![dek](https://content.time.com/time/photoessays/2007/gadgets/blackberry.jpg)
Research in Motion's Blackberry proved so popular that heavy users complained of finger injuries from endless hours of thumb typing. Blackberries made it easier for mobile professionals to communicate on-the-go with quick e-mails, and they've become ubiquitous in government, technology and financial circles. And so addictive that they have been nicknamed "crackberries."
By Jeremy Caplan and Brendan Lowe