Looks like the Verizon iPhone has already sold out on the first day of pre-order and Verizon has wasted no time with this clever commercial (video below) ensuring that you will be able to “hear me now” since you are no longer on AT&T’s network.
In other bad news for AT&T, according this survey done by uSamp approximately 26% of current AT&T iPhone users are willing to switch to Verizon once it launched.
Another interesting tidbit from that survey was that a majority 54% of Verizon’s current Android and BlackBerry users, responded that they intend to head to apple as soon as the iPhone hits the shelves. RIM, the creators of blackberry, and Google have to be concerned that 66% of Verizon’s BlackBerry users said they are very or somewhat likely to switch to the iPhone on launch day (Feb. 10) along with 44% of Verizon’s current android users.
I don’t know about you, but I think these numbers are nuts. That’s a lot of folks that can’t wait to get an iPhone although they already have smartphones.
Google released it’s new Google Buzz two days ago. It is a new “social” aspect to it’s widely used Gmail site. If you have a Gmail account it should show up in the left hand column above your folders. If it’s not there you can probably expect it soon. They are rollling it out in the next couple of days.
I waited to play with it a couple of days before I posted anything. So, now that I have been playing with it, I think this might work. I say that because it integrates into the things that I am already using, such as Google Reader, Twitter and Picassa. Most importantly, it’s seamless. It just works. If someone shares a story on Google Reader, it’s there. If I share a story, it’s there. If it send a Tweet, it’s there. I think the truth is that I will use it by mistake. In my everyday visits and shares it works and I see comments that folks make on anything I sent all within my gmail box that I already have open, and by simply replying to their comments I am using it and that is why it works. I don’t have to create a new account, I don’t have to remember another password and username combination, I don’t have to learn a new Web app, it pretty seamless.
Mobile
I have also used the mobile version of it on my iphone, and it works great. very seamless. While I am using my Google Reader on my phone I can click on a Buzz icon in the top right corner of the screen and the Google Buzz screen comes up to allow me to send out a Buzz.
Security
There is another important note to talk about when it comes to Google Buzz. If your profile is public, then all of your followers/following will be visible to all including their email addresses if their profiles are public as well. I think more than anything this is bringing to light something that those of us that have had Google profiles already shared, but if you don’t want your buzzes visible then you can modify your settings in your Google profile. Beyond that, when you create a new buzz you have the option of just sharing it with your following or to make it public.
Try it, you probably already have without even knowing it.
