BlackBerry App World 3.0 - Managing your applications

So, first things first, managing the applications on your BlackBerry Smartphone probably isn't the coolest thing you can do with your device. But - like filling out TPS reports or cleaning the cat's litter box - eventually you're going to have to do it. Thankfully, the BlackBerry App World application makes upgrading and even deleting applications an almost entirely automated process.

There are all manner of applications on your BlackBerry. Some are a part of the Operating System (for example, the Clock application). Others might be downloaded or purchased from a site like the CrackBerry App Store. Still others are downloaded or purchased from BlackBerry App World. It's this last set of applications that can managed with the BlackBerry App World app. Applications like Twitter (for BlackBerry), Facebook (for BlackBerry), and BlackBerry Messenger can all be installed, updated, and/or deleted using just that one app.

 

After starting BlackBerry App World, click or tap the My World icon found at the bottom of the application. Once you've logged in with your BlackBerry ID, you'll see a list of all of the application on your BlackBerry. If you tap or click where it says "Installed" at the top, you'll get a drop-down menu where you can select categories of applications. For example, you could select "Upgrades" from the menu to see all of your applications that have been updated. Speaking of Upgrading...

 

When new Upgrades are available for application installed on your Smartphone, you'll see the notification in the same area that you see new message icons and the like. Once you've clicked on the My World icon in BlackBerry App World, you'll see the applications that have updates, they have "Upgrade Available" on them in yellow text.

Clicking on one of these applications, you'll see the upgrade screen. Usually, you'll get a brief description of why the app needs to be updated. Tap or click the Upgrade button to start the process. You'll get a warning that the application already exists, click or tap "Yes" to start upgrading the application.

When complete, you may get a message telling you that your BlackBerry must be restarted to finish the upgrade. When you exit the BlackBerry App World application, you'll be prompted to do this. This way, you can upgrade multiple apps and restart your Smartphone once.

 

 

Occasionally, you will find an app or a theme that you want to remove. A springtime theme may no longer be needed in the fall, a free trial might not have worked out, or you simply want to remove the apps you no longer use.

Open App World and tap or click the My World icon; this opens your list of all the applications and themes you've downloaded from BlackBerry App World. Tap or click the application's name to see more information about it. You'll see the "Delete" button at the top. Tap/Click the button to start the process.

When complete, you may get a message telling you that your BlackBerry must be restarted to finish the deletion. When you exit the BlackBerry App World application, you'll be prompted to do this. This way, you can delete multiple apps and restart your Smartphone once.

BlackBerry App World does a great job of quickly letting you manage the applications installed on your Smartphone. Whether a theme; an purchased application; or the latest Official BlackBerry application from the folks in Waterloo, BlackBerry App World can help you keep that app up to date (or even delete it if things just didn't work out). It's by no means the only way to manage the apps on your phone, but that, my friends, is another article entirely.

Wikitude Augmented Reality browser and BlackBerry Messenger - cool or creepy?

The other night, a curious thing happened: I got a BlackBerry Messenger contact request. That in itself is nothing really out of the ordinary; my BlackBerry Messenger bar code is floating out there on the internets.  I almost alwasys ignore the contacts I don't recognize. No, this request came via the Wikitude Augmented Reality browser on this BlackBerry Torch 9850 that I just reviewed. A gentleman named Dustin saw my BBM name in his Wikitude browser and used the application to make the BBM contact request. Figuring that there are very few Joseph Holder's out there with BlackBerry OS7 devices, Justin correctly guessed that I write for CrackBerry.com. We had a brief conversation, and I got to feel like a (rather) minor celebrity for a bit.

The whole exchange got me to thinking. Is finding new BBM contacts using the Wikitude browser cool or a little creepy? When we discussed the feature on one of our podcasts, I remember thinking that I was leaning toward the creepy side. After this one encounter with the service, my mind is made up. Finding new people through the Wikitude Augmented Reality Browser is not cool; it is very cool.

 

We've already seen a couple of videos demonstrating how to find a person's BBM contact using the Wikitude AR browser - and indeed find a person. After starting the AR browser, selecting the BlackBerry Messenger world view will show you visible BBM contacts within a certain distance. Turning around in a circle, you can actually see where those BBM users are in relation to you. Tapping one of the tags starts the standard BBM invite request. In many ways, adding contacts through the Wikitude browser is just one of the many, many ways to add a BBM contact.

How people will actually use this feature remains to be seen. Research In Motion has focused its demonstrations in the business setting. Think of a business meeting on the golf course. I know it's cliché, but a lot of business still gets done on the back nine. Let's say you want to add your new client, Bill, to your BBM contacts. Just find him in the Wikitude browser and add as a contact. No fumbling around with cameras and barcodes needed. Sure there are many ways to add a BBM contact; using the Wikitude browser is just cooler.

