 | | February 7, 2008
The May Report: 02/07/2008: A reader analyzes what went wrong at Motorola; How bad is Ron's hearing anyway?; Winkelman; Tech Cocktail starts up in Boulder; NAVTEQ CEO Judson Green to speak
Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com 773-525-3944.
August 2007: Celebrating 19 years since the first column in the Chicago Computer Guide, 15 years since the first column in the Guide on Chicago high tech; and 10 years as an online newsletter and website
If you missed an article, go here: http://www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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MARKETING MISHAPS: THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID
Presented by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University in Partnership with the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, February 14, 2008
8:00 – 11:00 am
Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield, Room 120B
$35 Registration Fee; $25 for LPCC Members
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/02/mistakes_in_mar.php.
DESCRIPTION:
Learn how to avoid the most common marketing mistakes made by entrepreneurs and business owners - target markets, messaging, design, and other areas - and understand what is essential to include and execute in every marketing plan. Panelists will discuss their own mishaps and lessons learned, and practical strategies to avoid such mistakes.
PANELISTS:
Lisa Brenner – Bright Ideas
Ricky Gold – Ricky Gold & Associates
Nick Gracilla – Neoteric Design
Chris Ramsey – Lincoln Park Massage Spa
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/02/mistakes_in_mar.php.
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http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
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IFBYPHONE NAMED TOP 25 VOIP INNOVATION IN 2007 BY VOIP NEWS
Ifbyphone, a Chicago based voice application company was named by VOIP News as one of the top new technologies in 2007. This success has created a need for additional entrepreneurial talent to continue expanding our team. We have openings for:
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Channel Sales Manager. 4-5 years experience in channel sales. Must understand VOIP, Web, Telco terminology and solutions.
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All candidates must be SWANs. S(mart), (hard) W(orking), A(ssertive), N(ice).
To apply for any of these positions; 1) Review the http://public.ifbyphone.com/jobs web site. 2) Send an email to jobs@ifbyphone.com explaining why you are a "Swan" and why you are a good fit for Ifbyphone. 3) Include resume.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Scoop section:
-- Howard Wolinsky has left the Sun-Times
-- A reader comments: What's wrong with Motorola?
-- Editor's note, by Ron May
-- Walt Winkelman
-- Dan Limbach: New Hail Descriptor?
-- Ron, get your head out of the gutter
-- TypoBuddy has too many !!!
-- Doug Hart: Hi Ron - update on Erika and your computer
-- TechCocktail starts up in Boulder, CO and breakfast with NAVTEQ CEO Judson Green
-- Dr. Jerry J. Field: Illinois Institute Technology, Industrial Technology and Management
-- Job posting - Account Executive Position with I Imagine Studio
-- Lack of style points behind Motorola's fall from fashion
-- Israeli firm: Worldwide mobile telephone calls from aircraft – for US$ 1.60 per minute
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The Scoop section:
__________________________
Howard Wolinsky has left the Sun-Times
Subject: Out of Office AutoReply: Howard, what is happening with your position?
Date: 2/5/2008 1:17:41 P.M. Central Standard Time
From: HWolinsky@SunTimes.Com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
I have left the Sun-Times effective Jan. 25, 2008.
I have taken a buyout and am setting up my own writing business. The Sun-Times is my angel investor.
If you have news for the Sun-Times, contact Polly Smith at psmith@suntimes.com
If you need to reach me regarding my writing about high tec, medicine, egenetic, etc., contact me at testmyspamfilter@wolinsky.biz
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http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
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A reader comments: What's wrong with Motorola?
From: dsbreese@comcast.net
To: may
Subject: What's Wrong with Motorola?
Sent: Wed 2/6/2008 7:30 PM
The recent news regarding Motorola exploring strategic alternatives for its
Mobile Devices division has everyone buzzing about whether it’s going to be a
spin-off or sale of the unit. Either way, it’s a sad ending of a chapter for
Motorola’s handset business that just a couple years ago aspired to be the #1
mobile devices maker.
From an observer point of view, it is a great case study of how things can go
terribly wrong when management is clueless, indecisive and impatient. It may
sound harsh, but I’ll try to point of some of top managements’ missteps over the
past few years later and justify my position. It’s also interesting to see
speculate whether the divesture is the best way to turn things around, and what
are the consequences for the investors short term and long term, for the
employees and company as a whole, and for the divisions that are to be
separated.
What went wrong?
Let’s first examine the recent history of Motorola, and specifically the Mobile
Devices unit. Mobile Devices is one of three major business units in Motorola which also
includes "Enterprise, Government and Public Safety" and "Home and Network
Mobility". Although no longer dominating over the other business units, Mobile
Devices is still by far the largest unit even despite all its recent struggles.
It still continues to generate as much revenue as Motorola’s two other units
combined and also makes up for roughly half of the global workforce.
It’s a far cry from the 70% of overall revenue it was contributing just two
years ago when Mobile Devices was the darling of the company. Back then, it was
not only bring in the majority of the revenue, but also the vast majority of the
profit and subsidizing the development of the other divisions. Mobile Device’s
outsized profit allowed Motorola to purchase Symbol and other companies to round
out the product offerings for its other business units. Today, it is losing
money and market shares and being put up for sale.
It may seem that things changed quickly when it wasn’t able to follow up its hit RAZR phones with additional cool
designs or enhancements and saw the phone that used to commanded market premium
of $600 retail price now packaged as free with plan phones. But in truth, the
winds did not shift overnight and it actually took years of missteps for things
to come to this point.
Some of Motorola's problems stemmed from its inability to get new products out.
Some of the factors behind it include:
Semiconductor Supplier and Situation
One issue that is rarely mentioned by analysts and columnists is that Motorola
had been hamstrung with its chip supplier for the past several years. Motorola
had spun off Freescale Semiconductor in 2004, during its prior period of
financial struggles. However, to ensure the success of Freescale and to make
sure its mobile division would not be without its major supplier of chips, it
had signed a long term agreement with Freescale as part of the spin-off. It
essentially tied Motorola to using Freescale chips exclusively. This turned out to be a major mistake as it robbed Motorola the bargaining
power to force Freescale to spend aggressively on research and development and
provide solutions in a timely manner.
It’s somewhat difficult to place the blame of this agreement on management, and
in particular, Ed Zander. While he was the CEO when the spin-off completed in
Dec. 2004, it was already in the process when he became CEO in Jan. 2004. And
although he did preside over the majority of the process of spinning it off, it
is likely that he left the details to the lieutenants as he was still trying to
learn the details of the business. With no one taking ultimate responsibility,
everyone just wanted to make sure they did not make a major faux pas (such as
lose the major chip supplier). And with each side probably wanting a cordial
relationship, this sweet heart agreement was signed.
