The Wireless Wizard: January 2008

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Scott Goldman - Videos

During my career I have been interviewed hundreds of times on TV, radio, webcasts and in print. Below are some videos of various media interviews with major networks and news organizations.

Scott Goldman - CNBC eBusiness - Future cell phone services

Scott Goldman - WAP Forum Interview (What your cell phone will be capable of in the near future)

Scott Goldman - NBC News Interview:

Scott Goldman - Fox News Interview:

Scott Goldman - Discussing Location Based Services

Scott Goldman - CNN eBiz Asia - Defending the WAP standard

Scott Goldman - The Wireless Wizard

Hi - I'm Scott Goldman. My Friends Call Me "The Wireless Wizard."

For years I've been conceptualizing, launching, building, operating, licensing and, in several cases, selling wireless businesses around the world. During my time in the wireless industry I've traveled to more than 20 countries to help governments and my clients, written books, magazine articles, blog posts, introductions to other people's books, given speeches, been interviewed more than 500 times (no, that's not a typo) in print, radio, TV, live webcasts and much more.

What I like to do most of all (besides cycling) is extract the productive power for myself and others from the device that seems to be in every pocket or purse, the ubiquitous cell phone. I'm not a hacker, "modder" or code warrior - instead, I like to take a cell phone as it comes out of the box and tweak it, customize it and empower it to make my life easier.

After answering countless questions about cell phones, wireless email, Internet access and everything else "tech" that didn't have wires my friends starting calling me The Wireless Wizard.

I'm the guy that people turn to and ask, "Hey, how do you do..." with their phone, Blackberry, Bluetooth device, etc. And, almost without fail, I answer those questions.

Now my intention is to answer yours. Free of charge, anytime, about any issues regarding wireless. Why? Because I believe that most people don't get a fraction of the productivity, feature use and just plain fun out of their mobile devices.

Author, Consultant, Speaker, Entrepreneur,Trainer and "Wireless Wizard"

I've been called an author, consultant, speaker, trainer and certifiable Macintosh and wireless wizard. It's been said that you do best at the things you love - but I don't love technology... I love what technology can DO for people.

Ever since I was a little kid I've been hiding wires - tucking them underneath carpets, pushing them under baseboards and generally trying to eliminate them from my life. No offense meant to the wire manufacturers of the world, but wires stink. They are restrictive, binding and limiting. My 25-year career has been dedicated to helping people improve their lives and their businesses by un-wiring themselves. In short, I want everyone to GO WIRELESS (NOTE: I just sold the domain name "GoWireless.com" for a pretty substantial amount of money. While I can't use that domain name any longer, I still want people to "go wireless.")

When I finished school (SUNY Cortland, in lovely, but freezing upstate NY) I decided that I wanted to be a radio disk jockey. I struggled to get into the very tight "personality" market for a while and became frustrated at the lack of opportunities. So, I figured that getting in through a back door would be the right approach.

During an interview with what I thought was an FM music station, the sales manager demonstrated a device that beeped when its phone number was called. I was hooked on wireless right then and there.

Thanks for spending the time to look around.

Scott Goldman
aka The Wireless Wizard

Scott Goldman - Speaker

During my career in high technology I've spoken at virtually every major industry conference - and a lot of minor ones - at least once.

Many times, I was the keynote speaker, others, a member of a panel. My talks and speeches allowed me to take on the role of evangelist for worldwide standards, spokesperson for a completely new technology (more than once) and to promote the books, consulting services, research capabilities and other aspects of the companies that I owned or partnered in.

At last count I had given speeches in more than 20 countries... there were more, I'm sure, but I just stopped counting after that.

Here are just a few of the more important ones (I stopped speaking at these events after 2001 to reduce my travel - after 2,000,000 miles flown I just got tired of it):

M-Commerce World (London, UK - Keynote), February 2001, "The Future of WAP (And How It Will Drive Mobile Commerce)"
3G – Moving Forward With Mobile (San Francisco, CA, USA), January 2001, “WAP in a 3G World”
WAPWednesday (Munich, Germany - Keynote), December 2000, “WAP – It’s More Than Mobile”
Internet World Asia (Hong Kong, China - Opening Keynote Address), November 2000, "WAP In Asia: Fact and Future"
Wall Street Journal Summit on Technology (Washington, DC, USA), October 2000, “Mobile Internet Roundtable”
Chinese Ministry of Telecommunications (Beijing, China), September 2000, “Delivering WAP Technology To China”
Unwired Universe (San Francisco, CA, USA – Keynote), July 2000, "Today's Worldwide WAP Marketplace"
WR Hambrecht Financial Analyst Conference (San Francisco, CA, USA – Keynote), June 2000, “WAP vs. The World”
Internet World UK (London, UK – Keynote), May 2000, “Moving Forward With WAP”
PCS99 – E-Commerce Workshop (New Orleans, LA, USA), September 1999, “10 Sure-Fire Ways to Kill Your E-Commerce Site Before It Even Gets Off The Ground”
Wireless Data Forum (New Orleans, LA, USA), February 1999, “Building An E-Commerce Internet Site for Wireless Businesses”
Bank of America (San Francisco, CA, USA), April 1998, “Understanding the Financial Impact of Wireless Technology On Global Telecommunications Businesses”
Federal Republic of Germany - Deutsche Bundespost, March 1989, “The Potential Impact of Interconnection Costs on Cellular Operators in Germany”
United States Department of State - International Bureau of Communications Policy, September, 1987, “Preparation for World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) - An Analysis of the Benefits of a Common Frequency for International Paging.”
Japanese Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, November 1984, Tokyo, Japan, “An Overview of the American Frequency Coordination Process”