Now imagine that you've lost track of Bill. After finishing the 18th green with a 3-putt bogie, Bill just ...disappeared. Remembering that you just found him in the AR browser, you start Wikitude and soon meet up with your client in the clubhouse. After that round, Bill needed a bit more than a soda to quench his thirst.

Me, I think the Wikitude Augmented Reality browser will be used for flirting. Think about it. Gazing through the Wikitude browser, you spot an attractive person sitting across the bar/club/pot luck dinner. Even better, there's a BBM contact tag right next to them on the screen. You tentatively send out a BBM contact request and start up a conversation.

This isn't out of what is already ordinary for BlackBerry Messenger. In Saudi Arabia, it's not uncommon for single men to stencil their BlackBerry Messenger bar code to the back of their vehicle. Why? To meet girls, of course. Interested parties can scan the code and start a conversation.

 

 

First and foremost, you are in complete control over who sees you in the Wikitude browser. When it comes to being found in the AR browser, you can choose to be invisible; visible only to your existing contacts; or visible to the world. At any time, I can change how others' Wikitude browsers see my BBM contact information. By default, the Wikitude browser is disconnected from BlackBerry messenger. To make yourself visible to the Public (BBM name, avatar, and status message), you'll have to connect Wikitude to BBM and set your status to Public. Both options are found at the top of the Wikitude app's settings (inside the Wikitude app, press the menu key and select Settings).

Okay, you say to yourself, I can use the Wikitude Augmented Reality browser to find and be found by other BBM users. I even have control over who can see me. But what if one of my new contacts is a jerk, contacting me at all hours of the night? BlackBerry Messenger has had that one covered for a while. It's very simple to delete a BBM contact (highlight the contact, press the menu key, and select "Delete Contact"), and if the person tried to add you as a contact again, it's a simple matter to block all future requests as well.

In this way, BBM is superior to text messaging. Giving out a number so a person can SMS message you means they can always contact you for as long as you have that phone number. In my experience, it is a huge headache trying to get the phone company to block specific numbers. With BBM, you're just a few simple clicks away from blocking someone from messaging you forever.

 

 

Perhaps the reason we are wary of finding new BBM contacts using the Wikitude Augmented Reality Browser is because it is a brand new thing. There are no rules for its use, no guidelines to follow. Manners and politeness are extremely important in both the business and social worlds. But even the great Amy Dickinson might pause for more than a moment when asked for advice on this subject.

Therefore, it is up to us to define what is appropriate and what is not. For example, if you change your Wikitude settings to allow your BBM location data to be Public, I feel that means that you are willing to get - actually expecting to get - BBM contact requests from strangers. I've met some interesting - albeit random - people in forums and chats around the internets. Is this all that different? At the very least, you'll always have a conversation starter: how much you love your new OS7 BlackBerry Smartphone.

On the other hand, I feel the generic "[BBM Name] would like to add you as a contact" message sent when adding a new contact is woefully insufficient for this purpose. Unless you're sitting face-to-face with your potential contact, you should introduce yourself in the contact request message. How that introduction is made is up to you, but ones that begin, "I've been watching you for the last two hours..." will most certainly find their contact request Declined and Blocked.

 

 

So where does that leave us? The Wikitude AR browser gives us the chance to add and be added by contacts that we might not never encounter without the service. It gives us yet another BlackBerry Choice for adding new BBM contacts. It lets us find Bill - our golfing client - at the 19th hole.

Is making your BBM self available to be found by others really all that scary? You always have the option to make yourself invisible. You always have the option to decline or ignore a contact. You always have the option to delete and possibly block a contact.

Ultimately, the decision to use the BBM features of the Wikitude Augmented Reality Browser is up to you. Certainly, there are bound to be some awkward moments as we as a BlackBerry community begin to decide just what is impolite, rude, or irritating. On the flipside, those who choose to use the BBM features will be the ones who will define its etiquette. Quite literally, finding contacts using the Wikitude AR browser will be what we make of it.

Switching from webOS to BlackBerry

As many of you already know we recently found out that HP has halted webOS, a decision that has probably left a lot of webOS fans out in the wild wondering what their next move was going to be. While this decision from HP does not render your current device useless, it does open eyes to realize it is probably a good time to decide what your next steps may be, and transitioning to a BlackBerry device is a great choice for you webOS users. While some may chose to switch to Android, iOS, or even Windows Phone, let's take a deeper look into how easy of a switch it would be for you to grab a new BlackBerry device and move from one platform to another without any loss in productivity.

 

Many webOS users love their device, they either love the sliding form factor that the Palm Pre brought to the table, or the candy bar style that the Pixi had, and guess what, both form factors are available from BlackBerry devices. The new BlackBerry 7 devices are the most current in the line up, all of them only a week or two old, so you aren't transitioning into old hardware, and all of them running the best OS we have seen to date on BlackBerry devices.  Check out our reviews of the new devices below, and figure out which of the models makes the most sense for your life.

