Blackberry Tips
Boost Your BlackBerry’s Battery
Battery-boosting strategies are always handy, whether your battery indicator is running on empty or you discover you left your charger at home and need your BlackBerry to last all week. Follow these simple
Lower the Backlight Timeout setting to conserve power.
tips to keep your BlackBerry running when you need it most.
Lower the Backlight Timeout setting to conserve power.
Tweak The Backlight
One of the best ways to improve battery life is to adjust your BlackBerry’s screen and keyboard backlight. From the Home screen, scroll to and select Settings, select Screen/Keyboard, select Backlight Brightness, and then press the trackball to reduce the setting to 10. If you can still read the screen, then your battery will thank you. You can change the Backlight Timeout setting here, as well. Highlight the setting, press the trackball, and select 10 Sec. This adjustment turns the backlight off after you leave your BlackBerry idle for 10 seconds. If you’re not willing to work with a dimmer BlackBerry, you can press the power button once to turn on the backlight at the current setting (with the BlackBerry idle), press it again to momentarily increase the backlight to 100, and then press the power button a third time to turn off the backlight. When enabled, the Auto Backlight feature senses the current ambient light conditions to dim the backlight in lower-light situations and brighten it in sunnier conditions. Use this feature if you like using a brighter backlight setting, but disable it if you’re using the lower backlight settings. Finally, press the Escape key, save the changes, and then press the Escape key again to get back to the Home screen.
Your BlackBerry needs some serious juice to power all that functionality.
Basic Battery Care
To make sure you get the most out of your battery, you can practice some basic battery maintenance tips. The Li-Ion battery in your BlackBerry is best recharged often and typically before it is fully discharged. Letting the battery deplete completely on a regular basis can permanently damage it. If you can’t be without your BlackBerry for even a moment, consider buying a spare battery. If you’re not using a battery for a prolonged period, charge it to about 40 to 60% of its maximum charge and then store it in a cool place, such as a refrigerator. Do not freeze your battery.
Use Auto On/Off
BlackBerry’s Auto On/Off feature lets you turn the phone on and off at designated times of the day. For instance, if you know you will only get calls during a given time period or don’t want to be interrupted at night, set Auto On/Off and give your battery a break. From the Home screen select Settings, Options, and Auto On/Off; enable both Weekday and Weekend options; and then select the times you want your device to turn off and on. Press the Escape key, select Save, and press the Escape key twice more to return to the Home screen.
Wireless can spell death for a low battery, so consider turning off some or all connections.
Go Offline
Much of the BlackBerry’s core functionality depends on its wireless capabilities, but those radios can quickly suck a battery dry. You can really improve battery life if you can live without Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and cellular service. Scroll to and select Manage Connections from the Home screen to access the wireless connections screen. You can pick and choose the wireless radios you want to disable by scrolling to and selecting the appropriate checkboxes. To turn off all connections, select the Turn All Connections Off option at the top of the screen. To resume wireless connectivity, access Manage Connections again and then click Restore Connections from the top of the screen. Press Escape to return to the Home screen.
The default five-bar network signal indicator gives you a rough idea of your current network connectivity, but there’s a way to get a more accurate picture of your coverage. Press and hold ALT and then type NMLL to change the bar-style signal strength indicator to a numeric value measured in decibels relative to 1 milliwatt (dBm). A good signal will fall in the range of -40 to -90 (roughly equivalent to four and five bars), and anything lower than -90 (approximately one or two bars) indicates that your BlackBerry is struggling to maintain a connection. If this is the case, turn off the Mobile Network radio. When coverage is spotty, your BlackBerry will boost output to maintain a connection and retransmit dropped packets repeatedly, which is detrimental to the BlackBerry’s battery life. To change the coverage indicator back to the bars, simply press and hold ALT and type NMLL again.
Delete Original Messages After Replying
The BlackBerry knowledgebase recommends deleting original messages after you’ve replied as another way to extend battery life. Select Messages from the Home screen, scroll to any messages you’ve replied to, press the Menu key, select Delete, and then select On Mailbox & Handheld or On Handheld. Press Escape to return to the Home screen.
