The Blackberry Debate

Do you have a Blackberry/PDA/Smartphone?  Is it worth it to be constantly connected, constantly accessible?  Would you do business without it if possible?

These are the questions that are swirling around in my mind as I have been taking time the past few weeks to consider the always looming Blackberry debate.

How many of you have ever weighed the pros and cons of this situation before as well? Is it simply a business debate, or is there a philosophical aspect to it as well?

For the past few years, I’ve managed to get on fine without one.  I have felt a hesitation to be able to be reached via email all the time, even away from my desk.  Similarly, I this fear that the Crackberry addiction struggle that Pete Savage bravely admitted to will afflict me as well (awesome article, BTW Pete!).

However, the confluence of my current cell contract needing renewal on the 16th of January, a significant uptick in my business and business ventures, and the fact my brother got a Blackberry for Christmas (and it is pretty cool…) have led me to sit down with the pros and cons of being totally plugged in one more time.

I have mulled over the same set of the pros and cons regarding this issue for a long time.

Pros:

• 24/7 email access (never miss an important email again)
• sense of calmness – never feel like you need to get back to your computer ASAP to check on business
• range of applications making it easy to tweet, facebook, check finances, etc on the go
• internet 24/7
• potential tax write off for business

Cons:

• being reminded of work 24/7
• never being able to “unplug,” and the general dissolution of work/life balance
• obnoxious Blackberry habits
• being able to be reached all the time and feel the need to be working all the time

As a longtime Verizon customer, I know that when I renew my contract I’ll get $50 off any phone, which would go far toward making the upfront cost of a Blackberry much easier to swallow, and I feel like I shouldn’t miss this opportunity to get on board.  If I wait, just renew my normal contract, and then want a Blackberry in a year or so it will be massively expensive to upgrade and buy a phone without the renewal discounts.

To help me slug through these “on the other hand” thought chains, I asked around to see what others thought of the debate, and got some pretty interesting answers…

Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan): Love them. Must for business. They empower many new opportunities for business.

Dr. Alejandro Junger (@DrJunger): Not only does [being accessible 24/7] affect wellness, but it prevents you from getting work done. too much multi-tasking lowers productivity.

Longtime friend and gadget extraordinaire AC Gaughen (@acgaughen) is always raving about her Blackberry for professional and personal use.

Pete Savage (@PeteSavage): My data plan is going back on for 1 reason: I use Twitter WAY more now. But I still guard my family time!

Shawna Coronado (@ShawnaCoronado): I have a Blackberry Tour because it was free on Black Friday ‘09. Pure luck. I love it.

Kathy Buckworth (@KathyBuckworth): I love my BB so much I wrote a whole book about it (The BlackBerry Diaries: Adventures in Modern Motherhood)

Karina C (@CandidK): I’m kind mad at my blackberry lately,so I could give you some cons…

Andrea Hylen (@ahylen): As much as I love FB, the ongoing Twitter party is the best! With Blackberry, party is in my pocket!

Help me out here, friends and Uncommoners: What do you have to say about the Blackberry Debate? Is it worth it, or a waste – why?