CrackBerry Convulsions

I don't own a BlackBerry, the addictive mobile device whose future is imperiled by a lengthy intellectual property battle. But even here on the sidelines, the tension -- indeed, panic -- is palpable among devoted owners of the portable communications devices. Unfortunately, there's not much BlackBerry owners can do now except wait for final arguments in the court fight between BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion and patent holder NTP. That's expected to happen sometime this month in a Virginia courtroom. Should NTP prevail, Research in Motion will be prohibited from selling BlackBerrys or providing service for them in the U.S. There's a good FAQ over at CNET explaining details of the legal proceedings as well as possible outcomes. And for those of you who can't bear the thought of going cold turkey, here's another FAQ, this one on U.S. Passport applications. I hear Spain is very nice this time of year.