BlackBerry 7230: The Push Email Revolution

I used to be able to leave my work at the office. If someone needed me, they could call my house or page me. But with the new BlackBerry 7230, the office is now in my pocket. 24 hours a day.

The Magic of Push

Before this, mobile email was "pull-based." You’d open your mail app, tell it to check for new messages, and wait while it dialed in. Research In Motion (RIM) changed the game with "Push" technology. When an email hits the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), it's instantly "pushed" to your device over the cellular network.

The notification—a subtle vibration and a blinking red LED—is becoming a Pavlovian trigger for every executive I know.

The QWERTY Advantage

The 7230 features a beautiful (if small) 65,000-color screen and the famous BlackBerry thumb-keyboard. It’s surprisingly easy to type on, once you get the hang of using your thumbs.

# The BlackBerry experience:
Subject: RE: Production Server Down
From: Boss
Sent: 11:45 PM
"Are you on it?"
---
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

The "CrackBerry" Social Shift

We're starting to see people checking their devices under the table during meetings, or even at dinner. It’s being called the "CrackBerry" because it’s so addictive. As a developer, the ability to monitor server alerts in real-time is a lifesaver. But as a human, I wonder if we’re losing the ability to ever truly "disconnect."

The tech is brilliant. The integration with corporate Exchange servers is seamless. But the 7230 is more than just a tool; it’s a cultural shift. We're now "always on," for better or worse.