As you can see, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is great for users who want a device with a slide out keyboard, while the Bold 9900 has a glorious keyboard right there for easy access at all times, and the Torch 9860 gives you a large screen with no physical keyboard, allowing you to try something a bit different. 

 

Sure, the BlackBerry Desktop Manager may not be the greatest thing ever, it does require you to use your computer to move information back and forth between devices and such, but it is great for aiding in the migration of data from one device to another. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager will allow you to first plug in your webOS device, and then select that you want to pull the data, such as contacts, calendar events, etc from the device, and then you connect your new BlackBerry device and it will push the data to that.

Another way to easily transfer information is via Google Sync. Many of us use Google services now-a-days, and if you currently have your information stored through your Google Account the set up is even simpler. Simply point your BlackBerry browser to m.google.com/sync, download the application and input your username and password. From here you can chose to sync your contacts and calendars, either one or both. After saving your settings it will ask if you wish to sync, clicking yes will pull your contacts and calendar right to the device, and anytime you make a change, either via web or on the device it will sync across all views.

 

We all know one of the greatest parts about any platform are the applications, and once you get comfortable using an application you kind of grow attached. Luckily a lot of BlackBerry developers are dedicated to what they do, they love the platform and understand the inner workings, so there are tons of great applications out there, you just need to find the right one for you. There are a few outlets available on BlackBerry to find new applications, the first is the CrackBerry Store. It's quite simple to navigate, the applications are broken down into categories for easy searching, and if you are looking for something you can't find through the category search there is a search feature for keywords as well. This can be viewed via the web, and also easily browsed from your phone by downloading the app store via this link from your BlackBerry browser.

In addition to this option, users can browse and download tons of applications while on the go through BlackBerry AppWorld, which comes pre-installed on your device. You will need to set up a BlackBerry ID, a simple process which you are guided through, and you can chose to use a credit card, or PayPal for your application purchases. AppWorld can be browsed via a PC by heading to this site, or can be browsed directly from your device, and is home to tons of applications which are as well broken down into categorie that can be browsed, as well as showing a carousel of featured applications for you to browse.

 

Odds are you have already heard of the BlackBerry PlayBook, (read our review) whether in a good way or bad way, you know what it is, and probably some basics of what it does, but there is much more to it. The BlackBerry PlayBook is a great "continued phone" type experience for BlackBerry users, and while RIM continues to work behind the scenes to upgrade the OS, and bring more features and functionality to the device it is an amazing piece of hardware.  Many webOS users loved the added features that were involved when using a TouchPad along with their existing device, like the tap to transfer information, and many other things, and much like that combo the PlayBook makes a great companion to your BlackBerry device.

The BlackBerry Bridge allows users to bond their BlackBerry device to their PlayBook and view and edit information that is on the BlackBerry right from the PlayBook. Users can respond to emails, chat via BBM, browse the web, update notes, and more all without needing to touch their BlackBerry device. While we wait for the much anticipated updates to hit which will bring an Android Player, native e-mail, and much more to the device, in its current state it is still an extremely useful piece of hardware, and for those looking for something extra, a bigger screen, something a bit easier to work on, the BlackBerry PlayBook fits this void perfectly.

 

We all know that there is no way we can cover ALL the information you will need to make your transition smooth, some will run into some various issues, come up with unique questions along the way, but fear not, we got you covered. The CrackBerry forums have over 3 million members who are always willing to help answer questions, and work with users to get their problems solved. The forums contain tons of useful threads already, but don't be shy if you search and come up dry to create a new post with your question. Check out some of our helpful forum areas below, along with some great threads to check out.

As always, it is definitely a good thing to know the rules around the forums, while we like to have a lot of fun in there, we need to keep it controlled. CrackBerry.com is a family friendly environment, and we take that very seriously.

In addition to the helpful posts in the forum, you will probably want to run through our BlackBerry 101 classes and How To Videos which cover just about any and everything that you can think of.

So, now that you know the move can be a rather easy one, and we are here to support you 100% and welcome you to the CrackBerry Nation, will you be leaving your old webOS device behind in favor of a brand new BlackBerry device? We would love to hear from you, so be sure to let us know if you will be making the switch!

How to make great presentations with the BlackBerry PlayBook

It's that standard microHDMI port that sets the BlackBerry PlayBook apart. Through that string of plastic and metal stream billions of bits per second, bringing a crystal clear; high-definition image to any monitor or projector that supports HDMI. The PlayBook has a standard port that connects to a standard microHDMI (Type D) cable that connects to a standard HDMI port on your display. It's easy to connect; it's easy to use.

Since the day it was announced, it was clear the BlackBerry PlayBook would be a powerful presentation tool. Connecting easily through the HDMI port, slideshows; images; music; and video are all shown on the big screen in high definition clarity. Both the videos app and SlideShow To Go offer presentation modes that allow the action to continue on screen while the presenter does something entirely different.

