[MW Forums]

Overall, PocketMac for BlackBerry 4.0 leaves me wanting more and wanting it to work better. The effort is certainly there from the software developer, but the implementation and functionality is lacking. more

[qmac]

I have had numerous problems with pocketmac doing the syncing thing with apple's addressbook. Problem is that at the moment there is no real alternative for bog standard consumers (who don't use over the air syncing or an exchange server). I noticed that markspace are going a survey on their site about blackberry and what people want from a product. Frankly I would be more than happy to pay them to set me free from pocketmac. If noting else a little competition does wonders in upping the game....

[macFanDave]

I'm one of those poor fools who bought PocketMac a few minutes (ok, probably weeks) before they decided to give it away for free. Considering what happened with WebObjects, I don't feel so bad.
Until I got a BlackBerry, I didn't really care whether Apple made a phone. Now, I really, really want one!
My BlackBerry has given me the biggest case of Buyer's Remorse since Spray-On Hair!

[bobmayo]

Is there anyone here (Jim and fellow readers) who's actually succeeded in getting PocketMac for BlackBerry 4.0 to sync their BlackBerry e-mail with Apple Mail?
If you had problems but fixed them, can you describe how?
BlackBerry support has been walking me through many suggestions, and re-installs, including manually removing files prior to re-installs.
Nothing so far has worked. Their next suggestion is using DataPurge, but I fear that the BlackBerry's syncing with my employer's server would would wipe out my messages on the server as well.
Any personal insights?

[montefuego]

I have had a nightmare with this product. I know for a fact that it does not copy updated field on the Blackberry back to the Mac (I am using address book), and I beieve it has deleted much of my data. I have been through this up and down with Blackberry, they are very supportive, but my only hope now is to completely wipe the entire blackberry, and then import everything from the mac all over again. This will lose whatever updates and new information on the blackberry. Nonetheless, I would do it IF I could believe that the whole system would work once i did it. But I can't believe. VERY FRUSTRATING. I think this product is close to being good, but I have no confidence in it right now.

[jelockwood]

When PocketMac for Blackberry 4.0 was released I was impressed and delighted to see it claimed it supported syncing to MeetingMaker. I therefore arranged to trial a Blackberry and downloaded the PocketMac software.
Unfortunately despite many attempts, and consulting both PocketMac and RIM support, I could not get syncing to MeetingMaker to work at all. Even syncing to Apple Addressbook was problematic and only worked if I let it sync ALL contacts, and not as it is supposed to be able to do, a specific group of contacts.
This was actually my first use of a Blackberry and I can see how the email functionality is so addictive to people. However I found the Blackberry user interface primitive, ugly and unfriendly, not a patch on a Palm Treo for example.
Note: I have successfully got a Palm Treo syncing to MeetingMaker using the MeetingMaker Palm conduits.
If only the Palm Treo would move in to the 21st Century and support 3G and HSDPA (like the Blackberry).
Dumb ass Palm, also seem to have forgotten where their success started from (the Mac) and have so failed to even say they are doing a new Intel version of Palm Desktop (and Conduits) let alone ship it. We now have the ludicrous situation that PocketMac for (yuck) Windows Mobile is a Universal Binary but Palm Desktop is not.

[iMudd]

One other thing that was problematic with my install of PocketMac for Blackberry was it requires install on an admin account, and to be used on that same account. Not a straightforward install, if your regular-use account is an ordinary user account without admin privileges.

[jsandresen1]

I have been using PocketMac for BlackBerry 4.0 for six months now without any problems. The version you can download directly from the Blackberry site is more stable and they will provide support.

[jsandresen1]

There is a new Blackberry coming out in April and it is awesome looking. The real problem with the Blackberry Software is not there fault it is Apple's. Apple has not spent enough time with their Address Book or Calender program to ensure it works well as a major application for business like Microsoft has with Entourage. The basic programs that Apple created are great for personal use but the Blackberry is really a business device and if you want to get the best out of it you are going to need to work with Entourage.

