BlackBerry Desktop Manager coming to Mac in September
Mac users, rejoice -- well, the BlackBerry users in the lot of you, anyway. RIM's been infamous over the years for all but ignoring Mac support for its devices, throwing out the occasional bone like Media Sync, but they're now going big with a full-fledged Desktop Manager supporting Mac OS 10.5.5 and above when it launches... sometime. The big sticking point right now is that RIM isn't talking about an availability date, all we know is that it'll happen some time in September -- but when that date comes, you'll have a suite that's able to sync iTunes, add and remove apps, perform firmware updates, create backups and restore from them, and manage multiple BlackBerrys at the same time. Nokia, maybe you guys want to take note here?



















That is a very original user interface.
Your mom's an original user interface.
noooooooooooooooooooooo!
what were you expecting? programs for macs are simple, unlike their windows brethren (example see: office 2007)
@Heimbachae
Yeah, thats why more people use MS word, why it can do more, and why its meant for business.. not for kiddie fiddlers
@o29
I personally like Paul's comments - he never gloats and speaks directly with facts, people like you who are against him for no good reason (probably never used a mac) just seem unintelligent to me.
Hopefully its not as sh1tty as the other "solutions".....
Oh well, I boot into Winblows anyway to get the dirty done.
Winblows... my god, you're... you're a comic genius!
Sh1tty = Shonetty = Shone.
For something to have shone it must have to shine, this means this is good, yah?
why not buy iphone?
I know a bunch of people who switched from BB to iphone.. about a week later they switched back and just bought an ipod.
I'll get you yet, GD.
i see youre here, paul. i assume youre here to ruin our day, again.
A very Unscientific Survey sponsored by apple...
They don't even list the websites they were pulling the polls from.
how many times did you do this poll paul?
you know how to pick your sources....
@ patriotsn1, +1.
I'm a mac user and I got the 3Gs three weeks ago and while I really loved some aspects of the device, it certainly left me wanting my BB back, so last week I went back to using my BB Bold and gave the iPhone to my wife and she loves it. While I had it I thought the iPhone was entertaining (games, and the UI is kinda cool) and its browser certainly kills my BB's but for everything else I just prefer the BB. And I've heard many mac users who've done the same as me. The iPhone is great but it certainly isn't for everyone, but neither is the BB really.
I switched from an 8700 which I'd had for 3 years to a 32 Gb iPhone 3GS last week. It's about time there was decent syncing for Macs but this is too late (for me). I was a member of the Blackberry User Panel and gave a lot of feedback over those years. I was tempted to upgrade to a Bold but decided to put off the decision until the specs of the new iPhone were known. RIM is a great company and have the best emailing experience bar none but this software was obviously not a priority.
"I know a bunch of people who switched from BB to iphone.. about a week later they switched back and just bought an ipod." - patriotsn1
Uh huh. Riiiight...
Astroturf Different.
"This is RIM's attempt to keep BlackBerry-owning Mac users from switching to an iPhone. A recent survey showed that 4 out of 10 Blackberry users plan to buy iPhones once their contract is up."
Quix Oh you are soooo right on Paul! XOXOXOX
"I know a bunch of people who switched from BB to iphone.. about a week later they switched back and just bought an ipod." - patriotsn1"
Quix: Liar!!!! Astroturfer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think a good question to sane Apple fans is how embarrassed that these two clowns actually are the face and mouths that people associate to all of you?
"I know a bunch of people who switched from BB to iphone.. about a week later they switched back and just bought an ipod."
Yeah, I am sure...
I know of someone who switched from BB to an iPhone, only to switch back to BB a year later ONLY because of AT&T. He has since gone back to an iPhone, shoddy service be damned. He says there is no comparison between iPhone & BB.
This was good news to me, because guess who he gave his BB 8330 to? Hearing about this software, maybe I'll even activate th BB now & use it on my Mac. At least until I can justify getting an IPhone (I am a hold out due to AT&T)
@ Look_Around_You:
I wasn't replying to Paul Chapel, thanks. Learn to read.