But regardless of who is to blame, over the past couple of years, the fact is
Freescale has been slow to provide Motorola with suitable 3G enabled chip solutions that other vendors such as TI and Qualcomm would have been
able to. Lacking of 3G product offerings has often been pointed to as one of
Motorola's failures, and one of the major causes is its exclusive reliance on
Freescale. The sweetheart agreement has expired last year, but the damage has
already been done. It takes a long time to go from evaluating chips and designs
to actually delivering products to the consumer market and it has set Motorola
back by about a year from this mistake alone.
Platform Strategy / Failure to Deliver
The problem on the silicon side is only half of the equation as far as
delivering the right product. Its software platform has been in dire need of an
update for several years. Analysts have been kind when they suggested Motorola’s
software is 1 or 2 years behind that of Nokia's or other competitors'. The truth
is, Motorola is still using essentially the same P2K software from 5 years ago.
The P2K platform is an outdate software platform that was originally scheduled to be phased out 2006 or 2007 but has been kept because Motorola has
not been able to develop a decent replacement. While it's true it may take
Motorola just 1 or 2 years to get to Nokia’s current software standards, but
comparing what’s out there in the market today, Motorola’s software is actually
about 4 years behind those from Nokia.
So just how did Motorola get so far behind in software? Apparently, Motorola has had a history of being impatient with underperforming units and abandoning them quickly instead of trying to put in a serious effort at solving the problems. In 2003, Motorola started an effort to create the replacement for its P2K platform, codenamed JUIX (pronounced as juice), an effort that was abandoned in 2005.
Then, another effort started with EzX platform which was abandoned in favor of
LJ (Linux-Java). Recent rumor has Motorola abandoning that effort again in favor of Symbian UIQ or Windows CE.
Mid-level management also had a major role to play and a closer look at why the JUIX project was abandoned can be quite revealing. Part of the problem with
the JUIX project was that it was going to be the revolutionary platform that
replaced the P2K platform, it was good and bad. The bad part was that it was
viewed by the P2K division as a rival and there was a lot of political pressure
on the management to can the project when it started missing some milestones.
With the P2K division being the maker of the RAZR, there was a lot of clout and
management took the easy way out and abandoned the project to appease the P2K
constituents.
Unfortunately, abandoning the project really doesn't make the need to update the software platform go away. And hence there was the effort on Ezx platform,
followed by the LJ platform, and so on. However, in all these process, they
failed to take the hard stance needed to push the platform out by giving it
enough time and resource to mature into a stable platform. Each release was
rushed out with many flaws with promise to be fixed in the next. However, the next release was always a re-architecture of the entire design which
introduced additional flaws.
Again the ultimate blame has to be laid on the top management. It's only nature
for platform managers to want to see their platform to continue to thrive, and
it's really up to the top management to not succumb to the lobbying and to have
a long term vision and see things through. However, it seems Motorola management never has the patience and if something doesn't work, it is simply tossed aside. Appropriately, today, the entire mobile devices division is considered to be underperforming, and as there is no quick fix, it is being put up for sale.
In hindsight, management should have bit the bullet and granted the platform
development more time and resource, especially as earnings was still good and it was easy to justify additional resource and development. Already, I have placed much of the blame on management, but also on the
execution and how certain long term issues such as chip supplier agreement handicapped them against the playing field. However, there is more that is wrong yet.
Corporate Bureaucracy, Lack of Decision Maker
Unfortunately, Motorola had a culture where competition is focused internally.
This was apparent from a platform point of view, where P2K platform team viewed
the JUIX platform as the enemy and gave them very little support. This is also
true within platforms, where there are multiple teams that pushed for different
solutions for the same problem. Worse yet, there was usually no real decision
maker that was given the ultimate authority in deciding which solution to place
in the platform.
How could this have happened with a company that invented the vaunted Six Sigma
Process and have the practice of having technical review boards and other
measurement in place to ensure the best solution got picked? In short, it was
corporate politics and lack of accountability. The review board members
comprised of members from competing groups and the solutions more often than not ended up being political compromises instead of the best technical solution. And the compromise was often worse than any of the solutions pushed by the individual groups as it often contained components from all the groups and required multiple layers and many function calls to get a simple software task done. However, by taking a piece of the solution from every group, each group stayed relevant, at least for the time being, even if the end product failed.
While there is no quick fix for this type of problem, it was clearly visible to
the average employees and certainly the management should have been aware of it. However, it appeared little was done to promote cooperation amongst groups.
Management needed to align business in such a way that groups in older platforms that will be phased out still has assurance of role in the new landscape, and likewise for groups within the platform should their technology not be picked up.
Pricing / Corporate Strategy
While the handset market is fiercely competitive, Motorola has in part itself to blame as well. Roughly 4 and half years ago, a
corporate goal of becoming the #1 unit sales leader was announced. Since then,
the pursuit of that goal took on a life of its own and Motorola slashed the
price aggressively to try to gain market share in hopes of trying to topple
Nokia as the market share leader within the 1000 days.
First, it cut its Razr phone’s price significantly to continue to grow market
share. They did this despite the fact that there was new product to slide into
the premium phone slot. The only spin was various different colored Razr’s with
minimal or no technology update what so ever and trying to price the new colors
as the high end phones. Most consumers unfortunately, were much too price
conscious and did not see the value of paying upwards of $200~$300 simply for a
different color, even if it is marketed as limited edition or cobranded with
Dolce Gabbana. Hence, the vast majority of the phones were sold at the lower
prices which resulted in significant hit to the margins.
Additionally, as part of its aim to try and get market share, it also poured
billions into developing a "low cost" phone for the masses. The Motophone was
supposed to be a phone that retailed for $50 without carrier subsidy that allows Motorola to compete with the likes of Nokia in markets like India and developing countries. However, developing a cheap phone was never Motorola’s forte and the phone was a major bust. Not only did it end up costing more, at around $75 without subsidy, it was also poorly designed and was not received well by the market. Perhaps the Motophone was always meant to be a loss leader to get the brand name established in developing countries so that they would eventually upgrade to the more expensive premium phones, however, with the premium Razr now selling at razor thin profit margins, even if the consumers did upgrade, it would not have been all that helpful to Motorola’s bottom line, nor was there room for such subsidy when profit margin was non-existen
t.
