vB Easy Archive - Blackberry as USB drive?

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Blackberry as USB drive?
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Posted by: rnwjr77

I was wondering if there was any way to get a PC or MAC to recognize the Blackberry 7520 as a small USB.... And also if it was possible to add data to the Blackberry via USB w/o any software other than a driver or two and have that text info available to be sent as an attachment or added into the body of an email...

Thanks in advance,
-Bob

Posted by: martin_j001

Nope, no way to do that. Your best (and only, I think) may be the eOffice series of software. It allows you to store, save and manipulate word and excel files from an online storage location. You can send and receive files from that location to your bb, and then forward them on if needed.

Posted by: Mark Rejhon

Not possible.

Technically, there's a workaround if you are a computer programmer and have a few weeks of development time.

Theoretically, a custom server program on the BlackBerry, and a custom client program on the desktop PC could be programmed.

Quote:

USB Drive Emulation For BlackBerry Developers

There are signed API's to allow a 3rd party program on the PC to "talk" to a 3rd party program on the BlackBerry, over the USB cable, over the serial functionality on the USB cable. (Example actual 3rd party application: GTPhoto, which can upload photos from the PC to the BlackBerry over the USB cable.)

This wouldn't be true USB drive capability, but it would provide an emulation of a USB drive, if a programmer decided to tackle such a project.

I should note that the BlackBerry security features will make it very difficult for other software (except for your own application) to access files that got uploaded from the PC to the BlackBerry itself, since data is typically very heavily sandboxed between separate BlackBerry software applications. So a file uploaded to the BlackBerry, may not be attachable as a file attachment to an email, or viewable in the BlackBerry builtin photo application, etc.

Posted by: rnwjr77

I wonder why RIM has not thought of this... As memory continually increases and with storage devices everywhere I think it would be great to have on less thing to carry and it just makes sense that you may want to attach a file to your most used email device.... My one problem is, where I work I can not install anything on the portabl computers we use in the field, but hook up a USB drive instead of the good ole floppy and you are good to go...

Posted by: Mark Rejhon

RIM did not think of this because of the security in BlackBerries -- especially since the government is a major customer, and they don't want anything that compromises security (USB drive, unauthorized software, memory card slots, OBEX Bluetooth profile, etc).

There are workarounds to improve convenience (i.e. network file system instead of memory card slots, proprietary sync instead of OBEX sync, etc), but there's a limit.

Although RIM is opening up things somewhat more than they have in the past (i.e. Bluetooth headsets, BlackBerry as modem, videogames, improved 4.0 API's that make PocketDay possible, TCP/IP stack, etc), while giving company administrators full control over the ability to run this or not...

Posted by: martin_j001

RIM hasn't considered this for the same reason they aren't using SD or Flash cards, or Bluetooth for file transfer--its a security risk in many ways, that larger government agencies (still the largest user of RIM's products) don't want to take.

Posted by: NJBlackBerry

Bob - you've been around these boards quite a while. I'm surprised that you didn't the inherent security risks involved in using the BB as a USB hard drive!!

Posted by: rnwjr77

Yeah I know... This is my third BBerry from NEXTEL and I love devices that seem to converge into one device... I am looking at the new SD card from Sandisk that folds into USB as an option... The main thing at work is that we cannot have a device that connects to any form of the internet in our mobile computers and with budgets being slashed and the fact that we still use Intel Pentium II's 233 MHZ in the card the only hookups we are allowed is USB key drives... I would love to be able to download info from the cars without the need for going into the office. It would work wonders in the field... But, with all the hype on camera phones and SD cards in these phones I lost touch the real security of the Blackberry and that is why BBerry's will prevail over any MSFT mobile system.... Thanks for the wakeup call...