Simple Help » BlackBerry http://www.simplehelp.net Common questions, simple answers Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:12:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 How to download and install Themes on your BlackBerry http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:40:16 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2855

This tutorial will guide you all the way through installing themes – both “over the air” and manually, on your BlackBerry. Note: I have a BlackBerry Pearl 8120, so the screenshots and exact steps in this tutorial are using that model. However, I suspect they are nearly identical for most BlackBerrys.

First you’ll need to find a theme that you like. Two of the best places (or at least my favorites) are themes4bb.com and the crackberry themes forum. Once you’ve found a theme you want to install, look for an “OTA” or “Over The Air” link. That’s the easiest way to install a theme. But if there is no OTA link and just a link to download the theme, have no fear, we’ll walk you through that too.

Installing BlackBerry Themes Over The Air
Installing BlackBerry Themes Manually


Instructions for Installing BlackBerry Themes Over The Air

  1. Over the air installations (called OTA) allow you to point your BlackBerry browser to a file, and have it downloaded and installed directly from there. This is the easiest way to install themes and other BlackBerry software.
  2. In this example I’ll be installing the Custom Silver theme using the Over The Air method. Launch your BlackBerry browser and enter the URL http://themes4bb.com/upload/files/users/evancory/Silver/com_plazmic_theme_Silver.jad. Since that’s pretty long, and a lot to type, I’ve created a “shortened” version for you, which is http://tinyurl.com/dcxq22. They both take you to the same place (file).

  3. You’ll be prompted to download a file (com_plazmic_theme_Silver.jad). Click the Download button.

  4. Themes are generally not very large files, so the download won’t take very long.

  5. Once the download has completed, the installation should begin manually. If it doesn’t, click the Install button. Once it has successfully completed, click OK.

  6. Navigate to your Themes section (if you need help changing themes, see this tutorial) and select your newly installed theme.

  7. And now your newly installed theme is up and running, ready to go :)

    8.  


Instructions for Installing BlackBerry Themes Manually

  1. Manually installing BlackBerry themes is a bit more involved than Over The Air installations. Generally these themes come in the form of a zip file, and you’ll need to download it to your PC. For this example I’m going to use a Vista BlackBerry Theme. Once downloaded, extract the zip file to somewhere on your hard drive that you’ll remember. I have a specific folder for BlackBerry themes, but anywhere will do.


    2. click to enlarge

  2. Now launch your BlackBerry Desktop Manager (and make sure your BlackBerry is connected to your PC). From the Main Menu select Application Loader

  3. From the Add / Remove Applications section, click the Start button.

  4. Click the Browse… button below the Device application selection list.


    click to enlarge

  5. Navigate to the folder you stored your theme file in, select it, and click Open.


    6. click to enlarge

  6. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager will now run a check on that file…


    7. click to enlarge

  7. and now it will be listed in the Device application selection list. Make sure that the check-box is checked, and that Install is the Action. Click the Next button.


    8. click to enlarge

  8. You’ll be presented with a Summary screen that will list your new theme as the ’software’ to install on your BlackBerry. Click Finish.


    9. click to enlarge

  9. First the theme will load…


    10. click to enlarge

  10. and then the BlackBerry Desktop Manager will make the connection to your device, and install the theme.


    11. click to enlarge

  11. At this point you should have a successful update. You can return to the main menu and/or disconnect your BlackBerry.


    12. click to enlarge

  12. Navigate to the Themes section of your BlackBerry Options ((if you need help changing themes, see this tutorial) and select your newly installed theme.

  13. Exit out of the Theme Options, and your new theme will be up and running. That’s it!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/feed/ 11 How to change your BlackBerry Theme http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:33:17 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2867

By default, a lot of mobile providers include a rather ugly and “branded” theme for your BlackBerry. This brief tutorial will show you how to change BlackBerry themes.

  1. As you can see in the screenshot below, my BlackBerry came with a painfully ugly – and branded (Rogers) default theme. The first thing I did was change this theme to something less obnoxious. To do so, select Options from the Applications screen.

