Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerry now in beta testing
It's no secret that using Gmail on a BlackBerry is a painful experience -- since the built-in mail client has shamefully broken IMAP support, your only real choice is a variant of the same Java-based Gmail app that runs on ancient featurephones, and that rules out direct integration with either contacts or attachments. Yeah, it's sad, but hope is in the air, as RIM's apparently beta testing something called the "Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerry," which promises to bring things up to speed. Features are said to include Conversation View, support for labels, stars, and archiving, and full mailbox search -- you know, Gmail. Of course, it would be even nicer if RIM would just sack up and bring proper IMAP support to the most famous messaging platform in the world, but we'll take what we can get.
[Via BerryReview]
[Via BerryReview]























Like already mentioned just delete and re-add your accounts in BIS; the read status issue was fixed MONTHS ago.
As for the folder issue... what issue? I receive all of my email regardless of its folder unless I apply certain filters in BIS.
the gmail app for blackberry from google works just fine.
The only thing lacking for me in the Gmail app for Blackberry is attachments. Hook us up with that and I'm perfectly content with the result- a decent imitation of push email and responsiveness without paying for BES!
Gmail on my Blackberry works fine.....has for some time....... I don't understand what was suppose to be broken and what is being fixed.
I am appalled at how many users are saying "OH MY BB SYNCS JUST FINE, DUNNO WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT" or "RIM ADDED THIS IN BIS 2.6!" You all think you are correct, but you are not, and this is why:
Opening a new email on the BB will mark it read on the Gmail server so when you access Gmail on the web, it indeed shows up as read.
However, if you open a new email on your web browser before the BB, the email shows read on the web but still unread on the BB.
This is ONE-way (read: lame, incomplete, inadequate, etc.) synchronization. We all want TWO-way synchronization.
Although we've been waiting for this update for years (literally since 2007 or earlier), this announcement at least removes a lot of doubts we, or at least I, had in RIM's BIS Gmail support.
Also, I would like to add that to get an idea of what Gmail users want: Look at Yahoo! BIS integration. Instant push, 2-way sync, and always has been since day one I believe. Over the past few years, this is how Gmail BIS integration as progressed.
BIS 2.5:
A) POP (default) configuration: instant push with no read sync
B) IMAP (manual) configuration: 15 mintues, 3 minutes, etc polling with read sync (for a brief period of time shortly before BIS 2.6, some users achieved instant push, albeit inconsistently).
BIS 2.6: Default push with 1-way read sync.
Yeah. Although the other features are certainly welcome, 2-way sync is the main priority.
Anyone who says that sync works fine doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. As Tim has noted above, the sync is only one way and really sucks balls. As much as the lack of push sucks, I prefer using the Gmail client to the horrible BIS/Gmail combo.
Sync is 2-way if you use the Gmail client.
Do you read comments before replying to them? Gmail + BIS = broken sync. Gmail client for BB = sync works, no push email, crappy notification system.
I went from Treo to Blackberry and thought I'd moved ahead sigificantly. Then I tried iPhone and it is 10x better than the Blackberry. Blackberry's email is the equivalent to the Facebook feed... not sure why they get such high marks for email. iPhone is much easier to administer accounts, turn off between work/personal email, etc.
Not a fanboy, just a new customer.
Me too. I've never understood why BB's are considered the king of email. I find the experience on the iPhone, while obviously not perfect, blows away the BB. I think the iPhone could stand to take a few hints from RIM's email paradigm, Mail.app, for me, is superior. Folders, 2-way sync, Push, they all work great. But, kind of as Nilay wrote about on the BB, Gmail is a bit of a let-down on the iPhone.
Gmail has been working flawlessly on my Blackberry for 2+ years. Messages show up on my phone in less than 1 second, most of the time before they even show up on my computer browsers inbox.
Blackberry's IMAP support is truly atrocious. They must be in cahoots with Microsoft to push Exchange or something.
A lot of universities use IMAP instead of Exchange (mine in New Haven for example) and that makes getting a Blackberry nigh-impossible if you want two-way sync e-mail on your phone.
Go WinMo! Sort of...still no push, dammit. IMAP push on iPhones is debatable. Maybe I should just get a Nokia E71X.
I just wish IMAP support was better for exchange (Outlook Web Access) - not sure if Microsoft limitation or BIS limitation - but two way read sync does not work either on that. Also surprised you are all moaning about RIM not supporting a "beta" product properly :-P
I really would rather have just pure and simple better email HTML support, emails rarely appear properly. Changing labels is not quite a nuisance but more of a luxury item for my BB. I think RIM's priorities are sometimes backwords. RIM should fix it's Browser while it's at it. BUT LABELS? AND STARS? eh. I'll take it but I'd rather have something cooler fixed first. I guess searching your entire gmail is cool...I do keep a good couple thousand in there for good keeping and would like to reflect on all of them at a moments notice. Maybe the e-mail screen will have a better U.I. ? One could only hope RIM would start to develop more eye catchy U.I. but it will probably never happen.
While the most current version of BIS did fix many IMAP problems while using Gmail, it still does not, regardless of what several uninformed folks here say, support two-way sync. I've been using Gmail since it came out as well as BBs from the very first one they released on VZW when RIM first started selling them. It (two-way sync) simply does not happen.
That said, Gmail via IMAP on the iPhone "does" work as it should and does support two-way sync, so unless RIM releases the Enhanced Gmail Plugin pretty soon, I'm going to the iPhone, though I would rather stay with a BB because of the real keyboard.