Exciting telecom things are going to happen in a few short years. I assume we’ve all seen the tri-honed Moto ROKR; a great idea (RIAA lawsuit worthy actually) to combine downloaded music and the mobile phone. But let’s take it one step further.
The home phone as we know it will be replaced by mobile phones that take advantage of existing Cellular/WiFi/VoIP technologies. This combined with a full feature set on the phone will allow us download and play unlimited music, podcasts, and games, read and write blogs, surf, make free calls anywhere in the world. It’s all right around the corner. How can I assume all this? I’ll explain.
When internet based phone company Vonage started their new marketing campaign, it got me thinking. I thought about how cool it would be to have their service and be able to use my home phone for free North American calls, etc. Then I wondered if there would be some way to use my mobile phone (a.k.a meine handi) on some sort of wireless VoIP network while I was at home and have it automatically switch back to GSM when I left the house. Wait a second… that’s a great idea! A mobile phone that lets you make free calls and data downloads while you are at home via WiFi (or similar) connected to VoIP network but then switches back to GSM and 3G networks while you travel. All you need is a phone capable of that switch and a home VoIP router that let’s you use wireless transmission. Brilliant.
August 1
A few searches in US Patent Office search engine and I find that people are on the same page as me but not where I’m at. I decided to work out the details and file an for a patent when I’m done. I get busy in life as people do. The band is playing shows, I’m constantly interviewing for new jobs, the girlfriend and I take a trip to CO and then break up, etc.
September 15 or about that time
I awake from the hell that is August (yes it took me 15 days to get over August… really). I remember my idea. I quickly work out some details and decide it’s time. I do another patent application search and come across this:

“Integrated Cellular Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) systems (“ICV systems”) are described that redirect or reroute wireless network voice and data traffic to roaming subscribers via VoIP networks. The ICV system monitors roaming links of a first communication system. The first communication system may include a home network and a visited network. The ICV system detects a mobile device registering with the visited network. The ICV system receives location information corresponding to a location of the mobile device and selects a routing number corresponding to the location. The ICV system uses the selected routing number to transfer calls received at the home network to the mobile device via a second communication system. “

full application here
Just 25 days after I had this idea, someone applied for the patent on it. Félicitations Yue Jun Jiang of Danville, CA, (y)our idea will make you millions. Is it possible that he and I saw the same commercial and had the same idea at the same time? Not likely. What’s more likely it’s the logical systematic enginuity of the consumer race. Give them a phone with iTunes and they’ll want a thinner phone capable of playing a playing a movie. Why is it competing companies always come up with similar items around the same time? Why is my… err Yue Jun’s idea the next step in consumer telecom? Because it’s what the consumer will dictate and it’s the next logical step in the process.

Shaun’s a fellow Okie, fellow geek, and fellow graduate of Putnam City North High School–as well as a good friend of Miss Julie Porter. As a frequent reader of Nonfamous.com, he wrote me recently to bemoan the infrequency of postings in our tech/sci category. So please give him a warm welcome as our newest Nonfamous Nonstranger.

In the realm of “He who has the most toys wins” Apple has the market. The Just One More Thing announcement comes at a time when the only prevelent portable video devices are removable disk based (that’s so 2001) leaving many to speculate that Jobs team has come up with something much more clever and much more profitable. The vPod (I’m calling it that because it’s way obvious) will open the doors to video podcasting and make Adam Curry the smartest/richest MTV VJ ever. Not to mention what it’ll do to commercial and adult video industry. I can see it now, that new Richard Greico movie going straight to podcast. I guess we’ll have to see on October 12.

Anyone care to speculate on the name?

All’s well here in London! David has been working away at his conference but had last night free… we went for a great pub meal and stopped off for a drink in Earl’s Court, not too far from our hotel in Kensington. I have been doing tourist things, managing the tube, and just generally enjoying my brief unemployment. It’s so nice to read “No Messages” on my BlackBerry! [That said, if you send me Gmail with BB in the subject line it forwards on, kind of a nice trick.]

Honestly, I haven’t gotten up to much more than some shopping and a visit to the V&A… which had some lovely things but was undergoing massive renovations and frankly seems to lack a clear focus. But as it is free, one can’t really complain. We’re headed to Kent for the weekend to stay with Woody and Sara and some other of David’s friends I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting. David has a meeting in Oxford Monday, so I’ll accompany him and see what I missed out on when I didn’t get the Rhodes. Et in arcadia ego, at least for a day.

My trip to Oklahoma City last week was just wonderful… it was great to see everyone and spend some time with family. I will definitely have to post some pics of Lyndi’s Jack Russell pup Jewel, who is exactly the same age as the boys. [Who are, incidentally, none too happy to be boarded--despite three walks a day, they cry whenever anyone comes near, hoping to be let out. A bit sad really!] And of course, I will have to post the photo of Julie, Lyndi and I all getting manis and pedis… it’s a Porter Sister classic.

Well, I need to dash– lots to do here. More later everyone!

By way of Kung Fu Monkey comes a retail opportunity everyone should enjoy!

Legal qualification? Scant. Loyalist hackery? Plenty!

Hello, this is Harriet Miers. I am Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House, and I am delighted to be here to answer your questions this Friday afternoon.

What follows, at the link above, is a display of Bush apologism that will make any thinking personl retch. Even some of the wingers are unhappy. To the mattresses, friends!