BlackBerrys and Macs, Part II: RIM BlackBerry Desktop Manager v. Missing Sync

Feature

Sep 15, 20083 mins

Computers and PeripheralsConsumer ElectronicsData Center

This second installment in CIO.com's three-part series examining the relationship between BlackBerry smartphones and Apple Mac computers lists a handful of device management features available to Mac users via Missing Sync, a BlackBerry Desktop Manager for PC alternative.

Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Desktop Manager software, which lets PC users perform data backup and restore processes, update handheld operating systems (OS), configure BlackBerry corporate settings and more, runs only on Windows PCs. That means BlackBerry users with Apple Mac computers don’t have access to the full line of device management features available to PC users–unless they’re running Parallels or another similar program that enables Apple computers to run Windows alongside other operating systems.

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Mac users aren’t completely out of luck, however; there are a couple of third-party device management options for Apple computers: PocketMac and Missing Sync.

Last week, we compared the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software with PocketMac, a free desktop management solution for BlackBerry users with Apple computers. Today, we’re lining up BlackBerry Desktop Manager and Missing Sync, a $39.99 piece of Mac software from Mark/Space ($49.99 for CD ROM version), to see how the two measure up.

screen shot of Missing Sync for BlackBerry — Missing Sync for BlackBerry

The following list details the features available to Mac users in the Missing Sync software, along with the functionality afforded to PC users via BlackBerry Desktop Manager. System requirements for both BlackBerry Desktop Manager and Missing Sync are also listed beneath the chart.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager v. Missing Sync


	BlackBerry Desktop Manager	Missing Sync
Address book/calendar sync	Yes	Yes
Notes/tasks sync	Yes	Yes
Backup and restore	Yes	No
Load Third-Party Apps	Yes	No
Update Handheld Software	Yes	No
Configure BES E-Mail Settings	Yes	No
Tethered Modem	Yes	No
Automated Device Switch	Yes	No
Bookmark Synch	No	No
Media Mgmt. for the Handheld	Yes	Limited
Media Sync	Yes	Limited

Missing Sync System Requirements:

PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, or Intel processor
Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.8 or later
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 or later
Internet connection for product registration

RIM BlackBerry Desktop Manager v4.5 System Requirements:

An Internet/email-enabled computer
One available USB or serial port
The Microsoft Windows OS in one of these versions, with a USB port: Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista including x64 bit support
With a serial port: Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista

Additional information on the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software can be found on RIM’s website. And more details on Missing Sync, including a list of all supported BlackBerry devices, is located on the Mark Space site.