What People Were Packing at BlogWorld Expo '09 (Technology, You Dirty Buggers!)

Hi Jennifer,



I'm a gear geek, so this is a fun topic for me. Sorry I missed you...I was packing a whole lotta shtuff. :)



• Nikon D5000 DSLR w/ 35mm/1.8 and 18-200/3.5-5.6 lenses (Better portability than D90 plus has tilt LCD screen...I'm a compulsive photo nut, you may've seen me running around playing photographer.)



• Flip HD (Amazing little camera, love how small it is.)



• HHB DRM85 wireless FlashMic (Recording mic, dev’d with Sennheiser, tried it out interviewing Kevin Pollak before the closing keynote, also interviewed Irene Koehler, she's great!)



• LowePro Inverse 100AW beltpack (This is what I carried above items in. Lots of storage for something so small. Didn't wear it around my waist, used the shoulder strap...like a man-purse, but I prefer to refer to it as a "European carry-all" for all you fellow Seinfeld fans, hehe.)



• BB Tour (Decent phone, really want an iPhone---Verizon, pls get an Apple deal.)



• Nextel radio (BlogWorld staffers were wearing these on their belts; I felt like "Dr. Beeper" from Caddyshack.)



• Macbook 2.4ghz, w/Kensington pocketmouse and flash drive (Love my Macbook; it’s hooked up to a 23" cinema display and ext keyboard by day, no more desktop machines for me.)



Let's compare what we're packin' next year!



Best,



Dave Cynkin

Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker

BlogWorld & New Media Expo



@dave_blogworld on Twitter
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I still haven't switched to an iPhone...although I'd really like to!


Rohit Bhargava put up a post on reasons why he hasn't purchased one. Mine are a bit different. My comment to Rohit was as follows:

"Interesting you brought this up; I've been wrestling with a new phone decision for a few weeks [more like MONTHS], and had come down to the new BB "Niagra" (reported as coming to Verizon, my carrier, soon) and iPhone. My issues are a little more difficult to resolve. The area I'm in sits in a cell coverage black hole, where even Verizon's network barely functions. I have all my cell calls forwarded to my land line unless I'm on the road. So any cell phone functionality is lost nearly every day, all day long.

I do send/receive text messages successfully from where I am though, and I love having a physical qwerty keyboard. It's fast, error-free, and I like to actually touch the keys; the tactility allows me to speedily enter my message. I'd be interested to hear opinions on whether ANY of the touch-screen keyboards can produce text as quickly or error-free as a physical one. I've tried out the storm and iPhone for typing, and although I know I'd get used to it, initially the touch-screen format seemed slightly slower and less accurate. I've heard a few friends mention they have to correct mis-placed keystrokes fairly often with their touchscreen phones. What's your opinion on touch-screen (iPhone, BB Storm, LG Vu) VS physical keyboards for mobile text input?

Price-wise, the iPhone is quite a bit more expensive than my other options to acquire, operate, and the app purchase issue you mentioned is also a factor...BUT...if it made my day more productive, it'd be worthwhile without a doubt. Good tools are worth the price, it's just a matter of matching my needs with the right ones, and from the input and experiences shared by iPhone-using friends, I would bet the iPhone would fall into the good--or great--tool category. Unfortunately, I don't have the coverage where I am, so either AT&T needs to alter their coverage map for me, or I need to move somewhere more coverage-friendly. Neither will happen anytime soon.

There's something to be said for meshing with peers communication-wise. Many of mine use iPhones, and the trend seems to be picking up a head of steam, more and more are adopting the iPhone each year. Certain apps and functionality would not only become useful utilities but would also facilitate networking and p2p communication, due to using common platform and apps. Kind of like being in a company where everyone's running one OS and plaform, and I'm on one that doesn't match...I'd be out of the network and miss some communication opportunities. To a lesser degree, but certainly comparable in some ways, not having an iPhone leaves me out of my p2p network. This is an inconvenience and when I'm on the road or at events, a communication disadvantage.

Ideally, I'd like an iPhone thru Verizon, with a physical keyboard, at a lower price, and with reception that reaches me in my cell-unfriendly location...You think I'm asking too much"

I'm trying, really trying to resolve this issue. And it's not a Mac or non-Mac thing in the least. Hell, I've been a Mac guy since the late '80s. I would love to have a completely integrated communication system, with computer and phone working in harmony.


