In the space of not much more than five years, the Blackberry messaging device has gone, in Europe at least, from an obscure piece of technology to a status symbol prized by executives - alongside a top-of-the-range car and a seat in first class.
So successful is the device, produced by the Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), that it is known as the "Crack Berry". Users claim they become addicted to Blackberry's "push" email service, which makes getting messages as easy as receiving texts.
