BlackBerrys are an escape tool, says RIM chief

The BlackBerry was created to offer execs a way to escape the office - even if some people find it very difficult to switch them off.

That's the view of Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of BlackBerry maker RIM.

Lazaridis said: "This is a misunderstanding about BlackBerry. BlackBerry was invented so that I could go home to my family and not be stuck in the office."

He added: "The world is becoming very competitive and we have to make sure we can compete in that space but we can not do that by spending 24 hours a day in the office.

"We did not bring the competitive environment to the world but we allow users to cope with it."

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But according to a recent survey, some BlackBerry users seem unable to turn the gadget off. The survey found 40 per cent of financial professionals took their laptop or BlackBerry on holiday.

The co-CEO is also optimistic about RIM's BlackBerry Mobile Voice System, which was announced earlier this year, and promises to make the smart phone an extension of a business' PBX system.

Lazaridis said: "Five years from now we will not need our phone on our desk - we will only need a BlackBerry to connect to the PBX."

But he is still proud of the earlier BlackBerry models and said the 957 model - which was launched at the beginning of this decade - is a favourite as "it lasted forever" and he didn't have to worry about the battery life. The reduced functionality and simplicity of the model, including its green and black screen, meant the device needed little power.