While at SXSW, hearing everyone with an iPhone complaining about the crippling AT&T coverage didn't alleviate my dilemma in the least.


If you were me, what would YOU do?

BlogWorld Expo Returns - with nearly 250 Speakers!

Haven't written in a long while, been too busy planning BlogWorld, enjoying blog browsing, online chats and video, and clicking out to blogs from Twitter...which of course leads to an endless clickfest to yet more blogs, videos, chats, tweets and flickr photo viewing long into the night...perfect for someone like me who loves mixing his peas, meat and potatoes together. Experiencing a variety of flavors is my passion, and blog surfing for this curious guy is the ultimate all-your-brain-can-eat experience.

But even with BlogWorld just days away, and while I frantically try to keep up with emails and last-minute projects, this is something I just had to write down...

Our BlogWorld Conference, now in only its second year, has grown to epic proportions (at least to us). We're showing 248 speakers on the roster! That's mind-blowing to me. I think we had 150 or so last year. Granted this year, we've added our new pilot program, the Citizen Journalism Workshop, but that only accounts for a small group of speakers, so that's not the major bump. The fact is, this industry is growing, and our dream of creating "the" industry-wide tradeshow and conference for all of blogging and new media, BlogWorld, is growing too.

A little BlogWorld backstory for you. Rick, Libby and I worked together in the '90s managing, producing and marketing some of the largest tradeshows in North America; events with 50,000 - 100,000+ attendees. Rick and Libby worked for a big tradeshow production company, and I owned a boutique marketing firm (specializing in automotive, sports and technology). One day, I inquired about attending one of the large shows they produced, the SEMA Show in Vegas (mecca for car enthusiasts). While on the phone, I asked if they were under contract with an agency, because my marketing firm had an automotive specialty. Next thing I knew, my company was one of the primary marketing agencies for about a dozen large tradeshows and conferences...and I'd made some very nice new friends that would last for years to come. Although Rick was involved with the same tradeshows I was, he was in a different department so we only connected briefly, but Libby and I worked together often.

During that time, I got involved with online business communities because I enjoyed writing and meeting new friends, discussing business problems and solutions, sharing knowledge, etc. Later, I got heavily into auto enthusiast communities, because I was a serious "carguy", aspiring auto racer and all of my friends were carnuts on some level. I was writing long posts about racing technique, suspension installations, auto safety gear, etc and I was really yearning to start my own online community, and move toward writing a book about the auto enthusiast culture which I enjoyed so much. I'd even put together meet-ups for my online auto enthusiast friends, with fellow car-lovers showing up from hundreds of miles away to join me and a few hundred other four-wheel fiends for face-to-face networking, spirited caravan drives and enjoyable meals together.

Well, Rick and Libby's company got bought out, and within a couple of years everyone dispersed in different directions. We all fell out of touch for quite a while. Rick became a sales director for a large trade association, and a serious political blogger, and Libby became a top hired gun to manage tradeshows and conferences for large associations and events. Rick's blogging got out of hand and started to take over much of his spare time, and he began to realize this was more than just a hobby, it was an important part of his life. He sought out "the" blogging tradeshow and conference, where he could learn all there is to know about blogging, podcasting, emerging online technology, widgets, plug-ins, interviewing techniques and gear, etc. Rick wanted to evolve as a citizen journalist, but there were only niche events to be found. Nobody had created an industry-wide event for the blogosphere, because well...there was no cohesive industry yet. But the wave of communication evolution was growing rapidly, and the fragmented landscape was comprised of specialized events and no central junction or anchor to tie them all together. This was simple to understand; niche event creators usually excel in their particular content speciality, but don't have experience in running large events.

Lightbulb comes on.

Rick spoke with some friends (Libby included) and tabled the idea of a big, world-class educational conference and tradeshow for the blogosphere and got their impressions. They thought it was a great idea and were very excited not only about the concept--but also attending! Rick brought Libby in, Libby brought me in, and BlogWorld was off and running. Three friends reunited. (If you saw my name badge at BlogWorld's launch event in '07, it read "CMO & The Third Amigo".)

We'd originally set out to create something which didn't exist; the only all-encompassing, industry-wide conference for the growing world of Blogging and New Media. A single destination for those who can't afford to travel to multiple conferences. An aggregator of all blogging niches and communities. A place where bloggers, podcasters, vloggers, social media networkers, photo bloggers, microbloggers, search marketing mogus, journalists and passionate writers and content creators of all categories can come together for education, networking, resource discovery, and face-to-face relationship building. That's what BlogWorld is all about.

