newBBie.com

Although Verizon Wireless, my carrier for a BlackBerry Pearl 8130 and a BlackBerry Curve 8330, isn’t ready for me to update to the latest version of Desktop Manager (version 4.5), I found a download for it and am going to test drive it anyway.

Part 1 of this series shows the downloading and installation of this software. At the end of the article, I look ahead to what I hope to learn by running this newer version. This article is a quick read–mostly pictures. I also reveal where you can download this software if you want to try this for yourself. But be forewarned that there are risks!

Read more »

A media card is one of the most important accessories you need for your BlackBerry (BB). There is simply not enough memory in the phone alone to fully enjoy some of the coolest features that come with your BB: beautiful music playback, crystal-clear photos and videos, voice recording, etc. This article answers some basic but critical questions:

• Why exactly do I need a media card?
• Will a media card help with my low memory problems?
• Which card should I buy? Where? For how much?
• What can I store on the media card? What can I not store on it?
• How do I manage the media content on the card?
• Are there any “secret” tricks I should know?
• What are common problems and solutions with media cards?

Read more »

Around May or June 2008, BlackBerry owners using Verizon Wireless started discovering a new icon on their home screens. Labeled Trooper Typing, the icon looks looks like an airplane dropping a paratrooper.

Those affected began screaming and posting questions all over the web.

This article answers:

• Where did this icon come from?
• What is it for?
• Why is this happening?
• How can I delete it?
• Will it keep coming back?
• Is it worth keeping?

Even if you’re not with Verizon Wireless, what you will learn in this article is very useful to know, as other wireless providers practice similar techniques. Plus, you just might discover a useful game.

Read more »

To make the transition from my previous blog, My BlackBerry Pearl 8130, to this one, newBBie.com, I needed to start learning the Curve. As much as I have loved my Pearl, I couldn’t help being tempted by the Curve. Not for the full QWERTY keyboard, as I am totally OK with the Pearl’s smaller keyboard. But the larger display is significant plus.

Taking a step on faith that this site eventually will bring in enough advertising revenue to cover my expenses, I took the plunge into owning multiple BlackBerrys.

Getting my Curve up-and-running required a few more steps than my Pearl. Little did I know that I’d need help from Winston Churchill before it was all over.

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bold   /bohld/

• not fearful in the face of actual or possible danger.
• necessitating courage and daring; challenging.
• beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.
• striking or conspicuous to the eye; flashy; showy.

Source: paraphrased from an entry in Dictionary.com.

In the face of competition from Apple’s iPhone™, Research in Motion (RIM) made a daring response to that challenge. Fighting fire with fire, RIM made a leap of imagination in engineering and product design to create the Bold™. Read more »

I want to thank all of you who have visited my blog and helped it just reach the milestone of 250,000 page views. Many of you have become regular visitors, so I like to think we’ve become a burgeoning Internet community. Times change, and so do our mobile phones; we won’t always own a BlackBerry Pearl. So, I’d like to share with you my future plans to continue our relationship after our Pearls have become a past love. It might actually pay you to read this post.

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In Parts 1 and 2 of this 3-part tutorial, we covered basic and intermediate configuration of notification profiles. In Part 3 we will cover the most advanced features:

• How to create custom profiles
• How to create exceptions to profiles
• How to handle notifications that occur during the middle of a phone call
• How to set your phone to “do not disturb”
• Level 1 Notifications

Read more »

In Part 1 of this 3-part tutorial, we learned the most basic ring settings (ring/vibrate, default and personalized ringtones, unique tone for text messages). In Part 2, we’ll learn the more elaborate settings normally found only on smartphones:

• Notification of messages (email, PIN, browser push), Calendar events, and Task to-do items
• Notification signal types and meanings
• Standard notification profiles

Read more »

Before you got a BlackBerry, it was so simple to set ring or vibrate options, even a kid could do it. But now…it seems like you need, well, … a web site to explain how to control the bewildering array of “notification profile” settings. In a 3-part tutorial, we’ll learn (1) basic ring settings, (2) more elaborate settings found only on smartphones, and (3) advanced settings. You can choose how far to go depending on what makes you happy. Read more »

