What do dumpsters, frisbees, and teleprompters have in common?

They're all products that are victims of their own success. They do what they do so well, becoming synonymous with a certain practice, that people forget their names are trademarked and use them interchangeably with their rivals. This brand leakage means that for a lot of people, any kind of tissue is "kleenex," and Canon makes great "xerox machines." I can recall 3M's plaintive advertising in the Columbia Journalism Review several years ago, politely reminding copy editors that "Post-It" needs to be capitalized.

Now the same thing is happening to BlackBerry. I got confused today after reading multiple articles and blog items with the same basic headline, "Obama Keeps His BlackBerry," followed by examinations of the device that the new president will reportedly use, a Sectera Edge. Which, you'll notice, is not a BlackBerry. It's manufactured by General Dynamics, not RIM, and it runs a version of Windows Mobile, not the BlackBerry OS.

RIM has reaped great p.r. during President Obama's public 'Berry battle -- between $25 and $50 million worth, according to some guesses. Some fraction of that will be lost if the takeaway message for consumers is that the president needs a smartphone, any smartphone, and not necessarily a BlackBerry.

There is some solace: at $3,350 a pop, the Sectera Edge probably isn't going to take away much market share.