With all this power at my fingertips, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Just how easy is it to use the PlayBook as a presentation tool? Check out the video up top, then follow me after the break. I'll show you how I made that presentation and where I ran into trouble.

 

 

Probably the easiest part about using Presentation Mode is actually using Presentation Mode. To use the mode, a microHDMI cable must be connected to the PlayBook and an appropriate display device, like an HDTV or a projector. In the image above, you'll notice that the Presentation Mode button in the videos app is greyed out with a line through it. Since my tablet wasn't attached to an HDTV when I took the screenshot, the feature is not available. Once connected to an appropriate display device, the icon will change to white without the line through it.

You'll be able to use Presentation Mode in the videos app and in Slideshow To Go. Both of the apps use a similar button but they are found in different places. To put Slideshow To Go into Presentation Mode, simply tap the button in the toolbar at the top. In the videos app, the button is on the upper right portion of the screen. This button will fade away while a video is playing. Tap the screen to make it come back.

Once you're in Presentation Mode, your audience will only see the presentation side of your show. While running a video or slideshow in this mode, you'll be able to do other things "behind the scenes." You could be playing a video for your audience while you get a web page ready. Your audience will only see what you permit them to see. This makes for a very smooth presentation.

To leave Presentation Mode, tap the button a second time.  Alternately, you can close the app that is presenting on screen. 

 

Featuring a wide assortment of tools, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a paragon of presentation prowess. Yet with that statement come a few qualifiers. First and foremost, Slideshow to Go is a bare-bones application. Animations are not supported; transitions between slides are not supported. In some older presentations of mine, text appeared as the wrong size and looked disjointed.  This was most probably due to the tablet not having one of the 756 fonts that are installed on my computer. In my own experience, I found it easier to create images in Photoshop and paste them into the PowerPoint presentation rather than worry about text wandering about the screen.

Were it not for the benefits of presentation mode, it would be easier (and look nicer) to create the slides as high-quality images. At least in the pictures app, the images have some transition effects. Perhaps future apps will be able to take advantage of presentation mode.  For the time being, only videos and Slideshow To Go support this feature.

Presentation mode is certainly a big plus; but there are some quirks of this mode that can both help and frustrate. Consider presentation mode for videos. While your video is playing on the big screen, you can minimize the video app and do other things, like ready a webpage or review presentation notes. While the video plays, the audience will see nothing of your work behind the scenes. 

The presentation modes of SSTG and Videos will override the other. Play a video in presentation mode, minimize the app (the video is still running on the monitor), open Slideshow To Go, and put that into presentation mode. The video pauses and your slide appears on the screen. Of course, this works in the other direction, too. Putting a video into presentation mode will override the slideshow.

 

 

So how can you put all this to your advantage? The goal is to weave text, images, video and/or the web into a seamless experience for your audience. Using presentation modes, you can quickly switch back and forth between apps, notes, and even the web, all behind the scenes. True, this is all very complicated. It's worth it; a polished and rehearsed presentation will make a much larger impression than one stumbled through with hastily scribbled notes.

 

 

Before slide one is produced, take some time to create your show. You're on stage in front of an audience; your show should be memorable. Take the time to craft what you'll say and what you'll do in your presentation. Based on this script or outline, you'll see what slides need to be made, what music needs to be produced, and what videos need to be edited. This simple step will set the tone, style, and pace of your presentation. Take an appropriate amount of time to create a good show.

For me, I sat down with good old pen and paper to write the basics of my script. I knew I wanted to showcase the PlayBook's music, video, web, and slideshow capabilities; so I structured my show around that. As I wrote what I wanted to say, I thought about what slides would emphasize my point.

Once I had my script done, I had a pretty good idea of what the show would look like. I knew what video files I had to create, what audio needed to be edited, and what images needed to be downloaded from the internet. I had my GamePlan for my PlayBook Presentation.

 

 

A common mistake among presenters is a tendency to read the presentation to the audience from slides overflowing with text. Slides are there to support the presenter, not the other way around. Otherwise your audience may as well stay home and download your PowerPoint from the web.

As you create your slides, remember well the limitations of Slideshow To Go. Slide transitions and animations won't work, so there's no reason to spend extra time creating those effects. If you're using pictures; music; videos; or the web, how will your slides interact with those elements?

For me, I used a CrackBerry.com logo as a holding slide. Built in to the presentation, this holding slide appears on screen whenever I need to transition from a slide to another element - like video or the web. The logo also appears at the end and beginning of each video segment. If done right, it will be very difficult to tell when the video-to-slide changeover occurs. 

 

The people who make movies have known this for decades: music triggers emotions. When the heroine is about to be ambushed, it is the discordant music that lets the audience know that danger is just around the corner. When the hero emerges from the battle, the music swells to triumphant notes of victory.

