The Death of Exclusivity?

New Wireless Form Factors Will Test the Business Model

And that idea of a “wearable computer,” something different from the existing netbook and smartphone mobile computing categories, is a paradigm shifter because of what models exist in the PC world. "When you sit down at a computer and you access a broadband connection, you're not told by your broadband provider that you have to have a Dell or an HP or an Apple in order to access the network," stated Sen. John Kerry (D - Mass.), the former presidential candidate who chaired a portion of the Senate’s exclusivity hearing.

And to that point, perhaps there’s a lesson there. AT&T might be subsidizing netbooks, but unlocked versions can be had at the local Radio Shack.

Other manufacturers are targeting the consumer electronics landscape as well. Motorola Inc. recently introduced a new initiative that integrates WiMAX, HSPA and LTE into notebooks, netbooks, portable gaming devices and other networked consumer electronics, likely destined for retail stores rather than carrier portals.

Caveats to all of this remain, for instance battery life for small Atom devices, as well as the question of EV-DO Rev a. and HSPA fragmentation. For a true run-on-any-network broadband-connected device to come to market, a dual-mode CDMA/GSM radio will be required, which is a battery-sucking proposition. It’s entirely possible that manufacturers will only target HSPA or wait for 4G, which carries an architecture that’s much easier to enable cross-platform roaming on (WiMAX-LTE dual mode radios, that is). That said, some might simply create two versions of the same device (as Apple is rumored to be mulling in order to give Verizon the iPhone next year).

Incidentally, Nokia is expected to bring to market an Android-based device sometime in 2010, potentially based on Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon processor, which is geared to what the cellphone chipmaker calls Linux-based “smartbooks.” Qualcomm says Snapdragon allows devices to run all day on a single charge and contain GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.

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