Wireless Week In Review

wireless week that was It’s been awhile, nonetheless I thought I’d revive, er, resume my wireless week in review posts. With that awkward introduction, here are the news items of note that captured my fancy last week and the expected impact of the events:

1) For those gadget lovers with their heads buried in the sand this week, Rogers announced its pricing for the iPhone, which it will begin selling on July 11. The reaction from prospective users was negative to put it mildly. iPhone lovers are upset because Rogers won’t offer unlimited data plans unlike carriers based in other developed countries. Entry level iPhone (voice & data) plans start at what seems like a reasonable $60 price tag but heavy duty mobile web surfers and e-mail addicts will probably have to upgrade to the pricier $100+ plans if they are to use the device like a personal computer.

Net effect: Canadian iPhone users are going to have to pay no less than $150 a month to Rogers for the device if they want their iPhones to be anything more than a fashion accessory or a novelty.

2) Who doesn’t want to be Patrick Pichette, Google’s new chief financial officer, right now? Bell Canada’s outgoing president of operations will soon become the chief financial officer of Google Inc. Mr. Pichette, who struck me as understated sort the times we’ve spoken, must really know how to turn on the charm in person. So much so, Google is reportedly willing to pay Bell Canada’s outgoing president of operations the tidy sum of US$2.125-million for his first year of service.

As part of his pay package, Mr. Pichette will receive a $500,000 signing bonus. (Too bad the U.S. dollar is as low as it is right now though somehow I think he’ll manage.)

The hiring of Mr. Pichette is no doubt a well-deserved promotion for the seven-year veteran of Bell Canada. Anyone that has had to deal with the mess that is Bell Canada and still lives to speak about it must surely be qualified to head up Google’s finance department.

3) Nokia made its N78 device available at company stores in New York and Chicago. The smartphone has piqued the interest of many Europeans because it’s one of the company’s first devices to run the Ovi service. This is Nokia’s attempt to generate sales from mobile music and video games, which has for years been the exclusive domain of its carrier partners. If it is like any other Nokia device, it will be a technically superior product. However, the company faces an uphill battle for mindshare in North America given the media and consumer fascination with Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry.

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June 29, 2008 | Filed Under News Items and Commentary 

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