Today it happened. I knew it eventually would. I bumped into a colleague on a call whom I used to discuss the many glowing attributes of the BlackBerry, the “true business phone” where “real work gets done.” Seriously, the conversation would verge on the air of corporate machismo.

The call was winding down, there was that last few minutes before the scheduled end where small talk creeps in.

MG: Oh, by the way, happy new year…hope you had a good holiday.

Me: Thanks, hope you did too. Oh, do you remember how my BlackBerry died? Well, I’m on an Apple iPhone now…

MG: No, you didn’t! I can’t believe you switched.

Me: Yes…Clint made me. [LKS: Yes, when you have no other excuse…you throw your spouse under the bus.]

This conversation triggered the recollection of another exchange I had this weekend.

Me: [sipping wine] Oh, I got the iPhone.

CO: Yeah, I love mine. It’s great, but don’t try to hold long conference calls on it.

Me: [wine glass set on table] What do you mean?

CO: Well, its been my experience that the iPhone [can’t figure out if it’s iPhone or AT&T] drops calls after a few minutes, especially in San Francisco.

Me: [Hmmm…don’t I have a 90 minute call this Friday while I am off site?]

As I contemplate the fate of my decision to switch camps, a new one is forming with Google’s announcement yesterday of the Nexus One on T-Mobile.

I leave you with the image I had of my BlackBerry while at the gym on an elliptical. Picture my BlackBerry phone, a little scratched up with cartoon eyes, a scuffed up nose (this is the little trackball) saying “WALL-E!”. Sniff.

Loni Stark
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, psychology researcher, and technologist whose work explores the intersection of identity, creativity, and technology. A self-professed foodie and adventure travel enthusiast, she collaborates on visual storytelling projects with Clinton Stark for Stark Insider. Her insights are shaped by her role at Adobe, influencing her explorations into the human-tech relationship. It's been said her laugh can still be heard from San Jose up to the Golden Gate Bridge—unless sushi, her culinary Kryptonite, has momentarily silenced her.