Access HollyWood and Custom Phone Etching

It's been a long week of travel and I am finally wrapping it up at the Access Hollywood suite in LA where I have been handing out Treo and Centro smartphones to celebrities. There's been a solid turnout despite the writers' strike, because unlike the usual SWAG suites, this one benfits two worthy organizations: Best Buddies and Lollipop Theatre.

Celebrities attending the event ranged from Bill Bellamy to Adam Ferrara to a few of the Pussycat Dolls. One of the things that really got the celebrities excited in addition to their new smartphones was the ability to personalize their phones using Etchstar.com (they use a cool laser machine to customize electronic devices with any type of art form, including...you guessed it...etching). The most popular choices were the "peace" symbol, skull and cross bones, and shouts out to the celeb's shows.

Pictures are included below and I also was able to get some video footage of the Etchstar machine in action.

-Paul Loeffler

(Standing with Bill Bellamy and his new Verizon Treo 755p - he had a heart with "love" etched into his smartphone)

(Danneel Harris holding her new Sprint Palm Centro smartphone with a etched "peace symbol")

(Carmit of the Pussycat Dolls holding her Verizon 755p - she got a flower etched on her smartphone)

(Lennie James of Snatch holding his Unlocked Treo 680 with a "smiley face and peace symbol, standing next to Jason Issacs of Blackhawk Down and Harry Potter).

Comments

[Madge]

In the 80's it was Jordache Jeans, now its the smartphone. People are always looking to define themselves. I think we have now entered the "Desiner Smartphone" era.

What people always miss about Palm is that in the past they were mainly a business device, and for a tiny company they sure gave Rimm a run for its money with their Treo line.

This is an exciting time for Palm. If they are 1/2 as successful here as they are in their business Treo line, the Blackberry carrying wall street guys will have to eat a lot of crow.

Keep building the fad of the "Designer Smartphone". In fact, the term "Smartphone" is so widely used maybe Palm should change this to "Designer Inteliphones"

If you are going to build a fad, you need to seperate your phones and your names from the pack. Good Luck with your new "designer intelli phones"