newBBie.com

Does anyone know if there’s a reson an attachment from Office 2003 can be opened, but not from Office 2007??

Office 2007 has new file formats not compatible with Office 2003. Word changed from .doc to .docx. Excel changed from .xls to .xlsx. PowerPoint changed from .ppt to .pptx. The new file formats are XML (text). So, if you’re trying to open an attachment using your BlackBerry, the new file format is unknown to the BlackBerry operating system. Maybe in a future upgrade to the BlackBerry OS, the new Office 2007 XML files can be opened. Now, if you can get people who send you Office 2007 file attachments to do a “Save As…” in the “Office 97-2003″ format, you should be able to open their attachments.

Microsoft offers a “compatibility pack” that will allow you to open Office 2007 files in Office 2003. See http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100444731033.aspx .

Great site. I recently found it after my husband purchased my BB for my birthday. I am loving it so far!

When the user guide says you can “view” the different types of files you listed in your post, I believe it just means you can literally open them and see them. However, I would like to see the files the way they were meant to be seen. Is there a way to do that? If so, how?

Adobe doesn’t have reader for BB users. I ran across something called BeamBerry, but I’m not sure about it. Do you know anything about it?

Thanks for your help!

April,
I’m aware of BeamBerry ($50), and DocHawk by Terratial ($60/YEAR), but haven’t tried either one. Both have good reputations as best I can tell. I couldn’t justify DocHawk unless my employer paid for it, but I’ll bet it’s superior. I’d love it if you or some other readers would conduct a free trial of those and report back. Sorry I couldn’t help more (yet).
Kelly

does anyone knows if there is any other information about this subject in other languages?

Yaz,
I don’t know of any place where this information is available in multiple languages. Sorry.
Kelly

I am new to the Blackberry Pearl (8130) world… and might be just an old do trying to learn new tricks, that seemed easy before… but am I losing my mind? If I have several people in my address book - why do I receive “No Contacts” ?

I just wanted to send (1) picture from my phone to my daughter, and seemed to have run through all the guides, but I am still lost.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

babs

Babs,
Where and how do you get a “No Contacts” message? Tell me how you’re trying to send the picture.
Kelly

Is there a way to open unknown attachments with 8130? Thank you

Thomas,
If you click to open it and the BB won’t, I don’t know any trick to do it. If you could rename the file extension, you might have a chance. But I’ve observed the BB won’t allow you to rename that part of the entire file name. Sorry.
Kelly

Kelly,
Here’s an email question. How can I disable the email function that sends me an alert when I send an email? For instance, I have 2 gmail accounts set up on my phone. When I send a message or reply using one of these accounts, I get the same message back, as if I Cc’d myself.
Then, when I log I into gmail from a personal computer, I have messages saying message delivered by blackberry. How can I make it all stop?
Thanks!
April

April,
Unfortunately, it’s an issue with Gmail and not your BlackBerry. It happens to everyone. A solution is to set up an email filter on the BlackBerry Internet Service site that blocks that duplicate message. I’ve done it before but the instructions are rather complicated. Here is a very brief explanation (screenshots would be a big help):
http://myblackberryworld.blogspot.com/2007/09/duplicate-copy-of-google-mail-sent-from.html.
Kelly

HELP PLEASE….
I changed my blackberry pearl 8130 email password on my computer & now messages are not being forwarded to my blackberry as were previously. I am extremely frustrated & have searched EVERYWHERE for answers to this very frustrating problem please email me @ Shawni23@hotmail.com

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!

Shanna,
Check your email. I told you that you need to log in to your carrier’s BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) web site and change the password there.
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Great site / blog / thingy!!! Wow my 8310 has certainly put me on another learning curve. Years ago I would have gobbled up everything about a gadget and known it inside out. Not so with this beastie.

Now, as well as being a teacher, I work as a consultant in the field. I receive attachments when on the road via Blackberry. Principally these are small *.txt files that then populate the “shell” programme on my laptop.

