'This is the first example of Microsoft charging a subscription instead of a licensing fee for their software,' points out Clarkson.
It may do the same for Microsoft, offering alternate revenue streams and perhaps signaling an even bigger shift in Redmond's business strategy. 'Revolv gives the carriers a new way to differentiate their service,' says Clarkson. And, most important, cellular airtime dropping toward $0.Ĭheap rates have made practical the longer connections required for data, and they've made cellular companies desperate for new revenue opportunities. 'It seems like for the last 10 years every year has been declared the 'year of wireless data,''' admits John Major, the company's CEO, 'but this time all the pieces are ready.' The Internet. Of course, wireless data has long been the Bermuda triangle of high tech start-ups. For $20 or so a month you'll be able to scroll through your email and calendar on the cramped but functional screen of your cell phone, assuming your dialer is one of the new breed built to handle HDML (HTML's little cousin). With the new service, if you're an Outlook user, and if your cell provider is one of the nine that has agreed to deploy Revolv, your prayers will be answered.