Today, Motorola’s market share is shrinking rapidly and not only did it not
achieve #1 status, it is now considering exiting the market entirely. The #1 in
1000 days was an ambitious goal that initially gave the unit a common goal.
However, overtime, that goal became an end onto itself and saw Motorola’s
management commit many questionable moves in the pursuit of this goal.
Furthermore, the goal was poorly defined to begin with, as it should have been
#1 in profitability and sales instead number of units. The managements’ failure
to adjust to the market conditions and their blind pursued of the goal certainly contributed to the division’s downfall.
Leadership, Succession Plan and Communication (or Lack of)
The management leaderships at Motorola deserve a good amount of blame not only
for their faulty strategy and stubbornness in not adjusting the strategy in time and in action in the face of a dysfunctional corporate culture. However, those are difficult problems to solve and some slack could still be granted. The most unacceptable failure is probably some of the basic things
preached in Business 101. Glaring example of it include their lack of basic
succession plan a total failure to communicate.
On Succession Plan
As margins deteriorated due to the pursuit of market share, rumors that there
were conflict between Ed Zander and the then head of Mobile Devices, Ron
Garriques started to surface. Garriques was the architect behind the #1 in 1000
days slogan and goal and as this strategy was starting to show its flaws, some
of the blame was starting to point at his direction. In fact, during a town hall meeting when someone asked, "Will heads roll if we don’t achieve the #1 in 1000 days goal?", Zander half jokingly replied, "I was not the one who stated those goals, so it would not be my head would it?".
When Garriques resigned in February 2007, most people though initially that he
was driven out due to his blind insistence on chasing after market share. In
fact, in the quarters before and for a couple quarters after Garriques left, Zander often used Garriques as the scapegoat and blamed the division’s trouble on Garriques’ flawed strategy. However, it appears Garriques actually jumped the ship on his own when the opportunity at Dell surfaced. And despite the semi-public quarreling, Zander and Motorola apparently had no succession plan in place.
Caught by surprise, two veterans from the Mobile Devices rank, Teresa Vega and
Ray Roman were tasked with filling Garriques shoes. However, a two headed
monster was the last thing needed by the struggling division that needed a
single strong voice. While some layoffs occurred under the two’s leadership to
try to cut some of the fat, there was no organized plan to turn around the
business. It was viewed by some that a they represented the old Motorola and
were simply too tied up politically or emotionally to make the really tough
choices.
Eventually, Stu Reed became the head of Mobile Devices in July and both Terri
Vega and Ray Roman left Motorola shortly afterwards. Reed in contrast to Vega and Roman, was considered as somewhat of an outsider, as he worked at IBM for most of his career. He was supposed to be free from the bias and the ties and help shake things up and breathe new life into the organization. However, in the end, it appears he was powerless and not really given the full authority as he was not in the inner circle of Motorola’s top management despite his lofty title which lead us to the next subtopic of communication.
Communication
On the same day that Motorola announced that it was exploring strategic
alternatives, Stu Reed gave a global town hall to the entire Mobile Devices
(some 30k in workforce) where he gave a fairly impressive and impassioned speech in which he adamantly stated that Motorola was going to stay the course in Mobile Device business. Little over 6 hours later, his reputation was shot and the confidences of his subordinates were shaken when Motorola made the
announcement that it was seeking to spin-off or sale the business unit. Then, within another 24 hours, Reed was effectively demoted from the
role of President of Mobile Devices as CEO Greg Brown was taking over its day to day operations of the business unit.
One can only guess what really happened over those 36 hours, but it seems pretty clear that there was a clear breakdown in communication. It's unlikely Reed intentionally hid some facts from the employees, as he could have simply choose to not address the issue, instead of bring up phrases such as "in the spirit of straight talk" during his town hall. It's more likely that there was a gap between him and Greg Brown, as there had been between Zander and Garriques. We may never know the truth but it is just another example of how top Motorola management has failed some basic management practices.
Buyer Beware
With all its problems, why would anyone seriously want to pay for the business
that is losing money and have outdated technology?
Fortunately, there are indeed some values after all. First, there is of course a foothold and relationships with all the U.S. carriers and many other
markets as well. Despite not having an up to date software platform, there are
still Intellectual Property within the division which can be useful. Then there
is the workforce, which might be streamlined and reorganized to become
competitive with a tough hand. Additionally, the brand also already has
significant global recognition.
Those are all good things but there are counter arguments for them all. Without
the right products, the carrier relationship will quickly deteriorate. The IP
value may be difficult to unlock, and changing the culture of a large
organization is never going to be easy. Then finally, it is unlikely that the
buyer or the spin-off will get to keep the iconic name brand of Motorola, but be
merely given the handset related names such as Razr and other phone names, none
of which are very valuable at this point.
Basically, it is not going to be easy for any buyer to easily profit from the
acquisition. While many people think they can do things better and turn around things that others cannot, this is not going to be an easy one. All I can say is buyer beware and advise whoever is interested to seriously evaluate all the factors before jumping in.
Spin-off or Sell, Good or Bad
It’s clear that Motorola has had its problems with its Mobile Devices division.
The question now is whether divesting the division is the right choice. The
answer to this question may depend on where one stands. As an investor, it is
probably a good thing, and this applies both to short term and long term
investors. Short term investors will see the values of the profitable business
reflected. Long term investors should actually rejoice as well, as this might
actually be the tough medicine that Mobile Device division needs to get itself
reorganized and become competitive again.
For the company as a whole, it is probably a good thing as well. While some may
argue that there might have been synergy between the various divisions, the truth is very little actually occurs due to Motorola’s culture of internal
competition. And given the many layers of bureaucracy, whatever cooperation that does exist is not all that different from dealing with an outside company.
Separating the division will help with employee retention from the profitable
division and allow them to keep the talent and continue their growth trends
while allowing the underperforming organization to undergoes the tough
transformation needed to refocus the business.
Finally, we come to the Mobile Device division itself and the employee there.
The news will be fairly mixed there but it will probably be not good to most.
And it might be too early to tell if it will be a good thing for anyone.
Spin-off or sales, surely there will be some fairly massive layoffs that impact
those negatively affected. For those that make it through the initial cut, the
sailing may be smoother, but there is no guarantee of that either. The buyer
beware caution has to be emphasized again. It will be a tough turnaround job and if not done properly, even those that survive the
initial layoffs will not have a bright future to look forward to.
