For a while now, we've been hearing about the BlackBerry Desktop Manager replacement that will be coming with BlackBerry 10 called BlackBerry Link. We've seen some shots of it here and there but now, the latest Dev Alpha update pushed out is showing signs of it as well. As you can see in the images, BlackBerry Link even tries to install when the Dev Alpha is connected to the computer. There is bits and pieces of info throughout the files such as:
BlackBerry Link 1.0 supports new mobile-enabled BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. With the BlackBerry Link 1.0, you can create a backup file that was created while using the BlackBerry Desktop Software for Windows, restore your BlackBerry smartphone or tablet. When syncing contacts the BlackBerry Desktop Software also maps groups from your Apple Address Book to a category with the same name in the Contacts application on your smartphone. For more information, see http://www.blackberry.com/desktop/docs/.
[This particular file isn't in English so I used Google Translate to see what it says]
It will go so far as to offer to install updated drivers and quit there. If you poke around a bit though, you can find the set up file needed and run it. However, BlackBerry Link won't fully download and install because the webpage for it isn't quite live yet or it's based off an internal RIM server. Either way, it adds just a little bit more confirmation to its eventual arrival.
Reader comments
More BlackBerry Link information appears in latest BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update
Can't wait for link! I'm going to have both on my netbook. :D
Robert Scobie ( the worlds Biggest Rim Basher / Hater who wishes death and everything bad to them ) just tried the NEW BB10 smartphone. He said, " He likes it a lot".
There you have it people. If you are, or were a Rim hater and basher, once you try BB10, you open your eyes, and all of a sudden you become a Rim lover and supporter.
These phones are going to sell like crazy, and a lot of people know it!
Yes they are, and I have the teenagers asking me about BB10 and they are iphone users....use to be BB users. You know how they don't like carrying around inferior products. The fact that they are even talking about it shows me their must be rumblings in that age group as well. My daughter just got her first iphone at xmas, and my 2 boys want BB10. She says that's not fair, but it is because I asked her just to wait a few more months, but she couldn't....lol.
Hi!, sorry my enlish is bad.
I have installed 10.9.9.339. The problem is that Momentics no detect my device (no USB and no Wifi). Anyone have the same problem?
You need the new Device Manager 7.1 that is on the device.
I could solve the problem from the Dev Alpha, changing the option "USB Automatic" to "USB on Mac". Thanks
Your enlish wouldn't be that bad if you simply could spell english.
:)
Im ready. So ready! My lover smashed my 9900. More reason to upgrade now...*wooohhoooo*
Hope he or she has more respect for your new BB10 unit.
Any word if BB Link will still sync with Outlook calendar and contacts? That was a deal breaker for me when I briefly went over to WP7 a few years ago. I do not have all my work contacts and customers as friends on Facebook or Linkedin.
Read commment above yours. ^^^
We've seen demonstrations of flow, of peek, of hub and the camera. It would be a tremendous encouragement to me to discover that BB believes syncing with Outlook is important enough to talk about it.
BB10 will sync with Outlook.....no question.
I've been waiting with great anticipation for Blackberry 10 and for information about Blackberry Link in particular.
The ability of BB10 to sync effectively with Outlook will be the issue that determines whether I purchase a new BB or an alternative at the end of the month. I couldn't believe that the Playbook came out without the ability to sync with Outlook.
The fact that Link is not workable 20 days before launch causes great consternation. Very disappointing!
How do you know it's not workable? lol. The Dev Alpha installs of it were never meant to work. BlackBerry Link right now is only being delivered internally.
Since I use a Bold 9000 to bridge with my Playbook, I do not use the calendar, email, etc that is native to the Playbook. It is my phone that syncs with Outlook so I don't have that problem. The same would hold true if you purchased a BB10 phone which I will be doing. But Playbook as a stand alone unit, upgraded to BB10, and syncing with Outlook....I don't know. Does anyone have an answer to this?
I hope I will be able to associate both my playbook and os10 device to my bbid. I have one bbid I buse for a dev alpha and a second playbook, and each time I access bbworld, I get prompted to associate this device with my bbid, then when I use the other device, I get prompted again to associate that device - ie, I don't seem to be able to have both the dev alpha and the playbook associated with my bbid.
Since they intended to kill them off anyway, the odds are that they never bothered to define the dev alpha in bbid as anything other than a playbook, whereas a proper bb10 handset is going to show up as something different and a playbook and a phone should co-exist just fine.
so it comes with cloud-based services? cool finally!
It would be sweet if BB Link brought BBM to my desktop.
Not a seperate app that wud require a separate pin, but just an emulator.
Since BBM is now linked to your BBID, I don't think its much of an issue to add BBM to desktop. After all, your Playbook will have BBM along with your phone, you just have to log in with your BBID sign in. Same would apply if they added it to desktop.
I've been calling for THIS the past 4yrs now!!!
Think of it ... the ONLY IM app to consolidate desktop, and secure mobile ... BUT Apple beat them on this - jsut now securely.
what happens to all of our paid apps. for example, shazam ($4.99) and color id ($2.99) are the two that i paid for on my Bold 9790 and i probably spent over like $30 on playbook apps. will i have to buy them again on BB10? i apologize that, this is completely unrelated to the post.
Its linked to your BBID so yea no need to repurchase
Actually, will depend on the Developer since they have a choice to join up the app under the same product ID but for different versions of OS, or to release as a different product ID geared towards specific target OS's.
There is no guarantee that your old Blackberry App that you purchased for your old phone will be provided free to you on the BB10. Developers even have the option to create a fee for *any* upgrade, even on the same device. For example, if you purchased a game for $1.99 and then it updates from version 1.0 to 1.2 to 1.5 to 1.9, then one day it gets updated to v2.0 and you notice you have to pay $0.99 to upgrade... same device.
This is the developer's choice. You have to take it up with the developer, RIM isn't involved with this at all and they are not responsible.
You'd think that those devs updating a playbook app to bb10 would tend to not charge for that since it would avoid the tendency of those customers from leaving negative reviews that would harm future sales to a wider audience, but as far as bbos apps I would personally be very shocked if any of those offered a free upgrade.
Problem is, devs are allowed to delete reviews, positive or negative.
It's their right to do so or not. It's the developers choice.
When I get My BB10 anyone know how to transfer all my info from my 9930? using existing desktop software or ?
I can't say for sure but going off of the last image shown, it looks like we'll be using Link to transfer all of our info from our old BlackBerry to our new BlackBerry 10 device.
Noted how they use the front side of the Z10 on that last screen shot? Cool :)
STAY OPEN TO POSSIBILITIES. BE BOLD.
indeed. Easy to overlook but this is one of the first RIM produced pictures we have seen leaked with the famiiliar z10 face.
I just updated to latest version of BBOS10 but cant find setup file on my Dev Alpha
Sweet. I can taste the blackberry 10.
+1
very cool cant wait to use this with my BB10