While you don't have to add a musical score to your show, a little music here and there can help drive home specific points. Music isn't just about emotion, it's also about timing. Some of the trickiest parts of my show have to happen while I'm talking. I use music to give myself audio cues as to where I am in the show. Music helps me keep everything in sync.

 

 

With the quality of 1080p video coming from your PlayBook, it would seem foolish to discount the power of video in your presentation. Whether presenting customer testimonials to the board or discussing the fragile coral reefs in Biology class, a show that includes video is to be remembered. Moving, high-definition images make a connection to people. Ideas with video are suddenly more real.

When editing my videos, I knew I wanted them to blend with the slides. I made sure that holding slide was the first and last thing on my videos. That way, it makes it very difficult to tell when I change from video to slide and vise versa.

 

Now that you have all the pieces created, it's time to put them together as a show. Take the time to practice what you will say, how you will say it, and when you will say it. Just as an actor in a play, you and the PlayBook both have your lines. Practice your lines so that you refer to your notes rarely. It will be this calm, confident, and prepared individual your audience will see.

Now cue up the video, load the web pages, and break out the slides. Make sure you do at least one full "dress rehearsal" of your show before you take it on the road. Take the time to work out any kinks in timing or how you will use your various media. During my trials of preparing this presentation, I learned several things about the video player; namely that it just did not want to play a video file I created. I had to go back and change the video to work better. That's definitely not something I'd like to learn 10 minutes before the show.

Don't forget, you're an actor on stage. Sure the BlackBerry PlayBook has can play music, video, slides, and more all at the same time, but is always up to the presenter to put on a show for his or her audience. It is that great presenter that transforms the boring presentation into a truly awesome show.

 

 

Reset your BlackBerry: the Factory Reset

First things first. "Reset your BlackBerry" is a bit of an ambiguous term; it can have quite a few different meanings. It all really depends on what you want to do with your BlackBerry. Resetting your BlackBerry can be as simple as performing a soft reset or a battery pull. Both will restart your smartphone, hopefully fixing whatever issue you're experiencing. A much more invasive type of reset is a the complete wipe of your phone's data and operating system, using a third-party program on your computer. There's also the option of the Security Wipe. Beware with the security wipe, you could end up losing all of the data on your phone and memory cards.

Somewhere in between a battery pull and a security wipe is the option to complete a Factory Reset. Using BlackBerry Desktop Software (or some command line...er, commands), you can reset all of the settings on your device to their "factory" defaults. And no, this option doesn't return your BlackBerry to the way it was when it left the manufacturer. I checked. After the factory reset, I was still running the same version of the operating system as before and not the one the device shipped with.

Like the security wipe, this type of reset will also remove any lingering IT policies from the days when your BlackBerry might have been connected to a BES. Unlike the security wipe, it leaves all of your applications still installed. All of the settings and such for the applications will be wiped out, but at least they don't have to be reinstalled.

 

 

Even though the reset leaves your applications intact, the Factory Reset is still a fairly invasive wipe of your smartphone. When it is done, all of your application data; saved WiFi networks; word substitutions; emails; and much, much more will be gone. Irrecoverably gone. As in, it's not coming back. It won't be hasta la vista, baby. It will be hasta nunca más. Once the reset is started, that data is not coming back would be the main bullet point of what I'm saying here.

So please, for the love of all that is good, back up your data.

 

 

There are a couple of different ways to start the reset (after you've backed up your BlackBerry, of course). One is by using a command line interface and typing your commands. I grew up using MS-DOS 4.0, so I'm no stranger to typing in commands. BlackBerry Desktop Software makes things a bit easier, though.

In the top right corner of the application running on your computer, you'll see the "Help" question mark. Click on it, then click Support Resources, and finally click Support Tools. Again, that's Help -> Support Resources -> Support Tools. There are a number of these tools in this window, but we're only interested in one of them: The Factory Reset. After you've completed a backup, click that button to continue.

 

 

There are several reasons to perform a Factory Reset: for me, I needed to clear up some permissions problems. I'm pretty sure that I monkeyed around a little too much in my application permissions settings (specifically the default permissions) and caused some things to go all wonky. ("Wonky" is a perfectly acceptable technical term... or at least it should be. I mean if two shakes of a lamb's tail can be a term of scientific measurement used in nuclear physics [2x10 nanoseconds], I can use the word "Wonky").

If application permissions are the reason for my needing a Factory Reset, it would be pretty foolish of me to restore them to the phone when I'm done with the process. So you might not want to do a complete restore of the phone's data that you backed up.

In BlackBerry Desktop Software, you have the option to select what data will be restored. Start a Restore process as normal: from the Device menu, select Restore. In the middle of the window that opens, you'll see the "Select Data to Restore" section. If you click on the radio button next to "Select device data and settings" you'll be able to select what databases and options you'll restore to your phone.

