Va Beach VH Fan
01-24-2009, 10:34 AM
This one is near and dear to my heart... I'm a Blackberry Engineer in my Bruce Wayne life when not debating whether or not there's a complete Oakland '81 bootleg.... And I've been pulling my hair out recently when the MSM has talked about Obama's "new Blackberry", then describing the Sectera "Edge"...
The article below talks about it, but the bottom line is that the Edge is NOT a Blackberry, not really close... The Edge, just like a Motorola Q and Trio and similar devices, has a Windows operating system with Microsoft Office installed, whereas a RIM Blackberry (made in Canada) does not, which is one big reason why some people don't prefer Blackberry's... They like the ability to read Excel, Word, and Powerpoint document in their true format.... Blackberry's have a jury-rigged attachment conversion process....
Now, they also are talking about some super-enhanced encryption package so that he can still use an actual Blackberry... That's bovine feces as well.... Modern Blackberry's have the ability to lock the device down with some significant algorithms, all approved by the U.S. Gov't. It's included in what we call an IT Policy, and is simply selecting the correct parameter, and in all actuality is a normal part of any company or government agency's security policy... I'd be shocked if Obama's Blackberry on the campaign trail wasn't locked down at least a little bit....
Anyway, here's a good article on it....
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/dear-mainstream-media-obamas-new-phone-isnt-a-blackberry-mig/
Dear Mainstream Media: Obama's new phone isn't a BlackBerry, might not be a phone, and he might not be getting it
by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 10:53AM
This morning we've been barraged with tips alerting us to the news that President Obama has won his struggle to keep his (apparently deeply loved) BlackBerry -- a device which has historically been verboten in the White House due to security concerns. Unfortunately for the mainstream media outlets, a little conflation here and a little lack of fact-checking there does not a BlackBerry make. Just about everyone -- straight up to CNN and the AP -- are sourcing a post by Marc Ambinder in the Atlantic stating that Obama is "going to get his blackberry [sic]," though the actual news may be far different. Ambinder seems to be conflating two stories which he doesn't source at all, one saying that the NSA will jack-up Obama's BlackBerry with some kind of "super-encryption package," and the other stating that the President will get a Sectera Edge -- an NSA approved (but not issued) device we reported he might be getting last week. Here's the news in the exact (confusing) wording Ambinder uses:
On Monday, a government agency that the Obama administration -- but that is probably the National Security Agency -- added to a standard blackberry a super-encryption package.... and Obama WILL be able to use it ... still for routine and personal messages.
With few exceptions, government Blackberries aren't designed for encryption that protects messages above the "SECRET" status, so it's not clear whether Obama is getting something new and special. The exception: the Sectera Edge from General Dynamics, which allows for TOP SECRET voice conversations.
The problem is that Ambinder (and the mainstream media) doesn't seem to know the difference between some NSA smartphone and an actual RIM BlackBerry... and there's a big difference. Of course, we won't tell MSM (or even solo bloggers) how to do their job, but we think there's some serious air-clearing called for here. We have yet to hear official word on what, if any, device Obama will be using in the White House, and recombining two separate pieces of information that may not be related (or fully understood) seems lazy at best, and dangerous at worst.
The article below talks about it, but the bottom line is that the Edge is NOT a Blackberry, not really close... The Edge, just like a Motorola Q and Trio and similar devices, has a Windows operating system with Microsoft Office installed, whereas a RIM Blackberry (made in Canada) does not, which is one big reason why some people don't prefer Blackberry's... They like the ability to read Excel, Word, and Powerpoint document in their true format.... Blackberry's have a jury-rigged attachment conversion process....
Now, they also are talking about some super-enhanced encryption package so that he can still use an actual Blackberry... That's bovine feces as well.... Modern Blackberry's have the ability to lock the device down with some significant algorithms, all approved by the U.S. Gov't. It's included in what we call an IT Policy, and is simply selecting the correct parameter, and in all actuality is a normal part of any company or government agency's security policy... I'd be shocked if Obama's Blackberry on the campaign trail wasn't locked down at least a little bit....
Anyway, here's a good article on it....
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/22/dear-mainstream-media-obamas-new-phone-isnt-a-blackberry-mig/
Dear Mainstream Media: Obama's new phone isn't a BlackBerry, might not be a phone, and he might not be getting it
by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 10:53AM
This morning we've been barraged with tips alerting us to the news that President Obama has won his struggle to keep his (apparently deeply loved) BlackBerry -- a device which has historically been verboten in the White House due to security concerns. Unfortunately for the mainstream media outlets, a little conflation here and a little lack of fact-checking there does not a BlackBerry make. Just about everyone -- straight up to CNN and the AP -- are sourcing a post by Marc Ambinder in the Atlantic stating that Obama is "going to get his blackberry [sic]," though the actual news may be far different. Ambinder seems to be conflating two stories which he doesn't source at all, one saying that the NSA will jack-up Obama's BlackBerry with some kind of "super-encryption package," and the other stating that the President will get a Sectera Edge -- an NSA approved (but not issued) device we reported he might be getting last week. Here's the news in the exact (confusing) wording Ambinder uses:
On Monday, a government agency that the Obama administration -- but that is probably the National Security Agency -- added to a standard blackberry a super-encryption package.... and Obama WILL be able to use it ... still for routine and personal messages.
With few exceptions, government Blackberries aren't designed for encryption that protects messages above the "SECRET" status, so it's not clear whether Obama is getting something new and special. The exception: the Sectera Edge from General Dynamics, which allows for TOP SECRET voice conversations.
The problem is that Ambinder (and the mainstream media) doesn't seem to know the difference between some NSA smartphone and an actual RIM BlackBerry... and there's a big difference. Of course, we won't tell MSM (or even solo bloggers) how to do their job, but we think there's some serious air-clearing called for here. We have yet to hear official word on what, if any, device Obama will be using in the White House, and recombining two separate pieces of information that may not be related (or fully understood) seems lazy at best, and dangerous at worst.