  2. From the Options menu, scroll down to Theme and select it.

  3. Highlight a different theme, and click it.

  4. Return to the Options menu..

  5. and exit out of it. Now you’re using a different theme. Repeat the above steps until you’ve found a theme you’re happy with.

  6. If you want to find, download and install even more themes, see this tutorial.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/feed/ 2 How to hide BlackBerry apps from your Applications screen http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/18/how-to-hide-blackberry-apps-from-your-applications-screen/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/18/how-to-hide-blackberry-apps-from-your-applications-screen/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:02 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2722

This brief tutorial will show you how to hide, but not delete, apps from your BlackBerry’s Applications window. It will also show you how to ‘unhide’ any/all apps that you’ve opted to hide. The steps and screenshots used in this tutorial are specific to the BlackBerry Pearl, but I suspect are similar or identical for other models. I can’t confirm that, as I only have a Pearl.

  1. First, use your trackball to highlight the app you want to hide or “remove” from your Applications screen. Again, this will not uninstall or delete the app, it just keeps it from showing up on your Applications window. In my case I’m going to hide the WAP Browser, as I never use it – but may someday.

  2. Click the Menu button on your BlackBerry (blackberry menu icon) and select Hide.

  3. Now the app (in my case the WAP Browser) will disappear from the Applications screen.

  4. To recover, or un-hide an app, click the Menu button on your BlackBerry (blackberry menu icon) and select Show All

  5. The apps that you had previously hidden will re-appear, but will be “dimmed”. Navigate to the app that you want to restore to your Applications screen (in my case the WAP Browser).

  6. Click the Menu button again, and click Hide again. This time it will remove the check-mark next to Hide in the list.

  7. Once again, click the Menu button and select Show All. This will remove the check mark next to it, and your Applications screen will once again only display apps that aren’t “hidden”.

  8. That’s it – you’re done!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/18/how-to-hide-blackberry-apps-from-your-applications-screen/feed/ 0 How to rearrange apps on your BlackBerry Applications screen http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/15/how-to-rearrange-apps-on-your-blackberry-applications-screen/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/15/how-to-rearrange-apps-on-your-blackberry-applications-screen/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 11:00:34 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2714

This brief tutorial will show you how to move/rearrange programs on your BlackBerry Applications window so that they’re ordered the way you want. The instructions outlined are specific to the BlackBerry Pearl, but I suspect are similar if not identical to other BlackBerry devices (I can’t confirm as I only have a Pearl).

  1. Start by opening your BlackBerry Applications screen. Use the trackball to navigate to the app you want to move. In this case, I’m going to move my Address Book.

  2. Click the Menu button on your BlackBerry (blackberry menu icon) and select Move.

  3. The application you had selected (again, in my case the Address Book) will now have a box surrounding it.

  4. Use the trackball to move the app to the location you want it to be in.

  5. Now click the trackball to finish moving it.

  6. Repeat the above steps until your Applications screen is ordered exactly as you want it.

  7. That’s it!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/15/how-to-rearrange-apps-on-your-blackberry-applications-screen/feed/ 1 How to install and use Google Mobile App on your BlackBerry http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/11/how-to-install-and-use-google-mobile-app-on-your-blackberry/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/11/how-to-install-and-use-google-mobile-app-on-your-blackberry/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 09:32:09 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2646

Using Google Mobile App you can search the web from your BlackBerry to search by voice, which is an absolutely killer feature. Once installed, all you have to do is speak the words you want to search for, and Google Mobile App will display the search results.

  1. To install Google Mobile App, head over to m.google.com on your BlackBerry. Select the Download Google Mobile App link. Then click the Install Now link.

  2. When prompted, click the Download button.

  3. Google Mobile App is fairly small, so the download shouldn’t take too long.

  4. Once the download completes, you’ll be asked if you want to grant Google Mobile App autostart Trusted Application status. Click the Yes button.

  5. Click OK once the installation finishes.

  6. Now load your Applications screen, scroll to Google Mobile App and select it.

  7. Make sure the country is set correctly, and click the Accept button to accept the Terms of Service.

  8. You’ll be asked if you want to use your location when searching. If your BlackBerry has GPS service, I suspect that Google Mobile App will use this info (though I’m not absolutely sure about that, as mine doesn’t have GPS). If your BlackBerry doesn’t have GPS, it will attempt to determine your location based on cell tower location. Click Yes enable this feature (it’s very helpful).

