Never ending hour glass

I recently had a problem with my Blackberry after I loaded an application. The hour glass came on the screen and nothing I did would make the system boot properly. I tried a soft boot (ALT+RIGHT SHIFT(CAP)+DELETE), a hard boot (same keys twice), and even removing the battery. Nothing seemed to help, the hour glass just kept rotating in the middle of the screen. I finally called my character and was told "your Blackberry is dead, we'll need to send you another phone". I told them to go ahead as I couldn't think of anything else to do. It turns out both the carrier support and I were wrong. My Blackberry wasn't dead, it was just very, very slow. I plugged my phone into power and left it alone. It took 2 and a half hours but finally the phone booted up and ran normally. I haven't had any other trouble with my phone. The moral of the story is sometimes the Blackberry just needs to be left alone for a while. If you get an hour glass that refuses to go away, just let the phone be for a couple of hours.

Bluetooth Headsets

I have used many different types of bluetooth headset with my Blackberry and many types of wired ones as well. Almost all headsets have trade-offs that you'll need to decide about, and many of the trade-offs are hidden. For instance I recently purchased a Plantronics headset with noise reduction. It is the best sounding bluetooth headset I've used, both for the user and the caller on the other end, but it has a hidden weakness. It has a proprietary charger that you must use and there is no way to charge from your desktop using a USB cable. Compare this with the Motorola bluetooth headsets that have a standard USB plug to charge and can be charged using a standard cable and it can be a real life saver when you need to use your phone. The other major hidden difference between headsets is boom mic. Some bluetooth headsets have a boom that will fold back into the body of the headset which turns off the bluetooth. This can be very advantageous as you will always know when your headset is on and engaged. This may sound funny but I often find myself looking for my headset because it is on and attached to my Blackberry. I have to find the headset before I can answer the phone. The power savings, which I always thought was a big deal with the folding boom, turned out to not be that big an issue. Turns out the batteries are good enough to go a couple of days at least without a recharge. I don't use my bluetooth as much as some so I can use by bluetooth for a couple of days between charges. I still use it a couple of hours each day but I have only run out of juice once since I started using the Plantronics. The only other bluetooth that I have used that is close is the Jawbone, which is also an excellent headset. The Jawbone is designed to sit on your ear and is comfortable enough to wear all day. I used to forget I was wearing it and start looking for it when the phone rang. The buttons are a little small and sometimes they are hard to hit when you're driving, but all and all it was an excellent headset as well. The reason I stopped using the Jawbone was because it is designed as a fashion statement and everyone looks at it that way. I remember, when using the Jawbone, people would look at me like "oh you're one of those". It made me feel like I was a Borg or something when I walked around with my Jawbone in my ear. I went back to a corded headset and that was fine but eventually found the Plantronics which has been working fine for the last several months. It is a little heavy, but the sound quality is excellent and battery life, as mentioned previously, is very good. I always carry a corded headset, just in case, but haven't had to use it since I got the new bluetooth. My suggestion, when people ask about headsets, is to go to a store where you can try them on. Clip them on your ear and play with them for a few minutes. Push the button like you're answering a call and walk around a little. If you feel a little pinching or pulling then that headset isn't right for you and you should try another. There are as many bluetooth headsets as there are people that want to use them. Find the one that fits your ear, your Blackberry, and your lifestyle. Everyone that I have talked to that uses a bluetooth headset has something or another that isn't quite right but they all have found the headset that works the best for them. There will be tradeoffs you just need to find the headset that you can live with and use every day.

How to pair your headset - First scroll all the way down until you see the bluetooth symbol which kind of looks like the blue healthcare symbol. Make sure the symbol is blue (on) and not grey (off). Sometimes you may want to turn off bluetooth to save battery on your Blackberry (it makes a huge difference) but if you bluetooth is off you can not use your headset. Scroll up to the Options icon and press the scroll wheel. Scroll up to bluetooth and press the scroll wheel. Press the scroll wheel again and press add device. You'll need to put your headset in "discover mode" which is generally done by holding down the button until the LED starts flashing. The Blackberry should find the new device and ask for a password. This is usually 0000 but some headsets are different so check you manual for the password. This will pair your headset with your blackberry so whenever your Blackberry sees the headset they will link together. The only way to break this pairing is to turn off the headset or bluetooth on the Blackberry. You should now be able to answer calls on your bluetooth headset.

Answering your bluetooth headset - The headset will generally ring or chirp when a call comes into your Blackberry. To answer the call you should push the button on your headset and speak normally. Sometime there is a brief delay as the call is answered which you will quickly learn to wait for. Make sure you can quickly find and press the button as it will be important if you plan to use the headset while driving. You can't lose your concentration while driving and stay safe. So get comfortable with you bluetooth headset before you try to drive and use it.

Typing with your thumbs

"My thumbs are too big to use on this keyboard, I have to use my index finger or a pencil eraser"

If I've heard this once, I've heard it a thousand times. People always think that their thumbs are too big, or their nails are too long, or they don't have the coordination to type on the Blackberry with their thumbs. However everyone that I've talked to, after I show them how to hold the Blackberry properly, is able to begin typing using their thumbs. It's always funny that after only a couple of minutes they always look up in surprise and say, "wow this is really easy". The Blackberry is designed so that anyone can use their thumbs to type on, and do so much more comfortably and easily then trying to use a single finger.

This is how to type on the Blackberry.

