Peak Oil & Green_Comments From The Floor

CLARCOR Inc. (CLC)

Important Year For Telecom Sector?

Perhaps this year will be the year that we finally see some meaningful advancements and consumer value in the cell phone market. One of my committee members in the local American Society For Quality lamented: "Every time I go back home to India, I hide my phone. Everyone has these fantastic phones that can do so much. When they ask to see my phone, I tell them that I left it in the United States."

Tomorrow begins the annual CTIA Wireless 2008 with pre-conferences starting today in Las Vegas.

My opinion is that the iPhone will overtake the Blackberry as the phone of choice. The reason is due to Apple's new emphasis on business productivity and security as well as on open software development. However, the CTIA show brings other vendors products into the mix:

• Nokia's N95
  
• AT&T's full length TV content
• Samsung's ???
• LG's ???
  
• Sony Ericsson's Experia X1
  

Blackberry will continue to dominate this year I suspect but the iPhone will be hot on its heels very soon. Plus, since the iPhone has a very good working internet browser (Safari), I suspect we'll see some interesting web apps utilizing the internet as one of the first head turners for the phone.

The one thing that I totally disagree on is:

U.S. Mobile Market is Global Leader
U.S. consumers are paying less, using wireless more, and have more choices than any others in the world.

Based upon what my committee member said above, based on that when I went to Guatemala, cell phone usage was everywhere including being used by the smallest of children, cell towers everywhere and numerous. Based upon the fact that phones and phone service can be afforded by the poor in many cases. I don't know where this headline has any legs to stand on?

Also, are the consumers truly paying less or getting services they should have gotten before, finally at no additional cost? I agree we are using wireless more. I got rid of my home phone years ago because it made sense. More choices? If you count old phones which is where the discounted prices go towards as more choices...maybe that can be seen as true.

I believe it is that telecommunication industry as a whole in the United States aims to milk money out of the American public for all it can at each opportunity by stretching out the time it takes to bring us better service, more features, more value.


Nearly 2 billion people in the world do not have access to financial services but cell phones are about to change that.


BrokerIPTV and Brad Blumberg of Smarter Agent, smarteragent.com, at NAR Convention talking about LBS and GPS mobile real estate services using cell phones and delivering IDX listings using location based services.


Reducing Termination Fees..A Friendly Gesture?

Will Awards Translate To Broader Improvement?

Tonight is the culmination in the tabulation of dossiers of the most nominated candidates in the 4th Annual Executive Leadership Awards.

These awards will recognize executives who in the past year best exemplify:

OVERALL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Demonstrated by financial results, shareholder value, management, innovation, corporate governance, business practices, and accountability -- as well as intangible factors, such as integrity and vision.

LEADER IN INNOVATION
Exemplified by advances in technology, business practices, management, production, and/or operations, as well as R&D expense as a percentage of sales.

ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCE
Leveraged calculated risks as a means to rewards, reflecting his/her entrepreneurial spirit.

GREEN LEADERSHIP
Employed innovative solutions that benefit customers and society at large and are vital to success in our changing world,. This is about creating solutions that are economically advantageous, as well as ecologically sound.

What would be of interest to me, is will we as a people look at the recipients, take note and follow the leaders? Or will we as a people just continue the status quo? What does it take for a new revolution of these award categories en-mass?

Obviously, even though these awards recognize the best, if more leaders were to be equally recognized, perhaps it would spur an increased consciousness. In return, that consciousness could relate in mass improvements across all sectors which would relate in many good things for business, customers, and investors.

Supposedly 1,000 CEOs were are asked to name two executives from companies other than their own, in these award categories. I wonder how many CEOs or their designees responded? I can't imagine nominations came from competitors but rather primarily from partnerships with companies they do business with.

It is being suggested that two of the awards will go to the CEOs of Apple and Toyota. If CNBC provides the videos of the awards, we may be able to link to them here this week.