I was one of the original Blackberry users.  Not everyone knows this, but the Blackberry actually launched in Canada a few months before the US launch, and I remember proudly showing off my new “friend” at a U.S. real estate conference before anyone there was able to own one. Research in Motion, the company that developed what would become  one of  the ultimate business tools for millions, was right in my backyard, and in the early days we met with  people at the RIM campus regularly to talk about how to use it as an effective real estate tool.  Back then you had to carry a cell phone as well, voice transmission wasn’t available on the BB until 2002.   And some of us continued to carry a third device, the Palm Pilot, which was easier to use for contacts and calendar.

As the Blackberry continued to advance, and I was able to throw away my cell phone and Palm, I became completely attached to the one tool that never left my side. I felt compelled to check for messages while at dinner parties, during meetings, and in the middle of the night. What I didn’t notice was that the world was changing. A new generation of tech tool user is emerging and they are not buying into the lengthy thumb typed reactive messages the Blackberry enables you to send from anywhere, anytime. This new user has different priorities, and as a result, hundreds if not thousands of applications are being developed to allow instant access to pretty well any type of information available online. We have begun to communicate to each other in different ways.

I knew making the switch to an iPhone wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it had to be done. I didn’t make the change to try and be cool I am well beyond worrying about that.  I made the change because to effectively stay ahead of the game in building and leading a real estate brand of the future; one needs to experience what the emerging consumers and agents are experiencing firsthand. That has always been my way. And so instead of continuing to use a tool that arguably has better business applications, I have started to use a tool that has begun to shape the way of the future. And as an added bonus, you won’t be receiving as many late night e-mails from me.