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?

Remove fingerprints, restore shine & disinfect your BlackBerry in one swoop with the iKlenz Cleaner Solution

I have 3 children (one under 5), work in a daycare and use the BlackBerry 9670 & BlackBerry PlayBook daily. As most of you can imagine, that combination leads to a whole lot of fingerprints and who knows what else on my devices. Just the other day I had a kid get sick all over me while my 9670 was sitting in my lap. Needless to say, I didn't want to touch that device again until it had been cleaned. When glancing through ShopCrackBerry.com a few weeks ago, I happened upon the iKlenz Cleaner Solution by iKlenz and decided now was the perfect time to give it a test run.

Before when I needed to clean a device I would just use my shirt or a coffee filter and some windex. Not the best way but hey it worked. With the iKlenz Cleaner Solution you can restore shine, remove fingerprints, repel dust and leave your device streak-free. iKlenz also works as a disinfectant to destroy harmful bacteria and kill contagious germs (in all honesty I was sold on it right here), while addressing the safety and care of the BlackBerry display. This cleansing solution is so easy to use. Just spray up to five times directly on the microfiber cloth, which is included (not directly on the device) in one specific spot until noticeably damp then wipe the screen with moderate to light pressure. You'll notice the solution evaporating rather quickly. Once clean, flip the cloth over to the dry side and wipe gently to polish. The microfiber cloth is hand washable and can be reused numerous times. Just clean with warm water and use a mild bleach-free detergent, rinse throughly and air dry. The kit also includes a soft microfiber bag to keep your BlackBerry clean and scratch free. This solution is a great way to keep your devices looking brand new.

As you can see in the video above, I tested the cleaning solution with some pretty common and hard to remove products (although  the lipstick and garage door lubricant may have been a bit extreme). The iKlenz Cleaner Solution had no dificulty removing most with only a second application needed when removing extremely greasy products (mechanics, stock up on this stuff!).

More information / purchase iKlenz Cleaner Solution

A guide to LastPass on the BlackBerry PlayBook

 

LastPass should be easier to use on the BlackBerry PlayBook. LastPass, if you haven't read before, is an online password management service. More than that, LastPass has taught me to make better passwords. Each of my websites has a different, randomly-generated password. About the only thing I do know is my LastPass master password (incidently, one that would take 54 quadrillion years to crack using a brute-force attack).

So when I visit my various websites, I need LastPass to tell me what my password is. On the PlayBook, the only way to do this is through the LastPass website; and I must say, it's a cumbersome process.

Begin by opening the PlayBook's web browser and navigating to www.LastPass.com. Enter your login credentials. Find the site you are planning to visit and touch edit. Make sure you select the Edit button for your site. You may need to zoom in to make sure you select the site you want. Hmmm... the design of the site makes that difficult. Well, good luck anyway.

Clicking edit will open the site information window. Next to the password box, touch [show]. Now that the password is visible, touch and hold to select the text for copying. Move the selecting bars around so that the entire password is highlighted. This may take several tries. Once selected, touch Copy. Now open the website you would like to visit in another tab. In the password field for that website, touch and then hold until the paste option appears. Repeat as necessary to copy the username. 

There needs to be a better way. 

 

 

I, and many like me, depend on LastPass to keep up with the multitude of my online identities. LastPass is so integral to my online life, that I upgraded my account from free to premium just so I could get the BlackBerry application for my Torch.  We need a LastPass app for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Of course, others have asked for an app; and LastPass has responded that they don't have concrete plans to build one. As a workaround, they suggest using the Bookmarklets feature. For browsers that don't support the LastPass plugin, bookmarklets allow for that same one-click-to-login experience you'd get with a plugin. Problem is, bookmarklets aren't supported on the PlayBook. The absolute closest I got (and I spent half an hour searching for a solution) to using a bookmarklet produced the error you see above.

I have heard second-hand from someone who loves LastPass as much as I do that the folks in charge are wary of devoting significant resources to developing a PlayBook app.  Did they miss the WebWorks demo at BlackBerry World? You know, the one where they built an app in less than three minutes. Seems to me that LastPass is a perfect candidate for a WebWorks app. It doesn't have to be gorgeous; it doesn't have to integrate into the stock browser. It just has to work.

 

 

I've warned others against the dangers of password reuse. I've promoted LastPass to my friends, family, and readers; touting its virtues and ease of use. I've praised LastPass for its fast response to a recent possibility of an intrusion. Rather than hide, LastPass did exactly what it should have in overreacting and alerting its users immediately.

And now I ask something in return. LastPass, I and the rest your loyal following asks - no begs - of you to make us a PlayBook application. We who use your website daily on our PlayBooks wish we didn't have to. It's far too cumbersome a process. We don't need a fancy app (though that would be nice); just something simple so we don't have to go through the rigamarole of copy and pasting from the website.

Surely that's not too difficult.

 

Quick Tip: Simplify your BlackBerry Profiles

Sometimes having too many sound profiles on your BlackBerry can be annoying. Normal, Loud, Quiet, Silent, Vibrate ... do you really need them all? Personally I really just stick with Silent, Medium and Vibrate for most uses. I've actually migrated my Medium profile to Normal seeing as the Normal profile I rarely touched. I've eliminated all the profiles that never got used, making switching between them easier and slimming down in the process. If you're like me and don't go crazy with profile switching you can knock out a few as well. Keep reading for a few quick steps on how to delete those unused sound profiles on your BlackBerry.

 

 

Start by clicking the Profiles icon in the homescreen banner (or the Sound Profiles icon). Then click Change Sounds and Alerts.

 

The next screen allows you to edit sound profiles, phone ringtone and contact profiles. We want to delete a profile, so choose Profile Management.

 

Highlight the profile you'd like to remove. Press the menu key and choose Delete. That's it!! Keep in mind both the Normal and Vibrate Only profiles cannot be removed. 

 

Now you're one step closer to a slimmer BlackBerry. Having fewer profiles lets you keep things straight so you know what's what.  If you don't use the additional profiles there's really no use in having them around, right?

Check out our BlackBerry 101 on How to set and edit sound profiles for more.