[MacTUG] fyi: PocketMac for BlackBerry 4 Released

[Glenn Anderson]

http://db.tidbits.com/article/8700


http://db.tidbits.com/article/8700

PocketMac for BlackBerry 4 Released

by Glenn Fleishman <glenn at tidbits.com>

PocketMac last week released the latest version of its BlackBerry for  
Macintosh software, version 4.0. (For details on the previous  
version, see "Putting BlackBerries in Your PocketMac," 06-Feb-06.)  
The software is available at no cost to BlackBerry owners, paid for  
by Research in Motion (RIM), the firm that makes the BlackBerry  
device. Unlike the previous release of the software, this version  
requires no serial number to activate. Clicking the Download Now  
button on PocketMac's site redirects your Web browser to an area on  
RIM's site from which you select the software from a pop-up menu,  
fill out a one-time profile, and download the software. PocketMac for  
BlackBerry requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later and is a 24.3 MB download.

Version 4 is a universal binary and includes other significant  
enhancements, including pushing Safari's bookmarks to a BlackBerry  
and installing third-party applications. This version also can mount  
memory cards in the Blackberry Pearl model's mini-SD (Secure Digital)  
slot as a drive.

In addition, the latest release can synchronize email from a  
BlackBerry's inbox and sent mail folders to Microsoft Entourage or  
Apple's Mail. Email messages received on a Mac with PocketMac for  
BlackBerry running can be forwarded automatically to the BlackBerry's  
address. (BlackBerry devices typically use "push" email to receive  
messages, in which RIM's servers poll one or more of your email  
accounts on a regular basis for new messages and then push those  
messages to an individual BlackBerry. BlackBerry devices can also  
receive email directly.) A new option allows .Mac subscribers to back  
up data to Apple's .Mac service on each synchronization.

PocketMac for BlackBerry can sync contacts, calendars, tasks, and  
notes from common Mac OS X software, including Address Book, iCal,  
Entourage, and Now Up-to-Date & Contact. However, despite Bluetooth  
support built into many current BlackBerry models, RIM intentionally  
disabled most forms of Bluetooth connectivity for what RIM terms  
"security reasons," due to the BlackBerry's heavy penetration into  
the government and corporate marketplace. Thus, PocketMac for  
BlackBerry can sync only via a USB cable, which also acts to charge  
the unit.

Unlike the previous version of the software, PocketMac for BlackBerry  
4 is not an iSync plug-in; rather, it has been redesigned to run  
independently, although its interface still looks somewhat like  
iSync. The redesign is a welcome improvement, featuring better and  
more familiar organization.
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