Summit Notebook
Exclusive outtakes from industry leaders
from MediaFile:
Verizon Wireless CEO: We don’t need the iPad — yet
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdams kindly spent some time with us this afternoon and spoke at length about the future of LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G high speed Internet from the No.1 U.S. wireless phone company.
Asked if there was "any hope" that Verizon would have the iPad anytime soon, McAdams laughed:
Any Hope!? Any Hope!?
For McAdams tablets will be a big part of Verizon's offering in the second half of 2010 with Android-based tablets from the usual suspects including Motorola, LG and Samsung.
Asked again if Verizon would do an iPad deal, McAdams said there was "no reason" they couldn't do a deal, but then didn't share the reason why they haven't done one until now.
AT&T: Beer keg, please phone home
Next time a bartender draws a long, cool German brew on tap at your favorite U.S. bar, you might be sipping beer that made a mobile phone call along the way.
At the Reuters Technology Summit in New York, AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega, who heads its wireless division, described a firm that has fitted its beer with mobile devices.
“We had a customer in Germany that wanted us — and we have found a way — to track their beer kegs as they were shipped,” said de la Vega. He said the wireless devices track how cold the keg is, whether it was properly pressurized and its location.
AT&T: Netbooks key to expansion beyond cellphones?
AT&T says it sees a lot of promise for the netbook and the connection fees that come with the devices as a growing source of revenue as consumers look to take broadband connectivity on the road. But will consumers be as enthusiatic to sign another contract for the service? Click below to hear AT&T’s President of Mobile & Consumer Markets talk about what he sees as the future of the netbook.
AT&T: Netbook popularity on the rise from Reuters TV on Vimeo.
AT&T: It’s all about the athletes
AT&T is an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic team, which generally makes for great brand building. This year, however, marketing promises to be a little more complicated because of political tensions. Look no further than the protests that accompanied the international torch relay.
This led us to ask Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner about whether they’ve changed their minds about their Olympic advertising.
