Its about mobile data, not the device
Friday I wrote a post about why I returned the 3g iphone (it was reposted here, thanks SAI and innonate). The objective was really to outline the pitfalls of the iphone for other business oriented people considering buying it about to be pushed over the edge, but the end result was really just gathering a bunch of defensive comments from iphone fanboys (I did get a few supportive comments, and clearly there are others like RWW and Fred Wilson that feel the same).
Rather than continue addressing these iphone feature specific comments, I wanted to touch on the bigger picture. What will the iphone do? No, not features, but big picture market and social transformations!
Read Write Web really nails it here, when they suggest that the iphone is going to move in on the desktop market. All those teens that used to log into AOL chat rooms, which have since moved to Facebook and Myspace are going to be able to get that experience on their phone, at anytime…..anywhere. I thought I saw some recent articles stating how popular the iphone is with kids, anyone able to track that down?
This is where the big money is, and this is where I see blackberry having some trouble. They took the enterprise market, which was the only market at the time (Dell was in the same boat when desktops and laptops were king). The iphone is creating a second major mobile market, which consists of the masses that were never going to participate using a blackberry or windows mobile phone (even though those phones could technically do it).
Similarly, I see the Kindle as having the same effect. Its forging its own market for midsized mobile data devices, albeit in a much less rapid and sexy way.
Yes, I said it, the big money. Millions and millions of CONSUMERS hooked on mobile devices more than willing to pay for apps, compulsive content purchases on the fly, or download apps powered by advertising.
So despite the fact that I don’t think the iphone is for everyone (and I hope alternatives continue to develop), the potential is quite clear. Blackberry is freaking out about this, and is desperately trying to build phones that artsy hipsters will want to buy.
Whether or not thats good for us as a whole, I don’t know yet. I suspect theres going to be some pretty interesting social changes as our less mobile friends and family catch up (my mom just sms’ed me for the first time last month!).
Peer pressure: saving for the Kiva Fellows program
With a little inspiration from Predictably Irrational (a very basic book about behavioral economics) I decided I want to trick myself into following through on saving for a long term goal.
I want to participate in the Kiva Fellows Program.
What is this?
Kiva is a website by which anyone with a credit card can help provide microfinancing entrepreneurs around the world.
Kiva partners with local microfinancing institutions to find entrepreneurs seeking capital and then matches those entrepreneurs with financing through the website. These institutions are the ones that do all the actual work on the ground, and the Kiva fellows program is a way to for Kiva to help channel quality volunteers directly to the institutions.
In the world of giving and supporting those that have less, Kiva is the one that makes the most sense to me. Also, given the criteria that they post for a Kiva Fellow, I’d make a a damn good fit!
Successful Kiva fellows tend to have the following:
- overseas experience (check, check, check)
- high enthusiasm for kiva (check)
- familiarity with web apps and technology (check)
- background in economics (check)
- fluency in french and spanish (hablo espanol y francais)
- ability to finance your trip (thats what this post is for!!)
To address this last criteria, I set up a Smartypig account, and a goal to raise the money (rough estimate) needed to go:
I set this up less to solicit contributions, and more to challange myself to keep saving for this goal.
My writing is definitely the weakest link, but I know this, and its one of the driving factors behind me writing this blog. I knew I wanted to do the Kiva Fellows program over a year ago, so its definitely something I’m going to work towards in the long term. I’m not sure when it will happen, but even if its 2, 3, or 4 years off, I need to go!
Why I paid for them (Apple/At&t) to take back my iphone 3G
Lets cut to the chase, and get the details out of the way:
the good:
- i love the new form factor
- really surprised by how much I liked the keyboard(s)
the bad:
- no copy/paste
- no push email (fwding to a mobile.me account doesn’t count)
- no email search
- no google calendar sync
- poor battery life
- no google talk or blackberry messenger
- slow software
I use google apps for my work email and calendar, so I can’t live with out push email or an over-the-air calendar sync. That in itself is almost a deal closer. Add in the fact that I couldn’t search through the emails on the phone, and I couldn’t copy/paste information from the emails, and you really have a useless device.
How about a sense of urgency?
Great TED talk by John Doerr, on how we’re not doing enough to save/protect our planet. He’s a Rice grad!
About This Site
My name is Evan Bartlett, and I'm all about connecting people and finding better ways to do things. Every day life should be approached with the eye of an entreprenuer, so here's where I'll hash out my ideas on the intersection of sales, community, and product!
By day I'm working on a betaworks project called Allify, making tools for mobile app developers.
On the side I've just launched an iphone app called Matchbook with my buddy Jason. Its a new easy way to remember the restaurants, bars, and shops people recommend to you.
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