Â鶹Éç

BlackBerry is looking to small-group meetings and conferencing, of all things, to get more chummy with small-business users.

Struggling Canadian smartphone giant Research in Motion released a beta of new free app-based business service today called BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing. The idea is to offer a single software application that makes pulling together a small-group conference less of a chore.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is similar to other third-party mobile conferencing and scheduling tools. These apps seek to ease the headache of scheduling a meeting: notifying conference attendees, notifying users whether a meeting is text-, phone- or video-based, and then organizing it. My favorite of the bunch is , which is free or $6 per month per user for pro packages.

I use these mobile conference support tools in my six-person firm. And I arranged for a preview of BlackBerry’s new tool before it went live this morning. Here’s my take:

What’s cool:

If you schedule meetings with BlackBerrys, this app works. BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing offers an efficient way for BlackBerry-users to set up meetings.

The service must be downloaded from BlackBerry’s testing portal called the . Then it is configured like just about any app. And with about an average level of effort for a BlackBerry, users can integrate calendar, contact, and dial-in numbers.

The app is attractive and easy to use. When a conference is set to begin, attendees are notified with nifty pop-up alert, and users are invited in. If a user is dropped from a call, the app remembers that user’s log in and brings that person back in automatically.

Best of all, the app is free.

What’s not so cool:

The app is definitely a BlackBerry-based service.

Spend any time with this tool and it’s all too clear that Mobile Conferencing is a RIM-centric service. Users are still married to the BlackBerry-based, menu-driven interface that feels more outmoded every day. Apple, Android and now Windows Phone 7 devices are much easier to use for most small-business needs these days. Compared to other mobile conferencing scheduling tools, BlackBerry’s interface is clunky.

Another big issue is integrating other non-BlackBerry office software services, like Google Apps or Microsoft Office. While it’s possible, it requires know-how.

What to do:

If your firm uses and is fluent in BlackBerry, Mobile Conferencing is worth a look. It appears to be fast, it offers some convenient functions and it can help making a meeting run easier.

But for the average multi-platform business that supports, say, a couple of iPhone users and an Android user — especially if you invite clients to meetings using their own phones — BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, at least at this early stage, feels just too RIM-centric.

My advice: Stick with another proven third-party conferencing tool that’s in the business of offering hosted conferencing services on the go.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

— Jonathan Blum is is the principal of Blumsday LLC, a Web-based content company specializing in technology news. Follow him on Twitter .