Why are American corporations mostly dumb when it comes to adapting to globalization? Sure, they have figured out how to squeeze one more shoe out of a Pakastani kid during an ten hour day but damn if they can see the road ahead.
In Japan there are a lot of people who don't use a computer to email and browse the web. They use a version of cell phone called i-Mode. These little devices are far superior to anything we have here in the US and an entire Japanese sub-culture has grown around the daily use of these wonderful convergence machines.
Using an i-Mode phone, people can bank, instant message, email, shop, play multiplayer games, trade web images, and call someone. The new FOMA protocal (being introduced in Japan now) is capable of 384 kbs download speeds, that's the equivilent of a DSL or Cable modem. This is as close to Dick Tracy and Buck Rodgers as human civilization has, so-far, seen.
Each of these FOMA phones also features a video camera that lets users do true video conferencing. I saw this demonstrated (via video) at SXSW and it was incredible.
So back to the clueless Fortune 500. Remember those annoying 'mlife', AT&T commercials during the Superbowl? That was corporate America doing some suppa-star branding action for their i-Mode like service to be called m-Mode. Wow!
Now here's where it really gets dumb. Instead of taking the success of i-Mode and pushing that, our m-Mode will let us email and instant message people. Holy Cow! Email on a phone? That's crazy sci-fi talk! Once again corporate America has us believing we are unadaptable to ideas not originated here in the homeland. Has anyone at 'mlife' heard of Nintendo, Sony, Sega? Pokemon, Ghost in the Shell, Pizzicato Five, Godzilla?
We, the consumer, love things Japan and that will include the culture of i-Mode.
So fine, don't give us games, cartoons, or anything fun (well except for the ability to find movie show times -- rad dude!). No, we get one more stinking version of AOL ported to another device. Hey Steve Case, where's AOL for my Maytag? I would like to instant message from my fridge, to my wife using Tivo, to see what kind of drink she wants.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
I first read about iMode over a year ago, and I completely agree with your point on the short-sightedness of Corporate America when it comes to adoption of technology. Corporate America is unwilling to grasp technologies like this because it means SPENDING MONEY to build the infrastructure to support them. SPENDING MONEY on infrastructure and the like means LESS MONEY in the pockets of the muckety-mucks who make the decisions RIGHT NOW. Nevermind that down the road, those pockets could be overflowing.
I can tell here that Greg is just jealous of the processors implanted in my brain and my titanium left arm, featuring a dremel tool for my pinky. Yes, I am a cyborg. Yes, my friends "...we have the technology!" Oh, will we never be satisfied until our mobile technology IS us? Good writing, by the way, Greg. (I thought you were an artist, when did you get your writing chops?) And if you get an i-mode then I'm getting one.
Reporting from midtown Manhattan,
Mitch
I got my writing chops from a fortune cookie.
Doesn't FOMA mean "a pack of lies"? At least, according to Vonnegut. Interesting...
hey, slow down with all those wacky ideas little mister. corporate america would much rather sell you 8 different devices than one super phone/camera/pda/computer/email/popcorn maker thingy.
unrelated but similar - i am amazed at the difference in price between an audio cd player, a dvd player, data cd drive, etc. Are they all not just a laser reading a disc? is the hardware that different?
Griff, I hadn't thought of that. I suspect we are victims of the same government conspiracy that kept Velcro a 'top-secret' all those years.
Truth is, Corporate America is the genius here. We complain about having to buy a DVD player, a CD player, a cel phone, etc. Oh, but wait a second...we just bought a DVD player, a CD player, a cel phone, and everything else they're selling. Now who's the chump?
Well yeah, we have to keep buying the cool stuff, otherwise we'd be Amish.
i would suck at being Amish.
I hate having to buy a CD player, a DVD player, and underwear and deoderant. I wish they were all the same device.
Showing true geekness -- Mitch, you're talking about the Pike Chair from of Star Trek. Duh! You don't have one yet?