Apple’s Address Book, iCal, iPhoto, iTunes now synchronize easily to the Blackberry 8100. Though the software is considered ‘preview’ its utility restores the promise of this device as a peer in my personal information management arsenal, centered around my Apple Macintosh. I’ll give it a couple of weeks, but this new functionality may allow my Pearl to replace my trusty PALM Tungsten C.

Promising. Stay tuned.

Mac System Requirements:
PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, or Intel processor
Mac OS X, 10.4.8 or higher (Tiger)
Internet connection for product registration

BlackBerry Requirements:
The following devices running version 4.0 and later of the BlackBerry operating system have been tested:
7100 series
7290 (Cingular/T-Mobile)
7250 (Verizon)
7520 (Nextel)
7130 series
8700 series
8707 series
8703 series (Sprint)
8705
8100 series, aka “Pearl”
8800 series

Other devices may work, but have not been tested.

UPDATE: 3/19 ‘Missing Sync’ software works well with the SanDisk 2GB microSD memory card. This is perhaps the best accessory for the Blackberry Pearl. I needed to update the firmware on the phone to recognize the memory card. The card should work as expected if you are running version 4.2.0.64 or newer.

With ‘Missing Sync’ software I can now reliably sync my Macintosh systems to the phone. It also mounts the flash memory as a storage device on the desktop.

The memory is not blindingly fast when transferring data from the computer to the phone. Phone operations appear lively enough for interactive use.