US President Barack Obama has won the fight to keep his precious BlackBerry whilst in the White House. After being told he would have to relinquish the device after his inauguration on Tuesday, Obama has now managed to retain his much-loved smartphone thanks to a security team that has worked to ensure the phone's protection.
Commenting on the victory, ABC News reports that Obama said on Thursday: "I won the fight." Obama will be the first US President to possess such a device during tenure. American Presidents are traditionally email-free for reasons of national security - but Obama's BlackBerry team hope that their constant amendments to the device will keep hackers guessing.
Technology consultant Greg Harper told ABC News: "There are three areas where security issues come to play with the BlackBerry: the physical location of the device, the voice communication and the data." These aspects will be constantly updated and changed in order to protect the device from hackers. Obama's love for his BlackBerry has shot the handset to stardom, providing manufacturer Research In Motion with unparalleled publicity. As Obama is not obliged to advertise the company, RIM says his enthusiasm for the product is all the more genuine - pulling in even more sales for similar devices in its range.
This is bad news for rival firms like Nokia and Apple, whose popular 3G iPhone doesn't seem to have made an impact on the 44th President. RIM couldn't be happier with the free publicity provided by one of the most influential men in the world.
Lori Sale, agency Paradigm's head of artist marketing, told the NY Times: "The most powerful man in the country is saying, at this moment, basically, I can't live without mine. "It represents their now complete and final crossover to a device that people adore."
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