  9. Now you’ll be presented with the main Google Mobile App interface. Here’s where it gets good (great). Hold down the Send key (blackberry send key icon) on your BlackBerry…

  10. and say the phrase you want to search for. Let go of the Send key when you’re done speaking.

  11. Google Mobile App will take a moment to determine what you said.

  12. And then display the search results for the phrase you spoke. I have found the voice recognition to be shockingly accurate.

  13. To use the location feature, run a search again.

  14. This time scroll down to the Local link/option and click it. The search results will display nearby locations for the phrase you entered (in my case, “pizza”).

  15. If you have some of the other Google Mobile programs installed your BlackBerry, you can access them from the main Google Mobile App menu. Explore the various features, and happy voice-based searching!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/11/how-to-install-and-use-google-mobile-app-on-your-blackberry/feed/ 2 How to keep your BlackBerry and Google Calendars in sync http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/05/how-to-keep-your-blackberry-and-google-calendars-in-sync/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/05/how-to-keep-your-blackberry-and-google-calendars-in-sync/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 11:23:27 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2611

This tutorial will guide you through installing, setting up and using Google Sync for your BlackBerry.

Though the screenshots and steps in this tutorial are specific to my BlackBerry Pearl 8120, I suspect – but am not certain – they would be nearly identical for other BlackBerry devices.

  1. First up, head to the Google Sync for your BlackBerry phone page and enter your phone number in the space provided. You’ll get an SMS message from Google providing you with a download link. Or, just visit m.google.com/sync from your BlackBerry. Click the Download link. On your BlackBerry, you’ll be prompted to download Google Sync, this time click the Download button.

  2. It’s not a large file so the download should go pretty quickly.

  3. Once the download finishes and the installation begins, you’ll be asked if you wish to grant Google Sync Trusted Application Status. Click the Yes button.

  4. Once the installation has completed, return to your Applications screen. Navigate to the newly installed Google Sync and click it.

  5. Enter your Google Account information in the spaces provided, and click the Sign in button.

  6. Google Sync will now update your calendar list. This doesn’t take very long, but if you have a lot of Google calendar subscriptions, it can take a minute or two.

  7. Scroll down to the bottom of the introduction screen and click the Configure Sync button.

  8. Now you’ll need to set up the Google Sync Options. The first thing you’ll need to decide is if you want to Sync automatically, or manually. Scroll down to the Automatic/Manual option, click the trackball and make your selection.

  9. Google Sync not only allows you to sync your calendars, but you can sync your Google Contacts and BlackBerry contacts as well. I opted not to use this feature, but of course this decision is entirely up to you.

  10. In the Calendar section of the Options screen, decide how far in the future you want events synced. I opted for 16 weeks. From the Keep events for previous option, decide how long you want to keep previous events in your calendar.

    Scroll further down to the Sync these Calendars: section and click on your calendar name (mine happens to be my full name).

  11. I have two Google Calendars, one named “Ross McKillop” and the other named “Calendar” (yes, boring I know). I’ve opted to only sync the “Ross McKillop” Calendar. If you subscribe to public (or private) calendars, they’ll be listed in the Other Calendars section. Decide which, if any, of these calendars you want to sync as well. I chose to sync the Canadian Holidays calendar that I subscribe to, but not the Toronto Maple Leafs 2008/2009 schedule, as the Leafs missed the playoffs this year and there are no more games for them (aside from golf).

  12. Once you’re happy with all of the settings, click the Escape key (blackberry escape icon) on your BlackBerry and when the Changes Made! screen pops up, select Save. Alternately you can click the Menu button (blackberry menu icon) on your BlackBerry and select Save from that menu.

  13. Now you’ll be prompted to perform your first sync. Click Yes.

  14. The first sync might take longer than all future syncs, because it’s syncing all your events for the first time. And if you opted to sync your Contacts as well, it will sync them for the first time too.