Scott Goldman - A Career of "Firsts"

1975 - Became the top salesperson for LIN Communications in NY, selling pagers (called "Beepers" back then because, well, all they could do was beep. Average sales were 200% of the staff average.
1978 - LIN, the first-ever paging licensee in the United States, asks me to open their first-ever branch office in Houston, Texas. Delivered cash-flow positive results with only one operational antenna.
1980 - Recruited by Radio Relay in Dallas and developed the first telemarketing program for sales of pagers. Sales skyrocket.
1982 - Joined Compucon, the premiere provider of cellular engineering and marketing research services, helping to secure licenses worth hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.
1983 - Submitted the first-ever testimony to the FCC in a cellular comparative hearing, helping to sway the decision in favor of Rogers Radio, Inc., bought shortly thereafter by Metromedia in the first wave of their cellular buying spree.
1984 - Make history-setting presentation to the Japanese Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, helping to set the stage for first steps toward telecom deregulation.
1985 - Author the first-ever analysis of spectrum requirements for the wireless industry, helping to convince the FCC to allocate an additional 30 MHz of spectrum for cellular services.
1986 - Author "The Cooper Report", the first-ever analysis of real cellular user subscriber patterns.
1987 - Join with Marty Cooper and Arlene Harris in Chicago to develop the first-ever cellular credit card phone. The technology is developed and later sold to GTE.
1989 - Launched "The Goldman Group" and began providing strategic planning, analytical and marketing planning services to major wireless corporations including BellSouth, Ameritech, Oki, Motorola and many others.
1992 - Helped launch Optus in Australia, the first-ever competitor to the government-sanctioned monopoly (Telecom Australia). Sales, number of employees, revenues and all other measurable items hit the stratosphere within the first year.
1995 - Launched the first-ever electronic news service for the wireless industry, WirelessNOW. Ultimately sold this business to The Strategis Group, which was then sold to the Daily Mail Group of London.
1999 - Launched the first-ever web site for selling wireless phones, accessories and service, called "BuyWireless.com" (this domain name was later sold to another company that operates a similar web site now).
2000 - Wrote "Ask The Wireless Wizard" - the first-ever textbook designed for non-technical members of the industry. The book sells throughout the U.S. and Canada as a teaching aide and a companion CD is made for it with me telling stories about the industry's history, technology and future.
2001 - Recruited as the first-ever CEO of The WAP Forum, a global standards organization dedicated to making WAP a worldwide standard.
2004 - Recruited as President and COO of go2 Systems, delivering the first real-time updated directory of businesses via mobile devices.
2006 - Sold "BuyWireless.com" domain name.
2007 - Sold "GoWireless.com" domain name.
2007 - Launches "TheWirelessWizard.com", a web site dedicated to providing tips, tricks, shortcuts and answers to everday questions from non-technical cellular phone users.
2008 - Launches TextPower - a text messaging company that provides gateway, messaging and a library of vertical market software for integration with enterprise and backoffice systems. Develops "TextKey™" - the first-ever two-factor authentication tool using mobile-originated SMS in a patent-pending solution to secure web sites.
2009 - Becomes advisor to Parking In Motion - a startup addressing the parking problem by helping people navigate "the last hundred feet" to an available spot. The first time real-time parking information is delivered to mobile and navigation devices.

Scott Goldman - Publications

Scott Goldman - Author and Industry Expert

During the course of my career I've written more magazine articles, newsletter entries, blog posts, speeches and other assorted missives than I can count. I've also written a couple of books about the industry. Here are some selected publications:

Ask The Wireless Wizard - Written in 2000, this book takes technology down to a level that anyone can understand. While some of the commentary is a bit dated the science and physics behind how radio and cellular works hasn't changed. Here's what you'll learn by reading the book:

How analog, TDMA, & CDMA are like three cocktail parties
How The Beach Boys & lakes can help explain radio waves
How the wireless industry is like playing Wheel of Fortune
How FM radio reveals advanced wireless technology
How the Internet will change the wireless industry

You can download the entire book FREE (which you might really want to consider seeing as it sells in other places for $75!)

There's also a cool audio CD that comes along with the book. It's me telling stories about the wireless industry, technology, history, etc., for about 60 minutes broken up into a few different chapters. You can download, them - free.

The Cooper Report - Written in 1986, this was the first-ever study of cellular subscriber user habits. Written on behalf of Martin Cooper, a longtime pioneer, inventor and businessman in the wireless industry, it took data from the billing company he and Arlene Harris owned at the time and extrapolated it to form conclusions about how people did, and would, use cell phones in the future.
At the time of it's publication it was a landmark publication for the industry.