Ok, question: what is the software of choice to transfer attachments in emails to the PC / Laptop?

Sure I could fiddle with various trials, but community knowledge and experience sure would be a big help!!

Thanks, to all, in anticipation.

John

John,
Offloading attachments from a BlackBerry may require a 3rd-party application. My research is inconclusive right now, and my experimentation has not let to any solution yet. Sounds like such a simple and obvious thing to want to do.

I’m currently (when not working on the guts of this new site) writing an article that partially deals with this topic. Maybe I will have a good answer soon. Please stay tuned.
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

I have found an app that seems to indicate it may fit the purpose. Check out http://store.handmark.com/p/2066/eFile_Prosup153sup_for_BlackBerry

If anyone has any feedback before I shortly bite the bullet

John

John,
eFile Pro looks like a super product. Since my last reply, I learned something that the eFile Pro web page reinforces. There is a reason why RIM designed it so you can’t get the files off the BlackBerry: They are no longer in their native (e.g., Microsoft) format! Email that gets “pushed” to our BlackBerrys has any attachments converted to a unique format that allows them to be displayed on a BB screen. If you were to offload them to a computer, you wouldn’t be able to open them in their native programs (e.g., Microsoft Word or Excel). eFile Pro makes a big deal about allowing you to preserve the “native format.” That’s what allows you to move files back and forth between your phone and computer–the format stays the same.

Thanks for nudging me into that discovery, and for locating eFile Pro. (Your email address implies you’re from Australia. I never met an Australian I didn’t like. Seriously!)
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Wasn’t sure about the ‘native’ bit. Oh well…about to download and have a play now. Will keep you informed,

John

Kelly,

I purchased ‘e file pro’ yesterday. It installed quite easily and is a 1mb OTA download. It has a windows like file explorer and appears to have its own email client.

Does it do what I wanted / neeed it to? Yes. I’m not to sure how I am saving attachments but it seems to go something like this….

1) You have to view the attachment.
2) Then Menu (BB) -> Save.
3) E file pro then contacts the “network” I think this is contacting your “free online unlimited storage” space as this is presented as a location to store files.
4) You are presented with “Local” “Internal” and “Network” as places to save. I figure these are Device - SD Card - Network.
5) Bit hard to actually find the key to hit the “save” button. Although that is probably just me not knowing the shortcut to find the “Tab” key …

So yes, for anyone that needs to save attachments. This works. It is not very elegant but that is probably the unfamiliarity of the operator rather than any fault of the programme. Ah ha….I await my flourishing elegance!!!

John

Kelly,

Tried to open a pdf. file as an attachment to an email and couldn’t get past the first page. Any suggestions?

Sully

hi!

im really new to the blackberry world, and i was wondering how i can open an email attachment?

Tanya,
Welcome to the BlackBerry world, and I’m glad you came with questions–that’s the whole purpose of this site.

When you receive an email with an attachment, open the message, scroll over and highlight the attached file, press the Menu key, and select Open Attachment. Now, it’s not possible for the BlackBerry to open all the kinds of files that you may receive. But it can handle plain text files, some Office 2003 files, Adobe PDF files, and probably a few more. Unless you have special software, it won’t open Office 2007 files. That may change as BlackBerry software gets updated.

Keep coming back with questions.
Kelly

I just switched to the BB 8100 Pearl, and I’m curious about a few things.

Do you know anything about the way the blackberry software handles downloaded content? Specifically, is there a way to add MIME types?

Jason,
I don’t know how to configure MIME types on the BB browser, nor did I find anything useful with a Google search. What exactly are you wanting to do?
Kelly

kelly,

im Jason S., Tammy’s friend. i have to get a blackberry or some other type of email/browsing type of device for work. i am very new to these devices and can deceide between a Centro or a BB device. can you gimme a call and some advice?

ty,
jason

Jason,
This is a first–getting a blog comment from someone not “out there” on the Internet but right here “at home.” As I said today at the Ingles store, I recommend the Curve because it’s a very nice model of BlackBerry, and currently inexpensive when upgrading or doing a new activation. It’s strengths are full QWERTY keyboard (preferred by most), large screen, and lots of extra memory for loading 3rd party applications.

