Alan Brenner

Everyone wants to know when cell phones will become as useful as personal computers, capable of serving as both your credit card and your home's keys. It's coming sooner than later, as we're obliged to tell you, but don't take our word for it - look at how technology standards have affected industries across history. When Korea Telecom Freetel (KTF), Korea's second largest wireless carrier, joined the ranks of mobile Java licensees this week, it signified the milestone of every major Korean wireless carrier licensing the technology from Sun Microsystems. This is hardly isolated; virtually every major carrier in east Asia and Europe use Java, which represents the two most advanced wireless regions in the world. In all, nearly 100 wireless carriers across the globe, including four of the five largest wireless carriers in the United States, deploy mobile Java generatin... (more)