I have the feeling we’re going to see Barack Obama appear in lots of stories related to technology issues in these first four years of his presidency. And we’re going to particularly see him linked to his favorite phone, the BlackBerry.

Today we hear that the President receives a prayer every morning form the White House faith director Joshua DuBois straight to his smartphone. That’s a habit he picked up during the campaign and he certainly likes it enough to continue with it. Would anyone create a BlackBerry app which would automatically deliver prayer to the President? Would he be allowed to install apps on his Berry?

via msn

It’s not everybody that can return from work and brag about how he or she interrupted a presidential speech with a stupid quack quack ringtone. That’s what a White House reporter did while Barack Obama was talking about gay rights. We can’t help but wonder why that phone wasn’t muted but we also have to admire the way the President responded to it. It’s not every day that we see a government official act that way when interrupted. So how about you? How stupid is your ringtone?

It’s funny how we’re thinking about the President’s cell phone issue instead of other, more important matters at hand. Luckily we have a conclusion. Obama will carry his BlackBerry in one of the pockets of his full bulletproof suit. It’s intended for personal use with only a limited number of senior staff and personal contacts to have access to his email address. The Sectera Edge is nowhere to be found around the president for now.

Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s Press Secretary had this to say about the Berry:

The President has a BlackBerry through a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends in a way that use will be limited and the security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate, but to do so effectively and to do so in a way that’s protected.

In case it makes you feel any better, the President’s data on that Berry will be subject to the Presidential Records Act. Once again RIM, you’d better profit from this huge endorsement. Who’s the next President to buy a BlackBerry?

via Engadget

Imagine RIM’s future commercials as President-elect Barack Obama will be allowed to use his beloved BlackBerry. He will only be able to use his Berry for personal matters, but when it comes to government issues he will be forced to use the only approved phone by the NSA, the Sectera Edge. The phone isn’t as cool as a Berry but as long as it’s the only secure option, that’s what the President will use for matters of state.

via CrunchGear

Once you become President of the USA, people will use your name to get attention. The phone in the picture is going to be released by Mi Fone in Kenya. Strap “Yes We Can!” on a phone and it will sell! The Mi-Obama phone sells for $30 and so far 1,000 of those have been purchased in Kenya.

Here’s what Mi Phone says:

The coming of the new President of the USA is an auspicious moment for all Kenyans and the people of Africa. It is our pleasure to be able to launch the Mi-Obama phone as a memento that will always stay within the user’s hearts and minds.

What can a Mi-Obama do besides than trying to look Presidential?

via mi-fone

A while ago we told you how President-Elect Barack Obama will have to give up his famous BlackBerry handset. It looks like now he’s trying to keep it.

Here’s what he said in an interview with Barbara Walters:

One of the things that I’m going to have to work through is how to break through the isolation, the bubble that exists around the president. And I’m in the process of negotiating with the Secret Service, with lawyers, with White House staff … to figure out how can I get information from outside of the 10 or 12 people who surround my office in the White House. Because one of the worst things I think that can happen to a president is losing touch with the struggles that people are going through every day.

We’ll keep you updated on this particular BlackBerry user! He might be a President that likes to modify the Presidential Records Act.
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If you happen to work for any cell phone carrier don’t assume you can simply go through anyone’s cellphone accounts whenever you feel like it. And if you happen to stumble upon Barack Obama’s records, simply kill your urge to take a look. It will get you fired! That’s what happened to some Verizon employees which looked at the personal cellphone accounts of the latest President-Elect. And they got canned for it. Here’s what Lowel McAdam, Verizon Wireless President and CEO had to say about the whole thing:

This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account. The account has been inactive for several months. The device on the account was a simple voice flip-phone, not a BlackBerry or other smartphone designed for e-mail or other data services.

All employees who have accessed the account – whether authorized or not – have been put on immediate leave, with pay. As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.

We apologize to President-Elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day.

The U.S. votes this week and what the people will choose for the next four to eight years will have a deep impact on the country’s near future. The way the president will implement his governing plan will influence lots of aspects of American daily life and, dare I say, some aspects of worldwide daily life. Basically what the president says goes! And what goes will surely have a certain influence on how the tech world will evolve. Above you can see Obama sharing his views on Tech Policy. We’d like to see what McCain has to say on the same issues.

If you happen to be involved in any way in the tech world, what do you think the new president’s tech policy should be?

via TechCrunch