LTE and deployment is planned for 2011, subject to availability of (2.6 GHz) spectrum.
• T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) Germany anticipates LTE deployment from 2011, with trials underway this year.
• MetroPCS (USA) plans an LTE launch in 2H 2010.
• Cox (USA) has made plans to deploy LTE in 700 MHz spectrum from 2011.
• Aircell will launch LTE in 2011 to boost capacity of their in-flight network.
• Bell Canada and Telus have deployed a joint HSPA network, which will later be upgraded to LTE. Rogers Wireless is conducting LTE trials right now.
• In Hong Kong 2 x 15 MHz blocks of 2.6 GHz FDD spectrum have been auctioned, and won each by China Mobile, Genius Brand (Hutchison Telecom/PCCW) and CSL Limited.
• SmarTone-Vodafone plans to deploy LTE re-using their GSM (900/1800) spectrum in Hong Kong.
• Smart Communications has conducted the first LTE trial in the Philippines. Piltel is reported to have applied for the remaining 3G licence in the country to deploy LTE services.
• Chunghwa Telecom is firmly committed to LTE, however the spectrum situation in Taiwan is unclear. Deployment is expected to start from around 2012.
• Speaking at the LTE Forum 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal, Telecom CEO Zeinal Bava announced LTE trials would be undertaken in Portugal and Brazil.
• Vodacom is testing LTE in its South Africa and reportedly has 1,000 LTE ready cell sites with launch planned “when handsets become available”.
• VivaCell-MTS in Armenia, is reported to have confirmed plans to deploy LTE in 2010.
• MTS, Uzbekistan will deploy LTE and is setting up a pilot LTE network in Tashkent for testing 2010-2012.
• T-Mobile Austria launched a 60 cell site trial LTE network in Innsbruck in July 2009.
• 3 Austria provided a live LTE demonstration at the European Forum in Alpbach, and on August 25, 2009 announced that upgrading of their entire network for LTE had begun, and that the company will have the technical capability to offer LTE to customers from 2011.
• In Denmark a public consultation on 2.6 GHz is underway. An auction is expected during Q1 2010.
• Telefonica has conducted LTE field tests at its Madrid Demonstrations Center, achieving download speeds over 140 Mbps, and plans to trial LTE on its mobile networks in Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, and the UK.
• Bouygues Telecom has selected an infrastructure partner for Europe’s first LTE trial in the 1800 MHz band. The trial is scheduled to begin in 2010 at a number of sites in the western part of France.
• An auction for 2.6 GHz spectrum recently closed in Finland and three operators (Elisa, TeliaSonera and DNA) won a piece of it; they all plan to deploy LTE.

As for LTE devices, LG is saying that the first LTE handsets should come to market. Samsung and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) have already demonstrated LTE modems that you’ll soon see sticking out the side of laptops in cafés all around the world.

The coming year promises to be an exciting one for mobile technology. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is slated to bring their 4G LTE network online in 2010, answering many a mobile geek’s call for true high-speed mobile broadband data service. And, in preparation for the day when we’ll be surfing the web at 50Mbps sans ethernet cables, ZyXEL has announced their “world’s first” LTE router.

The ZyXEL ZLR-2070S router is an “all-in-one, multi-service gateway that leverages compact, system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology to deliver cost-effective, non-FPGA-based LTE connectivity.” Basically, that means ZyXEL’s LTE router will connect you with Verizon’s LTE network without taking up too much space on your desk. The router sports two VoIP ports, four ethernet ports, an 802.11n wireless switch, one USB port and support for DLNA devices. It’ll handle data speeds up to 50Mbps, which is more than enough bandwidth to make our cable internet connection feel inadequate.

German operator Deutsche Telekom, more affectionately known around the world as T-Mobile (NYSE: DT), has announced that they’ve successfully completed the world’s first voice call over LTE using the VoLGA standard. What does this mean for you? LTE, known as Long Term Evolution, will be the next step after the 3.5G networks of today. We’re talking about speeds faster than the broadband you have at home, and with the same low latency too. The problem with LTE is that it was developed to be completely IP based and ditch all legacy CS (circuit switched) infrastructure. Operators make most of their money today with two services: voice and SMS, and LTE supports neither natively. Several solutions have been proposed, and Nokia (NYSE: NOK), along with AT&T, Orange, Telefonica, TeliaSonera, Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Vodafone, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Samsung and Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) have all agreed to use an IMS based system and are dubbing it the “One Voice initiative“.

T-Mobile on the other hand snapped their fingers and said hell no girlfriend, we’re rolling with VoLGA (Voice over LTE via Generic Access). It’s cheaper, works today, and requires very little in terms of additional hardware. “The VoLGA test shows how operators could quickly and easily provide next generation voice services, re-using their existing core networks. At the same time this serves as a first step to prepare networks for the industry-agreed mid and long term solution for voice over LTE that will be based on IMS.” — Uwe Janssen, Senior Vice President of Core Networks. T-Mobile is not dismissing One Voice, they’re just saying that operators should use VoLGA while they’re in the process of rebuilding their network to fully support IMS.

