One of our secret agents just sent in some great details about BIS 2.6 which is coming around the middle of March currently. According to their current build out, they have been releasing a new BIS about every quarter, so expect 2.7 sometime in June.
This new version 2.6 brings few features to the table that interest me. Nothing like the HTML email in version 2.5, but still nice:
- Better Gmail Integration
- Accessing Gmail through IMAP instead of current POP interface
- Provides one-way (BB Gmail) sync of read / unread status, delete, & sent items
- Eliminates duplicate message issue on sent items
- This new integration works with Gmail, Googlemail domain, and any other Google Apps domains
- Support for new email economical service tier: “@ BlackBerry” (More details coming soon)
- Access to @carrier.blackberry.net hosted email address only
- Email is limited to 32kb
- No attachments or HTML formatting in emails
- Ability to show and hide password on WAP site (Not sure why they care)
- Ability to change and edit your signature from the WAP site (limited to 200 characters)
- Better POP3 Mail notification
- You will now be sent a message telling you to set your desktop email client to leave messages on the server or else BIS will not get them
- Better error messages (but not much better)’
So what do you think? Personally, I was hoping for some contact/calendar/task/notes sync for consumer users, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Still, I was hoping for it to finally let you release a BlackBerry PIN or close your account. Or, at the very least, give you a reminder of your username if you forget. RIM always seems to forget about the small things… It’s almost like none of them uses BIS.
DavidB Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2009 at 8:33 AM EST from my BlackBerry 9530
Fixing the gmail dupes prob will be nice, but I don’t understand the imap upgrade? I already use map with my gmail-hosted domain?
Tim Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2009 at 11:15 AM EST
I really hope the Gmail feature is a mistake and that they really mean two-way sync. Because as it is, that statement is not an upgrade at all; I already have that.
Jim Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2009 at 12:38 PM EST
Again, no wireless sync for those of us without BES.
There is no middle tier here…you either get McDonald’s basic email only….or go all the way to BES to get wireless sync of contacts/calendar.
Nice….
Jim
Jim Not Registered
Posted: February 13, 2009 at 12:38 PM EST
Again, no wireless sync for those of us without BES.
There is no middle tier here…you either get McDonald\’s basic email only….or go all the way to BES to get wireless sync of contacts/calendar.
Nice….
Jim
Bob Garon Not Registered
Posted: February 16, 2009 at 11:17 AM EST
If you want to wirelessly sync your contacts and calendar get the Google Sync app for Blackberry. It syncs both now and does so very well.
Also regarding the Gmail one way syncing I don’t understand why they put that there when it is one way sync now, but only for deleting so maybe now when I read one it will mark it as read on the Gmail server. I really wish they would make it two way so that when I’m on my computer and read or delete mail it would also do the same, but beggars can’t be choosers now can we. I’ll take the upgrade as it is definitely better than what we have now. 🙂