1. uniquest's Avatar
    Obama - Blackberry, 15" MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad2, numerous iPods. Huge Apple fan and friend of the late Steve Jobs. Is a fan of Rim too.
    12-29-11 12:12 PM
  2. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    There is a TON of misconception about BlackBerry security and how/why its used. RIM does an excellent job with end to end security and encryption. However, for several reasons as well, BlackBerry is not rated for classified communications. It can handle UP to that level, but nothing crossing that line. That is where the Sectera Edge (and devices like it) come in. They are suite B approved, and while the BlackBerry can be suite B compliant, it has never been approved by NSA (and likely never will). The NOC traffic is routed through a company in a foreign power, not gonna happen. (and that is only one reason). There are many smartphones in this world, and a wide array of "security" on them. You have a continuum that the government sees with the security.

    At the low end
    WP7
    Android - native
    iOS - native

    iOS - Good Mobile installed
    Then you have a "line in the sand" if you will where these devices are approved for use within the government because they are deemed "secure enough".
    Android - Good Mobile installed
    Windows Mobile 6.5 - Good Mobile installed


    BlackBerry devices on BES
    Then you have the classified line. Nothing classified on any devices below this line
    Sectera Edge - and others like it
    I had always wondered if the president's BB was run through the NOC. Thanks for clarifying.

    Makes sense... if he still uses the BB, it would be for the most basic of personal (and "personal" and the presidency would probably could not coexist) communications.
    12-29-11 12:42 PM
  3. avt123's Avatar
    Maybe I'm going crazy, but I see more teenagers on their Blackberry's then iphone/Android combine. Or is that just a New York thing
    BBM is real big with teens. I usually see a pretty even mix (if I'm paying attention) between iPhones and BBs in NYC.

    One of my little cousins got a BB for Christmas, and four other ones got white iPhone 4Ss. It was interesting to see.
    12-29-11 12:43 PM
  4. Economist101's Avatar
    I wouldn't assess the success or value of toilet paper based on what that clown uses, never mind a smart phone.
    I've always thought both the success and value of toilet paper was abundantly clear. But to each their own, as they say.
    12-29-11 12:51 PM
  5. sallenthornton's Avatar
    Access is very limited and information created on it are subject to the national archives. I have read that approximately 10 people actually have access to his presedential blackberry email.

    http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/2.../#.Tvy8YvF5mSM
    Last edited by sallenthornton; 12-29-11 at 01:56 PM.
    12-29-11 01:20 PM
  6. sleepngbear's Avatar
    I've always thought both the success and value of toilet paper was abundantly clear. But to each their own, as they say.
    Yes, but which brand is better - Scott, Cottonelle, Charmin, or that generic Walmart stuff you find in any give public restroom with the consistency of 80-grit sandpaper? Which one is used at 600 Pennsylvania, and would it sway your next tissue purchasing decision?

    Things that make you go 'Hmmmmmmm ... ' ...
    john_v likes this.
    12-29-11 01:20 PM
  7. pri79269's Avatar
    If the President wishes to communicate with Cabinet members and staffers, he needs to carry a device that is uniformly used behind government firewalls. The only device that is currently used uniformly behind government firewalls through BES is the BB.

    He personally uses Apple products....I don't know this personally, of course, but he has mentioned it in interviews.

    He had a BB as a personal choice before he was elected. He uses a BB now because it is the only platform with which he can communicate throughout the government.

    I am *NOT* speaking right now of the future of other platforms coming behind firewalls. I am also *NOT* speaking of sandboxed projects using other platforms. I am speaking of the simple fact that to communicate across the government one must be on BES behind government firewalls, and currently that means BB.

    So initially it was a personal choice. Now it's a necessity.

    He might be using a Sectera Edge for ultra secure communications that even BB cannot handle. Who knows. He may later use an iPhone for personal use when he leaves office. Who knows. Currently the federal government uses BBerries on BES.
    Actually if I remember correctly they wanted him to get rid of the BB all together because of security concerns and he didn't want to. It is a personal phone, not business.