  15. Once the process has completed, click the Dismiss button.

  16. The Last Successful Sync page will be displayed. My first sync showed 0KB used, but has since kept track of the usage. You can return to your main BlackBerry screen now.

  17. If your BlackBerry ‘home’ page is set to display your Calendar entries, you’ll now see the upcoming Google Calender events as well.

  18. That’s it – you’re done!

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/05/how-to-keep-your-blackberry-and-google-calendars-in-sync/feed/ 5 How to wipe the data from your BlackBerry Pearl http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/30/how-to-wipe-the-data-from-your-blackberry-pearl/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/30/how-to-wipe-the-data-from-your-blackberry-pearl/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:01 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2577

This tutorial could be called “How to perform a hard reset on your BlackBerry Pearl”, but that would be a bit misleading. According to RIM, performing a “Master Reset” – which is what most people would call a hard reset, can only be accomplished by your mobile provider, and you should contact them.

This tutorial will show you how to wipe most of your BlackBerry Pearl clean. I say most because there were a couple of applications still present after I performed this process. Other people I’ve had try this process had their entire device wiped clean, so your results may vary. This may work on other non-Pearl BlackBerry devices as well, but I haven’t tested it. It’s also very important to mention this right up front: back up all of the data on your device before following these steps.

  1. Start out by selecting Options on your BlackBerry.

  2. Select Security Options

  3. Now select General Settings

  4. Click the Menu button on your BlackBerry (blackberry menu icon) and select Wipe Handheld

  5. Carefully scroll down, and place a check in the box labeled Include third party applications. If you scroll quickly, you might miss this one.

  6. Now scroll further down, highlight the Continue button and give it a click.

  7. You’ll be prompted to type in the word “blackberry” before you can continue. Once you do, click the trackball again, and the wipe will begin.

  8. It only takes a few minutes, and your BlackBerry will restart after the wipe has completed. Once it boots up again, most (or all) of your applications will be gone, your address book cleared out etc.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/30/how-to-wipe-the-data-from-your-blackberry-pearl/feed/ 3 How to use Twitter from your BlackBerry http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/23/how-to-use-twitter-from-your-blackberry/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/23/how-to-use-twitter-from-your-blackberry/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:00:21 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2525

This tutorial will guide you through every step of installing and using TwitterBerry, arguably the most popular Twitter client for BlackBerry devices.

  1. First up, launch whatever web browser you use on your BlackBerry. Head over to http://orangatame.com/ota/twitterberry (or http://bit.ly/jE4rM – which is just a shortened version of the same link). After scrolling through the text, select the Download Now button. Then when prompted, click the Download button on your BlackBerry screen.

  2. When asked if you’d like to grant TwitterBerry as Trusted Application status, select Yes.

  3. Click OK after the installation has completed.

  4. Locate, select and click the new TwitterBerry icon on your BlackBerry home screen.

  5. You’ll be prompted to sign in with your Twitter user name and password. Once you’ve signed in, the TwitterBerry ‘update’ page will be displayed.

  6. Before you try to send your first TwitterBerry update, click the Menu button on your BlackBerry (blackberry menu icon) and select Configure from the menu.

  7. In the Connection Mode: field, make sure Auto-Detect is selected.

  8. Scroll down to the Test Connection button and click it. TwitterBerry will now make sure the connection is working. You should see a Success! message pop up.

  9. Exit out of the Configuration window, and if you made any changes, make sure to select Save.

  10. Now type out your 140 character (or less) message.

  11. When you’re ready to send it, double-click the trackball, or select the Menu button and select Update.

  12. To view your friends timeline (which will include your tweets too) click the Menu button and and select Friends Timeline. It can take a few moments (particularly depending on your mobile network connection speed) to populate your friends timeline – especially the first time.

  13. Eventually your friends timeline will be displayed. You can scroll down the timeline using your BlackBerry’s trackball.

  14. The default ‘auto-update’ period is 10 minutes. If you’d like to refresh your friends timeline before the 10 minutes is up, click the Menu button and select Refresh.

  15. If you want to send a direct message to one of your contacts, scroll to one of their tweets and make sure it’s highlighted.

