So it turns out there are no dumb BlackBerrys, just occassionally dumb BlackBerry users which apparently I am one of! If you saw my BlackBerry Bold 9700 unboxing video yesterday or the follow-up tip, you may have noticed I ran into some issues with getting the battery door cover off the thing. It wasn't the device... just me.

Watch the video above. It's actually DEAD EASY and requires very little effort to remove the battery door. You just need to use the right technique and apply a little pressure in the right place. This is obviously the way it was designed to be done...I just somehow missed that message. Maybe it's common sense to other people, but yeah.. errr.. my bad.  Lesson learned. Enjoy the video. And if by chance you run into any new BlackBerry Bold 9700 owners struggling with their battery (it'll make me feel better about myself if I'm not the only one out there who had a mental lapse) then show them the proper technique and tell them you saw it on CrackBerry.com. Not mentioning this topic again! LOL :)

So this isn't a good tip. Instead, watch this video for how the PROPER Way To Remove the Battery Door on a BlackBerry Bold 9700.

* Update: OOOoooo... Read the comments to this post. There's an even better way to get the cover off (probably the intended way) but I just didn't know it. Never use phones other than BBs so just didn't now. I'll make a new video tomorrow showing the correct method. It's really easy. My bad. *

So if you watched my BlackBerry Bold 9700 unboxing video, you saw me run into some issues trying to get the battery door off not one, but two BlackBerry Bold 9700s. Since unboxing it, I've spoken to a few people who have 9700s. A couple had the same issues, a couple didn't. So maybe some have the natural technique, or maybe some units are simply a bit tighter with the tolerances than others.

Regardless, if when you buy your BlackBerry Bold 9700 you find the battery door doesn't come off easily, simply follow the instructions in this video. Lie it flat on a table, and push down and slide. It seems to do the trick vs. holding it in the air and squeezing and and twisting and everything else. This method is simple, safe and it works. Not as easy as some battery BlackBerry doors, but the design holds the cover on tight and doesn't show off any sort of hinges or clasps or anything. Very clean and smooth. So no complaints here!

I bumped into an acquaintance on the weekend that I haven't seen in a long time, and before parting ways we did the good 'ole exchange of contact information. Thankfully he was a BlackBerry user and was sporting a Curve 8900 (which btw he loved). I didn't want to send him my full vcard, so dictated him my office line to save directly into his address book. When I gave him my extension, I got a little miffed to see him hit the menu key and then the Add Pause option before typing in the extension digits. I couldn't help but say... you know you don't have to do that, you can just type an X (alt X) after the main number (before the extension) and the BlackBerry will automatically put in the pause for dialing the extension. It's quicker!

Reflecting upon the event made be realize that putting in an X might not be the most intuitive thing, and that even the Add Pause / Add Wait thing can be a bit confusing. It's not really standard lingo considering most people think of dialing either extensions or passwords or menu option numbers after the main number is called. Below is a quick walk through.

I'm pretty sure that's the weirdest looking blog post title ever to appear here on CrackBerry.com, but bare with me and I'll explain... As we were winding down Podcast Episode 041, we got a last-minute email from Lisa (who by the way has listened to every single episode - totally hardcore!) that posed the following question:

About 6 months ago, I bought a BlackBerry Curve 8330 through Verizon's New Every Two program for 49.99 and let me tell you I totally love it. My question is when you go into Options and Status and type the letters b-u-y-r, 2 hidden rows show up: Data Usage and Voice Usage. What do they mean? Should I be worried that I've exceeded these amounts? I've looked all over the web for an answer and can't seem to find it.

For users who may be on a BES, typing buyr on the options > status screen will let you know if an IT Policy is enabled on your device. If you're a BIS customer, you'll get the Data Usage and Voice Usage stats. Lisa's question had us stumped on the podcast, and to be honest, we're still not totally sure what the verdict is here. If you don't have the exceeded 250k data / exceeded 60 minutes voice message, what you'll see are actual figures of data used and minutes of voice used. Some googling around found that **maybe** this exceeded message (which can't be reset as far I know) is related to an old warranty/return type thing from RIM - once you've used over 60minutes voice/250k data the device is yours to keep whether you like it or not. But not all devices seem to show this message even when going over the limits. Below you'll see some screencaps sent in by Dave snapped from his Curve 8520, Curve 8900 and Storm. All of them are running on unlimited plans and the messages displayed are all different - on his Storm he gets the exceeded limits message, and on his 8520 he has exceeded the limits but the usage stats keep rolling. Does whether or not the exceeded message appears depend on the device, OS version, carrier, plan, BIS vs. BES, etc.? Maybe if you unlock your device the exceeded message goes away? As pointed out in the comments, does BUYR = buyer's remorse??

I'm an addict (never claim to be an expert just in case things like this pop up and I don't know the answer!), so on this one we'll throw it out to the community and hopefully somebody reading this can explain exactly what these messages refer to and why they are there. I bet it's something simple like the max usage allowed before a return, but I just don't know for sure! Type BUYR into your Status screen and see what you get. Any ideas here? 

