Note to Jim Balsillie: Forget the Coyotes, get me a bloody BB Desktop Manager for Mac before I buy an iPhone.

Here is a public note to RIM, Jim Balsillie and anyone else in that organization that will listen.

Why do you hate Mac Users?

Herein lies the problem (as you don't seem to understand it) and the reason for my tirade, you don't have a Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac. You license an application called PocketMac which 'sort of works' but not really.

The incredible lack of foresight and business strategy by ignoring 11% of your customer base is astounding, it is almost criminal. I can't explain it, the only possible reason for your utter contempt for Mac users is that no one in RIM uses a Mac.

Here is an important piece of information for you - the only reason I haven't switched to an iPhone is because of Google Sync. If it wasn't for Google Sync, I would have no way to reliably sync my calendar and contacts to my Mac and I would no longer be a Blackberry user. And let me be clear, I don't want to use an iPhone - it doesn't run background apps., it doesn't support UMA, it doesn't have a program like BB messenger and I really don't like typing on the softkeyboard.. but what is important to remember is it doesn't do these things YET...

I currently run Windows 7 on my Mac in a Virtual Machine (a feature you don't support btw, which just lights my fire even more). I am running the Windows 7 beta which runs out in exactly 1 year. At this point, if I wish to continue to run Windows I will have to pay. The ONLY reason I run Windows at all, is to have the ability to update, backup and maintain my BB . I am NOT going to buy a Windows license just so I can continue to use my BB. I will be forced to switch to an iPhone.

Your strategy to not support Apple is astoundingly poor. Last year you spend a bunch of money developing Media Manger for Mac.. A completely useless piece of software, that does NOTHING as drag and drop works perfectly, and is actually easier to use.

Mac users are early adopters, influencers, bloggers, and the people whom are passionate about technology. I can't tell you how much I drive my peer group nuts blabbering on about how much the BB is the one and only work solution. I don't think you can afford to lose 11% of your customer base to Apple, it is completely unnecessary, hire a Mac team - and let them loose. You will be surprised at the unexpected benefits...

Circumventing SMS - Nokia takes on Blackberry Messenger

Nokia has launched a push email/IM service called OVI. It is a very smart move for Nokia, as they have 200M handsets worldwide and they have just opened the door to low cost or free federated text, media and presence connections between all of them.

One of my absolute favourite features of my Blackberry is the BB Messenger application - it is a great IM/File transfer/Voice Note Sender/presence app., exclusively for BB owners on any network anywhere, you exchange PINS and you're good to go. Until you start using it, it is hard to explain how handy and productive this application is. It provides INSTANT communication with other BB users, it is so handy in the office, a tradeshow or an airport - you can't believe it. The best part of course is it is completely free for anyone who has a Blackberry, no bandwith charges - only a small user fee per month on most carriers worldwide.

Now that Nokia is rolling out this OVI service globally (Australia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela to start) it will take very little time for this to start resonating with there customer base - I expect Apple to follow suit with something for iPhone users as well.

Long live the unfederated IM networks.

Apple Developers need to Chill - it will get fixed

I have been watching the fervor over Apples less than ideal NDA and vetting process for the iPhone app. store. All I have to say is CHILL out people.

I am not defending Apple's mismanagement of this issue, but everyone needs to relax. Apple will fix this, what they have accomplished in wireless space in just over a year is astounding. They built an ecosystem, market and handset, redefined carrier handset relationships - while their competition collectively stares in awe with soiled pants trying to figure out how to catch up.

As big as they appear on the outside, the iPhone is just one division of Apple, and it competes for resources internally with the other highly profitable areas of the company. When the cycles are available the app. store will get a face lift and the issues will be addressed. I know for a fact the team is going a million miles an hour in hundreds of directions.

It isn't perfect, but compared to the other options - it is really the only game in town.

Why the iPhone is good for Mobile VoIP

For the record I am not an Apple fanboy (I do however own an iPod, and soon will convert to a MacBook) - but to be blunt, I am really impressed with Apple. Not because they make trendy cool products, but because they seem to be the only company that (solely) has the end use in mind when they design products.

The upcoming release of the over hyped iPhone illustrates my point perfectly. As demoed by Apple; the upcoming iPhone has a unique capability they call Visual Voicemail. In and of itself this isn't really earth shattering, but it represents a clear shift in power for handset manufacturers worldwide.

Visual Voicemail is a usability godsend. Basically you will have a visual representation of the VM's in your box, and will have the ability to send/forward/listen/delete in any order all of your messages via a touch screen GUI. I can't stand VM, on my mobile - I dread having to dial in, enter a PIN and listen to 4 messages to hear the one I want. Visual Voicemail is a killer app., for mobile.

Where this gets interesting is that Apple didn't invent it. Visual Voicemail in many iterations ( Grandcentral Mobile - so very cool) has been around for a decade, but until now - no handset manufacturer has forced a carrier to build the back end to support it. There are some smart cookies at Nokia, Motorola - and I know they have thought of this in the past, but when they approached carriers - the carriers probably oo'd and awe'd then saw the amount of work needed to provide it on there backend and politely asked them to never bring it up again. The current raft of handset providers cower and retreat when their #1 (and only) customers tell them to do something. Whether it be crippling features like bluetooth or wifi to prevent VoIP calls or locking handsets to a specific network - the list of examples of handset vendors sacrificing usability and end users for profit is well documented. Look at Skype's petition of the FCC - imagine Skype on the iPhone?

Then along comes Apple and turns the 'cart' upside down. I imagine the 'negotiations' went something like this..

Hmm AT&T you want to partner with us eh?? ok great, well can you have this new voice mail infrastructure built out in 18 months? - we are going to need you to offer a new data plan as our phone uses data, so change that - and while your at it, we have unfettered access to wifi, so in the future we are going to add a SIP client and steal minutes from you. Kapeesh? Great, sign here - press hard, there are 3 copies...

So Kudo's to Apple for humbling wireless carriers, for your next trick can you come up to Canada and kick the powers that be @ Rogers squarely in the 'nads' - we have the most expensive mobile data in the world by a factor of 1000x, and you won't sell unit 1 of iPhone up here until you do - and I think I kinda' want one.