CTIA: Monday, 4:56 p.m.

Today's Multimedia & Next Generation Apps forum was among the better CTIA panel discussions I've attended. The lineup was most impressive: Nokia president K-P Wilska, Qualcomm EVP Paul Jacobs, PalmSource CEO David Nagel, Openwave COO Kevin Kennedy, Sun Microsystems EVP Jonathan Schwartz, and current Wireless Review coverboy Juha Christensen, corporate VP of Microsoft's mobile devices division.

Among the discussion topics introduced by moderator Stewart Alsop of VC firm New Enterprise Associates was the lingering myth of a wireless killer app--much of the panel agreed that if such a thing even exists, it's voice, although imaging services were a hot topic as well. But the consensus seemed to be that, as Nagel put it, all categories of wireless applications are the killer app for someone. "Anything that gets boredom out of the way" was Schwartz's response, while Jacobs said the killer app is choice--the freedom to customize your phone and services for yourself. (Jacobs also took a shot at wireless videoconferencing, once a hot contender for killer app status: "That idea is bogus," he said. "The ergonomics of videoconferencing don't work--the camera looks right up your nose.")

Another hot panel topic was the role of the carrier, a segment conspicuously absent from the discussion. "They're in the position of retailer," Jacobs said. "They have to provide smarter apps." Nagel pulled no punches: "I cannot over-emphasize how much carriers have to learn," he said. "They're terrible at dealing with enterprises."

Carriers were also punching bags a few hours later at the Mobile Entertainment Forum, a much smaller and frankly far less compelling affair that only got interesting when the audience wrestled control of the discussion. Carriers' marketing mistakes, their overpriced entertainment services and their suspect business tactics were all questioned by the small but vocal audience. Say this about CTIA: The people in attendance remain passionate about what they do. Nobody's cashed their chips in yet, and everyone has an opinion on what needs to happen next. At some point this week, I expect to hear someone proclaiming, “The streets will flow with the blood of the non-believers!”

Who knows? It could be me.