newBBie.com

Nice blog. I was wondering how the web browser compares to a desktop one? My fiance was thinking of using a blackberry full time instead of a laptop to access her billing info. Obviously, I don’t know if you can access banking websites such as pnc or online bill paying sites like dish network, credt cards, etc… Have you used your blackberry for things like that?

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,
I don’t think I’d risk relying solely on my BlackBerry to do all the bill paying I do online for a few reasons:

* Some of my billpay sites have unusual security measures that I think could be incompatible with a mobile browser–but I haven’t tested them all to prove that.

* I’ve seen where web pages with unusual stylesheets or with critical dependence on Javascript did not work well, or at all, with my BlackBerry browser. The Opera Mini browser, however, seems to work much better rendering stylesheets and executing Javascript. [Postscript: At http://www.americanexpress.com, Opera Mini could not display the home page. BlackBerry browser displayed the home page OK but I got a Javascript error after trying to login.]

* It’s just plain slower using the BlackBerry, and I pay a LOT of bills online. Many of my billpay sites take far too many clicks to do a simple bill pay, so I think it would be too aggravating waiting between pages.

Still, I encourage BlackBerry owners to push their phones to the limit to discover its full potential. Even where the phone has limitations, there may be times where it’s all you have, so it’s good to know how to use it as an alternative.

Thanks for your comment and question.
Kelly

i have a question…my blackberry pearl, when i use the browser, it looks all weird now. it jus has the box at the top which just has the “http://www.” part on it. but i know before that it would have go to and other stuff at the top, but now its gone. and as well… im not able to click like on the “log in” button when im trying to get on facebook from the browser… does anyone know why?

Julie,
When you first open the BlackBerry Browser, you should get some kind of Start Page. Since my BB is Verizon, I get a Verizon start page. Once there, you can press the Menu (BlackBerry) key to get a menu. That menu includes a Go To… choice. Choosing that takes you to a page where you can type in the web address you want to go to. It starts out with http://www. For FaceBook, I recommend you edit it to go to http://m.facebook.com (the Mobile version of Facebook).

Not sure what you’re seeing in your browser that is giving you problems. Is it possible you changed your start page? I set my start page to my Bookmarks page and like that a lot better. To do that, open your browser, then do (Menu key) > Options > Browser Configuration > (scroll down to Start Page:) > (click trackball) > Bookmarks Page > (Escape key) > Save.

If you don’t already know about this, I recommend you download and install the BlackBerry Facebook application. Use your computer to go to http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/social/facebook.jsp. You’ll get a little Facebook [f] icon on your BlackBerry Home Screen. I think you’ll like that.

Let me know how it works out.
Kelly

wow. you got to work again! i probably changed something without even realizing it. and i already have the facebook application, it came with my phone. but yeah, now i can log into websites and stuff now. cause everytime when i tried clicking log in, it wouldn’t work. but now it is! thank you so much! =)

I recently purchased a 8130 and love it so far. However, I have noticed that I receive a javascript error when trying to load some pages – I believe it says that I may not have java enabled (I checked and it is enabled) and sometimes it says I need to install the latest version of Flash Player. Also, I cannot play youtube videos or other videos that I receive via email. Is there a plugin that I can install to make these things work? I looked through the Adobe site for a Flash Player for mobile browers but couldn’t find one.

Donna,
There is no Adobe Flash Player available for any BlackBerry browser–maybe later although I have no word on that.

Javascript is enabled/disabled in the BB Browser by opening it, pressing Menu key, and choosing Options.

Be aware that Java and Javascript–despite their names–are different and unrelated. So, the error message needs to be read carefully to determine which is causing a problem. I haven’t tried to run any web page with a Java applet that I know of, so I can’t report what happens. The phone can clearly run Java code, so I would expect it could run it in the browser. I just haven’t been forced to figure that out just yet.

YouTube MOBILE (not the regular YouTube) should be able to play without Java, Javascript, or Flash. The browser basically launches the media player which understands the YouTube Mobile file format and streaming protocol. If you read my article on YouTube Mobile, you’ll know that it’s hit-and-miss with our BlackBerrys. Everybody seems to have a different experience, and it seems to change over time. Recently, I was in an area with a good, strong signal, and it played beautifully for me. Other times, I can’t get anything to play. I keep claiming it’s more an issue of signal strength and the carrier’s network congestion/performance. The media player may also need to be made more robust in the face of network errors. I feel like we’re on the brink of having it work acceptably soon.
Kelly

Dear Sir,
I am planning to get the BB Bold. One of the reasons I want be online 24/7 while mobile is to check some quotes. The site from where I do this requires me to download adobe flash. There is a lot of confusion on whether this works on the Bold . Please, need a confirmed reply before i take the decision.

- Rajeev

Rajeev,
The BlackBerry OS, used on the new Bold and other models, does NOT yet have an Adobe Flash player that is compatible with it. Adobe has not developed that player for the BlackBerry OS. I don’t think anyone knows if, or when, that might happen.

