Complete the following steps to share files over a Wi-Fi connection:

1. From the BlackBerry PlayBook home screen, select the settings icon.

2. Select Storage and Sharing.

3. Toggle Wi-Fi Sharing to ON.

My suggestion would be to turn the “Password Protect” ON as shown in above image for data security but it’s optional and you can still share the files to and from without requiring the Password Protection. If you haven’t turned ON the file sharing Password Protection before, the following warning message will be displayed advising you set one.

4. Tap Properties to verify network identification information. (PlayBook name, password etc)

5. From a Windows or Mac based computer on the same network as the BlackBerry PlayBook, navigate to the IP address of the BlackBerry PlayBook which can be found under Settings > About > Network.

5.1 On a Windows computer, open the Run dialog box and type \\127.1.1.1 (where 127.1.1.1 should be replaced with the actual IP address of the BlackBerry PlayBook)

5.2 On a Mac computer, select Go -> Connect to Server… and type smb://127.1.1.1 (where 127.1.1.1 should be replaced with the actual IP address of the BlackBerry PlayBook)

6. When connecting to the media folder which contains several sub-folders such as documents, music, photos, videos, etc, the BlackBerry PlayBook user can then move files between the computer and these folders.

You will find the pictures taken from the Camera or PlayBook Screenshots into the camera folder. It should work pretty straightforward however leave the comment if you run into any difficulties.

Original Post: How to transfer files to and from the BlackBerry PlayBook via WiFi Sharing | Add to del.icio.us | One comment
Post tags: MAC, PlayBook, Wi-Fi, Windows

“ I am on holidays and do not want to receive any work email (BlackBerry Enterprise Server – BES) what so ever during this time however I want to keep the enterprise contacts and calendar updates still active. I also want to keep my personal emails as is and want to keep using the phone, text and all third party apps. I also should be able to enable it easily. Is there any easy way to achieve this?”

Yes. There are two ways you can achieve this convenience of staying away from work emails.

1. Firewall Settings (Easy Way)

2. Delete the Service Book (Easy but not that great option)

Option-1: Enable the Firewall to block Enterprise Email

Go to Options > Security > Firewall and select “Enterprise Email” to block incoming emails via BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Note: If you use the firewall on your BlackBerry smartphone, blocked messages might still contribute to data usage in your wireless service plan.

Option-2: Delete the Desktop [CICAL] Service Book

If by any chance you are not able to enable firewall (in case if it’s blocked by IT policy from the BES) then this options-2 should work for you. For BlackBerry OS 6.x > Go to Options > Device > Advanced System Settings > Service Book > Scroll to Desktop [CICAL] > Press Menu button > Delete

For BlackBerry OS 5.x > Go to Options > Advanced Options > Service Book

Once you delete this service book, you’ll notice that “Message” icon for your work email will disappear from your BlackBerry home screen. Also, if this email was set as “Default Services” for Messaging (CMIME) then it will fall back to other email address if you have one available, may be your personal email.

You can see/change your BlackBerry Default Services from Options > Device > Advanced System Settings > Default Services in BlackBerry OS 6.x.

You can “Undelete” the service book and bring back the Desktop [CICAL]. You’ll notice the “email message” icon will re-appear on your home screen. Send the test email to confirm you’re getting those on your BlackBerry.

Important: Note that you will not receive the missed emails back on your device from the time you deleted the service book to the moment you undeleted the service book. You’ll start receiving emails from the time you’ve restored the CMIME service book.

Original Post: How to stop receiving Work Emails (BES) on a BlackBerry | Add to del.icio.us | Leave Comment
Post tags: BES, Email, Email Settings, Service Book, Settings

Dealing with low battery situation on a BlackBerry when you do not have access to a car/wall charger is sometimes very frustrating and may of us might have gone through that at some point of time for sure. With older BlackBerry devices, this was the common complaint from many users however RIM has done it’s magic starting with BlackBerry Bold 9700 which provides fantastic battery power.

