In the annals of consumer electronics, certain devices have proven so compelling they've created consumer cults. You know, Mac heads. Palm freaks. TiVoholics.
Among the white-collar crowd, though, one particular gizmo has earned a street nickname all its own: CrackBerry. That's a reference to the RIM BlackBerry, an addictive wireless palmtop that displays your e-mail in real time, as it arrives. The airports and commuter trains on both coasts are filled with BlackBerry fanatics, hunched over, eyes glazed, flailing at its microscopic alphabet keyboard with their thumbs calloused in funny places.