Put your hands together so that your fingers are pointing toward each other and your thumbs are on the outside. You'll see that this makes a kind of table which is where your Blackberry will sit between your two hands. Depending on the size of your hands you'll need to have your hands more or less together, just do what is comfortable. Put the Blackberry on your hand and swivel your thumbs around until they are to either side of the keyboard. Your left thumb should sit comfortable over the number keys on the left side and your right thumb should sit over the JKNM keys. Your pinky fingers should sit under the Blackberry to give you a firm typing position that doesn't move around too much when you type. Use the tip of your thumb or turn it slightly to get a good feel for the key with your thumb. It surprises most people that they can type on the keys without striking other keys around it. Your thumbs are actually quite sensitive and are able to find their positions easily after only a few minutes. Don't use your nail and only press the keys with the fleshy part of your thumb. Using your nails can cause damage to your keyboard and, since your nails grow and are cut frequently, you will never get a consistent feel for your keyboard. After only a few tries you'll find the way that works best for you and if it feels natural that is exactly what you're looking for.

Lastly, don't try to type quickly when you first start. It can be frustrating when you see someone on the bus who can type quickly while you are struggling with only a few letters. This comes with practice and most people that I have talked to that are very quick thumb typist say they are on their second or third Blackberry. They also say they were very slow when they started, so don't expect to be a world beater right away. You can start by giving quick email responses or text message responses that are short and to the point. Some of your colleagues might even be happy to have less to read then if you were typing at your desktop.

Good luck, and hope that you can get the hang of this quickly on this great device.

Picking up email

This may sound strange but there are a lot of Blackberry users that don't understand the best way to pick up and read their email. Today we'll go over the basics and try to identify some of the errors users make.

The first step is to set your font to the proper size. This is done in the options screen under screen/keyboard. You'll want to select the font and font size that is the smallest you can easily read in any light. It may sound funny but users often select a very large font because it is very easy to read. This limits the amount of space on the screen and you will be scrolling a lot more then you need to. Some users also select a font that is too small which causes them to squint at the screen or try to read it two inches from their nose. Neither of these is a good option. I found, for me, that the BBMilbank bold at size 10 is perfect for me. I can read the screen without my reading glasses and the lettering is clear and easy to read in any light. Also, when you're on this screen, make sure to set the Backlight timeout to 1 minute. It is tempting to set the timeout to 90 sec or 2 min but I have found this to be unnecessary. With the backlight on a minute the Blackberry will automatically shut off and you won't need to worry about running out of power.

The second step is to go to the messages icon on the Blackberry screen and enter the program. Most of the default setting for your phone will be just fine but you'll need to change one option that may or may not be set on your phone (it wasn't for me). You'll need to click the scroll button and go into the options menu. Then select General Options and scroll down until you see keep messages. Set your Keep messages to 15 or 30 days, depending on how many messages you get in a day. When I first started using my Blackberry my keep messages was set to Forever and with the number of messages I get in a day this soon overran the memory in my phone. It didn't tell me what was wrong, or course, I just stopped getting my messages. After I set the keep message level to 15 days the problem went away.

The third step is to open the program and scroll through your messages. Opening a message is simply a matter of scrolling to the message and pushing the scroll wheel and selecting open. The message will open on the screen and you can scroll up and down using the scroll wheel. When you push the scroll wheel an options screen pops up that allows you to reply to the message or take several other actions with this email. The most important are at the bottom of the menu that allows you to filter mail from coming to your Blackberry. It is a little backwards when you first try them but you're looking at the filters from the Blackberry server side that is sending mail to your handheld. This like giving orders to someone about the calls they should let through to you. This little feature is one of the most important parts of your Blackberry. Filter out the junk mail and only allow the important messages to come to you. Your junk mail will always be on your desktop system when you want it and by filtering your mail you'll get the most important mail when you're on the road.

Lastly, make folders for unwanted emails. Most programs that the Blackberry connects to allow you to create folders and rules that move mail directly from the inbox to the folders on your desktop. Do this on your desktop so only your most important messages are going to your inbox, which are the only ones that will show up on your Blackberry. If you send the message to a folder, it doesn't come to your Blackberry. I had this so backwards when I started using the Blackberry. In my desktop mail program I was filtering the important messages into folders which kept them off my Blackberry. I had to reverse my thinking and filter the unimportant messages instead of the important ones.

Hope this helps you set up your email on your Blackberry. It is a great tool that allows you to pick up and answer email from anywhere. It is the most important piece of this great tool.

Opening

Hey everyone, this is a blog about my experiences, and those of others, using their RIM Blackberry. I know everyone says they love their Blackberry but are there any negatives? In this blog we will explore the best that the Blackberry has to offer and also the worst. It will be an opportunity for us to share our experiences with these little phones that rule our lives. Last week my Blackberry went down and I had to order a replacement. I didn't know, until then, how integrated the gadget had become in my life. I used to spend hours of my day pouring through my company email and trying to catch the train that was flying past. Often when I called back the answer I got was, "We already fixed the problem another way". If you like being in the middle of the action or just hate spending hours of your day sifting through email then the Blackberry can be a lifesaver. It does, however, make you much more accessible and once people find out they can reach you anywhere at anytime then they often do, but that is the tradeoff you make. You will become much more important in the decision making process, you will be involved in more of what’s happening at your company, and you will never be out of touch. In exchange you will be constantly checking your email and will often have a vacant stare on your face when others are talking to you. The Blackberry is the best and the worst of all devices. In this blog we will explore both parts of the beast, it’s upside and down, as well as the software that will help you use your system better or give others another way to track your life.