EMS

BES Implementation FAQ

BlackBerry Enterprise Server has 3 Implementation Schemes:

1. BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
2. BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Lotus/IBM Notes
3. BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Novell Groupwise

Additional BlackBerry FAQ's

Tips and Tricks

BlackBerry Tips, Tricks and Keypress Shortcuts

Credits
Gerald W. Gaston updated his list for the 7230 and also for the 7730. Here is his post with the updated information (and a few additions I added at the end). This list was combined with some from PDA Prophet, others from the BBUsers egroup mail list, and a few by forum member "qubit," "kirson" and "Mark Rejhon." This list was edited by Mark Rejhon to add formatting, graphics icons and corrections.

Important Keys

ALT key = :alt: has half moon on top of it. Left side of keyboard below the A. CAP key = :cap: bottom right key (AKA SHIFT key)

In General

Hold the :alt: key while you roll the thumb-wheel to scroll horizontally in any field where you can enter or view text.

Hold the :alt: key while you roll the thumb-wheel to scroll through a field to view options.

Hold the :cap: key while you roll the thumb-wheel to select multiple items in a list.

alt:+Escape - Allows multitasking, brings up TASKBAR on any screen. Similiar to Windows ALT+TAB

alt:+:cap: – Turns on CAPS lock. Hold :alt: first then press :cap:. An oval with an up arrow shows up in the upper right corner of the screen.

cap:+:alt: – Turns on NUM lock. Hold :cap: first then press :alt:. A # sign shows up in the oval in the upper right corner of the screen.

Type the first letter of an item in an options list or menu to jump directly to that item.

Type the first letters of a name or the initials separated by a :space: to find a contact in the ADDRESS BOOK screen.

Press C to compose a new message from the home screen or within MESSAGES. (If this does not work, make sure PHONE->OPTIONS->DIAL FROM HOME SCREEN is turned off. This re-enables keypress shortcuts for icons from the home screen.)

Press :alt:+:enter: to keylock your BlackBerry quickly from the home screen. (Alternate keypress is just press K, but this only works if "Dial From Home Screen" is disabled.)

Rearrange the ribbon: In the Home screen (ribbon), hold the :alt: key and click the thumb-wheel to bring up a menu. You can then select MOVE ICON, HIDE ICON, or SHOW ALL. If you hide an icon, to show it again click SHOW ALL and it will appear with an X over it, bring up the menu on it and uncheck HIDE ICON.

The BlackBerry display can be backlit to allow reading messages in the dark. To get the light to come on, hit the backlight button usually in the lower right of the keyboard. Hopefully you have a backlit keyboard as well so you can type in the dark.

Turning the radio off and back on when coverage is spotty and you've lost signal seems to help. Also going into network and selecting REGISTER NOW will help. And if you have a phone/combo BLACKBERRY then on some you can go into NETWORK and select SCAN FOR NETWORKS. Then select the network you are on, for example T-mobile, then save. After doing this the radio will reset and you may receive a register message and a new service book, which you can accept from the service book menu in options.

Password protect your BlackBerry. To set a password, go to the OPTIONS menu then to the SECURITY item. Set the desired timeout (I use 15 minutes) and enable/set a password. In conjunction with this, you should also go to the OPTIONS menu then to the OWNER item, and enter your name, phone number, etc. When the password protection kicks in, this is what is displayed on the screen.

After five incorrect attempts at typing in your password, the password starts echoing (figuring you really need all the help you can get). After ten attempts, it performs a lobotomy on itself and almost all data is cleared. The Memo database, however, is retained and visible.

To support more than one signature

Wipe out your auto-signature in the Redirector of the Desktop Software and just use 'AutoText' to configure alternate sigs.

Sorting

alt:+I - show only incoming mail

alt:+O - show only outgoing mail (messages you have sent - i.e. checkmark icon)

alt:+P - show phone log messages

alt:+S - show SMS messages

alt:+V - show VoiceMail messages

Navigating: T - go to top of message listing

B - go to end/bottom of message listing

del: - close message listing and return to home screen (ribbon)

space: - pagedown

cap:+:space: - pageup

Deleting multiple messages at once:

Highlight a date (i.e. Fri, Oct 05, 2001) in the message list, hit the thumb-wheel and select DELETE PRIOR. All messages prior to that date will be deleted.