 

The Factory reset is not for the faint of heart or the ill-informed. Not only is the vast majority of data on your BlackBerry destroyed, but the process usually requires a selective restore (or no restoration of data at all) to truly solve whatever problem you're experiencing. Still, there is a first time for everything. If you are careful in backing up the data on your BlackBerry and feel comfortable mucking about in the operating system of your smartphone, you should be fine.

The Factory Reset can't solve all problems and indeed may be more (or less) of a "reset" than most people need. Like many things BlackBerry, the option is there; but the choice to use it is up to you. 

To delete Vendor.xml or not to delete, that is the question

Through the course of many BlackBerry OS announcements here at CrackBerry, many of you have asked about deleting the vendor.xml file. You may have seen it referenced in one of our articles about a carrier releasing an official OS update. You may have come across it several times in the forums. You may be hearing about this file for the first time. The truth is: you only need to delete the file from unofficial updates; that is, updates that are official for a carrier other than your own.

When updating your BlackBerry, oftentimes the first step is to install that Operating System update to your computer. The vendor.xml file is copied to your computer as a part of that process. If you are updating your BlackBerry with the official update supported by your carrier, the information in the vendor.xml file must match similar information in the hardware of your smartphone. If the two don't match, the update cannot be applied to the phone. This is how the carriers make sure you only load their supported version of the operating system on to your phone.

For the sake of argument, let's say that Orange in the UK has a BBOS version 6.0.0.999 for my BlackBerry Torch 9800. Since AT&T's officially supported version is .570 (I think), I wouldn't mind getting that Orange update. BBOS versions that are supported by a carrier are usually pretty solid. Ah, but that vendor.xml file would prevent me from using it. The file won't match the hardware on my AT&T Torch. Well then, I'll have to delete it.

 

 

That's right. The only thing standing between you and another carrier's update is that vendor.xml file. Mind you, if you upgrade to an unofficial OS and later call your carrier's tech support, the first thing they'll tell you is to downgrade to the official version. But for many, unofficial updates are a great way to get the latest stable release for their devices.

The only time you'd need to delete vendor.xml is when you're installing an unofficial update. Official updates have vendor.xml files that already match the hardware on your phone. The update is already official; you won't need any tinkering to get it to work. The Vendor.xml file on a leaked OS (BBOS versions that are not official for any carrier) is almost always blank. You can delete a blank file, but it won't change anything.

After installing the unofficial update to your computer, you'll need to find the vendor.xml file. Depending on whether you have a Mac or a PC or if you run Windows XP or 7, vendor.xml can be in a variety of places. The easiest thing is to search for the file. Likely the file is in a hidden folder, so you'll need to make sure those are included in your search. Once you've found it, feel free to delete. Just make sure you don't delete any other .xml files.  After that, it's business as usual.

 

BlackBerry 101: How to install an official (or leaked) BlackBerry operating system

BlackBerry First Steps: Operating systems - official, leaked, and unofficial

Backup and restore data using BlackBerry Desktop Manager 6

Connect Facebook, Twitter, and BBM to your BlackBerry Contacts

 

I think we can all agree that a BlackBerry has one primary purpose: communication. Text messages, emails, and that wonderful keyboard all come together to make the BlackBerry a hub of communication. In these new days of social media, those aren't the only way to talk to others. Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry Messenger are just three newer ways to connect to the world around you.

The contacts application on your BlackBerry isn't just a place to store your friends' and family's phone numbers and email addresses. Anniversaries, addresses, and birthdays are in there too, but that's not what I'm talking about. Using the official apps for Twitter, Facebook, BBM, etc., you can link people you know from these social applications to their contact on your BlackBerry.

"Oh, cool." you think to yourself as you throw confetti ironically into the air. "Yay," you add. Hold off on the ironic confetti-throwing and sarcastic cheers for a moment, this is actually pretty cool. Linked to Facebook, Twitter, or BBB; your contacts' pictures can be updated with their avatar from those services and app.  Opening the person's BlackBerry contact gives you a quick look at the person's last few tweets, emails, or wall posts. After finding your contact - in the address book or through universal search - a touch of a button is all that is required to instantly message a contact in a variety of ways. See? Not too shabby; read on to find out how.

 

 

That's a good question. To answer it, I say Why not? "That's a good reason for almost anything - a bit used perhaps, but still quite serviceable." More than that, BlackBerry is about choice. Just about everything you do on your BlackBerry can be done in more than one way. Think about the clock; there are at least three different ways to get to it. While you may not use every option, it's still nice to know that you have a choice.

Consider this situation. Yesterday in the US was Father's Days. Millions of people around the states watch Big Daddy and are reminded just how much their dads mean to them. Okay, not really, but it's a day to give thanks for our dads. To wish him a happy Father's Day, I first found my dad in my visual address book. A touch and hold (on the Torch, it's click and hold on other OS6 devices) of his icon opened a popup window with all the various ways I could contact him.