Compose One Message For Multiple Contacts
Rather than send out multiple messages to different contacts, you can ease the demand on your BlackBerry by composing a generic email and using the Add To, Add Cc, or Add Bcc commands to send the message to multiple contacts. From the Home screen, select the Messages utility, press the Menu key, select Compose Email, input one or more email address in the To: field, and then compose the message. At any point you can press the Menu key and select Add To, Add Cc, or Add Bcc to include more people on the message. When you’re finished, press the Menu key, select Send, and then press the Escape key to return to the Home screen.
Change Your Profile
Ringtones, vibration, and even the LED can all prematurely deplete an already low battery. If you’re looking to get more mileage from your BlackBerry battery, limit the use of these indicators. To turn off all indicators, select Profiles from the Home screen and scroll to and select Off. The Quiet profile displays the LED indicator only, which can improve battery life if you plan to keep the BlackBerry within view at all times. You can also tweak the notifications for all applications, such as Calendar appointments, emails, Push-to-Talk messages, SMS texts, and tasks, by pressing the Menu key from the Profiles selection screen and then selecting New Profile. Continue down the list, selecting applications to access the notification settings.
by Andrew Leibman
BlackBerry Help Site Gets An Update
What a difference a month makes. In last month’s “BlackBerry Tips” article, we recommended BlackBerry Answers to get instant access to solutions for your BlackBerry inquiries. After our January issue went to press, RIM relaunched its mobile.blackberry.com Web site, the home of BlackBerry Answers, and made finding the content you’re looking for much easier. To check out the improvements, launch the Browser, press the Menu key, select Go To, type mobile.blackberry.com, and press the trackball to navigate to the site.
Boost Your BlackBerry’s Battery
Battery-boosting strategies are always handy, whether your battery indicator is running on empty or you discover you left your charger at home and need your BlackBerry to last all week. Follow these simple
Lower the Backlight Timeout setting to conserve power.
tips to keep your BlackBerry running when you need it most.
Lower the Backlight Timeout setting to conserve power.
Tweak The Backlight
One of the best ways to improve battery life is to adjust your BlackBerry’s screen and keyboard backlight. From the Home screen, scroll to and select Settings, select Screen/Keyboard, select Backlight Brightness, and then press the trackball to reduce the setting to 10. If you can still read the screen, then your battery will thank you. You can change the Backlight Timeout setting here, as well. Highlight the setting, press the trackball, and select 10 Sec. This adjustment turns the backlight off after you leave your BlackBerry idle for 10 seconds. If you’re not willing to work with a dimmer BlackBerry, you can press the power button once to turn on the backlight at the current setting (with the BlackBerry idle), press it again to momentarily increase the backlight to 100, and then press the power button a third time to turn off the backlight. When enabled, the Auto Backlight feature senses the current ambient light conditions to dim the backlight in lower-light situations and brighten it in sunnier conditions. Use this feature if you like using a brighter backlight setting, but disable it if you’re using the lower backlight settings. Finally, press the Escape key, save the changes, and then press the Escape key again to get back to the Home screen.
Your BlackBerry needs some serious juice to power all that functionality.
Basic Battery Care
To make sure you get the most out of your battery, you can practice some basic battery maintenance tips. The Li-Ion battery in your BlackBerry is best recharged often and typically before it is fully discharged. Letting the battery deplete completely on a regular basis can permanently damage it. If you can’t be without your BlackBerry for even a moment, consider buying a spare battery. If you’re not using a battery for a prolonged period, charge it to about 40 to 60% of its maximum charge and then store it in a cool place, such as a refrigerator. Do not freeze your battery.
Use Auto On/Off
BlackBerry’s Auto On/Off feature lets you turn the phone on and off at designated times of the day. For instance, if you know you will only get calls during a given time period or don’t want to be interrupted at night, set Auto On/Off and give your battery a break. From the Home screen select Settings, Options, and Auto On/Off; enable both Weekday and Weekend options; and then select the times you want your device to turn off and on. Press the Escape key, select Save, and press the Escape key twice more to return to the Home screen.
