As nice as of an operating system as BlackBerry 7 is it is still based on a BlackBerry OS that has been around for years, and, unfortunately, like its predecessors requires rebooting after the installation and updating of many popular applications. Having to reboot your BlackBerry just because you installed an app is annoying, but, having to pull the battery out of your device to do so, makes the process irritating.
With today’s Quick Tip we wanted to remind BlackBerry users that if you simply need to reboot your device pulling the battery is overkill. You can perform a “soft reset”, or, reboot your BlackBerry by pressing the Alt, right Shift, and Delete buttons simultaneously. So long as your device isn’t locked up this keyboard shortcut for rebooting your BlackBerry is lot less hassle than physically pulling the battery…
I received the following question in our contact form:
My boyfriend bought a used BlackBerry and does not have a manual for it. He
does not know the series number. Is there something to push on the phone that
tells him the exact series number so I can order him the appropriate manual?
If you have a BlackBerry but aren’t quite sure what model number it is, all you have to do is go to Options –> About… You will see not only your exact model number, but, the OS version that currently running on the your device. Once you know your device model, head over to http://us.blackberry.com/support/devices/. You should be able to find and download any device specific documentation that you may need as well as any updated software for your device.
A question that we get asked frequently, especially by first time BlackBerry users that are new to smartphones, is how to transfer contacts from a SIM card to a BlackBerry. The process is pretty straight forward one you know where to look. All you have to do is…
As many trackball bearing users know, especially BlackBerry Tour 9630 users, the BlackBerry trackball is a magnet for lent and dust and tends to get gummed up from time to time preventing you from scrolling in all directions freely. This video shows you the quickest and easiest way to fix your BlackBerry Trackball, that from what I’ve heard, works most of the time.
If this doesn’t work, you can always replace your BlackBerry trackball, however, I would give this shot first as it may definitely save you time and ten bucks.
Thanks to William for sending this in…
[Via unsharpTech]
We all know that the current BlackBerry Browser leaves much to be desired. Until the release of the new Webkit browser we’re stuck with this lackluster one. One gripe that BlackBerry users have with respect to the browser is its speed. Fortunately with a few setting tweaks in browser options you’ll notice a significant increase in your browsing speed.
Think predictive text is a feature only available on touch screen virtual keyboards? Think again! Last night while rummaging through my phone’s settings I came across the option to enable predictive text on my Blackberry Bold 9700. To enable this feature, go to Options, Language and Text Input, Show Text Input Options. There it is! Predictive Text Input!
Once enable this option and save the changes, create a message. You’ll now notice that when typing text your BlackBerry will offer suggestions based on what you’ve typed. To select the suggested word, simply hit enter, or, to select a suggested word that isn’t highlighted, scroll to the desired word and hit enter. Pretty cool!
I don’t know why questions often seem to come in bunches, however, over the last week or two, I’ve been asked how to wipe a BlackBerry and restore it back to factory defaults at least half a dozen times. The process is pretty straight forward, but not something that many BlackBerry users do, so we’ve put together a little tutorial to walk you through it. [click to continue…]
I am going to go out on a limb and assume that many BlackBerry users have no clue you can reprogram the side buttons on their BlackBerry devices. RIM has provided this little known feature for some time now. The reason I say this is because, far too frequently, I hear the classic statement, Say a command. I have been in meetings, elevators, planes, bathrooms, and even the movies and heard this break the silence of the room.
Maybe Buttons Are Bad?
I’ve personally hit the voice dialing or camera button on my BlackBerry Storm so often that I’ve just disabled them both. I am sure some iPhone fan will explain that this is exactly why Steve Jobs hates buttons. I don’t believe that the side buttons on a BlackBerry are a design flaw because they are very actually very useful. It is just that most BlackBerry users forget to lock their device before they put it into their pocket.
Change The Defaults
I, myself, don’t need dedicated buttons for the BlackBerry camera or voice dialing as they both have prime spots on my home screen on opposite sides of the screen, so, if your like me and you want to disable or reprogram the buttons dedicated to camera or voice dialing on your device, do the following:
Got Options –> Screen/Keboard and scroll down until you see Right Side Convenience Key Options and Left Side Convenience Key Options. You can set them to nothing, as, I have, or to something less annoying than the voice command prompt or your BlackBerry camera for those times that you accidentally hit the button.
After writing detailed instructions for Windows Phone users to convert DVD’s and watch them on their phones I have decided to help out the BlackBerry community.
The key to getting into converting movies is simplicity. It has to be easy. I have been doing it for a long time and have suffered through a lot, and, now I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, the process is made easier by using DVDFab. DVDFab “DVD to DVD” has a lot of options for you to convert DVD’s. It runs fast and is updated regularly.
