Say Bye To His Crackberry? If Obama Has To, Yes He Can

***UPDATE***
This post is being featured on the front-page of BrazenCareerist.com
It's my 4th appearence in the last month.

The man whose entire presidential campaign was based on the word, "change", is discovering that before he attempts at changing the country, he will have to change himself. President-Elect Barack Obama will be sworn into office on January 20, 2009 and on that day, he will dread hearing these seven words..."Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry." And before he officially accepts his presidency, he will have to sync his wireless session for one last time, until 2012 at least. Unlike John McCain who openly admitted he doesn't spend much time with computing devices, saying he relies on his wife's help with computers, Obama is a tech geek! And like most men, he likes his gadgets. In fact, he says he is addicted to e-mailing and texting on his Crackberry, AKA BlackBerry. Now I’m not a Crackberry addict/user myself, although I might be in roughly 30 days when I upgrade my Razr cell phone and make the difficult decision between going with the new BlackBerry Storm or the sexy iPhone 3G. Regardless, I still understand the trauma he must be going thru, imagine the withdrawal symptoms! They don't nickname it the "Crackberry" for nothing. It's like crack cocaine. Just one hit, one touch of it's sleek electronic goodness, and you're addicted for life!

Like many professionals, for years, the device is rarely from his side. It’s usually fastened to his belt, like a gunslinger he can whip it out and fire off an e-mail like nobody’s business. Even the night he was elected, he was sending out e-mails and txts thanking those who sent their congratulatory messages via the digital world. So why does the next president have to turn over his Crackberry? Well security reasons of course. Email privacy concerns is not the only security issues in question for Obama though. He also has to be in line with the Presidential Records Act that forces his correspondence to be placed on official record for review by the public and also subjects anything he does to the threat of subpoenas. There has yet to be a decision made as to whether or not Obama will be the first emailing president, but his aides are guessing that it is not very likely.

Obama has been described as a tech-savvy president, mostly because of the extensive use of technology during his presidential campaign. And it appeared that he was taking steps to bring at least some of that technology with him into the White House. For example, Obama wants to have a laptop computer on his desk in the White House. If that is achieved, he would be the first American president to accomplish this feat. It is reported that Obama has yet to send a goodbye message from his personal e-mail account, which has not changed in years, but those he communicates with say that the frequency in which they receive his messages has declined. In recent days, he has been photographed communicating via his BlackBerry, which shows he is enjoying his last days with the device (insert sad smiley face here). There is no doubt that giving up this habit and communication path will be difficult. And don't look for BlackBerry to patent a special edition BarackBerry phone anytime soon.

Honestly, I’m sort of scared to go the smartphone route because I know me and I know I’ll become addicted! When it comes to my job, I’m connected to the digital world enough. So do I really want to be connected 24/7? Will I become one of those freaks that sleeps with their Crackberry under their pillow? (cough:Cristin:cough) Or will I be strong enough to unplug, or rather leave the wireless devices at home, when I hit the slopes this snowboard season? In the past, I’ve always been good at turning my cell phone off when I needed that down time - like on a date, a family gathering, while snowboarding, a weekend getaway, etc. Although I see that changing should I get a smartphone. I see myself becoming weak, unable to say no and giving into its temptation. I imagine it giving me a sexy come hither look, drawing me into sending just one more e-mail, just one more text, surf just one more website. Damn you technology. I wish I could quit you.

So President Obama (I like the sound of that), if you can give up your Crackberry, you’re a far better man than me. I admire your strength in doing so. You’re "yes I can" attitude. But let me just say, that when you are alone in the White House and it’s late at night and you miss the touch of your Crackberry lover, it’s ok to weep. It’s ok to morn this lost. Afterall, it’s a HUGE lose! Whether you look at this as a breakup or a death, both are equally devastating to endure. There’s no shame in crying. It’s a healthy release. So you do what you need to do. Nobody needs to even know. When you ask a man to give up his most beloved tech gadget, you might as well ask him to chop off his penis as well! Yes, a dramatic comparison, but I believe Obama and I feel that strongly about our love for everything technology related. In short, I feel your pain, bro. I feel your pain.

***NOTE***
I need help choosing a new phone and since I'm torn between the iPhone 3G and the BlackBerry Storm, I need your help! So check out the voting poll on my sidebar and cast your vote for what phone I should get.