Wireless can spell death for a low battery, so consider turning off some or all connections.
Go Offline
Much of the BlackBerry’s core functionality depends on its wireless capabilities, but those radios can quickly suck a battery dry. You can really improve battery life if you can live without Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and cellular service. Scroll to and select Manage Connections from the Home screen to access the wireless connections screen. You can pick and choose the wireless radios you want to disable by scrolling to and selecting the appropriate checkboxes. To turn off all connections, select the Turn All Connections Off option at the top of the screen. To resume wireless connectivity, access Manage Connections again and then click Restore Connections from the top of the screen. Press Escape to return to the Home screen.
The default five-bar network signal indicator gives you a rough idea of your current network connectivity, but there’s a way to get a more accurate picture of your coverage. Press and hold ALT and then type NMLL to change the bar-style signal strength indicator to a numeric value measured in decibels relative to 1 milliwatt (dBm). A good signal will fall in the range of -40 to -90 (roughly equivalent to four and five bars), and anything lower than -90 (approximately one or two bars) indicates that your BlackBerry is struggling to maintain a connection. If this is the case, turn off the Mobile Network radio. When coverage is spotty, your BlackBerry will boost output to maintain a connection and retransmit dropped packets repeatedly, which is detrimental to the BlackBerry’s battery life. To change the coverage indicator back to the bars, simply press and hold ALT and type NMLL again.
Delete Original Messages After Replying
The BlackBerry knowledgebase recommends deleting original messages after you’ve replied as another way to extend battery life. Select Messages from the Home screen, scroll to any messages you’ve replied to, press the Menu key, select Delete, and then select On Mailbox & Handheld or On Handheld. Press Escape to return to the Home screen.
Compose One Message For Multiple Contacts
Rather than send out multiple messages to different contacts, you can ease the demand on your BlackBerry by composing a generic email and using the Add To, Add Cc, or Add Bcc commands to send the message to multiple contacts. From the Home screen, select the Messages utility, press the Menu key, select Compose Email, input one or more email address in the To: field, and then compose the message. At any point you can press the Menu key and select Add To, Add Cc, or Add Bcc to include more people on the message. When you’re finished, press the Menu key, select Send, and then press the Escape key to return to the Home screen.
Change Your Profile
Ringtones, vibration, and even the LED can all prematurely deplete an already low battery. If you’re looking to get more mileage from your BlackBerry battery, limit the use of these indicators. To turn off all indicators, select Profiles from the Home screen and scroll to and select Off. The Quiet profile displays the LED indicator only, which can improve battery life if you plan to keep the BlackBerry within view at all times. You can also tweak the notifications for all applications, such as Calendar appointments, emails, Push-to-Talk messages, SMS texts, and tasks, by pressing the Menu key from the Profiles selection screen and then selecting New Profile. Continue down the list, selecting applications to access the notification settings.
by Andrew Leibman
BlackBerry Help Site Gets An Update
What a difference a month makes. In last month’s “BlackBerry Tips” article, we recommended BlackBerry Answers to get instant access to solutions for your BlackBerry inquiries. After our January issue went to press, RIM relaunched its mobile.blackberry.com Web site, the home of BlackBerry Answers, and made finding the content you’re looking for much easier. To check out the improvements, launch the Browser, press the Menu key, select Go To, type mobile.blackberry.com, and press the trackball to navigate to the site.
Check out these time-saving keyboard shortcuts for the BlackBerry 8700 series.
By in large, BlackBerry users love their handheld for its fast, seamless E-mail and comfortable form factor. But using the rest of its many capabilities doesn't have to be a futile exercise in thumb wheel fiddling. I've put together a list of the most important shortcuts for BlackBerry 8700 series, which includes devices like the T-Mobile 8700g and the new Sprint 8703e and Verizon 8703e models. I've also provided tips for everything from working with the smart phone's calendar to browsing the Web, plus several pointers on using E-mail, the Blackberry's raison d'être. Follow these tips to get the most out of your BlackBerry addiction:
• Navigate quickly around calendar views by pressing D for Day, W for Week, M for Month, and A for Agenda. For this to work, you'll need to set Enable Quick Entry field to No under Calendar Options.
