Bans & Price Wars ... the never-ending battle

It's a black day for BlackBerry in the U.A.E with a ban being issued on all related BlackBerry services due to security concerns. This is a bold move taken by the U.A.E, as while other countries (India for one) have expressed concerns, they took it one step further.
This will definitely shake up the mobile market in the U.A.E., as since its introduction the BB has made significant inroads into the business and consumer markets which were previously dominated by popular brands such as Nokia & Sony Ericsson etc, which would definitely take this opportunity to regain their previously lost market share. This could also signal the introduction of the iPhone which has yet to make a dent in this middle-eastern market.
This ban also affects business travellers transiting through U.A.E, and while it is inconvenient it can definitely hamper the image of the country as the latest hub for business development.
So is this going to be a step forward or backward for U.A.E's image? Will other countries take the leap? How will competitors and BlackBerry react? Got to wait and see..so watch this space!
More details can be found in Silverstein's article Other brands gain on BlackBerry's ban in the UAE.

Speaking of competitive measures, Barnes & Nobles's (Nook) & Amazon's (Kindle) are engaged in fierce battle in the e-reader market, which has taken a turn towards a price war (c'mon we know that's not going to work in the long run), you have to wonder about the other substitutes available, such as the iPad, which also boasts the ability of being an e-book reader among a plethora of other available applications, and while both readers have impressive qualifications, will they stand a chance against newer media channels which target the attention fragmented consumer? So is this war  really necessary?? I guess we just wait to find out who in the end has the largest Nook!