BlackBerry on the Mac -- ViaDock by Impatica now works !!!

[lawlist]

I had been waiting for almost a year, and ViaDock by Impatica finally works for the Bold 9700 -- the only critical step is to ensure that the Mac application of ViaDock is running on screen when pairing via BlueTooth (and I found that it is easier to pair by searching from the BlackBerry to detect the Mac). I have a Mac Pro, a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro all running OSX 10.6.4 -- I went into System Properties and created shorter names that don't get truncated on the BlackBerry Impatica Connector screen (because my name is so darn long). The BlackBerry shows up on any Mac that I chose (only one computer at a time) and I can use my BlackBerry with the Macintosh keyboard or a PC keyboard connected to the Mac. (They also have a usb or Bluetooth version for Windows). The nice thing about Bluetooth is that I can have my BlackBerry flash drive connected with USB to the Mac and access it with Finder and all other programs, while at the same time being able to have my BlackBerry on the Mac -- I can chat with BlackBerry Messenger using my Mac. I installed Fancy Characters to get the vowels for Spanish accents (and am searching for an easier method). QuickLaunch caused the telephone dialer screen to pop up, so I am using ShortcutMe instead (which seems to work just fine with ViaDock). BlackBerry messenger comes up with ShortcutMe or clicking on the icon, but the application menu built into ViaDock does not activate that application (I'll write a feature request to them in about a week or so when I have some more things to report). No more fiddling with the BlackBerry while I am at my computer -- I can do everything from my Mac computer. There is a free trial for Mac and Windows versions -- I have already purchased a copy.

[mjm94]

will this work with bb curve 8520 os 5 and
mac book pro with os x 10.6.4

i love my bb and i am not going to get rid of my mac
they need to get a long together
my apple_berry

[lawlist]

There is a free trial for Mac and BlackBerry -- I use it every day with my Bold 9700 and OSX 10.6.4.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jmwalters]

I found the trial software annoyingly slow.

[lawlist]

There is a lag, but once it is set up, I found it really convenient to check incoming mail, add a contact, chat with BlackBerry Messenger, and access PocketInformant. I even purchased a 1.5 ft USB cable because my BlackBerry 9700 is connected to the computer all day (USB Mass Storage enabled), and I no longer need a longer cable to keep picking it up. It is possible the USB version for Windows or Parallels / windows is a little faster -- but BlueTooth works for me. I type one hundred words per minute, and am able to chat fairly easily even with the lag (of course, I need to slow down a little). The nice thing also is that when I am in meetings, I don't need to pick-up the BlackBerry -- the Clients think I am typing notes or whatever on my laptop relating to their matter, rather than responding to an incoming e-mail on an unrelated matter or telling my girlfriend I'm almost done with the meeting. I think this program is preventing me from switching to an iPhone (along with USB mass storage and a physical keyboard and a forward delete key and a native task application and blackbery messenger).

[jmwalters]

the tech dude @ Impatica tried 2 resolve the broken link issue with activating bbm from the menu and application launcher bars. Their version for Mac, whatever it is, doesn't have the issue, but acknowledge that their customers have been reporting the problem. Hopefully, they find a fix for the problem. Until then, I'm going to use this thing until the evaluation ends in 4 days.

[cardilli]

Big thanks to Lawlist for pointing out this critical step - I tried ViaDock on many Macs and many BBs never getting it to work until now

Originally Posted by lawlist

the only critical step is to ensure that the Mac application of ViaDock is running on screen when pairing via BlueTooth (and I found that it is easier to pair by searching from the BlackBerry to detect the Mac)