President-Elect Barack Obama this week told several mainstream media outlets that he plans to fight to keep his CrackBerry.
Obama’s most colorful remark went to CNBC interviewer John Harwood. “…I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry. They’re going to pry it out of my hands,” he said.
“I think I’m going to be able to get access to a computer somewhere. It may not be right in the Oval Office. The second thing I'm hoping to do is to see if there’s someway that we can arrange for me to continue to have access to a BlackBerry,” he added.
Despite the opinions of lawyers and the secret service – and possibly of malicious hackers – Obama said he wants his BlackBerry so he can at least keep in touch with friends and family. If he’s able to use it for official presidential business, then it could help him work in a less scripted manner, he said.
However, it’s not clear which model of the Research In Motion smartphone Obama carriers, which carrier supplies his service and whether he uses features other than basic telephony and e-mail. A spokesperson was not available this morning.
By comparison, Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama in the recent election, carried a Motorola RAZR Gold. But unlike Obama, who built a reputation for technology savvy by using text messaging in his campaign, McCain disclosed that he doesn’t use e-mail.
If allowed to keep the smartphone, perhaps Obama will use to announce his choice for the next FCC chairperson.