We just picked this up from BlackBerry Cool today, however, last week Verizon announced a worldwide deployment of 19,500 BlackBerrys to 56 or so Bureau field offices. The new devices will allow agents to access the Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) Mobility Program for the first time from handheld devices.
In addition to providing the devices Verizon is also conducting in-person training with agents and transferring phone book contacts to the new BlackBerry 8830s.
“The FBI works hard to provide our agents and professional staff with the technology needed to perform their job anywhere in the world,” said FBI Chief Information Officer Zalmai Azmi. “These devices allow FBI employee’s access not only to the internet, e-mail calendar and taskings, but also to applications critical to our mission such as the no-fly list, missing and kidnapped persons, crime alerts, etc.”
[Source]
So the FBI chose Verizon…wonder what hellno would have to say about that.
Please… don’t even say that name. You might wake him.
I’m just curious. Did Verizon enable the GPS for them?
^haha…
This makes me feel good about being with VZW. Although I felt good before… it’s nice to know the FBI went with them. I would have thought they would want a cameraberry though… they’d be able to take pictures of crime scenes and upload them to whatever… I understand the security of not having a cameraberry though too. But they’re the FBI… so yeah…
I guess it is a “World Phone” though… so that prolly trumps a Cameraberry… just remembered that…
To think that VZW customers complain about the lack of new phones to market. Imagine working for the FBI and getting a phone that VZW considers ancient! Just a funny thought…