Our friends at Made Simple Learning have just released their new suite of BlackBerry training products, the All-in-One Training Center! Available on DVD from Amazon or by download from MadeSimpleLearning.com, this is a good alternative for those who want a comprehensive package they can work through to get up to speed with their device. The training center includes:

• Videos Now - full Video Library (over 80 Videos per device) which can be viewed on any PC or Mac
• Videos to Go - full Video Library in a self-installing file (for PC users) and easy install (for Mac users) which loads the videos right onto your Micro SD card. (Videos to Go requires a BlackBerry 96xx, 95xx, 90xx, 89xx, 88xx, or 83xx BlackBerry Smartphone with at least 250 MB free on a Micro SD media card)
• Made Simple Guide Book - The most comprehensive Guide Books available for BlackBerry Smartphones

The training center DVD are currently available for $31.99, which is 20% off its regular list price. You can grab the training center for the BlackBerry Tour,  Storm,  Bold, Curve 8900, 88xx Series, Curve 8350i and Curve 83xx series and DVDs for other devices will be available soon. And once you get hooked on your BlackBerry, you may want to check out our CrackBerry: True Tales of BlackBerry Use and Abuse book so you can get your addiction under control. PS. You can now pick up the CrackBerry book for your Kindle for just $7.99.

 

I received an email the other day from one of our readers/podcast listeners (thanks Chris!) that brought up a good tip that some of you may not be aware of and also raised a valid question/concern:

Have you noticed that on the Curve 8900 and Curve 8520 holding alt + scrolling left or right scrolls all the way the left or right of the text. Example: when your typing a email or text, once you get a few lines down hold alt and scroll left to right or up and down. I've noticed this doesn't work on the Bold, but I've tried it on the 8900 and 8520. 

Being able to fast scroll when reading/composing by holding Alt is definitely a great feature for trackball/trackpad BlackBerry smartphones, but as Chris points out there does seem to be at least some inconsistency as to what devices/os versions offer this feature. For example, it's working flawlessly on my Tour, on some older devices doesn't appear to want to work at all, and on my Curve 8900 (which I just upgraded to 5.0.0.190), I can fast scroll when composing but not while reading emails. So the question is, does it work for you?! I'd assume it's a gimme of a function and should always work, so I'm not quite sure why it wouldn't in some situations. Try holding down alt while scrolling on a message with a lot of text to see if your cursor makes the big jump.

Over the weekend my Tour had a minor disagreement with an app I installed. I tried to reboot after I added the application, and my device wouldn't boot past the VZW splash screen. I had no access to a PC, so I was stuck with a dead device for two days. In my research and hopes of getting up and running, I came across the RIM article on how to boot in safe mode. We touched on this a while back, but never really got into any detail. Now, I also found out this doesn't work on the current Tour OS (for me anyway), but supposedly it works with most devices running OS 4.6 and higher. The basic idea behind it is that much like Safe Mode on a PC, booting your device this way allows you to uninstall any "bad" applications by loading the bare essentials upon startup. You simply perform a battery pull and then hold the Back key until the Safe Mode dialog appears. Just a good tip in case you ever find yourself in my shoes. Check out the full RIM Knowledge Base article here. If you've got a few minutes to kill, give it a try on your device. Does it work for you?

Those of you looking to tether your BlackBerry to your Mac look no further. RIM has published an article with a step-by-step of just how to do it. The article How to set up an IP modem using Bluetooth on an Apple Macintosh computer has plain and simple steps to get the job done.

A BlackBerry smartphone with tethered modem over Bluetooth® capabilities can be used as an external modem to connect an Apple Macintosh computer to the Internet. To set up an Internet Protocol (IP) modem over Bluetooth on an Apple Macintosh computer, complete the following tasks.

The full article can be found in the BlackBerry Technical Solution Center. This is a simple solution for Mac users, yet many don't know how to set it up or never cared to try. If you have tested out this method, be sure to leave a comment and let us know your findings. 

This is article is for all the new BlackBerry owners out there...  It's pretty easy to pick up a BlackBerry for the first time and start using it. Scroll (or tap) to where you want to go, hit the menu key (the one with the little dots/seeds) for options and you're on your way - within a few minutes you're sending emails, browsing websites, setting your alarm clock, playing songs, booking appointments, adding contacts, and before you know it you're installing third party apps so you can facebook, twitter, stream music, play games and whatever else you want to do. As you start to learn BlackBerry shortcuts, arrange your homescreen icons and dial in your device settings (set convenience keys, tweak your trackball/trackpad/screen sensitivity) you go from simply using your BlackBerry to using it effectively.

