SXSW In The Rear View Mirror – CTIA Is Fast Approaching!

South by Southwest has come and gone, with lots of good memories and new contacts made.’a0 But as with all good things, they come to and end and it’s time to look to what’s next.

CTIA LogoThis coming week in Las Vegas, NV, the CTIA mobile conference will get underway.’a0 This is the largest mobile phone conference in the United States and is much like Mobile World Congress, just on a smaller scale.

So, what is coming up as the conference begins next weeks?’a0 I have a few ideas that will represent some significance in the mobile market.

Verizon Wireless Launches Skype Handsets

Back in February, Skype and Verizon Wireless announced the coming availability of Skype features on smart phones.’a0 This great piece of news means Verizon customers in the United States can make voice calls, conduct instant messaging, and see availability of their Skype contacts, all on their mobile phone.

It’s my prediction that the phones are actually launched with updated firmware, with appropriate updates being made over the air to updates on the announced phones, including Android and BlackBerry models.’a0 So hopefully by this time next week, VZW customers will be making Skype calls to contacts worldwide.

Nexus One Comes to Sprint

Sprint announced today via Twitter and a few articles here and there that the Nexus One phone from Google will soon be on the CMDA based network.

This is a smart move by Google, as getting this phone on another Android phone, especially the exciting Nexus One onto a third mobile network (the phone was launched for AT&T 2 days ago).’a0 Getting Google mobile services in the hands of more people will advance the platform any more.

Sprint said today they wouldn’t announce dates or specifics, but I would bet that by the time CTIA comes to a close, we have a firm date and pricing for the Nexus one on the Sprint Network

Windows 7 Mobile Goes Big

Windows 7 Mobile has been making a few ripples in the blogosphere this week.’a0 In fact, there has been news that the phone won’t support copy and paste or multitasking for that matter.’a0 I don’t really think this rumor is true…Microsoft would be stupid to not learn from the iPhone’s lack of these features at launch.

I’m hoping CTIA will give us some clear insights into Windows 7 Mobile.’a0 We have seen screenshots that show a very Zune-like UI that is a welcome change.’a0 Also, as a developer, I’m excited that Windows 7 Mobile will run Silverlight on the mobile platform.

As they say, time will tell!

What are you hoping to see at CTIA?’a0 Lets discuss below.

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