If/when you get your BlackBerry, I’ll be glad to help you get up to speed quickly.
Kelly

thanks a bunch Kelly. was nice to finally meet you too. i should have the bb next week and will most definatly need a crash course in operation. thanks for the info and ill stay in touch.

jason

kelly,

can i use my bb to connect my laptop to the net?

j

I wondered the same thing as Jason S about using BB to connect laptop to the internet. But I figured it probably wouldn’t be able to, because it would hinder remote internet sales for the cell companies.

Jason S. and Heather,
Yes, you can use your BB as a modem to connect to the Internet. But you do have to pay an extra fee. With Verizon, it’s called NationalAccess. I’m thinking it’s about $30/month extra. The data rates aren’t as high as Verizon’s BroadBandAccess plan that uses a separate device (a wireless broadband modem such as the USB727) and costs about $60/month extra. In either case, with Verizon, you use some free software, VZAccess Manager.

For carriers other than Verizon, I imagine that similar conditions apply.
Kelly

kelly,

thanks for the quick reply. while researching bb’s i see that verizon plans to come out with a new Storm. i have spoke with them and others concernig a possible release date and no one can confirm anything. have you heard anything about this? im wondering if i should wait for it or just proceede with my plan for the other one

jason s

Jason,
That’s the problem with all these new models of BlackBerry. You can’t get a reliable answer from anyone as to when they’ll actually be available. The Bold has been given release dates month after month, but it keeps changing. I have no doubt it’s due to technical issues they want to resolve before it gets in customers’ hands.

If you can hold off until a new model is available, it certainly gives you more options. The Storm will be unique for BlackBerry because it has a touch screen. I think it’s purely meant to be competition for the iPhone. Personally, I’m not sold on touch screens. And I read where many others have the same complaint. My work phone is a Verizon (HTC) VX6800 that runs Windows Mobile with both a touchscreen and fold-out full QWERTY keyboard. I hate that phone. I hate the touchscreen. I can’t read it at all outdoors. Maybe I’m biased, but I still think the BlackBerry is superior–certainly as a phone, email, and texting device. Others may do web browsing a tad better, or play music or video better. But not by enough to persuade me to switch.

I think RIM is freaking out from the competition and trying to come up with a model to go head-to-head with competing “hot” phones. I fear it’s diluting their attention to simply making better phones. So, I think some of the newer models are just a repackaging of older designs to lure customers away from the competition.

I still heartily recommend the Curve, but if I could hold out for a Bold, that’s the model I would want. But there’s just no telling when Verizon will get the Bold. It may not even happen in 2008.

That’s the best info I can share with you.
Kelly

Hi,

I am unable to open attachments on emails that are fowarded to my BB Bold using the Desktop Redirector. Is this a problem that exists with the way the function is set up or a problem with my phoine or the way I am set up???? What is the work around?

Kelly,

thanks again for the reply and the info. i have researched until my heart is content. i placed the order for the Curve today and will be picking it up on Monday here in atlanta.

you run a very nice site here and im sure i speak for all when i say thank you for the service that you provide.

from home,

jasonS

Jason,
Glad to hear you’re about to become an official “newBBie” when you pick up your Curve. Let me know how else I can help.

And thanks for the kind words about the site. It’s hard work but also fun.
Kelly

Jay,
What type of files (formats) are you not able to open?
Kelly

All attachments (Word, Excel, PPt, PDF, Zip,etc) and I use MS Office 2003. The point I am trying to make is that when I shut my computer and not using the desktop redirector then every attachment opens beautifully. I am having issues with opening attachments only while using the Destop Redirector.

