Cat's Blog

Recently in the office, we were debating rather heatedly, how much style comes into question, in terms of a work mobile. I would suggest for the majority of consumers, whilst function is important, style does sway on a purchasing decision. I know when I went for my upgrade I was like "it needs an MP3 player and a radio, I don't care for games", I ended up with the Sony Ericcson w810i. I like it. Not so different from my Nokia 8310i but definitely a little more acceptable in the style stakes.

To go off on a minor tangent, I would have stayed with Nokia had they not been so short-sighted to change the size of their adaptor pin. I had been choosing them for years over these new-fangled Razrs etc, as the loyalty remained in the practicality. I could go to any of my mates' houses and know I could charge my phone hassle free. As soon as they changed the pin, it was a case of why should I stick with this? Everyone has different phones these days. And since, I've struggled with charging my new Sony.

But anyway, my point. I feel that if an IT Manager was making a handset upgrade on behalf of the company, the last thing he would consider is how cool the phone looks. You have pressure to fulfil on functionality requirements, you're not gonna say "oh but it needs to look hip too".

However, there was an argument to suggest that the style of a business mobile these days gives an indication of your company's status. The more stylish the phone, the more tech-savvy, innovative, wider thinking your company is.

It's a strong argument. Similar to the style stakes of the company car, no one picked the Lada.

There's been a lot of discussion recently about Richmond's controversial decision to tax the parking of 4x4s and other "gas-guzzling" vehicles, in a bid to encourage more environmentally friendly cars. It's got me pondering the idea of computer tax and whether this is something the future holds. We are approaching an era of at least one computer per household and businesses are becoming more and more environmentally aware, partnering with organisations such as Carbon Neutral, which offset any carbon emissions the company produces, through their Trees For Cities foundation.

Not so long ago, the BBC reported on the Cooperative Bank being linked with a similar foundation. The Coop were offering a "green" mortgage, you sign up and they will help find tree planting schemes in Uganda. Highlighting the creation of jobs and "enhancing" the wealth in Uganda, the BBC's report actually showed that the scheme was more of a hindrence than a help to the community, with employees being offered very little in the way of wage and villagers needing to make alternative routes to find water and firewood, given the trees are no longer just anyone's - they are now bought.

Green cars, green planes, green companies, green houses, green finances....contrary to a certain mobile company, the future looks red, green and very very blue :(

So my question to you is would you blog about your Blackberry?

It's a bit of a funny question, but I'm interested to know the differences in functionality between the Blackberry and the Treo...is there really anything significant? From what I gather, Blackberrys are just a way of receiving and sending your emails, in addition to your regular phone abilities.

It seems Blackberry definitely has the upper hand in terms of branding, but are the handsets as great as every commuter makes out? Less stressful to be contactable while mobile? Speaking of which, does the mobile version "Pearl" outdo it's elder sister?

I fear the Spanish inquisition :-s .....Your thoughts appreciated :)