From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

This weekend we were having issues with the wireless network at home. I think maybe the issue is the lack-of-strength reception from the airport card in the iBook but regardless we had a need to get the machine online while sitting at the dining room table.

Every Windows laptop I’ve had I’ve been able to tether my Pearl to it to use as a modem for the machine. But I hadn’t tried it with a Mac notebook.

I quickly searched (not Googled, Yahoo!’d) for “tether BlackBerry Pearl to iBook” and found Dave Taylor’s article titled “How do I use my Blackberry Pearl as a bluetooth modem with a Mac?” Perfect!

Thanks to Dave, I had the iBook online via the Pearl inside of 4 minutes. No issues. No problems following his instructions. No performance malfunctions through T-mobile. The iBook is online now when I need it.

Thanks RIM. As if this needed to be said, I fell in love with you all over again. BlackBerry is the perfect user device for any smartphone person.

Ever wanted to tether your Linux notebook to your BlackBerry? Well, now you can.

Barry is an open source application that allows you to tether your Linux machine to your BlackBerry for Internet access, to sychronize data, backup and restore, and program management.

Here is a list of Barry’s possibilities from their website:

• 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.

To download Barry to your Linux machine, click here.