Mind your BlackBerry or mind your manners

As Web-enabled smartphones have become standard, the etiquette of using them during meetings is up for debate.
(From The New York Times)

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[kaibelf]

"It's a not-so-subtle way of signaling 'I'm connected. I'm busy. I'm important. And if this meeting doesn't hold my interest, I've got 10 other things I can do instead.'"

Absolutely. I do this myself, and it works like a charm.

[jaxstephens]

Nice article, but I didn't like how the term "BlackBerry" was used synonymously in many cases with the term "smartphone." There are many smartphone devices, of which BlackBerry represents just one choice. They may be a leader in business contexts, but I wouldn't put them up there in company with "Xerox" or "Kleenex" as brand names turned into normal words.

[zextron]

If the meeting is unproductive you should tell it directly. Checking messages is one thing. Texting is another. If I schedule a meeting with someone and he/she accepts I expect to have his/hers undivided attention. If it was a trivial subject I wouldn?t ask for a meeting. I usually turn sound off and just look to see from whom the message is. Unless it?s very urgent I wait for the next break. If you really must answer you excuse yourself and leave the room. Usually I don?t take more than 20 minutes to respond.