@jbtaylor on tech

When Verizon issued their list of markets where they plan to roll out 4G, they also included a list of airports which will have the coverage. I just completed a review of that list and realized that there are several markets where Sprint 4G covers the entire city, but Verizon 4G will only cover the airport.

Austin, Texas is an Verizon "Airport Only" city. But Sprint covers the whole city. (Take note if you're heading to SXSW this March -- the crowd in Austin's airport, pictured above, will be huge.)

There are several other cities in this category. Here's a list, in addition to Austin they include:

• Honolulu, HI 
• Newark, NJ 
• Portland, OR 
• Providence, RI 
• Raleigh, NC
• Sacramento, CA 
• Salt Lake City, UT 
• St. Louis, MO 
• Trenton, NJ 
• Wilmington, DE

I may be updating this list after Verizon publishes their coverage maps this Sunday. There are some airports in their press release, such as John Wayne / Orange County, in Santa Ana, Calif., that they may consider part of the Los Angeles market. (Incidentally, Sprint 4G covers all of Santa Ana.) Verizon may also consider Newark part of the New York market. (Sprint doesn't, but some marketers might.)

At any rate, it's smart marketing on Verizon's part to wire up an airport. That's where business customers are, and that's the customer they will target initially. (Remember, Verizon is only offering 4G modems at first -- no phones.)

I just got back from my very first South by Southwest. I was there for most of SXSW Interactive and one night of SXSW Music. I've been reading the news and blog coverage from Austin and this photo from the Washington Post caught my eye.

While it was taken during the Music Week (after all the bloggers from SXSWi had gone home) I have to agree with the sentiment.

There's a HUGE amount of ego among some in the blogosphere -- we ran into some of that last Monday at a karaoke party Sprint co-sponsored. But my experience in Austin was a lot like my experience dealing with people who work in politics here in DC. The people who really are important, don't act like it; that kind of behavior usually comes from someone who isn't a big deal at all.

I'd say, generally speaking, there's an inverse relationship between someone's importance and how important they act.

But that's just me.