I sent my dad a text message, an email, a BBM, and posted on his Facebook wall all from clicking that one icon. If he was on Twitter, you can be sure he would have gotten a push notification about his new mention. Oh, and I called him, too. But that goes without saying.

 

Open BlackBerry Messenger and find the BBM contact that you would like to connect to your BlackBerry Contacts. Highlight the contact, and press the menu key to choose "View Contact Profile." Inside the profile, press the menu key again and select "Link with BlackBerry Contact." Select the contact you wish to pair with BBM. You'll get the option to use your contact's BBM avatar as the picture in your BlackBerry Contacts. 

 

 

Using the offical Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app, this is very similar to connecting a contact from BBM. You'll start by going to your list of Facebook friends. Highlight a friend that you want to connect to your BlackBerry contacts, and press the menu key. Just as before, you'll choose "Link with BlackBerry Contact

 

 

In Twitter for BlackBerry, view a person's profile. Could be a follower, someone you follow, anybody; just view their profile page - the one where you can choose to follow or unfollow someone. Press the menu button and select "Link with BlackBerry Contact" From here....ah, I think you've got it from here.

 

 

 

 

These are just a few of the ways you can add contact options to your BlackBerry...well, contacts. After making all of these connections, you can use the contacts application to view that person's most recent conversations. It won't matter if that conversation was by email or Twitter, it shows up inside that person's contacts.

Universal search makes linking your contacts that much more attractive. Search for someone's name in universal search, and one of the first options will be their BlackBerry contact. Touch and hold (click and hold) this icon for a moment to get the popup window with messaging options. And there you have it: a multitude of ways to contact someone all at the push of a button.

Safely remove the memory card from your BlackBerry

There's a lot of memory installed in my BlackBerry. The Torch 9800 comes with 4 gigabytes of internal memory, and I have a removable 16 GB microSD card installed as well. Until recently, those cards were rather full. My BlackBerry goes where I go, so I usually have it filled with movies, music, ringtones, and anything else that strikes my fancy. My smartphone has so much memory available, I've stopped carrying USB thumb drives. Why would I when my BlackBerry can hold so much?

The Mass Storage mode on the BlackBerry is an extremely useful tool. Using a standard micro USB cable, I can attach the device to any computer and use the smartphone as an external drive. Since the BlackBerry uses standard USB drivers to connect, modern computers have no trouble connecting to and using the memory card(s) on the smartphone. Your BlackBerry will appear as one or more removable drives; you're able to transfer data to and from the device just like you would with a USB flash drive.

When my BlackBerry is attached to the computer as a drive, I'm a fanatic when it comes to that whole Safely Remove Device thing on Windows PC's; I'm sure there's a similar function on Mac's. I always worry about delayed writes or something else causing problems with my memory card if I unplug it too early. It's happened to me before, so I try to be careful.  Before detaching my BlackBerry from the computer, I always make sure to check that it's safe to do so.

So what happens when you want to remove or replace the microSD card from within your BlackBerry? Though some may argue this a useless step, I find it's a good idea to turn off my removable memory card first. That way, I can be certain that no data will be read or written as I remove the card. The process is slightly different depending on your OS.

 

 

Keep your memory cards safe and happy; let them know when you're going to disconnect them. Whether it be from a computer or from inside your BlackBerry, microSD cards - and memory cards in general - work best when you give them a bit of warning. Suddenly removing an attached drive can have some negative consequences, so play it safe when it comes to your removable storage.

The secret BlackBerry address books

Ever needed to have a contact's number in your phone but didn't really want their name in your address book 'just in case' you were in a situation where other prying eyes are interested in who is in your BlackBerry address book?  This "feature" I found a few years ago I'm assuming is a bug in the OS and is so far down the priority list of things to worry about that is now a permanent feature.

OK full disclosure, because my wife and friends of my wife read CrackBerry.com - I personally do not use this feature.  I only found it by accident and the way my brain works sometimes is to look several moves down the chessboard and see how this can be implemented.  I do know several people that when I have shown this to have in fact put it into play.

So with that all out of the way let's get down to the good stuff...

Alicia wrote a 101 earlier this year that you can create One-Touch speed dials on your BlackBerry smartphone, it was a great article that showed off a terrific BlackBerry feature.  The One-Touch feature is where the code error and birth of this feature exists.

As the 101 article showed, when you create a one-touch, part of the process is that your address book pops up and you're asked which BlackBerry contact you'd like to associate with one-touch key 'z' or whatever key your heart desires.  Once you select he contact and save the one-touch that a separate database is created and never again the two shall meet.

Here's an example, let's say Adam's phone number was 973-888-8888 and I assign one-touch dial "z" to that number.

Now, Adam hit's my up on BBM and tells me I've changed his phone number to 973-777-7777, I jump into my address book and update his phone number.