  16. Click the Menu button and select Direct Message

  17. Compose your direct message as you would a normal update, and send it the same way.

  18. If you’re looking for someone to test out sending direct messages to etc, I’m rossm on Twitter.
  19. If you don’t use a BlackBerry, or you want to try out a different client, check out the post 20 ways to use Twitter on your cell phone or mobile Internet device.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/04/23/how-to-use-twitter-from-your-blackberry/feed/ 4 How to remove the “Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network” signature http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/15/how-to-remove-the-sent-from-my-blackberry-device-on-the-rogers-wireless-network-signature/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/15/how-to-remove-the-sent-from-my-blackberry-device-on-the-rogers-wireless-network-signature/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:36 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=1936

If you’ve recently bought a BlackBerry from Rogers, you’ll notice that each email you send contains the signature “Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network”. Annoying to say the least. If you’d like to remove that signature, or replace it with one of your own, continue reading the rest of this tutorial.

There are a number of different ways that this can play out for you. Generally, it depends on how you setup the email account on your BlackBerry. For some of you, a number of these steps will not be required, and I’ve done my best to add things like “jump down to step #x” in those cases. For some of you, you might have to go through every single step. I’ve done by best to outline every possibility.

  1. First up, visit the BlackBerry Internet Service page for Rogers. If you already have an account, fill in the info in the Existing Users section and skip down to step #10 below. Otherwise, click the Create New Account button.

  2. Place a check in the I have read and understand the Legal Terms and Conditions box, and click the I Agree button.


    3. click to enlarge

  3. You’ll be prompted to enter your Device PIN and Device IMEI. If you know them already, enter them in the spaces provided, click Continue and skip down to step #7. If you’re unsure of your Device PIN and/or Device IMEI, proceed with the next step.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. From your BlackBerry applications list, select Options.

  5. From the Options list, select Status.

  6. Your PIN and IMEI will be displayed.

  7. Enter the PIN and IMEI in the spaces provided (back in step #3), and continue with the Account Setup process.

    If you get the message An account already exists for this PIN, continue with the next step. Otherwise, jump down to step #10 below.

  8. Click the Forgot password? link and your password will be sent to your BlackBerry. If you get the password successfully, use it to sign in to the BlackBerry Internet Service site.

  9. If you get a message that says something along the lines of “User name and password don’t exist” – you’ll need to call Rogers at: 1-866-931-DATA (3282) and ask them to create/reset your account.

  10. Now that you’re signed in to the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) site, make sure your account is validated. If it’s not, just click the small link to validate your account.

  11. Fill in the required info, and you should get a message saying your account is now valid.

  12. In the Edit section, click the small image of a “pencil and paper”.

  13. This will take you to the General Settings screen. From here, you can delete the “Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network” signature (erasing it and leaving the space blank will set your device to have no signature at all).


    14. click to enlarge

  14. If you’d like to add your own signature, enter it, make sure all the rest of the fields are valid, and click the Save button.


    15. click to enlarge

  15. You should get a message saying your account was successfully updated.

  16. And that’s it. Send an email to yourself (ideally another one of your email accounts) and then check that account to confirm the annoying Rogers signature is gone. If it’s still there, try again in a few minutes – in some rare cases it can take a while to update.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/15/how-to-remove-the-sent-from-my-blackberry-device-on-the-rogers-wireless-network-signature/feed/ 0 How to disable data usage while roaming with your BlackBerry http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/09/how-to-disable-data-usage-while-roaming-with-your-blackberry/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/09/how-to-disable-data-usage-while-roaming-with-your-blackberry/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:22:11 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=1850

If your mobile provider bills at an outrageous rate for data usage while you’re roaming (mine, Rogers, certainly does) this tutorial will show you how to automatically disable the data service on your BlackBerry while roaming.

  1. Select Options from your Applications list.

  2. From the Options list, select Mobile Network.

  3. Select the On option (or Off, depending on your current configuration) from the Data Services menu, and change it to Off When Roaming.

