What if your BlackBerry screen went dark?

[Colin Dunstan]

It was a turbulent week for RIM in the long-running BlackBerry patent battle. While District Judge James Spence is clearly running low on patience, the US Patent Office has rejected at least one of the claims made by RIM's adversary NTP. The New York Times sums it up nicely in Bye Bye BlackBerry?:

R.I.M., which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, promises it has a solution that will keep its beloved BlackBerries humming even in the face of an injunction. While most analysts view the prospects of a shutdown as unlikely, they have little faith in the proposed solution, which has potential legal pitfalls of its own. What's more, the history of the struggle between the companies means that no outcome is certain..."It's the proverbial blessing and curse," Mr. Steenland said of his BlackBerry, which sends e-mail messages wirelessly. "It's a blessing because it liberates you from the office. It's a curse because there's no escape."