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that HP plans to have these videoconferencing suites for sale by 2005 at a cost of
roughly 250；000 each。 That is nothing compared to the airline tickets and wear and
tear on executives having to travel regularly to London or Tokyo for face…to…face
meetings。 Companies could easily make one of these suites pay for itself in a year。
This level of videoconferencing； once it proliferates； will make remote development；
outsourcing； and off…shoring that much easier and more efficient。
And now the icing on the cake； the iibersteroid that makes it all mobile： wireless。
Wireless is what will allow you take everything that has been digitized； made virtual
and personal； and do it from anywhere。
〃The natural state of communications is wireless；〃 argued Alan Cohen； the senior vice
president at Airespace。 It started with voice； because people wanted to be able to
make a phone call anytime； from anyplace； to anywhere。 That is why for many people
the cell phone is the most importantphone they own。 By the early twenty…first century；
people began to develop that same expectation and with it the desire for data
communication…the ability to access the Internet； e…mail； or any business files
anytime； anywhere； using a cell phone； PalmPilot； or some other personal device。 （And
now a third element is entering the picture； creating more demand for wireless
technology and enhancing the flattening of the earth： machines talking to machines
wirelessly； such as Wal…Mart's RFIDchips； little wireless devices that automatically
transmit information to suppliers' computers； allowing them to track inventory。）
In the early days of computing （Globalization 2。0）； you worked in the office。 There
was a big mainframe computer； and you literally had to walk over and get the people
running the mainframe to extract or input
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information for you。 It was like an oracle。 Then； thanks to the PC and the Internet；
e…mail； the laptop； the browser； and the client server； I could access from my own
screen all sorts of data and information being stored on the network。 In this era
you were delinked from the office and could work at home； at the beach house； or in
a hotel。 Now we are in Globalization 3。0； where； thanks to digitization；
miniaturization； virtualization； personalization； and wireless； I can be processing；
collecting； or transmitting voice or data from anywhere to anywhere…as an individual
or as a machine。
〃Your desk goes with you everywhere you are now；〃 said Cohen。 And the more people
have the ability to push and pull information from anywhere to anywhere faster； the
more barriers to competition and communication disappear。 All of a sudden； my business
has phenomenal distribution。 I don't care whether you are in Bangalore or Bangor；
I can get to you and you can get to me。 More and more； people now want and expect
wireless mobility to be there； just like electricity。 We are rapidly moving into the
age of the 〃mobile me；〃 said Padmasree Warrior； the chief technology officer of
Motorola。 If consumers are paying for any form of content； whether it is information；
entertainment； data； games； or stock quotes； they increasingly want to be able to
access it anytime； anywhere。
Right now consumers are caught in a maze of wireless technology offerings and
standards that are still not totally interoperable。 As we all know； some wireless
technology works in one neighborhood； state； or country and not in another。
The 〃mobile me〃 revolution will be complete when you can move seamlessly around the
town； the country； or the world with whatever device you want。 The technology is
getting there。 When this is fully diffused； the 〃mobile me〃 will have its full
flattening effect； by freeing people to truly be able to work and communicate from
anywhere to anywhere with anything。
I got a taste of what is coming by spending a morning at the Tokyo headquarters of
NTT DoCoMo； the Japanese cellular giant that is at the cutting edge of this process
and far ahead of America in offering total interoperability inside Japan。 DoCoMo is
an abbreviation for Do
Communications Over the Mobile Network； it also means 〃anywhere〃 in Japanese。 My day
at DoCoMo's headquarters started with a tour conducted by a robot； which bowed in
perfect Japanese fashion and then gave me a spin around DoCoMo's showroom； which now
features handheld video cell phones so you can see the person you are speaking with。
〃Young people are using our mobile phones today as two…way videophones；〃 explained
Tamon Mitsuishi； senior VP of the Ubiquitous Business Department at DoCoMo。 〃Everyone
takes out their phones； they start dialing each other and have visual conversations。
Of course there are some people who prefer not to see each other's faces。〃 Thanks
to DoCoMo technology； if you don't want to show your face you can substitute a cartoon
character for yourself and manipulate the keyboard so that it not only will speak
for you but also will get angry for you and get happy for you。 〃So this is a mobile
phone； and video camera； but it has also evolved to the extent that it has functions
similar to a PC；〃 he added。 〃You need to move your buttons quickly ＇with your thumb＇。
We call ourselves 'the thumb people。' Young girls in high school can now move their
thumbs faster than they can type on a PC。〃
By the way； I asked； what does the 〃Ubiquitous Department〃 do？
〃Now that we have seen the spread of the Internet around the world；〃 answered Mitsuishi；
〃what we believe we have to offer is the next step。 Internet communication until today
has been mostly between individuals…e…mail and other information。 But what we are
already starting to see is communication between individuals and machines and between
machines。 We are moving into that kind of phenomenon； because people want to lead
a richer lifestyle； and businesses want more efficient practices 。。。 So young people
in their business life use PCs in the offices； but in their private time they base
their lifestyles on a mobile phone。 There is now a growing movement to allow payment
by mobile phone。 ＇With＇ a smart card you will be able to make payments in virtual
shops and smart shops。 So next to the cash register there will be a reader of the
card； and you just scan your phone and it becomes your credit card too 。 。 。
〃We believe that the mobile phone will become the essential con…
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trailer of a person's life；〃 added Mitsuishi； oblivious of the double meaning of the
English word 〃control。〃 〃For example； in the medical field it will be your
authentication system and you can examine your medical records； and to make payments
you will have to hold a mobile phone。 You will not be able to lead a life without
a mobile phone； and it will control things at home too。 We believe that we need to
expand the range of machines that can be controlled by mobile phone。〃
There is plenty to worry about in this future； from kids being lured by online sexual
predators through their cell phones； to employees spending too much time playing
mindless phone games； to people using their phone cameras for all sorts of illicit
ac