Apple – buy Blackberry and Verizon

Blackberry – A great global brand still in the making? Simple product, somewhat elegant, and it works. The settled lawsuit is big – despite the $600 million pricetag. The CEO is a putz for not settling and maybe deserves to be punished for his negligence based on what I read he could have settled for just one year ago. A rounding error to the forces to be on Wall Street.

Another huge opportunity missed by me. I used the product, praised its addiction and preached the unconverted NOTE TO SELF – I STILL DO!!!!. Talk about a free sales force. Millions just like me. I passed on the stock at $5 because of the Wall Street Journal writing about all the patent litigation risks. In hindsight, a bigger gift – mainstream media bagging on a great PRODUCT. Of course they continue to do this – witness the neverending story of Apple ipod’s doom as Apple’s stock doubles and doubles again.

Valuation? How do you value a company that could raise it prices 100 percent and get people to pay – at least until someone else gets it right. By the way – not happening anytime soon (95 percent of camera-phone customers don’t buy a data plan, it shows that Microsoft and others haven’t cracked the code) .The TV commercials I could create for them alone, would be award winners and hysterical. There are two blackberry users, those converted and those yet to try it (they will) and they will convert.

If Apple bought Blackberry and Verizon purchase, the whole game could be over.

Up $14 on settlement news and probably a strong buy. Getting close to the missed opportunity I passed up on raw land in Arizona.