[jinxednuance]

Should BlackBerry owners power down? - CNN.com

[dcgore]

I kinda identify with that they are saying. Since i started using bberrys like 3 years ago, i've had this perception that everyone out there should be getting back to me within 3 minutes or less. I have forgotten some people still have flip phones and nothing more. I definitelly agree with the stress level, but there was nothing in the article about fun!

[amazinglygraceless]

I am a power user and the issues raised in that article have no bearing on me.

Serious work = Serious computer, not a phone.

No one ever has a reason to envy my phone. When I am with people, even
strangers, my phone and any alerts it makes matters not.

Umbilical cord to the workplace - No. When my day is done everyone knows
it is a total waste of time emailing or calling me. I'll deal with it the next day.

Vacations - I put my BB in a drawer in my credenza prior to leaving the house.
I have 5.5 weeks of vacation and my BB is not a part of it in any way.

Limits - I don't need limits. I have perspective. This is a phone and it will never
ever be more important than my friends, family or anyone else.

Stress - Because of a phone? Get real

Bottom line - I control the phone. The phone does not control me.
And yes, I shut this thing off often.

[TheComebackKidd]

If someone is that addicted to their phones they might just have an addictive personality

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[sedalia066]

My phone is in the desk during work hours so no interruptions there. Addicted as I am control is still in my own hands. BB is a wonderful tool but one which requires oversight and supervision.

And the fun part of sites like CB is at least as important as work.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[amazinglygraceless]

If someone is that addicted to their phones they might just have an addictive personality

I have a different, non pop psychology take on this.

People who are addicted to a phone were spawned from a gene pool that
has no deep end.

[KillYouWithMyMind]

Don't forget we're posting on a site called Crackberry...


My berry is only for personal use and honestly, I don't have many people to talk to so it doesn't get used that often. It's only mildly distracting for me.

The internet (especially CB Off-Topic forums) are more addicting to me than the actual phone itself.

[TheComebackKidd]

I have a different, non pop psychology take on this.

People who are addicted to a phone were spawned from a gene pool that
has no deep end.

Hm...no wonder I don't like swimming in the deep end. CRAP! :P lol

[Swamp55]

Did you notice the one reader comment at the bottom of the story? Here it is:

"Guest:
I rarely ever check my berry.
- Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry"

Gotta love the irony in that one!

[jinxednuance]

People sometimes find it "weird" how I reply instanously to e-mails. I'm the type who loves to be very fast and not make people wait for hours for a reply.

I'm extremely addicted to it, but I kinda like it. I mean if I don't have my Blackberry, I need to open three to four web pages to check different things, while with Blackberry, it all happens at once!

[syb0rg]

with all the social networks applications, and the IM clients. i can 100% why everyone looks their berry

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[amazinglygraceless]

with all the social networks applications, and the IM clients. i can 100% why everyone looks their berry

meh I don't do social networking apps. Social Networking to me involves actual,
not virtual, people. The one IM app I have is open when I need it, closed when
I do not.

Even without the social networking apps I can ignore my phone with the best
of them. Ask my BBM friends, or people who email me. No one texts me
because they know I will delete the message unread (unless it is one of
two people) I truly hate texting.

[Username00089]

The article shouldn't be relegated to only Blackberry users. Smartphone users as
a whole are like this. People don't actually talk anymore, face to face. People with
office jobs know what I'm talking about. You have to tell someone in the very next
office something, and instead of getting up, walking over and telling that person
to their face, you e-mail them. Less talk equals plenty more communication through
phones. Of course Ken is the exception

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I am a power user and the issues raised in that article have no bearing on me.

Serious work = Serious computer, not a phone.

No one ever has a reason to envy my phone. When I am with people, even
strangers, my phone and any alerts it makes matters not.

Umbilical cord to the workplace - No. When my day is done everyone knows
it is a total waste of time emailing or calling me. I'll deal with it the next day.

Vacations - I put my BB in a drawer in my credenza prior to leaving the house.
I have 5.5 weeks of vacation and my BB is not a part of it in any way.

Limits - I don't need limits. I have perspective. This is a phone and it will never
ever be more important than my friends, family or anyone else.

Stress - Because of a phone? Get real

Bottom line - I control the phone. The phone does not control me.
And yes, I shut this thing off often.

