As a BlackBerry user, I'm not sure how I feel about 1,500 UK binmen being given BlackBerrys for work. I don't want to be elitist, but if a binman wolf-whistles me and asks if I'm on BBM, I'd die.
They've been given BlackBerrys to "collect data from customers," as well as use them as satnavs, and be able to stay in touch with the head office. I have concerns it's also a mechanism for head office to keep track of exactly where their binmen are going, but rubbish collection company Biffa wouldn't agree with that. Instead, they say the BlackBerrys could be used to spy on civilians.
"They can take pictures, but they won't as standard," a Biffa representative said, but "if there are any defects or a health and safety problem, they might take pictures." Does putting the wrong waste in the recycling bag constitute a health and safety problem?
As well as BlackBerry handsets, binmen will also get dongles and 3G data cards—to create a PowerPoint while on the move, perhaps? [The Telegraph]
Image Credit: McBarnicle