Google Sync for Blackberries

I downloaded Google Sync for my Blackberry a few weeks ago. It's a handy app that synchronizes your calendar and address book with GMail and Google Calendar. For the most part, I like it. Since I do not use MS Outlook on my home PC, I didn't have a way to enter addresses and appointments on my desktop. Everything had to be entered on the Blackberry, which can get tedious if you want to edit multiple addresses, etc. Plus, since it's Google, I can update my calendar and contact list from any computer as long as I have access to the web.

You can have Google Sync run in the background on your Blackberry to regularly update Google every two hours or so. Or, you can choose to manually synchronize. I chose the automatic option since I am prone to forget to regularly update things.

You can also choose how far in advance you want the appointments to be synchronized. I chose to have it update appointments scheduled for the next 24 weeks, the maximum period. The minimum period is four weeks.

There are a few downsides, however. For starters, any dates you already have scheduled on your Blackberry will not be uploaded to your Google calendar. Only appointments you enter after installing Google Sync will be added to Google calendar. I find this slightly annoying because I have doctor's appointments for next year that I've entered in my Blackberry already.

Another drawback is that you cannot choose the automatic update interval. I would rather have it update every 3-4 hours instead of two. The reason for this is the third drawback: the automatic updates require a data transfer each time between your Google account and the Blackberry. This tends to drain the battery. Since using the app, I've noticed that I have to recharge my battery more often. It isn't a major problem, but it is a nuisance.