The iPhone --- The I Want An iPhone, But 600 Bucks?

Last month Steve Jobs unveiled the much rumored and extremely secretive iPhone. What can i say but simply, COOL! I don't want to get stuck in the propaganda or marketing machine; but this phone does do some cool things that no phone has done or at least done well so far.

If you haven't heard about it yet, which means you must have been in the deep rain forest, then you are in for treat. Once you are done reading this entry, head on over to the Apple Website to read more about it and see a few demos. Suffice it to say though, that the iPhone is 1/3 Phone, 1/3 Mobile Internet Device and 1/3 Wide Screen iPod Video. Each of these has been long rumored to be in development at Apple and each has been eagerly awaited; but none probably more than the Wide Screen iPod Video. What's really cool though, is that when you rotate the iPhone the screen rotates; making the best use of the screen. It also means that you can look at your photos in either landscape or portrait positions.

The phone and internet communicator are equally cool and allow you more control over your mobile telephony and mobile internet experience than ever before. Those features are very new and i can't even begin to imagine how they will actually work. I've seen the demos; but I will actually have to see it in use before I can make any judgments. Never-the-less I strongly encourage you to check out this very cool new product from Apple. it isn't slated for release until June, so you can't see one just yet. Owning one though isn't just a matter of waiting, it's also one of dollars and "sense." It will cost $499 for a 4 gig model and $599 for an 8 gig model; yep, 4 gigs and 8 gigs. That's in line with the most popular ipod, the Nano; but far from the capacity of the traditional iPod that also plays video but in a 4:3 ratio. Another draw back is that this new iPod does not have a 16:9 screen ratio; but it is closer and bigger than any current model or competitor.

Is it worth getting? I can't answer that yet. The price is high and you have to use Cingular; which isn't a problem for my family as we use Cingular, but could be a problem for some. The price is also set, the contract you sign will not reduce the price; although there are rumors the data plan will be cheaper. We do know that Apple has signed a deal with Yahoo to give users "push" e-mail making the iPhone more Blackberry like and there are hints from Cingular and Apple that there are more as-of-yet un-announced features that will single out the iPhone even more.

Stay tuned...... the iPhone could be the biggest thing to hit the mobile phone market since the Blackberry.

BlackBerry, BlackBerry, Don't Be Down

Dear BlackBerry,

I know that you are having more than your fair share of problems these days with the United States Patent Office, NTP, the United States Supreme Court and a certain judge that will remain nameless, but don't let all these problems get you down. You know as well as I do that while e-mail changed the world we live in, you my dear BlackBerry friend changed e-mail for ever. Notebooks may have freed man from the cords that bound them to their desktops at work, allowing them to travel to parts far and wide; but you my dear friend, you freed them from their 10 pounds of notebook, cables, cases and long boot-up times all in an effort to see if the important deal was done or if Johnny got a home run in the big game against the home town rival.

You my dear friend, you made it possible without cords, bags or boot-up time. Yes, as in the days of old when cowboys ruled the land, man can once again reach for his hip and snuff out a problem faster than a salesman can explain how he sat on his notebook, cracking it in two. If only he had had you by his side. Had he had you sitting in your trusty holster he would not have been caught off guard by the news that his biggest customer was leaving his firm. All because he couldn't respond to their repeated e-mails for help because he had not way to dial home and fetch his e-mail. You could have done all that, happily holding them until he landed only to gently buzz him letting him know you had his mail ready to read.

Think of it my trusted friend, you really have changed the world. You have created a loyal base of fans, second only to the followers of Steve and his jolly OS called X. A relationship so real and true, they call you by a pet name "CrackBerry." They mean no disrespect, they know what you have done for them. It isn't your fault their spouses left them and their children don't even know their names. You are simply the messenger. Civilization as we know it won't end because Tom can't stop communicating with Beijing, Moscow and Cabot Cove. In fact the world is a better place. Business can now be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All you need is a bar or two of strength and you can send our messages to the far corners of the globe. When the bell strikes five and we head home, we don't have to stop reading, sending, replying, responding, forwarding our many e-mails. Business doesn't have to stop at the waters edge, it can now continue on and on and on.

Don't pay attention to those nay sayers who call your creators thieves and criminals. Besides, the US Patent Office keeps ruling in your favor. The world is behind you. The world is with you my black and blue friend. Yes the judge who shall not be named doesn't seem to care that your patent case is pending. Yes NTP is asking for not just huge sums of money, but more money than most of us can even dream of seeing, much less being handed over.

