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To: "Rob Shavell" <rob@mobiusvc.com>, <fork@spamassassin.taint.org>
From: Mike Masnick <mike@techdirt.com>
Subject: Re: sprint delivers the next big thing??
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Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 00:26:33 -0700

At 11:43 PM 8/18/02 -0700, Rob Shavell wrote:
>sprint, if you haven't seen the marketing yet, is 1st to US market w/postwap
>mobile data svc.

Small nitpick:  Sprint PCS wasn't really first to market with their high 
speed data service.  Some would say they were actually last to market.  The 
only thing that was first about this is what they're calling "nationwide 
coverage", and you could even (and perhaps should) argue with that.

>   to me, there is nada more interesting and impactful going
>down in the tech world than mobile visual communications.. and yet no one
>seems to give much of a damn that right now that 2 persons can take photos
>and share them instantly across space.  this is one of the biggest - and
>last - fundamental changes in human communications.  will be as big as the
>browser.

Can you clarify why you think this is so?

I'm in the midst of an ongoing argument with a guy who works for me about 
this very subject.  He, like you, thinks that things like MMS are going to 
change the world.  I am not convinced.

What exactly about sending pictures to each other is going to have such a 
huge impact?  I'm waiting to be convinced.  I just don't see how it changes 
human communication in any really amazing way - and no one who believes it 
has yet done a good job explaining it to me.  I can understand SMS taking 
off, since communicating short text messages can be very useful in many 
situations.  However, I just don't see what's the compelling reason for 
sending pictures around to each other on a regular basis.  Are there 
instances when it makes sense?  Sure, I can think of plenty where it's a 
nice to have, but very few where it would be a "man, I need this" type of 
feature.

I mean, right now, at my desk, it's easy for me to text message with lots 
of people, and I do all the time.  If I wanted to, I could also very easily 
snap a picture and send it to them, but I don't.  I did once, after I got a 
really bad haircut, and a friend wanted to see how it looked - but that's a 
fairly limited use.  Obviously, that's just one case, and maybe I'm just 
too old (argh!) to really "get" this new photo taking and sharing stuff, 
but I'm really trying to understand.

So, I'm not saying it won't be a "fundamental change in human 
communications", but I'd just like to know why you think it will be?

Mike


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