We're a bit frightened by the fact that high-ranking political officials are told to leave their BlackBerrys outside in an unguarded basket during high-level meetings (really, it's "common practice"), but nevertheless, one chap who tried to take advantage of the situation didn't quite make it out undiscovered.

During a recent political meetup in New Orleans, a Mexican press attaché managed to slip a half dozen or so BlackBerrys into his pocket before darting to the airport with visions of black market markups in his head. Before he could exit the country, however, Secret Service had tracked him down after catching him via surveillance footage.

As it stands, the responsible individual has been fired from his post, but there's been no word on whether the US will take any further actions. Reevaluating the whole "leaving them out in the open" practice may be a good start -- just sayin'. [Source: Fox News via The Boy Genius Report]

In case you don't remember the name, you'll recognize Taylor Dayne's powerful voice as soon as you hear her massive late '80s hit dance single, "Tell It To My Heart." After a few years away from music-making, she's back with "Beautiful," a new single climbing up Billboard's pop charts. The track comes from her new album, "Satisfied," which features new original songs and covers of songs by the Rolling Stones and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Taylor keeps connected with not one, but two BlackBerry handsets, which she discusses with us in the latest Switched Questionnaire. Read on.

What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?

My BlackBerry


What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?

I have my BlackBerry 8800 or the Curve -- depends which one is up and running at the time. Hate: I'm addicted to texting. Love: there's a camera now on the device.


Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?

I e-mailed my publicist about a Hermes event in NYC.


Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?

I usually end up on Google searching for various things from tadpole food for my kids soon-to-be-frog to synthetic grass for my pool area.


What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop?

Knowing I haven't backed it up and sooner or later every device gets lost ,stolen, or crashes


Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop could do that it doesn't do now?

I wish it could read my mind. Back itself up.


What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?

I need an XBox 360 for my kid now .


You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?

I phone to call for help while I watch a movie.


What's the most-played song or artist on your iPod?

My new record "Satisfied".


BlackBerry, Sidekick, or Treo?

BlackBerry


Will you ever get an iPhone?

Not yet. In a year


What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?

I played tons of video games at rehearsal studios and on sets , I just got one for my kids and I still have the old school Galaga -- Love it.


Mac or PC?

I'm a Mac girl -- just always was and have always had a PowerBook.


Related Links:

• Switched Questionnaire: Fugees' Pras, BlackBerry Addict
• Emmy Rossum: Actor, Singer, Mac-Addict
• Snoop Dogg Is a Gadget Hound

We've published a number of articles about disturbing surveys focused on how technology affects our sex lives. MSNBC contributor Brian Alexander has compiled a boatload of information on the subject from several surveys in one surprising look at technology and our bedroom manners.

In addition to lowering your sperm count and potentially deforming the little guys in your man-batter, cell phones are adding to our technological distractions. Marta Meana, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, says that cell phones are part of our culture of multi-tasking, which is preventing us from making "quiet time to have sex." And we already know that 37 percent of you are taking your laptops to bed with you.

Even worse, almost 50 percent of British men said they would give up sex for six months in exchange for a free 50-inch plasma television. Not disturbing enough? Only 25 percent would give up chocolate as part of the same deal.

One sure way to put a nail in your sex life's coffin is to put a TV in the bedroom. An Italian study showed that simply putting a television in the bed room cut the amount of sex a couple had in half.

We obviously love our tech and gadgets here at Switched, but we could never choose the Internet or TV over intercourse. What's wrong with you people?



From Shiny Shiny and MSNBC

Related Links:

• Sex Less Important Than the Web for Many Americans
• One-Third of Women Who Meet People Online Have Sex on First Date
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• Cell Phone Myths Explained - Low Sperm Count
• 68% of Americans suffer from disconnect anxiety

Just a few years ago the smart phone was a something only the slightly geeky business professionals of the world would carry, usually by clipping the bulky monstrosities onto their belts for all to see. Today, though, with slim and pocketable smart phones like Apple's iPhone and the HTC Touch, the devices have started to shrug off their professional manners and start to live it up a little. The BlackBerry line, the first truly popular smart phone, is still about the stuffiest out there, but is getting a bit more laid back with the announcement of a custom music store tailored just for the e-mail pushing devices.

