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RIM Confirms BIS 3.0 Is Live In N. America
Over the weekend, Research In Motion upgraded its BlackBerry Internet Services to version 3.0. Most consumers who purchase BlackBerries use BIS-based services. BIS 3.0 doesn't offer and whiz-bang new features that are obvious right away, but there have been a lot of under-the-hood improvements -- especially for Gmail users.
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Over the weekend, Research In Motion upgraded its BlackBerry Internet Services to version 3.0. Most consumers who purchase BlackBerries use BIS-based services. BIS 3.0 doesn't offer and whiz-bang new features that are obvious right away, but there have been a lot of under-the-hood improvements -- especially for Gmail users.As a Gmail user, the most important new feature on this list is the first one: full Gmail syncing with read, unread, and sent messages. This means everything that users do with their accounts online will be reflected on their BlackBerries and vice versa.
Label support in Gmail is also a nice upgrade. I use labels to organize emails, and the lack of label support has been an annoyance from day one with BIS-based BlackBerries. Android phones handle Gmail labels perfectly (as you'd expect), but the iPhone and other platforms don't. BIS 3.0 now does and that should make many Gmail power users happy.
Other notable upgrades include better attachment support (including Windows Media Audio files), email address recovery, additional language support, and xHTML support.
BIS BlackBerry users don't need to do anything to access these new features. Here's the full changelog.
Features
Coming soon: Enhancements to Google Mail integrations
Google Mail Account to BlackBerry smartphone synchronization of read, unread and sent email message status for new Google Mail integrations
Note: this feature will be added throughout the Spring 2010 by region
Enhancements to the Google Mail Plug-in
Create and delete labels using the BlackBerry smartphone
Note: The Google Mail Plug-in requires BlackBerry® Device Software 4.5 or later and a Google Mail integration, using Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), within BlackBerry Internet Service.
Additional language support for Basque, Catalan, Galician, Romanian
Increased attachment compatibility
OpenDocument presentations (.odp)
OpenDocument spreadsheets (.ods)
OpenDocument text (.odt)
OpenDocument text templates (.ott)
Windows Media® Audio (.wma)
Improved email setup flow for HTML access
Allows BlackBerry smartphone users to reclaim their email address if their BlackBerry Internet Service account is ever deleted.
xHTML Support for non-Thick Clients
BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0 is designed to support xHTML for non Thick Client users and provide BlackBerry smartphone users with a richer user experience, allowing for the use of buttons, additional fonts and colour controls when users access and toggle their user settings.
Device switch revalidation
BlackBerry smartphone users are required to revalidate all email accounts upon PIN changes. This includes username/password users who log in to their account through HTML, Thick Client, or xHTML (previously WAP). It also includes PIN changes that are completed through BlackBerry Internet Service Administration.
Hosted email address passwords
Hosted email address passwords, secret questions, and secret answers are now extended to 'username/password' BlackBerry smartphone users.
Note: After BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0, only newly created hosted email "Username/Password" accounts will be prompted to create a password, secret question, and secret answer.
Carrier Friendly Names
BlackBerry smartphone users will be instructed to contact their specific carrier and will be provided with carrier contact information in HTML and WAP error messages.
[Via Boy Genius Report]
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