Downloaded applications for BlackBerry® Smartphones and Tablets

[hanleybrian]

Hi All,

I currently use Google Calendar to manage my appointments;

and was able to use Google Sync to synchronize this calendar

with my BlackBerry Curve.

I recently upgraded to a BlackBerry Tour, however, and it would

appear that Google Sync is not supported for the Tour.

Can anyone suggest alternatives to Google Calendar?

Yahoo? Microsoft/Live? What else?

I'd like to be able to enter my appointments online, and have

my BlackBerry sync wirelessly / automatically.  I don't mind

paying for such a service, so please don't restrict yourself

to free services ...

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Brian

[sdgardne]

Hello,

Hosted BES would be your best bet IMHO. I've no idea who offers it, but that's what I think will meet your needs best as you've stated them. BIS-level service only provides for OTA email...other PIM data (calendar, contacts, etc.) require USB/BT tether sync...with the exception of course being Google Sync, with all of it's problems intact (as you've discovered).

Good luck and let us know!

[Xandrex]

i see many people using Google Mobile Sync for cal events on the Tour, but with some minor bugs. Did you try installing it though htttp://m.google.com/ ?

[hanleybrian]

Google Sync is not currently available for the Tour.

If you visit http://m.google.com/sync using a Tour, there

is no longer a link to download Google Sync, and if you

try to download Google Sync using Google Mobile App,

it fails and says "Could not download Sync."

Google has yet to explain why, and I'd like to find a vendor

who will actually support their calendar product ...

[hanleybrian]

I was doing a little more research ...

So it seems that Apple's iSync is not available for BlackBerry?

Are there any CalDAV or WCAP clients for BlackBerry?

What other calendar protocols are common?

[sdgardne]

In the BB world, it is NOT common to sync anything but email OTA -- except for enterprise-level BES users (who get everything). Client-level functions similar to ActiveSync have been discussed in these forums from time to time, but I honestly don't recall any of those resulting in the success levels desired. Hence, hosted BES remains my recommendation to you. With the recent release of BES-Express, I am hoping that the costs for hosted BES will be reduced...but it's too soon to know. (And, as I said earlier, I've never researched the costs for hosted BES...so all I can comment on is relative information rather than specific.)

[cstibbe]

I have run into problems with google sync. On my tour. I use my calendar heavily and was unable to use the google sync to my satisfaction. My solution was download pocket informant.(Read manual for all the instructions) it has the ability to invite people and accept invitations which automatically populate the calendar. Once downloaded (trial is 21 days full function) cost 13 dollars or so. Then download nice office crm from the app store and set up account. Will wirelessly sync almost instantly both ways (desktop to bb and vice versa). The software is free and only allows 1 device. Full back up for contacts, tasks, calendar. If device lost or wiped will reload for you. (only trick is the sync is in the bb calendar button drop down menu.) Mine works awesome and I have wiped and restored multiple times as trying to test it. I am very satisfied with both products. If you need to do multiple devices a paid subscription is required but 1 device is free.

[Xandrex]

---

hanleybrian wrote:

Are there any CalDAV or WCAP clients for BlackBerry?

---

if there are, they should be somewhere here :

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/search/calendar

[hanleybrian]

@sdgardne:

I appreciate the advice.  To me, full BES seems like overkill, but I see your point.

I would still need to be sure that full BES actually solves my problem, and that

I, as an individual, can get full BES.

I get my BlackBerry service through Verizon, and currently have the

"BlackBerry Email & Web" package -- $30 on top of my phone service.

There is another plan called "BlackBerry Unlimited Data Usage", which

costs $45 instead of $30, and includes "Corporate Email."  I'm guessing

that Verizon gives you BIS when you sign up for  "BlackBerry Email & Web",

and BES when you sign up for "BlackBerry Unlimited Data Usage" ...

As an aside, can anyone confirm this?

That "BlackBerry Email & Web" --> BIS and

"BlackBerry Unlimited Data Usage" --> BES?

Anyway, I would need to be sure that upgrading to the $45 package would

actually solve my problem.  I still feel like there should be some alternatives

out there, though.

@cstibbe:

I took a quick look at Pocket Informant, but couldn't figure out exactly

what syncing capabilities it had.  It seems that Pocket Informant for iPhone

has a wide array of syncing capabilities (e.g., with Google Calendar), but

that Pocket Informant for BlackBerry is much more limited:

    http://www.pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pocketinformant_iphone

vs.

    http://www.pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pocketinformant_bb

So how does it work?  Does Pocket Informant work as a plug-in to my Outlook Client?

Or does it run as a plug-in to the BlackBerry desktop software?  I couldn't tell.

And Pocket Informant provides servers where the calendar data gets sync'ed to?

[hanleybrian]

I tried Funambol, which worked like a charm (9630 Tour not officially supported yet,

but 9530 Storm client works great) -- but it seems that Funambol is not a product

that the public can buy directly?

The deal seems to be that Funambol is a software vendor, and that while they do

have servers where you can input your calendar, it's just for a 90-day trial demo?

And that you have to go to one of their clients to obtain long-term service?

    http://www.funambol.com/

    http://my.funambol.com/

Has anyone used a Funambol-based service, such as AOL? How is it?

    http://aolsync.aol.com/