Small Business

RIM Announces New BlackBerry Features

By Rick Broida

Updated on: January 24, 2008 / 3:00 PM EST / MoneyWatch

Normally I wouldn't post something that you couldn't take advantage of right this minute, but this seemed newsworthy enough: RIM plans to roll out some significant BlackBerry software updates in the coming months, which you may want to consider as you plan your next smartphone purchase. Here's a sampling of what's coming:

Document Downloading and Editing â€" As a result of the integration of the DataViz Documents To Go software with the BlackBerry platform, users will be able to edit Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint and Excel files directly on their BlackBerry smartphone.
Remote Search for Messages â€" Users will be able to search for and retrieve email messages from their email server even if the message is no longer stored on their BlackBerry smartphone.
Free-Busy Calendar Lookup â€" Users on the go will be able to check the availability of colleagues before sending a meeting request.
HTML and Rich Text Email Rendering â€" BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to view HTML and rich text email messages with original formatting preserved including font colors and styles, embedded images, hyperlinks, tables, bullets and other formatting.
Over-the-Air Device Software Upgradesâ€" Organizations will be able to update a user's BlackBerry device software wirelessly, delivering a fast, cost-effective method for remotely supporting users and managing BlackBerry device software lifecycles.

You can see the complete press release here. I'm most excited by the first item, as I've long been a fan of Documents To Go for the Palm platform. What about you? Would these updates be enough to sway you from, say, your Windows Mobile device? In any case, RIM will roll out the new stuff in the first half of this year. [via Download Squad]