This case focuses on the implications of two e-mail service outages for users of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry smart phone. In April 2007 and then again in February 2008, BlackBerry users in North America experienced the frustration of having an e-mail blackout¾at least a nine-hour outage in the April incident and about a three-hour outage in the 2008 event. Within the context of these outages, the question of the reliability of RIM’s wireless e-mail service is raised. The potential answer to that question is explored by considering the impact on an increasingly large network of BlackBerry users and its business partners. 

The case ties into chapter material regarding interpersonal communication and communicating through new technologies. Technology is viewed as a facilitator of interpersonal communication, but it still has disadvantages as well as advantages. 

Questions

1. 1. Can the basic interpersonal communication model be used as an aid in understanding the impact of the two wireless e-mail outages on BlackBerry users? If so, how
2. 2. How are wireless technology and the Internet transforming the way business people communicate with regard to fulfilling their job responsibilities?
3. 3, What are the advantages and disadvantages of relying to an increasing degree on technology to facilitate communications between people?
4. 4. Why is the reliability of RIM’s services crucial to its ongoing success as a leader in communications technology?