OK fast forward to some point in the future and I need to call Adam, I press and hold the "Z" key on my BlackBerry and I either get an automated response that the number is no longer in service.  After a brief moment of my inferiority complex coming and and wondering why Adam would change his number and not tell me, I realize my BlackBerry dialed the wrong number.

I changed the number in the address book but the One-Touch database is still showing the old number.  This will also function the same as a One-Touch you set and subsequently delete the corresponding address book entry.  Say I have a 'friend' named Charlene and wanted to put her number in my phone but not necessarily want Charlene's number to appear in my regular address book.

I create an address book entry and assign a One-Touch "C" for her.  Once that is completed jump back into the address book and delete Charlene.  The "C" One-Touch and as long as the letter "C" isn't long-pressed accidentally the Charlene number stays private.

Another great way to compartmentalize your address books is to save 'certain' numbers on your SIM (regrets to CDMA readers), those entries are segregated to a part of the BlackBerry that unless you really are looking for them you may have troubles finding them.

To access numbers stored on the SIM card you need to be in the Address Book of your BlackBerry.

Of course if you find some entries here and would like them transferred to your regular address book, lovely and talented Alicia wrote that tutorial up just recently.

There are two other options for you to prevent any potential issues with controversial address entries:

BlackBerry Bedside Mode, do my bidding!

Shhh. It's bedtime, time to charge your BlackBerry. Over the next few hours, both you and your smartphone will get some much needed recharge time. You'll lay your head upon a pillow, falling into a deep sleep. Your BlackBerry will sit nearby, silently suckling the electric teat of its charger or nesteled comfortably in its charging pod. All is quiet and peaceful in your world.

2:38 a.m. BRRRRRIIINNNNGG! An email arrives. You wearily open one eye to see that LED blinking. Blinking. BLINKING. You try to ignore it but to no avail. You've been trained (in a fashion) to respond immediately to that indicator light. Opening the "important" message, you find it's another email begging you to come back to Xbox Live. Ugh. You try to fall back asleep, but this night's constant bombardment of "special" offers "just for you" has just begun. In desperation, you hurl your BlackBerry out of the window and finally, mercifully fall back to sleep.

Without Bedside mode on your BlackBerry, this could be your night. Thankfully, we do have Bedside mode. As soon as you start charging your BlackBerry, the clock opens and soon dims into what I call a "quiet clock." The LED turns off and (sometimes) notifications are turned off. The BlackBerry becomes the perfect nightstand companion, silently doing nothing more than display the clock.

But what if you don't want that? What if you just want to charge the smartphone? What if you want some messages to sound alerts while others don't? Maybe you like the blinking LED. Can Bedside mode be set up just the way you like? You betcha.

 

 

One of the defining characteristics of your BlackBerry is the sheer number of options available to you. There are options to customize your messages, options to customize your home screen, options to customize the way you type. Basically, you have it within your power to make your BlackBerry your BlackBerry.

Bedside mode on your BlackBerry is a good example of this. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can customize the experience. Start the clock application. There are four different ways to do this, but the easiest is to find the icon on your home screen. Once it has started, press the menu key to open the Options.

 

Your BlackBerry's battery loves to be charged. No harm will come to your smartphone if you charge it during the day and at night. Entering Bedside mode during the day could be a problem. Calls, emails, and BBM's could go unnoticed. To do this, restrict Bedside mode to starting only during certain hours of the day. If Bedside mode is only permitted to run from 11:00 p.m. to 7 a.m., it won't enter that mode when you charge it at 1:30 p.m. The clock will still display, but the phone won't be in Bedside mode.

 

This option is set to yes by default, but you can change this if you desire. This option turns off the LED during Bedside mode. Not only does this prevent the standard red LED from flashing, but it prevents other apps from using the LED as well. That way, the strobe lights from BeBuzz won't wake you during your rest.

 

 

When my BlackBerry charges, only two things get through: Phone calls and certain emails. Of my ten email accounts, only one makes any sort of noise. BBM's, Tweets, SMS (Text) messages? Not a peep is heard from them while in Bedside Mode. I created a custom sound profile to only let those types of messages through. Then, I set that as the profile to use during Bedside mode. Although I created a custom sound profile, you can also choose from the standard profiles as well. 

When your phone enters BSM, it will switch to the desired profile. When it exits, your BlackBerry returns to the profile it was using before Bedside mode.

 

As with most options on a BlackBerry, you can simply turn off Bedside mode. Inside those clock options, you can select what your BlackBerry will do while charging. Will it enter Bedside mode? Just show the clock? or Do nothing at all. The choice is yours.

 

 

All in all, this all boils down to the ability to control your BlackBerry the way you want. With the possible exception of BES-connected phones, I doubt any two BlackBerry smartphones are configured in exactly the same way.  So now the question remains, how do you make your BlackBerry into your CrackBerry?