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(Useful) Stupid BlackBerry Tricks?
Posted by
kdawson
on Wed Nov 12, 2008 05:51 AM
from the maze-of-twisty-stupid-tricks dept.
from the maze-of-twisty-stupid-tricks dept.
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What the fuck? (Score:5, Funny)
I thought Slashdot was exclusively iPhone oriented?
I feel betrayed. BETRAYED I tells ya.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What the fuck? (Score:5, Funny)
Very short thread, that... *mutters something about hardware lock-in and DRM*
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Re:What the fuck? (Score:5, Interesting)
Use the GPS and accelerometer for tracing the trajectory of a rocket [lolife.com].
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Re:What the fuck? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:What the fuck? (Score:5, Interesting)
I've said it before [slashdot.org] and I'll say it again.
I have a suggestion. I find these threads quite interesting, but they hardly qualify as news and I don't think we want to see them every day (we're just going to exhaust all decent ideas if we do). Why not do something like this on Fridays instead of the stupid mailbag?
Does anyone agree?
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Hit it with a hammer (Score:5, Funny)
Then jump on it.
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Good one. I, for one, have always been adapt of the old 'throw it in the toilet' fashion.
I like the 'running it over with the car after it fries my MicroSD card.'
Re:Hit it with a hammer (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Hit it with a hammer (Score:5, Funny)
one of the sales people dropped their blackberry into a vat of industrial acid
Holy shit, you make your sales people work next to vats of industrial acid? That's quite the high pressure sales technique...
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Re:Hit it with a hammer (Score:5, Funny)
That sounds like a tragic story that could have ended otherwise.
In the future tethers should be issued with all Blackberries, so that if such an incident occurs again, the chance increases that the sales-type person will also pulled into the vat. It's just a shame that a Blackberry had to be sacrificed with no net benefit for the incident.
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Crackberry Forums (Score:5, Informative)
Maybe ask in the Crackberry Forums [crackberry.com] (a Blackberry user site)
Re:Crackberry Forums (Score:5, Informative)
Just some little tips that people can find at CrackBerry Forums...
1) To quickly create a new calendar appointment, just highlight the date/time for the appointment and start typing the subject.
2) If you turn off the option to dial from homescreen on full QWERTY devices (in Phone > Options > Dial from home screen) you can use shortcut keys to open applications (look for the underlined letter in the application name (like M for messages).
3) Typing "mypin" will put your PIN into your message, and "mynumber" will put your phone number.
4) In your message list, pressing the U key will jump to the oldest unread message. Holding ALT and pressing U will mark a message Read/Unread.
5) Holding the 1 key down will automagically dial your voicemail.
6) To highlight Text, hold ALT and click the trackwheel/trackball. You can then scroll left or right (holding ALT makes it go up and down for trackwheels) to highlight text, and the menu will then give you the copy option (beat that iPhone).
7) On SureType devices, holding the # key will switch from your current profile to Vibrate, and back.
8) Using the T and B keys (on QWERTY keyboards) will go to the Top and Bottom of the message/item you are in. The 1 and 7 Keys will do the same on SureType devices.
9) Calendar/address book doesn't seem to be wirelessly synchronizing properly? Go into the application, then into options. Turn off wireless sync, save the change, then go back in and turn it on to restart the wireless sync process.
10) Address book not sorting/displaying properly, go into Address book > Options, and change the sorting order. Save the changes to rebuild the index. Go back in and change it back to your preferred setting.
These are just some small ones, but there are MANY more little tips n tricks all over that can make your life better.
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Re:Crackberry Forums (Score:4, Informative)
Here's another little tip.
I have many full-length movies on my Pearl, and one of my pet-peeves was that seeking in a video was fixed at so many steps - something like 25 steps from the beginning to end. For a full-length movie the steps were then really large, like 5 minutes each.
By trial and error I finally discovered that holding down SHIFT while rotating the scroll wheel will go by very small increments - just a few seconds at a time.
So seeking in a video has the best of both worlds, if you know the keyboard modifier.
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Blackberry Linux Connectivity (Score:5, Informative)
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A better guide to connecting your blackberry in linux, as well as using it for internet is available at http://imog.us/articles.html [imog.us]
Of course by "better", I mean that's my website.
Don't let the battery run out (Score:3, Informative)
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Re:Don't let the battery run out (Score:5, Informative)
Theres a setting in the blackberry server you can set to kill the handset on power failure. Your IT department set this. Smack them, its something they are doing to you, not RIM.
PS: IAABSA (I am a Blackbery Server Administrator)
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I read it for the articles, I swear! (Score:4, Funny)
Slashdot is starting to read more and more like a Monty Python script these days.
