As a WriteRight user for nearly a decade, I was hesitant about going with a solution that gave you only a single shield. Even with the replacement guarantee, requesting a replacement and sending in the old one sounded like a hassle. WriteRights need to be replaced every couple of months, so I was skeptical.

Five months later, I am thrilled to report that the Invisible Shield is holding up great - exactly as advertised. I’m really quite impressed. Well worth the $11.95.

A couple of other notes:

• It isn’t advertised well on the site, but when I placed my order I was able to pay with PayPal - always a bonus to use “play money” on something like this. If it had been clear that they accepted PayPal, I would have placed the order several days sooner and wouldn’t have even of looked for alternatives.
• Shipping is free - another nice touch.
• The installation instructions are clear and materials are provided to help you get a bubble and fingerprint free installation.
• Letting the BlackBerry sit for 24 hours to allow the shield to “set” was a bit inconvenient, but I’m glad I did it.

I’m obviously quite pleased with this little product and I recommend it.

Disclaimers: I was in no way compensated for this review, I received no discount on the product and I am not affiliated with the folks at Invisible Shield in any way (that I know of).

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So now I’ve got a fairly decent SOHO Mac BlackBerry solution:

• Calendar - Google Calendar, subscribed to in iCal on multiple Macs but I primarily use the web interface. Sync from iCal to BlackBerry using PocketMac (hopefully OTA sync using GCalSync soon). Offline event creation via queued SMS on the BlackBerry, or via export/import to GCal.
• Contacts - Sync Macs using Plaxo, sync to BlackBerry using PocketMac (hopefully OTA sync using Plaxo soon, 8703e on Sprint is not yet a supported device).
• E-mail - forward non-spam from my FastMail¹ account to my BlackBerry. No IMAP like functionality, but I’ve become rather comfortable with the BlackBerry as a sort of “mail notifier”.

Everything is free except the e-mail account, but you can certainly get free e-mail if you like. All in all, I think it’s a pretty decent suite.

1. I might be ditching FastMail for TuffMail, I haven’t done it yet due to the migration hassle. [back]

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Not all Bounties are Created Equal

The most famous bounty I know of was the ~$14k bounty for being able to install and boot into Windows on an Intel Mac. Now $14k is real money and pays for real development time. I assume that the folks thst set up the bounty realized they were appealing to a large audience and could raise this kind of real money . Claiming the bounty like this is almost like a contract job for a developer - do work, get paid.

Now let’s look at my BlackBerry bounty. Going into it, I knew two things:

1. the audience I could appeal to was much smaller
2. it was unlikely to be a simple solution¹.

Because of this, I did not place any kind of “the solution must be free/open source, etc.” conditions on the bounty. In fact, I did the opposite:

If the solution is not made available for free (ie. is packaged as a commercial product), anyone who contributed to the Bounty must be given a free license.

This was a considered choice, not an oversight.

Because I thought it was unlikely I’d be able to raise enough coin to actually pay² for the development of a solution, I used the bounty as a proof of market - showing would-be solution developers that folks out there want this capability, and are willing to pay for it. My belief was that by demonstrating this market, someone would be willing to take the time to develop a solution to meet the market demand.

It’s worth noting that the also-rans in the competition were also planning commercial solutions.

Now that we have that as the premise, let’s look at the actual solution that was developed.

I first heard from Daniel in September, and he was the first one to get anywhere close to a working proof of concept. Since that initial contact, we’ve been in touch via IM and e-mail several times a day and I was fully aware of the progress being made and the challenges being faced.

I know the solution has been rebuilt several times in dramatically different ways as various roadblocks proved to be insurmountable. I also know that he’s put a huge amount of time into it - basically full-time work for weeks now.

Not to mention, it isn’t completely done yet. I expect Daniel will have to invest at least as much time as he already has to get a salable product. By the time it is all said and done, this will be several months worth of effort.

Like me, Daniel runs a small development shop so I highly doubt he could have devoted this much time to this project had commercializing the solution been forbidden.

Commercial v. Free is a problem that solves itself

Now let’s look at the solution itself. I know it sounds kind of strange to hear that this was such a big undertaking. After all, the BlackBerry 870* already works as a modem under Windows. However, if it had been a simple solution to get the BlackBerry to work as a modem for OS X, the solution being commercial or not is a completely moot point.

If claiming the bounty had proven to be easy and the winner had not chosen to release the solution for free, someone else would come along and decide it wasn’t worth paying for and build their own solution. Eventually one of these would be available for free. The development community is generally very pragmatic and great at policing itself this way.

