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.