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(Useful) Stupid BlackBerry Tricks?
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"Ninety percent of baseball is half mental." -- Yogi Berra
"Ninety percent of baseball is half mental." -- Yogi Berra
Crackberry Forums (Score:5, Informative)
Maybe ask in the Crackberry Forums [crackberry.com] (a Blackberry user site)
Blackberry Linux Connectivity (Score:5, Informative)
Don't let the battery run out (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Don't let the battery run out (Score:1, Informative)
What? I think you'll find the BES server and device will happily resync itself. The only issue is to ensure the device has the correct time as messages are stored against the time of arrival on the device, not the mail server. Even then this only happens if a device is dead for a substantial time.
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.)
Install opera (Score:5, Informative)
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.
good app (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Easily delete a series of emails (Score:1, Informative)
Use the "Search" function from within the email app, when the results are displayed, navigate to a date and choose to "Delete Prior". Excellent way to get rid of a bunch of alarm emails.
Re:Don't let the battery run out (Score:3, Informative)
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.
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.
Re:Blackberry Linux Connectivity (Score:3, Informative)
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.
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)
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.
Re:Cool Apps for the 'berries (Score:2, Informative)
Viigo [viigo.com] is the app that I find I have a hard time with out. It's a slick little RSS feed app that pulls feeds from anywhere one the web. It's a gratis app, but you do have to sign up for an account.
It's way more convenient that using slashdot.org/palm when I have a few minutes for my fix during the day.
Push weather updates are awesome as well.
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.
Programs switching shortcut (Score:2, Informative)
Some shortcut keys and generally helpful things (Score:2, Informative)
Task switch: Alt+Esc
Reset: Alt+Cap+Del
Reorder or hide icons: Alt + Click(wheel / trackball)
Device info / Help screen: Alt+Cap+h
Event log: Alt+"LGLG" on home screen
Alt+"NMLL" toggles network signal level display between graphical and numeric
In the message list "t" goes to the top, "b" goes to the bottom, "v" goes to saved messages and "r" toggles through all unread messages.
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.
Re:For users of older models, update the OS - RSA! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Crackberry Forums (Score:3, Informative)
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.