Hold down the :cap: key and use the thumb-wheel to scroll up or down to select messages. Click the thumb-wheel and select DELETE MESSAGES. Combine this with a sorting tip to make it even more useful (i.e. To delete the last 5 messages that you have sent (checkmarks), press :alt: then the letter 'O' (for outgoing) this will show all of your sent messages, then per this tip scroll down and select the last five

While In A Message Navigating:

Enter: or :space: - scroll down a page/screen at a time

alt:+:enter: or :alt:+:space: - scroll back a page/screen at a time

B - scroll to end of page

T - scroll to top of page

U - jump to closest unread message

N - jump to next message

P - jump to previous message

del: - close message and return to message listing

Reply-to/Forward: R - reply to or answer this message

F - forward this message. Select Text (OS v2.1+): Press the :cap: key and then scroll the thumb-wheel to select. If you release the :cap: key and scroll the thumb-wheel you will select entire lines. Press the :cap: key again at any time to start selecting by character again.

Hold down :alt: key + CLICK the thumb-wheel (click it; don't hold it down), release the thumb-wheel and then use it to scroll whole lines. You can press and hold the :alt: key at anytime to start selecting by character again.

Click scroll wheel and select SELECT from the menu. Scroll wheel to select entire line. Click scroll wheel again and select COPY. With either method, click the thumb-wheel and select CUT SELECTION or COPY SELECTION. To paste, open a new message or whatever, click the thumb-wheel, and then select PASTE SELECTION.

Calendar (from Agenda screen)

Press T to go to "Today" in the Calendar screen. Press G to go to a specific date in the Calendar screen. The default date range for Calendar synchronization in Desktop Manager may not suit most people. While configuring the Calendar synchronization, click the Advanced button and specify the desired range.

Battery

The largest draw on battery life is the transmitter, so if you are transmitting a lot, you can expect reduced battery life. Being in fringe or no coverage areas will eat up your battery as it attempts to transmit. If you're in an area that is out of range, turn your BlackBerry's radio off manually or use Options / Auto On Off to conserve battery life. The backlight can also drain the battery.

Geek Tips

Rather than looking at the bars, you can change the display of the "signal strength" to read in real numbers. While at the home screen (ribbon), hold down the half moon :alt: key while you type NMLL. The bars should change to read numbers. For the "signal strength," if you are in the 100 area (that means -100 dBm), you will be transmitting at maximum power (2 Watts), and since coverage is hit and miss at this weak a signal, you may end up transmitting many times before the packets make it through. This might help explain any poorer than normal battery life. I consider anything at -90 to -50 excellent.

To get the bars back: While at the home screen (ribbon), hold down the half moon :alt: key while you type NMLL again.

Hold down the half moon :alt: key -AND- the :cap: key at the same time, then the letter "H." This brings up the "Help Me!" screen that lists version, app version, pin, IMEI, uptime, signal strength, battery-level, file free and file total.

Hold down the half moon :alt: while you type LGLG. This brings up the event log where you can clear events (frees some memory) or view them or copy the contents to mail to someone.

alt:+:cap:+:del: will reboot your BLACKBERRY.

I am getting errors when I try to sync my BlackBerry with Desktop Manager

If you get an error "Unable to write or update application data" when syncing your BlackBerry with Desktop Manager, the culprit is usually one of two main problems:

In Address book:
The error may refer to a specific record that would not sync, or is causing the problem. If you don't know which record, look in the log of the Desktop Manager sync to find it.

A contact in Outlook, ACT!, Lotus Notes or Lotus Organizer does not contain information in any of the following fields: First Name, Last Name, OR Company Name

Resolution 1
Populate one or more of the above fields in the contact entry or delete the blank entry in the PIM application on the computer.

Resolution 2
Upgrade to BlackBerry Desktop Software 4.2 Service Pack 1 or later. BlackBerry Desktop Software 4.2 Service Pack 2 or later will skip the affected contact records, but only if the contact does not have an email address. If the contact contains an email address, it will be successfully synchronized even if the First Name, Last Name, and Company fields are blank.

A calendar entry could be the fault:
Calendar entries with attachments can't sync. Change your view in calendar to only show entries with attachments and delete the attachment.

Open calendar in outlook - choose view, arrange by and current view then customize current view. Choose Filters, then the tab for more options and choose "only items with" and choose attachments.

