The BarackBerry - The Hottest Most Secure Phone Ever

Remember this...11/18/08 - Say Bye To His Crackberry? If Obama Has To, Yes He Can. Well when Obama was sworn in on Inauguration Day, the skepticism began. We all know how hard it is to kick a habit, especially when that habit has developed into an addiction! However, the President has managed to kick his bad smoking habit, but he simply could not part with his precious Blackberry/Crackberry. Can you really blame him? My body begins to convulse a little when I even THINK about having to give up any of my tech gadgets. When you have geek in you, it’s very difficult to part with those devious digital devices we’ve grown to not only love, but depend upon. It’s our lifeline to the world. It’s how we stay connected. And at times, it’s how we disconnect from the outside world. We’ve become so engrossed in our little toys that if forced to part with our favorite tech gadget, it almost feels like we are being asked to give up our first born. So in that sense, I understand and I sympathize with our President. I feel his pain and I am happy to report we have found a solution to that ache in his heart. It’s official – President Barack Obama can keep his Blackberry! Ok, it’s not exactly the same phone he’s been using, but this new Crackberry wannabe is better, or at least is supposed to be.

Move over iPhone. The latest must-have gadget for international men of mystery is the BarackBerry. The President of The United States is now the proud owner of a secure, souped-up, high-tech personal digital assistant (PDA). It comes fully loaded with encryption devised by NSA which gathers intelligence from cyberspace. And no, I’m not making this up. It’s real life 007 stuff! And we all know how I wanted to grow up to be James Bond! These days, apparently all you need to do is run for President and you can live the life of 007. How badass is that? If there’s one thing I love about Barack Obama it is that he’s a tech geek at heart! You can put a geek in the White House, but you can’t take the geek out of the boy? Errr, nevermind. That’s not how that saying goes, but close enough, you understand what I mean.

The buzz about Obama’s BlackBerry replacement is almost as exciting as the Presidential dog, which I may remind you he has yet to deliver! Tick, tick, Mr. President. We are still waiting with baited puppy breath. Puppy Promise aside, let me give you the lowdown, or rather the download (hardy har har), on the BarackBerry.

It has been appropriately nicknamed the "BarackBerry", but the real name of it is the Sectera Edge. It is made by General Dynamics, the military contractor, and developed specially for the NSA. At the touch of a (red) button it can switch from an ordinary PDA to a secure communications device. The screen of the Sectera Edge turns red when used in classified mode and can then communicate only with similar handsets. However, Obama is more likely to use his top-secret smartphone to receive messages from his two daughters than from Vladimir Putin. Still, you have to admit that you would feel pretty sexy and important carrying around that special high-tech phone, not to mention sly and all secret-like! Coming in at around $3,350 for the device alone, the Sectera Edge does not run cheap. Keep in mind though that the price includes the option to exchange secure e-mail with government personnel – ew ahh. The downside, it will not be possible to forward Presidential e-mails to third parties. I guess I won’t be receiving any of those annoying e-mail chain letters with dancing Care Bears and animated glittery stars from the Pres then anymore. I for one am thankful for that.

The search for a secure Blackberry-style phone came after Obama told his advisers that he was determined to hang on to his lifeline to people outside the White House bubble. "They’re going to have to pry it out of my hands," he said. There had been security fears about terrorist hackers being able to pinpoint the President’s location, but Obama has overridden these concerns. By law, all but the most personal e-mails will be stored in the National Archives.

Now the burning question, how can I get my hands on a BarackBerry? Unless you are working for the US government and you have some insider ties, you’re shit out of luck.

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