  4. With Off When Roaming set, exit out of the Mobile Network settings.

  5. Make sure to Save the setting change.

  6. That’s it. Now when you’re roaming, your data usage/plan will automatically be disabled (use Wi-Fi if your phone supports it and you’re within range of a Wi-Fi Hotspot).

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/12/09/how-to-disable-data-usage-while-roaming-with-your-blackberry/feed/ 1 How to take screenshots of your BlackBerry screen http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/11/20/how-to-take-screenshots-of-your-blackberry-screen/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/11/20/how-to-take-screenshots-of-your-blackberry-screen/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:30:19 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=1696

This tutorial will guide you through the steps required to take screenshots of your BlackBerry screens.

  1. Start out by downloading Caputre It from http://www.thetechmogul.com/CaptureIt/CaptureIt.jad. It’s an over the air installation, so I’ve created a “shorter” URL to type out in your BlackBerry browser: http://is.gd/8fsD.
  2. Install it as you would any other BlackBerry app.
  3. Once installed, it will appear in your list of BlackBerry Applications. Don’t click it quite yet – otherwise you’ll be taking a screenshot of your Application list. The first thing to do is assign it a Convenience Key.

    4. blackberry applications list with captureit highlighted

  4. Instead, select Options from your Application list.

    5. options item in the blackberry application screen

  5. Select Screen/Keyboard from the list of Options

    6. options list for the blackberry

  6. Scroll down a bit until you get to the Convenience Key section. I prefer to use the Voice Dialing Convenience Key to take screenshots, because I never use the Voice Dialing feature. You can of course select a different Convenience Key. Click on the key you want to change

    7. screen/keyboard options for the blackberry

  7. Select Capture It from the list of applications

    8. capture it in the list of applications to assign to a convenience key

  8. You should now have Capture It as the application assigned to your selected Convenience Key

    9. capture it assigned as a convenience key

  9. Exit out of the Options, and when prompted, make sure to select Save.

    10. saving changes to the blackberry options

  10. Now each time you click your assigned Convenience Key, Capture It will take a screenshot of whatever is displayed on your BlackBerry screen.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/11/20/how-to-take-screenshots-of-your-blackberry-screen/feed/ 9 20 ways to use Twitter from your mobile phone http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/04/16/20-ways-to-use-twitter-on-your-cell-phone-or-mobile-internet-device/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/04/16/20-ways-to-use-twitter-on-your-cell-phone-or-mobile-internet-device/#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:00:33 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/2008/04/16/20-ways-to-use-twitter-on-your-cell-phone-or-mobile-internet-device/ Symbian Windows Mobile iPhone iPod

Alright I admit it, I’ve drank the Twitter kool-aid. For a while I was in the “I don’t care what you’re doing right now” camp, but have since discovered that it really is a great way to keep up on current events, find interesting people and keep in touch. And like a number of geeks, I carry several mobile Internet devices at all times. So I gave as many mobile Twitter clients/services a try, and here’s what I’ve found.
 

Name Platform
ceTwit Windows Mobile 6, Windows Mobile Smartphones
Hahlo designed for iPhone/iPod Touch, probably works in any browser, web based
Jargong see this page for supported phones
Jitter Java. Any mobile phone with CLDC 1.0 / MIDP 1.0, which should be pretty much any phone supporting MIDlets. In other words, if you can run downloaded games on your phone, you can also run Jitter.
MobileTwitter jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch
PocketTweets web based for the iPhone or iPod Touch
psychzzz web based, should work on pretty much any browser
SQIJ Windows Smartphone 2003SE, Windows PocketPC 2003SE, Windows Mobile 5/6 Smartphone, Windows Mobile 5/6 PocketPC
ThinCloud designed for iPhone/iPod Touch, probably works in any browser, web based
Twitter2Go web based, WAP or xHTML-MP interface
Twitter Email any mobile phone that can send email
Twitteresce Java J2ME enabled phone
Twitter Flashlite FlashLite 2.x enabled device
Twitter IM any mobile phone that supports Jabber, Gtalk and LiveJournal chat
Twitter Mobile Home web
Twitter SMS Any phone that supports sending SMS text messages
Twitter Webdebolsillo web
TwitToday Windows Mobile 5/6 touchscreen PDAs
Twapper web
Twobile Windows Mobile 5 or above Touch-screen device (no touch-screen=no work)

