(Useful) Stupid BlackBerry Tricks?

Wolfger writes "Continuing the recent (useful) stupid theme: I've recently become a BlackBerry user, and I'm in love with the obvious(?) tricks, such as installing MidpSSH to access my home box remotely. But I'd like to know what more experienced Crackberry addicts can share."

Comments

Crackberry Forums

[peterprior]

Maybe ask in the Crackberry Forums (a Blackberry user site)

Re:Crackberry Forums

[Zro Point Two]

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.

Re:Crackberry Forums

[Dan East]

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:Crackberry Forums

[jon3k]

Also in message view, if you have a day selected, you can choose "Delete prior". I keep 3 days of email on the phone. Also, when a day heading is selected you can press p and n for previous and next day. This also works in message view to cycle through messages. When you're in message view you can also highlight multiple messages by holding shift and scrolling the trackball up or down.

Blackberry Linux Connectivity

[wehe]

Just in case you want to connect a Blackberry to a Linux PC, here are some guides about Blackberry and Linux connectivity. Not much yet, but a start. There is also the beginning of a survey of Linux applications under GPL useful for the Blackberry.

Re:Blackberry Linux Connectivity

[I.M.O.G.]

A better guide to connecting your blackberry in linux, as well as using it for internet is available at http://imog.us/articles.html

Of course by "better", I mean that's my website.

Don't let the battery run out

[sqldr]

It goes out of sync with the server, and you have to go down to the IT department to have them resync it. Fucking annoying.

Re:Don't let the battery run out

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:Don't let the battery run out

[DrLang21]

I occasionally have this problem, and I have never needed to go to IT. I don't recall exactly how I usually fix it, but I think I just manually command the mail to reconcile. Go to Mail, bring up the menu, and select Reconcile Now.

Re:Don't let the battery run out

[crypticedge]

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)

Useful and missing Blackberry applications

[Ed Avis]

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

[Octorian]

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.

Re:Useful and missing Blackberry applications

[Octorian]

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.

Install opera

[sqldr]

It's not quite firefox, but it's a hell of a lot better than the default browser.

Cool Apps for the 'berries

[Mister Transistor]

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.

Re:Cool Apps for the 'berries

[scream at the sky]

Viigo 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.

Torch function

[Anonymous Coward]

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

[servo335]

I like google sync it allows me to sync the blackberry calender with the google calender.

Ping a Blackberry from any e-mail account

[toupsie]

What to know if your employees have their Blackberry turned on? Send an e-mail to it with the subject "" (without the quotes, of course). The Blackberry will send back a confirmation message with the time and date that it received the message. This is also a good way to test if your BES server is delivering messages in near time,

For users of older models, update the OS

[Bearhouse]

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

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Read RSS and Manage Remotely

[jwgoerlich]

Useful trick? The most useful item on my BlackBerry is my Viigo RSS reader. 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. 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.

Programs switching shortcut

[halfabee]

Not too obvious, I hope... You can switch between running programs by using Alt + Esc (the back key). Very useful on older models that don't have an applications button or definable shortcut keys.

Some shortcut keys and generally helpful things

[kansei]

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:For users of older models, update the OS - RSA!

[Markvs]

...unless you're running RSA's SecureID soft token application, which doesn't work on certain BBs if you raise the OS beyond 4.3.

Automatic Key Lock

[awyeah]

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.