John Feland
Chief Technologist, SK Telecom Americas

I am currently the Chief Technologist for SK Telecom America’s Global Solutions Lab. In this role I am responsible for understanding how the rapidly changing technology landscape will enable SK Telecom to craft new business opportunities in the Americas. My areas of responsibility range from NGN wireless technologies (LTE vs WiMaxx, etc), handheld experiences and the interface technologies that enable them (multitouch touchscreens, haptic feedback, smartphone operating systems), as well as evolving influences on the telecommunications market (cloud computing, femtocells, CDN’s, LBS, SNS, etc.) Though primarily supporting the innovation initiatives of the Global Solutions Lab, I also support SKTA’s internal Business Development and Corporate Venture Capital organizations.

Prior to my role at SKTA, I led Synaptics efforts for developing next generation capabilities for handheld devices from within the marketing organization. I was responsible for developing a comprehensive competitive landscape for the various handheld markets, with specific focus on the mobile ecosystem and then driving the product and technology strategy, in partnership with the engineering organization, to architect and execute our roadmap of future capabilties.

I was also the architect of the Onyx Concept Phone, the world’s first multitouch mobile experience (http://www.synaptics.com/onyx). I have been lucky to work with some of the most talented people in the interface industry at Synaptics in partnering with OEM customers to create compelling and intuitive next generation mobile experiences. I worked with all of the top handset manufacturers on the creation of tomorrow’s handsets, ensuring the right marriage of technology and user experience takes place as we see an industry transformation take place around multitouch technologies.