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My name is David and I am a BlackBerry addict. I get up every morning to the alarm set on my BlackBerry 8800 and start the day in bed, checking for messages, news, and updates on the weather. I work out to MP3 files of executive book summaries and music, all stored on my BlackBerry, and spend the rest of the day obsessively “checking” for new messages every five minutes. And I am not alone – I have seen you doing it, too. In the car, on the runway, in the elevator, and even in the grocery store aisles. Some of you – and you know who you are – are even doing it while on vacation at Walt Disney World, standing in line to meet Pooh.

But despite all of the recent negative press about the harmfulness of the “BlackBerry Effect,” there is just no ignoring the fact that, in today’s marketplace, schedules and customer demands have a tendency to change on a dime and your dependency on legacy mediums of communication such as phones, mail, and even traditional stationary e-mail at your desk will simply no longer suffice. Hundreds of today’s ad-on applications allow you to review and analyze spreadsheets, present interesting and key concepts, and take notes not only in remote locations, but instantaneously. In many cases, when an idea strikes, when an opportunity arises, and when the need to capture and communicate product- or company-making ideas, you need to be able to not only capture it, but share it with others immediately. As many executives recognize, there are currently four generations at work in the market today – the Mature, the Boomers, Gen-X and Gen-Y. And unlike past generations, today’s workforce is more transient and mobile than ever before.

The mounting and often sophisticated tenants of business interactions mandate a more responsive professional culture. By definition, staying in touch is no longer an option. Unlike any other device before it or since, the Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry is giving corporate managers, sales professionals, venture capitalists, government employees and yes – even stay at home, full-time moms – access to an unprecedented tool for instant communication, collaboration, and just-in-time knowledge management.

I began my BlackBerry journey over 10 years ago and am now on my fifth such device. I started in the late 1990s with a much bulkier version, which was housed in a large ugly black case, and eventually graduated to a full-size, full screen “Volvo Boxy” black and white model. From there, I moved to my first color Blueberry, and then to a more advanced and aerodynamic Silverberry. I am now the proud owner of the much lighter, more interactive full-color version, which is much sleeker than the previous models. With the vast and often diverse portfolio of relationships that many individuals must proactively and consistently nurture, “pinging” has become an art. The art of staying in touch with both regular as well as occasional colleagues continues with the identification, development and long-term nurturing of those relationships. Beyond traditional e-mail, which continues to be what over 90% of BlackBerry users use the device for, the progress in application development has led to a much more intuitive interface and access to the Web or Web browser, making on-demand search that much more productive. For example, the other day, after a family picnic, we quickly looked up the hours of a nearby golf driving range – a task that would have previously been considerably more difficult.

Over the years, the BlackBerry user interface and an array of functionality has also evolved. Features such as voice dialing has made the BlackBerry less dangerous to use while engaging in otherwise attention-mandating tasks such as driving or operating heavy machinery. And did you know that you can now use your BlackBerry to send voice notes as well as a text messages? The built in GPS navigator included on some models largely eliminates the need for maps – both in the traditional sense as well as Mapquest printouts – not to mention the mobility it provides. Push-to-Talk technology, initially innovated by Nextel, is also now available for instant voice communication and a photo album allows you to take memories of loved ones with you on the road.

During a recent trip to China, although I dragged my laptop across the globe, between the power conversion and online access challenges, I ended-up opening the laptop once. Conversely, my BlackBerry not only kept me in touch, but engaged as though I was down the street – not on another continent.

There is no denying the many benefits the BlackBerry offers today’s workforce. And with certain personal boundaries in place – such as leaving it in the car during functions and special events and turning it off while at the dinner table or the kids’ soccer game – the technology offered by this device can have an incredibly positive “effect” on both your professional success and your most valuable relationships.