【the eroticization of gender】

Now that BlackBerry officially isn't making phones anymore,the eroticization of gender let's look back at a simpler time: the early 2000s, when BlackBerry ruled and Apple drooled. (The iPhone didn't exist yet, so BlackBerry was killing the mobile game.)

When the BlackBerry 850 was released in 1999, the cool factor of cell phones began to rise. Throughout the early 2000s, before the rise of advanced touchscreen technology, everyone who was anyone was busy scrolling on their trackballs and BBM-ing their besties.

In case you haven't heard the tragic news, on Wednesday BlackBerry announced it will stop making its signature smartphones and instead focus on creating software and its services business. 

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SEE ALSO: BlackBerry gives up on building phones

During this emotional time, we feel it's necessary to take a look back on the BlackBerry glory days and remember these seven times when BlackBerry phones were undeniably cool.

1. When Paris Hilton worshiped her BlackBerry

Credit: Steve Mack/getty images

Perhaps PEAK BlackBerry coolness occurred when BBM champ and cool girl Paris Hilton attended the the launch party for the new BlackBerry Pearl 8130 back in 2008 to show her love. That's hot.

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2. When the company appointed Alicia Keys its global creative director

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Back in 2013, BlackBerry named one of the coolest singers, Alicia Keys, as its global creative director. With this action, BlackBerry, too, became cool by association. For her first project, Keys invited fans to submit photos of themselves via BlackBerry's Keep Moving hub. Very cool.

3. That time Dustin Hoffman held a BlackBerry with his initials on it

Credit: John Shearer/getty images

Cool actor Dustin Hoffman was also at that popular BlackBerry Bold launch party in 2008. There, he held a BlackBerry with his initials on it. Very cool.

4. When Michael Scott snapped a pic with the BlackBerry mascot

Steve Carell as Michael Scott on 'The Office.' Credit: Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/getty images

What's cooler than The Office?! Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott, clearly knew how cool BlackBerry was back in 2006. Scott stopped to show his love for the BlackBerry mascot while at the annual office supply convention in Season 3, episode 2 of The Office, entitled, "The Convention."

5. That time Hillary Clinton checked her BlackBerry like a badass

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In this 2011 photo, we see then Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton checking her beloved BlackBerry while sporting some slick shades. As many of you know, Hillary Clinton is now the first major party female candidate in the presidential election which screams "COOL."

6. That time Barack Obama ran back to the White House to grab his BlackBerry

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Who could forget one of the most epic moments of Barack Obama's presidency: That time in 2014 when he raced back to the White House to retrieve his forgotten BlackBerry. If one of the coolest guys in America cared enough about his BlackBerry to hop off the Marine One on the South Lawn and literally sprint back to his house to get it, they hadto be cool.

7. When Kim Kardashian had to say goodbye to one of her closest friends, her BlackBerry

Kim Kardashian has been a die-hard BlackBerry fan for YEARS, and a love that strong is most definitely cool. Here's Kim at a 2008 Verizon Wireless launch party showing some love for the Blackberry 8330 Pink Curve.

Credit: Mark Sullivan/WireImage/getty images

Since the early years of phone bling and pink BlackBerrys, the reality television star has used the devices to make many phone calls via speakerphone on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. In fact, Kim Kardashian thought BlackBerrys were socool that when her BlackBerry Bold died earlier this year, her friend Chrissy Teigen sent her flowers and a card to help her though her mourning period.

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