Happy 1st Birthday, Paqman&Bull!

Turnbull & Paqman (Photo via us)

Well, it’s a bit of a belated birthday but here we are 1 year later and (hopefully) wiser. 276 posts, over 30,000 pageviews and hundreds of hours spent writing have come to pass. We feel that we're still refining our style to ensure we deliver the best product on the web while focusing on our mission: to be your source for insight on music, sport, and culture.

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss(es)?: RIM Shakes Up Leadership Structure

RIM's newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins (Photo via rim.com)

After months of speculation and pressure from investors, RIM has shuffled the top of the hill as former COO Thorsten Heins takes over as President and CEO. Gone is the ridiculous co-CEO structure as Balsillie and Lazaridis are now Board members. This is great news for RIM as they now have stability and fresh blood in the driver's seat.

According to what I've gathered, Heins will focus on marketing RIM's line of Blackberry products, OS 7.1, the Playbook and BB 10, and delivering a proper consumer experience with clear communications. RIM's fall from grace is due to their inability to recognise changes in the market (come on y'all, you couldn't create a SWOT analysis and action it??) as Apple and Google swooped in to take their market share with friendlier, stable handsets. Heins will need to be aware of these changes or will not be around long enough for anyone to remember his name.

I wish Heins all the best as he takes the reigns of a company in flux. If he can focus on setting reasonable expectations and delivering on them, RIM will be in a very good position in the market. If he doesn't, it will be more "same old, same old" as consumer confidence will continue to plunge. Heins' first order of business will be to ensure that OS 2.0 for the Playbook is released by the end of February. If he doesn't deliver on this, he will have some rough times ahead.

-Paqman

In Which I Write a Letter To RIM Which Will Never Be Read (By Anyone At RIM)

(Photo via thesmythgroup.com)

Dear RIM and Board of Directors,

I've held out on writing this letter for quite a long time. Amid speculations of a takeover, the Playbook's poor performance, the disastrous 3rd quarter revenue announcement and parade of broken promises, I didn't post one negative word. Here we are now, as the BES/BIS service is back online where some customers were without service for 3 days...we all witnessed a fall from grace that is not slowing down. Stock value is shaky at best and RIM is becoming even more faceless thanks to a lack of solid customer service and communication. You've found yet another way to embarrass yourself. But, more importantly, you've embarrassed me.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs 1955-2011

(Photo via apple.com)

Apple Co-Founder and visionary Steve Jobs has passed away today due to pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind a company that changed so many facets of the way we consume media through amazing products like the Mac, iPod and iPad to name a few. Jobs brought the music industry into the Digital age, even though they didn't want to give in. He did what he wanted, and everyone followed suit.

Powerful. Brilliant. Charismatic. Innovative. Genius.

In life as in death, he's a legendary icon that will continue to inspire the masses.

-Paqman

Kindle Tablet Set To Fire Up The Portable PC Game

(Photo via eurodroid.com)

Amazon put on a press conference today announcing their foray into the tablet market. The Kindle Fire will be available to the masses in mid to late November. If you're really excited (you might be after reading this), you can sign up to pre-order the device in the US. The measuring stick for success is gauged by the size of the bite that can be taken out of the Apple. Is this finally the iPad killer?

Digital Natural Selection: Evolve or Become a Virtual Victim

(Photo via warungkopiseesharpminor.blogspot.com)

The buzz word around the interweb these days is privacy (and its apparent unsecured availability). I conduct the bulk of my daily tasks online (and on my BlackBerry) like millions of other plugged in citizens of this increasingly virtual world. There have been 3 major breaches that have sounded the alarm in the past month that should make you put your s%|t on lock down. If you don't take this seriously, you will succumb to Paqman's first law of Digital Natural Selection: the virtual ecosystem is a living, evolving environment, and you should adapt to its changing landscape. If not, you will become a victim (as your information will be used maliciously and your funds will become extinct).