Back in days, Blackberries were preserved for the professional and managerial classes helping our leaders keep on top of their busy working lives with mobile email. But now the little black gadgets have spread to the mainstream – and are now not just the corporate smart phone of choice but, surprisingly, that of teenagers and the youths as well. So when and how did they become so popular? Blackberries appeals to the youth and teens for so many reasons. First, it is sleek and beautiful. Unlike the way they were previously designed, they now come in new shapes, sizes and colors. Another factor which makes it the rave of the moment is the Blackberry messenger service, which allows you to instantly send a free message to your friends and the youths generally like free things. So, while inter-railing around Nigeria for the Youth service scheme one can still keep in touch without worrying about running a hefty phone bill. As corps members, most of us are already preparing for the job market and the blackberry (also known as BB) service helps us to keep track of our applications and job search we generally do on the internet. for instance, I was with a friend who owns a “BB”, while we were chatting, his sister called and requested for his CV. immediately, he uploaded his CV and emailed it to her all within 5 minutes. BB is like a computer system, it does almost virtually everything a computer system would do for you. it contains basic application software’s such as the Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, etc so with comfort you can prepare every document you need on a BB and with your data cable, print out in hard copy. The fun aspect of the BB is too numerous to mention. It comes in built with blackberry customized bookmarks for sites like facebook, flicker, twitter and so on. With a BB one can easily snap and upload pictures to the sites within a twinkle of an eye. You can also watch videos on U-tube and download musicals and games from various sites at ease. The major disadvantage of blackberry is the fact that it tends to take lots of time from the owner. If mis-managed it could lead to a broken relationship. It’s not far fetched to hear comments such as “he does not have my time, he spends more time with his BB”. The financial commitment to a BB could also be on the high side if not properly planned. There are some not too expensive Blackberries but subscriptions could be an issue…. For instance, if a corps member who earns 9,775 owns a BB, he would be expected to subscribe at the rate of 5,000 monthly, leaving him wit only 4,775 for the month and if you cannot subscribe for the internet service then your BB looks like the common camera phones we have around. All in all, the BB is a wonderful device if utilized properly. Eghosa Iria
