You're never far away from your e-mail until your BlackBerry dies. And then you can be far indeed.

Internet access here at the Beijing Olympics has gotten lots of publicity because of the Chinese government's efforts to block politically sensitive Web sites. But it's also an expensive ($515) service sold under International Olympic Committee rules that restrict access to media work areas at game venues, the main press center and the media village. China Mobile, the service provider, apologized for the price and the restrictions, but said that was how the IOC wants it.

To keep up with what's going on in other parts of Beijing, I need the BlackBerry. It stopped receiving e-mail on Friday. Then, Monday morning, I was trying to cram aboard a crowded subway car when my BlackBerry belt clip broke and the thing fell through the crack between the subway door and the platform. I looked down to see it in a puddle lying against one of the rails.

Two trains went by before I could track down station workers who fished it out with a pole gizmo that had a handle on one end and a pair of pliers on the other.

Later Monday night, Chen Shou, a manager with China Mobile's office in the Green Homeland Olympic Media Village, took the data-dead BlackBerry as a personal challenge. He jiggered with it, talked with some telecom comrades and solved the problem.

We traded Olympic pins (The Dallas Morning News SportsDay for China Mobile) to celebrate.

Source:olympicsblog