    President Obama gets to keep his BlackBerry - Technology & science - Tech and gadgets - Cell phones - msnbc.com

    Not that it matters because I wouldn't purchase anything just because someone else has it. It seems that would be a reason to truly call someone a sheep...
    Last edited by pri79269; 12-29-11 at 01:26 PM.
    12-29-11 01:24 PM
  8. bdguru's Avatar
    If BB really wants to sell more phones....get the Klassless K Kollection to do a tv ad
    12-29-11 02:22 PM
  9. pri79269's Avatar
    If BB really wants to sell more phones....get the Klassless K Kollection to do a tv ad
    Very true! No one moves products like the Kar-trash-ians.
    pmccartney likes this.
    12-29-11 02:28 PM
  10. PineappleUnderTheSea's Avatar
    Maybe I'm going crazy, but I see more teenagers on their Blackberry's then iphone/Android combine. Or is that just a New York thing
    The upfront charge for BBs can be much, much cheaper than iPhone/Android. I see a lot of younger teens whose first phones are higher-end feature phones which they use mostly for texting. If you can get yourself a BB for the same price as a feature phone, why in heck wouldn't you? But stepping up to iPhone or Android usually means a $200 upfront charge.
    12-29-11 02:45 PM
  11. southlander's Avatar
    My guess is:

    1. He is proficient at using it, having used it throughout much of his recent career.
    2. He told people to make it happen. Being the president, they have to listen.
    3. In 2008 BB was tops in every regard as far as the market/security professionals and everyone was concerned. Thus there would not have been many good arguments against doing it.
    4. In 2008 the BlackBerry was a well established platform as well. Android was no where and the iPhone was just getting started. Again tough to argue against a BB as a good choice.

    None of anything that has happened since changes what the BlackBerry still is and it is a better device than then. There are just more choices.

    RIM's really lost the most ground with consumers who do not really care about security and will choose more features every time. The tech industry has proved this again and again with PCs, etc.
    12-29-11 02:56 PM
  12. NJPhilliesPhan's Avatar
    Yet in the UK it is the teen demographic leading BlackBerry sales

    And I certainly am Not over 40, having just left my 20's less than that many days ago
    I am speaking about the US market, since the topic is about President Obama. In the USA the blackberry has become the old fashioned phone.
    12-29-11 03:15 PM
  13. ADozenEggs@aol.com's Avatar
    Maybe I'm going crazy, but I see more teenagers on their Blackberry's then iphone/Android combine. Or is that just a New York thing
    I doubt it. I sat in a packed Starbucks on 86th and Lex this morning and all of the teens were on their iphones. Even saw a couple on the 3G old school ones. I think it boils down to how much their parents are willing to spend on phones. Here on the Upper East Side(UES) the iPhone rules the 90210 crowd. I'm a Droid.
    12-29-11 03:27 PM
  14. blackjack93117's Avatar
    Because Canadians make better products with less hype. I hear that capitalism is still alive there. He likes their buses too. Maybe his birth certificate says Canada.



    PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BUS DIDN'T COST IN EXCESS OF $100 MILLION DOLLARS
    12/27/11
    Email this story to a friend
    Dear Editor:

    After reading the letter from Brad Donaldson in your November 16 edition about "Obama's hypocrisy" regarding his expensive bus, I wanted to point out that you have obviously made a typo in stating that the bus cost was "in excess of $100 million". Every source that I can locate quotes the expense as being around $1.1 million per bus. But while we're on the subject, perhaps a few more comments are also needed.

    Those buses were contracted for by the Secret Service and not Obama personally as the writer seems to imply. The company they chose (Hemphill Brothers Coach, a Tennessee firm) did indeed procure the shell from a Canadian firm (Provost) because it was believed to be the only vehicle that had the payload capacity to meet the Secret Service’s needs.


    .
    Last edited by blackjack93117; 12-29-11 at 03:35 PM.
    JBenn911, southlander and grover5 like this.
    12-29-11 03:33 PM
  15. blackjack93117's Avatar
    It seems like the over 40 crowd are the ones that are clinging to their Blackberries.
    Kinda explains the whole difference in why a device is chosen. Us over 40 "cling" to something useful because it is useful, not because we are concerned about our youthful image or what all the " younguns " have and what our friends will think.