ceTwit

Works as advertised. The author tests on an HTC TyTN II (AT&T 8525) and a Samsung Blackjack, but he has tried to make it Smartphone friendly. For what it’s worth, it worked like a charm on my HTC S621. Well, user icons weren’t displayed, but I would consider that a feature not a bug, as it uses less bandwidth (Canadians will appreciate that). Update: I got in touch w/ the author, and he confirmed that the Smartphone version doesn’t support avatars, intentionally. Of all the Windows Mobile Twitter clients I tried, this is the one that remains on my Smartphone. Download here.

Screenshots:


Timeline
Action menu
   

Timeline options
Update

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Hahlo

Another web based Twitter client designed specifically for iPhones and/or iPod Touches. So no jailbreaking or software installations required – just point Safari to http://hahlo.com. Of the web based clients, this one was the most “buggy” for me. A direct message sent to a friend apparently just disappeared into the ether. With that said, it does have a lot of features and the UI is decent.

Screenshots:


hahlo home
Timeline
   

Update
Replies

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Jargong

I’m actually glad I don’t have a supported phone. This is another one of those “the entire world in one” applications. Here’s their schtick – “Jargong is Social Networking (Flickr and Twitter), Instant Messaging (MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber) and Feeds (Google Reader) in a single client application”. Phew. If you’ve used this app and have some thoughts to share, by all means do so in the comments and I’ll update this paragraph accordingly.

Screenshots:


Twitter part of Jargong
Personal timeline

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Jitter

Jitter is Java based, so it’s almost guaranteed this one will work on your phone. Very minimal, low bandwidth, text only. A tiny bit ugly, but certainly functional. I’m a little confused why it had people in the “send a direct message to” list that I’ve never added to Twitter, but eh, no big deal. Perhaps the coder assumed everyone adds Scoble to Twitter.

Screenshots:


Java apps list
Update
   

Jitter Options
Timeline

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MobileTwitter

I think this was the first actual Twitter app for jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches. I could be totally wrong. It’s functional, not ugly, what more can I say. It looks a lot like the web interfaces (PocketTweets etc). But it has a cool icon for your Dashboard. Install it via Installer.app.

Screenshots:


Public Timeline
Update
   

Light on the Prefs		  

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PocketTweets

Another web based interface to Twitter, but very specifically created for the iPhone and/or iPod Touch. Just visit http://www.pockettweets.com from your iPhone/iPod Touch. It is very slick, loads quickly and it’s pretty feature rich. Of the web based Twitter interfaces for the iPhone, this one is my favorite.

Screenshots:


Timeline
Toolbar
   

Update		  

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psychzzz

Very plain. Kinda blah. Only allows you to update Twitter, not read friends updates etc. But it gets the job done, and it’s certainly low bandwidth. Just point your mobile browser to http://mobi.psychzzz.com. You an also run a few other tools from the page, like “Domain Checker” and “Site Ping”.

Screenshots:


Home page
Sign in and update

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SQIJ

I try to stick to the saying “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything”. I’m making an exception here. Seriously, don’t download this software if all you’re looking for is a Twitter client. SQIJ is actually a collection of “Applets”, and Twitter happens to be one of them. If the other Applets appeal to you, and you want a Twitter client, maybe this software is for you. Things that annoyed me: you have to run a setup.exe w/ your phone docked (just give me the .cab please), you have to create a SQIJ account in order to add the Twitter applet and it was slow as death. With all of that said, the actual UI wasn’t totally ugly or hard to use.

Screenshots:


Your “SQIJ’s”
Following list
   

Timeline
Update

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ThinCloud Twitter

This is a web-based Twitter client designed specifically for iPhones and/or iPod Touches. That means you don’t need to have a jail-broken device, just load https://twitter.thincloud.com/login in Safari. I preferred PocketTweets, but you may not.

