Josh Bancroft wants to talk about Intel. "I want to start some conversation. I'm not officially authorized to speak for Intel on any matter...but there are a ton of things that I can talk about. I'm just a guy, a blogger, who works at a very large company that makes the most complex things ever made by humans. It's a fascinating place, and I know there are lots of you that would like to know more about Intel. Or maybe you have something you'd like to vent. Or perhaps you just want to say how much you love something Intel has done (wouldn't that be nice?)."
OK, I'll pitch in with a comment and then a question, which both actually kind of go together. You'll see.
First the comment:
When I think back over the last six years and try to pick the one hardware change that's influenced me the most, it would have to be WiFi. WiFi has allowed me to be more mobile. It's enabled me to easily hook up more computers at home and work. Fewer cables. Less hassle. And it's enabled me to hook up to other people's networks more easily than before.
Actually, things got a lot simpler about the time Centrino came out--which I'd add was the biggest boost to the notebook industry over the last ten years or so. In fact, I think the Centrino saved the Tablet PC. How? Centrino lowered the cost and barriers to creating great mobile PCs. Without it, the mobility features would have stayed too high, I imagine.
But in the PC world, things that take awhile change fast--WiFi was one of them. Wide-area, wireless broadband is another. About a year ago I finally decided to take the plunge with EVDO--even though it was still a bit pricey. It's just that I've been to too many conferences where the WiFi network was flooded and I couldn't get on. Or the conference/hotel had some special WiFi service that I had to pay some ridiculous price for. So I decided to put things more under my own control and get EVDO. It works great--especially when I'm travelling. I can check the news or email in a taxi. I can get access to the Internet at a conference when others can't. I can use it as a backup connection if my home cable goes down. (In fact, if it were only a little faster I wouldn't mind using it as my primary Internet connection.)
All of this is partially why I'm excited about Intel's movement into WiMAX.
Now here's the question:
For some of us that would like to be early adopters of WiMAX, what's the best way to do so? Is this going to depend most on the local carriers and their plans? Or will Intel be putting together its own test markets in the US that some of us could join in on? Maybe I'm a little early on this and need to continue chomping at the bit until 2008 (Rosedale 2). I hope not. Any news for us that want WiMAX sooner rather than later?


Incremental Blogger