To Blackberry or not to Crackberry ...

... that is the question. Recently, I took stock in just how many of my friends were updating their facebook statuses 'via blackberry'. Over half of the posts on my main page were from 'blackberry' posters. And I noticed at least 4 people recently chose the Blackberry as their phone-of-choice when upgrading their phones ... despite claiming financial situations otherwise. This led to a few discussions with blackberry owners - mainly: why do you feel you need a crackberry?

Most answers range from work, to scheduling of daily tasks, to quicker responsiveness (with the inability to sit at a computer). Two recent blackberry converts -- my boyfriend and a co-worker -- are always on the go and need to respond to emails quickly for their jobs. I'd agree that they have a good reason to own one, but most of the rest of the owners .... I'm at a loss.

The fact that the people working at mobile stores (verizon, AT&T, etc) have blackberries is a bit ridiculous - other than needing to know how it works, what reason do they have to actually own a $550 phone? And how about the people that sit at a computer all day ... and own one? For what reason do you need a computer in your pocket, and a computer in front of you? Or people complaining about their financial situations ... while they tap tap tap away on their crackberries? No one sees the irony in this? Get the free phone, sell your blackberry on ebay. Bam! At worst - you have half a mortgage payment & you'd save yourself the blackberry data plan every month. If you lose or damage your phone - you could be without a phone or have to pay over twice as much to replace it!

Now, it may seem like I am - but I am NOT judging - I'd prob get one if they weren't as expensive as they are, and I thought my job merited it. For those that actually use them for work - here are some stats:

96% the pilot users stated the device significantly improved their business effectiveness.
83% of users stated the mobile service improved their responsiveness and customer service.
44% direct revenue gains as a result of their increased responsiveness.

According to a recent study by consulting firm AT Kearney, having secure, around-the-clock access to corporate data can increase employee productivity as much as 30%. Wirelessly enabling enterprise applications boosts profitability through reduced cycle times, increased asset utilisation and increased service levels.

I don't feel that I need to be more reachable than my already unlimited text messages and ridiculous amount of minutes a month. I just think everyone been watching a bit too much Entourage or E! news and wants to be a celebrity ( at least feel like one) and what better way than to get the same phone? Only, we don't have that much to schedule, that many people to talk to, or that many people to keep track of! It's just a fact.

Blackberries - even worse than cell phones - turn us into little islands. Isolated islands looking for the next best thing. In the very beginning of "About a Boy," Hugh Grant's character says "All men are islands. And what's more, this is the time to be one. This is an island age. A hundred years ago, for example, you had to depend on other people. No one had TV or CDs or DVDs or home espresso makers. As a matter of fact they didn't have anything cool. Whereas now you can make yourself a little island paradise." The blackberry is the ultimate in island tools! Say you go to a bar, sit with friends, but text or SMS others that aren't there. Check your facebook or twitter, or look up movie times, cause the bar may not be exciting enough for you. Or look up anything on google! The sky is the limit!

I'm not degrading the blackberry - it's a useful tool in the right hands. I'm just wondering why, in this day and age, people without jobs pay for the blackberry phone and data plan -- without batting an eye? When did it become some necessary for us to be so available to one another? When did cell phones with the capacity to go online become a necessity? If you've read this far, I think you've gathered the point: it's not a necessity. It's a want and a pretty silly one at that. If you're not using it for work, you're just wasting your money.