Recently I stumbled across the following list posted on BlackBerry.com which helps you save BlackBerry battery power. Instead of going to the extreme of carrying an extra battery and taking the pain to keep it charged, follow these tips and it should give you more battery power.

Charging

• Charge BlackBerry smartphone as much as possible
• Use wall chargers as the preferred charging method

Media

• Reduce volume
• Use headphones
• Load media using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager (Avoids resizing)
• Turn off equalizer settings (Media – Options)

Browsing

• Visit mobile sites where applicable
• Turn Repeat Animations to a lower setting (Browser – Options – General Properties)
• Close browser when finished using (close with ESC key, not red End key)

Screen/Keyboard

• Reduce Backlight Timeout (Options – Screen/Keyboard)
• Reduce Backlight Brightness (Options – Screen/Keyboard)
• Holster smartphone (turns off LCD automatically)
• Set Audible Roll to mute (Options – Screen/Keyboard)
• Key Tone Off (Options – Screen/Keyboard)
• Use a sleeve when storing the smartphone in a pocket

Network Connections

• Turn off unused connections when not in use, i.e. GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Use Auto On/Off
• Use single mode only (1XEV, 2G only, 3G only)

Shortcuts

• Use shortcuts instead of activating Java menus (Browser – Options – Browser Configuration)

Camera

• Turn off flash (Camera – Options)
• Set picture size to Small (Camera – Options)
• Set Color Effect to Normal (Camera – Options)
• Set Picture Quality to Normal (Camera – Options)

Applications

• When exiting, be sure to close the app, not leave it running in the background (close with ESC key, not red End key)
• Log out of third-party applications when they are not needed (Instant Messaging, etc.)

Indicators

• Set Audible notification to Off (Profiles)
• Turn off coverage LED (Profiles)

GPS

• Use the zoom out function to get the largest viewable area that you can still use usefully

I strongly advise turning off unused connections when not in use, i.e. GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, using single mode only (1XEV, 2G only, 3G only), closing browser and other apps with ESC key instead of red END key and using BlackBerry shortcuts when ever possible. You’ll definitely notice the difference.

Original Post: Tips for saving BlackBerry battery power | Add to del.icio.us | One comment
Post tags: Tips

If you are a new BlackBerry user reading this post or sending a link to fellow new BlackBerry user, do keep in mind that following icon set belongs to the standard themes which are built in with all new BlackBerry devices. It may differ if you’re using custom theme. Also these indicators appear on the Home screen of your BlackBerry device or at the top of the screen in some applications. Depending on your device model and wireless service provider, some of these indicators might not appear.

Home Screen

Message list

Typing

Phone

Camera and video camera

Camera flash status

Calendar

Battery power level

Do you see any missing icon from the above list? There is one which is not listed above. It appears when you press Menu Button while you are on active phone call and select Enhance Call Audio and then select Boost Bass or Boost Treble. Once you select any of these two, the icon will appear next time when you’re on voice call.

Stay tuned for the next post on all Application Icons on standard BlackBerry themes.

Original Post: BlackBerry Status Indicator Icons And Their Meaning | Add to del.icio.us | 116 comments
Post tags: How To

Player for YouTube App

Player for YouTube is the app you can download for free from the App World and watch hi-quality videos on BlackBerry. The app has recently updated to v 1.1 and works much better than when it was first released. The new version 1.1 adds support for high quality streams so the video looks much better than before.

Features:

• Featured, Popular, Top Rated, Newest and Most Viewed Feeds
• Playing videos over RTSP Streaming or Wifi and WAP
• Share video links by email with your friends
• Bookmark your favorite videos for easy access
• Search for videos, including saved search history
• Browse videos by Categories and Tags
• View user channels
• New features in 1.1:
  Support for High Quality videos
• Support for log into YouTube to manage favorites
• Embedded video player (no longer launches the browser)
• Options screen to show more videos
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

You must have a BlackBerry device with system software 4.6 or above to use Player for YouTube.

