Will RIM please make a BlackBerry MID?

OK, my BlackBerry rocks. I just got it today and the screen is clear and bright, the interface is intuitive, and having my emails pushed to me after a painless setup is the best thing since sliced bread.

Although I've only experienced the joy of the CrackBerry for a day, I can certainly see why they're attached to say many business-people's hips. The integration of email with SMS and voice communication is incredibly handy. My kids and their friends can have their iPhones - I'll take a BlackBerry any day.

The BlackBerry isn't without its issues, though. I'm struggling to transition from my enV keyboard to the narrower, more "clicky" keyboard on the new phone. In my mind, this is more than made up for by the trackball in the center of the phone that allows for easy navigation.

It's the trackball, in fact, that brings me to the title of this post. What if Research in Motion dumped the phone part of their phones in favor of WiFi only, turning these pocket-sized devices into Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs)?

These could suddenly become great educational tools. Some extra refinement to the web browser and the right price (say $100) would have me finding ways to let students interact, research online, and produce content on these little devices.

Bob Sutor, IBM's VP of open source and standards, noted today

Over the next ten years, he said, Linux will become less focused on x86 PCs, anyway, with more opportunities emerging in cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS). PCs will become less significant as devices, and user interfaces will also be needed for mobile phones and other smaller machines used for accessing the Web.

Smaller machines, like those Blackerry MIDs, right?