The solution that Daniel has built is not simple. First he created software for the BlackBerry that gives the BlackBerry a Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking (DUN) profile, something it did not have before this. Then he had to translate data in 3 stages:

1. Laptop to BlackBerry
2. BlackBerry to Proxy Server
3. Proxy Server to Internet

and vice versa. From the stuff Daniel has commented to me about what he’s been working on (debugging at the protocol level, etc.), I know that this work was way over my head.

Bottom Line

I believe I was very pragmatic in regards to the bounty terms, and I am quite pleased with how it has played out. The Mac/BlackBerry community will be getting a solution to allow them to use their BlackBerrys as modems, and as a bonus the solution will also work for Windows and Linux users as well. And since it will be a commercial product with a great deal invested in it, we know that Daniel will be motivated to support it.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

1. As confirmed by Grant, the creator of the Bluetooth modem script for the BlackBerry Pearl (8100). [back]
2. Meaning: give a developer their normal hourly rate for the time they spent on the solution. [back]

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When will this be released?

As with all software, date estimates can get blown up by various things - but here are some guesses. A version should be available to the bounty contributors within 2 weeks or so. A general public release will happen this year, likely in about a month or so.

Can I still contribute to the bounty?

No, the bounty is closed. If you didn’t contribute to help create the solution, you can’t jump in now and reap the benefits along with those who did. You have to wait for the general release.

How do you connect the BlackBerry to the laptop?

The BlackBerry is connected to the laptop via Bluetooth (no USB cable). The solution creates a Bluetooth modem profile on the BlackBerry, which is present when you pair the laptop and the BlackBerry.

Will this work on Windows?

Yes, it works on Windows as well.

Will this work on Linux?

It should, it is basically a standard Bluetooth modem. Of course, Linux users know that Bluetooth can be a bit of a challenge at times so no promises there.

Does it give you a direct connection to the internet?

Like other mobile apps like Verichat, this will use a proxy server. The proxy server will be open source.

How fast is the connection?

There have not been any performance optimizations yet, so at the moment it isn’t as fast as it will be. The theoretical limit is 110k, which is what the Bluetooth connection speed is set to.

Will this be a commercial product?

Yes, this will be a commercial product.

Will there be a free trial?

Yes, there will be a time/number of uses limited free trial.

How much will it cost?

The pricing will be $50/license. A pre-order will be available for $25/license.

Can I run my own proxy server?

Yes, the license will include your own proxy server (that can run on a Linux server as a daemon).

Will there be a proxy server I can sign up for?

Yes. If you don’t want to set up your own proxy server, there will be a service you can sign up for. The cost for this will be around $4/month or $40/year. Corporate accounts will also be available.

Will BlackBerrys other than the 870* series be supported?

Yes, it is already being tested on the 7290 and other models will be supported as well. Sorry, no list of models at this time, but the goal is to work with all Bluetooth models.

UPDATE: There is now an updated version of this FAQ and Pre-order option on the Brain Murmurs web site.

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I’ve just tested a development build that allowed me to browse the web and download mail. Awesome! Daniel claims the bounty.

Daniel is hard at work polishing it up and quashing the little quirks that exist in the early dev stages of any product, but it already has been tested and works with the 8700g (T-Mobile) and the 8703e (Sprint and Verizon).

Hopefully a version will be available for testing to all of the bounty contributors soon. More details as I have them.

Again, thanks and congrats to Daniel. He’s worked his tail off on this. Great job!

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Exchange integration is always going to be easier for Windows Mobile. RIM should be working hard on making the BlackBerry work well with non-Microsoft server integration solutions.

My conclusion was also that RIM should strongly consider putting some of their focus on the consumer space, to regain customers they lose to the all Microsoft solution.

RIM has done this with the BlackBerry Pearl (8100), a well reviewed device that looks more like a phone than it does a BlackBerry. The leaked BlackBerry 8800¹ looks like a nice 8700 series successor, with the 8100 styling.

The next step for RIM in the consumer space is improving the integrations and user experience. Corporate folks love their BlackBerries because they Just Work™. The consumer BlackBerry needs to give the same experience.

For example, setting up a Gmail account on a BIS account is dead easy. Over the air sync with Google Calendar is another logical step - one that is being tackled here.

