RIM is Succeeding with their Move into the Consumer Market
(photo taken on my Curve)

I went to an impromptu Christmas Party a few days ago (on the 22nd to be exact) for a high-performance gym I like to work out at here in Winnipeg. Going into the party I only knew 3 of the 19 people in attendance. As the night went on, the spirits flowed and the phones came out, I was shocked and impressed to see the BlackBerrys in the room. I counted 7 Rogers 8100 Pearls, 1 Telus 8130 Pearl, 1 Rogers 8300 Curve, 1 Rogers 8310 Curve, 1 unlocked T-Mobile 8320 and my trusty old unlocked AT&T 8300 Curve. 12 out of the 19 people in the room were BlackBerry Users, and over half of those users were on the Pearl...amazing! I know RIM's recent 3rd Quarter Results were solid, but that evening put into visual perspective just how well they are doing. 

More interesting observations... everyone was under 30 years of age, the Berry users were all BIS users, and the remaining phones at the table were crappy feature phones. While one Pearl user and three of the four Curve users had bought their phones for "business" use, everyone else was a pure "consumer"... and everyone loved their Berry and all used BlackBerry Messenger religously. I was impressed, especially considering Winnipeg is basically the opposite of berry-dense cities like New York and Toronto. Despite competition coming every which way, I think RIM's future is looking bright!