IPhone Blunder And Google Android Wins Fans

Many, like me, have been waiting for Verizon to get the iPhone. But now, with other smartphones gaining ground, I wonder if it makes more sense to separate the phone from the Apps. I want my phone to work as a phone. I want the battery on the phone to last as long as possible so as to never miss a call. I want my iPod device to play music, watch videos, surf the web, etc. So why not keep two devices; why marry the two? Especially when other smartphones may work just as well.

Verizon has been growing despite the lack of the Apple iPhone. "Despite the pull of the iPhone, Verizon has managed to steadily increase its share of the smartphone market, to 26 percent in May, from 20 percent in late 2008. In the same period, AT&T’s market share slipped to 40 percent, from around 45 percent, according to comScore. Those numbers do not take into account the impact of the popular iPhone 4, released last month....Verizon has since collaborated closely with Google to develop six phones running Android, helping to give Google’s mobile operating system 13 percent of the smartphone market in the United States." And the NY Times likes the Google Android.

Add to that the bad press Apple has gotten for its antenna problem AND its response to the problem, and competitive marketing is taking the phone wars to another level. I can live with two devices. I can keep my music and my videos separate from my phone. I can surf on either device and with two devices, I have a back up when one phone's battery drains. Maybe I don't need to wait for an iPhone on Verizon's plan after all.

Be Careful What You E-Mail

Starz's president, Chris Albrecht, has really demonstrated how careful you need to be with email. I am sure many people have mistakenly sent emails to people not intended to receive them. With programs that help to fill in the remainder of an address as you start typing, it is too easy to let a name slide by and not re-check that the list is accurate. Hence, never write anything in an email that couldn't be read by anyone.

Unfortunately, Chris did not heed that advice. He sent an email about the pending firing of two executives to the entre company email distribution list. And who should read it, the two people who he was targeting. "Realizing his goof, Albrecht immediately called Bill Myers, president of Starz Entertainment, to inform him of the error. During their conversation, McGurk called Albrecht and told him that he had seen the e-mail. Later that day, McGurk and Rosett tendered their resignations." They fell on their swords, an honorable way for the two execs to leave. For Chris Albrecht and others, a painful lesson to learn.