Jay,
I haven’t used Desktop Redirector and only know what I’ve read about. I’ve read that it is meant to work with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook, but some have made it work without having an Exchange server. However, there are also lots of reports of it not working well without Exchange.
Kelly

I GOT IT!! Man this thing is great. with all the research i did before the purchase and the comments i read here i was able to go from box to use in a matter of minutes. im still playing with the Media and looking for a way to d/l full length movies so ill keep you posted.

js

Jason,
Glad you’re an offical “newBBie” now. About the movies, it will be all about ripping a DVD and then converting it into a format that plays well on your Curve. Here are some choices or decisions you’ll have: (1) whether to break the movie down into pieces (e.g., “chapters”) or to leave it whole, and (2) which file format to use. I’d start small and experiment with several video file formats to see which performed better on the phone. Theoretically, several formats might be acceptable. But in practice, I’ll bet one format plays better, or possibly some formats have problems. Within a single format, a file can be formatted using a number of different settings. So within a format, you might find conversion parameters that yield better or worse performance on your phone.

I haven’t experimented much with my BlackBerry phones like I did extensively with an older LG phone (solely due to lack of time). But I learned a lot from that experimentation about how finicky a phone can be about video playback. For example, my old LG phone sometimes rebooted itself during the middle of a video if it was too long. But not always, just sometimes–strange. I don’t know what you’ll find with your Curve. But I’d love to know what you find!!!

So, please stay in touch, and ask me about video conversion if you have questions. I have at least some experience with that, but certainly don’t claim to be an expert by any means. (I do have friends with way more expertise that I can ask.)
Kelly

Used my BB as a tethered moden last night and it worked GREAT! i was able to surf the web with my gateway laptop at excellent speeds but opening multiple pages did slow the process a bit. All in all it was pretty amazing.

do you know if there is a way to synchronize all my email contacts from both Outlook and AOL from desk top to BB? if it was done at first sync i cant see them. do i have to enter them man. in the address book?

thanks,

jason

Jason,
Great to hear you got your Curve working as a modem, and that the speeds were satisfactory.

You can synchronize BB and Outlook address books using Desktop Manager. I’m overdue to write an article on that since it’s such a popular thing to do. I don’t know of a sync utility for AOL, but there is usually a roundabout way of doing it. Almost everything will sync with Outlook, and BB can sync with Outlook. So you can probably find a way to do AOL-to-Outlook-to-BB.

You should NOT need to enter a ton of contacts into your BB by hand. Check out my article about using Excel, although the specifics may not match your needs. But if you can export contacts from AOL or whatever, you should be able to import them into Excel, massage the data, then import it into your BB.

If you give me more specifics I might be able to guide you better.
Kelly

hi. Really interesting site. I have just got myself a blackberry curve 8310 and was hoping i may be able to connect this throuhg my draytek wireless modem at home as my mobile signal is pretty bad where i live - any help as to how to do this (if possible) would be really appreciated. thanks, martin

Martin,
I assume you’re asking me about this: Since you live in an area with a weak cellular signal (I do, too), you want to connect your phone to a Draytek wireless router (not really a modem, right?) via WiFi so you can use its access to the Internet (for voice OR data, I suppose).

Your IP address traces back to an Amsterdam-based ISP that is apparently used by many of my European readers, but it’s not possible for me to tell where your home country is. I’ll guess the UK for now, and I’ll guess you’re on a GSM network since that technology is dominant in Europe.

You theoretically should be able to connect to your Draytek over your phone’s WiFi (assuming you do, in fact, have a Curve model that supports WiFi–not all do), and place calls, and certainly do data. Instructions are lengthy, but here is a place you can start reading:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/ataglance/networks/#tab_ddetail_subtab_wifi.

I don’t have direct experience doing this, but my suggestion would be to first get your phone connected to your WiFi hotspot (if you haven’t already) to do data, such as web browsing. If you get connected and can do data but aren’t sure if you’re using WiFi or cellular, try turning off the radio on your phone (ask me if you don’t know how). Once you get data-over-WiFi, you can try voice-over-WiFi (if that’s what you’re trying to do).

So, I have too many questions to be more specific. Knowing your wireless carrier might be helpful. Let me know how you proceed and what success you have.
Kelly

Hello Kelly,

Great website you have here! I have been handed my boss’s blackberry 8310 because it won’t open attachments. He has the attachment service v4.2.2 installed.. I’ve deleted the service books and had them sent down again, but when I go into an email with any type of attachment, it doesn’t even offer the option to open it. We don’t have a BES, I forward all his company mails directly on to his blackberry email account (not using the redirector, the forward is set up on the exchange server). Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!

Deirdre

Deirdre,
A BB won’t attach just any type of file. For example, it won’t yet support Office 2007 file formats (e.g., docx, xlsx).

Here is a list of file formats supported (if your boss’s wireless service has BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) 2.5):
http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=KB15253&sliceId=SAL_Public&dialogID=214330144&stateId=1%200%20214328957.

I’d like to know what kinds of files you/he are trying to open.
Kelly

I would like to know if it is possible to transfer an email attachment via bluetooth from Blackberry Pearl to my MacBook Pro?

Philippe,
I haven’t done it, but I think I know how it is done. Open your email, highlight the attachment, press Menu key, and select Download Attachment. Store it in Device Memory or on Media Card (I think either is OK). Exit back to Home Screen.

Activate Bluetooth on phone and MacBook. Pair the two. If asked for a passkey, try four zeros (0000). That usually works.

Now, open Media. Press Menu Key and select Explore. Navigate to the place where you downloaded (stored) the attachment. Highlight the file, press Menu key, and select Send Using Bluetooth.

Please let me know how that works out for you, since I’ve never tried it myself.
Kelly

I just got the Bold. I cannot send file attachments from the imported G mail account, such as pictures from the BB camera, and it sucks. Never had this problem with my Curve. Can you help?

Injury Lawyer,
I want to be clear what you mean. Are you saying that you have a regular email setup for Gmail, or do you have the Gmail for Mobile app (see http://www.google.com/mobile/default/mail.html)?

When you say you can’t attach files (e.g., pix) to an email, what is stopping you? No menu option to do it? You try it and get an error? You attach it but the receiver gets no attachment?
Kelly

From an above post regarding bluetooth– The bluetooth portion is correct, at least it is on my Blackberry 8830. Once I put a file into any folder within the media folder, it is possible to “send via bluetooth” to a paired device. Pairing devices is pretty straightforward.
My problem lies with saving attachments to the media folder. I never seem to get any kind of Save dialog. I get an option to open it, and view it, but never any way to save it.
“Open your email, highlight the attachment, press Menu key, and select Download Attachment. Store it in Device Memory or on Media Card (I think either is OK). Exit back to Home Screen.”
I don’t seem to get a Download Attachment dialog either. Am I doing something wrong? I am running a BB 8830 Device Version 4.2.2.196 on Verizon’s service.

John,
Here’s what happens using my Curve 8330 running OS 4.5.0.77 (recently updated from 4.3):

* I open the email message. Actually, my cursor can be anywhere in the message (I was incorrect that you MUST highlight the attachment–that’s not actually necessary).
* Press Menu key.
* Menu options include: Open Attachment, Download Attachment.
* If I select Open, I get a choice of View or Edit with Documents To Go.
* If I select Download, the default is to save to Media Card/BlackBerry/documents. But I have a choice of going Up one directory (in which case I can start exploring the file system and saving in Device Memory or somewhere else on Media Card).

So, it sounds like it’s a matter of which OS version you’re running, not because you’re doing anything wrong. The Documents To Go app came with my upgrade to 4.5.

John, I checked on the BlackBerry/Verizon software download site, and your version of OS is the most recent.

I did quite a bit of research for you and you’re not alone with this problem. Oddly, one respected “expert” that I occasionally consult with has left contradictory answers as to whether an 8830 can save attachments or not.

Your best bet might be to purchase a 3rd-party application that will enhance your 8830’s email capabilities. If you have trouble finding one, let me know and I’ll try to help further.
Kelly

This is a great website and I hope you can help me!
I have a new blackberry storm and I downloaded the gmail application for it. The day I got my phone a friend had sent me an email with his photo which i was able to save as his contact image. Today I had another friend send me a photo and when I tried to save it as her contact image I didn’t have any options to do so. Opening the jpeg attachment gave me the options to go back, show keyboard, or switch application. I even tried to go back to the old email with the first photo and see if my options were different but they were not. I have no idea how or why this happened. But I am absolutely 100% positive I had this capability just a few days ago.

Any ideas??

Stefanie,
Is it possible that the photo your “other” friend sent is not a valid JPEG file? It’s common for unsupported file types to cause restrictions on what can be done with it.

To test this idea, use a computer to send your phone an email with a known good JPEG file and see if it behaves correctly.

If it does NOT work correctly, I would ask you to try the old tried-and-true trick (with older BlackBerry models) of pulling the battery, waiting a bit, replacing the battery, waiting for it to recover, then see if the Storm works right after being reset that way. I’m hoping that is NOT the case because I don’t want the Storm to have that kind of problem. I’m hoping the supposed JPEG file is somehow at fault.

Another possibility is the size of the JPEG being sent to you. Maybe it exceeds some size limit. Any way of knowing how large it is? Oh, wait…you should be able to check your Gmail account and see if the photo is OK. I should have thought of that first. Please do return and let me know the outcome!
Kelly

hey i’m using my blackberry pearl 8130 as a tethered modem for my pc. Its kinda wierd whenever im surfing the web and such its perfectly fine but when i leave it on over night to do a download it just kinda cuts off after a while for some reason. any suggestions?

Jesse,
I assume by “cuts off” you mean your phone powers down. I think there are (at least) two possibilities:

1. Your battery got low and the phone shut down. Batteries can restore themselves a little bit after being allowed to “rest,” so you might find there is still some battery charge on your phone in the morning. Have you tried leaving your phone connected to a charger or computer (via USB cable) overnight while you download?

2. Your memory is so low that the download caused a memory overflow that caused the phone to shut down. The Pearl is notorious for memory shortage, so make sure you follow all the precautions I’ve documented on my articles about the Pearl and memory problems. Doing a battery pull (or use of SoftReset) before trying an overnight download might help if low memory has been the problem.

Let me know if you figure it out.
Kelly

but its connected to the computer so i dont think the battery could die and idk if it uses the blackberries memory to download on the pc or not. i never thought about that.

Idk now when I try to connect using the pc whenever I try and dial the connection it restarts my computer. Do you know why its doing this?

Just wanted you to know that I went through your site and found the answer to my attachment problem. I just needed to re-install the program manager thing. (I forgot the name) But your site rocks. Blackberry Bold rocks. IPhone is a toy.

Jesse,
You’re probably right that since it’s connected to the computer (as a tethered modem), it should be getting its battery charged. I’ve heard of cases where a computer would NOT provide enough charge through USB to charge a phone, but I think that’s rare.

About memory shortage during overnight downloading, you would think the Pearl would not to use much memory of its own, but the truth is as long as the Pearl is actively running, there is a chance it is slowly, little-by-litte consuming memory. It shouldn’t, but history has shown that it often does.

If your computer is resetting, I don’t think the BlackBerry can cause that on its own. I would suspect a driver on the computer.

I suspect you have a combination of problems that is causing such a complex picture. To try to narrow it down, always start with your computer and BlackBerry being freshly reset/rebooted before you attempt a call. Make sure your BlackBerry is fully charged, too. Try to check the battery charge during the night to see if it’s draining unusually quickly.

If you return and let me know how things go, maybe I can come up with more precise suggestions.
Kelly

Okay ill try a few things and then get back with you. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

Do u think that there is a way that they could make my computer restart from connecting it to the net this way? I know that my service provider doesn’t have this type of thing that you can add to your plan. Do u know if they could do that or not?

Jesse,
Your phone is actually basically as a modem when you have it “tethered” that way, so I don’t see how it could cause your computer to reset. (I used to be a modem designer, so I think I’m safe saying that.) The driver software that allows your phone to act as a modem is likely at fault, somehow. I don’t know if removing and reinstalling the software you’re using will help or not. Maybe worth a try.
Kelly

I’m thinking about upgrading my handheld from 8300 to Bold 9000, my question is can i download email attachment using Wifi ?? Will there be a limit of the attachment downloaded ?? CMIIW if i download the attachment using GPRS / EDGE BB will automatically limit it to 2.9 mb??

if i’m using Wifi will there be a limit ??

Thanks Mr. Carter.

Regards.

Dimaz,
My best understanding is that file size limits on email attachment may vary with wireless carrier. Or if you’re a corporate user with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), your BES administrator may be able to control that limit. I don’t think the use of WiFi has anything to do with the limit.

Also, the email host for the account you’re using will have its own attachment size limit.
Kelly

Kelly,
i’m hoping you can help me. MY SVP received an email with an attachment, that have been forwarded to him from his friends aol account. when he tries to open the attachment he receives “the attachment type cannot be viewed on your device.” this attachment is simply just a email. the devices in question is the Blackberry Bold and the Storm. Any help will be much appreciated.

ty,manny

Manny,
When you say the attachment is “simply an email,” that doesn’t tell me what the file type (extension) is on the attachment. The attachment file extension (.txt, .doc, etc.) determines whether the BlackBerry will even try to open it.

If your SVP is using a corporate BlackBerry with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), there may be an IT Policy in place that is restricting the opening of an attachment for security reasons. You would need to ask your BES Administrator about that. (However, since this event is deemed “abnormal,” I’m guessing this isn’t a possibility.)

Could you have your SVP forward the troublesome message to your email address so you can inspect the attachment (esp. its filename)? Or is the message/attachment potentially too sensitive to share?

Lastly, when in doubt, do a battery pull to see if the phone is just temporarily in a messed-up state: remove battery, wait a bit, replace battery, wait for it to recover.

Please let me know if you make any progress.
Kelly

Merry Christmas Kelly,

the file extension is .msg. I’m able to scroll down to view the contents of the mail but when i try open the attachment i get “the attachment type cannot be viewed on your device.”

I also removed the battery for about 40 seconds or so but the problem still continues.

He has no problem viewing the attacment in outlook. so it leads me to believe that it can very well be an IT Policy that you mentioned. I will follow up with the BES Administrator on Monday.

thank you,
Manny

Manny,
I can’t find anywhere where a BlackBerry can read a .msg file format. Please let me know if you find a way.
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

I am a new owner of Blackberry Bold and it’s an awesome toy. I have been able to answer everything I want to know by exploring it except one thing. I can’t seem to find the answer on “how to download email attachments directly to a microSD card (media card). It always go directly to the device.

Any help you can give me will be very much appreciated.

M

Maricel,
There are several possibilities:
1. If your phone is corporate-owned and works with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), your BES administrator might have to give you this permission. I know the admin has to set up permission to download attachments. But if you can download to device memory, then this might not be the problem.

2. You may accidentally have Media Card support turned off in Options > Media Card.

3. If your phone is plugged in to your computer via USB cable while you’re trying this, there might be a problem. But I doubt that’s what you’re trying.

4. Is it possible you have an older version of the BlackBerry OS running? I think before version 4.5 you couldn’t download attachments. With a Bold, I doubt this could be the case.

5. If you don’t get it working, you might want to try downloading the Docs To Go (free version) from http://www.dataviz.com. Even if you don’t use Docs To Go, it might get this feature working.

Kelly