> > Download Player for YouTube from the App World

m.youtube.com

YouTube.com has mobile optimized site which you can access through m.youtube.com from your BlackBerry browser to watch YouTube videos. This is still better way than accessing YouTube.com directly. I also suggest adding m.youtube.com in your browser bookmarks so you can access it right away without typing the URL. Recently, I have had many users telling me that browsing m.youtube.com from BlackBerry doesn’t work even through they are able to browse other sites. In this case, you are better off using any of these apps to watch YouTube videos.

Vision for YouTube App

This is one of the first app released for BlackBerry to watch YouTube videos. Unfortunately there has not been any recent updates from the developer in terms of new features or support to newer BlackBerry devices. Back in days, this app was working OK and you can still give it a try since it’s free.

To download Vision for YouTube App visit http://vision.metova.com/download from your BlackBerry browser

In case if you’ve missed, we have listed quick tip for uploading your BlackBerry videos to YouTube.

Note: These options will only let you play YouTube videos, you’ll not able to save or copy those videos to your BlackBerry. Also keep in mind that streaming videos use large amount of data hence large bucket of data plan is suggested or use it when you are connected to Wi-Fi.

Original Post: How To Watch YouTube Videos On Your BlackBerry | Add to del.icio.us | One comment
Post tags: Video, YouTube

Follow these steps to enable these features:

1. On the Home screen, click Phone.
2. Press the Menu key and select Options > General Options > Auto Answer Calls.
3. Select Out of Holster.
4. Change Auto End Calls to Into Holster.
5. Click the trackball and select Save.

To make it more easy to follow, check out the following video put together by RIM which explains this feature.

I am not sure, if many of you have the Auto Answer enabled on the BlackBerry. For me, I have it turned Off because, I still want to know who is calling before answering the call. But in any case, the Auto End feature is more convenient and saves one click.

Original Post: How to Enable Auto Answer and Auto End on the BlackBerry | Add to del.icio.us | Leave Comment
Post tags: How To

BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 Keyboard Shortcuts

BlackBerry basics shortcuts

• To move back a screen, press the Escape key.
• To open a menu in an application to access options and available actions, press the Menu key.
• To move to a list item or menu item, type the first letter of the item.
• To select a highlighted menu item, press the Menu key.
• To select or clear a check box, press the Space key.
• To view available values in a field, press the Alt key.
• To switch applications, press and hold the Menu key. Click an application.
• To return to the Home screen, when you are not on a call, press the End key.
• To delete a highlighted item, press the Backspace/Delete key.

From the Home screen

• To lock the keyboard, press and hold the asterisk (*) key. To unlock the keyboard, press and hold the asterisk (*) key and press the Send key.
• To lock the BlackBerry smartphone, set a password. Press and hold the asterisk (*) key.
• To unlock the BlackBerry smartphone, type your password. Press the Enter key.
• To switch between the active notification profile and the Vibrate notification profile, press and hold the # key.

Phone shortcuts

• To change your ring tone, from the Home screen of the BlackBerry smartphone, press the Send key. Press the Menu key. Click Set Ring Tone.
• To check your voice mail, press and hold 1.
• To send an incoming call to voice mail, press and hold the Volume Down key on the right side of your BlackBerry smartphone.
• To set up speed dial for a contact, on the Home screen or in the phone application of the BlackBerry smartphone, press and hold the key that you would like to assign speed dial to.
• To add an extension to a phone number, press the X key. Type the extension number.
• To type a letter in a phone number field, press and hold the Alt key. Use the multi-tap input method to type the letter.
• To insert a plus sign (+) when typing a phone number, press and hold 0.
• To turn on the speakerphone during a call, press the period (.) key. To turn off the speakerphone during a call, press the period (.) key again.
• If you are using a wireless headset, to stop listening to a call with the headset, press the period (.) key. To listen to a call using the wireless headset again, press the period (.) key again.
• If you have multiple phone numbers associated with your BlackBerry smartphone, to change the active phone number, from the Home screen, press the Send key. Click your phone number at the top of the screen. Click a phone number.

