Blackberry Outages Temporarily Cripple North American Users

Millions of Blackberry owners experienced disruptions in data service today leaving them disconnected from the online world for hours.  The problem is a result of Blackberry’s recent international network issues. This comes at a high-risk time for Blackberry, just two days before the iPhone 4GS is available in stores.

The thought of a day without email or instant messaging is gut wrenching for many of us. Let’s face it, how can we live without our phones? As a blackberry owner myself, I woke up today to realize that this nightmare had actually come true! Not that I’m the most popular person in the world but I’d like to think that at least one person would want to contact me. So when I hadn’t received a single email or BBM (Blackberry Message), I temporarily freaked out.

I reached out to Blackberry’s Research in Motion (RIM) today and they’re “making improvements and expect full service by tomorrow”.  As the hours tick by however, tomorrow feels like a lifetime! For that reason, (and driven by impulse) I immediately made my next call…to the Apple store. My brand new iPhone 4GS will be shipped soon!  Kicked off team Blackberry? So what, I need a fully functioning, awesome phone!

I’m not alone.  In fact, #Dearblackberry is currently a trend on twitter with many people creatively tweeting about the Blackberry Outage. So far, my favorite is “Dear Blackberry, thanks for the new customers. Sincerely, Iphone.” So, do you blame me for switching to team iPhone?

Did you or your work suffer as a result of today's Blackberry Outage?