Scott Goldman - Consultant

Through the course of my career I've worked on behalf of manufacturers, service providers, carriers, governments, associations, consulting firms, telephone companies, defense contractors and just about any other sector with a relationship to the wireless industry that you can imagine.

Might I be able to help your company? Here are just a few of the things I've done through the years:

Develop a comprehensive marketing plan for Optus, the first independent cellular phone carrier in Australia.
Conceived, built, operated and ultimately sold the industry's first electronic news gathering and distribution service - WirelessNOW.
Assisted Fortune 100 companies in their pursuit of cellular licenses from governments around the world.
Created the first publicly distributed forecasting model, endorsed by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) for cellular carriers to use in predicting market penetration and sales against new technologies.
Compiled and analyzed data for the cellular billing industry and applied it to revised pricing structures.
Served as an expert witness in hearings between carriers about the value of various operations.
Guided developing nation's governments in the building of specifications and requirements for cellular licenses.
Coordinated the development of a nationwide alphanumeric paging system by purchasing excess capacity from multiple local carriers.
Assisted startup companies in the development and marketability of new products for the wireless industry.
Created and presented a comprehensive training program for executives entering the wireless industry from outside the technology fields.
Wrote numerous research studies and analyses projecting revenue and profits for wireless device manufacturing companies.
Helped restructure industry associations to address upcoming growth and market changes.

Now, with the accumulated knowledge and expertise of this variety of experience, I am helping small and medium-sized businesses maximize their profits through the application of technology.

What are your needs? Can I help YOU streamline your operation and improve your profits through the application of wireless technology? Contact me directly at 818.949.8889 or send me an email.

I'll look forward to speaking with you.

Scott Goldman

Scott Goldman - Quotes and Interviews

Articles about (or prominently quoting) Scott Goldman:

Becker's Hospital Review, May 2012, "Secure Texting For Healthcare Providers"

San Francisco Gate, April 2012, "Spam Texts Hit 4.5 Billion"

Nethawk Interview, March 2012, "Using SMS for web site security"

Master The Moment, February 2010, "Tracking Time - A Lesson In Time Management"

Today's Machining World, May 2010, "One On One With Scott Goldman"

Business Week, August 2008, "VoIP Goes Mobile"

Securities and Exchange Commission Filing, November 2007, "Scott Goldman Elected to Mueller Industries Board of Directors"

Telecommunications, January 2001, “View From the Top” (Cover story)

PC Magazine, January 2001, “Internet Business Q&A”

Network World, December 2000, "50 On Power's Edge"

Wireless Review, November 2000, "Detractors Beware" (Cover story)

Fast Company, October 2000, "Road Rules #25 - Scott Goldman and His Pocket Rocket"

The Industry Standard Europe, October 2000, “Plugging Away With Wireless”

On – The New World Of Communications, September 2000, “The Gospel According to Goldman” (Cover story)

Silicon Valley Tech Week, August 2000, “Lose the Cord” (Cover story)

Inter@ctive Week, July 2000, “WAPlash” (Cover story)

Internet World, July 2000, “WAP Happy” (Cover story)

Wireless Data Forum, February 1999, "Advice For Wireless E-Commerce Wannabes"

Bank of America, April 1998, " Understanding the Financial Impact of Wireless Technology On Global Telecommunications Businesses"

Wireless Week Magazine, January 1997, " Wireless Vendors Thrive on Wired Web"

Telecommunications Magazine, July 1996, " How To Design The Perfect PCS System"

Cellular Integration Magazine, January 1996, " Online Research Allows for Real-Time Data"

Strategis Group Review, April 1995, " CyberHype - Why Wireless Users May Not Need The Internet"

MacWeek Magazine, June 1994, " Deeper Details About Mobile Data"

Radio Communications Report, October 1993, " Paging Isn’t Dying…It’s Just Having an Identity Crisis"

Comprehensive Guide to Paging, June 1992, Introduction "The History of Paging"

Cellular Business Magazine, November 1990, " Back to the Cellular Future: An Update of the PREDICT Forecasting Model"

Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, February 1990, "How Do We Get There From Here: An Industry Forecast and Plan to Attain 10% Penetration by the Year 2000"

Federal Republic of Germany - Deutsche Bundespost, March 1989, "The Potential Impact of Interconnection Costs on Cellular Operators in Germany"

Cellular Business Magazine, June 1988, " Investing in Your Future: Training Salespeople Doesn’t Cost -- It Pays"

National Communications Forum, September, 1987, " Today's Pager: It’s Not Just a Beeper Anymore"

United States Department of State - International Bureau of Communications Policy, September, 1987, " Preparation for World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) - An Analysis of the Benefits of a Common Frequency for International Paging"

The Cooper Report, Volume I, September 1986. First comprehensive study of cellular subscriber habits employing actual user data

An Analysis of Spectrum Requirements, April 1985. Submitted to the FCC by CTIA accompanying the industry’s filing for additional cellular spectrum

Telephony Magazine, May 1985, " Terrain and Cellular Planning" (Cover and lead article, International Issue)

Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, November 1984, Tokyo, Japan, " An Overview of the American Frequency Coordination Process"