Buy This Now: BlackBerry wireless device

Understand this about the BlackBerry: It's like having a second spouse. And not only is polygamy illegal, it's a precarious proposition.

What I'm saying is that the married person who obtains a BlackBerry, which delivers cell phone, wireless e-mail and numerous other handy features in a pocket-sized package, is putting his or her marriage at risk.

But once you have the BlackBerry, you soon realize that making your personal polygamy work is an all-important goal. You love your flesh-and-blood spouse, of course, and don't want to jeopardize that relationship. But you must do everything within your power to keep the BlackBerry in your pocket at least 16 hours per day. This may mean doing things without complaint for your spouse that you normally wouldn't do. You become focused on making sure your human spouse is happy so your digital better half is allowed to share your home.

Also know this about the BlackBerry: It is dangerous. Consider: You receive an e-mail from an important business client or colleague while rolling down I-15. Reading the e-mail at 60 mph is not the worst of it. With due care, this can be accomplished. But you are itching to respond. You have a clever retort or a crucial reply that simply cannot wait. So you begin furiously typing on the little keyboard as traffic slows at Sahara, engrossed in your witty prose. A sensation prompts you to raise your eyes and glance at the traffic, which has come to a halt in front of you. Hit the brakes! A crash narrowly avoided, you finish the e-mail and send it off. A technology marvel!

--Geoff Schumacher