Screenshots:


ThinCloud home
Friends list
   

Timeline
Update

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twitter2go

Uhhh something’s awry at twitter2go.com. Or at least in Internet Explorer Mobile. The “bookmark” function (which is a bit of a security risk as it saves your username and password in plain text) doesn’t work, trying to view someones status will only display one specific user (no matter what name you enter). The update feature, however, works perfectly fine. Even if you’re determined to find a simple web based Twitter client, I’d skip this one.

Screenshots:


At least Update works		  

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Twitter Email

There are a few 3rd party services such as http://emailtwitter.com, but I’m not sure I’d recommend them. Though you can set up an account with them so you don’t have to email your password each time you want to update, it’s still not ideal. A better solution might be to sign up for tumblr, find the private email address used to update your tumbl blog (it’s in the “goodies” section”) and then use http://twitterfeed.com to import your tumble blog RSS feed.

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Twitteresce

For some reason, Twitteresce fails to install (on my Java J2ME enabled phone). I transferred the .jad file to my phone several different ways, and I get a default “this Midlet failed to install” error. Such is life. If you have an experience using this client, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll update accordingly.

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Twitter Flashlite

I don’t have a Flashlite enabled phone, so I couldn’t give this one a try. From the dev: “The application just updates the status message but I am thinking to add support for other Twitter APIs. There are bugs in application (not saving credentials in SharedObject, bad graphics, bad user-interaction (UI, soft-key-mapping). I would post the code later after fixing/cleaning.” I’ve tried leaving a comment on the devs site asking for some screenshots, but I’m not sure it went through. Ah well.

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Twitter IM

From: http://help.twitter.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=28

Twitter asks that you verify your Jabber, Gtalk and Live Journal chat addresses, just to make sure that you’re you. If you haven’t added your IM address to Twitter, follow the first set of instructions. If you’ve added your IM address but your updates aren’t posting, skip down to the second set of instructions.

  1. Log in to Twitter.
  2. Click on the Settings link in the top navigation bar.
  3. Click on the Phone & IM link.
  4. Click to verify your IM account. That should do it!

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Twitter Mobile Home

Point your mobile browser to http://m.twitter.com/login. Login. Done.

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Twitter SMS

First see: How to activate your phone for Twitter

Then text your update to:

  • In the US, use 40404.
  • In Canada, use 21212.
  • In India, use 5566511.
  • Anywhere else, use +44 7624 801423

    • Note that Twitter won’t charge you anything for sending the SMS messages, but your cellular provider might.

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    Twitter Webdebolsillo

    It works, it seems to have all the features you’d want, and it’s entirely in Spanish. If I could read Spanish, I’d have more to comment on, but even from just clicking around I was able to find most of the features you’d expect (friends timeline, public timeline, direct messages, etc).

    Screenshots:


    Timeline
    Profile
       

    Timeline clickable links    		  

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    TwitToday

    Looks brilliant. Couldn’t get it to show up on a Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone today screen (non-touchscreen device). As the author states “When posting a tweet, the key is speed. I don’t want to wait to launch an app, I don’t want lots of features. I just want something to take my message and post it.” Which is exactly my view. I’m bummed I can’t give this one a shot. Or I should say, I’m bummed I’m not smart enough to figure out a way to get this on my today screen.

    Screenshots:


    TwitToday

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    Twapper

    Here goes. Twapper is a 30 Boxes and Twitter mashup. Kind of. Visit http://m.30boxes.com/twapper in any mobile web browser (or regular browser) and enter a username. You’ll see their updates and friends updates. Or, go directly to their username by using the URL http://m.30boxes.com/twapper/rossm, where rossm is the user you want to view. If you want to update your Twitter status, send direct messages etc – join 30 Boxes, add twitter to your Web Stuff, and post an update to twitter from their Status line. Then login on your mobile and you are good to go. Too much of a hassle for me, so no screenshots for you!

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    Twobile

    Since I don’t have a touch-screen Windows Mobile device, I couldn’t actually test this one. Anyone who uses it regularly and has an opinion, please feel free to share it in the comments and I’ll update this paragraph. Twobile can be downloaded here.

    Screenshots:


    Update
    Featured
       

    User status
    Twobile settings

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