The ObamaBerry: It’s Real!
By Harry McCracken | Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Yes, you can be the President of the United States and a denizen of the 21st century, apparently–at least when it comes to cell phones. The U.S. government has figured out how to mod a BlackBerry for super-secure communications, giving President Obama the ability to use the gizmo he feared losing for routing and personal communications. He’s relieved, I’m sure. And I’m relieved–the position is enough of a guy in a plastic bubble already, and there’s something basically unhealthy about the notion that the job is incompatible with modern means of communications. (Let’s hope we never have another leader of the free world who thinks it’s called “the Google.”)
All of which leaves one burning question: Just which BlackBerry model does the president tote? I suspect he’s an 8800 man, although I wouldn’t rule out the idea that he’s upgraded to a Bold.
In a semi-related story, the Washington Post has a good (if alarming) story on the very low-tech White House that the Obama administration is inheriting, with a great quote from spokesman Bull Burton: ” “It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari.”
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January 22nd, 2009 at 6:35 am
The real question is what kind of things are communicated via “Obamaberry”? Is it secure? How secure?
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:23 am
It should be pointed out that the incoming Bush administration faced some of the same challenges when coming into the White House in 2001. It’s not a consequence of the previous administration, but the disparate, outmoded and incompatible IT across the federal government. As a former federal CIO who came in thinking the government would be a homogeneous, integrated whole when it came to its IT architecture, it was a shock. Agencies buy stuff without consultation with the IT staff and then expect IT to get it to work on the network. The toy of the moment trumps planning and integration and then only some people get the toys while the other plod along with computer equipment that should have been recycled years ago. If the Obama Administration can succeed where others have failed, it will be a monumental achievement.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:08 am
what a crazy idea.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:43 am
I personally prefer the term “BarackBerry.” I like to see that technology is improving in our government. I’m sure there are still legal limitations on what he can do with it. As far as the 6-year old Microsoft software that the White House is running. When I run Windows, I prefer XP at this point. (Windows 7 might change that.) I’m sure that before long, the White House staff will be upgrading to what works more efficiently for it’s staff.