Tag Archives: blackberry
My digital diet
We all know how difficult it is to go on a diet. Eat less of this, drink less of that, etc.
So, the same should apply, I guess, when you go on a digital diet, or not?
Take for instance my idea to go on a “mobile phone diet” if you can call it that.
Over the years I’ve been a big fan of the latest mobile phones and always had them before any of my buddies did.
Before smartphones arrived, I worked with this Palm Pilot. I browsed the internet , in black and white, and downloaded my mails via an infrared link to a small Nokia phone.
I got the Nokia 9000 Communicator as soon as it launched. I received all my emails and faxes on it and loved it. I eventually swopped it for a retro surfboard ( that I still have and used just 2 weeks ago).
When the i-mate K-JAM launced, I was ecstatic to get a phone with a keyboard, touch screen, camera and internet. Two buttons on the front took me straight to my mail and internet respectively. I must admit, it crashed often and the only people who could service it, Leaf, in Johannesburg, were not into customer service!
The Sony Ericsson P9 was a dream with the flip keyboard, full touchscreen with stylus and roller type “mouse” on the lefthand side. I used it until I got bored with it.
My first Blackberry was the Curve and this ushered in a whole new experience for me, though I never used the BBM feature. I quickly upgraded to a BlackBerry Bold and “lost” it within a month in the Sandton Convention Centre.
Finally, I decided to make the big move and get an iPhone. Joy all the way, is all I need to say.
So, yes, digging in my bedside cupboard to find this Nokia 1200 and seeing how I can take my “digital diet” to the next level is indeed going to be a challenge.
Any advice?
PS: Yes, all these phones are now parked on a shelf I call my “mobile museum” in my office.
Blackberry Humour
Do you remember back in the day when you heard the word blackberry, you immediately thought of the fruit? When we here the word Blackberry today, we refer to the amazing smartphone with unlimited Internet access (at a monthly fee of course). Millions of people all over the globe have become so accustom to their Blackberries that they cannot imagine life without it.
A decade ago, a “Blackberry outage” referred to berry farms having a bad season or year — but now, it’s big news.
Two weeks ago all Blackberry users in Europe, Middle East and Africa experienced outages for three consecutive days. It was a total catastrophe. Imagine no Internet connection which means email, BBM, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, etc for three whole days.
While many users were annoyed with the outages, others felt a sense of relief (which includes me). The constant notifications and constantly being connected to email can become a bit overwhelming. I felt at peace. As long as I could send sms’s and make phone calls I was quite fine – although others may not agree. Millions of people slammed Blackberry on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms for the outages. Take a look below. It’s hilarious:
Facebook and Twitter Updates:
According to an article I came across recently on Memeburn, everything is back to normal in the world of Blackberry. Let’s hope it lasts.
Battle of smarts
The Blackberry Torch was introduced yesterday at a invitation only news conference in New York. The Torch is said to be the competition for the iPhone and Droid, though initial reviews of the phone were not all that enthusiastic.
So the feud between the iPhone and the Blackberry continues, and with the world becoming more about where you are than what you do, smart phones are soon to take over.
The one thing that always comes to my mind when the feud is brought up is "How do I know which one suites me?” I mean what is the feud all about are all smart phones not the same? Is it not simply a matter of which stye fits you best?
There are not really and definitive list or stats when it comes to something like that (I’ve checked), the basic answer is that there are personality and situational differences that should lead you in the right direction for you as a person.
President Obama won the first fight of his presidency: He can keep his BlackBerry.
A ruling has been reached among the president’s advisers – and the Secret Service – that will allow him to keep his e-mailing device. The decision is set to be explained this afternoon at the first White House briefing of the new administration.
Read the full story on NYTimes.com
another day in San Francisco
Today I’m very honoured to have a guest posting from Catherine Parker, a South African SEO expert with a tech company in San Francisco
Catching My Breath in San Francisco
It’s been a frenetic and exhausting last month or so in the Bay Area. I work for a website that reviews tech products, and the biggest days of the year in my company are over the Thanksgiving weekend in late November. During “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” of that weekend, Americans go mad with spending, both on and offline. Since the U.S. economy has taken a dive, reviews sites like ours are crucial in the sales cycle, as customers are being more careful than ever about where they spend their dollars on luxury goods.
The Thanksgiving rush is closely followed by the Christmas season, which these days is as big a deal for online retailers as it is for bricks and mortar sellers. More and more, people are abandoning the queues and stress of mall shopping and doing most, if not all, of their shopping online (me included!). It makes so much sense here – shipping costs are negligible, and you get your delivery within a couple of days, which means it’s a no mess, no fuss operation.
Most recently, the first part of January was taken up with two major tech conferences: Macworld in San Francisco, and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This year’s Macworld was fairly subdued due to the news of Apple pulling out next year and concerns over Steve Jobs’ health, and CES was also quiet due to fewer than usual exhibitors as a result of the reeling economy. Nevertheless, there were plenty of new tech launches during the show, specifically in the mobile space where companies like Research in Motion (producers of the Blackberry) and Palm are racing to steal market share from the iPhone.
After all that activity, it’s no wonder we’re all feeling a bit frazzled. Monday is a public holiday here, which is a very rare thing in these parts, so I’ll finally be taking a break. See you on the other side!
