CTIA - Not so Big, but not so small - a solid show

Yes, I should have posted this immediately, but I am busy working on building a business and actually working on BOCA accounts. As the founder, I have to practice what I preach - we are hands on and I am involved with all of our clients.

That said, I had a great time and CTIA and I am so happy I attended. I almost did not attend, but when I saw flights for $49 each way - the "gods" above were telling me to head down South.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Partially I enjoy the networking. But, more so I really like to touch and feel the technology. There was a super cool company by the name of InTouch Health. The company provides real-time video stream from a doctor's office to say an ambulance or another hospital. Very interesteting from a consumer perspective. There was also an interesting company deCarta that is all about LBS. Which - LBS is the coolest technology ever and the wave of the future.

That said - I have to sign off and get back to work - big Devicescape - Easy WiFi launch and loving it.

Free Wi-Fi: The Wave of the Future

Recently I attended CTIA. When I arrived at the airport, there was a huge sign that said Free WiFi from San.Org. Based on the Q2 Devicescape WiFi Report, more than 50 percent of people will "only" use free WiFi.

As a business owner on the road (up and down the 101), I am a huge advocate of WiFi. While I own a 3g card in hopes of staying connected - the reality is that I can't stand 3G. It is just slow.

WiFi guarantees speed. And, when one is working with fast paced, technology companies - speed is key.

Bring on municipal WiFi. Free your WiFi. I personally don't lock my personal WiFi in my home.

Kathleen S.

Devicescape: Thank you for Easy Wi-Fi

The BOCA and Devicescape Teams have tremendous history.

Before Devicescape, I personally used to work with Dave Fraser, Devicescape’s CEO, at Wind River. Wind River, now Intel, was the publicly traded 800 pound gorilla within its space—the embedded systems space.

Embedded systems or device software touches people every day. Device software is everything from consumer gadgets to military or aerospace electronics. From gaming consoles to airbags, there is software everywhere. And, I love it. My dirty secret – I have a thing for device software and semiconductors. (Note: BOCA has other experience. This is just my little passion).

At Wind River we talked about the “connected world.” Years back we discussed the fact that people would be downloading or uploading and connecting to data, to services, to content.

Devicescape has kept that vision in its site. We don’t talk about it as much as we used to – but we all know that every move we make needs to help making the world connected.

In step Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is everywhere. From cafes, to libraries, to homes and offices—we all love Wi-Fi and want Wi-Fi. Devicescape has harnessed that wildly fragmented technology and wants manufacturers to embrace it, embed it, download it and give it to their customers: the consumer.

Today Devicescape announced its latest Easy Wi-Fi connectivity solution and a new Easy Wi-Fi Network. Device manufacturers can literally ship their gadgets with Wi-Fi, but more importantly the ability to find Wi-Fi and connect to Wi-Fi. What does that mean…me the consumer can upload, download and stream?

Beyond the gadgets, I am tethered to my computer all the time. I drive up and down the 101 to visit clients. I need Wi-Fi. The Easy Wi-Fi Network will improve my life. I know we are just at the beginning – but this will be a great ride.
Kudos for helping us move to a connected world. And, thank you!

Venture Beat
Devicescape launches network to get gadgets online, wherever you roam

http://venturebeat.com/2009/10/06/devicescape-launches-latest-version-of-its-global-wi-fi-hotspot-network/

“The Easy Wi-Fi Network provides device manufacturers with a solution. Devicescape makes it easy to find and connect to Wi-Fi hot spots, and it offers lifetime Wi-Fi access plans that can be shipped with the products themselves. The solution could be bundled with devices such as netbooks (which are smaller than laptops), media players, phones, digital cameras, and eBook readers, said Dave Fraser, chief executive of Devicescape.”

Wi-Fi Net News
Devicescape Adds Seamless Wi-Fi Access Service, Mapping

http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2009/10/devicescape_adds_seamless_wi-fi_access_service_mapping.html

“The firm's CEO, Dave Fraser, said, "It's obvious that there's a big attraction for putting Wi-Fi into devices, whether it's netbooks, new types of consumer electronics, like media players or ebook readers," and so on. But device makers have a challenge.”