• Deleting older messages is easy; simply click a date field and choose Delete Prior.
• Find any contact in your address book by typing out the contact's name or initials, separated by a space.
• When browsing the Web, make quick work of visiting favorite sites by pressing K to open your bookmarks. To add a new bookmark at any time, press A.
• Press and hold any letter in order to capitalize it. Often it's faster to do this than to set a mode or press another key first. To turn on CAP-Lock, press Alt + Right Shift (CAP).
• To move down a page while reading a message, press the Spacebar. This works on other screens, too. Moving back up a page is just as easy; press Shift plus the Spacebar at any time.
• Dial a phone number with letters (such as 1-800-WIN-CASH) by pressing Alt and typing each letter with the QWERTY keyboard.
• Use the Symbol (Sym) and Currency ($) keys to enter special characters not visible on the keyboard.
• To activate the backlighting at any time, press (but don't hold) the Power button.
• The Space key lets you enter in an @ symbol when typing an E-mail message. Press the Space bar twice to insert a period. The next letter will automatically be capitalized.
• Selecting special characters is simple; press and hold the letter key in question. Then adjust the thumb wheel up and down to move through the available choices.
• The Escape button is useful for exiting any screen, or to stop any Web page from loading.
Special thanks to MeeJin Annan-Brady, spokesperson for Research In Motion, for her contributions to this article.
Editors' Note - 11/13/06: This article was amended to correct an error regarding the "phone number with letters" tip.
By in large, BlackBerry users love their handheld for its fast, seamless E-mail and comfortable form factor. But using the rest of its many capabilities doesn't have to be a futile exercise in thumb wheel fiddling. I've put together a list of the most important shortcuts for BlackBerry 8700 series, which includes devices like the T-Mobile 8700g and the new Sprint 8703e and Verizon 8703e models. I've also provided tips for everything from working with the smart phone's calendar to browsing the Web, plus several pointers on using E-mail, the Blackberry's raison d'être. Follow these tips to get the most out of your BlackBerry addiction:
• Navigate quickly around calendar views by pressing D for Day, W for Week, M for Month, and A for Agenda. For this to work, you'll need to set Enable Quick Entry field to No under Calendar Options.
• Deleting older messages is easy; simply click a date field and choose Delete Prior.
• Find any contact in your address book by typing out the contact's name or initials, separated by a space.
• When browsing the Web, make quick work of visiting favorite sites by pressing K to open your bookmarks. To add a new bookmark at any time, press A.
• Press and hold any letter in order to capitalize it. Often it's faster to do this than to set a mode or press another key first. To turn on CAP-Lock, press Alt + Right Shift (CAP).
• To move down a page while reading a message, press the Spacebar. This works on other screens, too. Moving back up a page is just as easy; press Shift plus the Spacebar at any time.
• Dial a phone number with letters (such as 1-800-WIN-CASH) by pressing Alt and typing each letter with the QWERTY keyboard.
• Use the Symbol (Sym) and Currency ($) keys to enter special characters not visible on the keyboard.
• To activate the backlighting at any time, press (but don't hold) the Power button.
• The Space key lets you enter in an @ symbol when typing an E-mail message. Press the Space bar twice to insert a period. The next letter will automatically be capitalized.
• Selecting special characters is simple; press and hold the letter key in question. Then adjust the thumb wheel up and down to move through the available choices.
• The Escape button is useful for exiting any screen, or to stop any Web page from loading.
Special thanks to MeeJin Annan-Brady, spokesperson for Research In Motion, for her contributions to this article.
Editors' Note - 11/13/06: This article was amended to correct an error regarding the "phone number with letters" tip.
What Type Of BlackBerry Enterprise Server Management Tools Do You Use?
