BlackBerry to Offer Free Mac Support

Until now, the only option for Mac users who want to synchronize with a BlackBerry has been to buy a third-party application. This is no longer true.

Research In Motion (RIM) and Information Appliance Associates (IAA) announced a licensing agreement today that will allow RIM to offer PocketMac for BlackBerry to all Mac users, free of charge.

This is a desktop application that allows Mac users to synchronize data between their BlackBerry handhelds and a Macintosh, including core OS X version 10.4 Tiger applications and Microsoft Entourage.

RIM has licensed the complete version of PocketMac for BlackBerry from IAA, and the companies plan to continue to work together on future versions of this product.

More about PocketMac for BlackBerry

PocketMac for BlackBerry synchronizes the email, contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes of Microsoft Entourage, OS X's Address Book and iCal, Now Contact and Now Up-to-Date, DayLite, and Stickies, among other applications.

It is expected to be available as a free download at RIM's web site beginning in February.

Financial details of the licensing agreement were not disclosed.