BlackBerry Internet Service, the underlying structure that BlackBerry owners use if they aren’t hooked up to a corporate server, will get a handful of new features soon according to some leaked docs. The last update introduced two-way Google Calendar Sync, which will get polished up in 4.0 with the ability to completely delete calendars and sync calendar items to show time as busy or free.
The bigger addition is the use BlackBerry ID to handle the log-in process from now on. BBID was introduced with App World 2.0 and has since become a unified identity that plugs into RIM services like Protect. Messages directly from the BIS server will also be a bit more rich than your average e-mail, signaling users to act on OS upgrades and the like. Log-in credentials will also be remembered on the device so folks won’t have to call in to carriers for support as often.
That’s about it features-wise, and I’m a little disappointed; sometimes these BIS updates have big stuff, like better sync with web services. Yahoo! and Windows Live both have contact sync now, but they could stand to get some calendar lovin’ to catch up to Google. I’d also like to see more PIM apps sync up with the cloud, like memopad and tasks, but you never know, maybe some more features will be slid in before a roll-out.
[via N4BB]