Since March 2005, BlackBerry Cool has been the destination for those who desire the best in BlackBerry news coverage. Although lately you’ve seen my name on virtually all of the posts, there is a network of people who really make the site happen. Here are the good people who help make BlackBerry Cool the site that it is.
Douglas Soltys
With a half-decade of experience in the wireless industry, Douglas “tr0n” Soltys has seen mobile culture evolve from early childhood to its now impetuous teen years. Prior to working on QuicklyBored, a mobile entertainment site, Douglas worked for a variety of smartphone software developers in the Ottawa area. Although no longer working at the site, Doug knows a great deal about the space and is happy to send in his 2 pennies.
Nan Palmero
You can frequently find Nan Palmero reading technology blogs at every opportunity. He has been able to intertwine his personal passions for technology into the culture at Sales by 5 where he helps ensure that Sales by 5′s clients are communicating and working faster and better than their competitors. Nan is also a driving force behind the Sales by 5 Blog, which provides visitors with fast and practical ideas to increase sales. You can find Nan Palmero on BlackBerry Cool as the writer of our critically acclaimed Power User editorial series.
Jonathan Brandon
Jonathan works with Smoke Labs on his latest project The Public Post, a Canadian news blog. The site is a great destination for some in-depth commentary on local issues. Apart from being a politically savy individual, Jonathan is also a smartphone enthusiast. Take a look at some of his reviews.
Bambi Blue
Bambi has a diverse background with experience in music, the arts, teaching and… butchering. Her education consists of degrees in History and Anthropology. On top of writing for WindowsMobile Cool, she likes to review accessories and write BlackBerry/WinMo comparison pieces. For years she worked building and testing industrial electronics for an international company. She then moved on to teaching computer hardware and software to government workers and foreign ambassadors visiting Canada before she landed here at Smoke Labs.
Matt Cameron
Matt has helped do any and every video you’ve seen on BlackBerryCool that is remotely well edited. If it was poorly edited, it was done by Kyle. Matt has worked in the mobile games industry for about 2 years. His real creative juices flow when he does his VJ’ing sets for various bars and nightclubs around the city. All in all, he has been cultivating a career as a video artist for about 5 years. He is entirely self-taught and really good at what he does. If you’re ever in the Ottawa area, check out the Mercury Lounge on a Saturday night.
Giancarlo Casale
Giancarlo lives in Montreal and is an avid BlackBerry user. He’s studying accounting right now and works for the family business. Giancarlo (aka LouTreize), owns a Mac and has a lot of insight into BlackBerry users on Mac. Although he doesn’t directly work in the space, LT is quite good at writing and can put together a very well rounded review. He also enjoys economics and his tweets will make you laugh.
Simon Lavoie
Simon lives in British Columbia and has recently graduated from University. His personal blog gives you an idea for his writing style. Simon has a wide range of experience in promotions, advertising, communications, strategy, and a few others. He works at Avalanche.
Monica SImons
Monica Simons writes for blackberrymotion.com, a site in its infancy that reports on the space. On her site, Monica writes under the moniker bbgeekchic so be sure to look out for her. Her Twitter reach is really decent and her writing style makes for a nice read. Drop her a line because she’s very easy to communicate with.
Friends of BlackBerry Cool
Simon Sage
Simon used to write for BlackBerry Cool and he made an excellent podcast. He writes for IntoMobile and specializes in BlackBerry coverage.
Wes Tam
Wes Tam has worked in the mobile gaming space for 4 + years as a programmer, game designer and producer. Previously, he worked in the R&D group of a 3D Television Animation Startup on procedural animation systems as well as procedural entertainment content on mobile devices.
Al Sacco
Al writes for CIO.com and does a great job of keeping everyone entertained on Twitter.
Robert Sommers
Robert Sommers writes excellent software reviews. He makes a living as an application specialist for a software company and this experience is invaluable in when it comes to reviewing software. Robert is a BlackBerryCool reader who writes insightful comments on the site due to his experience and background.
Gordon Dewis
Gordon Dewis has been blogging for a very long time and is good at what he does. His blog, gordon.dewis.ca has some interesting perspectives on life as well as he’s an avid geocacher. Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Gordon, AKA Keeper of Maps, lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Bla1ze
Bla1ze writes for CB and has a site called videos4blackberry. His articles are great and he’s always on point with BlackBerry rich media. His site is still in Alpha and collecting users. Make sure you drop him a helpful comment or two on his forums.
Jude Sweenes
Jude wrote an excellent review of PictureDial for the BlackBerry Storm. Her writing style is elegant and concise which makes for an easy read. A true BlackBerry Storm fan, expect more great reviews from her.
