There isn’t much in the most recent list of OS 4.5 features that we haven’t heard before, but aside from the odd peeks, we have yet to really see it in action. Jibi got the chance to try out the e-mail client’s rich text editing, the calendar’s availability lookup, and remote e-mail searching on the new BlackBerry operating system, and it’s looking pretty sweet so far. Part of me is thinking RIM might be saving this wonderbang for WES, but that still feels like a ways off.
Tag: e-mailPage 2 of 4
OS 4.5 in action
5 Comments
TeleCommunication Systems based out of Virginia came knocking on RIM’s door yesterday about their patent for an e-mail system which handles multiple logins under one app. Not only is TCS looking for damages, but they also want an injunction made against RIM to stop them from using it. C’mon, now. Isn’t the money enough? These kind of things have been known to end amicably, so here’s hoping we don’t have another NTP on our hands.
Announced back in August, SpinVox’s voicemail-to-text service is now available on Rogers for both French and English-speaking customers. SpinVox will work seamlessly with your existing Rogers mailbox, and will e-mail or SMS your voicemail to you after being transcribed. It’s going for $15/month, which is probably cheaper than SimulScribe if you’re a heavy-duty voicemailer, plus it means you wouldn’t have to screw around with call forwarding. Still, SimulScribe has a few extra bells and whistles; we’re offering a month of SimulScribe for free, so be sure to check out the competition before diving into SpinVox.
Nexthaus has just announced SyncJe for BlackBerry, letting your handhelds sync up to Open-Xchange Server 5. Open-Xchange is an open source, web-based office client optimized for Linux, and works just dandy with Outlook. SyncJe aims to extend all of its handy office functions like calendars, contacts, e-mail, tasks and document sharing to your handheld. If you’re already set up with an Open-Xchange server, a 15-day trial of SyncJe for BlackBerry is available for download over the air at www.nexthaus.com/bb/syncjebb.jad. The full retail runs for a scant $39.95.
Remember Voice on the Go? It’s a call-in service that lets you compose e-mails, search appoints and contacts all through voice commands, and we’re giving away month-long subscriptions for a penny. Fine, that doesn’t really count as giving away, but it’s close enough. Just enter the coupon code VOTG at checkout to get the goods, but the catch is it’s only good for today. If you’ve decided you dig the service after that, you can keep it up for $5.99/month. For anyone who wants to get a head start on the work day on the drive in, this is a good chance to see what’s available. So what have you got a lose? A penny? C’mon, give it a go over here.
We met the SimulScribe guys back at WES, and we’ve been toying around with their beta SimulSays software for awhile now. Considering that’s nigh-on eight months ago, we figured it’s time to do a review proper of what these guys have to offer. What SimulScribe essentially does is provide a new voice mailbox which processes and transcribes incoming messages, accessible via e-mail, web client, or their new SimulSays application for handhelds. All messages include the original audio file, so even if the transcription doesn’t quite go through, you’ll have good old-fashioned voice still available.
Continue reading ‘Review: SimulScribe’
Not only will BlackBerrys be helping you to get on the plane in the first place, but soon they’ll give you something do once you’re in the air, too. Jetblue will be offering free Yahoo! instant messaging and e-mail access for free to BlackBerry users on one of their flights next week to test out in-plane Wi-Fi access. The Airbus A320 dubbed BetaBlue will start the testing next Tuesday on Flight 641 from New York to San Francisco, with the eventual goal of an airline-wide rollout. Of course, once the program goes live, you can expect some pretty hefty fees to be tagged onto data usage – just pretend you’re in Canada.
Neil has been on an editorial rampage lately, taking shots at how short-lived push technology will be. As BlackBerry enthusiasts, we’re prone to automatically take push as a good thing, mainly since it’s one of the few bragging rights we can keep over other devices. Neil’s biggest reasons for wailing on push is that, while it’s good now, it’s too much upkeep on the server end of things, becoming a bigger and bigger strain on RIM’s infrastructure. The blackouts this year just go to show the downside of all that traffic. As millions more users come to hammer the hardware for their e-mail and device battery life improves, it will become more viable to query mail servers from handsets, rather than the other way around.
Let’s be fair – BIS users without e-mail forwarding are basically getting pull e-mail, so the BlackBerry isn’t a complete stranger to the horrific idea of having to wait 15 minutes to see if you’ve got anything new in your inbox. It’s just that the instantaneous delivery is what makes your typical twitchy-thumbed BlackBerry user, since they know that if they have mail at any given microsecond, it will be there on their handheld. After spending so long with push, it’s hard to raise a hand against it, but Neil brings up some good points, so this week we’re asking: is push technology a viable long-term approach for BlackBerry? I know, it seems ridiculous to ask, since the two are nearly synonymous, but it’s worth weighting the options. The top three comments which explore why BlackBerrys use push, and best explain the reasons they should or shouldn’t will each get a copy of Ascendo DataVault.
Last week’s winner behind the jump…
We’ve got another round of questions from stumped readers for our resident BlackBerry expert, Jeff Bacon. Topics this time include the security of BlackBerry as a tethered modem, viewing the contents of backups, and how to buy a few extra precious rings before voicemail viciously snaps up your call. As ever, feel free to send us your BlackBerry questions at info at blackberrycool dot com.
Q: I get emails on my BlackBerry for two different email addresses which are mine for two companies where I work. I need to be able to reply to each email with the correct email address of the company the inquiry is directed. How do I do this or what do I need to do to make this work?
A: The BlackBerry will intelligently choose which email address to use on your replies based on which email address the email was sent to. For example, if the email address you received the email on is joe@here.com but you also get joe@there.com email on your BlackBerry, when you click ‘Reply’, the BlackBerry will use joe@here.com as the reply address. You can see this by scrolling all the way up to the top of the screen in a reply and it will say the account being used to send a reply. When creating a new email, if you scroll to the top you can change which email address of yours the recipient will see as the ‘From’ address.
Q: I have installed the Desktop Manager. Is there any way I can view, on my desktop, the contents of the desktop backup file? Do I need a program to read its contents. Or perhaps this is a meaningless question derived from a misunderstanding of the role of back up files.
A: You can’t see the data inside the backup file but you can see what type of data is stored in the backup file. If you go to ‘Backup and Restore’ in the Desktop Manager, select ‘Advanced’ then choose File>Open, you can open up a backup file and see which databases (mail, address book, etc.) are saved in it.
It sounds like Rogers is trying to put up a fight against Bell and Telus’ impending BlackBerry 8130 sales by offering a cheap e-mail plan for their tragically outdated 8100. For $15/month you get unlimited e-mail across up to 10 accounts on your Pearl and unlimited BlackBerry Messenger use, but that doesn’t count any data or voice usage. A good start for making BlackBerry-using a bit more affordable up north, but we’ve got a ways to go. For more details on usage, check over here.