Enough of this industry jargon Stefan, what does this REALLY mean for me? Operators will start deploying LTE towards the end of 2010 and in 2011. They want to do it to offer you new high speed services and because it is more efficient at handling higher network loads. You could care less about what’s going to give you voice and SMS over LTE since the first way you’ll probably experience LTE will be via a USB stick you shove into the side of your laptop. Don’t even think that mobile handsets with LTE will exist in 2010, or during the first half of 2011. LTE is real, and there are already 100 operators are testing it out, but it will be at least another 12 to 18 months before you even hear your local operator mention the three letter acronym.

Source: Cellular News

It's the largest cell phone maker in the world, with the largest share of any smartphone vendor in the world. Yet I increasingly look at Nokia's products and listen to its strategy wondering if the company can remain relevant in a mobile world that's changed drastically over the last two years. I'm not talking about a Nokia deathwatch, or whether the company will remain in business -- that's foolish. Of course Nokia is going to stick around; it's what it's going to look like that concerns me. A future of selling low-end phones into emerging markets with some minor services might be profitable, but it's not a direction that leads to industry relevance or influence.

First, I'm confused by Nokia's platform strategy. There's been a lot of chatter about Maemo being the future, and while it might be a strategic direction, it's nowhere near ready for primetime now. Chris Ziegler suggested to me the other day that "Maemo 6 (or 7) in an X6 form factor with a more cohesive Ovi strategy could be killer." Perhaps, but right now Maemo feels very immature and unfinished. In fact, it feels like what it is: an OS designed for Nokia's Internet Tablet MIDs. On a phone like the N900 it's just too kludgey for the mainstream market. That leaves Symbian-based S60, which was totally innovative in 2002 but now looks creaky and has fragmented into multiple versions, leaving a very confused developer market. Sure, Nokia supports Flash and Silverlight with Qt somehow tying all this diversity into some unified grand theory, but it's enough complexity to make most developers look elsewhere -- and that's exactly what's happened. Without a clear platform strategy, it's going to be difficult for Nokia to get the developer mindshare required to stay relevant to the mass market.

Second, Nokia's services strategy is as muddled as the fruit in Don Draper's Old Fashioned. Ovi sounded good when it was announced but it's now gone through so many iterations, with different services added, dropped, and changed that it's hard to know what's in and what's out. Comes With Music has been reported as having as few as 107,000 users worldwide, and Nokia's put off bringing it to the US this year, leading me to wonder what kind of future it has as a service. The N-Gage project not only resulted in two failed phone designs but the service itself is on its deathbed.

Third, Nokia's most recent hardware designs are baffling. Nokia's had some great phones. The 8860 defined fashion and technology in its time, the Matrix-inspired Nokia 7710 was the first phone with a WAP browser, and the N95 was a marvel of technology. Recent designs, however, have been a strange mix of checklist features that simply add up to a poor user experience. Last year's N97 flagship was an exercise in how not to create a touchscreen phone, complete with an odd three row keyboard

Nokia failed to lead a changed market and has been forced into reacting to competitors instead of driving its own vision of the future.

featuring a space bar mysteriously moved right of center. The N900 feels more like a science experiment to me than a product that's designed for mainstream users -- although, to be fair, Nokia does position it as an enthusiast device. I used to feel Nokia's hardware designs defined cool, but these days they just remind me of an aging movie starlet trying to re-capture some former beauty.

Finally, Nokia's greatly in decline in the US / North American market and in dire need of a successful product strategy and launch. With no US carriers supporting its flagship and most profitable devices, Nokia's share in the US is in huge decline, and only the most devout users are willing to pay over $500 for unlocked devices to use on T-Mobile or AT&T. There's more to the world than the US and North America, but if you're going to remain cutting-edge and relevant it's not a market that can be ignored.

Tossing around ideas about this column on gdgt last week, my good friend Peter Rojas said, "Nokia has a classic innovator's dilemma: they're so big and (at least to-date) have been so dominant that it's been hard for them to create innovative new products which might cannibalize their existing product lines." I think it's more than that. Nokia failed to lead a changed market and has been forced into reacting to competitors instead of driving its own vision of the future. As smartphones left the realm of the enthusiast and became mass-market in terms of adoption and feature use, Nokia fell behind.

Now, I don't think that's fatal or long term, and I don't believe Nokia is going out of business. But I do question the company's position in the market and ability to lead without a major change in direction and strategy -- especially in the US and North America. Truth be told, Nokia now reminds me a lot of Apple back in 1996, losing relevance and market share in places that matter but with huge potential to leverage core assets and a terrific brand with millions of loyal fans. And as Apple did in its day, Nokia must now either try to decisively seize back its leadership position -- or lose it entirely.

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Michael Gartenberg is vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret, LLC. His weblog can be found at gartenblog.net. Contact him at gartenberg AT gmail DOT com. Views expressed here are his own.