A New Craze in Teenage Phone Usage
NEIRAD enilno edition
First it was the Razr, a phone so sleek the user couldn’t even feel when it was in her pocket, or when it had fallen out. The next craze was the Sidekick, man’s best friend. Seriously, it was a phone so big it could literally be the size of one’s best friend. And who could forget the ever popular Envy, models 1, 2, AND 3. So what’s all the rage in cell phones now? A phone tastier than the Chocolate and more ambitious than the Voyager: the BlackBerry.
The BlackBerry was introduced in 1999 and revised in 2002, making it compatible with e-mail, Internet and possessing all of the features of a regular cell phone. It was instantly popular with business men and women who enjoyed the convenience of computer-like technologies on their phones. But today’s generation of teens is one that has indulged in all of the latest technology trends and has now embraced the BlackBerry for its socializing needs.
Teens do not seem turned off by the two Blackberry power outages that hit last month. While many who use the device for busines were livid, teenagers seemed less fazed by these blips in their social interaction.
“I think the perception of BlackBerries has changed,” junior Alex Bruno said.
The BlackBerry is no longer strictly for business. Teens have embraced the Apple-esque apps a BlackBerry can provide even if they don’t want to switch from Verizon to AT&T, the only network to support iPhones. They will vary depending on the user’s carrier plan and type of model.
“I love my BlackBerry. It has everything I need on it from playing Brick-Breaker when I’m bored in class to a calendar that tells me people’s birthday so I can wish them an extra special birthday,” junior Amy Sanborn said.
Holiday sales of the phone are expected to go up in major phone-companies like TMobile and Verizon, however some teen customers are unsatisfied with their hand held source of communication. “I’m switching to an iPhone,” Bruno said. “I like Apple products better,” Bruno explained. Although Bruno is switching services and phones, he sees why more and more teens are purchasing BlackBerrys.
“Kids need their emails at hand now as the world is technologically advancing,” he said.
Contrasting Bruno’s belief, senior Tim Westcott thinks that kids “absolutely do not” need the high-tech phone. “I think it’s a fashion statement more than anything else,” Westcott said.
However, BlackBerrys are still among the top gifts on teen’s wish lists and they will be making a statement with models such as the Curve, the Storm, and the Tour. The manufacturer also makes the Pearl, a flip-style BlackBerry that eliminates the risk of pocket-dialing.
If Santa didn’t bring you the perfect phone then it might be worth pooling the gift cards to splurge for the new and improved BlackBerry and satisfy your social and communication needs in 2010.
