Blackberry Curve and Wireless sync with Gmail (or other free web mail service)

[undivine]

I am supporting an office with Blackberry Curves. They are individual plans, and not on a BES or anything like that. The users have Gmail accounts. Tried using the Google Mobile Apps stuff, Google Sync creates duplicates like crazy in contacts, Google Calendar invitations do not work with Gmail's own mail app, mail messages do not alert you if there is a new message (Gmail doesnt interact with the "messages) icon on the phone) and I get errors that there are other applications trying to sync with the calendar and so on.

Does anyone have the "perfect setup" for making Google work to sync contacts calendar and email with a Blackberry, or does anyone have an alternate (free) web based collaboative system that they have had better luck with for a small group of people to share calendars, and sync contacts and calendar and email with their Blackberry phones? 

Thanks!

J5

[Chase1337]

Is email set up through the blackberry or through google sync? I would avoid using google sync for the email. But for the calander it should work fine.

[undivine]

The email is using their "Gmail" app, and the Google Sync is supposed to be handling the calendar and contacts.

From what I can tell, a flaw in the GMail app is that it cannot properly respond to a calendar invitation from...drum roll..Google calendar. Sloppy incompatibility problem on Google's part. 

The Google Sync just keeps filling both Google Contacts and the phone's address book with duplicated contacts. This is a problem many people have, and it isnt easy to fix unless I am missing something. 

Google sync is supposted to "auto sync" but it does not appear to sync unless I go to "sync now".  Gmail doesnt check mail vrey often, and you have to open it ad look even to see if you have new mail, and go to "refresh" to see new mail. 

All in all there seems to be a bunch of problems. Wondered if any Verizon support person has either a fix for this, or a better working system...