It seems as though RIM has finally heard the cries of many Mac BlackBerry (MacBerry?) users. Earlier this week they released a ‘Preview’ build of BlackBerry Media Sync for Mac, and I had to give it a test run. In general, it works as advertised and syncing playlists is surprisingly fast. Unfortunately, you can’t just drag over iTunes albums as is, but have to make a playlist out of each.
Here’s some things to keep in mind:
This is a ‘preview’ build. RIM seems afraid of Mac development and has gone out of their way to tell users that their not legally responsible if Mac Media Sync roxXors yurz blakberreez. You have been warned. Mac Media Sync will not work with Pocket Mac or Missing Sync. Which would be fine if RIM had also released a Mac Desktop Manager, but one step at a time, I guess.
For those of you that thought yesterdays photos of a virtual BlackBerry OS running on a Windows Mobile HTC Touch Pro were fake, the video above should put you at ease. As someone that has been using the BlackBerry Storm for awhile, the concept of navigating the BlackBerry OS with a stylus doesn’t seem too weird. Of course, the whole WinMo thing makes me feel dizzier than Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo. Keep up the good work, Ronen!
Following up on his article responding to criticism for his review of the BlackBerry Storm, New York Times technology critic David Pogue has hit the TV circuit. I normally wouldn’t have posted this, as after Al Sacco’s rebuttal, I feel I am over Pogue’s review. However, the video is an excellent lesson for RIM. RIM knew they were releasing an OS update shortly after launch, we knew it, but David Pogue didn’t. If RIM had told him rather than keeping mum, they probably wouldn’t have received such a negative review from one of the most influential voices in the technology world. Click the link below to see Pogue’s CNBC interview.
Judging from most of your comments, BlackBerry Nation, you’re still having a difficult time picking up a BlackBerry Storm. Consider it a blessing in disguise. Many of you likely still need some training before delving into the touchscreen BlackBerry experience; the video above will show you everything you need to know. No pain, no gain!
Our Canadian Music Blog, TransCanadaRadio.com also happened to be at the Telus BlackBerry Storm Launch Party. While I was at the back of the room playing with the toys, TCR was front row rocking out to Arts&Crafts recording artist Stars.
If you like what you see above (and you should) you can check out more live music at the link below. Rock and roll.
Despite both my intentions and best efforts, I actually ended up doing some work during the Telus BlackBerry Storm launch party. Judy Mellett, Director of Product Realization at Telus, was brave enough to spend a few minutes outside with me in the harsh Toronto cold discussing the BlackBerry Storm and the role it plays in Telus’ overall strategy. It was interesting to hear her position the Storm as both a business and consumer device. Check it out.
What would a launch party be without free schwag? Telus gave each attendee a sweet gift bag in addition to a free BlackBerry Storm at their launch party, which is a great way to make a lowly blogger feel like VIP. Favorite piece of schwag? Probably the Stars tee shirt. Yes, the chocolate was tasty. Oh, and my kitty enjoyed the stuffed meercat.
There’s nothing like unboxing a brand new BlackBerry, especially when it’s free. Especially when you’re using another another free BlackBerry Storm to record the video.
Here’s a few things I’ve learn since recording the video yesterday morning. Firstly, while the Storm demo units at the launch party were running OS 4.7.0.65, I can confirm that our boxed versions are running the much improved OS 4.7.0.76. In addition, it appears that my previous suspicions were correct — the Telus BlackBerry Storms do not contain the Application Center. Considering the launch is imminent, I don’t expect this to change before then.
P.S. Astute viewers may notice me picking up the missing BlackBerry Storm battery at the end of the video above. Consider this the perfect summary of the day I had yesterday.
Something all BlackBerry users are interested in, and apparently something iPhone users will never get, is the BlackBerry Storm’s copy and paste functionality. While playing with the Telus BlackBerry Storm today, I had to record a video of how simple it is. I really enjoy how the copy and cut options pop up on the bottom of the screen once you’ve made your text selection. Why can’t Apple figure this out?
Update: Just got talking to a couple of our friends at RIM, who said they weren’t surprised by the results of our test. It turns out that the focus of RIM’s development for the new rendering engine in OS 4.6 was in stability, not performance, and the Waterloo crew is still working on speed optimization. What this means is that future OS updates from RIM will require additional speed tests.
While previous results had been contested, we hope to put the BlackBerry Bold versus iPhone 3G browser debate to bed. Taking some time with our brand-spanking-new Bold and QuicklyBored EIC, Kyle McInnes’ iPhone 3G, we put the two beasts through some browsing hoops to see who can get through the fastest. We tested on Wi-Fi only, 3G-only, both with and without JavaScript enabled. Sadly, our results are pretty conclusive – the iPhone’s browser is faster.
To be fair, it’s not by much – maybe a two to three second delay, depending on the site, but it’s enough to notice the difference. We’re also running on BIS, so don’t have enterprise servers doing a lot of the compression for us. The Bold’s browser is still a huge upgrade for BlackBerry, and definitely more enjoyable than what I was using on the Pearl. While we’re calling this test definitive (we ran a series of five tests using multiple sites each time), your mileage may vary – if you’ve got both devices in hand, take some time to wipe the caches and run a few tests. We’d love to hear if our results match up, and love even more to hear if they don’t.
Following up on his 
