OP ED: The Tech Crazy Season

Is anyone keeping score on the avalanche of hardware and software releases cascading on the consumers just in time for the Christmas Season? There's always new hardware announced (*ahem* Android), but September and October have been months of "Hey, look! This is the latest and greatest and its better than that guy's!" We've had everything thrown at us from new smartphones from Apple, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia just to name a few, to tablet announcements from Apple, Microsoft (!?!), Samsung, Sony, etc., and lastly the the desktop computers and laptop announcements from EVERYONE!

And October hasn't ended yet.

October 29, two of the software giants will square off showing off their latest mobile Operating System with new hardware: Windows Phone 8 and Android's Jelly Bean refresh (not Key Lime Pie?). After that, its off to the races for the Christmas shopping!

Absent from all the craze is Research In Motion's BlackBerry line. Well, not so absent. RIM has been hosting BlackBerry Jam Sessions showing off their newest mobile platform: the QNX-based BlackBerry 10. There are alpha and beta hardware for developers to try out but nothing for consumers to take home has been announced yet. The latest BlackBerry devices are expected as early as January 2013 so they're not on people's mind come Christmas shopping time, but you bet they're on Wish Lists everywhere!

With so many offerings from a bunch of manufacturers on various different platforms in a plethora of form factors, its both good and bad to be a consumer. The beauty of capitalism is that it begets competition. The downside is it presents two 1st World problems: 1) What should I get? and 2) What color should I get it in?

Ah, the torment of sleepless nights breaking our heads with those dreaded questions!

I doubt very few of you would share this problem: too many ecosystems. You see, I realized this week I have every single major desktop and mobile OS under one roof - not intentional either. I have Windows, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Mac OS X, Android 3.0 &4.0, Apple iOS6, BlackBerry 7.1, and BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1. With so many ecosystems and different app and music purchases on each, I beg for one device that can do it all.

I wish you all good luck this Christmas shopping season. I, sadly, still have to wait for January 2013 (PLEASE!), for my next smartphone will be the super phone BlackBerry 10. That's the solution to my 1st World problem - assuming it doesn't come in other colors . . .

[End Rant]