Saturday, February 03, 2007

This just in...

I've been quoted in today's New York Times (!) in a piece by Brad Stone. The piece is entitled Cellphone Envy Lays Motorola Low (alternate link here.) The article is about Motorola's recent difficulties - operating margins crashing, profits under siege, layoffs, etc. - and the possible reasons behind them. Here's my snippet:
Analysts and consumers view many of these new phones as mere Razr knock-offs, with derivative, vowel-challenged names like the Pebl, Slvr, Rizr and Rckr.

“Phone manufacturers are only as hot as their last major hit — if they haven’t smacked it over the fence in a while, they’re in trouble,” said Carmi Levy, senior research analyst for the Info-Tech Research Group. “Motorola failed to follow it up with something similarly as big as the Razr.”
It's been a good media week, and I'll post links when I have some time. For now, Google News is a pretty good tool for keeping track of where my name pops up in the world.

The article also appeared in Friday's International Herald Tribune, entitled Motorola's fortunes plunge as Razr loses must-have status: buyers pay more to look hip. Other papers running the article include The Wilmington Star (NC), The Times Daily (AL), The Ledger, and the Spartanburg Herald Journal (SC).

I guess I'll be buying a copy of the paper in the morning!

26 comments:

Anna said...

Very cool. BTW, my husband thinks you have a very cool job! :)

Star said...

Wow- The NYT. Very impressive. Good for them for knowing whom to quote!

Carli N. Wendell said...

I always thought the Razr looked kind of weird--too flat for its size. Since I don't have the buckage for a phone that plays music, enables e-mail, operates Windows Vista, takes video, does my dishes, and writes me prescriptions for broad-spectrum antibiotics, I'll stick with the used Sanyo cell phone I just got off of ebay. It came from Texas. It's the second-largest state in the Union. Behind Alaska. . . where, apparently, lots of Japanese people go on vacation.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/02/01/aurora.tourism.ap/

kenju said...

Congratulations, Carmi. YOur techno-star just keeps rising!

I saw your question at Michele's: it is going to be 47 here today and in the 40's the rest of this week, and then we are getting the arctic blast that you and the US midwestern states have had all week. Brrrrrr!

kimmyk said...

Very cool Carmi!

I think you should buy 2 copies of the paper. One for you-and one for a friend.

It's freezing here in OHIO today. Suppose to be -13 tonight. Time to crack out with the longjohns.

rashbre said...

Well done with the quote!

Same thing in Europe where three years ago Nokia was the default business mobile. In its day it was slim, good battery life, clear reception, hung in to the signal, easy menus, easy obvious upgrade paths with car kits that still worked etc.

Then Nokia also went diverse and now everyone is confused about what good really looks like.

Europeans seem to be going for names, not numbers now so the mini qwerty seems to be in ascendancy for biz.

rashbre

Bunny said...

Complete Congrats Carmi.
That really is quite an achievement.

sage said...

Congratulations! I know the NYT owned the Wilmington Star News and may still own it (I grew up there from the time I was 9). My parents live there still--and get the paper--do you want me to see if they could save it till late this month when I'm down there?

Anonymous said...

Congrats Carmi!

I am enjoying watching your media world grow :)

Hey, by the way, thanks again for the helpfull photography hints you sent. The pics I've been posting are from old motorcycle trips I've taken but I plan on utilizing the info with my future photos.

Jamie Dawn said...

That's super! How great for you!
I'd buy copies of all those papers just to see the article in each one.
I'm glad you stopped by my blog. I'm going to read some of your other posts to get a feel for your blog.
Have a wonderful weekend. :)

Anonymous said...

How cool ARE you, anyway? Wow ... a celebrity on my blogroll ... [bats eyes and fans self like a true southern belle]

Here from Michele's. This time, anyway.

Anonymous said...

The Times Daily (AL). Wow, you're all the way down here in my state. Maybe I should try to get a copy of that.

Anonymous said...

Oh. my. goodness.

Wow.