I was addressing patriotn1's clearly BS comment.
"Hey, I know a bunch of people who bought Zunes and they all got diarrhea and ear infections! So they ran right out and bought iPods!"
See how easy that is?
Of course, since you are a rabid Microsoft defender, I don't expect you to be able to recognize BS when you see it...
"I think it would be hilarious if Apple released an iPhone with a keyboard and called it the iPhone Pro or something, while still keeping the other models. They have absolutely nothing to lose by going this route."
If they did I'd buy one. But I think that will cost me a kidney and half of my liver.
Dear Engadget readers,
If you see a post by Paul, please just scroll past it. You're just contributing to the problem by replying, which in turn makes people like me have to scroll down even further to find intelligent posts. It's getting a bit old.
Love,
Engadget readers who actually know how to avoid troll bait
@Look Truthfully i just ignore them, these people are the spokesmen for no one. You on the other hand are on a personal mission to prove that MS is the greatest company ever to exist on the face of the planet. I personally find it pointless to argue about computers with the people on this site who have such little understanding in how to actually use a computer past saying yes to UAC questions and playing Team Fortress.
Awesome. This will cater to all those people who are using Macs for business and don't have an iPhone and don't WANT an iPhone.
Oh, what a happy .004% that will be.
That 0.0004% is probably the Engagdet dude in charge of reviewing new BlackBerries.
Don't underestimate those of us who get a Blackberry through work and have a Mac at home.
you mean those of us that like to use macs but also use our smartphones for work?
I have a BlackBerry Bold, I got it instead of an iPhone and I am still happy about my decision. (3G tethering over Bluetooth for six months? What's that? It's still not turned on for everyone with iPhones? Boo hoo! I also enjoy being able to leave Google Talk open... in the background... while I'm on a call.)
Anyway, the software they included with the Bold for the Mac was inexcusably bad. It's worse than nothing because it makes you think it might work. Then you install it and your Mac crashes instead of doing nothing when you plug it in.
what is a Blackberry?
A Blockberry in disguise.
A Blackberry is a smart phone.
Go to the grocery store noob
Oh yes I've heard of this so called Blackberry. It's supposed to be a iPhone competitor. I'll stick to my Nokia E62
a blackberry is a real smartphone, and get this, it multitasks too...whoa, i know!
Hmm...so i guess that 1% of Blackberry users will finally be happy....
like how can you blame blackberry for putting off this project...10% of computers users use mac, and probably 30% of that 10% use blackberries...its a waste of dollars for RIM
Will Apple block its API integration into itunes like they did with the Palm?
They most likely will not block it. It does not sync with iTunes using iTunes. It will most likely pull music from your library folder and use that. Apple didn't want people complaining about problems with syncing the Pre to iTunes. Since this API will not interfere with iTunes, there won't be that hindrance.
99% chance that even if they don't outright block it, there will be some "minor" API changes that make the program stop working properly. It's Apple wea are talking about after all.
As unpopular as the Pre-blocking is, Palm were the victim of their own stupidity and RIM aren't going to be that dumb. Syncing with iTunes is trivially easy to achieve and plenty of applications exist for doing this, which is all OK with Apple because none of them are infringing on the iPod trademark. Palm could have saved themselves the embarrassment and done an official deal with Apple, or just done it like everyone else.
I have a Blackberry and Windows... and I can sync my Blackberry with my iTunes library. Not the old DRM'd songs... but everything else still works. I stopped using my old 8GB iPod Nano... and have all my music on the 8GB memory card in my Blackberry.
It's actually a part of the Blackberry desktop software. It's a feature called Blackberry Media Sync. It just grabs your music from your iTunes library and copies it to your Blackberry.
Maybe Palm should have gone that route... instead of fooling iTunes into thinking that the Palm Pre was an iPod.
Aaaaand here is a fine example of ignorance and unbridled hatred toward Apple for no reason. Apple wont change anything. You see the itunes library is just an XML file, that has the listings of your playlists and where your songs are. All palm had to do is create a profile for the built in sync that comes with OS X already and just hit up your library file, thereby copying the songs properly.
