The new BlackBerry Bold is about to hit AT&T shelves (boy, do I ever hate exclusivity in technology) and it’s going to be a huge improvement on the personal / consumer experience BlackBerry offered in the past.

Bite the Apple?

But, if you’re waiting for RIM or any other company to kill the iPhone, you’ll be waiting for a very long time. The iPhone and the BlackBerry Bold are hitting two very specific yet similar markets: both are looking for a cool factor while conforming to their peer group. This isn’t so much PC vs. Mac, but it is getting pretty close.

RIM is getting closer to cool with the under-40 business crowd with the new device. One of the reasons for this is that the BlackBerry offers a stylish form factor, Wi-Fi and even 3G, but it’s both the tactile keyboard and the BlackBerry persona that’ll keep that same audience from hitting up the bank account for a personal iPhone.

As a side note here, I think it’s a brilliant strategy for Apple to work itself into the business mainstream through something OTHER than a personal computer (I realize, one definition of the iPhone is, in fact, a computer considering it’s running a locked-down version of their OS but this is more about the tools for getting the job done — especially in an on-the-go world).

My guess is that, from what we’ve read and heard, RIM is definitely going to take a bite out of the Apple with this device (and it’s eventual siblings).

Following Suits

I keep an eye on the market share and the application development of both platforms. Heck, I even own a BlackBerry 8830 and an iPhone. The reason isn’t because I can’t make up my mind; it’s because these devices are what shape my peers and clients’ mobile experience. I have at least one discussion per week about the interface and form factor of the iPhone. However, when I’m with my clients, who primarily use BlackBerry devices, I feel comfortable knowing their experience. It’s not a cheap way to understanding a small portion of their business persona, but it makes a difference.

Come Together

There is a great hope that someday I’ll either be so incredibly adept at using a virtual keyboard that my mobile life will become one device. This, I believe, will happen around the same time that I understand why today’s youth can only seldom use full words and punctuation when sending me an e-mail. So, it’s quite possible that I’m simply a mobile device user in training. Because, after all, whether you like it or not, Apple has created the new way for mobile interface design and it doesn’t have a key or a bunch of buttons.

When the best of both mobile devices come together (and I do believe they will), I’ll be there waiting for it with my 51% touch screen accuracy and my stereo, noise canceling headphones that double as a latte maker. I just hope I’m still young enough to enjoy it.

During the height of the Great Depression, Pierce-Arrow, known for producing cars for the high and mighty (including Presidents and dignitaries) offered a $10,000 car known as the Silver Arrow. It was the last car that Pierce-Arrow ever produced.

Today, Tesla rolls out the first production electric-powered car for a cool $109,000 (which can go up to a well-equipped $125,000).

The difference?

Tesla is fore fronting the next wave of political lobbyist haters by presenting something that, while no doubt priced to recoup $40 Million for the investors and R&D costs, will have a significant impact on the future of car production and fossil fuel dependency.

Or will it?

Many have tried, including the aforementioned Pierce-Arrow, to build a car that doesn’t follow standards. The new wave of “green” will offer chances for us to save our environment (if it’s not already too late) and give the consumer a reason to fight the sheer crutch that is fossil fuels.

In the next year, Tesla promises to begin production on a five passenger family sedan with enough of a charge to go about 200 miles before having to stop and get a “refill”. Experts say that’s enough to fuel a trip to work and back and possibly stop for some groceries.

Support or Death

The key to the success of Tesla and other like car companies will be in the country’s ability to build an infrastructure that can sustain and maintain a balance of outgoing (50 more years?) fossil fuel depots and electricity charge stations.

I hope that like other technologies, the advancement of electric transportation becomes affordable enough to make it a viable option in the near future. If Tesla is successful, expect every car company to force their hands in the market and also expect to see tens of thousands in production in the next 15 years.

May 5, 1961

One last note: The irony should not be lost on technologists, who will more than likely remember May 5, 1961, as the date Alan Shepard became the first U.S. man in space. His flight lasted only 15 minutes. Let’s hope the Tesla and its new brand have a much longer time line.