A closer look at BlackBerry Protect

 

We’ve discussed BlackBerry Protect quite a few times here on the blogs. It’s a free service available from Research In Motion for its BIS customers. Generally if you purchase your phone from a carrier, you’re on a BIS. BlackBerry Protect allows you find your phone when it’s missing and destroy your data should all become lost.

But what actually happens when your smartphone goes missing? If you’re a BB Protect user (and if you’re not, did I mention that this is all free?), you’ve probably played around with the lesser features of the service. I, for one, use the Loud Ring function quite often. I’m not so good at keeping up with my phone; BlackBerry Protect is. Locking the phone; sending it a message; and locating your BlackBerry on a map using its GPS coordinates is fun, if not a little creepy. But what about that last feature, Wipe Device?

This is why you come to CrackBerry.com: to learn from our bonehead entirely-understandable-considering-the-circumstances mistakes. To begin, BlackBerry Protect doesn’t back up everything. The app is very up-front and clear about what it can back up remotely; future versions of the app will recover more data, but it’s still less data than you’d get with a Desktop Software backup. Second, a security wipe from BlackBerry Protect destroys everything except the OS. I’ve done a few security wipes in my time, so I have only myself to blame.

 

I knew that the wipe would delete my emails, remove all of my installed apps, and destroy any personal information on my phone. But I should have paid more attention to that last bit. You see, my 4 and 16 GB memory cards are included in “personal information.”

Before the wipe, I had carefully gone though all of my third-party apps, saving to the memory card any and all settings that I could. After the wipe, I was left with nearly 20 GB of blank space; my pictures, movies, and music were gone. In a word, “D’oh!”

In addition, BlackBerry Protect only grabs a small portion of the data on the phone when doing an OTA backup. You’ll get contacts, calendars, and tasks back, but not much else. Sure, if that’s all you can get, that’s great; it’s better than nothing. This just goes to show that BlackBerry Protect is not a substitute for regular backups using BlackBerry Desktop Software.

So please, let this be a warning. BlackBerry Protect is an exceptional free product, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Keep regular backups using BlackBerry Desktop Software, and don’t play around with that Wipe Device option. When they say, “Wipe Device,” they really do mean it.

How Will BlackBerry PlayBook Native Email & PIM Work?

I have been meaning to write this piece for awhile now but every time I start thinking about it my head starts to hurt. Since the PlayBook launched we have heard reviewers harping about how you “need a BlackBerry” to get email on the device. RIM took it all in stride and announced that native email and PIM (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, etc) are coming “this summer” for the BlackBerry PlayBook. They even showed off how it will look with a live demo. The thing is I am really curious about is how exactly RIM is planning on making it work.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it is impossible in any way I am just curious what the workflow will be and if it will change the current BlackBerry smartphone paradigm. I understand why RIM is taking their time on releasing the native Email and PIM clients since they need to build the infrastructure to bring QNX to BlackBerry smartphones. They also need to include all of the BES integration and security/certifications required for a business call RIM device which does not happen overnight. The thing is I see many forks in the road for RIM on how exactly email and PIM will be handled on the PlayBook especially when you consider it from both a BIS (consumer) and BES (enterprise) perspective. Keep in mind many of these “forks” are similar for any tablet or companion device and not just the BlackBerry PlayBook.

BIS 4.0 Announced – Already Rolling Out?

Earlier today RIM announced BIS 4.0 in their BlackBerry Support Forums meaning it would be rolling out soon. Not long after that a user shared this screenshot with us of Email Setup Application update version 6.11.0419.0755. Does this mean BIS 4.0 has already started rolling out? In case you forgot, these are BIS 4.0 new features:

• Automatic Login Improvements
• Language Support – Vietnamese and Hindi
• Google Calendar Synchronization Improvements
• Secret Question Changes
• Windows Live Integration Re-validation removal

Let us know in the comments below if you get any updates or changes!

via:n4bb

BIS 4.0 Coming Soon? RIM Announces it on Support Forums…

We have known the official set of features for BIS 4.0 for over a month now but as far as I can tell RIM has yet to roll out the update. That may change soon if this latest post on the official BlackBerry Support Forums announcement site is any indication. Momehta, a support forums administrator, has posted a new article “Announcing BlackBerry Internet Service 4.0” and pointing to the 1+ month old knowledgebase article.

Let us know if you notice any of the new BIS 4.0 changes for your carrier. I checked on my AT&T BIS and it still does not have the password recovery option and improved Google Calendar sync.

via:BBR, Blackberry.com, support BB

BlackBerry ID Found in Latest OS Leak for the 9800?

I recently upgraded my 9800 to the latest OS that was leaked last week. When I was searching for the setup option for BIS I noticed that this latest OS has BlackBerry ID managing options included. This is the first time i’ve seen this included in the OS. A few months back we had seen leaked version of BlackBerry ID that was extracted from an OS for a different device. This version allowed me to simply logging with my current BlackBerry ID without having any problems.

Am not sure if this has been there before but first time I have seen it.

