Alec Saunders SquawkBox

Yesterday's comparison (via TechCrunch) of iPhone to Blackberry was fun, if predictable. Dave Winer weighs in as well, describing his experiences.  The net of it: if you want a business class mobile, with email and calendar, and a keyboard you can type on, skip the iPhone.  Blackberry's your choice.

Chatting with a friend of mine at RIM, he offered up that the iPhone is for the power media consumer, rather than BlackBerry's target audience.  I'm not so sure I agree, however.  As someone who is both a power media consumer, and a business user, I want it all.  Today, I carry three devices:

• The BlackBerry Curve, which I like very much.  What's missing?  WiFi, GPS, a decent camera, and good integration with my music software — Windows Media Player 10.  It's got great corporate email, and acceptable media handling capabilities, but with a small screen.
• The Nokia N95.  What's missing? Email integration, and a full size keyboard.  However it has Wifi, GPS, a great camera, and a really nice media suite.
• The Nokia N800.  What's missing?  A phone.  However, it is hands down the best media and internet device I've used.  Why would I want an iPhone when this device lets me Skype, access my GMail, supports up to 32G of storage, with a larger screen, etc etc etc?

I'd like one device.  Any of these devices, if backfilled with the features missing from the other devices, could satisfy me and take on iPhone.   Unfortunately it appears that RIM and Nokia's product strategies are very similar – not the products, but the strategies themselves.  By producing different products with different features sets for various segments of the market, they overlook the prosumer segments that are most likely to buy, love and evangelize a "does-all" product.