Instead they hacked their device sig to trick itunes into thinking it was an iPod, bad idea, but a bonus for apple. See that hack could also be considered a security hole (odd that they hired Rubenstein who just so happened to know about that hole) that could allow a virtual device to pretend to be an ipod and sync, so in essence they fixed a little security hole that palm found for them.
RIM on the other hand isnt a company drowning in the toilet like Palm, and knows that if you want your customers to have a good user experience you don't sell them hacks and try to turn them against another company by making them look bad for disabling your childish hack. You develop software for them to actually use properly, what a surprise.
An anecdote for the MS crowd: Microsoft would do the exact same thing to Palm if they tried to trick the Zune software into thinking the Pre was a Zune, but im sure palm needs to hire someone from the Zune team to accomplish that, i wouldn’t be surprised if its coming in the next hack... err i mean patch.
so Apple doesn't like the Pre compatibility but they don't mind Blackberry?
Lol, very good point.
Mainly because it wasnt Palm software on the Mac, it was using iTunes.
Well, I'm thinking that since Apple is cool with it because RIM did a formal approach to it and went through the proper channels. From what I've read, Palm just kinda backdoor-ed their way into iTunes w/o any formal word from Apple. That might explain it...
RIM is making its own application to do it, whereas Palm relied on the Pre being identified as an iPod in iTunes.
Two different things.
The difference (I am guessing) is like the media sync now. It just grabs the location of the files from the iTunes database and playlists, and uses its program to actually put the music on the phone (not iTunes doing it).
No, because BlackBerry looks like they have done things properly; developed their own software to sync with iTunes and other Apple apps. Whereas Palm took the lazy route, pretending to be a device that is wasn't, probably because they were already behind and were willing to sacrifice their customers' experience in a frantic effort to catch up.
Very good news.
I'm currently using Marc/Space's MissingSync with an 8120 and I'm really satisfied with it. I know it's $40 but I do get call logs, sms log and folder syncing in addition to what it seems the screenshot of this app is offering. What Missing Sync does not offer though and this looks like it does is a complete back up of the unit
Still, if it is free and works with my pearl,I'll be getting it. Just for the backup feature and for firmware updates. Can't wait!
My wife will be happy to hear this news. I, however, am happy with my iPhone...we are a divided house.
Well, considering it's 12:30 in the afternoon and you're home posting on blogs, I'm assuming she makes the money in the family? At least you get to make pinchy motions on your phone.
I'd say that a bunch of people post from work. I know I ONLY check engadget at work, home is for other things.
@patriots1 so what you are telling us is you don't have a job?
How about "LG take a note here" LG users have been begging to be able to sync contacts and calendars with mac.
Good point about Nokia - we are able to sync audio, photos, videos, contacts etc. but the Ovi Suite for Mac was promised for beta in December! It's July if anyone counting...
http://www.renegadefanboy.com/2008/11/nokia-confesses-to-working-on-ovi-suite-for-mac/
You actually believe anything Nokia promises? I did for about 7 years and then I got an iPhone. That company is going down the shitter.
F&*K YES .... about time.
this is perfect now i can enjoy my favorite drink chrome soda and this as well!
Fantastic news. Lack of Mac integration was tempting me away from BlackBerry but this comes at the perfect time as I'm due a phone upgrade in September.
perfect!!! i will def enjoy this along with my favorite drink chrome soda!
Nokia should take note? I'd think Palm should be the ones taking notes. This is how you do it correctly, not by calling your device an iPod.
While that whole "pre can sync with itunes hehe" ruse was amusing at best, pre users have other options to sync up data. Doubt if they'll care that much,
@Dirty Vegas I highly doubt most pre owners even have a clue where to get or how to get that other software. The major percentage of the gadget buying public are not computer savvy, they are hardly even computer literate. Which is exactly why Palm needs to develop its own syncing software, TO SERVICE THEIR CUSTOMERS. For most people, if it didn’t come on a disk in the box then its not getting installed unless someone helps them.
