IP: Wireless Is Getting a Cool Reception in U.S.

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

t is well documented that in the wireless revolution, the United States has 
fallen behind Europe and parts of Asia. But while the United States is 
unaccustomed to being a technology laggard, a closer look at the new uses 
for wireless phones overseas indicates that Americans may not be missing much.

In South Korea, women can use their cell phones to calculate their 
ovulation cycles. In Britain, the user of a mobile phone can book 
restaurant reservations by laboriously linking to a Web site by typing on 
the phone's keypad (even though it would probably be faster to call the 
restaurant). And in Finland, arguably the most cell-phone-obsessed country 
in the world, consumers can use phones for such edge-of-the-envelope 
experiences as buying a soft drink from a vending machine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/29/technology/29WIRE.html?pagewanted=all



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