“Fraser said companies could "ship the device with service included, which is theoretically a great experience for the consumer, because it just works," but that's "very expensive for them." Nintendo, Kodak, and a few camera makers all included free access for a limited time to hotspot networks (Nintendo partnered with Wayport in the U.S.; Kodak and others with T-Mobile).”

Converge
Devicescape Aggregates Global, Free Wi-Fi Network
http://www.convergedigest.com/WiFi/wlanarticle.asp?ID=28648

“The Easy Wi-Fi Network provides an easy-to-use hotspot location finder, enabling users to quickly find the nearest free Wi-Fi access point. The addition of a seamless Wi-Fi access service and a mapping enables device manufacturers to ship products with lifetime worldwide hotspot access.”

“The company said this paves the way for a new range of devices -- such as e-book readers or wireless-enabled digital cameras, to gain Internet backhaul capability without the device manufacturer needing to negotiate a mobile data access deal with a service providers. Devicescape aggregates data on a worldwide network of hotspots into its client, which is licensed to the device manufacturer.”

Twitter - TweetUp - Facebook - Social Media

Many people ask about social media expertise or what is social media or how do I use social media.

Social media or social media outlets are new vehicles of how to get your message out. They are extensions of what was before...

Facebook - while yes we use it for personal. Business can use it as a customer service or marketing medium.

Twitter - while it is fun to track people, Comcast has someone monitoring Twitter near real-time.

The key difference is output. When one pitched a weekly magazine - there was time. Now, we pitch daily bloggers that are under tremendous pressure to produce content. It is much the same with Facebook, Twitter or even a blog. I personally don't blog every day. If I had more time I would, but I need to deliver high quality work for my clients. It is critical that I work for my clients b/c that is why they hire the BOCA team.

That said, I do get a bit exhausted from all the technology and social media outlets - but it is part of our life and it is here to stay.

So - let's go TweetUp...

CTIA - Very Excited

Maybe b/c I am a mobile enthusiast - maybe b/c we have a client announcing some cool news or maybe b/c I look forward to learning about new technologies and companies, but the net/net is that I am very much looking forward to CTIA.

CTIA is a great show with all sorts of mobile CE to how the health care industry is building wi-fi enabled applications. I've also worked in this sector for some time - so while many people consider tradeshows a bother, I consider it a joy.

I look forward to seeing you at CTIA.

Lessons Learned - New Biz Pitch Gone Wrong

Every agency at some point walks out of a pitch and thinks wow...that was really bad. And, I am sure the prospect things...wow - they are horrible. I know that BOCA is a fantastic agency. And, I know our clients think we are smart, savvy, sophisticated and results oriented. We get their business and we get their culture.

But, sometimes people/business/etc. fall on their faces. BOCA did that the other week. I worked so hard on a pitch. But, the word in that sentence is "I." I worked on the pitch in a silo. I didn't bring the team in; we didn't collaborate and we didn't practice. Moreover, during the meeting, I didn't listen or pay attention to signals.

I felt bad walking out of the pitch. But, then I reflected and I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Rather than drowning in self pity or feeling sorry for the company (which I did for a few days) it is about how do we get better, smarter and more organized.

So, that said, I will learn from my mistakes. The team will learn from their mistakes. We will collaborate, we will listen and pay attention to signals and we will grow.

We are a boutique. And, while we are all senior - there are growing pains with every company - big or small.

We learned our lesson and will grow from our pain.

Kathleen

Site Update/New Biz Update/My New Flip Camera

I do love the look and feel of the BOCA site. But, since we launched it about a year and a half ago - we haven't done ourselves justice. We receive such great coverage for our clients and have very good case studies. But, we have not profiled it the way it should be.

That said - I recently engaged with a graphics guy to create some visually compelling clips to showcase our clients in the news. I am so excited to have that. I will state I am shocked I didn't have it upon launch - my bad.

I am also obsessed with updating our new biz presentations. The look and feel is getting better, but I want audio and video. Therefore, I bought a Flip camera. We just did our first customer testimonial and it turned out very nice. I figure who better to tell the story than our client. My goal is to embed the clip in our PPT and then showcase the results. It hasn't happened yet...but it will.

I am having fun with my Flip camera. All this stuff...so much technology - one must try to stay on top of it.

The new content should be up in a week or two...so look out.