Barron's writes a story about Motorola's new RAZR, and RIM shares tumble. I guess it's just more evidence that investors remain worried about the next Blackberry-killer. Yes, Barron's is a respected publication so you have to take it seriously when it proclaims the new RAZR "points it directly at the heart of RIM's popular BlackBerry". Then again, Barron's isn't first media outlet - or the last - to proclaim the sky is falling on RIM. Truth be old, when it comes to mobile e-mail, RIM has a strong grip on the market. Its devices work extremely well, users see value in paying $75 to $100 a month for the service, and carriers love the higher ARPU. This isn't to suggest there will not be competition but the market still has plenty of room for growth so, for the time being, there is enough for everyone. Rather than worry about new e-mail devices on the horizon, RIM investors should focus on how the company is positioning itself for the next growth opportunity. RIM has talked about morphing into a "wireless application platform" but it remains to be seen if this plan can be realized. If RIM really wants to improve its stickiness, I suggest it develop a new and improved Web browser, and align itself with a portal partner(s) to drive new revenue opportunities. At the very least, RIM could get users to eat up more minutes and draw consumers away from the Treo 650.
Update: Motorola CEO Ed Zander gave analysts a look at its hot, new device called "Q", or the RAZRberry, that features a QWERTY keyboard, electro-luminescent keys, the ability to to send and receive e-mail, surf the Web and take photos with a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash. Q will use Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0. For a sneak peek of "Q", check out the Gadget Guy.

Having just bought an iPod mini, I did a double-take while driving past the TD Canada Trust branch near my house and saw a huge poster advertising a free iPod shuffle. To get a 1GB shuffle, you have to transfer a personal or small business chequing account from another financial institution by Aug. 12. It's an eye-catching offer, and shows the iPod's tremendous appeal. To think someone would change banks to get a $150 device for free is astounding. The offer will likely resonate with younger consumers who think the iPod has a ultra-cool factor. If you believe customer loyalty to a brand or company is established at a young age, TD's probably on the right track. I'm curious about how many iPod minis that TD will have to purchase to meet demand. However how many it does buy is likely money well spent.
Update (July 27): Apple is offering college students a free iPod mini when they buy a PowerBook, iMac or Power Mac

I hope Yahoo's M&A folks work on commission given the flurry of the deals in recent months. The latest purchase is Pixoria, which has developed an application called Konfabulator that lets people run desktop "widgets" such as traffic reports and mosquito levels in your region (really!). While Pixoria is a smal, three-person start-up, its purchase must be viewed from a higher strategic level because it suggests the race to control the New Desktop is intensifying. Look at the desktop search applications rolled out by Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and AOL as the most obvious shot across the bow. Somewhere in the mix, RSS is going to play a major role on the desktop as computer users seek quicker access to news and information. Yahoo made an intriguing move into this market with acquisition of Blo.gs. There is a race taking place for control of the personal computer and the New Desktop beyond the OS. While the moves so far have not been big in size, they are significant strategically. It will be interesting to see what Google does next as far as blogs and RSS. As an aside, the lack of noise surrounding Google's home page beta has been curious.