The BlackBerry smartphone, developed by Research in Motion (RIM), has become so popular in the cell phone world that talk of addiction is a recurring topic. Some users have become so attached to their BlackBerries, they claim to suffer from "ringxiety" -- the constant feeling that your BlackBerry is ringing or about to ring, whether or not it actually does. The technology has even earned the nickname of "CrackBerry," again alluding to its extreme addictive nature. Some owners reportedly wake up in the middle of the night just to check their e-mail.
The extensive connectivity of the BlackBerry no doubt lends itself to a potentially negative, obsessive-compulsive habit, but it also accounts for its huge popularity -- especially with businesses relying on easy communication. The BlackBerry Pearl, for instance, RIM's smallest model, combines phone, e-mail, text messaging, Internet and organizational applications into one tiny smartphone. It also offers an enhanced version of the QWERTY keyboard for easy typing, and it's the first BlackBerry to have still camera (1.3 megapixel), video capabilities and a music player.BlackBerry's main rival edges RIM out in name recognition and popularity.
