by Al Sacco

More Good News for Mac BlackBerry Users: Media Sync for iTunes Coming Soon

Opinion
Oct 03, 20082 mins
Enterprise Applications

In what may be another sign of good things to come for Apple Mac users with BlackBerry smartphones, Research In Motion (RIM) is planning to release a Macintosh version of its BlackBerry Media Sync application for use with the upcoming Pearl 8220 flip phone.

BlackBerry Media Sync version 1.0.0.18 will enable BlackBerry users with iTunes to sync all of their non-digital-rights-management (DRM)-protected iTunes music files with BlackBerry smartphones.

RIM BlackBerry Media Sync for Mac
BlackBerry Media Sync

Though the as-of-yet unreleased software appears to be specifically for the BlackBerry Pearl 8220, it’s likely that Media Sync for Mac will also work with additional RIM devices running the same or slightly different version of the BlackBerry handheld operating system. The Pearl 8220 currently runs BlackBerry OS v4.6—the same OS as the popular Bold 9000 device.

Late last month, I broke the news that RIM plans on releasing BlackBerry for Mac utilities in the first half 2009 to address a number of long-standing complaints from Mac users. Those complaints include the current inability to upgrade the BlackBerry handheld OS via Mac; a lack of tools to manage BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) e-mail settings on a Macintosh; and the fact that BlackBerrys can’t currently be used as tethered modems along with Macs. (Some of these functions are available to Mac users running Parallels.)

The BlackBerry Desktop Manager software, which lets users perform all of the above mentioned tasks and much more, is only available to PC users.

Though the new Media Sync software doesn’t address most of the complaints from Mac users, it does suggest that RIM is indeed renewing its focus on Apple computers and their owners.

For more on the BlackBerry software tools available to Mac users, check out our breakdowns of both PocketMac and Missing Sync.

AS

Via BlackBerry News

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