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updated 1:17 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2009

WASHINGTON - For President-elect Barack Obama, parting with his Blackberry is such sweet sorrow.

In fact, it isn't yet certain that he'll give up his hand-held device once he takes office.

Obama acknowledged in a nationally broadcast interview Thursday that the Blackberry is a concern, "not just to the Secret Service, but also to lawyers."

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Asked in an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" show whether the issue had been resolved, Obama replied, "I'm still in a scuffle around that." He asked: "How do you stay in touch with the flow of everyday life?"

White House officials have worried that a president's e-mails can be subpoenaed by Congress and the courts and may be subject to public records laws. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton didn't e-mail while in office.

The Blackberry is made by Canada's Research in Motion Ltd.