Please Stop (Score:2, Insightful)
Useful and missing Blackberry applications (Score:5, Informative)
The most useful Blackberry applications are Google Maps and Opera Mini (not a true web browser, so it can't access http servers on your local network, but works well for the public Internet).
Those are both proprietary. I have been looking for something to let me use the builtin GPS together with OpenStreetMap data, but after installing several different programs none of them works. I also couldn't get MidpSSH to work, although the payware ssh client from rovemobile.com is as good as could be expected given the tiny screen. (They also make an RDP client to which the same comments apply.)
Re:Useful and missing Blackberry applications (Score:5, Informative)
As of BlackBerry OS 4.6, the built-in browser has actually gotten pretty good. I'd even say its better and more usable than Opera Mini at this point.
BlackBerry OS 4.5 has a better browser than you're used to, but 4.6 is where it truly becomes useful. (FYI, right now 4.6 runs on the Bold, and 4.7 runs on the Storm)
Of course your cell carrier probably wants you stuck on 4.2 or 4.3 until the end of time, even if your device currently is currently supported by 4.5 (and might be supported in the future by 4.6 or 4.7) At least there are tons of pages online explaining how you can use an OS build not from your carrier.
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Re:Useful and missing Blackberry applications (Score:5, Informative)
In 3 seconds on Google:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/rim-software/1871-blackberryos-4-x-download-faq-upgrade-downloads.html
http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2007/05/12/howto-upgrade-your-blackberry-os/
http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-blackberry-discussion/2279-howto-install-reinstall-blackberry-os.html
But basically, you download a version from a carrier that isn't lagging behind, install it on your desktop PC, then delete this file:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research in Motion\AppLoader\vendor.xml
Then you connect your BlackBerry, launch the desktop software, and it'll take you through the upgrade process.
Parent
Install opera (Score:5, Informative)
From "The Tao of Programming" (Score:5, Interesting)
The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master. ``I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard,'' said the master. ``Yet every such device has another level of play, where the device seeks not to conquer the human, nor to be conquered by the human.''
``Pray, great master,'' implored the novice, ``how does one find this mysterious setting?''
The master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it underfoot. And suddenly the novice was enlightened.
Re:From "The Tao of Programming" (Score:5, Funny)
Yet, it is also written:
A master was explaining the nature of Tao of to one of his novices. ``The Tao is embodied in all software - regardless of how insignificant,'' said the master.
``Is the Tao in a hand-held calculator?'' asked the novice.
``It is,'' came the reply.
``Is the Tao in a video game?'' continued the novice.
``It is even in a video game,'' said the master.
``And is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?''
The master coughed and shifted his position slightly. ``The lesson is over for today,'' he said.
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Exclusive blackberry tip! (Score:5, Funny)
It will improve your social life, relieve some stress and you might stop looking like a pedantic ass.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You don't get to find out until you're married.
Cool Apps for the 'berries (Score:5, Informative)
These are some of the best free apps I've tried:
1. Google Maps - Several others have mentioned this, will use cell phone tower triangulation if your model doesn't have a GPS or it's locked like my Verizon 8330 Curve.
2. MicroSky - Nice constellation/sky object finder, if you whip out your berry you can identify that bright planet just above the moon! (It was Jupiter!) You have to register, but it's free.
3. Vlingo - This is really nice - it extends voice commands to the entire phone instead of just the autodialer. You can launch commands, records notes to self, etc. Very nice general purpose speech to text analyzer/converter. The only downside is it seems to transmit and analyze the sample to a remote server so there is a few seconds lag in getting text output.
Those are the best of the best I've seen so far.
Torch function (Score:3, Informative)
Set the video camera to have the light always on. Then set the side button to activate the video camera.
Congrats, you now have a very expensive torch.
Re:Torch function (Score:5, Funny)
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Finally a device to combat trolls!
good app (Score:3, Informative)
Re:good app (Score:4, Interesting)
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Ping a Blackberry from any e-mail account (Score:5, Informative)
For users of older models, update the OS (Score:4, Informative)
I surprised that this topic made it through - not surprised at the flaming response. I mean, the damn thing does not even run Linux...
More seriously, there are a few 'standouts' like Google maps and Opera, but that's about it. Probably because it is closed architecture, and the Java implementation can be buggy.
What I've found helpful is - as a user of an older, non-GPS equipped model Pearl - to update to the latest OS. Instructions can be found on web. You get genuinely improved functionality.
Same thing goes for Google maps - they update it regularly so you need to re-install often. For example, they recently added positioning without GPS, using tower trangulation. Works surprisingly well.
