Not too long ago Elizabeth Harrow noted that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has actually ramped up its payroll by 48% in fiscal 2008. Today we hear that Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) actually has more than 1,250 positions it needs filled mostly in its Waterloo, Ont. headquarters within its R&D and product development departments. Yes, RIM is hiring.

It's no secret that RIM has recently revamped its line of smartphones to try and broaden its appeal beyond the corporate user and reach the consumer. It did it to mixed reviews. The touch screen BlackBerry Storm got an awful review from David Pogue at The New York Times, while others disagreed. Similarly, it seems that some are disappointed with the new Pearl Flip while others see the potential appeal. The new Bold seems mostly to hold its own as a solid corporate phone.

Other than the recent launches, RIM has also been hit by a stream of bad news, taking its stock down 65% year-to-date: Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones in the last quarter, compared with 6.1 million BlackBerrys. Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) reported abysmal earnings and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has lowered estimates recently. Oh, Nokia launched another smartphone competitor, the N97. Then there's the recession in North America, Europe, and Japan, a recession that may become global soon. And research firms project a drop in mobile-phone sales. With all this could RIM really keep to its targets in 2009?

Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote (this year it will be tomorrow morning) has always drawn tons of media coverage, especially in advance as Apple followers everywhere make a game out of predicting his pronouncements. (In a previous post, I linked to some of the speculation.)

Now someone has actually made a real game out of the showcase speech; bingo. The New York Times's inimitable personal; tech columnist David Pogue draws our attention to a "witty programmer" who created "Macworld Bingo" for all live listeners and viewers of the Jobs keynote.

The programmer's Bingo template includes a randomized list of 50 possible keynote subjects. If Jobs touches on it, one can press a button and check it off. If you get five buttons in a row, column, or diagonally, you have won Macworld Bingo

Subjects range from "iTV released" to Steve in his famous "turtle neck and jeans." So which crazed Mac fans will be participating in the Macworld Bingo? Obviously, too many as the top of the site's web page notes: "The server is collapsing under the unforseen popularity of Keynote Bingo!"