The Senate is finally giving up its BlackBerry phones

The iPhone appeared in 2007 and Android launched in 2008, but the lengthy decline of the once-popular BlackBerry smartphone has been slowed by its continued use by the U.S. government — until now.

A memo went out to Senate staffers just this week announcing the era of BlackBerry handsets is over, a change forced by the fact that BlackBerry no longer makes the product. Senate staff will now be allowed to use approved iPhone or Samsung products, a freedom enjoyed by their counterparts at the House of Representatives for several years.

This decision follows a recent hearing in the House Oversight Committee which found that the "federal government spends the majority of its $80 billion technology budget on maintaining and operating" outdated technology, which results in "in higher costs and security vulnerabilities."

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