The Blackberry 950

Now, the Blackberry has been launched in the UK. Last week, MM02 (the mobile network formerly known as BT Cellnet), announced that those companies that signed up for it would soon be getting the little black handhelds that they ordered months ago. Sadly for gadget lovers, the Blackberry is only available to companies. It is not cheap either. Each one costs more than �400.

The US, just like Europe and the rest of the world, is a big fan of mobile phones. However, the US, unlike Europe and much of the rest of the world, does not make much use of SMS text messages.

This is because the regulatory history of the US phone networks has left them fragmented and means it is hard to use one phone throughout the country. Most of these networks are built around technology that does not support the same sort of short message services. If Americans need to get messages, they have a "beeper" or pager.

But the Blackberry has proved popular with companies keen to ensure their staff are always in touch even when they are out of the office. Research In Motion, the creators of the Blackberry, say more than 10,000 companies are using the gadget.

Handheld head-to-head

In Europe and elsewhere, however, it will face stiff competition.

For a start, the Blackberry is expensive compared with mobile phones (which are now almost so cheap they can be given away with petrol), and companies have to do quite a lot of work behind the scenes to get it working and ensure e-mail is forwarded to folk on the road.

The manufacturer's claim that the device receives messages "any and every time" will appear dated to sophisticated Europeans who have been using SMS for years. In the UK alone, a billion SMS messages are sent every month. Admittedly, they are limited in length and sometimes fiddly to type, but there is no denying their popularity.

Now, in the UK, hybrid devices that combine a handheld computer with a mobile phone are starting to appear. Ericsson has long touted its R380 smart phone; Mitsubishi's has the Trium Mondo; and Sagem's WA3050 combines a GSM phone with a Pocket PC type device. There are also add-ons for other popular handhelds, such as the Handspring Visor, that add phone-like capabilities.

With a bit of tinkering, these gadgets can be used to pick up e-mail, send and receive SMS and generally do all the things that the Blackberry promises it will be able to - and make phone calls too.

Combine this with a recession that means companies are reluctant to spend money, and the possibility must be raised that this might be one Blackberry which runs out of juice all too soon.