One of the critical things to getting the most out of the BlackBerry experience that I find most new users I bump into are not aware of is the built-in Application Switcher and the fact that hitting the end key (red hang-up call phone button) does not close apps, but rather puts them in the background and brings you back to your homescreen. Closing apps when you're finished with them and taking advantage of the Application Switcher on a regular basis will greatly enhance your BlackBerry efficiency. Read on for the details!

Our good friend and contributing CrackBerry writer Al Sacco of CIO.com wrote up a great article on why some software listed in the Applications list are listed in bold text. I have to admit, I always wondered about this but never really looked for an answer. I formulated many reasonings on my own, but never took the time to do my CrackBerry duty and seek out the real reason. As it turns out, any applications listed in bold in the Applications list are those which have modified permissions. Permissions allow applications to access your device (allowing Interactions, Connections and User Data to be accessed). So if you have downloaded something and changed the deafult permissons, it will appear in bold in the list. Pretty cool (and perplexing) stuff. This is one of the most asked questions by a lot of BlackBerry users, and Al did a great write up of the answer. Head over to CIO.com and check out the full article.

Following up on the recent launch of the BlackBerry Tour 9630, the folks at Made Simple Learning (formerly BlackBerry Made Simple) have gone live with their suite of training products for the device. In addition to the 9630 ebook (print edition coming soon), MSL offers video tutorials as well. Videos come in two flavors -- on device viewing or on computer -- so whether in the office or at home you can get up to speed with your Tour quick. You can view the full press release below and visit MadeSimpleLearning.com for full details.

So you just bought a new BlackBerry Tour, now what? You don't even know where to start. Your icons are a mess, you aren't sure what applications to download and you want to know how to "tweak" your new device. Well lets run over some of the basics and get everything up and running. We'll look at organizing all your application icons, settings your favorite apps, using folders and customizing wallpaper.

How to customize the sound profile settings on your BlackBerry Tour (and Storm) on OS 4.7

So you've given up on your old BlackBerry 83xx or 88xx series device and moved on to something better like a Bold, Curve 8900 or maybe the BlackBerry Tour. The old 4.5 OS (or even 4.3 or gasp.. 4.2.2) has been kicked to the curb, and now you have a bigger, more refined OS at your disposal in the form of version OS 4.6 (Bold / Curve 8900 / Pearl Flip / Curve 8350i) or 4.7 (Tour / Storm). You will notice some obvious changes in the look and feel. BlackBerry Messenger has been overhauled and the media is layed out a bit different (even more changes are slated for version 5.0 device software). It's all pretty straight forward in terms of use, but one area where the move up to 4.7 on your new Tour will require some adjustment is to the new Profile settings - or should I say Sounds.

Even with recent upgrades to the native BlackBerry browser, and more to come with OS 5.0 on its way (or here if you like unofficial releases and follow the blogs!), I'd still suggest visiting the mobile-optimized version of CrackBerry.com when visiting the site (especially if you want to use the forums) from your handheld. When on your BlackBerry, simply head to http://m.crackberry.com. The main CrackBerry.com website was originally designed for PC viewing and to be used in conjunction with a BlackBerry - for example, you can browse for free ringtones and wallpapers easily on your computer, or buy apps from software.crackberry.com, then shoot the download links to your BlackBerry for easy OTA install.

Planned CrackBerry 2.0 upgrades will make even the full site more BlackBerry browser friendly, but in the meantime just remember to put an m in front of CrackBerry when visiting on your device. Don't worry, you'll only have to type it once. When you visit the mobile site, simply download and install our Desktop Launcher and you'll never be more than a click away from the site. If you're new to BlackBerry, you can follow the step by step instructions below to walk you through the process.

The Call for BlackBerry 101 Article Ideas post we ran last week got a great response - over the weeks / months ahead you'll see a new burst of helpful how tos and guides hit the blogs that'll further build out the knowledge base in our existing lecture series.

One of the areas where readers expressed interest in learning more was in regards to the BlackBerry web browser. For a lot of new-to-BlackBerry owners it isn't readily clear as to how to get the most out of it. Back on New Year's Eve we posted a must-read article called BlackBerry Browsers Explained, which walked through the basics of the native browser (the differences between Internet browser, Hotspot browser, etc.). After knowing when and how to use each browser, the next step in becoming speedy is learning the shortcuts!

The BlackBerry is full of useful shortcuts, and the BlackBerry web browser is no exception. Some browser shortcuts overlap with others on the device as they should -- t for top, b for bottom and spacebar to scroll down the page in steps -- while others are more browser specific and sometimes a little less intuitive: h for the homepage, r to refresh, g to go to an address, s for options, k for bookmarks, u to hide the status banner at the top, i and o to zoom in and out. There are even more shortcuts and tricks for the BlackBerry browser and it just so happens our pal Al Sacco posted an in-depth browser tricks guide earlier this week that really drills into it. If getting the most out of your BlackBerry browser is on the agenda, I suggest you check it out. To learn even more BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts, you'll want to check out this post.