Posted by ToNbeRRy / Category: About BlackberryHere is a question that goes out to all of the BlackBerry Administrators managing the back end BlackBerry Enterprise Servers.
What type of BES management tools do you use to make sure that your corporate BlackBerry users email addictions can be feed without interruption?
Email in just about every organization is considered a mission critical application and for those companies that have standardized on the BlackBerry to feed their users appetite for the ability to receive email at any and all times, BES deployments are just as mission critical.
If you are a BlackBerry Administrator responsible for managing your companies BlackBerry Enterprise Server implementation, let us know via the comments what management tools, tips, and tricks you use to keep your BES servers up and running.
BlackBerry Adminstrator, BES, BlackBerry Enterprise Server
What type of BES management tools do you use to make sure that your corporate BlackBerry users email addictions can be feed without interruption?
Email in just about every organization is considered a mission critical application and for those companies that have standardized on the BlackBerry to feed their users appetite for the ability to receive email at any and all times, BES deployments are just as mission critical.
If you are a BlackBerry Administrator responsible for managing your companies BlackBerry Enterprise Server implementation, let us know via the comments what management tools, tips, and tricks you use to keep your BES servers up and running.
BlackBerry Adminstrator, BES, BlackBerry Enterprise Server
The following tips appear in the Message List on your BlackBerry whenever you restore the default settings.
To open the phone, press the Phone button or press the Space key.
To dial a number from the Home screen, type the number. To disable dialing from the Home screen, in the phone options, click General Options. Set the Dial from Home Screen field to No.
To assign a speed dial letter to a phone number, on the Home screen or in the phone, press and hold an unassigned letter key.
To call a speed dial number, hold the assigned letter key.
To call your voice mail access number, hold 1.
To type letters in phone numbers, hold the Alt key and type letters.
To type an extension, press the Alt key + the 8 key. Type the extension number.
To mute a call, press the Phone button. To turn mute off, press the Phone button again. If you are using a headset, press the headset button to mute a phone call. Press the headset button again to turn mute off.
To change the volume during a call, roll the trackwheel.
To end a call, hold the Escape button.
These tips do not apply to the 7100 series
To open the phone, press the Phone button or press the Space key.
To dial a number from the Home screen, type the number. To disable dialing from the Home screen, in the phone options, click General Options. Set the Dial from Home Screen field to No.
To assign a speed dial letter to a phone number, on the Home screen or in the phone, press and hold an unassigned letter key.
To call a speed dial number, hold the assigned letter key.
To call your voice mail access number, hold 1.
To type letters in phone numbers, hold the Alt key and type letters.
To type an extension, press the Alt key + the 8 key. Type the extension number.
To mute a call, press the Phone button. To turn mute off, press the Phone button again. If you are using a headset, press the headset button to mute a phone call. Press the headset button again to turn mute off.
To change the volume during a call, roll the trackwheel.
To end a call, hold the Escape button.
These tips do not apply to the 7100 series
Why Do I have Blackberry Different Browsers?..ie WAP,Internet,WiFi
Posted by ToNbeRRy / Category: Blackberry Tips and TricksI found this while perusing the Developers Conference Blog, a lot of new users have trouble understanding what all the browsers are for, so here is a break down.