Re:For users of older models, update the OS - RSA! (Score:4, Informative)
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Meanwhile, the iPhone is perhaps one of the most closed and restrictive platforms out there. The only difference is that it is the iPhone, and people will climb over each other just for the chance to lick Steve Jobs boots.
Seriously, whenever I hear someone mention that they do iPhone development, they usually follow up with "And I don't really feel comfortable talking about it, because of the agreements Apple made me sign."
find the trick (Score:5, Funny)
or the trick that keeps the battery plate from breaking and falling off constantly.
Auto On and Off + Blacklists (Score:5, Insightful)
Two Top Tips to Improve your Work/Life Balance.
1) Want to make sure you're not disturbed once you've left work?
Options - Auto On/Off. Set the BlackBerry to switch itself off after 1830 and automatically on at 0830 (adjust for your work patterns).
2) Sick of getting Every. Single. Fricking. Email?
Mail - Options - Email Filters.
My BlackBerry is set only to receive emails from my immediate boss, his boss, my wife, family, and anything with the subject "Urgent".
Sadly - you can't automatically switch them on/off. But at the weekend, you can go in and switch off the work filters. Hey presto, you'll only get the email you really care about at the weekend.
T
Read RSS and Manage Remotely (Score:3, Informative)
Useful trick? The most useful item on my BlackBerry is my Viigo RSS reader [viigo.com]. Viigo has scores of built-in channels, as well as custom channels. I use it to read dozens of InfoSec blogs and, of course, Slashdot. Viigo delivers literally hundreds of posts to my BlackBerry daily.
Viigo's free but, if you have a few dollars, consider spending it on Rove mobile management [rovemobile.com]. Rove (was Idokorro) allows you to remotely manage Windows and *nix hosts from the BlackBerry. Typing command line on the BlackBerry can be a pain, so be prepared to combine Rove with some custom scripts.
PIN Messaging (Score:4, Insightful)
I have a blackberry for personal use. For friends who also have them, I use PIN messaging instead of SMS. For more involved conversations, I point them to the blackberry messenger app that does IM type messaging (including audio notes, images, other attachments) rather than make them install something like jivetalk.
PINs are really nice for a few reasons:
1) direct berry to berry messaging
2) you know when the message has been delivered
3) they can have a separate alert from regular SMS messages
4) they don't eat up messages from the expensive monthly SMS bucket. Heck if everyone you need to SMS has a blackberry, you don't need to add sms to your plan at all. This assumes your data plan is unlimited and your SMS plan is ridiculously expensive.
Drawbacks:
1) must have a data capable cell signal, whereas SMS works anywhere a phonecall works.
2) for whatever reason, PINs don't automatically move your highlight to the latest in the BB messages list like SMS messages do.
3) the blackberry messenger alerts are wonky. There is no "first message" vs "everything else" option, so you either have an alert each time or never. Alerting when friends are on or not must be set after every conversation, vs. the 'buddy pounce' feature of jivetalk. Messenger would be a lot more useful if they'd fix those two things.
MidpSSH Trick (Score:3, Interesting)
Forgive me if someone's already posted this, but in testing MidpSSH I attempted to connect to my server at home and being the security conscious person I am, immediately noted the IP address that I was connecting from was not from the Blackberry itself, but from one of the many FreeBSD proxy servers I maintain at work. It then dawned on me that since we operate our own BES servers, I attempted to login to the FreeBSD server via it's LAN address and lo and behold, I was actually logging into the FreeBSD server from the BES server's IP.
Regardless of all our security, RSA tokens, VPN access, secure gateways, etc, my Blackberry is now a backdoor into Pandora's Box. When I showed the LAN architect, he immediately freaked out. Since our BES servers aren't in the DMZ and actually goto the internet using NAT via a FreeBSD server (behind a netscreen and a router), the "flaw" is actually inherent to the design.
On a good note, I made $20 bucks on the bet that I could prove I could own the network via my Blackberry. :)
Automatic Key Lock (Score:3, Informative)
Most of the holsters and cases made for blackberrys (and all of the holsters and cases made by RIM for blackberrys) have a special magnet in them that automatically locks the keys when the device is in the holster.
Blackberry Storm (Score:3, Insightful)
Initial thoughts, coming from an 8830, wow this keyboard is going to take some getting used to. Screen is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Youtube works! Full screen even. He had some quicktime trailers on it and those looked absolutely stunning (probably better than the iPhone).
It has copy and paste and multi-touch, though it cannot use apple's gestures (copyright). You can however place two fingers on either side of a line of text to copy it. Camera is very good, has autofocus, I think it had a flash as well.
ask me anything i'll try and answer the best I can. Oh pricing and availibility. All he would say is "pricing will be competitive with the iphone of course" and that it "will be out before november". So I assume 23rd is probably still close.