BlackBerry 101 - Adding and customizing contacts on OS6

Let's be honest, who remembers phone numbers anymore. When was the last time you dialed an actual number for a friend or family member? In this day and age it's all about speed dials, address books, and contact lists. So whether you've just picked up a new BlackBerry or upgraded your device's operating system here's how to add and personalize contacts on OS 6.

Add a Contact

In the All screen, click on the Contacts application icon by tapping or using the trackpad and select New Contact.


From this screen you can enter in all of your contact's information: First and Last Name, Company (if applicable), address, email addresse(s), contact number(s), and BlackBerry Pin number. Easily move through the fields by scrolling with the trackpad or use your finger to move down the list. If you want to add a nickname or job title simply click or press on Add Field. 
When inputting a phone number, it will automatically be in number mode without needing to press the ALT key. In addition, next to each field there is a drop down menu that allows you to change the type to match the number being entered (i.e. Fax, Pager, Mobile, etc.).

In the address field, users can add up to two addresses for each contact and designate whether they are Home or Work.

Need to remember a birthday or anniversary? Quickly enter dates and they will be added to your calendar so you'll never forget.

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Finally, the last section of the new contact screen lets you insert your own custom fields, a web page, and notes (i.e. Spouse's name, children's name, etc.)

Four Ways to Save 

Now all that needs to be done is save your changes. You can always go back and change the details at a later date by clicking on Contacts > Scroll to and highlight the contact name > Menu > Edit. As a shortcut for Torch devices, scroll to the name you want and touch the A|cd icon at the bottom.

Press the Menu key and click on Save. 

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Scroll up and click on the save in the upper right hand corner.

Press the escape key and touch or click on save. 

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Touch the screen and tap save on the popup menu (Torch 9800 only)

 

Add a Contact through a Message, Call Log or Web Page

To add a contact you don't always need to use the Contacts application. The wonderful thing about a BlackBerry is that you can pull information from messages (text, BBM, email), call logs, and web pages. All you need to do is click on or touch the name, number or email address while in any of these screens, press the menu key, select Add to contacts, and follow the procedure above. Just make sure that the number is underlined or appears as a blue hyperlink, and includes the area code and/or prefix.

Add a Picture

Want to add your own personal avatar for your contact? Click on the box in the upper left or click on menu and select Add Picture when you are adding or editing a contact to load your picture library. OS 6 comes with preinstalled avatars or you can use a photo from your picture library. Scroll through your library and select the picture you want and zoom in and crop and save to fit the box. When complete, you will be redirected back to the contact screen where your new picture is now visible.

Pictures can be added or removed at any time. Simply go back into contacts, highlight the contact, click edit, and repeat the process above. You can also click on Delete picture or Replace picture from the menu.

Add a Custom Ringtone 

I like to give all my friends and family different ringtones, that way I know exactly who is calling. Admit it, you know you want to add the Ping Me Baby song as a ringtone. To do this, you'll need to scroll down to Custom Ring Tones/Alerts in the contact screen when adding or editing.

Creating a custom ringtone will not impact other notifications already set but will create an exception for that person. This means that even if you have your device on silent or vibrate, it will override those settings and use the custom alerts. Not only can you can assign different tones for phone calls and messages, but you can change the tone volume, turn the LED alert on or off, and customize the vibration alert.

Users can choose from a list of preinstalled tones or assign a song located on their device or SD card. Select the category you want to update (phone/messages) and in the next screen under Sound alerts, click or tap the drop down next to ring tone or notifier tone. You can either select a tone in this menu or go to All Music to choose a song from your music library. Tap or use the touchpad to select the one you want and click on save. Save your changes again when you're back in the contact screen and you're all set.

Congratulations, you now know everything there is to know about storing contact information on your BlackBerry Smartphone. Just remember to regularly backup your device to prevent losing your information.

Backup/Restore device data using DM 6