Two weeks ago I did something I promised never to do – I bought a Blackberry phone. From the moment I held this addictive device it felt like I belonged to an exclusive club or secret society. Peer pressure and envy finally drove me to purchase a Blackberry bold 9700 and, honestly, I love it! This genius gadget has now become a vital part of my life, or more accurately, carries my life condensed into a stylish 4ins x 2ins phone.

Blackberry’s have become a rapidly growing phenomenon in the past few years, and now I understand why over half of my friends own a Blackberry, and those who don’t are already saving to get one. This creation (as I like to call it) is not only aesthetically appealing, with its touch sensitive trackpad and leather back, but it literally lets you control every aspect of your life at the touch of a button. Now if I want to make a call, all I have to do is press ‘voice dialling’  and say the name of the person I want to speak to – the phone does all the rest. I don’t really need the internet at home either, because now I have the world wide web at my disposal in my hand, and that’s with unlimited use. Pretty amazing right? I certainly think so.

One of my favourite features is the qwerty keypad which does take a little practice, but once you master it you’ll be able to type with your eyes closed. The most valuable feature of the Blackberry has to be instant messaging, otherwise known as ‘bbm’ (Blackberry messenger). This feature allows you to chat, or in Blackberry terms ‘ping,’ with friends, like you would over windows live messenger, except you don’t have to be at a computer to do so. If like me, the majority of your friends have a Blackberry then this feature is a fast, efficient and economical way of communicating on the go.

I instantly made sure that my Blackberry was equipped with the Facebook and Twitter applications. These apps save me from constantly wanting to log on to the computer to check my social network profiles. Instead, I stay logged on to my Facebook and Twitter pages and have the luxury of checking and updating them at my fingertips, whenever and wherever I want. This, for me, is a big plus.

I’ve read reviews saying that the Blackberry internet experience is weak compared to the I-phone, I very much disagree. In the battle of Blackberry v I-phone, my vote would go to Blackberry, no questions asked. The features, the apps, the design and creativity behind this gadget is unrivalled, not to mention that Blackberry’s have longer battery life, which gets another thumbs up. The Blackberry Bold 9700 has been the best investment I’ve made in a long time. Every phone that came before the Blackberry makes me question how I managed to live without it. Now that I have one, I can’t imagine surviving without my BB. I think it’s safe to say that I am now a fully fledged Blackberry convert and have crossed into the BB ‘hype.’