Sky Dayton got dressed down for not dressing up. The founder of EarthLink, who launched a new company named Boingo Wireless, took the stage at the CTIA in a black V-neck sweater and khakis, the official uniform of the dot-com set. The only problem was this was a telephone convention, a collection of old-world business executives who feel naked without a suit and tie. "You're kind of the laid-back, Southern California surfer type, aren't you?" asked CTIA president Tom Wheeler. Rushing to Dayton's defense was VoiceStream Wireless president John Stanton, who joined Wheeler and Dayton on stage. He, too, wasn't wearing a tie, but he did have on a suit jacket. "I don't have to raise money anymore; that's why I don't wear a tie," Stanton said. The day the demo died
For a few minutes on Tuesday, the thousands of industry executives got a taste of what it's like to be a cellular customer. Around 10 am, just as the second day of the CTIA show was getting started, dozens of wireless demonstrations stopped working. The reason? The 1 million-square-foot convention center was so choked with wireless traffic that nothing got through. Ballooning for relief
More than 1,000 exhibitors were showing such products as wireless email alerts for golf tee times and a laptop that uses facial recognition software to find out who is tapping on its keys. Then there was Space Data, an Arizona company that thinks weather balloons will help fill in the cellular dead zones that plague most carriers. The company has a deal with the National Weather Service to add equipment -- called transponders -- to weather balloons that soar about 100,000 feet in the air. The transponders can be used by carriers to augment coverage areas, especially in rural zones, the company believes.
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