The latest development in the legal battle involving BlackBerry hand-helds is forcing millions of people to confront an unsettling question: What would life be like without a BlackBerry?

While the possibility of a disruption in BlackBerry service is still extremely remote, the Supreme Court's decision not to hear an appeal by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. on Monday has triggered new concerns that BlackBerrys -- the wireless email gadgets often dubbed crackberries because their users are so devoted -- could go dark.

The BlackBerry started out seven years ago as a device for high-ranking corporate types, but it has quickly become a verb, a source of marital discord, a safety hazard for those who cross busy streets while responding to email, a status symbol (Will your company give you one?) and even a pick-up tool. (Michael L. Romero, a 27-year-old systems administrator in Phoenix, says his friends email him on his BlackBerry to point out "cute girls" at nightclubs.)

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