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Editor's note, by Ron May
I've have been working on a detailed write-up about the Motorola negotiations with Dell and with Sony-Ericsson for doing a Joint Venture (JV) which I reported on Monday afternoon and which I believe is a real scoop. There are many complex nuts and bolts issues being flushed out, like how the corporate R&D group which has 2,000 people will be integrated into any handset deal. The fundamental decision of sell vs. spin-out has not been made yet, but either way they go, and it depends on what the market offers them, they have to establish the handset unit as a stand-alone and transparent unit. How R&D at the corporate level is costed is one issue. How IT is handled is another. Motorola has no easily detachable divisions. The whole thing is overshadowed by larger issues of strategy which I will get into. Sony-Ericsson gives them greater inroads in Asia and Europe whereas Motorola offers more access for them to the U.S. market. The combined market share of Motorola and Sony-Ericsson for the handset market would be about 28% which puts them ahead of Samsung and within striking distance of Nokia which has 34% of the global market.
The players are somewhat different now from the last time we got into the nitty gritty. Gone are Zander and Padmasree who were blowing smoke up each other's rear ends. That mutual admiration society is history. Greg Brown may be a "Bell head" -- not a visionary -- but a team player, open and accessible, operationally focused and generally well liked compared to the self-involved and self-promoting Zander who was not at corporate most of the time and when he was there, he spent most of his time in the labs in the role of the "gee whiz" kid. Quite a number of people are gone. One you may know is Jim O'Connor who moderated a panel at TiECON on October 5th. He is history now at Motorola.
Motorola is talking to Dell and Ron Garriques who just left Motorola last year is at Dell. Garriques did not get along well with Zander.
I will get into all of this and the fundamental operational and strategic issues involved. A reader has been kind enough to offer his (or her) analysis. I don't think I know this person, but his/her analysis is thoughtful and considered and it contains some information I did not know. That is why I am putting this report out and later today, I will have my write-up on what I have found out.
Here is a key person in the current JV negotiations which have been going on now for six months with Sony-Ericsson. Richard Nottenburg is also not just the head of strategy, he is the new CTO replacing Padmasree:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RICHARD N. NOTTENBURG
Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Technology Officer
Motorola, Inc.
Richard N. Nottenburg, Ph. D., is executive vice president and chief strategy & technology officer for Motorola, Inc. Rich Nottenburg is responsible for shaping Motorola’s overall corporate strategy and technology agenda. He steers the company's $4.0 billion research and development program and fosters the development of the company's global technical community.
Nottenburg leads the company's strategy and corporate development efforts, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business intelligence, new initiatives and venture capital relationships. Additionally, he oversees Motorola labs and the early stage accelerator, portfolio, planning & partnerships, and architecture & standards teams.
Nottenburg served as a strategic advisor to Motorola in the first half of 2004. He then joined the company as senior vice president and chief strategy officer later that year.
Prior to joining Motorola, Nottenburg was vice president and general manager of Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: VTSS) after its merger with Multilink Technology Corporation in 2003. From 1995 to 2003, Nottenburg served as president and chief executive officer of Multilink, a publicly traded company and leading provider of advanced mixed-signal and VLSI solutions that accelerate the deployment of 10Gb/s optical networks. As co-founder and chief executive of Multilink, Nottenburg led the company from inception, managed all financing activities, including a successful initial public offering in 2001, and built successful relationships with top-tier telecommunication customers, including Alcatel, Lucent, Nortel and Tyco.
From 1991 to 1998, Nottenburg was a tenured associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California, where he built a successful research program funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. Air Force and industrial sources.
In 1984, Nottenburg joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a post-doctoral member of the technical staff in the solid-state electronics research laboratory, where he co-invented what in 1988 was the world's fastest transistor. Nottenburg was named a distinguished member of the technical staff and interim department head in 1990 and is listed as a Lucent pioneer of the 1980s.
Nottenburg has authored more than 50 publications and presentations and holds eight U.S. patents. He has earned three degrees in electrical engineering -- a doctorate from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, a master's from Colorado State University and a bachelor's from Polytechnic Institute of New York.
* May again. Six quick things:
-- Lundin is getting kicked out of his building at 600 W. Van Buren not for non-payment of rent, but because the building is being converted to student housing; he was looking to go into the ITA space known as Tech Nexus but Fred told him that they won't know who is in or out for several months (my read on that is that they must be full or in flux).
-- Michael Quintos tells me that his four month old business, InvertedCreative, http://www.invertedcreative.com/ , has hit the $100K a month in revenue level (but then he wanted to multiply by 12 and I told him to slow down on those type of calculations -- if those calculations had held up, TMR would have exceeded %600K in 2000 based on the first quarter). They do Flash development and Quintos promised me a widget they are developing but he has not delivered on that promise yet. Michael, promises, promises.
-- I have now confirmed a relatively new Wasserberger story having to do with projects listed on a white board -- more on this later.
-- Now that the primary is history, I will print those letters that I held back on and I have something to say about both Barack and Hillary on healthcare, being a first hand observer of the system as I am. Spend any time in the ER as I did on January 25th for seven hours, mostly in the hallway waiting for a room on 13 to open up, and you will notice that the place is swarming with cops and Northwestern security. Why? Well, lots of homeless people, alcoholics, and yes, mentally ill people. Much of the problem with the healthcare system has nothing to do with money. It has to do with schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and other forms of psychosis which require medication and constant care. Many of these problems are conflated. You can be homeless, alcoholic, and mentally ill all at once. So, my point is that insurance coverage is only s a fraction of the problem that hospitals face and in effect, they have become social service centers. An ER is a social welfare center. A big part of the problem is getting people to see a doctor or medical professional and getting them to take their meds.
-- And, let me respond to something that Barack said in the last Democratic debate. He said we need to get people to see dieticians so that we can avoid the $30K cost of an amputation. Nice thought, but as Linette Demers said at the MIT-EF meeting on Jan. 15th, an emphasis on prevention does not pay. That is a discussion for another day, but the economics are not there for prevention and the whole profession is congenitally opposed to working on conditions that are what they call asymptomatic. In other words, if there is not a visible problem, they don't work to solve it.
-- The founder of Everyblock, Adrian somebody, spoke Wednesday evening to a small group at the Cultural Center, a group mostly interested in maps and map making.
_______________________________________
Walt Winkelman
From: Jeffery Barnhart [jeffery.barnhart@yahoo.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Walt Winkelman
Sent: Tue 2/5/2008 11:44 AM
Ron,
I have copied this latest ripoff report for you. It appears the name on the check, "bonita" refers to his "partner" in that Antique business he was reported to co-own with a Bonnie in Evanston. Wonder if she has any idea what he's up to. I have used an alias. Thanks for your work in this regard.