So my dear friend. Don't leave me here, all alone without my e-mail or access to the web. Don't leave me to try and find a replacement for you? A friend such as you can not be replaced. Yes, I may find a friend that comes close and in time you will be but only a memory; but you will never be fully replaced. Should it come to an end though, feel strong in knowing that our time together these past few years has not just been wonderful but very fulfilling. Our friendship was worth the sleepless nights, the annoying buzzing, the sharp ringing, the constant bother, the wishing for shorter battery life, the tiny keys, the longing for silence, the demand for more and more and more... Wait.... February 24th they may pull the plug... CAN I HELP!

May the Heavens Above Rain Down on Sprint

Okay, so maybe that is a little overboard, but I am none-to-happy with my favorite mobile phone provider. "Why," you ask? Well simply put.... for being so STUPID. Yep stupid. Here's the skinny.

I have had my current phone for just over 18 months. Not a long time to be sure and it still runs well and keeps a decent charge. Yet because of my current job I carry my phone, a pager and a PDA everywhere I go. To illustrate this point let me simply say that the other week when I was in Chicago on a tour boat out on Lake Michigan, my pager went off and I had to make a few phone calls and look up some information on the PDA as well as take notes. So "size" has become a bigger issue to me.

I prefer to carry a "bar-type" mobile phone, but they are bigger and don't fit quite as nicely in my pocket as a "clamshell" phone does. So I made the decision to change to a new phone, besides the screens have gotten better and the phones a little faster. A little over 18 months ago I changed to my current phone and used Sprint's "upgrade" program to do it. Nothing nice as saving $100 bucks for simply signing a year contract with a carrier you know you will be with in one year.

Knowing of their rebate program, the fact that I want a new phone and knowing I have had my current phone for over 18 months I headed to the Sprint PCS store to see the new models in action. I quickly found a few that I liked and decided to do a bit of research and ask a few questions. The store was busy, so I called Sprint PCS customer service. They confirmed that I was eligible for $150 or $100 off for a 2 or 1 year contract respectively. Then I received the "stupid" news.

As a current subscriber, if I want to take advantage of the "upgrade" program I have to pay full price for the phone at a Sprint PCS store. I don't mind that I can't go to Best Buy or another retailer, that makes sense; but ONLY a Sprint Store and I must PAY FULL PRICE? Considering I must pay full price for the phone, you would think I could buy the phone from anyone. NOPE. Apparently to get the rebate you have to go to a store and they have to confirm exactly what customer service "confirmed" over the telephone with me and what I am sure the website could do as well. Then I pay full price and within 6 to 8 weeks I get my rebated amount.

Does this sound like complete horse dung to you? Why make it so difficult? Why not allow a current subscriber to do this all on-line and get the rebate right then? If not, why not allow a subscriber buy the phone from any retailer and then do a rebate like any other rebate. It isn't like a human won't be confirming everything anyway since the web isn't an allowed option.

The whole thing just smells of stupidity. They make the subscriber go to a store meaning that someone that has already decided to be a Sprint customer is going to take up the valuable time away from customers that are thinking of being Sprint PCS customers or that are having various billing problems and looking for resolution. The person who just wants to buy a new phone and knows exactly what they want and have no questions could easily be served on the web and get an "instant" rebate. No humans directly involved, costs are reduced and everyone is happy.

As Sprint PCS is pushing to reduce costs everywhere they can I am totally mystified. Simple bad business decisions across the board and breaking every rule of common sense. Their current system upsets customers wanting a new phone, upsets customers who "want" to visit the Sprint Store, either increases the number of sales associates needed in each store or increases the wait time of customers visiting the Sprint stores and in the end costs Sprint PCS more money and most likely lose customers they wouldn't have lost had they not instituted the policy. By that I mean, upset customers because of the phone policy will research other carriers and upset customers who had to wait longer at the Store will look at other carriers hoping to find better customer service. All this made possible by the FCC and their "take your number with you" ruling.

Business can be difficult. Making good business decisions can be difficult. Yet it never ceases to surprise me that the easiest of decisions, the decisions that can increase profit and happy customers are the hardest ones to make for so many companies. I don't expect them to give away their phones but it is common knowledge that they lose money on them and it takes about 6 months to recoup the loss; but after 6 months they make money "if they have the customer."

Oh well. I will look at other carriers now and possibly break a good relationship that has lasted more than 5 years; all because Sprint decides to make things difficult and probably because they are hoping current subscribers won't want to jump through the hoops and they won't have to worry about that lost 6 months of revenue.

Maybe I am being unreasonable and asking for too much. Yet when I can move to the competition so easily and lose nothing in the process, why shouldn't I consider it?