OK, I am flooded with thoughts. First, I never really liked the rzr; it's just not a good phone. Now that they have a red one, there seems to be some more buzz, but it's all about the color, not the abilities. My hubby and I have good LG phones. Prior to that, we had quallcom phones - and I understand that LG is the new quaalcom.

Next: How cool is that to be quoted? That must be so much fun!

And last: I had NO FREAKING IDEA! I thought you were a freelance writer, not a senior research guy. I went to the website for research analysts and I could actually feel my IQ shrink! So are you a freelance writer and employed or have I just had my head in the clouds for this long? entirely possible, mind you.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and as for the cold, yeah, I goet it.. We can feel the cold running through the house. It's here with a 13 below windchill and I hear it's even worse in Minneapolis and points north. I think today is one of the first days I'm not wanting to move back home!

Anonymous said...

Oops, sorry, a question that I missed in my first comment - did they contact you for that quote or take it from something you wrote?

Unknown said...

You know when the Razr went out of style? When it became the teen phone of choice. My kids have them. Ugh.

Congrats on the media blitz. You're really doing so well!

carmilevy said...

ANNA: Your husband's right...I love what I do!
STAR: I keep trying to tell the journalists and editors that!
CARLI: Our research highlights a significant percentage of folks who just want a basic phone that works. The industry seems to be ignoring them.
JUDY: I'm hope this rising-star thing pays off someday soon. Working on it...
KIM: I'm looking for copies of the NYT here in London. I suspect nobody reads it in the Great White North.
RASHBRE: I think Nokia could learn a thing or two about brand identity from Apple.
GRANT: Nah. I just talk. Journos listen and occasionally drop my words into their stories. I still can't believe that I do this for a living.
SARCH: Glad I could help. Don't be shy if you've got any more questions. Photography is, to me, an ongoing conversation.
JAMIE DAWN: Wonderful to meet you. I hope you enjoy what you find on my site. I'll keep it clean :)
WORDNERD: Cool by association is a great concept. I'm cooler, then, because I'm on your blogroll.
JUSTIN: That would be neat! Thanks!
BLOND GIRL: Sorry for the confusion; I don't often explain it well on my site. I'm employed full-time as a senior analyst for a tech research firm. That's how I get all this media coverage. I also work freelance on contract-based writing projects and any other corporate/journalistic opportunity that crops up. // In most cases - including this one - the journalists call me up and interview me directly. Sometimes, they quote me off of a press release that we sent out or from earlier coverage.
MARGALIT: I'm hoping to delay that day as long as possible. Thanks so much for the good wishes. I'm enjoying the ride.

Anonymous said...

Carmi how does one find himself as a Senior Research Analyst at a tech research firm. Did you go looking for it or did the job come looking for you?

Anonymous said...

Whoa....International Herald Trib? Gosh, I hope you'll still be associating with us little people in the future. (smile)

Anonymous said...

Hi Carmi - here from Michele's. Sounds like you have had a good week and cerainly worth splashing out on a newspaper. Well done!

Shephard said...

Congrats!

I have a Mint Chocolate LG phone. :) and it's a lot of fun.

verizonwireless dot com forward slash chocolate

Michele says hello!
~S

Anonymous said...

Cool! Congrats on your quote, I agree with you on this too, between the 2 top DBS tv providers in the US, (I'm employed by 1) we smack the 'best technology' ball back & forth, they've got the first dvr, we've got the first hd dvr, we have more hd chans, then they do, etc. It never ends.
Here from Micheles.

scrappintwinmom said...

Very cool Carmi. If you need extra copies of NYT, just holler at me! :)

Carli N. Wendell said...

You'll be happy to know that my Dad referenced this article today, and I tapped my mother and said, "Carmi was quoted in that article." And of course, she said, "Who?"

sage said...

I finally got a hold of my father last night and they'd already tossed out the paper. He said he'd ask around about it.

Cristin B said...

Hello, Michele sent me.

Congratulations! Also, I think what you are quoted as saying is absolutely correct. :)