If you can separate a loved one from their BlackBerry, try hiding it and see how long it takes for the panic attack to set in. Such a phenomenon was behind another set of good results from Canada-based Research in Motion last week. Owners develop such a personal relationship with the devices, that they (or the employers that often foot the bill) are prepared to pay a premium for handsets, upgrade frequently and stump up for richly priced service contracts.

This underlines the addictive power of e-mail, but it also reflects a shift in tastes as consumers become more interested in what a phone can do, rather than what it looks like. The trend was already apparent in the declining fortunes of Motorola, which has focused on smart appearance. But it has been accelerated by the high profile introduction of Apple’s iPhone. A niche only a few years ago, expensive “smartphones” will account for more that a 10th of the global market this year by volume, and growth is rapid: Nokia expects 180m to be sold next year, from 50m in 2005 and 105m in 2006.