General BIS FAQ

What is BIS?

BIS stands for BlackBerry Internet Service. Basically, this is a service from your provider that lets you receive email and access the Internet on personal BlackBerries.

Who needs BIS?

If you are not working for a company that has their own BIS server, then you will most likely need to use BIS to access your email and the Internet.

How do I get BIS?

When you sign up for a personal BlackBerry data plan from your service provider, you are signing up for BIS. It is usually called the BlackBerry Internet Service Plan. Ask your provider's local salesperson for BIS and they will point you in the right direction.

How do I change the default email address on my device?

To set the default email address on your device, follow the directions below. Once done, this will become the default email when composing new messages:

1. Go to OPTIONS.
2. Select ADVANCED OPTIONS.
3. Select MESSAGE SERVICE.
4. Under CMIME select the email and a box will drop down listing all your email addresses.
5. Select the email address you want to become default.
6. SAVE and EXIT.

Images:

How to add/delete email addresses?

How do I add an email address?

From the device:

1. Click on the EMAIL SETTING icon.
2. Click on EMAIL ACCOUNTS link.
3. Click on the ADD EMAIL ACCOUNT link. You can also select Create a Blackberry email address from this area.
4. Follow the directions by entering the email address and password.

Images:

1. Log into your carrier’s BIS area.
2. Click the SETUP ACCOUNT link. You can also select CREATE ADDRESS from this area to make a @yourcarrier.blackberry.com address.
3. Follow the directions by entering the email address and password.

How do I delete an email address?

From the device:

1. Click on the EMAIL SETTING icon.
2. Click on EMAIL ACCOUNTS link.
3. Click on the email address you want to delete.
4. Select the DELETE link.

Images:

From your carriers BIS website:

1. Log into your carrier’s BIS area.
2. Click the SETUP ACCOUNT link. You can also select CREATE ADDRESS from this area to make a @yourcarrier.blackberry.com address.
3. Follow the directions by entering the email address and password

My Email Stopped Arriving

If your BlackBerry no longer receives emails, follow these steps to restore the service books to the device:

Step One - Hard Reboot:

1. Remove battery from the device.
2. Leave the battery out for at least 30 seconds.
3. Replace battery and let the device reboot.

Step Two - Register on Network: (if step one did not solve issue)

1. From the device go to OPTIONS.
2. Select ADVANCED OPTIONS.
3. Select HOST ROUTING TABLE.
4. Select menu, then REGISTER NOW.

Images:

Step three - Send Service Books: (if step two did not solve issue)

1. Log into your provider’s BIS site.
2. Click the link to resend the service books.

Step Four - Call Service Provider: (if all of the above fail)

1. Call your provider and have them check the provisioning of your account

Where can I log into my BIS account?

Need to log into your BIS site to add, change,or remove an email address? Need to resend the service books?
Etisalat : http://etisalat.blackberry.com
Mobily : http://mobily.blackberry.com
Fastlink : http://fastlink.blackberry.com
MTC Kuwait : http://mtc.kw.blackberry.com

Internet and Email FAQs (BIS/BES)

My Web Browser Icon Is Missing!

Follow these steps to resend the service books to the device:

Step one:

• Remove battery from the device.
• Leave the battery out for at least 30 seconds.
• Replace battery and let the device reboot.

Step two: (if step one did not solve issue)

• From the device go to OPTIONS.
• Select ADVANCED OPTIONS.
• Select HOST ROUTING TABLE.
• Select menu then REGISTER NOW.

Images:

BlackBerry Internet Browser is TOO SLOW!

Under BlackBerryOS4, the improved HTML web browsing can be extremely slow. There are several ways to speed up the web browsing experience. Try the following:

1. Turn off images by going to:
   INTERNET BROWSER -> OPTIONS -> BROWSER CONFIGURATION -> SHOW IMAGES -> ON WML PAGES ONLY
2. You can selectively download images on demand, anyway. If that does not speed things up enough, turn off unnecessary options that you may not need:
   1. INTERNET BROWSER -> OPTIONS -> BROWSER CONFIGURATION
   2. Turn off "USE HTML TABLES"
   3. Turn off "USE BACKGROUND IMAGES"
   4. Turn off "SUPPORT JAVASCRIPT"
   5. Turn off "SUPPORT STYLE SHEETS"