For you, I can see how you have clear boundaries with your smartphone. For me, however, the boundaries aren't so clear. I frequently have to take work on the go with me. Unfortunately, I have to be accessible all the time. However, my BB isn't all work for me. I have found other features that allow me to use it foe leisure purposes. I connect to my friends through my BB and frequently use it to listen to music etc. I also do some moderate banking with my device. So, for me, I find myself constantly tethered to my BB. Its just become a productive tool in my busy and sometimes intricate life. It keeps me straight. I do feel that I use it a lot and that I have an unhealthy attachment to it, but it does bring a lot of benefits to my day-to-day, so I can justify the habit, if that makes any sense. Whether you use it a lot or not much, as long as you feel positive about your usage, its fine.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[michikade]

A friend of mine is doing a study abroad in mexico, so the instant message apps are crucial to our communication. She can send me a message and we can chitchat while I'm at lunch or if I am sitting on my sofa and don't want to power up my laptop.

There is a time and place. Since my berry is personal, I have it on silent at work and respond during breaks, I try not to let it distract me from my regular daily tasks.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[s2by10]

Power down... I don't think so. Just set it aside. I've never had a problem of letting it run my life. This article is focused on Business users and executives. I'm just a student so I have more leisure time than those execs do anyways.

[noaim]

I love my phone but its used for social activities as well not just work..

[ilovemileyyy]

Hahahaha, I love Graceless' first post. XD

And I don't have any type of addiction, or any of that bs that people say to my phone. I use it to text my friends, which I do a lot, but I would do that on any phone, BlackBerry or not.

[DenverRalphy]

Gotta love that awesome BB model in the pic! I had to make it a point to read the date of the article when I saw that.

[bluz]

I am a power user and the issues raised in that article have no bearing on me.

Serious work = Serious computer, not a phone.

No one ever has a reason to envy my phone. When I am with people, even
strangers, my phone and any alerts it makes matters not.

Umbilical cord to the workplace - No. When my day is done everyone knows
it is a total waste of time emailing or calling me. I'll deal with it the next day.

Vacations - I put my BB in a drawer in my credenza prior to leaving the house.
I have 5.5 weeks of vacation and my BB is not a part of it in any way.

Limits - I don't need limits. I have perspective. This is a phone and it will never
ever be more important than my friends, family or anyone else.

Stress - Because of a phone? Get real

Bottom line - I control the phone. The phone does not control me.
And yes, I shut this thing off often.

what you are saying is perfectly right( albeit maybe only for you) but there are lots of people out there for whom this doesn't make any sense;they need to be in touch with communications from the workplace 24x7.

[amazinglygraceless]

what you are saying is perfectly right( albeit maybe only for you) but there are lots of people out there for whom this doesn't make any sense;they need to be in touch with communications from the workplace 24x7.

True enough and for the on call 24/7 people I understand. Up to a point.

[elvin1983]

I read this article earlier today, and while it is mostly geared to the business user, it does make many good points about the "addiction" as a whole. I would be lying if I said that I haven't caught myself pulling out my phone to see if I have a message, but I do it more out of boredom than anything. I have 2 jobs, and both of them are fairly laid back, so when there isn't a whole lot to do, the first thing I always seem to reach for is my BB, however, in those busy times when I can't pick it up when I get a notification, it doesn't overpower my thoughts that I have a notification, but I do make a mental note that I have one to check, which I do when I'm done with the task at hand.

I don't turn my BB off, mainly since it's my only communication device, other than the laptop. I don't have a home phone, so I've got to keep my phone on, but at night, when it's bed time, on the charger it goes, into bedside mode, no LED. All night time messages can wait till morning.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[chuckh0308]

I'm not allowed to talk or text on my phone while at work, so I just turn it off and check my messages on my breaks. Honestly, I don't miss it and there's no way I would have time for it anyway. I AM allowed to wear headphones and listen to music though, so if I forget my iPod I will use the BB as a backup music player. I normally use the iPod though because it holds a LOT more tunes!

Anyway, unless your job actually requires use of a Blackberry (not many do, but they are out there...real estate, sales, etc...), it definitely could be a productivity killer. This could be applied to any smartphone though...iPhone users are probably actually worse in this respect...

[juliankueh]

My BB is mainly for personal use so I can be in contact with family and friends all over the world. Just being able to communicate at any time of the day wherever I am is why I got it. I was the one who convinced most of them to get BB's to keep in touch. it's probably one of the best things I've ever done. My kids love it because they can 'chat' to their grandparents, cousins etc at any time.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Masahiro]

It's not the tool; it's the person using it.