Actually there is a Micro USB slot that opens up the Micro SD card to function as a HD (and it's lockable) as well as a direct WiFi sharing function.

Not sure about all the Office needs, since all I need is really good messaging and a good keyboard, as well as a open filesystem so I can shuffle things around.

Android and all the variants basically have all this, but I don't see any of them with a halfway decent keyboard, so I'm sticking with BlackBerry until the ship is sunk. Hopefully BlackBerry can stick with it, if only to keep options open.

Can someone tell me why BlackBerry is so disregarded? I see a few posters saying that they love their Q10 (I love mine) - and people immediately jump on them saying that it's a sinking ship. Aside from their financial trouble, what exactly is wrong with the phones? The new OS is amazing, based on nerd-friendly QNX, and the keyboard is the best hardware keyboard you can get. The software keyboard on the all-touch devices is pretty damn good too. The only reason I keep hearing that people don't want a BlackBerry is because they're not doing well. Shouldn't quality of a product dictate what phone you get more than their status on the stock market?

The technology he's talking about sounds a little bit like the stuff a lot of Vernor Vinge's books have, particularly Marooned in Realtime.

I find it interesting that this article is mostly concerned with the military aspects of this kind of technology. What about the spiritual?

What if communicating like this was close to attaining something we used to have, but lost somehow?

My WiFi is called "I_peed_in_the_hall"

I've been wearing the suckers in both ears since I was in 2nd grade due to a high level of conductive hearing loss. I'm lucky that my family can afford them.

I've been approached many times – both domestically and while abroad – by people who needed them, but couldn't afford them. This may make sense in third world countries where people may not have access to more advanced technology, but it makes zero sense in "first world" countries.

One possible reason why the technology is so expensive is that many of the leading companies (Oticon, Phonak, amongst others) are actually in Switzerland and Denmark, and manufacture them -as far as I can tell- in their home countries. Just a thought.

Either way, there should be some kind of government program for these. The Walmart and AirMall (seriously - look at the AirMall catalog next time you fly.) brands just won't cut it if someone has advanced hearing-loss.

A lot of people might also have a bad impression of Bing since it's forced on them: Verizon routinely shoves Bing down their client's throats. For BlackBerries and wherever else they can regulate it, Bing is the only option for search engines, unless you use the Google App instead of searching through the browser.

It seems they're buying public usage instead of earning it - maybe another reason why they're not profitable yet.

It may be petty of me, but I know I personally dislike Bing for this reason.

Back when I was on Win2k (or Windows, period) I used Winamp... and then they started adding crap I didn't want that slowed down the program. At least I had the option to keep the older version.

Sounds like iTunes is doing it again. Social networking in my music player?! Not needed. I'm not on Facebook, I'm not on Twitter, I don't want that in my music player, I must be a Luddite.

Can't they have a iTunes "lite" that only connects your iPad/Pod, organizes your music, and that's it?

The iTunes "Plus" can play your videos, tweet your OMGLOLs, and buy DRM music for you.

Why are vampires always skinny and pasty? They always look strung out on heroin or something. Werewolves- hairy, healthy, rugged. Vampires- skinny, pale, way too into fashion.

I also thought werewolves were immortal just like vampires.

...before I had status and before I had a pager.

uh I mean.. I went to a lot of raves and did a lot of drugs. Two day campout rave, anyone? Besides just staying up that long dancing, it also takes awhile to come down off all that E and whatever else was in the mix.. Oof!

that expire after 18 years.