One interesting fact coming out this week is that Barack Obama appears headed for severe technology withdrawal as he gives up his Blackberry and email communication in general. Poor guy. As if having to deal with the economic crisis and the Iraq war aren’t enough — now he’s got this! Anyway, the fallout has sparked a debate over that the Wall Street Journal blog The Juggle. The key question: is the Crackberry a useful device that helps you save time and money or is it a life-disrupting distraction that should be limited dramatically at worst, and eliminated altogether at best?

Personally, we like our technology and will only give it up when they pry it from our cold, dead hands. Then again, we do admit we can be obsessive. There is also something to be said for how you use a device. A tool is just a tool. You can use scissors to make delightful paper dolls, or you can run with them. That said, Blackberry users do tend to develop addictive and dependent behavior around the device. It’s much rarer for people to complaint about how they can’t stop using scissors.

What’s your take on the issue? Are Blackberries and products like them a positive for users and those around them or are they more likely to be a hindrance?

No BlackBerry for Obama: Setting “CrackBerry” Limits [Wall Street Journal]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)

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