BlackBerrys

Why it's important: Some companies handed the ubiquitous smartphones to midlevel employees, but in a downturn corporations are likely to cut back on the costly subscriptions.

Outlook: Expect to see fewer BlackBerrys as long as oil prices remain relatively high, says Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry. "Smartphones are nice to have, rather than a must-have," he says. With oil prices driving up operations costs, Chowdhry says corporations are reserving smartphones for high-level executives, rather than the rank and file. Some are still bullish on BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM)—Bank of America (BAC) analyst Tim Long lowered his price target in a Sept. 25 note but kept his buy rating, writing "we do not believe that the potential weakness in the U.S. enterprise [market] will be debilitating."