Extend your Blackberry with additional Internet solutions and business solutions such as mySAP Mobile Business. Get all the steps on how to install the PocketGenie web browser and service for sports information, travel, weather and more. (From the book, How to Do Everything with Your Blackberry, second edition, by Curt Simmons, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, ISBN: 0072255870.)
The BlackBerry is not an island—and that’s good news for all of us. After all, your business and your life are not isolated either, and it is because BlackBerry users need software integration that you can synchronize and transfer files using desktop PIM software with the BlackBerry. After all, the BlackBerry alone would be rather limiting.
Following this same line of thought, the BlackBerry provides additional services and features that are available through third-party vendors and associates. The term third party, which is often thrown around in the computer world, simply means that a company outside of RIM developed the solution for the BlackBerry. That company is responsible for creating the solution and supporting that solution for users. With that said, this chapter explores some third-party solutions that are available for you and your BlackBerry.
Why Use Third-Party Solutions?
As you get started in this chapter, let’s first consider your needs. Do you really need to think about using some kind of third-party solution on your BlackBerry, most of which are fee based? That’s a big question, and one you should consider seriously. It is always tempting to take any kind of electronic device, such as a computer or PDA, to the ultimate limit. After all, if the device can do it, why not?
Although this approach may be interesting, the end result will typically be a BlackBerry full of services and features that are not useful to you. For this reason, you should carefully evaluate your needs before extending your BlackBerry with a third-party solution. In the following sections, you’ll learn about five third-party solutions that are currently available with the BlackBerry. Of course, the world is always turning, so be sure to check out www.blackberry.net for more information about new third-party solutions as they become available. You can learn more about navigating BlackBerry.net in Chapter 16.
Should you use one of the third-party solutions that are available and described in the following sections? As you read about the solutions that are available, be sure to ask yourself these questions:
Will the service assist me in my business or the management of my personal life?
Even if the service will assist me, is this something I think I will actually use?
If I will use the service and it is needed, is the service cost-effective (if there is a fee)?
It is important to point out that some of the third-party solutions are implemented at the corporate level. Your BlackBerry may already be equipped with one or more of these, depending on your company. If you are an individual user, some of these may be helpful to you, whereas others will not be. Check out the following sections to learn more about the third-party solutions that are available for your BlackBerry.
This chapter is from How to Do Everything with Your Blackberry, by Curt Simmons (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2004, ISBN: 0072255870). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today. Buy this book now.
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