BREAKING: Obama declines to accept Presidency - says cannot part with Blackberry..

[ddeclue]

In a press conference today, President Elect Barack Obama has announced that he will decline the Presidency, leaving it to Vice President Elect Joe Biden citing an inability to part with his beloved Blackberry for the next four to eight years.

"It's my strongest connection to the outside world" says Obama, "I'm afraid that without it I will be trapped in a bubble of power and disconnected from the outside world like President Bush has been".

Just kidding folks but seriously he's still fighting to keep his blackberry - I'm sure the Research In Motion guys are working overtime to create a Blackberry One for the New President...

:rofl:


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/us/politics/08berry.html?em

Obama Digs In for His BlackBerry

By JEFF ZELENY
Published: January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has yet to relent, but he conceded that he might be losing the battle to keep his independent lifeline to the outside world.

“I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”

Of all the fights facing Mr. Obama as he prepares for the White House, one of the most maddening for him is the prospect of losing the BlackBerry that has been attached to his belt for years. It is, he has vigorously argued, an essential link to keeping him apprised of events outside his ever-tightening cocoon.

“This is a concern, I should add, not just of Secret Service, but also lawyers,” Mr. Obama said, speaking in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. “You know, this town’s full of lawyers. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.”....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/us/politics/08berry.html?em

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Cross-addiction...

He has to give up his smokes, but he's digging in on his crackberry.:D

[ddeclue]

4. I wonder if they have a Blackberry patch he can wear?

:rofl:

[DangerousRhythm]

2. Aw, I feel bad for him.

I'd go insane if people basically took my internets away.

[onehandle]

3. Replace "BlackBerry" with "iPhone" and that would be me.

I cannot imagine not having this thing.

[ddeclue]

5. I really don't get the fascination with iPhone....

A friend of mine switched from BB to iP last year and has already switched back.

I recommended iP to her after seeing a demo of the web browsing capabilities but it seems to me as a basic cell phone and email platform that it sucks. It doesn't get email updates nearly as rapidly as BB and the battery life is ridiculously short.

The only really cool feature was their zoomable touchscreen web browser interface.

My personal solution is NEITHER.

I used to carry a large 17" 16x9 format laptop around and when it died I recently got an ultra portable 10" netbook made by Advent. I use it with a broadband wireless EVDO card from Verizon and I find this much more satisfactory than any PDA I've seen or had. It has built in video cam so I can even video conference from anywhere. If I need to make a phone call I can either VoIP on it or just use a regular Motorola cell phone.

Doug D.

[onehandle]

6. Unless something has changed recently, iPhones have the best battery life for a 3G phone.

Other than that, it's a personal preference and I'll leave it at that.

And the problem with carrying around a 10" netbook is that when I slip it into my pocket of my jeans, the stitching splits and it falls on the ground.

[ddeclue]

7. Not in our experience (includes swapping the phone as defective)

battery life is pretty poor if you actually use the phone for things besides a phone. Web surfing and email tend to kill the battery pretty quickly.

[alwysdrunk]

14. Don't know where you got that from

iPhone 3G battery life is horrible. Almost every high end phone beats it. The best 3G battery life right now is the Sony Xperia X1.

[marimour]

8. lol! I can totally relate.

I'm addicted to my Treo.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. What, exactly, is the security issue with him carrying a BB?

Are they afraid it can be homed in on like a beacon, making him vulnerable? What?

[scheming daemons]

13. It's an electronic bullseye

It is a transmitting device.... so it can be used as a homing beacon.

[ddeclue]

15. Well theoretically but I think that Obama could practice some discretion in when he turns it on...

In the Oval Office of the White House OK...

In the streets of Kabul... maybe not so much...

The real problem is that lawyers can subpoena anything he sends or receives on it. Also why Presidents cant have computers apparently... indeed a lot of CEO's of companies these days try to avoid using email, voice mail etc. no paper (digital) trail no subpoena.

Doug D.

[Teaser]

10. Good, now we can elect a real Democrat.

I feel a Gravelanche of momentum on progressive issues now!!!

[Enrique]

11. fuck Gravel

I want Burris. :-)

[Teaser]

12. No, I would not like to do that to Gravel

I just want him to President.
Burris can be Secretary of State.

[alwysdrunk]

16. I hope he gets rid of it

And upgrades to an 8900. It's small enough to use without the belt clip. He could use it behind the tinted glass in Cadillac One. I kept wndering why he still has that big honking 8700, I guess he really won't let it go for any reason.