Today is soon-to-be-pres. Obama's last day with his beloved VZW BlackBerry 8830. He's still fighting to keep it, and in the process giving RIM publicity on an unprecedented scale. How much is it all worth?
$25 to $50 million dollars, according to marketing experts-one of the biggest endorsement deals in history, were it an actual deal and not a president-elect constantly lamenting having to go cold turkey on BBerries.
The NYTimes has been monitoring this story like the hawks that they are, and on Sunday analyzed the potential security implications of a smartphone-toting president. Even though government BlackBerries are encrypted to the max and of course kill-switchable if lost, the risk of the president's email (or location) being compromised is still too great to allow BO to go on with his 8830.
But then again, as the NYT points out, Barack losing his piece could have an unforseen benefit:
Then there is the fashion concern. Mr. Obama is known to sport his BlackBerry in a holster on his belt, which to many is the sartorial equivalent of wearing socks with sandals. Ridding the president of the phone could avoid legitimizing that look.
I hope BO's enjoying his last BBerry-strapped day. [NYTimes, NYTimes]