Can they take his BlackBerry? Yes they can. And his laptop and iPhone. For security reasons, no US president has ever been allowed to email. That means confirmed CrackBerry addict Barack Obama is set to lose his hand-held hit in 65 days ... or will he?

Losing access to any email-capable device would not have been such a trial for John McCain, who does not even own a laptop.

Portrait of an addict
But as the Wall Street Journal's Lee Gomes noted back in July, Obama checks his BlackBerry like other people check their wrist watch. The New York Times reports campaign manager David Axelrod saying the president-elect's "BlackBerry constantly crackled with email" during key election moments. And Silicon Valley Insider has distilled five signs that the breakthrough candidate has a smartphone problem (below).

Time for a cool change
Now, the Times reports, Obama is angling for a change in the rules, and may become the first US President to have a laptop on his desk. But it's thought the president-elect will not be able to keep his BlackBerry - a cruel blow as his transition coincides with the release of Research in Motion's hottest-ever handheld, the BlackBerry Storm (check NBR.co.nz this Thursday for one of New Zealand's first hands on reviews).

Mr Obama is still mainlining his BlackBerry, aides say, which is not a good sign given that weaning yourself from RIM's handheld can be as hard as breaking a drug addiction, according to a Rutgers University study.

But while dealing with the global economic meltdown might seem easy next to giving up his favourite phone, the president-in-waiting can take a quantum of solace from Mr Gomes' advice. The Journal blogger says the US President should revel in being one of the only people on earth not beholden to answering phone or email messages every two minutes.

Five signs President-elect Obama has a BlackBerry problem
1. He wears it: "The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt."

2. He's a perfect thumb-typist: "His messages to advisers and friends, they say, are generally crisp, properly spelled and free of symbols or emoticons."

3. He uses it all hours of the night often sending messages to aides at 1am or 3am.

4. Advisors have to take it away from him when he has to focus: "As he sat down with a small circle of advisers to prepare for debates with Senator John McCain, one rule was quickly established: No BlackBerrys. Mr. Axelrod ordered everyone to put their devices in the center of a table during work sessions. Mr. Obama, who was known to sneak a peek at his, was no exception."

5. He even watches sports with it: "Mr. Obama used email to stay in constant touch with friends from the lonely confines of the road, often sending messages like “Sox!” when the Chicago White Sox won a game."