This year, the economy is challenged, yet BlogWorld is sprouting upward. This industry continues to develop, communities continue to reach out for knowledge, resources and peers to collaborate with...and we continue to work hard, building BlogWorld into the comprehensive, nurturing catalyst and conduit it needs to be.

This year, the 3 friends are joined by 248 dedicated educators and a large group of the most passionate event attendees I've ever seen. The fact that a hobby blogger can sit next to a Cisco communications exec on one side, and a multi-site online entrepreneur on the other side, and they can all learn together about emerging communication technology--and then socialize in the evening together, giving rise to new friendships, despite great differences in professional status--makes me smile a great deal. The fabric of our attendee community is colorful and diverse, and while the offices and dens we all come home to may be vastly different, for three days we're really all part of a single community at BlogWorld. What an enjoyable meet-up this has become.

Special thanks to our great speakers, who so generously devote time to nurture those of us who long to improve our online expression and business knowledge.

To all of the BlogWorld exhibitors and sponsors, thank you for believing in the 3 friends and supporting BlogWorld, and I applaud you for having the foresight to take a leadership position in a growing industry. This is a very important time for communication technology and business, and you're going to meet people at BlogWorld that will not only benefit from your knowledge, products and services, you'll benefit from theirs as well--and in so doing, you'll be smarter and better equipped moving into 2009 than competitors in your space.

To all of the passionate attendees, thank you for taking time from your families, offices and homes to come join us. I've made thousands of friends online over the past decade, and when we have meet-ups to finally put faces with usernames, it's incredibly enjoyable. I can't wait to see so many of you discovering new friends face-to-face that you've known online for years. Take lots of pictures and post them online, so those that couldn't make it this time can still enjoy the excitement from afar.

And to my 2 partners, Rick Calvert and Libby Durfee, thank you for your friendship, trust and dedication. Good partners are very hard to find.

Last but not least, my family deserves some serious time and attention after Sept. 21st, so thank you for your patience and get ready for some fun. :)

Now, for THE LIST.

I culled this from our online Conference Schedule today. There may be a few drop-outs, which is normal--people get sick or have other issues--but for the most part this is pretty accurate right now. If you notice a couple of bloggers with no last name listed, that's their preference--just to be known by their first names. Those of you who follow them will know who they are, blogging wives of servicemen who are participating in our Milblogging conference in the Community Track.