Report: Walt Winkelman
Category: Bad Check Writers
Walt Wilkenman Or Walter Winkelman Scammer, Liar, Cheat, Unstable, Unreliable, Chicago & Park Ridge, Illinois, Minnesota Internet
Rebuttal Box
Respond to this report!
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
Victim of this person/company?
Are you also a victim of the same company or person? Want Justice? File a Ripoff Report and donīt let them get away with it!
Walt Winkelman
Phone: 847-3188411
Fax:
Argosy University
Park Ridge, Chicago, Illinois, Internet,
U.S.A.
Submitted: 1/13/2008 7:04:14 PM
Modified: 1/13/2008 7:04:00 PM
Askally
CHICAGO, Illinois
Please read this memo carefully. This is about Walt Winkelman whom we met and spoiled his plan.
I live in Chicago and placed an ad for rent. I was contacted by Walt Winkelman, who really seemed interested in the room and provided his number.
Next morning, we met and I showed him the place. He insisted about getting the place and renting it asap and moving tomorrow. He actually started making a legal lease document himself.
My first impression looking into his eyes was this 'his eyes were hidden behind glasses, but the looks were dishonest'
He had discribed himself the night before setting a meeting point as 'I am 57, salt and pepper hair, 5 foot 8 inches, beard and glasses'
Mr Winkelman did not mention anything about the place, and as I showed him the apartment complex, and got him to my apartment, the incidents that followed were scary, selfish, and blatant lies.
He discribed himself as a PhD with his course work completed and getting a fellow ship in Rotterdam starting September '08. So his stay was going to be till Aug 31, 2008. He didnt ask any questions and just wanted to get the place, my wife and I liked him since his demeanor was some what elderly but his words kept changing.
Bottom line is this: He was extremely cunning, quite, didnt ask anything about the place, just wanted to shift the next day and asked how we liked him.
Once everything was done, then came the fun part, or the part that could have cost us pain, money, damage, time, and regretting ever to offer our place for rent.
He took out a check and without any concerns, put the amount of rent.
I asked him we would need the deposit also and he agreed. Suddenly when he gave me the check, I noticed something not right. My name was ok, date was fine, amount was good, but the signature line read a name 'Bonita something'
Next everything changed. I asked him is that his name, and he said 'That is something I forgot to discuss with you' and his story was this.
The name on the check was a business name, he said it was a business that he had 50% partnership in and the signed name he put was his partners name.
My answer was that sorry, but would prefer if this was your check made out to me.
His attitude changed 100%, he became irriated, his mouth gasped open, he said now look what you did, all this was going in perfect harmony and now thats gone. he also mentioned 'what difference does it make if you get the funds' My wife quite till now, got up saw the name and said what is the matter? I explained and felt bad because now an elderly man was upset, acting all strange, someone who we gave time respect to, who was going to move in less than 24hrs.
Walk Winkelman suddenly got upset, tore the lease paper he just created, tore the check he had forged and said this was suppose to be a surprise to you kids of good faith. I asked did i offend you and the answer was yes but being scared he would not talk or say anything at all.
By now my wife and I both got spine chills knowing a con artist whose supposed to be a Phd, working on happiness, who pretends to have a father who was an entrepreneur, is now all likely to be a lie. Next he just wanted to get out of the place and run.
He asked 'are you going to show me out' We walked with him, his face expression was scared, low, open mouth, like a liar caught, and wanted to run out. Once we got out of the elevator, he then said 'I can see myself out'
and disappeared.
He left his check and the torn lease. We were in shock and could not believe what just had happened.
I searched him online and found plenty of stuff on google. He has two kids, went through a divorce he said, hasnt payed child support in thousands, nor does he ever meet his children.
Check out few sites
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/274/RipOff0274854.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/288/RipOff0288152.htm
http://www.childsupportinillinois.com/winkelman.htm
http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/WINKELMAN/2007-06/1182777920
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Dan Limbach: New Hail Descriptor?
From: Dan Limbach - PharmaVOICE [dlimbach@pharmavoice.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: New Hail Descriptor?
Sent: Tue 2/5/2008 8:04 AM
Ron,
I understand why you might think Tracy Butler said "Nipple-sized hail." You get an approximation of a certain size, and hail is by nature cold…
She actually said "Nickel-sized hail." This is a fairly common weather term, because everyone knows the exact size of a nickel, as opposed to a marble, which is not a consistent. Nipples are not very consistent if you think about it, and we all know you did.
If you Google "Nipple-sized hail," you will find many references to this issue. Over the years, lots of people mishear the word, or just really want to believe weather reporters use that term. There are rumors of a slip of the tongue by a reporter, though nothing confirmed or posted on YouTube. It would certainly make watching the weather more fun if it were true.
Regards,
Daniel Limbach
Producer, PharmaVOICE Webcast Network
PharmaLinx LLC
Direct: (847) 594-0157
Cell: (224) 595-7767
dlimbach@pharmavoice.com
__________________________________________
Ron, get your head out of the gutter
From: droop50282@mypacks.net
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: NIPPLE SIZED HAIL?
Sent: Mon 2/4/2008 5:56 PM
Come on Ron, get your mind out of the gutter and open up your creativity... she had to be talking about NICKEL SIZED HAIL - which is smaller than QUARTER-SIZED HAIL but larger than DIME-SIZED HAIL. The image is a good one, but there is no standard-sized nipple is there? So she had to be talking about nickels.... right?
<< I heard Tracy Butler, the weather lady, say on Channel 7 at 11am today that some area near Chicago had "nipple sized hail." I'm not making this up. To the breast of my knowledge, I have never heard anyone refer to hail as being nipple sized. When I heard that, it almost took my breast away.>>
_________________________________________
TypoBuddy has too many !!!
From: Name withheld upon request
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: Please don't use my name....
Sent: Mon 2/4/2008 9:14 PM
Ron,
CONFIDENTIALLY...and please don't use my name...
I counted 4 exclamation points in the TypoBuddy news release. 4! Must be important! Really newsworthy!!!!
__________________________________________
Doug Hart: Hi Ron - update on Erika and your computer
From: Douglas Hart [douglashart@helloworld.com]
To: ron
Cc: heyerika
Subject: Hi Ron - update on Erika and your computer
Sent: Wed 2/6/2008 12:47 PM
Hi Ron - Am following up on our holiday chats, your email to me, and our talk at Silicon Prairie...