When you browse your favorite site with a regular computer browser, it requires Flash. Many web sites have alternate pages for mobile browsers. Possibly your favorite site has a mobile version, too, and it does not require Flash. If so, your Bold might be able to access and render those pages properly. Look on your site for a link or information that might indicate a mobile version of the site. Or email the site administrator and ask. I would think it is quite possible.

I hope something works out for you. Let me know, please.
Kelly

Hi there

I just purchased a BB Bold and have set it up. Everything is working okay except that I have two email inboxes, one called “Messages” and the other called my email address. I also have two brower icons, one called “Internet Browser” and the other just called “Browser”. Is this usual? If not, what to do?

Thanks

Nigel,
Hello, my Australian friend. It’s normal to have the Messages folder along with separate folders for each email address you setup for your BB. The one Messages folder receives ALL your messages, including text messages, missed calls, etc. It’s a single place you can see it all.

I’m not sure why you have two browser icons. The Bold hasn’t been released here in the US, so I haven’t had a chance to play with it or its new OS. If the icons are duplicates and you don’t want to see both, you can hide one by highlighting the icon, press Menu key, and select Hide.

Thanks for visiting the blog. I hope to be able to have more Bold articles soon. Still, many of the articles apply to all models of BB.
Kelly

Does the bb bold have acces to you tube

Joseph,
All the newer models of BlackBerry can access YouTube Mobile (m.youtube.com). However, I don’t think performance is perfect on any phone that I know of. Read my article on this blog about YouTube Mobile (but read it ALL because of my discoveries after I first published the article).
Kelly

Hi

do applets work in blackberry browser ?

Fernando,
No, at present the BB OS does not appear to support Java applets.
Kelly

I have a BB Pearl 8120 and keep getting a : “javascript: an error occurred while executing a script”. And it keeps telling me to enable my cookies. So I went to options menu under browser and clicked and unclicked everything I could find to see if that affected it, but every time I press the “buy it now” button on this website I get that error.

Michele,
I’m assuming you’re having this problem while using the BlackBerry Browser. Why don’t you try downloading and using Opera Mini to see if it works better. (If you have time, please read my slightly old article on Opera Mini.) Download the newest version at http://www.operamini.com/download/. Let me know how it works out for you.
Kelly

Hello Kelly,

I have a BB Bold with T Mobile here in the US… Great phone, but the browser doesn’t work due to tmobile not having the service books for it… I installed Opera Mini, and it works fine, but I can’t watch videos on youtube because it tries to open the original BB browser and since that browser doesn’t work, I can’t watch any videos… Also opera browser doesn’t let me select paragraphs to copy and paste anywhere else… Do you know of any other browsers for blackberry?

Thank you!!

Yeinel,
I wish you could make Opera the default browser, but you can’t. And, no, there are no other browsers available for the BB at present. Sorry!
Kelly

Kelly,

hope you can help, i have recently just got a 8120 pearl, and slowly getting used to all the features…However i have noticed something strange happen to my browser – when i 1st got my bb there was a header at the top of the screen detailing signal, and connection type i.e. gprs / wifi — this has now gone do you know how i get it back

Andrew,
Either you had something go wrong with a theme, or you BB needs to be reset. In either case, I’d do a reset: pull the battery, wait 10 seconds or so, replace it, and wait for the phone to recover. See if that doesn’t fix it.
Kelly

P.S.–Remember the “battery pull” trick for times when your phone demonstrates any bizarre behavior. Also, for a Pearl, read my articles on memory problems and SoftReset.

I have a blackberry pearl 8130. When i try to watch videos in the “open” category i get a error message. Whats the issue? I have may changed some settings in my browser configuration, maybe thats the issue. Is there anyway to reset it to normal? ; Help.

I have the blackberry bold finally. I tried to visit a site http://www.airarabia.com and to my suprise the blackberry bold browser kept on showing running scripts while the nokia E90 loaded the site in minutes. Is there something wrong with my BB browser settings? Please advise.

- rajeev

Rajeev,
AirArabia.com uses a number of JavaScript programs for its web pages. It’s very possible that one of those scripts is not running correctly (e.g., not able to complete its execution). You have a couple of choices: (1) Try changing some JavaScript options* in the BlackBerry Browser and see if the script error goes away AND the web page renders and functions correctly (I’m not optimistic that it will), or (2) download OperaMini (at http://www.operamini.com/) and install it, then see if that browser works better with AirArabia.com (I’m a little more optimistic about this option).

Please let me know how this works out for you. Thanks for visiting my site.
Kelly

* Open the BB browser and do: (press Menu key) > Options > Browser Configuration. Try different settings for Support JavaScript, Allow JavaScript popups, and Terminate slow running scripts. My first choice would be to enable Terminate slow running scripts, if it’s not already enabled. My next choice would be to disable Support JavaScript.

