uc-berkeley DMEC blog !

A blog for, by and of the Berkeley Digital Media & Entertainment Club
Previous Post: >play 2007 - images from the 3rd session   Next Post: Who goes there, Friend or Foe?

>play: XOHM will Tear down this walled garden

by Rags on October 27, 2007

Today at the >play conference, Mr. Rick Robinson of Sprint spoke about Xohm, Sprint’s WiMax effort. In answering to an audience question about walled gardens and the restricted access to mobile Internet, Mr. Robinson categorically said, “Xohm will teardown this wall. We will provide complete access to Internet from a WiMax enabled device”.
Sprint Nextel is clearly not afraid of being reduced to a bit-pipe (a reason most often attributed for the restricted Internet access from your phone). They are confident that a new content delivery model that is Ad supported, will let them earn from the Ad delivery and distribution.

It will be interesting how Nokia and Google’s Ad delivery to mobile will play into this. Google has the most effective Ad distribution system for Internet and will leverage it for mobile Internet. Nokia is taking all the steps necessary for Mobile Ad delivery and it is doing it mostly through acquisitions. Nokia’s new initiative “mosh” (short for Mobilize Sharing) was at display at the CTIA. When I talked to Nokia representative driving mosh at the CTIA, he said they have figured out a business model that delivers free content to the phones and supported by Ads. This Ad delivery is done using Enpocket’s framework. So what will Sprint’s Ad framework be?

As a side note, the way Mr.Robinson said it reminded me of President Reagan’s, “Mr.Gorbachev tear down this wall”.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Posted in >play and Digital Media .


8 comments

8 Replies

  1. this sounds cool. and i’d guess they are looking to be a smart bit-pipe.

  2. I’m glad to see Sprint in the forefront of tomorrow’s technology. WiMax will reshape the landscape of many industries and it will all be riding on Sprints infrastructure. Brilliant!

    In a related note, Zipityzap is a new internet television subscription portal under development. It will change the landscape of the television industry by allowing content providers to reach consumers directly. Goodbye Comcast, Dish Network, etc.

    The technology is available today. We are currently seeking investors:
    http://zipityzap.com/OCT252007.htm

  3. DIGITAL MEDIA AND LEARNING COMPETITION 2008

    Digital Media and Learning Competition 2008

    Focus: Participatory Learning
    Application Deadline: October 15, 2008
    Full information at: http://www.dmlcompetition.net

    Application Deadline: October 15, 2008

    The second HASTAC/MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition is now open! The focus is participatory learning.

    Awards will be made in two categories:

    Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards support large-scale digital learning projects
    $30,000-$250,000

    Young Innovator Awards are targeted at 18-25 year olds
    $5,000-$30,000

    Full information at: http://www.dmlcompetition.net


Leave a Reply