Not all carriers are set up to handle this advanced integration with Yahoo! Mail, but T-Mobile is one that does. This is partly due to the fact that the integration requires BIS 2.0, which the carriers are currently at various stages of deployment of. However, even some carriers that are already at BIS 2.0 aren't capable of the Yahoo! integration yet. I got my hands on a BlackBerry 8700g from T-Mobile to test it out.

Setting up Yahoo! Mail on the device was a breeze. All set up can be completed from the device without visiting the web client site or performing anything on a PC. I just went to the "Set Up Internet Mail" icon on the home screen.

This brings you to the BIS 2.0 account configuration screen. Under Services, I went to E-mail Accounts and chose "Add an Email Address". I then typed in my Yahoo! Mail address and password and clicked Next. The next screen showed that it was successful and shortly after that I received a message on the device that stated the integration had been set up properly and that my Yahoo! Mail would begin forwarding within 15 minutes.

After waiting a few minutes, I sent myself a test message to my Yahoo! Mail address. Sure enough, the message arrived in my Yahoo! Mail inbox and almost immediately on my BlackBerry device. Normally there is up to a 15 minute delay for messages to appear on a BlackBerry if you're using the BlackBerry Internet Service - this immediate delivery of messages is something that only corporate customers have enjoyed in the past.

Next I tested the "Read/Delete Synchronization" feature. I marked my test message as read on my BlackBerry device and waited for it to be marked as read in my Yahoo! Mail inbox. After a few minutes it did, in fact, show up as read in Yahoo! Mail.

This type of integration is useful because it prevents you from having to read messages twice: once on your device and once on your computer. Another nifty feature is the ability to mark a message you've already read on your device as "unread" and then having that change flow to your Yahoo! Mail.

Imagine you've received a message that you need to follow up on when you return to your PC. Marking it as unread on your BlackBerry can serve as a reminder that an action needs to be taken when you check your mail from your PC.

Note that synchronization in the opposite direction is not working yet, but it promised in the future. That is, reading a message in your Yahoo! Mail inbox will not cause the message to be marked as read on your device until the two-way synchronization is introduced ("coming soon" according to the Web site).

The Yahoo! Messenger product for the BlackBerry is a nice addition as well. It is easily installed using RIM's new ActiveX control that runs in Internet Explorer that can download and install BlackBerry software without having Desktop Manager up and running. Just visit the Yahoo! Download page in IE to install Yahoo! Messenger for BlackBerry. You can also install the software using Desktop Manager or over the air (OTA) right from your device.

Once installed, you simply login with your Yahoo! Messenger username and password right on the device. Your contacts appear as well as any incoming requests (like buddy requests) and IM conversations you might be having.

One of the nicest features of Yahoo! Messenger on the BlackBerry is the integration with the built-in BlackBerry Profiles. This allows you to control how you're alerted to incoming instant messages and other Yahoo! Messenger alerts, such as online / offline status changes. If you're already familiar with changing the profiles for other types of alerts (such as Level One Messages or incoming phone calls), you'll be right at home configuring your Yahoo! Messenger alerts.

When you receive an instant message, you're notified according to how you've configured your profiles, but also there is a message indicator on the home screen that lets you know an IM has arrived. This is convenient since you might be notified of two types of alerts in the same way and the message indicator gives you a quick way to determine what type of message just generated an alert.

     

It's also easy to add a contact from your device. You can also customize the message that is sent with the friend request. Once they accept your request, you'll see their presence status updated in the main Yahoo! Messenger window just as you would use the PC client.

      

I've used Google Talk for BlackBerry as well and the only major feature that's missing from Yahoo! Messenger is the ability to have new instant messages show up in the main message list. Every other feature seems comparable.