-My business colleague, Erika Blackwell, has indicated to me that she will help you do another live broadcast...You do know, however, about the parable of the preacher and the fish (teach them out to fish,etc.)...The point is that with our product you can literally do a Live Broadcast with two clicks of the mouse - the ease and simplicity of our Live Broadcast capability is becoming the talk of the town, and I sincerely hope that for all your future broadcasts you can do this unaided and alone. (Hint: Get Erika to show you how to do this when she is there)... One or two little extra clicks of the mouse, and you can post these at www.helloworld.com/themayreport, or at any other website you control, for all of your loyal viewers who miss the Live broadcast (and the chance to actively interact with you) and instead will view the archived version...
-Speaking of Erika, she gave you some wonderful publicity in her Happy New Year report.....Go to her site at www.helloworld.com/heyerika, click the video icon on the left, and the seventh video down is one entitled "Happy New Year" - You and the Ron May Report are prominently mentioned...
-When Erika once again ventures into your apartment to help you do the Live Broadcast, perhaps she can figure out how to turn on your volume....If you will recall, when we were there last we hooked up your camera and got it working, and the volume was working fine for the Helloworld products...You had already created the Helloworld account prior to our arrival, and I do recall you saying something was wrong with your volume. That predated our arrival, however, and we did not address that as it did not seem to trouble your live broadcast or the videoemail product... but perhaps Erika can look at it on your behalf.
Hope your health problems have abated, and I look forward to seeing your next broadcast! Kind Regards. Doug Hart
Douglas Hart
630-469-4419
www.vmdirect.com/douglashart
_____________________________________________
**********************************
http://www.midphase.com/
midPhase is always looking to add to its talented staff. You can find a jobs link on midPhase.com and apply right over the website
**********************************
___________________________________
TechCocktail starts up in Bouer, CO and breakfast with NAVTEQ CEO Judson Green
From: bounce-2088628@emailenfuego.net; on behalf of; TECH cocktail [cofounders@techcocktail.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: TECH cocktail
Sent: Thu 2/7/2008 12:05 PM
TECH cocktail
TECH cocktail Boulder 1
Posted: 07 Feb 2008 09:39 AM CST
Rockies here we come! It feels great to announce TECH cocktail Boulder 1 today (RSVP here). This event has been in the works for a while. We know a lot of great people and great startups in the Boulder, Colorado area which is why we began to think of Boulder as a logical city to expand to.
TECH cocktail Boulder 1 is another big step forward for TECH cocktail for another reason besides the obvious one of expanding to a new area. TECH cocktail Boulder 1 will be the first event we are putting on in partnership with the DEMO conference. Yes, as in the DEMO that just happened last week near Palm Springs.
Aside from a little help from friends, family and the community, operating TECH cocktail to this point has been for the most part a two man show (Frank and I) in our free time (usually instead of sleeping). With demand rising for new TECH cocktail events around the country and with increased demand for our home event in Chicago, we were at odds as to how we could continue to carry out our TECH cocktail mission.
In comes DEMO. These guys and gals are professional event organizers who will be stepping in to help us with event logistics and sponsorship sales allowing us to further expand.
We are excited about this partnership and about debuting it for the first time in Boulder. The event details are as follows, please RSVP asap as this event may fill up quickly.
Oh, and if you can help us pay the bills via a sponsorship please e-mail me at eric [at] techcocktail [dot] com. The event will provide great exposure for your company and you’ll be able to help the Boulder technology community. What could be better than that?
Side note: Make sure to subscribe to the Boulder only TECH cocktail feed to keep up to date on what we’re doing in Boulder.
—–
Date: Thursday, March 6 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm
Venue: The Foundry: 1109 Walnut St.; Boulder, CO
Cost: $0 - It’s free!
RSVP: tcboulder1.eventbrite.com
—–
Current Press for TECH cocktail Boulder:
ColoradoStartups.com: TECH cocktail Boulder
Learn to Duck: The Story of the Rocky Robot Roosters or the Boulder TECH cocktail
Andrew Hyde: TECH cocktail Boulder or Andrew’s Birthday Bash
Breakfast with NAVTEQ’s CEO
Posted: 06 Feb 2008 08:00 PM CST
World Business Chicago and the Young Professionals of Chicago have put together a breakfast with Judson Green, CEO of NAVTEQ at the end of this month.
For those who don’t know, NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions based right here in Chicago.
Green, who spearheaded the company’s successful IPO in 2004, secondary offering in 2005, and recently-announced $8.1 billion merger with Nokia, has successfully taken NAVTEQ beyond its core navigation business into a broad range of applications in the Internet, wireless and enterprise arena.
During the breakfast Green will discuss his background and career path, why Chicago has been an ideal community for NAVTEQ, and offer advice for aspiring future leaders. This talk will no doubt be a real treat.
The breakfast will also be the launch pad for World Business Chicago’s new digital media project, Cooler by the Lake, which aims at attracting the talent that draws companies like NAVTEQ to Chicago by showcasing why Chicago is a great place to live and work.
World Business Chicago is also giving TECH cocktailers a waiver on the $20 fee. So, when you e-mail or call Lauran Court ((312)553-4659 or lcort@worldbusinesschicago.com) to RSVP just mention TECH cocktail and you’re in for free.
Seats are very limited for this event so RSVP as soon as possible (and before the deadline of Feb 20).
————————–
WHAT: CEO Breakfast: Navigating the Business World
FEATURING: Judson Green, CEO of NAVTEQ
WHEN: Tuesday, February 26; 7:00 – 9:00 am
WHERE: The Sears Tower Metropolitan Club; 233 S. Wacker Drive, 67th Floor
COST: $20 fee will be waived for limited number of WBC guests and TECH cocktailers
RSVP: Contact Lauran Cort at (312)553-4659 or lcort@worldbusinesschicago.com by Wed., Feb. 20
__________________________________________
Dr. Jerry J. Field: Illinois Institute Technology, Industrial Technology and Management
From: Dr. Jerry Field [field@iit.edu]
To: Ron May
Subject: Expanded
Sent: Mon 2/4/2008 5:51 PM
Hi Ron: Many thanks for your publishing our news release on conversion
of IT certifications to college credit for a Bachelors degree. We
received a ton of inquiries and some asked for about a Masters degree
in IT. I've expanded our reach and can offer a Masters degree in IT
and accept up to nine hours college credit from certifications. The
attached release offers the details. Anyone interested can call me at
312 567 3651 (voice mail) or e-mail me field@iit.edu Thanks again.