The service, from a company called Puretracks, will launch in April and will let BlackBerry users do something that the usually enviable iPhone users can't: Download tracks from anywhere they can get a signal. The Puretracks store will available via the cellular network, while, at best, you can only connect to iTunes from your iPhone via a localized Wi-Fi signal. The BlackBerry will be able to access Wi-Fi as well for faster downloads, but if you're on the go you'll still have the ability to get the latest Project Jenny Project Jan album while you're in the back of a cab on your way to the airport.

No word on just what pricing will look like for the new service, but expect to pay a bit of a premium over iTunes' offerings.

From Engadget Mobile

Related Links:

• Is the HTC Touch Better than the iPhone?
• Corporate Email Coming to iPhone - Look Out BlackBerry!
• BlackBerry Suffers Yet Another Outage

According to a recent study by the Solutions Research Group (Warning: PDF file), Americans just can't stand to be out of touch. According to the survey, 68 percent of Americans suffer from at least occasional disconnect anxiety when away from the computer or cell phone. The participants' feelings when away from the 'net range from general discomfort to inadequacy and panic.

Some other interesting statistics: Only 37 percent of laptop users frequently log on from their bed rooms, but 63 percent of Blackberry users admitted to using their device of choice while in the "washroom." That last number seemed particularly disturbing to our pals over at Engadget, but we'll be the first to admit that entire articles on Switched have been written from the comfort of the porcelain throne (desk?), which really just goes to show how terrified of being disconnected we are.

From Engadget

Related links:

• Senior Citizens Like Robo-Dogs As Much As Real Dogs
• Internet, Video Games Blamed for Drop In Camping
• One-Third of Women Who Meet People Online Have Sex on First Date

Earlier this week, the popular BlackBerry service for smart phones went offline. The outage was short, fixed within a few hours, but for those who remember the painful outages last year, it was an unfortunate reminder that perhaps things aren't entirely well at RIM, the company behind the BlackBerry.

The company has now reported that the problem was due to a bogus software update pushed to phones intended to speed up the flow of messages across its network. That's the same thing it said about the last outage in 2007, a mistake it promised to never make again.

From Engadget

Related Links:

• BlackBerry Service Suffers Brief Widescale Outage
• BlackBerry Suffers Yet Another Outage
• iPhone Second In U.S. Smartphone Market Share

We couldn't make it out to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona -- a big international cell-phone conference focused mainly on GSM-style world phones -- but our good friends over at Engadget were able to make the trek and are sending back reports from the front line of cellular and mobile computing technologies.

All the usual suspects are there, Samsung, Nokia, even Motorola are showing off some of their 2008 handset lineups. The most innovative stars of the show, however, are unquestionably the new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 and the Google-backed, Linux based smart phone operating system Android.

Take a look at Engadget's comprehensive coverage, and check back here for some more selective highlights.

From Engadget

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According to reports, Research In Motion's Blackberry devices suffered a wide-scale outage that began this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, according to reports from carrier AT&T. The outage affected all carriers and not just AT&T.

The problem has reportedly been fixed, although Verizon indicates it may take some time for it to catch up with delivery of backlogged email to its subscribers.

The last time Blackberry service went out was this past September. After an earlier outage in April 2007, RIM CEO Jim Balsille said, "It shouldn't have happened, and it won't happen again."

So much for promises.

We think it is interesting that Blackberry notified its customers via e-mail.

From AOL Money & Finance.

Related links:

• Blackberry Suffers Yet Another Outage
• Celebrity Blackberry Addicts
• iPhone Second In U.S. Smartphone Market Share

Hey, Ashlee Simpson fans (we know you're out there) -- you probably already know that Ashlee's new single, Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) is being released digitally tomorrow. It's being released as part of a three-song EP. In all the excitement leading up to her new release, we grabbed a chance to ask her our usual questions about her tech habits. Turns out she loves her BlackBerry, but would prefer to have her electric toothbrush on a deserted island. Hmmm.