1. Carolyn Abram
2. Nic Adler
3. Stephanie Agresta
4. Paula Berg
5. Doyle Albee
6. Chris Alden
7. Mike Allen
8. David Almacy
9. Tac Anderson
10. John Andrews
11. James Andrews
12. John Donovan
13. Chris Baggot
14. Micah Baldwin
15. La Shawn Barber
16. Austin Bay
17. Jack Bechta
18. Damon Berger
19. Jay Berkowitz
20. David Berkowitz
21. Jeffrey Berman
22. Professor Stephen Berry
23. Sean Besser
24. Rohit Bhargava
25. Jason Billingsley
26. Pete Blackshaw
27. Erica Blitz
28. Renee Blodgett
29. Toby Bloomberg
30. Teresa Boardman
31. JP Borda
32. Stowe Boyd
33. Susan Bratton
34. Will Brinson
35. Michael Brito
36. Chris Brogan
37. Rich Brooks
38. Morgan Brown
39. Michael Buechele
40. David Bullock
41. Matthew "Blackfive" Burden
42. Rick Calvert
43. Prince Campbell
44. Enrico Campitelli Jr.
45. Todd Carpenter
46. Becky Carroll
47. Ward Carroll
48. Phil Carter
49. Paul Chaney
50. Will Chen
51. Larry Chiang
52. John Chow
53. Jay Christensen
54. Michael Clark
55. Brian Clark
56. Deborah Micek @CoachDeb
57. Shai Coggins
58. Shawn Collins
59. Michael Colton
60. Cheryl Contee
61. Ryan Corazza
62. Jeff Corbett
63. Brad Coy
64. Don Crowther
65. Shaun Daily
66. Roxanne Darling
67. Anil Dash
68. Matt Dickman
69. Angel Djambazov
70. Ken Doctor
71. Nicki Dugan
72. Jim Duncan
73. Jeanne Dupuis
74. Frank Eliason
75. Richard S. Levick Esq.
76. Matt Fagioli
77. Jason Falls
78. George Favvas
79. Beth, aka FbL
80. Kelly Feller
81. Timothy Ferriss
82. Jonathan Fields
83. Laura Fitton
84. Debbie Galant
85. The Honorable Pete Geren
86. Susan Getgood
87. JB Glossinger
88. K. Daniel Glover
89. Gregory Go
90. Barry Graubart
91. Daniel Gray
92. Michael Gray
93. Louis Gray
94. Dan Green
95. Dan Green
96. Gabrielle Green
97. Greyhawk
98. Mrs Greyhawk
99. Tish Grier
100. CJ Grisham
101. Daniel Ha
102. Steve Hall
103. Dewey Hammond
104. Jane Hamsher
105. Mike Harper
106. Jon Henke
107. Alex Hillman
108. Thomas Hoehn
109. Michael Hoffman
110. Jack Holt
111. Daniel B. Honigman
112. Tony Hsieh
113. Matt Hulett
114. Alex Huot
115. Tris Hussey
116. Shama Hyder
117. Patrick Hynes
118. Rich Jacobson
119. Richard Jalichandra
120. Zac Johnson
121. Andrew Jones
122. Tim Jones
123. Spike Jones
124. Christina Jones
125. Mark Joseph
126. Karen
127. Marjorie Kase
128. Guy Kawasaki
129. Paul Kedrosky
130. Pat Kitano
131. Kelley Koehler
132. Jim Kukral
133. Jon Lansner
134. James Ledbetter
135. Lee LeFever
136. Jim Lenahan
137. Howard Lindzon
138. John Logioco
139. Christian Lowe
140. Dustin Luther
141. Liz Mair
142. Mike Manuel
143. Mary Jo Manzanares
144. Rachel Masters
145. David Mastio
146. Gina McCauley
147. Becky McCray
148. Jake McKee
149. Hugh McLeod
150. Rob McNealy
151. Keith McSpurren
152. Brooks Melchior
153. Lionel Menchaca
154. Scott Monty
155. Louis Moynihan
156. Mike Mueller
157. Steve Mullen
158. Ted Murphy
159. Ken Myers
160. Michelle Naranjo
161. Geoff Nelson
162. Rob Neppell
163. Joe Neuberger
164. Deborah Ng
165. Alana Nguyen
166. Michelle Nicolosi
167. Toby Nunn
168. Lee Odden
169. Darren O'Donoghue
170. Patrick O'Keefe
171. Eric Olsen
172. Jennifer Openshaw
173. Scott Ott
174. Roger Overton
175. Elisa Camahort Page
176. Kevin Palmer
177. Jeremy Pepper
178. David Peralty
179. Professor Jay Perkins
180. Professor David D. Perlmutter
181. Lisa Picarille
182. Wendy Piersall
183. Anne Plese
184. Mark Potts
185. John Pozadzides
186. Mike Price
187. Lucretia Pruitt
188. Schlomo Rabinowitz
189. Kyra Reed
190. Byrne Reese
191. John Mark Reynolds
192. Bill Roggio
193. Gary Rosenzweig
194. Daniel Rothemal
195. Darren Rowse
196. Steve Rubel
197. Michael Rubin
198. Muhammad Saleem
199. Felix Salmon
200. Sarah
201. Jennifer Satterwhite
202. Jan Schaffer
203. Jeremy Schoemaker
204. Arieanna Schweber
205. Robert Scoble
206. Doc Searls
207. Elie Seckbach
208. Faiz Shakir
209. Mike Shinoda
210. Nicole Simon
211. Ruby Sinreich
212. J.E. Skeets
213. Dave Smith
214. Brian Solis
215. Pam Spaulding
216. Stephan Spencer
217. Liz Strauss
218. Tim Street
219. Mario Sundar
220. Matt Sussman
221. Amra Tareen
222. Dave Taylor
223. Michael Tippett
224. Robyn Tippins
225. Wade Tonkin
226. Benjamin Tribbett
227. Lynn Truong
228. Jim Turner
229. Jeff Turner
230. John T. Unger
231. Lorelle VanFossen
232. Gary Vaynerchuk
233. Mark Verheiden
234. Erin Kotecki Vest
235. Pete Vlastelica
236. Mariana Wagner
237. Denise Wakeman
238. Rob Walch
239. Des Walsh
240. Hilary Weber
241. Andy Wibbels
242. Guard Wife
243. Hadji Williams
244. Brett Wilson
245. Joel Mark Witt
246. Jeremy Wright
247. Nina Yablok
248. Matt Yglesias

>> I apologize for the length of this post, I'm hoping to learn brevity at BlogWorld this year! :D

Warm Regards,
Dave

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How Has Blogging Positively or Negatively Impacted You or Your Readers?

