An interesting chat with a RIM exec
 

Sitting on a plane last week, I was salivating at the guy next to me using an unbranded 8700. We got to chatting, I asked him how much it would take to have him remove his SIM and sell me his device...to no avail) and he confirmed 2 things that I found interesting. Tmobile will be Feb/March and that Q3 next year we'll have a consumer device, a clambshell, that will have mp3 and a camera....

Was the unbranded 8700 black color?

same as rogers

If Cingular released the 8700c in November wouldn't T Mobile launch in or after May '06? I thought Cingular had exclusivity of the 8700 in the U.S. for 6 months.

its a 90 day exclusive

90 days only? When I was visiting the U.S.A. and visiting some Cingular stores to see the 8700c since I was still awaiting my 8700r at that time all the reps I had spoken to said to me that in the United States Cingular has exclusivity for 6 months. I guess they were wrong or perhaps misinformed. I don't really know.

It is Cingular... :P

The Rogers 8700r is a very dark blue it's not black for anyone who didn't know.

A Camera?? I'll have to see that. At WES last year Mike L said Blackberries will not ever have cameras on them. If there is one, they bowed to pressure.

BTW, 90 Day exclusivity is the longest anyone gets. My bet is 6 months was quoted to entice you to buy Cingular now instead of waiting 6 months for TMO. RIM rep with TMO told me late January early February, which would be in line with the 90 day mark.

what i want to know is if the RIM exec was flying first class, business, or coach........

There is no way that RIM would have agreed to a 6 months exclusive on their flagship product. That would be suicide. ;)

I think it was just incompetant staff. Reason I say this is because I was visiting in the U.S. when the 8700c was released so I was hoping to see one up close and personal but when I asked the rep if they had the new blackberry 8700 he said the newest blackberry RIM came out with was the 7100 series. He was very adiment about it then one of his co workers said it wasn't out until December and that Cingular has a 6 month exlcusivity deal with RIM and to come see them in mid December to get a look at the 8700c if I wanted.

Once again Cingular had a 90-day exclusive that started Nov 1st, 2005.

I think I would rather have removable memory than a camera. The ability to use a blackberry for both email, calls, web and as a music/video player would be great and far more interesting to me than a camera.

coach. They always fly coach for some reason. On my way back from WES last year, i was on the plane with several RIM guys, all flying coach.

I flew back from WES in First Class, Tom :-) All you have to do is fly around 100,000 miles a year and they let you up front!

no way
 

nope last time they let tom up front he drank all of the good cold drinks and started to do all of his good bar tricks

i wonder how good a flip berry would work, meaning who would make it?

They were in coach. But, then again, so was I. It was an all coach flight...

I have to wonder if he was referring to products that will be deployed on other hardware using the theoretical blackberry connect or blackberry built in product (if it exists at all). I was at the WES and do remember hearing that cameras are a no-no for them, as that action alone would be suicide to their core business.

I'd loe a flip berry, that I can see happening. Removable memory and a camera on the RIM branded blackberry...I'd have to see it to believe it....and I probably still wouldn't believe it.

I would love a clamshell ;) The only thing I don't like about my BB is wearing it on my hip. A clam that would protect itself when in the pocket would be great and not have the extra bulk of a holster strapped to it.