[macgfamily]

Issues/bugs with PocketMac Blackberry sync? Let me count the ways:
1/ Installation - user must have Admin rights [MEDIUM ISSUE but workaround exists making this in practice MINOR issue]
DESCRIPTION: At installation a user has to have Admin rights (as opposed to the standard approach of just requesting an Admin authentication at install).
Admittedly it is suggested in manual that this can be granted temporarily just for install. This only goes to reinforce the point that the applicatoin should install as normal with only an Admin authentication. (I have not yet tested this since too busy trying to iron out other issues and scared removing Admin rights will only bring another issue!)
COMMENT: Just seems like poor OS X application/install architecture.

2/ Connection - flaky and no real indication of logical connection [MEDIUM ISSUE]
(unless using optional Mass Storage Media connection to actually mount the Blackberry in which case OS X will obviously show you a mounted drive on the desktop)
DESCRIPTION: Implementing Blackberry password seemed to solve but who knows (indicated by at least one person on web forums as a possible solution).
May have been due to using a USB port on back of Mac rather than on back of Apple monitor (although that port should have been powered).
COMMENT: After solving the initial connection issues, the connectivity appears to work reasonably well although not 100%.

3a/ Address Book groups/Blackberry categories - mapping of address to single group/category only [MAJOR ISSUE]
3b/ Address Book groups/Blackberry categories - option to sync only selected groups gives errors [MEDIUM ISSUE]
(which by using and not syncing smart groups would have offered a solution to above bug)
DESCRIPTION: Addresses can belong to multiple Address Book groups (which also act as mail distribution lists). This is completely compatible with the Blackberry which also allows addresses to be assigned to multiple categories (or at least new Blackberry Pearl allows this - perhaps specific to new Pearl which is the issue?). However on sync, the list of comma-separated categories are taken to be a single category. The sync therefore creates these (new, unique) categories/groups on the mac.
A work-around would have been to live with this and only assign addresses to a single Mac Address Book Group with Smart Groups providing the ability to then have multiple non-exclusive groups using keywords in the notes section. However.... on trying this I got errors with this sync which suggested that the 'default' group/category name was too long. Changing the names to what appeared to be reasonable length names and with no strange characters did not solve the issue. There was NO specific indication in the error message of what did constitute acceptable input (which is a basic tenet of developing applications).
COMMENT: I wonder whether this group/category mangling is at least a factor in the multiple reports of the sync messing up people's address books?

4/ pcscd (SmartCard daemon) process running out of control [MAJOR ISSUE (FATAL/SHOWSTOPPER?)]
DESCRIPTION: I noticed an issue with the machine starting to run out of control - either CPU or disk - and could only assume that is was something to do with this recent install. I checked using Activity Monitor and, lo and behold, the CPU activity was at 100% with the majority (80-90%) being due to a root owned process called 'pcscd' which was running out of control. This process could not be shut down (even using Force Quit and authenticating as Admin) and, to cap it all, is so pervasive that it actually prevents OS X shutting down.
A quick search found that this is a pc smart card daemon (hence the acronym) responsible for polling smart cards. The Blackberry Pearl includes a smart media card but this process appears to be initiated by the PocketMac app even when the Pearl smart card is not mounted (using Mass Storage Media option).
COMMENT: Also noted by DarkDog on MacWorld forums on another thread about this.

SUMMARY
The issues were irritating enough but the pcscd issue was the final straw. This software was, as DarkDog noted in MacWorld forums on another thread about this, barely a Beta release.
While the application was free, it had been licensed by Blackberry/RIM and I had bought by wife a distinctly less-than-free Blackberry Pearl on the basis that she would be able to operate it with our Mac.
Until the above issues are resolved I would dissuade anyone from buying a Blackberry to use with a Mac.
(For the record, this was on a Mac Mini G4 with up-to-date OS X v10.4.8)
--
Iain
Hong Kong

[ae6dx]

Where is the intel universal version??

[mimi2]

Hi did you find out how to install the pocketmac?
I'm going crazy!!!
Please help.
Thanks
Mimi

[imacma]

Yup, the pocketmac software is painful and as far as I can tell they don't support their software. Avoid it.