Can’t Sync or Tether a BlackBerry with Linux? Let Barry Do It.
Although I dabble from time to time, I don’t often run Linux distros. (Does that make me a “distro dabbler”?) And I don’t have a BlackBerry. I’m betting however, that there’s more than a few of you out there that run Linux and use a BlackBerry. Someday I’ll join your faction and when I do, I’ll be looking at Barry.
Ostatic just turned me on to this software which supports Ubuntu, Debian, Mandriva, and Fedora. It allows you to:
- charge your Blackberry’s battery from your USB port
- retrieve Address Book, Email, Calendar, Service Book, Memos, Tasks, PIN Messages, Saved Email, and Folders
- export Address Book contacts in text or LDAP LDIF format
- make full data backups and restores of your device using a GUI
- synchronize contacts and calendar items using the OpenSync framework
- use the Blackberry as a modem
Sounds like a useful, open-source tool to me. Or at least it will be if anyone can convert me to a full-time BlackBerry owner that lives in Linux. Someday, maybe?
Glad to see Barry has gotten a GUI and some ease-of-use improvements. As an almost full-time linux user at home, tethering with a blackberry used to be a pain until a recent os upgrade from RIM. Too bad they can’t make something like this for my G1, but I digress… Good find though…