Check out this YouTube video on the evolution of mobile phones. You’ll see the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 momentarily at time marker 2:04. Leave a comment on what you’d like in a future mobile phone (or whatever we end up calling it). Read more »

In folklore, a silver bullet can kill all kinds of nasty things like werewolves, witches, and vampires. We BlackBerry owners need a silver bullet to kill problems like:

• low memory
• frozen applications
• email malfunctions
• sluggish or quirky phone performance
• installed themes not showing up

A common recommendation is to “pull the battery” (meaning remove it, wait, then replace it). But what about wear-and-tear from doing that over-and-over? And what if my phone is in a protective skin that must be removed? Surely there must be a better way? There is–and it’s soooo simple! Read more »

A unique theme or wallpaper expresses who you are or what you’re about. Having trouble finding one that fits you? Well, let me introduce you to an artist who defies a simple description: she’s Texas-born but a California hippie at heart, with flaming red hair and a temper to match, loves rock’n'roll and chihuahuas, rides dirt bikes and plays poker, a devoted mom and wife,…and did I mention: an incredibly talented artist. Let’s take a quick look at a sample of amazing work by Cherri Chiodo. Read more »

Your BlackBerry Pearl has GPS (built-in or external Bluetooth), so you know where you are. But what if you want others to know where you are? Here is just the application you need: Blip by BlackLine GPS. In this article, I’ll review how to install Blip on your BlackBerry, create a Blip account on the web, and share on the web with others where you are: all for free! Read more »

Overall, I have loved Verizon Wireless as my service provider, but I am very disappointed with their decision to disable the internal GPS of the BlackBerry Pearl 8130. VZW did that, of course, because it saw a way to generate more revenue by charging $10/month to unlock the GPS and sell its customers its VZNavigator product. Is this adding value to differentiate itself from the competition? Or is this taking advantage of loyal customers? You be the judge. My response was to purchase the GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS Receiver (about $50 plus $8 shipping–a one-time fee) and combine it with the standard application, BlackBerry Maps, or with the free download, Google Maps for Mobile (with My Location beta). In exchange for some convenience, I believe I get superior GPS performance for less cost than 6 months of VZNavigator. For me, this has been the right choice. In this article, I review the basics of the BT-359 and show some samples of its use with free maps apps. Read more »

Learning SureType (continued)

In Part 2, we introduced some basics of SureType® with the objective of learning to ignore the screen while we type. If you haven’t mastered that skill, go back to Part 2 and practice that first. In Part 3, we’ll develop more advanced skills:

• How to let SureType predict words from its internal and custom dictionaries to save you keystrokes.
• How to handle situations when SureType doesn’t know a word and therefore can’t predict it.
• How to teach SureType new words so that future typing will be even faster.

Read more »

Learning SureType

When trying to decide which BlackBerry model to choose, say, a Pearl versus a Curve, a key factor is size. The most distinctive feature of the Pearl is its smaller size enabled by its smaller keyboard. Rather than use a full QWERTY keyboard (where every letter and number usually has its own key, where there are two shift keys, etc.), the Pearl uses a modified QWERTY keyboard where one key is shared by up to three letters, numbers, or punctuation marks. But how can this work? The keyboard is designed to be used with either SureType® or Multitap. Whether you master SureType or not will play a big part in how happy you are with choosing a Pearl. In this article, I hope to show you how easy SureType can be to learn.

Read more »

Phone Functions

The phone functions are obviously fundamental, but not necessarily the easiest to use. If you’re new to a smartphone, or to a BlackBerry Pearl specifically, it can be frustrating when you can’t do what was so simple on your old phone. There are so many phone function tips and tricks I could have chosen from, but here’s a start with a few that I hope you find interesting. I’ve included both written, step-by-step instructions as well as simple animations. Read more »

Recently, Verizon Wireless released an upgrade of its version of the BlackBerry Operating System (a.k.a. Device Software) for the Pearl 8130, updating from version 4.3.0.60 to 4.3.0.97. Having never done an upgrade (my phone is only 3 months old), I wanted to research the “how-tos” and hazards of upgrading before I risked messing up my phone. I did my homework, set aside plenty of time in case something went wrong, and took the plunge.  I am pleased to say it went beautifully, and I have lots of pictures to show how an upgrade works. Read more »

Typing on the Pearl Keyboard

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 sacrifices a full-QWERTY keyboard to attain its very appealing smaller size. But don’t be fooled by the tiny keyboard, it is amazingly powerful. But you need to practice some tips and tricks to be proficient with it. This post begins with some very basic techniques. Try practicing with your phone while you watch these animations. (I use MemoPad to do this.)

