I was surprised to find that my BlackBerry does not provide any synchronization software for Macintosh systems. Are there any third-party products that can synchronize my BlackBerry device with my Mac?

BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion licenses the Intellisync desktop synchronization software from Puma Technologies, and says that Puma has no timeline set for the introduction of Mac versions of Intellisync or the BlackBerry Desktop software. There are products available that provide BlackBerry synchronization capabilities for Mac systems.

SyncAgain supports Mac synchronization for BlackBerry devices that use the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. SyncAgain synchronizes only with Address Book and iCal. The Web site says a stand-alone version is coming soon.

PocketMac for BlackBerry provides synchronization support for Macintosh Entourage, the Address Book and Entourage Calendar, as well as for iCal, Tasks and Stickies. In addition, the application fully integrates with iSync, offers support for serial- and USB-based BlackBerry devices, and automatic sync-on-connection with the computer.

SyncAgain and PocketMac for BlackBerry require Macintosh OS X 10.3 or higher. Neither provides an application loader. For now you might have to rely on a Windows PC to automatically load applications onto the BlackBerry.