RIM completed its upgrade to BIS 2.6 in North America this morning. BIS 2.6 has a few nice fixes and optimizations that I’m sure you will all appreciate!

• Display of password characters
  • BlackBerry smartphone users have the option to display password characters when configuring email addresses with the BlackBerry Internet Service. This feature makes it easier for BlackBerry smartphone users to integrate third-party email addresses, especially when using a BlackBerry smartphone with the SureType® input method.
• Improved descriptive support and error messages
  • BlackBerry smartphone users that have integrated a third-party email account using Post Office Protocol (POP) receive a personal identification number (PIN) message that includes instructions on how to leave email messages on the messaging server for successful delivery to the BlackBerry smartphone.
• Option to change signatures from the BlackBerry smartphone
  • BlackBerry smartphone users that use Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) automatic login can change the signatures for email messages using the BlackBerry smartphone.
• Improved language support
  • Dutch is now an available language for the BlackBerry Internet Service 2.6.
• Gmail integration using IMAP
  • BlackBerry Internet Service 2.6 uses Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) to integrate Gmail® webmail accounts. This integration protocol introduces the following benefits:
    • Elimination of sent email messages appearing as received email messages in the message list on the BlackBerry smartphone
    • One-way synchronization of read status, sent items, and deleted items.
  • To use these improvements, BlackBerry smartphone users must remove and reintegrate their Gmail webmail accounts.

According to BGR, before using IMAP Gmail you need to delete your account and then re-add it from the BIS admin.