There’s a mobile battle brewing out there. The iPad, smartphones with big screens, netbooks and Kindle-like devices are all vying for our attention. Thanks to the iPhone, people are viewing the internet while mobile in record numbers. Can just one internet platform prevail?

Not really. The great thing about choice is that you have several. Clear 4G is trying to better our choice in Philadelphia with highspeed internet via WiMax. Who can use it? At just 25/month anyone with windows and an USB port can use it. The real question though is who needs it? Most phone carriers are selling smartphones like hotcakes. Along with that slick devices is a mandatory data plan so who’s going to use WiMax when you can just use your phone?

One of my clients this week asked my advice for a MP3 player around 200 dollars. I know for a fact the client’s phone plays music so i suggested to play music from there. The user replied by worrying if they would have enough memory… Really? Micro-memory cards are very cheap but the user wasn’t putting two and two together.

Maybe it’s the same with WiMax and netbooks. Seeing the commercial of someone on the bus online with their netbook is not practical yet still appealing. What is Clear 4g going to do once the tablet wars pick up this summer? I hope they’ll have software for the iPad by then…