IPHONE GETS BUSY SIGNAL: HOLLYWOOD AND OTHERS TELL EMPLOYEES TO STICK TO BLACKBERRY (BW, VAR)

By Nancy Vialatte

It�s iPhone day. Steve Jobs� latest must-have gadget has had eager consumers camping out for days ahead of its launch this evening, but not everyone is chomping at the bit. And, even some Hollywood-ers who are drooling for it are being told they must settle for their boring ol� BlackBerries. Business Week and Variety both take a look at the potential haves and have-nots.

Any doubt about whether the iPhone holds appeal for consumers has been put to rest by images of folks lining up for days outside Apple stores and by opinion polls reflecting high interest in the multimedia calling device. But whether the iPhone can satisfy the needs and cravings of businesspeople hinges on how capably the device can interact with corporate networks and handle applications such as e-mail. (BW)

Indeed, Variety reports that everywhere across the entertainment business from studios to networks and agencies employees have been told that, despite the frequent pleas, they �can't replace their Blackberry with the drool-inducing device, which goes on sale today at 6 p.m.�

IPhone-hungry employees at most of the big tenpercenteries, as well as several networks and studios, confirmed that they have been told by their IT departments that they can't do company business on an iPhone due to security and compatibility problems. In fact, companies including HBO and Warner Bros. sent memos to all employees telling them to stop bugging the IT department -- they're not getting one. (VAR)

"While there is great anticipation and buzz around the iPhone, it is intended primarily for the consumer market," read the Warner email. "It lacks key security features which make it unsuitable, in it's (sic) present form, as a corporate email device. At WB and all of TW, we have standardized on the Blackberry and expect to continue with this standard." (VAR)

Further, IT analyst Ken Dulaney of Gartner is advising his big corporate clients and others not to support the iPhone for now. "It's just not ready for prime time as a corporate e-mail device," Dulaney told Business Week. "The resistance by the IT departments of large companies to supporting the iPhone is going to be fairly widespread."

Apple may add software that would allow iPhones to work with Blackberry servers, but it could still take a while for companies to take the iPlunge. What�s more, iPhones may just not appeal to Hollywood types who do so much of their business on the go. The smartphone�s touch-screen keyboard has been getting mixed reviews and may not be ideal for those used to speed-typing emails all day on a Blackberry, notes Variety.

"No keyboard -- like a full-on Blackberry -- no deal, at least for me," one admittedly Apple-obsessed exec told Variety. "I want to write memos anywhere, anytime." Disney Channel Worldwide topper Rich Ross added, "I like the latest thing, but probably that goes more for clothes and cars than gadgets."

Nonetheless, this is Hollywood, and the town's early adopters, who spread the gospel on TiVo and turned others' envy over their first-gen Blackberrys, are going to want one anyway. So what's a trend-addicted, style-focused bizzer to do? Carry two devices. (VAR)

"I'll make my booty calls with the iPhone and get reamed in the ass by my boss on my Blackberry," cracked one senior studio exec. (VAR)