While still in Singapore, I read an interesting article from the International Herald Tribune, the formerly great paper that is now basically the international edition of the NY Times. The article focused on how Americans use cell phones vice other nationalities. Indeed, the Singapore The Straits Times headline for the article was “US not plugged into cellphone revolution”.

Here is the beginning of the article:

What if, globally speaking, the iPad is not the next big thing? What if the next big thing is small, cheap and not American?

Americans went gaga last weekend with the iPad’s release. But even as hundreds of thousands here unwrap their iPads, another future entirely may be unfolding overseas on the cellphone.

Forgotten in the American tumult is a global flowering of innovation on the simple cellphone. From Brazil to India to South Korea and even Afghanistan, people are seeking work via text message; borrowing and lending money and receiving salaries on cellphones; employing their phones variously as flashlights, televisions and radios.

This reminded me that one of the points in the broadband plan was that broadband access is increasingly becoming key to finding employment opportunities. Apparently in other countries, SMS-like services is important for employment.

I am not sure if there is anything wrong between these 2 different approaches, but thought I would point out to readers the interesting view of the author.