Dr. Jerry J. Field
Illinois Institute Technology
Industrial Technology and Management
312 567 3651
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3424 South State Street
Room 4001 South
Chicago, Illinois 60616
312 567 3651
www.iit.edu
Dr. Jerry J. Field, Ed.D
Manager-Special Programs and
International Programs
Program Development
field@iit.edu
Center for Professional Development
Main Campus office
Room 4001 South
3424 South State
Chicago, Illinois 60616
312.567.3651
312.567.3655 Fax
field@iit.edu
www.mtm.iit.edu
CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT IIT EXPANDS
CONVERSION PROGRAMS TO INCLUDE MASTERS DEGREE
The Center for Professional Development has expanded its conversion programs to include a Masters degree in Information Technology.
The conversion or credit by examination has been in place for a Bachelor’s degree program. A Masters degree is now part of the program. The Bachelor’s requirements are to be admitted as an IIT student. Up to nine hours or three courses can be applied toward a degree. Courses can be taken on line or on both IIT campuses, in Chicago or Wheaton, Illinois. A minimum of 45 hours or 15 classes are required to be taken at IIT for the degree. The conversion credit will apply toward the degree program as well as course taken at IIT On Line.
The conversion program will acknowledge certificated vendor training programs in Information Technology and may convert certified programs to college credit by examination. Up to nine hours or three courses of the ten courses required for a Masters can be accepted on the conversion program.
The requirements to enroll on the program are acceptance as an IIT student and to meet with an advisor to setup the course program. The remaining seven classes can be taken on line or on campus.
IIT’s Center for Professional Development acknowledges that many IT professionals who sought industry certifications may not have finished their degree requirements. This program offers these professionals an opportunity to complete a Bachelor or Masters Degree.
For additional information call or e-mail:
Dr. Jerry J. Field
312 567 3651
field@iit.edu
___________________________________________
Job posting - Account Executive Position with I Imagine Studio
From: Alena Tsimis [alenat@iimaginestudio.com]
To: ron@themayreport.com
Subject: FW: Job posting - Account Executive Position with I Imagine Studio
Sent: Thu 2/7/2008 11:37 AM
Dear Ron,
Please post this job opening within your newsletter. Thank you.
Account Executive
I Imagine Studio, Inc.
Location: Evanston, IL
Reports to: Managing Director
Overview:
I Imagine Studio, an award-winning, fast-growing marketing and advertising agency with offices in Evanston, IL and Santa Monica, CA is seeking an Account Executive. Position requires a minimum of 3-5 years of professional marketing or advertising experience with a proven ability to manage, accounts and client relationships. Should be adept at multi-tasking in a busy, deadline-driven environment. Excellent communication and writing skills are required, with proven experience developing proposals, marketing plans and strategic recommendations.
Why I Imagine Studio?
I Imagine Studio has a highly entrepreneurial culture providing sold professionals with an opportunity to work on a variety of clients and projects led by a team of senior consultants and subject matter experts in the industry. The agency’s model is rooted in a focused approach with dedication to a select number of clients at a time. Our unique approach enables our clients to implement comprehensive solutions in a short time frame with significant cost savings of high quality work.
We work with mid market size organizations that share three similar things in common:
1) Their products and services are designed to improve the overall quality of life in the following areas: natural and organic products, fitness and well being, innovative, sustainable and green architectural products, financial health among others.
2) Company, which make social responsibility an important part of their agenda.
3) Our best look for innovation, creativity and the dedication provided by boutique agency.
An ideal candidate
* Must be a very effective communicator, strong copywriter and be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment working on multiple projects.
* Goal oriented, strategic thinker, collaborator with excellent organizational skills.
* Team player who is not afraid of challenges in order to grow and learn
* Self-motivated with a keen enthusiasm for strategy and marketing communications.
* Detail-oriented with ability to multi-task, delegate and meet tight deadlines.
* Solid project management skills; ability to coordinate, prioritize and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
* Actively seeks additional projects/new business from client contacts. Continually looks for opportunities to add value.
* Must have undergraduate or higher degree in Adverting, Marketing, Public Relations, or Communications.
* Must have at least 3-5 years of professional experience.
Daily Responsibilities:
For our clients:
Working on marketing programs with a team of seasoned consultants or independently. This includes strategies, marketing communications, direct mail, on-line and off-line campaigns and others.
Manage clients and vendors relationships with a support of administrative staff.
Work with IIS creative team to ensure on strategy work, oversee quality control of final deliverables.
Constantly seek innovative ideas to develop marketing recommendations that will set our clients apart from competition.
For our agency
* Proactively provide support to Managing Director with new business opportunities including industry and competitive research, utilizing IIS established methodology and support staff to develop business presentations and proposals. Participate in client meetings and new business development pitches.
* Identify, develop and update content for IIS internal and external communications.
Great benefits: annual bonus and health insurance.
Resume submission:
Please e-mail resume, cover letter and salary requirements to careers@iimaginestudio.com. Resumes received without salary requirements cannot be considered. No telephone calls please.
alena tsimis
managing director
....................................................................
www.iimaginestudio.com how you relate
FULL SERVICE MARKETING AGENCY
Rotary Building International
1560 Sherman Ave, Suite 306
Evanston, IL 60201
847-491-0308 - office
866-372-4390 - fax
NEWS!
http://iimaginestudio.com/news/december07/
_________________________________________
Lack of style points behind Motorola's fall from fashion
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sun_moto_0203feb03,0,3171039.story
Lack of style points behind Motorola's fall from fashion
Cell phone creator emphasized engineering over user tastes for too long, observers say
By Wailin Wong |TRIBUNE REPORTER
February 3, 2008
The latest promotion from Verizon Wireless, the country's leading carrier, features a rainbow of phones: a pearly pink BlackBerry, an orange LG handset with a full keyboard and a red Samsung camera phone whose display can swivel 180 degrees.
Where's Motorola?
For followers of the creator of the cellular phone, Motorola Inc.'s announcement last week that it may exit the mobile business was a brutal acknowledgment that the company has lost relevancy in the global handset game, marginalized by a series of missteps that some believe are insurmountable in its current state. Overseas competitors, drawing on their local experiences, exploited Motorola's torpor, manufacturing inefficiencies and lack of cutting-edge technology to gain global market share.
Motorola watchers say the company clung to its engineering background for too long, unable to respond to consumer tastes. This focus was less problematic in the earlier days of cell phone adoption, when a more utilitarian approach was sufficient for the basic task of making calls.
