I have to out myself as being an iPhone user now too since yesterday. First impression is that it is a great device with the best user interface ever seen on a mobile phone. Making phone calls is real fun.

The UI has been meticulously worked out with all its details and so many things could be mentioned that Apple did to revolutionize user interaction. Its success is not surprising. Being an iPod too makes for an additional fun factor when traveling. Of course the GSM/EDGE connection is not something that would make web surfing practical. But for getting some info such as weather, direction updates etc. it works fine. Problem here for me is that I have to make sure I don't use it outside my home country as then roaming charges might be astronomical.

So when traveling only a Wifi connection makes sense. Maybe Apple has something up their sleeve to overcome this issue once they are present in more countries.

Lastly more applications are the way to go and will further boost this phone as the pre-installed set of applications only covers basic tasks.

(This picture is taken in Vietnam. A country I can highly recommend to everybody to visit.)

How to properly take time off from work is something that -- both in tough as well as in booming markets -- is easier said than done, as there is always something "important" to do. The list below I found on Brad Feld's blog and, while at first sight seems a bit funny to say why would you need to define how to take time off, actually when you read it I am sure lots of you will find something familiar. I did. So thanks to Brad I will now define my own ways to spend time off from work. In the meantime take a look at his recipes:

1. Spend Time Away: This is a complete disconnect for at least a week. I have been doing this four times a year since 2000 and view this as a key part of my existence on this planet. It gives me a week to catch my breath, rest, spend time with Amy, explore new things, and clear my brain. I've felt completely invigorated every time I've returned from spending time away.


2. Go Dark Weekend: When I find myself feeling burned out, I do a go dark weekend. I turn off my computer and cell phone at 6pm on Friday night and don't turn it back on until 5am Monday morning. I cancel anything that is scheduled for the weekend and just do whatever I feel like doing. This is usually a once a quarter event; occasionally more frequently depending on how busy I am. I'm considering doing this around each of my marathon weekends also.


3. Excursion: This is what Fred was just on. It's a vacation to a neat new place with your immediate family and possibly some friends, but there is still structured work time. In Fred's case, he scheduled 90 minutes early in the morning for calls and tried to be disciplined about only checking his blackberry during "down time." I was in Scottsdale at the Phoenician from last Friday until Tuesday for my dad's 70th birthday - I'd put this in the same category. I spent lots of time hanging out with my family, running, playing tennis, eating, and sleeping late, but I kept on top of my email, had a few scheduled calls, and was available for important things that came up.


4. Downshift: This is what I'm currently on. Amy and I are at our place in Keystone for a 10 day stretch. We've got plenty of friends coming and going so there's lots of social time. I've got a chunk of phone calls scheduled each day (10am to noon) but no board meetings, no in person meetings, and lots of random thinking / reading / chilling out time. I'm completely available for important things, but I'm not initiating anything substantive this week.


5. Visit: We all know this one - it's the infamous family trip where you go visit your parents / relatives or they come visit you. It's a key part of life, but you often return more tired then when you departed.

No this was not meant to be a sarcastic heading although I laughed too after I re-read it.
3i announced that it would be leaving the startup investment scene and focussing its activities on later stage investments such as M&As and buyouts.
Some of the comments that 3i's CEO Philip Yea made to the Financial Times:

• "Early stage has not been an easy place."
• "It is a natural evolution because there is more value for us in later-stage companies internationally and that is what we have been doing more and more."
• "Companies need to be clear what they are good at and what they are not."
• "We want to focus on where we are distinctive. It is a statement about us, not about the markets."
• "For us it is about where are we best equipped. Well, we are best equipped working with companies that need to scale up at a later stage."
  

The above says it all, pretty much, so I don't have too much to add.
I have not personally worked with 3i so all my know-how is based on people who did - and told me that 3i did basically not understand their business, could not support them with hands-on expertise nor with valuable contacts, was demanding tons of reports and bureaucracy that required the hiring of nearly one full time person to just fulfill that (for a 20 people company that is quite a waste).
To me this sounds like an elephant tried to live off some rare plants in the backyard. Not a long-term valid model.
I am sure that the folks I know won't be too sad about this move. So that's all there is to say:
Goodbye, 3i.

Note the picture in the bag. Bill reaches everywhere...