Software developer Information Appliance Associates (IAA) leaps to the head of a line of design entrepreneurs helping Blackberry smartphone users “Macintoshify” their handhelds with the release of PocketMac Mac Themes for Blackberry. Counting on the likelihood that there are many, many Mac users who have and intend to keep using Blackberry mobile phones, the San Diego-based software maker is selling what the company claims is the first tool to transform the look and feel of a BlackBerry into a miniature Macintosh.
Available for a number of models of the Research in Motion (RIM) smartphone (with support for the Blackberry Bold on the way), PocketMac replaces the standard icons and images of the BlackBerry with those of original, yet very familiar Mac-like icons, complete with familiar colors and backgrounds, to create what some are calling a MacBerry.
“I’m a passionate Mac user. I love my Mac and I love my BlackBerry,” says IAA CTO Terrence Goggin. “We created the PocketMac MacTheme [because] all of our customers love the BlackBerry but they preferred something that reminded them of home… their Mac.”
Primarily a developer of Mac-oriented solutions, IAA’s first product, PocketMac Pro, accomplished what at the time was thought impossible-connecting a Mac to a Pocket PC. IAA then expanded into other areas of connectivity with a Microsoft Smartphone product, an iPod product and now the BlackBerry sync solution. PocketMac Mac Themes retail for $9.95.
Investigating the company’s claim to have made the “first tool” for Mac-ifying a Blackberry, we turned up a number of other products on the market, though none with the breadth of model coverage offered by PocketMac. Asked about the claim to have been “first” in this field, IAA spokesman Tim Goggin said, “We actually developed our themes over a year ago, but when we heard Apple legal was going after people who were using icons that were too close to the Mac’s we pulled the product and re-desigened our icons. The PocketMac icons are “Mac-like, but totally original.”
Below is a picture of how the PocketMac theme looks on a Blackberry handheld:
We did a survey of some of the Mac themes for Blackberry and turned up several that go for both a Macintosh look and an iPhone-style look. The screenshot below is a Mac theme for Blackberry v4.2 models and higher, available for $8.80 through ClickApps.
A developer with the handle dr_devious has offered a Leopard emulating theme for 81xx model Blackberrys at Pinstack since March.
Blackberry Theme Central has a host of iPhone-style themes they call iBerrys.
Blackberry Accessories offers iPhone themes for the 7100 and 8700 models.
Developer RojersMJ has bPhone themes available for the 8700, Pearl, Curve and 8800 model Blackberrys.
And Leopard-like themes for the Pearl and Curve can be had at Berry Review.
Here’s the full parade:
2 responses to “PocketMac Leads Parade of MacBerry Themes”
I’ve tried a couple of those and can tell you that the bPhone is far and away the best set of icons and the best overall look for your Blackberry if you want it to look like a Mac. And it’s free!