Message shortcuts

In a message

• To reply to an email message, press the exclamation point (!) key.
• To forward email message, press the period (.) key.
• To move to the last cursor position after you close and reopen a received email message or PIN message, press 5.

In a message list

• To open a highlighted email message, press the Enter key.
• To compose email message from a message list, press the comma (,) key.
• To view received messages and received call logs, press the Alt key and 3.
• To view call logs, press the Alt key and the period (.) key.
• To view voice mail messages, press the Alt key and 7.
• To view SMS text messages, press the Alt key and the question mark (?) key.
• To view all your messages, press the Escape key.

Move around a message list

• To move up a screen, press the Shift key and the Space key.
• To move down a screen, press the Space key.
• To move to the top of a message list, press 1.
• To move to the bottom of a message list, press 7.
• To move up a message, press 2.
• To move down a message, press 8.
• To move to the next date, press 6.
• To move to the previous date, press 4.

Typing shortcuts

• To insert a period, press the Space key twice. The next letter is capitalized.
• To capitalize a letter, press and hold the letter key until the capitalized letter appears.
• To type the alternate character on a key, press and hold the Alt key and press the character key.
• To type an accented or special character, press and hold the letter key and slide your finger on the trackpad left or right. Click a selected character. For example, to type ü, press and hold 3 and slide your finger on the trackpad to the left until ü is highlighted. Click the trackpad.
• To type a number in a number field, press a number key. You do not need to press the Alt key.
• To type a number in a text field, press and hold the Alt key and press the number key.
• To type a letter in a number field, press and hold the Alt key and use the multi-tap input method.
• To turn on NUM lock, press the Shift key and the Alt key. To turn off NUM lock, press the Alt key.
• To type a long word quickly, type part of the word. In the list that appears when you type, highlight an item with the same initial letters as the word that you want to type. Slide your finger on the trackpad to the right. In the second list that appears on the screen, highlight the word that you want to type. Press the Enter key.

Insert symbols

• To insert an at sign (@) or a period (.) in an email address field, press the Space key.
• To type a symbol, press the Symbol key. To view more symbols, press the Symbol key again. Type the letter that appears below the symbol..

Work with text

• To highlight a line of text, press and hold the Shift key and slide your finger on the trackpad up or down.
• To highlight text character by character, press and hold the Shift key and slide your finger on the trackpad left or right.
• To cancel a text selection, press the Escape key.
• To cut highlighted text when typing, press the Shift key and the Backspace/Delete key.
• To copy highlighted text when typing, press the Alt key and click the trackpad.
• To paste highlighted text when typing, press the Shift key and click the trackpad.

File and attachment shortcuts

• To search for text in an attachment, press Q.

In a spreadsheet

• To move to a specific cell, press A.
• To view the content of a cell, press the Space key.
• To switch worksheets, press O. Highlight a worksheet. Press the Enter key.

In a presentation

• To switch presentation views, press Z.
• To move to the next slide when viewing a presentation in slide view, press 6.
• To move to the previous slide when viewing a presentation in slide view, press 4.

Media shortcuts

Audio and video files

• To pause an audio or video file, press the Play/Pause/Mute key on the top of your BlackBerry smartphone. To resume playing an audio or video file, press the Play/Pause/Mute key again.
• If you are using a headset, to turn on the audio boost feature to amplify the volume for songs, ring tones, and videos, press the Volume Up key until you reach the highest volume setting, and then press the Volume Up key four times quickly.

Pictures

• To pan a picture, you must first be zoomed in.
• To zoom in to a picture, press 3. To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
• To zoom out from a picture, press 9. To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
• To pan up in a picture, press 2.
• To pan down in a picture, press 8.
• To pan right in a picture, press 6.
• To pan left in a picture, press 4.
• To return to the center of a picture, press 5.
• To rotate a picture, press the comma (,) key.