5 browser names and their various aliases:
BlackBerry Browser (”Corporate MDS”, “MDS”, “Enterprise”)
Internet Browser (”Public MDS”, “BIS-B”)
WAP Browser
Hotspot Browser (”Wi-Fi Browser”)
Unite Browser
1. BlackBerry Browser
Only available if device is connected to a BES at your company
All traffic goes through the MDS-CS component of your company’s BES server
Can access resources inside your company’s firewall, such as intranets and desktop PCs
However, it’s also restricted by that same same firewall, just like the PC at your desk
All of the other browsers are outside the firewall
2. Internet Browser
Virtually every device has this browser; no corporate BES connection or email setup required
All traffic goes through one of a few MDS-CS servers hosted by RIM
Sometimes requires that an APN be setup in order to work (on GSM networks)
3. WAP Browser
All traffic goes through the WAP gateway hosted by the carrier
This is the only route where no RIM-owned servers or RIM-produced software are used during communication
WAP gateways vary from carrier to carrier, making problems often difficult to resolve
No MDS-CS present to perform content optimization; entire web page is sent to the device
4. Hotspot Browser
Uses Wi-Fi network to route traffic
Sometimes goes through the BES’s MDS-CS and sometimes just on the local network
Device setup makes this route somewhat unpredictable
Generally very fast throughput, making pages load more quickly than all other browsers
5. Unite Browser
All traffic goes through the MDS-CS server running on the Unite server on your home computer
Common Problems When Using the Incorrect Browser
The web page won’t load
web site is inside the firewall and you’re not using the BlackBerry Browser
web site is blocked by your company’s firewall and you are using the BlackBerry Browser
web site is carrier-specific and you’re not using the WAP Browser
web site is hosted on your home PC and you’re not using the Unite browser
Far more data than required may be downloaded
when data flows through MDS-CS it is optimized for the device, including reducing image sizes, compressing text, and optimizing the HTML DOM tree
using the WAP Browser the entire web page must be downloaded, even if images are 30x the size of the screen
Slow page rendering
data flowing through MDS-CS also undergoes optimization, such as pre-compiling JavaScript and modifying the HTML layout for a smaller screen size, increasing layout speeds
using WAP Browser forces the device to do this work, which takes longer
Larger financial cost
since more data is transmitted when using WAP, plans that pay per megabyte will be more expensive
Wi-Fi is generally free, so using it instead of cellular network saves money as well
5 browser names and their various aliases:
BlackBerry Browser (”Corporate MDS”, “MDS”, “Enterprise”)
Internet Browser (”Public MDS”, “BIS-B”)
WAP Browser
Hotspot Browser (”Wi-Fi Browser”)
Unite Browser
1. BlackBerry Browser
Only available if device is connected to a BES at your company
All traffic goes through the MDS-CS component of your company’s BES server
Can access resources inside your company’s firewall, such as intranets and desktop PCs
However, it’s also restricted by that same same firewall, just like the PC at your desk
All of the other browsers are outside the firewall
2. Internet Browser
Virtually every device has this browser; no corporate BES connection or email setup required
All traffic goes through one of a few MDS-CS servers hosted by RIM
Sometimes requires that an APN be setup in order to work (on GSM networks)
3. WAP Browser
All traffic goes through the WAP gateway hosted by the carrier
This is the only route where no RIM-owned servers or RIM-produced software are used during communication
WAP gateways vary from carrier to carrier, making problems often difficult to resolve
No MDS-CS present to perform content optimization; entire web page is sent to the device
4. Hotspot Browser
Uses Wi-Fi network to route traffic
Sometimes goes through the BES’s MDS-CS and sometimes just on the local network
Device setup makes this route somewhat unpredictable
Generally very fast throughput, making pages load more quickly than all other browsers
5. Unite Browser
All traffic goes through the MDS-CS server running on the Unite server on your home computer
Common Problems When Using the Incorrect Browser
The web page won’t load
web site is inside the firewall and you’re not using the BlackBerry Browser
web site is blocked by your company’s firewall and you are using the BlackBerry Browser
web site is carrier-specific and you’re not using the WAP Browser
web site is hosted on your home PC and you’re not using the Unite browser
Far more data than required may be downloaded
when data flows through MDS-CS it is optimized for the device, including reducing image sizes, compressing text, and optimizing the HTML DOM tree
using the WAP Browser the entire web page must be downloaded, even if images are 30x the size of the screen
Slow page rendering
data flowing through MDS-CS also undergoes optimization, such as pre-compiling JavaScript and modifying the HTML layout for a smaller screen size, increasing layout speeds
using WAP Browser forces the device to do this work, which takes longer
Larger financial cost
since more data is transmitted when using WAP, plans that pay per megabyte will be more expensive
Wi-Fi is generally free, so using it instead of cellular network saves money as well