Robison also has responsibility for worldwide corporate marketing activities, including brand strategy, internal and external communications, digital strategy and hp.com, environmental sustainability, social innovation and customer intelligence.
Traced back to the 19th century, they have long been used in friendly notes and communications before digital forms of emoticons were introduced in 1982 by Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University.
But it may also spark renewed price competition between broadband service providers, such as phone companies like Verizon Communications pushing digital subscriber line service, and cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner offering cable modem service.