Camera and video camera

• To zoom in to a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Up key.
• To zoom out from a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Down key.
• To take a picture, press the Right Convenience key.
• To change the flash mode for a picture, if available, or to turn on low-light mode for a video, press the Space key.

Browser shortcuts

• To insert a period (.) in the web address field, press the Space key.
• To insert a slash mark (/) in the web address field, press the Shift key and the Space key.
• To stop loading a web page, press the Escape key.
• To close the browser, hold the Escape key.

On a web page

• To switch between Column view and Page view, press the at sign (@) key.
• To zoom in to a web page, press the comma (,) key.
• To zoom out from a web page, press the period (.) key.
• To turn on support for JavaScript, press the Symbol key.
• To move to a specific web page, press 5.
• To add a bookmark, press the question mark (?) key.
• To follow a link, highlight or pause on the link. Press the Enter key.
• To hide the banner, press the exclamation point (!) key. To view the banner, press the exclamation point (!) key.

Navigate a web page

• To move up a screen, press 3.
• To move down a screen, press 9.
• To move to the top of a web page, press 1.
• To move to the bottom of a web page, press 7.

Calendar shortcuts

For shortcuts to work in Day view, in the general calendar options, change the Enable Quick Entry field to No.

• To schedule an appointment, press the period (.) key.
• To move to the next day, week, or month, press 9.
• To move to the previous day, week, or month, press 3.
• To move up an hour in Day view or Week view, press 2.
• To move down an hour in Day view or Week view, press 8.
• To move to the current date, press the exclamation point (!) key.

Search shortcuts

• To search for a contact in a list of contacts, type the contact name or initials separated by a space.
• To search for text in a file or an attachment, press Q.
• To search for text in a presentation, you must view the presentation in text view or in text and slide view. Press Q.

Map shortcuts

• To zoom in to a map, press L.
• To zoom out from a map, press O.
• To move to the next direction on a route, press 6.
• To move to the previous direction on a route, press 4.
• To view status information at the top of a map, press Q. To hide status information at the top of a map, press Q again.
• To view tracking information at the bottom of a map while you are tracking your movement, press the Space key. To hide tracking information at the bottom of a map, press the Space key again.

BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 Keyboard Shortcuts

BlackBerry basics shortcuts

• To move the cursor, slide your finger on the trackpad.
• To move back a screen, press the Escape key.
• To open a menu in an application to access options and available actions, press the Menu key.
• To move to a list item or menu item, type the first letter of the item.
• To select a highlighted menu item, press the Menu key.
• To select or clear a check box, press the Space key.
• To switch applications, press and hold the Menu key. Click an application.
• To return to the Home screen, when you are not on a call, press the End key.
• To delete a highlighted item, press the Backspace/Delete key.

Phone shortcuts

• To change your ring tone, from the Home screen, press the Send key. Press the Menu key. Click Set Ring Tone.
• To check your voice mail, press and hold 1.
• To send an incoming call to voice mail, press and hold the Volume Down key on the right side of your BlackBerry smartphone.
• To set up speed dial for a contact, on the Home screen or in the phone application of the BlackBerry smartphone, press and hold the key that you would like to assign speed dial to.
• To insert a plus sign (+) when typing a phone number, press and hold 0.
• If you have multiple phone numbers associated with your BlackBerry smartphone, to change the active phone number, from the Home screen, press the Send key. Click your phone number at the top of the screen. Click a phone number.
  

  ---

  Message shortcuts

  In a message list

  • To reply to a highlighted message, press 7.
  • To reply to all, highlight the message. Press 1.
  • To forward a highlighted message, press 9.

  Move around a message list

  • To move to the top of a message list, press 2.
  • To move to the bottom of a message list, press 8.
  • To move to the next date, press 6.
  • To move to the previous date, press 4.
  • To move to the next unopened item, press 5.

