War of the Smart Phones

The BlackBerry seems to be the accessory of choice in Washington. In bars, offices, the gym, you name it, you're likely to see more than a few of these gadgets. But could other smart phones catch up, even in the federal government?

In a Sunday Washington Post article, Michael S. Rosenwald points out that times may be changing for federal employees.

According to the article, the Washington metro area is the nation's eighth largest but ranks fourth in BlackBerry usage, and the devices often are required accessories for feds and anyone working with them. However, says Rosenwald, with President Obama's open government directive and the rapidly increasing number of apps, the iPhone soon may catch up.

For example, the Army, the Health and Human Services Department and the Defense Advanced Research Agency Projects Agency, the Pentagon's tech research arm, all have hosted app development contests. Apps for the Army drew far more entrants for iPhones and Androids than for BlackBerry devices.

Rosenwald cites figures showing that Hill staffers lean heavily toward Blackberrys -- 9,140 to the iPhone's 86 users. But what about in federal agencies? What will it take for you and your coworkers to shift away from the email- and work-focused BlackBerry toward the sexier, lifestyle-friendly iPhone or Android? Is "there's an app for that" enough?

Full disclosure: I'm a die-hard iPhone user.