Google’s chairman’s phone of choice? Um, that would be a BlackBerry

We’re well acquainted with the level of devotion BlackBerry fans show towards whatever device is ushered forth from Canada, but this is on another level. Eric Schmidt, who served on Apple’s board of directors and is currently Google’s executive chairman, uses a BlackBerry.

Schmidt, who has been spotted using BlackBerry devices in 2009 and 2011, mentioned the fact in an interview with the Guardian at the Big Tent Activate India conference. So, why is the chairman of the company that makes Android using a competitor’s device? It seems he just can’t give up the non-touch QWERTY keyboard.

Of course, there are a number of Android phones for the touch-phobic, but it seems Schmidt is a long-time user and Google isn’t forcing him to carry a device running an operating system named after a dessert. While it makes sense for developers to own different devices (Google builds apps for more than just Android phones, after all), and employees at Google HQ use a mix of computers that include Chromebooks and those carrying an Apple logo, given Schmidt’s public profile, you’d expect someone to have shoved a Nexus 4 in his direction by now.

Schmidt also expressed his opinion on smaller tablets like the iPad Mini, saying they are “too small” compared to their larger 10-inch big brothers. Yes, not only does is Android running on almost every tiny tablet out there, but Google itself launched a pure-Android 7-inch tablet last year — it’s called the Nexus 7.

Next thing you know, we’ll hear that Apple’s Tim Cook is quite partial to his Galaxy S III. But as far as we can tell from the PR streaming out of Microsoft HQ, Steve Ballmer is most definitely a Windows Phone fan.