We love you Ashlee, but what happens when the toothbrush runs out of juice?

What gadgets do you always bring with you for down time? (I.e. down-time at the recording studio, music video set, T.V. appearances/tapings, etc)

My iPod, knitting needles, and yarn.

What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?

The BlackBerry Curve -- I love the camera feature.

Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?

A friend, about going to Magic Mountain. Woohoo!

Where do you go (site or service) pretty much every time you get online?

Funnyordie.com

What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?

When I have no signal!

Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?

Fly.

What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?

The new touch-screen iPod (iPod touch).

You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring? (Give reason why.)

My electric toothbrush.

What's the most-played song or artist on your iPod?

Bjork.

Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?

BlackBerry

Are you getting an iPhone?

No.

What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?

I played Tony Hawk for 75 house.

"Do you use/have a Mac or PC? Why?"

Mac - it's more user-friendly.

Related Links:

• Nikki Sixx - A Motley Interview, Care of Switched
• Marlee Matlin Still Listens to Her iPod
• Kenny G, BlackBerry Addict (A Switched Interview)

Be careful what you leave in a voicemail: It might end up on the Switched Show (podcast, direct link), via YouTube and just about every major TV and radio outlet in the nation. We discuss implications of privacy in a digital world -- from warrantless searches of Blackberry e-mail in-boxes to the unfortunate case of an angry phone message turned YouTube phenomena. PLUS: The Macbook Air crash lands with critics.

For a society so obsessed with productivity, we're pretty bad at actually being productive. Sure, services such as Google and Wikipedia have been described as being time hogs, but apparently the real killer is multitasking.

2008 is being dubbed the "year of information overload" by Basex Inc., a research firm. The human brain is not hardwired for paying attention to several things at once or for handling constant interruptions. The pressure put on us by technology to respond immediately to E-mails, text messages, and IMs cost the US economy around $650 Billion in 2006, according to Basex.

The solution is to ignore those expectations of instant gratification, according to Johnathan Spira, the lead researcher at Basex. Resist the urge to immediately follow up on every E-mail, phone call or IM, and learn to walk that fine line between getting things done and pestering your co-workers when hitting that reply all button.

From AOL Money & Finance

Related links:

• Facebook Costing Businesses $264 Million Daily in Lost Man Hours
• Blackberry Saves Users an Hour a Day
• The Web's Biggest Time Hogs

We all know our presidential candidates must be carrying some serious techage with them. The Associated Press, of course, just simple had to know, which candidates prefer which gadgets.

But leave it Asylum to try and figure out what it all means. Mike Huckabee, former Republican Governor of Arkansas, prefers his bass and amp? Well, that means he could never be President. Asylum asks: "Can you imagine a President John Paul Jones or Bill Wyman?" Clearly the answer is no. And what of Hillary Clinton's choice of the iPod? It's a safe and middle of the road choice, just like everything else she does!

The survey of 12 to 17 year old boys and girls turned up some shocking information -- teens still prefer a good Joking aside, those menchildren over at Asylum might be on to something here. What does it mean that New Mexico Governor and Democratic hopeful Bill Richardson gave props to his "Crackberry?" Does it mean that Mr. Richardson is more current on his tech news and jargon? And what of Rudy Giuliani's response? The former mayor of New York City loves his CD player. Does that mean that a Giuliani presidency won't be able to acknowledge technology that came out after 1999?

What do you think? Can the candidates responses to the favorite gadget question give us insight into how they and their administration would be run?

From Asylum and the Associated Press

Related Links:

• Giuliani Staging Mid-Speech Cell Phone Calls?
• How Presidential Candidates are Using the Web
• Bipartisan Gadgetry

Once upon a time, you were a nobody if you didn't have a Palm-powered PDA holstered beneath your power suit. With BlackBerrys and iPhones getting all the glory, can Palm's new Centro compete? Josh Fruhlinger reports.