Exchanging contact information is an important process in networking whether for business or personal obligations; write a number on a cocktail napkin or exchange a business card for future reference. Well now, technology has taken exchanging contact information to the savviest level and I am quite jealous.
Last night, I was reading my newest edition of Entrepreneur
magazine to find an app that caught my attention – it is called “Bumping”. Tres cool! It is a bump application available on the iphone. As Michael Dinan from TMCNET.com puts it, “One Pow at a Time”.
The ‘bump’ app, developed by Bump Technologies LLC, uses location-based technology and WiFi to exchange contanct information between two iPhones. You open up the app and ‘bump’ with the person with whom you want to exchange contact information. It’s a virtual business card transferred into your phone within seconds… maybe even miliseconds. With my Type A personality this would be a great app to have for exchanging contact info with potential business or personal contacts.
But, I own the Blackberry Curve. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my phone for its รลbertwitter and Facebook App. But I don’t have a ‘bump’ app, I have a Barcode that needs to be scanned. Tis not as fun sounding.
The process is similar in that you open up the Instant Messenger 5.0 contact list to Invite and scan. Again, the contact information is transferred within seconds.
Do I leave my provider to transfer to another provider who offers the iPhone? Do I pay an expensive termination fee to gain the fun app called, ‘bumping’? *sigh*
Wait! I found a solution: Verizon Wireless (my provider) now offers the Motorola DROID
with Google’s Android 2.0. And you know what? I can download & use the Bump Application. I’m in Love.
I got a blackberry for work 2 months ago and I despise it. I think it is inefficient and clunky and difficult to use. It’s like needing to learn how to do something on the computer and having to find it on microsoft’s website (which are all written by PhD tech geeks in a bureaucratic maze). UGH. The only up side? I didn’t have to pay for it, and I don’t pay the monthly fees.
Maybe it’s because, while I understand tech, I am pretty basic in my needs, and I don’t know anyone who knows anything cool about the blackberry, or how it works. I just hate it. Someone at work met with the Verizon rep to look at the droid and she was raving about it (and she hates her blackberry too).
I hope you like your new phone!
I thought it was a pain when I first got it, too. But once you learn to navigate and realize the cool apps you can download it becomes your very own personal net book.
But sometimes, I have to admit… I miss the simplicity of having a ‘phone’. ๐
I’m resisting upgrading my low-tech cell phone to a smart phone. I admit it’s kind’a hard with all these cool, fun apps floating around. Must.. resist… lifestyle… inflation….
It is nice with the smart phone in that I can use it while at work, while waiting at the dental office, etc… I have internet, twitter, facebook, my bank (they have an app for that? yes)… it’s all pretty groovy. But you are right, tis not frugal. I despise the cell phone bill sometimes.
I used to have a BB and now I have a Motorola Cliq. I LOVE the Droid interface, and best part is that the Android market has a ton of cool free apps to download!
Oh, you make it sound so tempting. Even though I really like the new phone(s), I tend to wait for at least 6 months. Then you find out if it is really worth having or something better came out in the market. ๐
I use to have a BB curved and loved it. It was damn hard to surf and check out all the blogs I love to check out though. My solution was to upgrade to the Hero (sprint). I love it. I can do almost anything the iphone can do, and pay less a month for the service. It seems at&t charges more for their data plans than sprint. If I had V, I would get the Droid.
It is a bit non web friendly, but I still make it work. You pay less for the service? Sweet. Well, I just got my BB so I have to stick with it for awhile as I don’t want to pay for a new phone. Well, if they keep getting better with these phones I may just break down. ๐
I’ve never had a blackberry. I have an iPhone, provided through work and I love it. I however, miss the tactile QWERTY keyboard. I still maintain my own cell phone for personal calls/texting and I just recently upgraded that to a LG Xenon and I love it. It has the QWERTY keyboard and so many features that make it awesome.
I love when work provides stuff. The QWERTY keyboard, I am rather efficient on now – Like those teens that can text forever fast. LOL> I’ll have to check out the Xenon, haven’t heard of it. Then again there are a zillion cool phones out there – its just that a few get the spotlight.
I just switched from a Blackberry user (over 8 years) to a Verizon Droid. Because of my business, I’m a VERY heavy Email/internet user. If I had my choice, iphone on Verizon’s network would be it. Unfortunately it’s not available. I refuse to go back to ATT. Their network is god awful.
Initially I was not liking the droid, their email apps are less to be desired. I found the K-9 app to be a perfect replacement of the Google default mail app.
I heard, at one time, iPhone was going to be made available on Verizon and that ATT was having an issue with it. I wish they would go with VW, too.
I was fed up with my BB in the beginning, as there are so many avenues to change so many features – the menu drove me crazy. But now I am finally getting the hang of it and am quite comfortable with it now. Well, that is until all these new phones and apps are becoming known to me. ๐
I really want an iPhone but have heard a lot of good about the Droid…. However I have an old razor right now and I HATE it! So would have to do some testing with the droid first.
I switched from a non-smart phone to the Droid last month and LOVE it. Each week I continue to find apps to make my “down” time more productive and life easier.
Thanks for the post; I now have the bump app.
I think though the iphone (at least app-wise) is much better. The droid lacks many good apps the iphone already has. I think in the next year as more use the droid, more apps will be developed for it.
Like I mentioned above, I usually like to wait at least 6 months: more features available (like apps), price usually is dropped by then, and you get solid feedback if the tech gadget is still worth the buy.
Oh jealous! I want to bump. ๐
*sigh* maybe I just need to window shop for the Droid. hmmm… potentially dangerous.
i just purchased a blackberry curve and I LOVE IT! it’s just what i needed. i’m sure the iphone is fantastic but i’m not w/at&t and honestly, i probably won’t use all of the functionalities … heck, i won’t even use most of them i’m sure. the bb works well for me so far.
I definitely like texting on my BB. And am having fun finding new apps.
How is business going? I am looking into dropshipping and/or creating a housewares store (small kitchen appliances – coffee makers, mixers, etc..). But we will see how the testing phase of those products fares out first. ๐