We just got word that BlackBerry Unite!, the small group solution that’s already being bundled free with BlackBerrys in Spain, is due in North America early in December. Talk about a merry Christmas, huh? BlackBerry Unite! will let up to 5 BlackBerrys share documents, photos, media, calendars, as well as enjoy added device security options. We trust it’ll be just as free as Telefonica’s offering, but you can never put it past a carrier to charge for the perks. File this one under rumors for now, but here’s hoping…
Tag: synchronizationPage 2 of 2
The sharp-eyed Ronen has picked up on a knowledgebase article which outlines all the big changes in OS 4.3. For anyone not lucky enough to have picked up a new BlackBerry 8130, this should give you all the info you need.
Some of the big changes we’ve heard of before now, but here’s the round-up: enhanced SureType; wireless software updates; sending voice note by e-mail, PIN and IM; phone bass and treble adjustment; security options for locking long-distance and specific phone numbers; local search and route saving on BlackBerry Maps; video MMS support; streaming media; Media Player playlists; video recording; Bookmarks and History viewable on Browser launch; and finally, syncing address books and calendars with integrated e-mail, such as Yahoo! and (presumably) Gmail if you’re on BIS 2.4. Pretty awesome stuff!
For any Macophiles out there, we’ve received word from Ronen that the Mac/BlackBerry syncing program, Missing Sync, has had an update recently to accommodate the new OS X Leopard. Missing Sync showed up on the radar back in February, and has no doubt seen some popularity with the attention-starved Apple crowd. If you happen to be one of those poor souls, the new software runs for $39.95.
Back when Telefonica busted out the BlackBerry 8120, they also announced their free small group syncing solution, BlackBerry Unite! Well, Josep spotted a demo from RIM which goes over the key features, as well as links to an information page. They break it down as benefits for family (such as accessing shared photos, calendars, contacts), and business (remote file viewing, device lock-down, security). Unite is looking sweeter than ever, and hopefully the presence of a site in English signals its arrival here in North America soon. It might only be for up to five devices and 10 e-mail accounts, but that’s pretty good value for a free download.
Detailed features behind the jump!
I got my first taste of BlackBerry stock managing with Pocket Express, but it lacked some of the depth that I assumed stock-owning types would be looking for. With RIM doing so well this week, we thought it would be appropriate to try out Quotestream, which brings live stock information to your BlackBerry on an ongoing basis. Paired up with a versatile web interface as well as a desktop client that all synchronize, you can keep a close eye on your portfolio and exactly what it’s up to no matter where you are.
Sounds good? Let’s check it out.
The second round of Opera Mini 4’s beta has finished, and now we’re on to number three. The biggest feature of this release is bookmark syncing with your desktop browser using Opera Link. Although you have to use the Opera desktop browser in order to populate Link, once everything is uploaded, you can access your saved bookmarks from their web site. It’s a pretty cool feature, and you can get something similar on Firefox (minus mobile syncing) with this little add-on.
GMail is now supporting IMAP synchronization, letting you keep e-mails across desktop, webtop, and handheld all in line. For BES customers this might not be a huge deal, but as a BIS user, keeping your e-mails properly read/unread across clients is a bit of a luxury feature. BlackBerrys these days come bundled with a GMail reader, so if Google is your one and only love, you’re probably just as well-off using that to view your e-mail since it syncs up fine too. What’s more likely is that GMail is a supplemental address which will now sync properly while being fed to the default BlackBerry e-mail area along with the rest of your messages. For small-time enterprise folks who are packing Google Apps for their own domain name but are running on BIS, solid syncing will let them play almost like the big boys on BES.
The Google syncing app, GooSync, is now featuring contact synchronization between handheld and Google account with their premium accounts. We’re not so hot about subscription-based services, but if this one gets the job done, more power to ‘em. GooSync still offers a free service which lets you sync calendars (including all-day and recurring appointments), which is a pretty sweet deal. We’ll be keeping an eye on these guys to see what other Google services they manage to sync up with our BlackBerrys – heck, they may even manage to get the £19.95 / year from us if they get just a few more in there.
The recent BlackBerry Developer newsletter from RIM just reminded us about their Sync Server software development kit, which helps developers integrate synchronization between handhelds and databases. If you’re interested in a download, you can pick up the SDK over here, but in order to test your applications, you’ll need the BlackBerry MDS Simulator and the BlackBerry device simulator too.