This morning, I was reading James Kendrick's insightful post on the power of blogging, and although I'm usually wowed by great tech tips on the JK On the Run blog, it was nice to see the spirit for helping others so clearly expressed.

James wrote:

I hear from people all the time who describe how something I blogged has affected them. Sometimes in a good way but sometimes not so good. Either one is OK, it shows that something I blogged has touched them in such a way that made them think about it. There's nothing wrong with that. I've heard from folks from all over the world who told me that something I blogged touched them deeply. It doesn't matter what was blogged if it touches someone that way. There are very few things in this life better than the feeling I get when someone tells me they have been touched in a good way. How many opportunities in life do we have to do that? Blogging opens up this in a tremendous way and it's a great thing for me.

Amidst the rapid evolution of online journalism, some criticize monetized blogs as being insincere, and here's a prime example of that generalization falling flat. Pursuing content creation with passion and good spirit, aimed toward helping people, that's what it's all about. Thanks for calling attention to the power of reaching out and helping others through your blog, James. I'll bet it will inspire others to do the same, and that is yet another way you've touched readers.

Touching others online is gratifying indeed. My background in online conversation came from years participating on web forums, with thousands of authored threads, and many hours each week spent helping others through informative articles, or commenting in threads where online peers were seeking help. Here are a couple of my examples, and please share yours:

One morning, a poster was desperately looking for a cardiologist to help his father who'd flown in for a visit in Boston, and was having a problem which required diagnosis right away. I'm in San Diego, but a close friend's dad was the medical correspondent for ABC News; a few emails and phonecalls later, and I was able to to provide a referral to a top cardiologist in Boston, all within a few minutes. In another example, a popular online personality and good friend was killed in a car accident and many readers who knew him from online conversations felt disconnected and isolated in their mourning. I, along with a few other close friends of his, shared photos and personal stories online to let others know what kind of person he was beyond his posts, how he'd helped others beyond the online community, and how his family was being well cared for. We'd actually helped a huge online community participate in honoring their peer, helped them mourn, and even gain closure...all while respecting privacy and maintaining integrity. This would not have been possible without the online conversation.

I can't think of ways I've negatively impacted others, save for a rare misconstrued comment meant to be humorous here or there--but that's the subtle nuance lost in text that we all suffer from occasionally.

How have you been positively impacted (and impacted others) through blogging and online conversations?

What about negative impact? Any examples, and what did you learn?

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James Kendrick, Power of Blogging, Blogging, Impact of Blogging, JK on the Run

Are You a Tech Hunter or Gatherer?

In my ongoing quest to understand my fellow man, I've looked inward and recently come to realize a simple fact. I'm a tech hunter. Not so much in the smarty-pants sense (I prefer shorts), but just for basic daily operational subsistence. Why not a gatherer, you ask? Well, let me break it down for you in my own spontaneous, hipshot terms...

Tech Gatherer:
My friend "J" is such a creature. You know the type, and if not, keep your eyes peeled for these tell-tale characteristics. Several computers around him at any one time (one would assume this is to debug code across several CPU platforms, OS's and browsers quickly, but I'd conjecture they're actually love interests). A drawer full of predecessors to his newest network cables, mobile devices, computer mice and game controllers that simply cannot be parted with despite their obsolescence. A username feared across the land in Halo online communities. The only thing missing is a sign on his gate that reads "Beware, our dog bytes!" You get the picture. The man could speak in code to robots, and upon their eventual takeover of Earth, they would adopt him as one of their own.

Tech Hunter:
Me, the unglorified consumer of tech goodies and convenience items. I'm no collector--I continually seek, use, and then sell or trash, then get more and only what's absolutely needed. It's all about making my day easier, and I like to keep things simple. There is no emotional tie, it's a matter-of-fact relationship tasked with delivering required activity in a timely manner, so I can eek out extra precious moments for life's imperatives (such as latenight multi-episode catch-up sessions on Lost or Hell's Kitchen from the DVR). Okay, that may not be completely truthful, I did let a little emotion sneak in recently; I love my new 13" Black Macbook 2.4ghz, perhaps more than some casual friends in fact (hopefully not you). But I digress....There are no long-term tech tenants in my house. Out with the old and in with the new, and dammit if I can't get 50% of my equity out of an item hocking it on Craigslist, then I've hung onto it too long!

