Google adds Apps link to BlackBerry

Looking to increase corporate use of its hosted Google Apps offerings, Google last week unveiled a tool that's designed to make it easier for users of BlackBerry mobile devices to use its Gmail, Contacts and Calendar software.

Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server is slated to be generally available in July, the company said.

The new software is installed on Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry Enterprise Server, "connecting it to the Google Apps cloud," said Raju Gulabani, a product management director at Google, in a blog post.

Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc., said the move should help Google in its quest to build up its business presence.

"We know [Google] wants to get into the corporate market more and become sort of an enterprise replacement for Microsoft and Exchange," Olds said. "This gives them a more compelling story toward this end."