  ---

  Typing shortcuts

  Common typing shortcuts

  • To type a symbol, press the Symbol key. To view more symbols, press the Symbol key again. Click a symbol in the list that appears.
  • To switch typing input languages while you type, press and hold the Symbol key.
  • To capitalize a letter, press the Shift key. Press a letter key.
  • To type a number in a number field, press a number key. You do not need to press and hold the number key.
  • To turn on NUM lock, press the Shift key until the NUM lock indicator appears. To turn off NUM lock, press the Shift key again.

  Work with text

  • To highlight a line of text, press and hold the Shift key and on the trackpad slide your finger up or down.
  • To highlight text character by character, press and hold the Shift key and on the trackpad slide your finger left or right.
  • To cancel a text selection, press the Escape key.

  Shortcuts for SureType technology

  • To type a punctuation mark or a common symbol, press 1. Click the symbol in the list that appears.
  • To type a number, press and hold a number key.
  • To type a period and a space, press the Space key twice. The next letter is capitalized automatically.
  • To type a long word quickly, type part of the word. In the list that appears when you type, highlight an item with the same initial letters as the word that you want to type. Slide your finger on the trackpad to the right. In the second list that appears, highlight the word that you want to type. Press the Enter key.

    Shortcuts for multi-tap

    • To type a number, keep pressing the letter key quickly until the number appears.
    • To type a period, press the 1 key once. To type other common symbols or punctuation marks, keep pressing 1 quickly until the symbol appears.

    ---

    Media shortcuts

    Audio and video files

  • To pause an audio or video file, press the Play/Pause/Mute key on the top of your BlackBerry® device. To resume playing an audio or video file, press the Play/Pause/Mute key again.
  • If you are using a headset, to turn on the audio boost feature to amplify the volume for songs, ring tones, and videos, press the Volume Up key until you reach the highest volume setting, and then press the Volume Up key four times quickly.

    Pictures

    To pan a picture, you must first be zoomed in.

  • To zoom in to a picture, press 3. To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
  • To zoom out from a picture, press 9 . To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
  • To pan up in a picture, press 2.
  • To pan down in a picture, press 8.
  • To pan right in a picture, press 6.
  • To pan left in a picture, press 4.
  • To return to the center of a picture, press 5.

    Camera and video camera

  • To zoom in to a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Up key.
  • To zoom out from a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Down key.
  • To take a picture, press the Right Convenience key.
  • To change the flash mode for a picture, if available, or to turn on low-light mode for a video, press the Space key.

  ---

  Browser shortcuts

  • To insert a period (.) in the web address field, press the Space key.
  • To stop loading a web page, press the Escape key.
  • To close the browser, press and hold the Escape key.

  On a web page

  • To switch between Column view and Page view, press 4.
  • To zoom in to a web page, press 3.
  • To zoom out from a web page, press 9.
  • To refresh a web page, press 1.
  • To move to a specific web page, press 5.
  • To add a bookmark, press 6.
  • To follow a link, highlight or pause on the link. Press the Enter key.
  • To find text on a web page, press 7.

  Move around a web page

  • To move to the top of a web page, press 2.
  • To move down in the screen, press the Space key.
• • To move to the bottom of a web page, press 8.

  ---

  Calendar shortcuts

  For shortcuts to work in Day view, in the general calendar options, change the Enable Quick Entry field to No.

  • To schedule an appointment, press 3.
  • To move to the next day, week, or month, press 6.
  • To move to the previous day, week, or month, press 4.
  • To move to the current date, press 5.

  ---

  Search shortcuts

  • To search for a contact in a list of contacts, type the contact name or initials separated by a space.
  • To search for text in a file or an attachment, press 7.
  • To search for text in a presentation, you must view the presentation in text view or in text and slide view. Press 7.

  ---

  Map shortcuts

• To zoom in to a map, press 3.
• To zoom out from a map, press 9.
• To move to the previous direction on a route, press 4.
• To show status information at the top of a map, press 1 . To hide status information at the top of a map, press 1 again.
• To show tracking information at the bottom of a map while you are tracking your movement, press the Space key. To hide tracking information at the bottom of a map, press the Space key again.