On a slightly different note, i had a thought about the Pre, I wonder just how awesome typing on it is in landscape mode.
Sure, right after I broke down and bought a copy of missing sync.
Goddamn it!
i almost shat brix thinking RIM pulled a palm pre and made it itunes capable
how is blackberry formed?
High ranked.
In case anyone missed it:
http://www.somethingawful.com/flash/shmorky/babby.swf
Where's the App Store link?
A little too late. You suck blackberry.
Best of both worlds for my wife and my son. Both use curves. Will make things far easier now.
But, I gave up my iPhone AND my Curve to go with a Nokia e71, and love it to death.
I liked the iPhone but seriously couldn't justify 30 bucks for a data plan anymore.
The curve was ok, but so cryptic and ancient, and the O/S, it down right annoyed me.
But, I'm happy to say I'm back in the Nokia world. This phone is fantastic.
BB OS old and cryptic? You don't find S60 cryptic, when it hasn't had a UI lift, since....ever? S60 REALLY needs a modern facelift.
Wonderful! PocketMac bullshit nonsense sucks and I hate having to switch over to windows to get (at least somewhat) a good experience loading up my Storm.
Even better news considering the Tour and how deeply I'm considering it when my contract is up.
its a little to late for that rim omg you guys suck should have been released when the first iphone drop, coming to rim files chapter 11 lol!!!!
Sweet, a program for a phone I never, ever use.
oh bummer because, you know, every software developing company caters to what you, and only you, use. right. suck an egg.
Why doesn't anyone still support Tiger? I can't use DoubleTwist for the same reason.
thank the lord jesus. i just switched from a 3G to a curve 8900 and pocketmac just isnt cutting it this will be just another reason to never look back
Well, as far as I'm concerned its too little too late. I've had a Blackberry for years and the lack of sync with my Mac was the final straw. I got a new iPhone 10 days ago and couldn't be happier.
Finally! I can sync the phone I dumped for the iPhone a year ago! I'm overcome with joy!
About freaking' time.
Ok I have no idea what the hype is. If your a blackberry user and had no idea about PocketMac.com then you really need some help. So to in-lighten those that have a blackberry and had no idea that you can synch a mac with it. Go to Http://www.pocketmac.com the software is free and works with all models. Hell ATT will even support using the software to a point and then get you to RIM for further support.
I still waiting for DM for linux users
this is good because, contrary to popular belief, not everyone likes a touch screen! so for the ones posting "just get an iphone", it's not that simple and there are other and, in my opinion, better options out there.
I could not be happier right now about this software coming out for mac/blackberry users soon!!! I will probably be switching from owning LG phone(s) which I have had for over the last couple of years on the Verizon network. I also own an Ipod Touch 2G and have been perfectly content with the Ipod and a smart phone without having to switch over to AT&T and get the Iphone! It just has never seemed financially feasible for me to want to make the switch over to the highest cellular option known to man right now (AT&T). I will actually in fact be switching after my Verizon contract is over in December of this year, over to the Sprint Now network! Sprint is the best deal right now with its Everything plan! It just makes so much sense. Plus, since I live in a city with millions of people (phoenix, az) that is, Sprint should work perfectly fine wherever I need to go for the most part. I've always wanted a Blackberry and now I will finally have the chance to maximize on its potential! I have chosen to remain a loyal Apple lover, and will into the future, only now I can finally merge the best optin for mobile professionals which is an Apple Computer with a Blackberry, life is great.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, OOOOOOO SKEEEEET. Yes Ive been waiting for this for a while! What about Power PC support? ol school rockin the Power mac G5! plz universal binary RIM..........
I bought BlackBerry Charging Pod for BlackBerry Bold at this website http://www.dealsshoppie.com/product/search.php?ID=B001GJECR6&product=BlackBerry+Charging+Pod+for+BlackBerry+Bold. There were 51 reviews with an average rating of 4.5. I found this information to be very helpful and give the product a thumbs up.
They did mean September 2009, right?