Update Thanks to Roy, he explained that this is not the case, but it is probably due to me using BBM 6 read the comment by him below.

via:bbr

Native Email and PIM for BlackBerry PlayBook Demoed!

RIM just showed off the BlackBerry PlayBook native email along with PIM for calendar and contacts. This is native email, calendar, and contacts connected to the RIM NOC through BIS or BES or both! They did not have tasks, notes, and the rest that show up over bridge but they will be coming this summer too. We don’t have more than this summer but its nice to see it live in action!!!

BlackBerry PlayBook Native Email and PIM Video Demo!!

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Here it is folks… a video sneak peek of native email and PIM apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook!! RIM showed it off during their BlackBery World Keynote today, and working with BIS and BES, this is the full native email and PIM experience you’d find on a BlackBerry Smartphone on the PlayBook.

Sure, it would have been nice if this was on the PlayBook at launch, but what’s done is done and it’s coming and it’ll be here soon. RIM says this summer, and it makes sense that it will be available as the radio versions of the PlayBook hit the market. Hit the video above for a first look!

via:cb

Android and iPhone Getting BlackBerry Messenger?

You might have heard that the BlackBerry PlayBook will be able to run Android apps, but what about the other way around – what if Android ran BlackBerry apps? Rumour has it that this is exactly what’s happening; RIM is supposedly aiming to bring the legendary BlackBerry Messenger client to not only Android, but the iPhone and iPad’s iOS down the line as well. RIM had recently put the legal screws to Kik Messenger, which was offering a kind of cross-platform BBM service, and seeing as the legal action surrounded patent infringements, it would be safe to assume RIM had similar plans of their own (though there was also some concern about Kik illegally mining personal data).

BlackBerry Messenger on Android and iOS will apparently be a more stripped-down version, so don’t expect the fancy stuff like file transfers or groups, but basic instant messaging with read/unread notifications seems likely. No mention of timing, except for sometime this year, and pricing is equally up in the air; free, one-time fee, or subscription models are all possibilities.

Is this a smart move on RIM’s part? The exclusivity of BBM to BlackBerry smartphones has been a big selling point, and giving it away to the competing platforms may obliterate what little reason anyone has to pick up a RIM product. On the other hand, if RIM can be tantalizing enough with their app and rope people into using BBM to the point of becoming a necessity, then they’ll be in a position to convince folks to switch teams. The larger strategic message this would send is that RIM is losing faith in their own application platform, and is looking to use the competition to their advantage. The QNX operating system of the BlackBerry PlayBook will take some time to mature if it wants to offer anywhere near as many apps as Android, let alone iOS; in the meantime, RIM could easily take advantage of Google’s openness, even if in the process they’re making significant additions to the Android ecosystem with apps like BBM (and who knows what else… BIS e-mail?). As far as iOS is concerned, I couldn’t imagine Apple being cool with RIM horning in on their app market to woo loyal iPhone owners to the black side, but I’m sure Google would be hunky-dory with the idea of getting their tendrils into another manufacturing partner.

RIM hasn’t been shy about cross-platform work in the past – you may remember the BlackBerry Application Suite for Windows Mobile. It didn’t exactly take off, but that had more to do with WM’s puny share than RIM’s product. Maybe another go at that strategy with a more popular smartphone OS isn’t such a bad idea… what do you guys think? Just remember to take it all with a grain of salt – there’s no hard and fast evidence of RIM making this move just yet, though the source sounds pretty confident about Android getting BBM.

[via BGR]

Readers Ask: What are the differences between SmrtGuard and BlackBerry Protect?

Going back to March 2009 when NHCBBA first announced the public beta, SmrtGuard immediately become a popular choice among BlackBerry BIS users for its ability to backup device data remotely, and via a web dashboard, allow users to login and execute a number of actions, such as locating a lost BlackBerry. Since its launch, SmrtGuard has continued to roll out a number of new value-added features, offering the basics for free and premium features for a price.

BlackBerry Bridge IS One of the BEST PlayBook Features! Here is Why!

There are a few things that have not been stressed about the BlackBerry PlayBook Bridge that I feel need to be addressed. The BlackBerry Bridge allows you to connect your BlackBerry PlayBook to your BlackBerry Smartphone (with a Bridge app installed) to access information from it. Until now we have known this will give us access to the BlackBerrys Messages, Contacts, Calendar, BlackBerry Messenger, Tasks, and Memos. Keep in mind it does all of this through the connection to the BlackBerry and is NOT considered tethering. The thing is there is one feature missing off that list that I think is a real game changer for RIM.

I have confirmed at the BlackBerry PlayBook launch event yesterday that the BlackBerry Bridge will also allow users to browse the web! Through the BlackBerry Bridge users will be able to browse both Internet (BIS) and Intranet (BES) websites through the connection to their BlackBerry smartphone. This traffic will be piped to the RIM NOC APN directly just like BlackBerry smartphone traffic. That means you will be able to browse the web without a tethering data plan!

Essentially this boils down to the fact that with the BlackBerry Bridge and a BlackBerry Smartphone you will be able to perform all the following functions without tethering: