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

Hi Kelly,

I have a corp owned BB Curve 8320. I can send and receive emails with attachments and can also receive text messgaes from cell phones without attachments. What I can’t receive are texts from cell phones with attachments. I contacted my IT department and they said there is no setting on the server to restrict this, so I am wondering if there is a setting on the phone that needs to be changed, or if the BB is bad (although I would think that I wouldn’t get emails with attachment either if this were the case). My co-workers with the same BB going through the same server are not having this issue. Any advise? Thanks.

Daryl,
Text messages (SMS) can’t have attachments, if that’s what you’re asking. That’s impossible. I’m not sure what your co-workers are referring to. Only an email message can have an attachment, and only if your BES Administrator allows it. Have I misunderstood your question/situation?
Kelly

Kelly,

Hmmm. Well on most regular cell phones when you go to send a text message you have the option of sending a text message or sending a picture message (this is what I was referring to as an attachment). I get the text only message fine in my messages inbox on my BB. But if I send a picture message from the cell phone, it never gets received by my BB. As I said in the ealier post, my other co-workers do not have this issue, it is only happening on my BB. Hope that clears it up a bit. Thanks.

Daryl,
OK, now I understand what you’re saying. Just so we’re speaking the same language, there are three distinct messaging protocols for text (SMS), multimedia (MMS), and email (SMTP). Text/SMS is limited to 160 characters and nothing else: no attachments, no pictures, no sound, etc. MMS allows for text plus multimedia “attachments”. And you know about email, obviously. So, what you’re saying is that when you receive an MMS message, your phone gets the text only but no media file (picture, sound) that was expected. Here’s what comes to mind: The wireless carrier used by the sending and receiving phones plays a part. For example, until recently Sprint did not support MMS. I think that has changed but I’m not sure of the details. Another possibility is that for corporate-owned phones that work with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), there are administrative settings on the BES that govern whether attachments can be used or not. Lastly, I suppose a software bug could account for your problem, but I haven’t heard of anything like that. Does any of that sound plausible in your case?
Kelly

Kelly,

Thanks for your response. It’s not that I receive the message but no media, I don’t recieve the message at all. Upon further testing today that has changed a bit. If I send a pic message to my BB from my cell using my email address (which it’s linked to through work), I get the text and the media. If I try to do the same and send it to my BB phone # no message or media comes through on my BB. This seems strange since I can send a text only message from my cell to my BB# and receive it just fine. When I send the same pic message to my co-workers BB using their BB phone# they receive it. So long story short, it works using an email address but not by BB phone#, which once again is only affecting my BB. Thanks again in advance for your help.

Daryl,
Thanks for the additional information. So, email works–great. Text (SMS) messaging works–super. MMS, however, seems NOT to work entirely: you can send a pix message to your friends’ BBs and it works, but when you send it to yourself, it doesn’t work. And–to be clear–you’re using the EXACT procedure for sending the pix message to your friends and to yourself? I.e., the ONLY difference is the phone number you send it to? By chance, are you picking your friends out of your Address Book but for yourself you’re typing in your own phone number? If so, add yourself to your Address Book just like your friends are entered and try selecting yourself out of the Address Book. Another idea: have you had your friends try sending a pix message to each other and to you the same way, and it still failed only for you?

If my ideas don’t help any, then I would have to conclude that your phone has a software defect preventing you from receiving MMS. If you’ve tried resending Service Books, then, if I were in your shoes, I’d consider reinstalling (or upgrading, if that applies) my Device Software (Operating System). Let me know if you agree that is your only option.
Kelly

Kelly,

Thanks for the response. I actually got it working. I had to delete the MMS service book “MMS Transport” then went to Register Now and then pulled the battery and when I powered back up it was working. Thanks again for your help.

I have a BB Pearl 8130 and have downloaded the latest 4.5.089. But since I downloaded it I can’t open ANY attachments… no text, no video, no photos… can you help me?

I have a blackberry pearl 8130 it will not allow me open any attachments to e-mails not even jpg files when speaking with the people that sold me the phone they said there was nothing i could do but re route my e-mails and check them on a computer, i bought this phone so i could view my e-mails any sugestions of how i can view these attachements? Thank you

Debbie,
There may be a problem with a thing called an attachment service book. You can have a new set of service books sent to you phone from your BlackBerry Internet Server (BIS). You can do it from your computer by logging in and requesting it. Or you can go through your phone’s email setup wizard to log in and request service books be sent. If you know how to do either of those, please try and let me know if it worked or not.
Kelly

I have a Blackberry Curve 8330. It is my personal phone but the IT techs at work set it up on the Enterprise Server so I can retrieve my work email on the phone. Ever since the enterprise activation, I have been unble to open email images or any email attachments. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for the help…

Scooterpal,
The features that you’re missing must be enabled by the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) administrator. I’m not an expert on BES, but I’m pretty sure there are administrative controls on the server, but also on the phone itself in the form of an IT policy. I’m pretty sure there are even service books for those email services. Your IT guys at work need to look into this. I don’t think you can fix this without their help.
Kelly

Hi,
I am trying to send an MMS video to facebook and it keeps telling me that Message content size exceeds limit. I know that means it’s too big…but the video is only 46 seconds long. Any ideas on how to get this to send/upload?

Thanks

Sheri,
I’m assuming you followed Facebook’s instructions: You added video app to your Facebook account. You sent your MMS message to mobile@facebook.com. You received a confirm code and returned it to Facebook. (The preceding can be done in a different order.) Your carrier is known to work: (In the United States, Facebook Mobile Uploads are supported by AT&T, Boost, Nextel, Sprint, Verizon, Helio, and Virgin USA. In Canada, this functionality is supported by Bell Mobility, Aliant, Solo, Fido, Rogers, TELUS, SaskTel, and MTS. In the UK, this functionality is supported by O2. If you have another carrier, it should still work, we just can’t make any guarantees.) Lastly, are you truly sending the video by MMS (good) or are you accidentally trying to send it via email as an attachment (bad)?
Kelly

P.S.–Even if you’re doing everything perfectly, I read lots of comments that other Facebook members have trouble uploading videos.

Im using a curve 8900 when sending an email, if i attach a picture it always gives me a delivery failed notice, any advise?

Andrea,
I have read where BlackBerry owners using a Gmail account had difficulties similar to yours. Is your email account Gmail or what? If you have another email account, or want to set one up temporarily on some free email service, you could see if the problem persists or happens only with your first email account. Please let me know what you find.
Kelly

I am unable to open attachments on my Curve 8320. I recently was supplied with a new SIM for it, and had to reinstall all the software on it (advice by Vodafone). Prior to this I was able to open attachments! I have tried the service book but no joy. Do you have any ideas please?

Kelly,
I am using a BlackBerry Pearl 8130 (alltel is my carrier). I am having trouble viewing .doc and .xls attachments sent to me via my work email. My account was setup using the default email setup (not with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server).

I followed your advice to Debbie (2/28/09) to get a new attachment service book, then reset my phone to make sure the change took affect. But I am still unable to get my BlackBerry to recognize .doc or .xls files. When I attempt to download the files it gives me this error message: “You are about to download a file that cannot be viewed on your BlackBerry device.”

I recently downloaded the new v4.5.0.127 (Platform 3.4.0.20) and have not had any problems (other than this) since then. I have not been able to find the Docs To Apps on my phone. Which I know was supposed to come standard on my phone. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the help,
Penny

correction: I meant Docs To Go application

Penny,
Try the procedure explained here: http://support.dataviz.com/support.srch?docid=14187.
Kelly

Nicki,
If you tried the other suggestions found on this page, then maybe you should try to install the free version of the Documents To Go application. Maybe you had that before you reinstalled software. Try the procedure here: http://support.dataviz.com/support.srch?docid=14187.
Kelly

Kelly,
I tried the procedure at the dataviz site you gave. (I first had to update my BlackBerry Desktop Manager to the latest version.) Unfortunately, the list of applications given in the application loader are only the ones that I reinstalled after updating to BlackBerry 4.5. Docs to Go is not listed. Interestingly neither is Brickbreaker. I know Brickbreaker was on my phone before I updated it. Any other ideas on how I can get these default apps?
Thanks again,
Penny

Don’t know what I did differently this time, but it worked!! When I opened the application loader there was a complete list of apps, including Brickbreaker, Docs to Go, and BlackBerry Attachment Service (this app suggestion from http://support.dataviz.com/support.srch?docid=14186#3), etc. I am downloading and updating the apps on my BlackBerry.

Success!! Word, excel and pdf documents are now viewable on my handheld.

Thanks for your awesome website and all your help!!
Penny

Penny,
I’m glad you got it solved. Your persistence was the key. Thanks for returning to share with others what worked.
Kelly

hi kelly. i have got myself a blackberry bold and until recently have succesfully been using it to connect through my wireless draytek router via wifi. but it seems that overnight the connection has been lost – when i try to start the wifi service it nows doesnt allow me to – any ideas why it may have stopped working. thanks, martin

Martin,
Great to hear from you again. Hope you’re having a beautiful Spring in Wales.

I need to know a little more since I can imagine more than one scenario. I’m assuming your Draytek is connected to the Internet and you’re attempting to use your Bold’s WiFi feature to do either VoIP or other Internet access. And now WiFi on the Bold won’t connect tot he Draytek. Have I got that right?

Do you remember anything that might might have changed on either your Bold or Draytek, even if it seems that it shouldn’t have any effect on the WiFi?

I’m sure you’ve tried resetting/rebooting everything, including a battery pull on the Bold. If not, certainly try that.

None of my BlackBerry models have WiFi because my carrier, Verizon Wireless, apparently doesn’t want its customers using WiFi. So, I don’t have firsthand experience with WiFi. But I think I understand the workings of it well enough.

If you can share a little more info, maybe that will help me give you a suggestion of something to try.
Thanks,
Kelly

Hello,
I have the bb 8320 and I’m trying to connect it to my Mac to use as a modem …I already have pocket mac installed on my lappy ….I would also like to download attachments from my inbox and watch you tube videos>>I heard that the new OS allows you to do that but so I far I have had no luck… Please help

Tammy,
Let’s take your questions/issues one at a time:

1. YouTube: Are you wanting to watch YouTube on your Curve or on your laptop by tethering your Curve? You should be able to watch YouTube Mobile on your Curve using its browser to go to http://m.youtube.com. However, be aware that reception is not always reliable. Please read my old article about YouTube on BlackBerry.

2. Have you already figured out how to tether your Curve to a Mac? If not, I might be able to help although I’ve never done it myself. It would help to know who your wireless carrier is.

3. PocketMac should be able to help you transfer your email file attachments to your Mac. First, save your attachments to either Device Memory or Media Card. Then PocketMac should be able to let you view (and transfer) files in BB memory. Are you stuck somewhere trying that?

You may not need to upgrade your OS to do any of the above. What version is your OS now? Do Options > About and read the version number (4.x.x kind of format).

Kelly

Hey,
THanks for the response ..IM using OS 4.5.0.52….I’ve been trying to find out if it is the latest software ..if it isn’t how would I upload it to pocket Mac ..Ive tried updating it to pocket mac but the page only alllows access to windows users.

I have been trying to tether my phone to my laptop ..no success. My carrier is Digicel…you can google them and check out their

oh and I have been trying watch you tube on my phone..Is there a way to download the attachments from the phone?

Tammy,
I haven’t forgotten you. I’m busy and need more time to work on your problem.
Kelly

Tammy,
Let’s try to get YouTube working first. You may need to enter some APN settings. Your IP address says you’re from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and you say your carrier is Digicel. After some searching, I’ve found some APN settings, but not specifically for a BlackBerry. I found the info here: http://www.digicelsvg.com/en/services/digicel_live/phone_settings.

If you do Options > Advanced Options, do you have an option to set TCP? If so, choose that option and try entering the APN information below (it’s not clear which, if any, will work with a BlackBerry, but you need to try):

APN: wap.digiceljamaica.com (or maybe wap.dgiceljamaica.com)
Username: wapuser (or maybe Wapuser)
Password: wap03jam (or maybe Wap03jam)

See if that gets YouTube Mobile working (m.youtube.com). Let me know.
Kelly

Obi Wan, you’re my only hope… I’ve seen this questions posted and reposted and I’ve tried everything and can’t get it to work. I’ve also spent close to two hours on tech support calls with Verizon and they can’t figure it out. I have a Blackberry Curve from Verizon. On the same night I got mine, we got one for my wife. This goes back to March 2009. When mine was originally set up, I had my gmail account added and then eventually my work email account (via a Blackberry Enterprise Server ) was added. My wife just has her yahoo email. She can receive and open JPG attachments without any problem. I used to be able to. I removed my gmail account at one point and around that time I noticed that I could no longer open JPGs and some other types of files. Verizon Tech Support claims that removing my gmail account has nothing to do with me not being able to open the attachments. They had me do everyone you noted above and then some. I also worked with my local IT group and they are stumped as well. Any ideas?

Robert,
Here are a couple of possibilities: There is a “service” that is required for attachments to work. Have you had your service books re-sent to your phone? Also, there is a so-called IT policy that can restrict attachments. I’m not clear whether your phone is a corporate phone (since you mentioned BES). If it is, you will need help from your BES administrator. Of course, the first thing you should try is a battery pull, but surely you’ve tried that. Let me know if you’ve already tried those avenues, or if you need more help working those possibilities.
Kelly

Kelly,
I have no pro receiving emails with attachements but when I go to forward that email the attachment does not go with it. It happens everytime and they are all mostly .doc files, any suggestions?
Thanks,

Bianca,
It works for me–I just double-checked using my Storm. Try selecting/highlighting the attachment before you click to forward, and see if that helps.
Kelly

Does anyone know if I acutaly have to upgrade my AT&T package to include a data plan (before I buy my first Blacknerry) in order to receive emails? Or, can I access a “hot spot” with the Wi-Fi feature and access them independantly without upgrading my service to a more expensive scenarion. Thanks.

C. Fyle,
I think you need a BlackBerry data plan because BlackBerry email is routed through a RIM server (BlackBerry Internet Server, or BIS) for processing. Without having AT&T set up a plan for you to use that server, I don’t think WiFi alone can get your email. With Verizon, I don’t get WiFi (!), but I’m pretty sure I’m correct about this.
Kelly

How do I send mms texts on the pearl 8130. I don’t see that option

juan,
Open Messages, press Menu key, and you should have an option to “Compose MMS.” If that option is missing, your carrier may not support MMS. At one time, I think Sprint did not offer MMS, for example. Who is your carrier? Do you know for sure they support MMS? Another possibility is that a “service book” required for MMS is missing. You can log in to your BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) account and request that Service Books be sent. Ask me if you need help doing that.
Kelly

Hey Kelly,
I am using a bb 8310, and cannot open ANY attachment types, with a message saying ‘This attachment type cannot be viewed on your device’.
Can you help? Thanks!

JK,
Well, it might just be that your BlackBerry does NOT know how to open a particular attachment. Like on Windows, it must be able to associate the file type with an app that is installed on the phone. You must have an app that understands that file type to open it. Some file types are “known” by the BB operating system without a 3rd party app, but not all. What file types are giving you a problem?
Kelly

I am a new BB user (previous palm treo user). Just bought the BB Bold with AT/T service. Everything works the way I suspected it would. The only question I have is as follows. I will not be able to afford the expensive data package from AT/T. Thus, I wanted to know if there was any way to receive and send emails with my BB using the WiFi connection. There is free WiFi where I work and obviously at home also. Using these approaches I can surf the internet but would like to also learn how to just receive and send emails from my university server or from gmail where I forward all my emails to. Thanks in advance

Michael,
Certainly with WiFi you can access your email accounts that have a web interface (e.g., gmail). Your university server probably has a web interface, too. Gmail (and others, like Yahoo) has a BlackBerry app that should work for you. See http://www.google.com/mobile/blackberry/mail.html. What that will NOT do, however, is give you access to your email from the Bold Home Screen Messages icon. Let me know how that works for you.
Kelly

That was just fantastic. Nice application. What I have done is that all my emails from the university are automatically forwarded to gmail for archiving. I downloaded the gmail app and it does what I wanted it to do. I have also set the gmail such that when I respond it appears as though I am responding from my university email. Because you have been so helpful, can I prompt one more question?

What should I do in my setting/options to make sure that I do not use the AT&T data plan and only use the WiFi at home and work? If I click on the manage connections, I see that there are three. Mobile Network At&T, WiFi Home, and Bluetooth. The bluetooth is off and there is a red x. The Mobile Network AT&T is checked and there is a green checkmark. My WiFi-home is also checked but it has a – (dash). What does the dash mean? If I uncheck the mobile network AT&T box then I cannot seem to access anything with regards to the web or email. I suspect that this is turning off mobile connectivity (turning off radio?). When I go into the Service Status, I see the following. Mobile Voice: Status = Available and Connection; Mobile Network. Blackberry Internet Service; Connection: not connected. Blackberry Enterprise Server; Connection: not connected. Then I also see – Mobile Network: 3G; Mobile Network Provider AT&T; WiFi Network: Active Profile: Home; BlueTooth: Off

Is this appropriate so I do not use the AT&T 3G network and only use WiFi? – THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

hi ive just shifted to a BB 8310 from a 8300.
i cannot enhance into the jpeg attachments.
is it an issue with my particular piece?
or the model in general?
is there a way to sort this??
thanks

brij,
I’m not perfectly clear on your question. Are you saying that with your 8310 you cannot view JPEG attachments to email?

Here are some general suggestions:
1. Always do a battery pull (remove battery, wait, replace battery, wait) and see if a problem is corrected.
2. Have your Service Books re-sent. You can do this from inside your BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) log-in (ask if you don’t understand what I mean), or request your wireless carrier’s technical support to do that. (Service Books partly determine what features your phone supports.) See if that helps.
3. Upgrade your Device Software (Operating System, or OS) to the most recent version. (I have articles on how to do that.) See if that helps.

Let me know if you need more information.
Kelly

hi Kelly,

I can view jpegs but the issue is there isnt much clarity once i zoom in.
in the 8300, there was a feature called ‘enhance’
this enabled me to see the details as clearly as the BB resolution would allow.i do not have this feature in 8310.
is there a way to solve this?

thanks for the suggestions… i have tried recommendation (1) did not quite understand (2), will certainly go through the articles and locate (3)

cheers

brij,
Thanks for the clarification. I have to assume this is an issue of OS version more than the exact model number. My Curve 8330 running OS 4.5.0.77 does not have an “enhance” option, either.
Kelly

Hi!
I am trying to pair my Samsung Eternity to a Blackberry Bold 9000 with bluetooth so I can send pictures to the BB Bold. It asks for a passkey and I don’t know what the BB Bold is. I’ve tried 0000 and it doesn’t work. He’s never changed it. He can pair with mine, but then I can’t pair with his because of the passkey. I’ve called AT&T tech support and even spoke with their blackberry tech support. They seemed to think I was making it up about the passkey. They said they’ve paired with others and have never been requested to enter a passkey. Regardless of that, can you help? You seem to be very knowledgable about all of this. . . .

Thanks!!
Debra

Debra,
If I pair two of my BlackBerry models (say, Storm and Tour), they DO both ask for a passkey, and 0000 works for both of them. With the Bold keyboard, I don’t think you could be entering the zero character wrong, as it’s the only character on that key, right? Perhaps it’s failing not due to the passkey but something else. (Unless you tell me there’s an explicit message that the passkey is wrong.) Are you setting one of the phones to “listen” and the other to “search” (the terminology might be different with the Samsung)? If you are, try swapping the roles and see if they pair. If all that fails, make sure the phones aren’t near anything electronic that might be generating interference, and make sure the phones are not too far apart (like across a large room from each other). Let me know if you try any of the above and what results you have.
Kelly

P.S.–Another thing: if you have a Bluetooth earpiece, see if each phone will pair with it. That might tell you if one of the phones has a problem.

Hello, I am having a problem with my storm. if someone sends me an email with a picture as an attatchment it won’t open the attatchment. It says service book error! Can anyone help? Thanks! Carli

carli,
Service Books are little programs on your BB that do specific functions, like opening an attachment. Sounds like one or more of your service books got messed up. You can have them re-sent. The best way is to log in to your BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) account and find the link “Send Service Books.” You can login to BIS using a computer or your phone (Email Setup Wizard). See if you can figure that out and return to ask me if you need more help. It’s a good trick to know, so good luck with it.
Kelly

P.S.–Wait…just in case it’s a temporary error, try a battery pull (with power on, remove battery, wait a minute, replace it, and wait for the phone to recover). See if your service book problem cleared itself up. You never know, but a simple battery pull can fix tons of problems. If it doesn’t, then that’s strong evidence you need to follow my original suggestion.