I very seldom recommend a conference to my friends and colleagues but a note about a special mobile conference came to my attention recently that I highly recommend to our industry readers.
One of the smartest guys I know covering the world of mobile is Chetan Sharma. I had a chance to speak at an event with him a few years ago and was highly impressed with his knowledge and perspective on all things mobile.
I recently received a promotional note from him about his Mobile Future Forward event, which will be held on Sept 10 in Seattle.
In his opening note to potential attendees, Chetan made a statement that pretty much sums up the future of mobile. He said:
” It is very clear to us that we are entering the “Connected Intelligence Era.” These two operative words are going to define the next phase of human evolution and is going to dramatically change every industry vertical from the ground up. Welcome to the Golden Age of Mobile.”
Chetan is right on the money with this perspective. Connected intelligence in mobile devices will be the next major force behind mobile innovation and it appears that the mobile industry sees this vision and is preparing to drive it in this direction. I recently called Mr. Sharma and asked for clarification on his vision and he told me that he believes that technology evolves in 50-year cycles. In the call he pointed out that this cycle can been seen when it comes to steam engines, electricity, cars etc as during those 50 years the core technology is established and innovative products are created while the underling technology becomes the backbone for even more innovation as the years go by. He says that the PC innovation started in the mid 1970’s and that we are approaching the 42nd year of that cycle. During that time PCs, tablets and smartphones have been created and the backbone technology has been laid to drive new innovation. He expects that the next big wave will come with connected intelligent devices using IP networks and new wireless technologies that will, in context, drive a whole new ranges of products and services. He also pointed out that “we could be entering a new space that takes advantage of the technology from the last cycle and drives great smart mobile applications and new innovations for the next 10 years.”
One other key point he made during our conversation is that while connectivity is one element, he says that:
” intelligence that emanates from the data that can be programmed is what is different now.” This gives new meaning to connectivity and “connectivity with intelligence will define the next wave of computing.”
According to Chetan Sharma, this next wave will in essence be “connecting the dots with intelligence.
His conference will focus on this idea of “connected intelligence” and with speakers like Ralph De La Vega, CEO of ATT Mobility, Rick Osterloh, SVP products, Motorola and Google, Steve Elfman, President of Sprint, Danny Brown, Chief Sales and operations officer, Samsung and Tom Nagel, SVP strategy for Comcast, this will be a high powered event that will help industry folks gain a much better grasp of the future of mobile connected intelligence and what it means for mobile market growth.
If you are following the mobile market and are highly interested in its future, I highly recommend you attending and learning from these key leaders that are at the forefont of our mobile future.