The PocketMac 4.0 release is a nice improvement for Mac users - basically it now has the basics that PocketMac should have had to begin with. I wonder if Mac users can expect more parity with the Windows tools in the future.

Working well with Zimbra is also something I think RIM should focus on as well. Right now, there is a $300/seat/year license cost to hook a BlackBerry up to a Zimbra server (through a third party). This makes the cost of a Zimbra account higher than the cost of an Exchange account. It’s hard to compete against an entrenched product by losing the pricing battle.

Back to my original point. Combine the challenge of working with a dozen or so carriers with a new foray into the consumer space and the struggle between features, time and stability… I bet there are some interesting conversations going on at RIM these days.

1. I’ll reserve judgement on the keyboard until I can test it out, I know moving from the Treo keyboard to the BlackBerry 8700 keyboard was a big improvement. The 8800 keybaord looks more cramped like the Treo keyboard. [back]

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However, the reason that I’m not willing to use Google Calendar for my own calendaring is the same reason I decided not to build a calendaring system as part of Tasks. Lots of folks have asked for this, but for me sync is a crucial part of a calendaring system.

I rely heavily on my mobile devices. For years it was a Treo¹, now the BlackBerry. It doesn’t matter what the device is, I need to be able to enter and access calendar information easily and quickly on the mobile device - with or without internet connectivity.

I really like the Google Calendar interface, the interaction model, the “next n days” view… but until I can sync it with my BlackBerry it is useless for me.

Think Google Calendar will ever offer OTA sync for the BlackBerry?

1. And before that: Newton, Palm, etc. [back]

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• Key Shape - This may be the biggest issue for me. The keys are shaped slightly differently on the two devices. The 8700g has a slant along the inside edge of each key, effectively increasing the space between the keys. The 8703e has a bevel along the top inside edge of each key, which may look cool, but does not deliver the functional benefits of the bevel on the 8700g.
• Fit/Tightness/”Rattle” - The 8700g has a number of slightly loose parts that shift around. This includes the battery cover on the back, the keyboard and the scroll wheel. The 8703e is much tighter, the keys are more solid and slightly harder to press and the scroll wheel is tighter and harder to press in. The battery cover fits like a glove. It almost feels like they couldn’t get everything to fit and it’s busting at the seams.
• Data Speed - EVDO is a lot faster than EDGE.
• Weight - The 8703e is noticeably heavier than the 8700g.
• Screen Brightness - The 8700g has a brighter screen and brighter backlight on the keypad.
• GPS Data - Supposedly GPS data is accessible to applications, I hope there will be a new version of Google Maps to take advantage of this soon.

When you factor in the better coverage I get from Sprint (at least around the house), I prefer the 8703e a little better. If the keyboard was the same as the 8700g, it would be a no-brainer.

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I figured it would be easier to get it working in Boot Camp than in Parallels, so that is where I started. I got the Sprint Connection Manager software installed, and everything seemed to be set up properly, except I kept getting that #692 error. Several re-installs and reboots later, still no joy. I decided to see what I could get done in Parallels.

In Parallels, things were actually quite a bit worse. The BlackBerry shows up under Device Manager, but the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software would not connect to it. Without that connection, the Sprint Connection Manager software didn’t want to do anything.

In desperation, I went back to Boot Camp and after trying a few more things, finally called Sprint tech support. I got disconnected twice after waiting on hold, but the 3rd guy I spoke with was actually quite helpful. We went through a number of hoops, but no success. Finally, he ran across something that advised us to reinstall the phone OS software. I downloaded the 40MB installer from Sprint and ran it - it didn’t appear to do anything, but it must have.

When I tried using the Sprint Connection kit again, it worked! A speed test showed a 350kb connection - not bad. A 1MB file download took 24 seconds.

Now I’m uninstalling and reinstalling all the components in Parallels in the hopes I can get it working there. So far I can’t get the BlackBerry Desktop Manager to connect to the BlackBerry in Parallels - even though I can see it in the Device Manager. Not sure why that is, but it’s a show stopper. I’m not alone here, so I’m giving up for now. If you know what would make a device show up properly in XP but not be seen by the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software, please enlighten me.

Hopefully Daniel’s solution will be available soon and I can skip the “use Windows” hack altogether.

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Hopefully, I’ll get better coverage and faster data to make it worth switching. The solution Daniel is working on for tethering should work with the 8703e as well.

