Leaked BlackBerry software syncs with iTunes

There must be something in the water at Waterloo, the Ontario suburb that’s home to BlackBerry parent company RIM. They’re released new desktop software for Windows-based BlackBerry fans, are currently rolling out new Internet software to support HTML email (a key feature of the imminent BlackBerry Bold) and also have at least three sweet new BlackBerry handsets being built in the back room.

First, the software. Windows users can now download BlackBerry Desktop Manager version 4.5 (available here) with a more user-friendly design plus better tools for working with media files on the desktop, device and memory cards.

RIM also accidentally posted online the new BlackBerry MediaSync application, which allows Windows users to sync their BlackBerry to iTunes via USB. This wasn’t due to go live until the release of the Bold, and while the download link has since been closed by RIM, the file is still up for grabs here. It doesn’t support DRM tracks purchased from Apple’s iTunes Store, of course, but anything else in your local iTunes library (including podcasts and cover art) works a treat. The bad news? This is a Windows-only program, with no sign of a Mac equivalent on the horizon.

Beyond Bold

Sources tell us that the launch of the Bold 9000 is slated for late next month, which ties in with the release of the above-mentioned software as well as the rolling updates to RIM’s BIS (BlackBerry Internet Server) software used by carriers. Now it seems the Bold will be shortly followed by a successor to the Curve, codenamed Javelin.

This updates the Curve’s more compact form factor and slightly superior keyboard by applying similar design cues as the Bold, such as a flatter-looking black fascia and much larger buttons for Send, End, Menu and Back which are fitted flush into the panel. According to our friends at CrackBerry.com, the Javelin will carry the 9300 series model number (another nod to the Bold generation) and run BlackBerry OS 4.6.1.

This is the same OS which gives the Bold its slicker UI, support for HTML email and RSS feeds plus a much-improved browser which looks and runs more like a miniature desktop browser than RIM’s current text-centric offering. The OS also includes a free bundled version of Documents to Go 4.5 for BlackBerry for viewing and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. While currently limited to the long-running DOC, XLS and PPT file formats, a free update to support the newer XML-based formats of Office 2007 for Windows and Office 2008 for Mac will be released later in the year.

But the Javelin’s biggest advance appears to be a slightly larger screen size, rumoured to be partnered with a half-VGA 480×320 resolution compared to the Curve’s 320 x 240. The full feature set is tipped to include GPS and Wi-Fi (both of which are already available in the Curve 8310 and 8320 models, respectively) while the camera is said to receive an upgrade to 3.2 megapixels. However, the Javelin will remain a quad-band GSM/EDGE device rather than shift onto 3G.

The Javelin will in turn be followed by an all-new BlackBerry codenamed KickStart, which melds the 'SureType' keypad of the Pearl to a flip-phone form factor. Toss in the touch-screen Thunder and that’s four sweet new BlackBerrys ready for the picking by year’s end. Now if only RIM would launch its own hosted service for personal push email, contacts, syncing and sharing, similar to Apple's MobileMe...