RIM canning BlackBerry Unite! and BPS?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Mar 1st 2009 9:14AM
posted Mar 1st 2009 9:14AM
If we have any readers you use BlackBerry Unite! or BlackBerry Professional Software, we'll feel like we've won the lottery -- but yeah, to the two of you: get ready to make other arrangements. Word on the street is that RIM is getting ready to deep-six two of its light-use management packages in the next few months, likely a result of a killer combination of poor planning, poor execution, and poor uptake. Unite! is geared strictly toward families looking to exchange photos and calendars with one another (you know, the kinds of families where 9-year-old Julie has the Bold and daddy has the hand-me-down 8800) -- a good idea in theory, but few carriers have elected to roll it out. BPS, meanwhile, is designed for small offices where full-fledged BES might be overkill, but RIM's tendency to let the package stagnate after a BES release probably sealed its fate. BerryReview claims that Unite! will reach end-of-life status in July, while BPS will get cut out of the picture just as soon as BES 5.0 hits the streets. So long, guys; we hardly knew ye.[Via BlackBerryNews]
I use Unite! it works well for my GF and I sharing contacts and calendars.
This is Total Crap!!! .. We just purchased the BPS 3 months ago. We only have 8 users. It works GREAT. Why would they stop this? It works great for small business. You install it right on the exchange server and has a pretty light footprint. Never had any issues with it.
I agree. We use 20 Licenses and it is a great solution for those that just want to get their email and sync with there contacts and calendar. We have had no issues with this product since installation. I hope that RIM changes their mind and keeps BPS around!!
Don't fully understand this. Is RIM going to "stop supporting Unite"? (Which they have never done for Verizon customers anyway) or are they going to disable my capability to run the program? If I'm running Unite, effectively running my own BB server on my home desktop, is that going to stop working?
O.K., I gave Engadget a heads up on this being (partialy) false, but they didn't pass it on. Here are 2 reasons I am confiodent about this:
1) Shortly after this was posted I was surveyed by RIM Marketing about BlackBerry Professional Software (BPS) marketing messages. I doubt that they would be testing marketing messages for a product that they know they are discontinuing.
2) I am currently on a BlackBerry T-Support webcast and they are designing new T-Support programs for BPS. Another sign that BPS is here to stay.
Now, I have heard nothing to refute the demise of Unite. In my experience, I can see no reason for RIM to continue this. I liked the product, but, as Chris points out, RIM has no effective sales channel into the small medium business (SMB) space without carrier support. Since no US carrier provided active support for this, I expect support for it to end.