Permanent access to all your emails… Do you dream of that? The Blackberry phone did it. The BlackBerry is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 that supports push email, mobile phone, text messaging, Internet faxing, web browsing, and other wireless information services. About the same size as a PDA, with a mini keyboard, the BlackBerry device allows you to receive and reply to emails.

How does it work? Connected to a cellular telephone network (Cingular BlackBerry, T-Mobile BlackBerry, Sprint BlackBerry, Nextel BlackBerry and Verizon BlackBerry), the BlackBerry terminal periodically checks the user’s email server. When a new email arrives, the terminal signals it. The user can read the message and reply. The innovation comes from the fact that the email synchronization with the messaging server is in real time through the cellular telephone network to which it is connected and supports both GSM and GPRS and UMTS.

Of course, the BlackBerry service is more specifically dedicated to businesses. The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are used primarily to provide email delivery to roaming employees. To fully integrate the BlackBerry mobile into an enterprise, the installation of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server is required.

But the popular BlackBerry device that allows you to read emails using the cell phone network is banned by some companies. In fact, some security experts fear that communications will be intercepted. However, BlackBerry publisher Research In Motion (RIM) claims that all traffic is end-to-end encrypted by BlackBerry servers installed in the companies. In fact, it has exactly the same level of security as a traditional VPN if it is set up correctly.

A Blackberry handheld allows users to meet their communication needs, but also gives them a sense of control that a phone conversation doesn’t. More and more professionals often work in a situation of mobility and need to be permanently connected to the company’s computer system.

According to a recent study, a third of business users show signs of BlackBerry addiction almost similar to those of alcoholism. Some people even use the tongue-in-cheek term “crackberries” to name the phenomenon. Also, most users are supposed to get BlackBerry devices to enhance their productivity, but their constant email attachments make it difficult for them to focus on other things when they are out of the office.

The Blackberry Professional is an all-in-one phone/PDA/messaging terminal whose design is optimized to allow users to manage emails on the go and access various applications. The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome screen, but all current phones have color screens.

Most BlackBerry devices are equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard. The ease of typing and sending not only emails, but also SMS is particularly handy, even if you don’t have a BlackBerry.

However, the BlackBerry doesn’t have a memory extension, it doesn’t support 3G, it doesn’t have a camera and it doesn’t have much style. What’s more, the multimedia features are still low compared to other Symbian or Windows mobiles. That is until today with RIM’s introduction of its first new multimedia phone dubbed the new BlackBerry Pearl. But even so, BlackBerry devices are dependent on cellular service coverage and are not Wi-Fi capable, unlike similar handheld devices currently on the market.

RIM BlackBerry is increasingly integrating instant messaging into its new devices and software. RIM offers its own BlackBerry Instant Messenger, but also offers Yahoo Chat and Google Talk clients and probably a forthcoming BlackBerry MSN Messenger client.

According to RIM, the BlackBerry PDA is used by some 5.5 million users worldwide.

Blackberry is used by almost 3 million users in the United States. Some sources say that around 1 million government employees are regular users. Canada is another of the company’s key markets.

In addition to including the usual PDA applications such as address book, calendar, to do lists, etc., you can always download more BlackBerry software such as games, ringtones, themes, web client and other applications.