The application’s concept is simple. Once you’ve created your account, the application checks your address book and suggests friends that you may know who have already downloaded it. Like instant messaging, the service is asynchronous, which means that Kik lets you see messages almost instantly, as well as notifying you when the person is typing a message. Much like BBM, Kik also lets you know when the message was sent, delivered, and read by showing an S, D, or R next to the message you just typed.

The one thing that BBM users have come to love so much about the BlackBerry service, no extra cost in using it. It’s a free text messaging platform if you will. This is the biggest advantage (so far) with Kik – it’s free and smartphone agnostic. What this really means is that Kik has the potential to replace text messaging plans – saving the end user a few bucks a month and possibly hundreds of dollars a year depending on the users particular text messaging plan.  Shhh, don’t let your mobile carrier know about it

We did say so far. Provided that Kik can build out its community, the possibilities of the program are endless. Lead developers have indicated that later versions of the viral messaging app could contain features such as streaming music or videos from one phone to another, or taping into your phones camera and allowing other users to see what your camera sees.

As the community grows we’ll start to see some of the aforementioned enhancements. In the meantime, what are you waiting for? Get Kik-ing!

Do I want an iPad? Yes. Do I need an iPad? No. Would I use an iPad if I had one? Probably for about a day.

Here’s why I love my iPhone. Because I can carry one device on an airplane. When you travel as much as I do, you learn to pack as light as possible. The iPhone made it so I didn’t need to carry a phone, an organizer, an iPod, and as many books & magazines as I used to. I’m all about downsizing. Less stuff.

The Kindle was intriguing. But it’s heavy. A lot heavier than you think it’s going to be when you look at it online or when you see someone holding it in their hands. I have to take my laptop on most trips so if I add a Kindle, it’s too much. But I love the concept. I love the idea that all of my books and magazines can fit on one device and I don’t have to carry the weight associated with all the individual literature. So, give me a laptop with 10 hours of life that can hold my books and magazines. Make it super light. Make it affordable. Under $1,000.

Read the rest of Larry’s post

Marketers in the United States often note that mobile marketing is the next big platform to blow up in the United States. In terms of mobile phone capability and use, we Americans are far behind Europe, Asia and just about every other corner of the globe. However, the booming use of BlackBerrys, iPhones and other smartphones has marketers salivating at the potential of this new frontier. With this emerging technology still new to us, we can’t seem to hide our excitement and curiosity around the seemingly endless uses of our smartphones. Tapping away on a BlackBerry keyboard has become as commonplace as chatting with the person next to you. In fact, our obsession with our little electronic friends is spilling into the workplace in very obtrusive ways, the New York Times recently noted.
In general, the workplace often has lax rules on phone usage, and people are taking advantage by finding the latest Twitter chatter, sports scores, or email updates far more interesting than the meeting they are sitting in. It seems to be getting to the point where we all decide whether to just accept this lack of focus, like we have accepted the guy rambling into his Bluetooth as he wanders around the grocery store, or fight back, like the bars and restaurants which refuse to take your order until you hang up the phone.

Have these distractions become such a problem that productivity and creativity are now being affected? What is your corporate policy on phone usage during meetings, lunches and brainstorms?