Proving he really is leader of the free world, Barack Obama has defied the Secret Service and Whitehouse lawyers, and will become the first US president to send email - and on his beloved smartphone, no less, reports The Atlantic. Oh yes, victory is sweet.

Without citing any sources (but now backed by The New York Times), Atlantic blogger Marc Ambinder reports that an un-named US government agency, thought to be the NSA (National Security Agency) has created a special presidential BlackBerry with super levels of encryption.

The spook-strength encryption is designed to protect The One from the Secret Service’s very real fears that bad guys could use a radio tracker to eavesdrop on a conventional BlackBerry, or to ascertain the president’s location (a key reason that the French government chose to ban BlackBerries).

However, no technology can protect Mr Obama from Congress’s right to subpoena Whitehouse email (a key reason that previous presidents have avoided the medium), or the public’s right under the Presidential Records Act to read all presidential correspondence, including txt and email, once he leaves office.

Aminder says it’s not clear whether Obama has taken possession of the BlackBerry yet.