[KB22698, KB22704]

Original Post: Keyboard Shortcuts for BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 and 9105 | Add to del.icio.us | One comment
Post tags: Keyboard Shortcuts, Pearl 3G, Pearl 9100, Pearl 9105

As mentioned before, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 from Sprint comes factory unlocked and it can operate on Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks, Single-band UMTS/HSPA networks or Dual-band CDMA/EVDO REVA networks. So you can either use it on CDMA carrier or GSM carrier. CIO’s @ASacco has put together a great, quick walkthrough on how to switch between CDMA/1XEV and GSM/UMTS networks. Here are the steps for your reference:

How to change the BlackBerry Bold 9650’s mobile network technologies between CDMA/1XEV and GSM/UMTS.

1. Ensure an active and compatible SIM card is inserted in your BlackBerry Bold 9650 SIM card slot. (To insert a new SIM card, remove your Bold’s battery cover and battery, take out the default SIM supplied by Sprint–if applicable–then slide the new SIM into place based on the diagram on the SIM-card slot.)
2. Replace your Bold’s battery and wait for the device to reboot. When your Bold is up and running, click your BlackBerry’s Manage Connections icon on your home screen.
3. Within the Manage Connections menu, scroll down to and click Mobile Network Options. On the following screen, scroll to Network Technology and click to open a drop-down menu. Then change the value from either Global or 1XEV to GSM/UMTS.
4. Exit out of the Mobile Network Options/Network Technology menus, wait a few seconds for the new network connection to establish itself and you’re good to go.
5. To switch back to your CDMA network, simply repeat the above process but choose the 1XEV network option under Network Technology.

via CIO

Original Post: How to Switch Between CDMA and GSM Networks on Sprint’s BlackBerry Bold 9650 | Add to del.icio.us | One comment
Post tags: Bold 9650

BlackBerry is designed to do so many things in a smarter way and it does improve the efficiency and productivity. On the other hand, it could potentially make your day miserable, if by mistake some settings were overlooked. Check out some of these tricky settings, normal BlackBerry users may not know. If you knew all of these BlackBerry settings already, consider yourself a true BlackBerry addict!

1. Data Services

Symptoms: I can’t browse. My emails are not working. I am not receiving any BBMs and Facebook updates. You see your buddy shouting loud “What’s going on?”

Probably the “Data Services” is turned OFF. The “Data Services” option is located in Home Screen > Manage Connections > Mobile Network Options > Data Services.

“Data Services” works as an ON -OFF switch for any type of data transfer to and from BlackBerry. If it’s turned off, user will not be able to send/receive BBM, emails, PIN messages and browsing will not work either. The SMS and MMS will continue to work as they are not part of data transfer.

When it is turned off, the Network Status on the Home Screen also changes from uppercase to lowercase. i.e. 3G to 3g and EDGE to edge for GSM BlackBerry devices.

2. Do Not Disturb

Symptoms: My BlackBerry doesn’t ring since today morning. It goes straight to the voicemail. I can call out, I can send/ receive emails but it doesn’t ring (period). Have you had your friend or co-worker screaming like that?

Possibly, first thing to check is their notification Profiles. If this Do Not Disturb is accidently changed to Yes without knowing what it does, you’ll find above symptoms.

It is located in (OS 4.5 to 4.7) Home Screen > Profiles > Advanced > Menu > Edit > Phone > Do Not Disturb

If you are using BlackBerry OS 5.0 then you’re lucky as the entire notification profile has been revamped in this newer OS 5.0. You do not have this Do Not Disturb option in OS 5.0.

3. Firewall

Symptoms: I have stopped receiving my emails and  SMS. I can send emails out OK. or I have stopped receiving SMS, emails are fine. Other senders are getting delivery confirmations that those messages were delivered to my BlackBerry. My device memory is OK. Hmm, not sure what to do?

Check the Firewall setting. Firewall is located in Home Screen > Options > Security Options > Firewall

As the name imply, it will block those type of incoming messages, what ever user has selected.