    That was junior high.Thank God I'm over 40.

    What youre pretty much saying is that you make choices because you're afraid of appearing old and others should also.

    Is it any wonder apple sells so well? They have people with that shallow mind set rigged, and there are a lot of them.
    .
    .
    Last edited by blackjack93117; 12-29-11 at 03:51 PM.
    12-29-11 03:48 PM
  16. southlander's Avatar
    I am speaking about the US market, since the topic is about President Obama. In the USA the blackberry has become the old fashioned phone.
    Which is fine by me. After 20 years working on tech and supporting it, I am tired of riding the waves of change. A little behind the curve is ok by me (no pun intended).

    Though for sales this is not ok. RIM can't survive just appealing to folks like me. Yes I get that.
    12-29-11 03:49 PM
  17. Branta's Avatar
    It seems like the over 40 crowd are the ones that are clinging to their Blackberries.
    My 12yo niece might disagree
    12-29-11 03:51 PM
  18. NJPhilliesPhan's Avatar
    Though for sales this is not ok. RIM can't survive just appealing to folks like me. Yes I get that.
    That is the problem that RIM faces, it has no way of attracting new users. Phones are flashy mini computers these days, and RIM is still building phones with the same classic form factor.
    12-29-11 04:01 PM
  19. dandbj13's Avatar
    I though trolls said Blackberries aren't worth it. If they really weren't, then why is he still using a Blackberry?
    Barack Obama and the iPad-in-Chief | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

    Barack Obama iPad In DODOcase (PHOTO)

    And for good measure...

    Custom iPad app created British prime minister - The Washington Post

    Somehow, I think the premise of the thread may be faulty...
    12-29-11 04:21 PM
  20. kevinnugent's Avatar
    Why are so many carrying a BB? I'm asking about them, not me.
    Honestly, this is like people who own and like a type of car all of a sudden seeing it everywhere. If there was a Celebrity Android spotting comp or a (god forbid!) a Apple phone spotting segment in the Apple section they would be everywhere too.

    Blackberries are everywhere, just like the others. It's just the RIM enthusiast sites highlight them a lot. Dunno why. Fun, I guess.
    12-29-11 04:32 PM
  21. PineappleUnderTheSea's Avatar
    I wonder if a US president would still use a BB if RIM was bought out by a foreign entity, e.g. a Chinese company. The US gov't would likely have to drop BBs, I am sure there are certain restrictions from using certain technology from countries deemed as security risks...
    12-29-11 04:38 PM
  22. kevinnugent's Avatar
    Cause he's OLD!!!

    Dude is pushing 50 bro.
    I resemble that remark!
    12-29-11 04:43 PM
  23. kevinnugent's Avatar
    I wonder if a US president would still use a BB if RIM was bought out by a foreign entity, e.g. a Chinese company. The US gov't would likely have to drop BBs, I am sure there are certain restrictions from using certain technology from countries deemed as security risks...
    That would be a big no-no. Didn't Huewai (sp?) suffer that fate?
    12-29-11 04:46 PM
  24. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    I wonder if a US president would still use a BB if RIM was bought out by a foreign entity, e.g. a Chinese company. The US gov't would likely have to drop BBs, I am sure there are certain restrictions from using certain technology from countries deemed as security risks...
    RIM is foreign (with regards to US). As pointed out by a previous poster, this is one reason the President can't use one for work.

    Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
    pmccartney likes this.
    12-29-11 04:49 PM
  25. dandbj13's Avatar
    Frankly, the US government is rather behind in technology. I believe they still use typewriters and vacuum tubes to transfer messages. A senator famously described the internet as a series of tubes, probably thinking about the vacuum tubes used on the job. If the government is rocking it, it is likely the symbol of what is old and outdated. That is the last place to find validation for your brand. In fact, it kind of supports the trolls the OP wants to slap.

    Also, who cares? Are you a president? CEO? Poser? Perhaps you should consider what most people like you are using if you are looking for what's popular. Just a thought.
    12-29-11 04:51 PM
145 12345 ...
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD