Blackberries, Technology, and How "Cool" You Are

I don't normally speak about things like "trends". I just try to avoid them or set my own. However, I couldn't help but get to thinking about the plight of the Blackberry today in light of the iPhone release. Now, if you ask the wider population what the coolest phone to have is right now, almost everyone would say the iPhone. That much is for sure. People waited outside all night for the thing all over the country. Of course, people waited outside all night to see Star Wars Episode I too but I'm not wearing a Jar Jar Binks t-shirt anytime soon, if you know what I'm saying.

I'd like to know what Paris Hilton has to say on this one. I wish that Larry King could have dropped this into his recent interview. We all know Paris and the rest of the hipster L.A./Laguna/NBA set rock the Sidekick just like me. Will the iPhone cause a lot of switching or is the Sidekick even cooler now? I'm not sure yet. I just know that I'm not switching regardless. I like my tactile keyboard and that's just how it is.

However, the Blackberry was already the corporate drone phone of choice and it will seemingly remain so. To me, with the release of the iPhone, it is now a tier 3 device equal to something like a Gateway laptop in the year 2002. So if you sport one of these guys, just don't clip it to your belt unless you are looking to give off that, "not only am I corporate, but I can't even remember how long ago I drank the kool-aid" look. All of you ad agency and graphic designer types, we know you will get the iPhone along with some well-meaning technogeeks and other individuals who want to give that "sure I'm an accountant, but look at what an outside the box thinker I am" vibe. I think Jobs keeps these things so expensive to preclude certain organizations from finding ways to squeeze them into their rigorously scrutinized corporate budgets. If he didn't that would diminish the brand. He is too smart for that.

So will the hipsters buy in to this iPhone craze? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure, the Blackberry is on a slippery slope towards Lotus Notes status.