Will Obama surrender his BlackBerry?

There are plenty of great things about being elected president, but there are some downsides too. One of them may be that President-elect Barack Obama will have to give up his BlackBerry. Throughout his long presidential campaign, Obama had his handy BlackBerry fastened to his belt, and was often pictured using it. But as commander-in-chief, it's likely he will not be allowed to keep using this instant communication device.

Security is the basic reason, but anything he writes as president is subject to be retained and read under the Presidential Records Act. And that includes BlackBerry communications. Obama is not the first president to deal with this self-imposed technology exile. Three-days before his first inauguration in 2001, President Bush sent a message to friends and relatives that explained his predicament.

"Since I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass, the only course of action is not to correspond in cyberspace," Bush wrote. "This saddens me. I have enjoyed conversing with each of you."

Obama's aides said the new president hopes to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first president to use this essential tool everyday like the rest of us. And he is determined to move the government into 21st century cyberspace as he did in a remarkable way during his historic campaign.

For more on Obama's predicament:
- check out the New York Times article [1]