1. I actually dropped the number of minutes based on my recent usage, reducing the monthly cost difference to $25/month. [back]

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I have, however, been in touch quite a bit this week with Daniel Pasco. Daniel has been working feverishly to meet the bounty deadline, and I’ve used a pretty darn interesting looking proof of concept app he put together.

He’s confident that he can get the kinks worked out and have a solution within a week or so. He’s looking at a few different solutions to the main issue he’s run into, and I believe he’ll be able to solve it and get things working.

If he succeeds within the next week, I plan to award him the bounty money. If you contributed to the bounty and wish to receive a refund instead, let me know and I will honor my promise to refund per the terms I originally stated.

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In the BlackBerry forums, one fellow has found a Linux app that could be ported to OS X. I’ve also been contacted by a couple of folks who say they are looking into it, but aren’t sure they’ll meet the deadline.

Let me clarify that the solution doesn’t need to be polished and published on Sept. 30th, it just has to be discovered and demonstrated to me. If you’re close and can demonstrate basic proof-of-concept¹, that could be enough to extend the deadline a little as well.

If it takes fudging the deadline to get a working solution, that’s what I’ll do. But if no one can show they are close on Sept 30th, I’ll be issuing the refunds.

I’m really hoping to give this money away.

1. Of course, whoever does it first, gets the bounty. [back]

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It all looks really good, including supporting over the air (OTA) sync of BlackBerry devices.

I tested the sync with Google Calendar and it worked. So I went ahead and bought the SyncBerry software² and entered in the ScheduleWorld server data in SyncBerry on my BlackBerry.

The initial results were not encouraging. The sync was timing out and failing. After about 10 sync attempts over a couple of hours, I had ~350 of my ~700 contacts transferred to ScheduleWorld, and none of my appointments. The SyncBerry software does an automatic sync every n seconds, with the maximum interval being 1800 seconds (30 minutes).

So on into the evening, it kept attempting to sync. During the sync process, the BlackBerry becomes so slow to respond that it feels like it has locked up for a few seconds, only to spring back to life and execute everything you just did all at once. It isn’t a good experience, and I can’t find a way to disable the auto-sync.

However, that isn’t the big problem. The big problem was that these sync attempts somehow managed to completely delete everything in the calendar on my BlackBerry. I no longer have any of the calendar entries I had in my BlackBerry, nor do I have any of the entries from my ScheduleWorld calendar (entries synced from Google Calendar).

So basically, the SyncML stuff doesn’t work (at least for me), and since it failed in such a bad way I no longer trust it. It’s a real shame, because on first glance it looks like a great solution.

1. I wish Brett had a blog I could link to… [back]
2. I did test the free option first, but it didn’t seem to also do calendar sync. [back]

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• Cingular - $136.97/month. 900 minutes, 400 text messages, unlimited EDGE data.
• Sprint - $104.98/month. 900 minutes, 300 text messages, unlimited EVDO data.
• T-Mobile - $59.99/month. 1000 minutes, unlimited text messages, unlimited EDGE data.
• Verizon - $134.99/month 1350 minutes, 500 text messages, unlimited EVDO data.

All plans include BlackBerry and tethering.

Now the EVDO data is a lot faster than EDGE data, so Sprint and Verizon offer a better value there. I just don’t see why folks pony up so much for Cingular - though from what I hear, their coverage is better in other areas of the country. In the Bay Area and areas around Denver it is rather poor. I suppose a lot of this is dependent on where you spend your time and which carriers happen to work best there.

I currently use T-Mobile, which does not have good coverage at my house. It is OK a block in either direction - I must be right in between 2 towers. T-Mobile’s coverage spectrums do not penetrate buildings as well as the spectrums used by Cingular. I used to be on Sprint (which had better coverage), but switched when I ditched the Treo for the BlackBerry and didn’t want to pay the extra $40/month. Steve’s Cingular phone got slightly better coverage at my house than I get with T-Mobile.

Cingular and T-Mobile can be easily used overseas (and Sprint and Verizon cannot), which can certainly be handy as well. T-Mobile’s $20/month international BlackBerry data roaming package is a real steal and I really loved having it while in Italy earlier this year.

T-Mobile is the clear winner on price and features, however the coverage issues and slower data speeds have me considering returning to Sprint (when Sprint gets the QWERTY BlackBerry 870x series). Frankly, I just don’t see how Verizon and Cingular compete.

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I’ve heard from a few interested developers, but at the moment I’m worried I’m going to have to just refund everyone’s money.

C’mon folks - someone out there must have a love for writing USB drivers!

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