Blackberry Unite!: The same drug, but for the kids

Blackberry users are singular in one respect: Once you’ve had one, it’s tough to live without it. Well, the same dependence we, as adults, have relied on, now extends to the whole family. It’s called Blackberry Unite. Launching in Europe (Spain’s Telefónica), it’s essentially a social network for your family. Up to five users can share calendar items, contacts, pictures, music, etc., and not just natively on the Blackberry. Your home PC…essentially the “hub” for this network…houses the goodies, and you can use that hub to download anything shared directly to your BB! Here’s a rundown of its other features:

Stay connected with wireless email and web browsing – enables easy wireless access to up to five supported email accounts (per user) using sophisticated wireless encryption security, allows shared contact lists and supports high-performance mobile web browsing.
Coordinate schedules using shared calendars – provides a wireless shared calendar with the capability to check each others’ availability, set up or modify appointments and send reminders.
Remotely access content – users can remotely download pictures, music, documents and other content on their desktop PC directly from their BlackBerry smartphone**.
Share photos and files – users can share photos and files with other group members directly from their BlackBerry smartphone.
Remotely secure the smartphones – includes simple controls to enforce password protection or wirelessly erase a lost or stolen handset.
Control smartphone use – includes customizable wireless settings to control certain uses for each individual, such as the ability to restrict long distance calls or certain online content.
Protect smartphone content – contacts, pictures and other data from the BlackBerry smartphone can be backed up automatically over the air (via a cellular or Wi-Fi® network) to the desktop PC.
Set up quickly and easily – the BlackBerry Unite! software will be provided as a free download and, with the help of an easy-to-follow setup wizard, can be installed in minutes on a desktop PC.