The spoils of a recent hunt...



Macbook, stealthy black, 2.4ghz, 250gb HD, 4gb Ram....Dead sexy!



She's hooked to an equally sultry 23" Apple Cinema Display...Oh how I love thee, expansive LCD of happiness!

The Gatherer is a hobbyist and affectionate collector, while the Hunter is a survivalist.
Gatherer's require a cataloging system for the various supplies, beloved devices, parts and will even proudly display software packaging and manuals on an impressive shelf behind their desks. Hunters, conversely, require no inventory, as the few items in his (or her) possession are in continual use, the gear grouping trimmed only to bare necessities. Like a mountain climber. Or nomadic hitchhiker. Or intelligence operative, dropped into a hostile foreign land under cloak of night, with only the most potent tools of survival at hand. I've evidently been watching "Agent Cody Banks" a little too often with my 7 year-old son! :D

So, which are you, a Tech Hunter or Gatherer?

And what are some of the distinctive (hopefully humorous) characteristics of Tech Hunters and Gatherers you've identified around you?

Technorati Tags:
Macbook, Craigslist, Starbucks, Apple Display, Halo, Lost, Hell's Kitchen TV Show

Has Exchange Compatibility Taken iPhone from Totally Chic to Totally Geek?

It was only a matter of time before someone would crack Blackberry's dominance in the enterprise mobile email arena. But who would've thought it'd come in the guise of a fashionable Apple product? Not I, even having an Apple computer on my desk since 1987 (along with a PC, just so my IT friends still speak to me), I just never really believed Apple would take serious business...well, seriously.

Mac's were for marketing people and fashionistas, right? And the iPhone was no different...slick UI-for-dummies, typical Apple avant-garde form that looks like it came straight out of an Art Center student design final exam, limited sales channel access (AT&T and Apple Store only) and it was really nothing more than a cell-enabled PDA/music player for trend-setting ditzes and kenneth cole model wannabes who drive Bimmer convertibles...right? So how could Steve Jobs' glamorous gadget presume to jump into the demanding pool of serious mobile communications and have even a slight chance of staying afloat, much less taking market share from the Blackberry? Puhleez.

"Splash!" iPhone cannon-balled right into the deep end. No water wings needed, thank you. Transcended from cool and fashionable entertainment accessory, the iPhone was suddenly positioned as a no-excuses boon to tech business . Exchange compatibility is here. Soon to be followed by 3G for faster wireless internet. And with the much anticipated software development kit release, continual iPhone app dev will ensure that daily enterprise email push needs are complemented by task-easing tools for the daily grind. Fashion over function is no longer the rule (and much to my surprise), the iPhone finally means business.

Here's the proof. (Photo courtesy of Uberphones.com)

Will the ubiquitous Blackberry have to start looking over its corporate shoulder for real? Although some analysts hold out stubbornly, Apple's definitely poised to turn a nibble into a sizable bite of Research in Motion (RIM) market share. I like Dan Frommer's take at Silicon Alley Insider:

Citi's analyst Richard Gardner and Jim Suva think otherwise. They argue that Apple is betting on the underdog. "While Apple claims superior reliability and security with ActiveSync, RIM’s overwhelming dominance within the enterprise push e-mail installed base today suggests a slow, uphill battle for iPhone in the enterprise."

Fair enough. But Gardner and Suva also note that Apple's likely to have "more immediate success" with small and mid-sized businesses and consumers -- markets that are increasingly important to RIM. Last quarter, 34% of RIM's subscribers were "non-enterprise," up from 30% the quarter before. So while Apple might not raid RIM's big-business and government deals overnight, it could cut off a vital source of growth.

Up until now, my hipper friends would ask "did ya get an iPhone?"..."ya didn't?...but I thought you were a 'Mac guy'." While they proudly showed off their trendy new toys, I just couldn't justify paying to be a guinea pig for another new Apple product release with important technology upgrades "coming in the next update". Been there, done that many times over the past 21 years. Well, now I have a solid reason, and once 3G hits this summer, I'll finally be joining my chic iPhone-toting friends...albeit a year behind the trend. Does that make me a geek? Ugh. :)

What are your impressions of the exchange-friendly iPhone so far?

Technorati Tags:
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