In contrast, European and Asian handsetmakers quickly realized that they would have to win over consumers, and that meant delivering on fashion.
"You could see companies like Nokia, and eventually Asian manufacturers like Samsung and LG, creating stylish phones for retail distribution," said William Markey, president of Chicago-based telecom consultancy RCBG, which was founded by several Motorola alumni.
Schaumburg-based Motorola scored a high-fashion hit with its thin Razr flip phone in 2004, which became the world's top-selling handset. The company's competitors took quick notice and churned out Razr clones, but they also recognized the importance of finding the next trend and getting it out fast.
Rivals "were able to figure out what [Motorola's] doing and get mass volumes to market quick," said Jim Suva, an analyst at Citigroup.
As competition between handsetmakers intensified, Motorola's rivals honed their strategies, and Motorola coasted on its Razr success.
Nokia focused on low-cost phones, betting on large volumes to gain share in developing markets. Niche players captured the high-end of the spectrum, with Research In Motion Ltd. finding success with its business-oriented BlackBerry smart phone and Apple Inc. blazing into the industry with the iPhone. This left Motorola aiming at the middle market, a increasingly challenging segment as wireless subscriber growth began to plateau.
"There used to be so much growth that there was room for many players," said Shawn Campbell of Campbell Asset Management, a longtime Motorola observer who shed the last of his shares last year. "Five years ago, that growth really started to slow. In order to sell to people who already have wireless service, you have to convince them to chuck the phone they already have. ... Motorola was relegated to the middle, and it's not a great place to be."
Scattershot approach
Analysts say the key to catering to this broad range is pumping a wide array of phones into the market, with the hopes of scoring several hits across many demographics. Samsung and LG, schooled in the fickle tendencies of Asian electronics consumers, did precisely that.
"They're trying to hit just everybody," said Tina Teng, an analyst at iSuppli.
And the South Korean companies were able to produce a variety of stylish phones in high quantities because of more efficient platforms, something Motorola lacked. Suva and other analysts note that Motorola uses more expensive chips than its competitors.
Moreover, in the case of Samsung, the company created a common basic infrastructure to use in many of its phones. This streamlined approach allows Samsung to "differentiate endlessly. ... To do so requires that you change little, yet create the appearance of change," Markey said.
The company was introducing several new phones a month, while Motorola, juggling several different software platforms and chip suppliers, was debuting only a handful of fresh handsets per quarter. Some of the devices were well-received: The Rokr E8, a touch-screen music phone, garnered accolades at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But as Teng pointed out, "one model is not enough."
Chip deal touted
Last month, Motorola said it has a new agreement with Qualcomm Inc. to get chips for third-generation technology, which enables the data-intensive multimedia features that are taking precedence over basic calling and texting. Chief Executive Greg Brown said securing the Qualcomm chips will help fix Motorola's glaring shortfall in 3G phones, an area where Samsung was an early leader.
For many analysts, the Qualcomm announcement was just another example of Motorola lagging too far behind the pack. And the cell phone unit's myriad troubles last year have served only to stir uncertainty and depress morale, rather than inspire Motorola's deep pool of designers and engineers to be more innovative.
"I don't think it's a design flaw. I don't think the people in the lab are idiots," said Greg Gorbatenko, a telecom analyst at Jackson Securities in Chicago. "I think creativity hasn't been incentivized; cost cutting has been incentivized. You can only cut so much before you start cutting into muscle."
__(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune.
_________________________________________
Israeli firm: Worldwide mobile telephone calls from aircraft – for US$ 1.60 per minute
From: a.imlau@profact.de [oliver.ullrich@de.cision.com]
To: Ronald May
Subject: Spam: Aerophone
Sent: Thu 2/7/2008 4:13 AM
Worldwide mobile telephone calls from aircraft – for US$ 1.60 per minute
Using the system developed by Aerophone from Israel, normal mobile telephones can be used just as normal – the installation and operation of the equipment is free of charge for airlines.
Tel Aviv, 07/02/2008 (profact) – The Israeli company Aerophone Ltd has developed a communication system, now ready for series production, with which mobile telephone calls can be made from aircraft – independent of GSM/CDMA ground stations. According to Henry Shabat, CEO of Aerophone, the system supports all wavebands and requires neither the prior written registration of the passengers nor a particular billing system. The call costs of US$ 1.60 US dollars (about 1 euro) per minute are invoiced via the normal mobile telephone bill.
The development has been made possible on one hand by the installation of so-called picocells (miniature GSM stations) in the aircraft and on the other hand by servers and transceivers for linking to telecommunication satellites and receiving stations for the Ku band. "The picocells in the immediate vicinity of the passengers automatically reduce the energy output of the logged-in mobile telephones to a minimum," explains Shabat, thereby referring to the latest studies which show that the electromagnetic radiation of mobile telephones below that of the threshold value realised with Aerophone has no negative effects on the aircraft electronic systems.
In small aircraft, the mobile telephone calls from the aircraft are transferred to the satellite system. They can thereby relay up to 24 calls simultaneously to terrestrial telephone networks via several receiving stations and gateways. In larger aircraft an additional transceiver for the Ku band (10.7 to 17.8 GHz) is installed, which then allows up to 96 calls simultaneously. Since the bandwidth for the connections is limited, Shabat says that presently only telephone calls and communication via short messages are realisable.
As opposed to in-flight telephone systems previously presented, installation and operation of the Aerophone systems is free of charge for the airlines. "In this way we want to achieve the greatest possible acceptance of our system," explains Shabat. "Thus there will soon be no more airlines where you can’t use your mobile telephone during the flight." Shabat - who was one of the developers of modern mobile telephony decades ago - hopes to recoup the development costs by sharing in the turnover of the telephone companies. "That means we have placed the entrepreneurial risk entirely on our side," explains the expert. "We're just totally and completely sure of our product."
Picture caption:
Henry Shabat, CEO Aerophone Ltd., Harry Rajczyk, Vice President International Business Relations and Head European Office Aerophone Ltd., Menachem Peeri, President and CTO Aerophone Ltd. (left to right).
Contact persons for the editorial staff:
Harry Rajczyk, Vice President International Business Relations and Head European Office Aerophone Ltd.
Mobile: 0163-5689060 (Germany) und 00972-544449872 (Israel)
E-mail: h.rajczyk@aerophone.biz
Henry Shabat, President & CEO Aerophone Ltd.
Tel: +972-54-5661100
E-mail: henry.s@aerophone.biz
______________________________________________
END OF REPORT |