To type a capital letter, you can use the SHIFT key (requires two hands), or simply press and hold the key for a moment (requires only one hand).

<– One-click capitalization

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Ever needed to send a message to someone, a group of people, or even yourself, but were driving and didn’t want to take your eyes off the road? Ever wanted to broadcast a message from your phone to a large group of subscribers in a way that brought them all into one conversation? If you ever thought your cell phone was not a messaging powerhouse–you were wrong. Just wait till you see what these products will let you do. Read more »

If you are experiencing any of the above, you may have MEMORY PROBLEMS with your BlackBerry. You may have spent hours on the phone with your wireless provider’s technical support. You may have been told you need to replace your phone. You may have been told your phone has a known problem–a “memory leak”–and that RIM is working on a fix.

Before you finish this article, your memory problems might be corrected. Are you ready to try?

PostScript March 9, 2008: Keep an eye on my post about upgrading to BB OS 4.3.0.97 to see if it manages memory better. I’ll use postscripts to record what I learn from my own experience plus reports from readers. Read more »

Colleagues at work insist that the best group calendaring solution is Google Calendar. When I learned that I could sync Google calendars with my BlackBerry Calendar, I decided to take the plunge. In this article I explain how to install Google Sync on your 8130 and show you how to use it. Read more »

One of the most popular and useful smartphone applications (”apps”) is Google Maps for Mobile. And a hugely popular new feature (in beta) is My Location. If you’re a new BlackBerry Pearl owner, you simply must check this out. In this post, I’ll cover the basic features, a ton of screenshots, and even some photos of how I have jury-rigged my 8130 to serve like a regular GPS navigator in my car. Read more »

OK, this story is almost two years old, but still I find that many people haven’t “heard” it, so here it is. There’s a ringtone spreading around that can be heard by “the young” but not by “the old.” I have tested the ringtone on people of all ages, and here are some of the responses I’ve received:

• Age 40: ”I can’t hear a thing.”
• Age 12: “Ouch! Turn that down!”
• Age 50: “I can’t hear anything but that’s hurting my head!”

Read more »

Want to make your 8130 look as cool as an iPhone? Well, a theme named bPhone created by the very talented designer Matt Rogers of RogersMJ.com is just what you need! RogersMJ offers three versions of the bPhone theme: Icon, Zen, and Today. See some screenshoots below… Read more »

Ever tried to watch a video and your display kept going dark because of the backlight timeout? The maximum time you can set it for is 2 minutes but normally I have mine set to 30 seconds to save on battery charge. What about when you’re a passenger* in a car using Google Maps or BlackBerry Maps to help with directions–same problem? Have to keep clicking the trackball to get the display to come back on? Well, there is an old BlackBerry app from years ago that I dug up that surprisingly works for the new 8130: BBLight. This app gives you several ways to keep your display lit when you want but with enough safeguard to keep from draining your battery. Read more »

When I decided to take the plunge and install my first application (”app”) on my 8130, I googled to find out what other BlackBerry owners considered was a “must have” app. Opera Mini™ 4 turned out to be perhaps the most highly recommended. Having developed web pages for years, I know that no single browser is perfect. When a web page doesn’t seem to be rendering or functioning correctly, it’s always good to try that same page under a different browser. Often, the page works/renders correctly, or at least better, under another browser.

