Back when Barack Obama was inaugurated as president in 2009, BlackBerry was the cell phone manufacturer of choice for most government officials. Obama himself has used one throughout his time in office, but, as the company's share of the smartphone market continues to decrease, a number of high-ranking people are moving away from the devices. Now, it appears the president has finally waved goodbye to BlackBerry.
Speaking to Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on the Tonight show, Obama said he now carries an unnamed smartphone. But for security reasons, the device is like a "3-year-old's play phone," in that it can't take photos, play music, send texts, or even make calls.
Obama said he considered himself a "cool, high-tech guy" when he arrived at the White House and was a fan of BlackBerrys even before his time as president, but in 2010 he admitted that his presidential BB device, which allowed him to communicate with just ten individuals, was "no fun."
In a 2013 speech to a youth audience, Obama claimed: "I'm not allowed for security reasons to have an iPhone," though the Wall Street Journal reported in 2014 that the White House was testing smartphones from Samsung and LG for internal use.
With Obama's second term coming to an end, the president will soon be able to join his wife and daughters in enjoying all that modern smartphones have to offer, and won't be stuck with a mobile device that's comparable to a child's toy.