OMG. U R Low on LNG.
The first wireless device to be certified under Verizon’s Open Development Initiative (ODI) has been unveiled. As you will recall, Verizon surprised the world in the Fall when it said it would open its network to any (certified) device. Speculation had been rampant about the new handhelds and other consumer devices that would emerge to take advantage of Verizon’s and other open networks. Well, the first devices are appearing to be far less consumer-focused than all that speculation led us to believe.
The first certified device is a wireless modem that connects to a sensor in storage containers and sends a message when the tanks run low. At least with Verizon’s open network, it appears the consumer market is less of a driver of device development than the business benefits of the pervasive Internet that has been more vision than reality over the past decade. According to the article, most of the devices that Verizon is reviewing as part of the ODI are of this machine-to-machine (M2M) variety. Verizon has only had “‘a couple of conversations’ with some companies that are developing consumer cell phones.”