However, when I visited the Opera Mini web site, and scanned the list of “supported” phones, it was implied that only the Pearl 8100, not the 8130, was supported, and Verizon not at all. I later discovered that “not supported” means “not yet fully tested by Opera Software ASA and verified to fully work correctly.” So, I decided to do as much of that testing as possible on my own. Here’s what I found… Read more »

RETRACTION: Feedback from blog readers like you led me to follow up and do more investigation. As a result, I am posting below new information that will give readers a more realistic assessment of the experience they can expect with YouTube Mobile. Read more »

When I upgraded to a BlackBerry, Verizon customer support transferred 100+ contacts from my old (non-smartphone) phone into my new phone. It worked except that many of the first, middle, and last names got mixed up. Shortly thereafter, I needed to enter a big batch of new contacts by hand. I REALLY didn’t want to do all that data entry using the BlackBerry keyboard. So, I found a way to manage my contacts using my desktop computer, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and Microsoft Excel. Read more »

PC Magazine has published a review of the BlackBerry Pearl 8130. Synopsis:

• Published January 8, 2008
• Review is objective, balanced, and very positive overall
• Reviews look-and-feel, keyboard, voice quality, media player, email, browser, camera, and more
• Compares Verizon and Sprint versions
• Compares some aspects of 8130 to BlackBerry 8100 and 8830, Motorola Q, and Apple iPhone

Ever misplaced your cellphone? Of course you have.

Tried calling it with another phone and listening for the ring, only to remember you had left it in vibrate or silent mode? A helpless feeling, isn’t it?

“Find My Berry” is an application (”app”) that is really helpful in this situation. A $4.95 purchase from Mobireport, you almost can’t afford NOT to have this app. So, how does it work? Read more »

[Postscript: I am not blaming Viigo, as shortage of memory was likely the culprit. Before jumping to conclusions, please read my entire post plus the comment left by Viigo support. Since posting this, Viigo is still working wonderfully for me now that I have freed up some memory.]

Viigo™ is a highly-recommended (and free) RSS feed reader for the BlackBerry (and other platforms). I don’t know what went wrong, but the first time I downloaded and installed it, something went terribly wrong. I was able to fix it, reinstall Viigo, and am now happy with how it’s working. But here’s the story in case something like this has happened to you…

Read more »

PostScript, March 9, 2008: Verizon Wireless 8130 owners take note that Verizon recently released a new version of the BlackBerry Operating System (OS) for your phone. So if you follow the directions in the article, you will download “Device Software” (same as the OS) version 4.3.0.97 that might be newer than what is currently installed on your phone. Connecting your phone and starting up the Desktop Manager will draw you into updating the internal software (OS) of your phone whether you wanted to or not. If this is confusing to you, leave me a question below. For more information, see my article on upgrading the operating system. Kelly

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Maybe I missed something but when I installed the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software that came with my phone, I thought I installed everything I needed. Apparently, I didn’t–but I’m not sure who was at fault. No matter, as I learned how to fix it.

My first attempt at installing an application (”app”) on my BlackBerry was with one that came highly recommended: Opera Mini (a free browser that is a worthwhile alternate to the standard BlackBerry Browser). Read more »

I was a little nervous about installing my first application (”app”) on my BlackBerry for fear of messing it up. I know from years of using desktop computers that poorly-coded or misconfigured apps can create a host of problems. My fears turned out to be well-founded, but that is another post.

I’ve learned that apps can be installed two basic ways: (1) download and install over-the-air (OTA) using the phone itself, or (2) download to a desktop computer and install using BlackBerry Desktop Manager software (comes with phone, or it’s a free download). At least one app I’ve found offers only OTA installation.

I’ve learned that apps can be found for free, cheap, and expensive–just like most other things in life. And some of the best are free! Read more »

What do you need to know about using (or not) your BlackBerry on an airplane? The short answer is that you will be directed to turn off your cellular telephone shortly before take-off, and you will be allowed to turn it on shortly after landing. But…your BlackBerry is a smartphone, not just a cellular telephone! There are different rules for “portable electronic devices” (e.g., laptop computers, handheld games, MP3 players, video cameras, and PDAs). What if you want to use your phone like a portable electronic device to listen to music, watch a video, compose a message to send later, take pictures, play a game, run an application, etc.? This post digs a bit deeper into the issue than your airline crew or their in-flight information magazine will explain. Read more »

An incredibly thorough Flash-based online tutorial for the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 can be found at BlackBerryPearl.com. (Or see the Getting Started Guide page for links to tutorials specifically for your wireless provider.)