As I was talking about the 8800 Launch Event, I started thinking back to the 8700 Launch Event and the events of that evening, specifically the open bar that evening.
The event was held at Terra, an event venue for hire in a big warehouse-y space. Along with the live Jazz and the presentations by Jim Balsillie and some Cingular bigwigs, they had a soup bar (different soups in shot glasses), a mashed potato bar (different types of mashed potato and toppings), and an open bar (you get the picture).
As the night waned and people started to drop out, so did the selection at the bar. They had been pouring a specialty cocktail for the event, the name of which escapes me but the cloying sweet mediocrity haunts me to this day, but I was ready for something different. I approached what I thought would be the most flexible bartender and asked to see what was left. From those humble beginnings, a mixed drink arose.
The Velvet Smash
2 Measures Gin
1Splash Triple Sec
1 Measure Orange Juice
1 Measure Cranberry Juice
Combine and shake over ice. Pour into a large martini glass. Add some soda water for sparkle.
It's actually pretty good.
I was able to convince a few people to wander over to the bar and ask for it by name. Later that night at the Tonga Room I was able, with the assistance of a business card on which I had written the recipe and a lot of hand waving, to order another few rounds of the new drink du jour for my table and for random passers by. I received no complaints (as far as I remember).
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Blackberry 8800 Launches in Two Weeks
The buzz started two days ago over at blackberryforums.com and now everyone is talking about it. The newest member of Research In Motion's Blackberry line of devices, the 8800, is about to be launched by The New AT&T (formerly Cingular, formerly AT&T Wireless, my how things change).
In case you have been living under a rock (or have no reason to follow the evolution of mobile devices) the 8800 is a full qwerty keyboard device like the 8700 mixed with the new navigation paradigm introduced with the 8100 (Pearl). I will leave it to others to review the unit, talk about it's benefits and drawbacks, the inclusion or exclusion of WiFi (not in the Cingular unit but it is in some review units so it will be rolled out somewhere) but I am excited to see it in person and look forward to replacing my Pearl with it as soon as I can.
"Why?" you say, "Why would you replace your shiny new Pearl with yet another device? Why do you keep on making me change your PIN address in my contacts? Are you really related to Finlay Currie?" I can answer those questions.
I got the Pearl for a few reasons.
1: My boss has one. I need to be able to support his use of the device so I need to understand how he uses it and be able to replicate his errors. (Side note: Why is it that the people I support are able to break electronics simply by walking in the room? I supported Paul Allen directly for years and he had an amazing ability to crash software by looking at it.)
2: The Pearl has a camera. It is the first RIM device with a camera so naturally I was interested. I have since used it to blog via BB and it does a pretty good job.
3: It is small. I really like being able to throw it in my pocket without a case when necessary. The 8700 was a bulky beast by comparison. Plus, the 8700's shape (and the shape of all the qwerty devices) made it hard to use as a phone while the Pearl is more phone shaped and easier to align the earpiece to my ear.
4: It's new and cool.
So, why will I switch back?
1: QWERTY. Even though the SureType is a great way to work around the limitations of the small button count keyboard on the Pearl, I have a heck of time typing messages on it. I was pretty fast on my 8700 (and 7290 and 7230 and 6230) but I keep hitting the wrong keys and SureType guesses wrong words and I get frustrated pretty quickly. The full keyboard is a winner for me.
What about size and lack of camera? The 8800 is slimmer than the 8700 which should help. Plus, I usually have the thing strapped to my hip so the pocket portability is not as big a deal as I make it out to be. The camera is a nice feature but not a must-have. If I want to take pictures, I bring my "real" camera with me. I have used it (at CES and on TSD rallys) but I don't put it high on the feature lust list.
Reliable sources have reported that RIM and AT&T are launching the 8800 in the US at two parties on two different coasts; on February 20 in New York City and again on February 22 in San Francisco. This echos the launch parties they held over a year ago for the 8700 though back in those days (2005) they had a third event in Chicago for the non-coastal).
If the 8700 launch event pattern holds, the 8800 will be available to customers only a few weeks after the launch. I was luckily enough to attend the launch party for the 8700 and I will be repeating my attendance (again at the San Francisco event). Look for another report in two weeks.
And, am I related to Finlay Currie? No.
He was my wife's great grandfather.
In case you have been living under a rock (or have no reason to follow the evolution of mobile devices) the 8800 is a full qwerty keyboard device like the 8700 mixed with the new navigation paradigm introduced with the 8100 (Pearl). I will leave it to others to review the unit, talk about it's benefits and drawbacks, the inclusion or exclusion of WiFi (not in the Cingular unit but it is in some review units so it will be rolled out somewhere) but I am excited to see it in person and look forward to replacing my Pearl with it as soon as I can."Why?" you say, "Why would you replace your shiny new Pearl with yet another device? Why do you keep on making me change your PIN address in my contacts? Are you really related to Finlay Currie?" I can answer those questions.
I got the Pearl for a few reasons.
1: My boss has one. I need to be able to support his use of the device so I need to understand how he uses it and be able to replicate his errors. (Side note: Why is it that the people I support are able to break electronics simply by walking in the room? I supported Paul Allen directly for years and he had an amazing ability to crash software by looking at it.)
2: The Pearl has a camera. It is the first RIM device with a camera so naturally I was interested. I have since used it to blog via BB and it does a pretty good job.
3: It is small. I really like being able to throw it in my pocket without a case when necessary. The 8700 was a bulky beast by comparison. Plus, the 8700's shape (and the shape of all the qwerty devices) made it hard to use as a phone while the Pearl is more phone shaped and easier to align the earpiece to my ear.
4: It's new and cool.
So, why will I switch back?
1: QWERTY. Even though the SureType is a great way to work around the limitations of the small button count keyboard on the Pearl, I have a heck of time typing messages on it. I was pretty fast on my 8700 (and 7290 and 7230 and 6230) but I keep hitting the wrong keys and SureType guesses wrong words and I get frustrated pretty quickly. The full keyboard is a winner for me.
What about size and lack of camera? The 8800 is slimmer than the 8700 which should help. Plus, I usually have the thing strapped to my hip so the pocket portability is not as big a deal as I make it out to be. The camera is a nice feature but not a must-have. If I want to take pictures, I bring my "real" camera with me. I have used it (at CES and on TSD rallys) but I don't put it high on the feature lust list.
Reliable sources have reported that RIM and AT&T are launching the 8800 in the US at two parties on two different coasts; on February 20 in New York City and again on February 22 in San Francisco. This echos the launch parties they held over a year ago for the 8700 though back in those days (2005) they had a third event in Chicago for the non-coastal).
If the 8700 launch event pattern holds, the 8800 will be available to customers only a few weeks after the launch. I was luckily enough to attend the launch party for the 8700 and I will be repeating my attendance (again at the San Francisco event). Look for another report in two weeks.
And, am I related to Finlay Currie? No.
He was my wife's great grandfather.
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