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A BlackBerry Cool reader just passed me along an interesting article from IT Career Planet on BlackBerry certification. If you remember, waaaay back in May RIM launched the BlackBerry Certification program as a means of empirically validating the skills of a company’s IT department in supporting BlackBerry. According to IT Career Planet, RIM’s certification program is now longer a novelty or a good angle for getting a raise, but a must for any IT professional.

An early adopter of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Smartphone, Salt River Project, one of Arizona’s largest utility companies, today supports 1,600 devices and adds 30 new accounts monthly. The company has about 5,000 employees. It’s no surprise to learn that Salt River Project is rallying around RIM’s recently introduced BlackBerry certification programs.

“When we hire, we’ll definitely require that the job candidate is BlackBerry certified,” says Alex Logvin, enterprise messaging analyst at Salt River Project, Phoenix, Ariz.

I know a lot of IT and BES admins read BlackBerry Cool, so please weigh in. Is the BlackBerry Certification a novelty or a necessity for any enterprise serious about mobile IT? You can see a list of RIM’s current and upcoming certification programs after the jump.

(via IT Career Planet)

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Read the rest of BlackBerry certification is now a must (389 words)

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Everyone’s heard of “BlackBerry Thumb” at this point, but your hands aren’t the only thing left to suffer for your BlackBerry addiction - apparently continual usage has some consequences on posture. Medical researchers are trying to pin down exactly what chronic texting does to our hunched shoulders and bent backs.

“There’s a strong possibility there is a problem, but we don’t know,” [Richard Wells, a kinesiology professor at the University of Waterloo,] says. Anecdotal reports aren’t proof, but, he says, they are “a useful trigger to say, ‘Let’s have a closer look at this.’ … We certainly hear the stories about it,” says Ben Amick, scientific director of the Toronto-based Institute for Work & Health and Dr. Wells’s research partner. … We’re asking, what is the distribution of muscular-skeletal problems in people who use hand-held devices? …We’ll know more in a year.”

We’ve talked to some medical experts about what BlackBerry use does to our hands and to our eyes on the BBCool Podcast, so we’re sure interested seeing what results from these latest studies.

(via Globe and Mail)

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We’ve heard about folks bringing their mobiles with them on vacation, but if you can’t trust yourself to unplug during extended off-time, there are more than a few tourist destinations that are offering to take away not only your BlackBerry while you enjoy your stay. They don’t stop at BlackBerrys, either - many don’t offer phones, TVs or WiFi. Sounds harsh, but let’s face it, some of us could certainly use the help. A few of the electronics-free zones include Alton Towers in Straffordshire, Arawak Beach Inn in Anguilla, Kona Village Resort in Hawaii, and Little Palm Island in the Florida keys.

(via Globe and Mail)

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A recent study of bank employees by Credant Technologies showed that a staggering 83% will be taking their BlackBerrys and mobiles with them on holiday, a third will be bringing their laptop, and a quarter would check their e-mail. In a lot of workplaces, this kind of mentality is certainly the norm, but wouldn’t it be nice to de-shackle the old ball and chain once in awhile? More progressive employers, like the Immigration Canada, are trying to cut down on BlackBerry burnout, but that’s apparently the exception rather than the rule. Summer’s here guys - who’s going to be checking their work e-mail while they’re at the cottage?

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Blogger Judy Mottl has written about the BlackBerry obsession in Canada, which has gotten so bad that the Deputy Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada ministry had banned their use between 7 PM and 7 AM. He also banned their use during meetings, a growing concern amongst many professions. Now a company called DDB Canada has taken it one step further. Calling it a “personal digital assistant pandemic,” CEO Frank Palmer has issued a very creative ban on using BlackBerrys during meetings. Anyone caught is issued a yellow card by a fellow employee. If they’re caught again, and are already carrying a yellow card, they’re given a red card and they have to pay their own monthly bill. Quite a deterrent, especially considering the data plan pricing up north.

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The Sleep Council conducted a survey of the British populace to determine sleeping habits, with some surprising results. 22% set the alarm on their BlackBerry or mobile phone before slipping under the sheets between 10 and 11, but 40% of couples said they didn’t go to sleep at the same time and a full quarter said they regularly sleep completely separately. This might have something to do with the 1 in 3 who send and receive text messages or emails in bed, or the 1 in 5 who surf the web, listen to music, or play games. 22% charge up their phone before bed compared to only 10% who offer nightly prayers. My only question is how much the 9% of couple who always sleep separately includes the 1% of men who apparently wear a nightie to bed…

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The CBS Sunday Edition podcast had an episode on the subject of BlackBerry overuse (which you can listen to via iTunes — it is the episode from February 24th) with Carleton University professor Linda Duxbury. They talk about the potential for rude uses like checking email during a meeting or other conversation, and Minister Fadden’s moratorium on at-home BlackBerry use. According to Professor Duxbury, the impulse to obsess over your BlackBerry even while off the clock has actually caused an increase in hours worked per week, from 47 hours to a staggering 71. All in all, it’s a very interesting segment. The BlackBerry portion of the show starts at 4:20.

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The Xtensor is a new contraption aiming to rehabilitate chronic gamers, golfers and BlackBerry users through the clever use of elastic bands. By extending and retracting fingers, the user works all the forearm muscles related to BlackBerry thumb, and at $39.00, it’s about as cheap as do-it-yourself physiotherapy’s going to get. If you’re looking for some more sporty BlackBerry handwear, you might want to check these out. Thanks Josep!

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