Tomorrow, I head to Berlin to speak at the annual BlackBerry EMEA Alliance Summit 2010. I’ll be there for the rest of the week. Between 250 and 350 of BlackBerry’s partners – from mobile networks to niche two man developers – will be attending, and there is a packed agenda.
Research in Motion (RIM, the Canadian headquartered company behind the BlackBerry Devices we’re all familiar with) has been a hugely innovative technology company for well over a decade. I remember seeing my first BlackBerry – in fact two – in Philadelphia in 2003. A couple of PR consultants in slick suits from an expensive PR firm were tapping away on them rather than engaging in the conversation at the time, and I remember thinking how strange and obsessed it all seemed. But they were very happy with their lot!
Yet for me and most of my colleagues (and indeed many of the key business people I deal with regularly) BlackBerry technology has become an important tool in our business kit. My own view is that once you develop some ground rules for yourself – largely about when NOT to use it – it provides you with unrivaled accessibility and ability to keep business projects ticking over when you are on the move.
What about other Smart Phones I hear you say? Again, my view is that if email is a primary mode of communication for your business, then nothing beats the security and email friendliness of a BlackBerry device. But happy to open up that debate.
The irony of my presentation at the conference is that I’ll be talking to Research in Motion about research in motion. I’m presenting on the main stage on Wednesday, providing insights into what people are saying about BlackBerry, apps and services, today. In real time. In a way, it’s true research in motion. Although I might be standing still at the time.