It’s been a long time since we first mentioned BlackBerry Shield, but that all changed Thursday. BNews.pl managed to get a hold of a handful of screenshots of the security service which lets users remotely locate, lock and wipe their misplaced and/or stolen BlackBerry just like iPhone users can do Find My iPhone. When it’s released — and it’s not clear when this is going to happen, other than it’s going to enter testing “very soon” — BlackBerry Shield will be f...

Hot on the heels of the release of BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0, RIM has just posted the details for BIS 3.1 in the BlackBerry Technical Solutions Center. The main enhancement to be brought forth in BIS 3.1 is wireless contact synchronization support — something which Gmail users have been enjoying for a while now — but for Alt-N, Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail accounts, things get a little murky (the latter two require OS 6.0). Synchronizations will be scheduled to occur every four hour...

Not a whole lot to say here other than it looks like RIM has finally flipped the switch on 2-way Gmail sync, a feature of BIS 3.0, for BIS customers in North America. Overnight our tips line was lit up by BlackBerry addicts who ecstatically reported that 2-way syncing of of read, unread and sent email messages for Gmail accounts was now active, although we should caution we also received reports that the option for syncing came and went ad nauseum. Let’s just hope that the aforementioned issues were no...

If you noticed your BIS-enabled BlackBerry was quieter than usual late last night, here’s the reason why: RIM’s North American BIS servers were temporarily out of action as they were being upgraded from BIS 2.8 to BIS 3.0. The new features that have been brought through to BIS 3.0 are by no means earth shattering, but a full change-log is awaiting your perusal after the break. (more…)

BlackBerry addicts that keep strange hours should keep a stiff drink on hand between 2AM and 6AM EDT on Sunday, March 28th, because those are the hours RIM will be hard at work updating its North American servers to BIS 3.0. During this four hour upgrade process literally every BIS user will have to go without BlackBerry services, but since it’s happening so late in the East, it’s going to be the poor ol’ West Coasters that are going to feel the brunt of this. Either way you slice it, the ga...

BerryReview is reporting that one of its solid connections has confirmed the arrival of BIS 3.0 sometime in the next week. We’ve already told you about some of the leaked features of BIS 3.0, but here is a quick recap:True two-way synchronization with GmailAbility to create Gmail labels with Advanced Gmail PluginSupport for Windows Media Audio filesSupport of OpenOffice filesCarrier specific error messages with relevant contact informationNot exactly a blow-your-socks-off type upgrade but a few niceties...

BBLeaks got their hands on some RIM training documentation that details new features included in the yet-to-be-scheduled BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) 3.0 update. Some of the documented improvements include:Gmail read/unread status will now sync on handsets with Enhanced Google Mail Plug-in and BlackBerry OS 4.6 or higherCreate and delete labels on device with Enhanced Google Mail Plug-in and BlackBerry OS 4.6 or higherSupport for additional attachment types, including: OpenDocument presentations (.odp), ...

Back on the 3rd we reported the release of BIS 2.8 to North American BlackBerry users, and with that came two-way contact synchronization with Google Mail — one of the new wiz-bang features. Today we’re getting reports from BIS users that now have the Google Mail contact synchronization option available to them from their carriers BIS website. While this doesn’t do anyone much good, as two-way contact syncing requires BlackBerry OS 5.0 or better, it seems to indicate the folks in Waterloo ha...

North American BlackBerry Internet Service users have an excuse to drink mimosas this morning — RIM and its carrier partners have flipped the switch on BIS 2.8. As we told you some time ago, BIS 2.8 offers enhancements that countless that non-corporate types have been yammering for for ages including but not limited to:Two-way wireless synchronization [every four hours] with Google Mail Contacts and the Address Book on the BlackBerry smart phone:Synchronize Google Mail contacts quickly and easily to the...

It seems our friends in Waterloo have been busy cooking up an update for BlackBerry Internet Service as a Knowledge Base article and a user guide for BIS 2.7 have both popped up on the BlackBerry Technical Solution Center website. As you may recall, the current incarnation of BIS, BIS 2.6, launched in North America on March 21st of this year and brought with it improved user support, a way to change signatures on device, IMAP integration for Gmail and the ability to display password characters when logging in...

We have some good news for North American BlackBerry users this morning as RIM has finally completed its upgrade to BIS 2.6. This means not only can all of you non-corporate types can have a watered-down glimpse of BES life with one-way IMAP Gmail synchronization and the ability to change your email signature on the go via the BIS WAP site, but you can also do something that no self-respecting BES admin would ever let you do by choosing not to black out your password characters. In case you forgot what else B...

No doubt there were a lot of peeved BIS users the day RIM enabled BES 5, but don’t fret – RIM finally just took the wraps off the latest edition of BIS, albeit in a not-so-public way. Discussed in a Knowledge Base article, RIM highlighted a lot of the new features non-corporate BlackBerry users can look forward to. The bad news? Apart from complimentary one way syncing of Gmail accounts via IMAP instead of POP and the ability to edit signatures via the WAP browser, there is really nothing here to ...