I don't actually have one but I always have an opinion! :)
I think this, Blackberries are excellent for 6 reaons...
1. To make appointments and tasks while you are on the road - so that you don't have to enter these when you get back to the office.
2. You can see what appointments and tasks you have on
3. You can receive and email and send an email
4. You can surf the net where ever you are
5. You can enter and retrieve contact information
6. You can tranfer all the new information into your PC and visa versa when you can home and 'sync'
Where BlackBerries fall down is in how we use them... which is why our email systems fall down.
Our modern day tools are training us to constantly distract ourselves. The second we see if have mail we instantly read it. We may not do anything about it but we have done enough to distract ourselves from what we are doing.
We do not need to receive emails and read emails at 3am in the morning. If something was urgent enough surely someone could ring?
To make sure our blackberry does not because a weight around our neck I recommend the following...
1. Turn it off when you are finished from work or only look at it for 10 minutes every hour/2hours/3 hours. If you must address all emails as they come in then do them in a batch. 10 emails done in 1 batch is better than as they come in.
2. File/delete as soon as you get back to your PC. Do not use your inbox as a storage box.
3. Make appointments and tasks for yourself in real time and sync your blackberry when you get back to your PC. This way all your work is located in 1 reliable system you electronic calendar and task bar rather than several systems... that require your brain to juggle them.
All in all it does not need to run your life. Unfortunately for some it can mean they are at work 24/7. It is a tool to help you manage business while on the road. Take back control, get a life :) and work less... You will probably enjoy it work more!
What are you thoughts on blackberries? Are you a slave to the tool? Do you like being it's slave? Share you thoughts, tips and tricks. They are very welcome.