4. Contacts Filter Category

Symptoms: I can’t see any contacts in my phone book. Those contacts are there somewhere in the BlackBerry as I see those when I type numbers, but they do not show up when I click on contacts icon.

Accidently, Filter Category is selected and all phone numbers are saved without any assigned category. By default the contacts are saved without any category assigned.

Filter Category is located in Home Screen > Contacts > Menu > Filter

5. Service books

Symptoms: Some icons on my BlackBerry are missing even though those apps are installed as I can see those in the Applications list. None of the icons are hidden. Those missing icons are browser, Facebook, BBM and some email accounts. Also, when I try to send emails, I get a prompt saying I can only save it as a draft.

Service books are missing from a BlackBerry. The way BlackBerry works, configuration files called service books are required for most apps to work properly that require external data connection. Some icons may not even show up on the home screen if proper service books are not present.

Service books can be found in Home Screen > Options > Advanced Options > Service books

If missing icons are other than emails, battery pull or re registration to the network can help them bring back. BlackBerry can be registered via Home Screen > Options > Advanced Options > Host Routing Table > Menu > Register Now

Let us know in the comment, if you already knew above settings. Better, leave your twitter id so that we can follow you!

Original Post: 5 Device Settings You Should Know as BlackBerry Addict | Add to del.icio.us | 4 comments
Post tags: Browser, Email, Email Settings, Settings

First of all, let me clarify, the “Email Settings” icon on BlackBerry Desktop Manager is optional and not required at all if you’re receiving emails via BIS. If you’re on BES, it’s optional too as it only provides you the email statistics.

How one gets Email Settings icon on BlackBerry Desktop Manager

While installing Desktop Manager on a PC, you see the prompt to select the Email type you want to integrate with and the choices you get are “Work Email” or “Personal Email”. If you select “Work Email”, then “Email Setting” icon will show up on the Desktop Manager.

How does BlackBerry Desktop Redirector work?

This Email Settings with Desktop Manager is known as “Desktop Redirector”. In old days, this was the popular method of redirecting emails coming from MS Exchange Server to Microsoft Outlook to a BlackBerry device.

The main advantage of using Desktop Redirector was to get the emails in real time, which wasn’t a feature for BIS in early days. The main drawback with Desktop Redirector is it’s inability to send the email attachments  and you need to keep the PC running 27/7 for emails to redirect.

Do I really need Desktop Redirector?

No. BIS, BES and BESX are far better ways to send emails to a BlackBerry. It’s only useful if you’re on BES and want to see the email statistics. Again, it’s optional.

What could go wrong if BIS user has Email Settings icon on Desktop Manager?

It is strongly advised to have it removed if you are getting emails on your BlackBerry via BIS. It could potentially mess up the way you receive emails on BlackBerry.

To give the example for BIS users: what happens is, as soon as you connect your BlackBerry to a computer which has this Desktop Redirector installed, it will try to push it’s redirector service books which will mess up BIS service books, resulting in improper service books on your BlackBerry. Because of this most of the time, you start getting hundreds of “Network@etp emails on your BlackBerry.

The Best Practice to clean up Desktop Redirector Service books

Follow this steps only if you are a BIS user and have this Desktop Manager with Email Settings on your computer.

1. Unplug the BlackBerry (if connected to PC)
2. Uninstall the Desktop Manager and restart the PC 
3. Reinstall Desktop manager and select Integrate with a personal email account during installation even though the email on your BlackBerry is from your work.
4. Delete Desktop[CMIME] and Desktop[CICAL] service books from BlackBerry if those are present. Go to Home screen > Options > Advanced Options > Service Books and search for above two service books. If present, select any one, press Menu button and select Delete. Do the same for second service book.

> > More info about Desktop Redirector
> > More info about Email Settings feature

Let us know in the comments, if you have more questions.

Original Post: Email Settings icon on BlackBerry Desktop Manager for PC | Add to del.icio.us | 2 comments
Post tags: BES, BIS, Desktop Manager, Desktop Redirector, Email Settings