I Like Blackberries; They’re Delicious
I like blackberries. We have some growing in our yard during the summer.
However, I cannot say the same for the handheld wireless email devices called by the same name. I just cannot think of a single good reason for buying one. Most of us with office jobs do work that can typically wait for several hours when we’re not there. And for those who absolutely must be available at all times when off duty, can’t they be contacted by phone rather than email?
The devices themselves seem unreliable anyway. Darren Murph, of Engadget, reported yesterday that Blackberry services went down again. Here’s an excerpt from Darren’s article:
BlackBerry addicts everywhere have reason to panic this afternoon, as their beloved network is indeed experiencing technical difficulties — and it’s certainly not the first time that this has happened in the past year.
I’m thinking many folks fork over the money for a blackberry mainly so they can feel important. What do you think?
February 15th, 2008 at 9:39 am
When your job requires you to be travelling alot (limo’s, airports, etc.) you can be effectively answering emails as they come in. You don’t have to find a internet connection and pull out your laptop, you can answer immediately from you BlackBerry. As for your comment about picking up a phone; people are too busy to be answering phones and waiting on hold etc. etc., email is more reliable and anyone in the corporate world is conscious of this being the communication medium of choice. As, with email you have proof of the conversation, it is documented, and future disputes can be easily settled by checking your past messages.
My BlackBerry allows me to be much more productive every day and I only answer emails beyond office hours if I want too.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
John, thanks a lot for posting. While email certainly can be useful, it can also be a timewaster for some with back-and-forths, etc. I thought this was a good article on another blog: http://thinksimplenow.com/productivity/how-to-delete-email-addiction/