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BlackBerry is one of “The Worst Ideas of the Decade”
Famed Canadian organization Research In Motion (RIM) has had a stellar ride over the past few years. They really have become a dominant worldwide player in the Smartphone market and recently announced their Q3 record results: earnings of $628 million and 10 million devices sold. However, writer John Freeman of the Washington Post wrote an article titled “The Worst Ideas of the Decade” and the center of it all is the BlackBerry.
Freeman writes “Once upon a time, elevator rides were silent. The bathroom was for, well, using the bathroom. Dinnertime was about sharing a meal with friends or family, and mornings were about waking up. Most radically, home was simply home. Work may have been on our minds, but it wasn’t in our hands (or pockets). But now, thanks to the BlackBerry (and the iPhone, and the Treo, and all the other hand-held e-mail devices), we are always connected.”
I am pretty sure Freeman has a Berry and is glued to it. Freeman continues and states the “BlackBerry starts by infiltrating your morning. Then e-mailing replaces reading on your commute. Next you have it under the table at meetings; surely no one notices your thumbs clicking. Finally, it winds up at your bedside.”
Even though his words are true and we are more connected now than ever… but I would not go as far as calling such an important piece of technology one of the “The Worst Ideas of the Decade”. The garden and lawn gnomes are way ahead of the BlackBerry.
Via: Washington Post
Source: BlackBerry Cool
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18 comments for “BlackBerry is one of “The Worst Ideas of the Decade””
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Sounds like another hardcore conservative rejecting change for absolutely no reason. When will a generation learn that change is what happens with the passage of time. Its as if two generations ago they were cursing motor vehicles, yet where would we be without them? People need to grow up.
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Why do you think it is nicknamed “Crackberry”
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And once upon a time people read newspapers…
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As an avid blackberry user, I share an opinion similar to Freeman’s. Technological benefits aside, what Freeman is alluding to is the destructive influence of always connected devices. Smartphones have impacted our daily lives in ways we would have never imagined. I would argue that smartphones have greatly impacted the social fabric of our society. Vast sums of people are becoming disconnected from the world around them. Our public spaces have been invaded by loud talking, always clicking, inconsiderate smartphone users who: walk upstairs while keying an email, text themselves right into the path of a public bus, yak on the phone while navigating haphazordly around the vegetable isle at the grocery store, interupting meetings, running over pedestrians, interupting church, exams and even funerals.
So to support Freeman’s argument that the blackberry is one of “The Worst Ideas of the Decade” I would ask you to consider this; is the convenience of alway connected devices worth the price of creating a society full of disconnected and selfish individuals?
Now I am in no way calling for an end to technological progress; I doubt Freeman is either. What I am calling for is an armistice on the responsible usage of technology.
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“And once upon a time people read newspapers…”
Here’s one for the environmentalists: Blackberrys save a lot of trees…
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You do realize….they doa all come equipped with power buttons, turn one off once in a while….it won’t hurt, I promise.
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I’m sorry if I’m being over sensitive on the grammar, but seriously? ‘and the iPhone, and the Treo, and all the other hand-held e-mail devices’ and that and this and you should really only use and once in a list.
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@Chris
Ever go to Japan? They invented something called ‘manners’. Just because people are dicks, doesn’t make the invention the ‘worst idea of the decade’. How about people in North America (western civilization) just not be such douchebags?
The worst idea of the decade was undoubtedly the continued survival of the human race.
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I don’t Think this guy is off base, he s just a bit sensationalist. What I think he s implying is we ve yet to socially understand or control the effects of new technology that are pushed out there, without regard to possible side effects.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-rock/are-our-minds-going-the-w_b_389163.html
This article describes why they are “CrackBerries” … and because the of the connectivity/interface of BB, vs say iphone, BB’s are worse because they are designed to be quick use, vs immersive experience.
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Wow! Bitter much?
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what an a*s. I am a better father and husband because of my bb. I can stay connected to what is important and delete what isn’t.
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I would almost have to agree with him and yes, I am a blackberry owner. When you go to a bar nowadays, people aren’t interacting with each other as much as before. You notice that they’re texting away on the cell phones. It’s like people don’t even notice the people they’re with anymore, more focused on the people on the other end of the phone.
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From the Washington Post, Dec 23rd, 1909
Worst Idea of The Decade: The Automobile
Once upon a time, the streets were silent except for the clip-clop of horses’ hoofs. If you wanted to go somewhere, you had to make time for your trip, make sure your horse was saddled up and fed, and confirm that there was somewhere to tie him up on the other end. Now you just hop in your car and go. This is the end of civilized society as we know it.
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Really? Do people not realize that all these devises have a power off feature?
Don’t blame the technology blame yourself.
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Blackberry’s and other smart phones stem from a much larger problem. If you want to blame someone then blame the monetary system for creating a money hungry society that cares more about getting ahead in work then their fellow man or woman.
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Good device but outdated, Blackberry cannot compete on par with Apple or Google. I think the Storm 2 is proof based on reviews. I returned a Blackberry 9000 from Bell which I recieved in error. Still, WiFi took was quirkly (I reset the device a couple of times), the browser is sub par, the cherry was a required _data packet connection to connect to App World!_ RIM still lives in the old world of corporate dominance. The devices will continue to look attractive with a keyboard and small screen
They will face a upward challenge in the next 5 years.
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@ Gesoth K.
The automobile was created way longer than a decade ago, decade means ten year period, like from 1999-2009. These people are just saying that we hold on to our blackberries like they control our lives and we can’t live without them. It is true it is making drivers get into a lot more accidents, like regular cell phones or eating while driving or reading for that matter also. We just need to tune out for a while and not sleep with blackberries. We can go to the store and not die if we don’t have a phone attached at our hip. I mean, we’ve only been doing it for tens of thousands of years.
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@Gesoth k
the sarcasm you tried to convey about automobiles being the worst invention of the decade is sad.
cars actually turned out to be the worst invention of the century. Global warming and car “accidents”.
cars just replaced another form of transportation and blackberries replace another form of communication
text does not convey sarcasm-> tone or body language. which is 90% of communication.
sex in the 22nd century could be as ridiculous as saying the words in and out at an increasing pace.
thats to say if blackberries reach their goal
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