Hi. I just got a blackberry curve and I am having trouble with my browser. First, it is very slow and 99% of the time when I try to go to a website it comes up with an error messge. Something like – “An error has occured while trying to render the page.” I am getting very frustrated with this. Please help!! Thanks.

Amber,
In case there is a problem on your Curve, do a battery pull to reset it: with power on, remove the battery, wait several seconds, replace the battery, wait for it to recover.

Check your signal strength. If it’s very weak, possibly that is contributing to slow browsing.

Open your browser and go to a known fast-loading web site: http://www.google.com. If that renders OK, now go to the site(s) you’ve been having trouble with. If you still have a problem, it may be that that site(s) uses some Javascript that isn’t executing correctly. Let me know the URL of that troublesome site. We have to look at some of your browser settings that could be changed to help.
Kelly

I can’t watch videos on my blackberry pearl 8100. Do you know how I can’t see videos on my blackberry?

Hello

I don’t know how, but I can’t change the dont family on my bb bold web browser, and it looks really ugly now. In fact I can’t browse at all. Please help!

Sir,
I’m hoping you can help. I have had my BB Curve for some time, but recently the menu key has changed. My menu key suddenly has no menu items for my bookmarks or a “go to” link. I can not go anywhere; I can’t write in an address. I can’t go to my bookmarks… I have no idea what happened.

The only thing I have changed recently was I downloaded Google Maps. I suppose it is possible that doing that changed something (??) but I don’t know how to uninstall Google Maps to find out.

(The items the menu key now has are only help/select mode/page view/Find/Stop/home/Recent pages/History Refresh/Set Encoding/Page Address/Send address/ Options/Save Page/ Switch applications/Close) I have tried them all. In fact, I have pretty much gone through the entire options and help pages to no avail.

I am going crazy not being able to search or write in an address – I am stuck with CNN and google maps as the only two webpages I can connect to.

I have surfed all over the web on my computer, but yours is the only site that seems that it could help. Can you help? I would be super appreciative.
Thanks and all best

Linnea,
This is a fairly frequent problem but I’m not sure what causes it. First, something you should always try when you see strange behavior on your BlackBerry is to do a battery pull: remove, wait, replace, wait. That resets everything back to normal (unless there is a permanent problem). After doing that, make sure you have a signal (really what I mean is make sure your Mobile Network, or radio, is turned on–but if you have some “bars” of signal strength, you’re OK). From the Home Screen, do Options > Advanced Options > Host Routing Table > (press Menu key) > Register Now. Let your phone sit for a few minutes (I’m not sure how long exactly) to let the phone get “registered” on the network again. Then see if your browser problem has been resolved. If not, there is one other thing you can try, called “resending service books.” We’ll discuss that if it becomes necessary. Please do let me know what happens. Good luck!
Kelly

Hi Kelly,
many thanks. I did two things while waiting for an answer and it worked. I turned my blackberry full off, waited, turned it back on. No help. Then I went to the blackberry online help center on my actual blackberry, not on my computer, and typed in a few questions on the lines of “changed menu key”. Naturally, there was no answer to my question and I submitted that their answer had not helped. However, my menu key went back to normal. Could it be that interacting with Blackberry’s site somehow reset my keys?! Normally, I would scoff but that is what I did and the problem, for the moment at least, is resolved. I have the regular bookmarks, add bookmark and most importantly for me, the “go to” list item.
The next time this happens, and it will I am sure, I will do all the above.
Many thanks for the quick response and for your advice which will now be included in my standard troubleshooting routines.
all best,
Linnea

Linnea,
I don’t think the specific act of visiting the BlackBerry site did the trick. But, clearly, something happened during that time that resolved the problem. Your cycling power might have fixed it but not till after you accessed the web looking for an answer. In any case, I’m happy you got your problem fixed. Thanks for visiting newBBie.com.
Kelly

Kelly, I had given up on finding a solution to “A problem has occurred which makes it impossible to render the command” when I happened on your blog site. Tried your idea of removing the battery for short period. A miracle-it worked. Can’t thank you enough. Will be watching your site in future for more gems.

Brendan,
Removing the battery is like a “magic pill” for a BlackBerry. Use it anytime you suspect your BlackBerry is acting wierd.
Kelly

Kelly,
Now that I’ve found you, can I ask a further question.
Browser on my Blackberry Curve 8320 is now working fine. Sometimes however I get a “running script” which lasts forever. Then a blank page and finally, “the page you requested was created using form data. The page is no longer available”.
If I answer “No” I get a blank page again. If “Yes” I’m taken back to the previous page.
Also I can’t seem to get those Browser shortcuts to work.
Any further ideas would be appreciated.

Brendan,
Sounds like the web page you’re attempting to load uses Javascript (which is very common), and the BlackBerry Browser is having trouble with it (also very common). The script that’s failing might not be that important. Try going into browser options and change Javascript settings and see if the page will load and function adequately.

About the browser shortcuts problem, I don’t remember what that was about. Can you remind me, please?
Kelly