Tip: BlackBerry Losing Text Messages or Call Logs?
Are you having issues with your text messages vanishing without deleting them? Or maybe you notice your call log is suddenly empty? Both of these are symptoms of a full memory.
What can you do to avoid this? Clear out as much as you can from your BlackBerry.
Move pictures, ringtones, music, and videos to your microSD card if you have one. You can even set your camera to save pictures there by default.
Delete programs you do not use. I often download a free trial or try out freeware that I discover I don't need or like. I often forget about these programs which are taking up my memory. Make sure to remove them either using Desktop Manager's Application Loader or under Options, Advanced Options, Applications.
Keep your log clear. The BlackBerry keeps a log for trouble shooting. Just hold down the alt key and type lglg from the homescreen. Once the log comes up go into the menu and select clear. Make sure to close the log when you are done.
See what programs are open. This is also a great help on the battery. From the home screen hold the alt key and press the back button. You will get a banner of programs that are running. There will be some BlackBerry applications that are always running, such as phone, messages, and BlackBerry Messenger.
Clean out old e-mails, text messages, and call logs you don't need. I often accidentally save an e-mail or a text. I try to check my saved messages regularly and get rid of what I don't need, such as my flight info from a trip I took three months ago.
Check your themes. Do you have lots of themes installed on your BlackBerry? They take up memory. You may want to delete them in Options, Advanced Options, Applications.
Remove any media you are no longer using, such as old ringtones or mp3s that have worn out their welcome on your BlackBerry.
From your Desktop Manager use Application Loader to see what languages are loaded on your BlackBerry. You can remove any you don't need. Also consider removing any other the option applications that come your BlackBerry that you may not use, such as Password Keeper or BrickBreaker. If you don't use it, free up the space.
Try any or all of these as they fit for you. These steps helped me stop my vanishing text messages.
Tip: How to Twitter from Your BlackBerry
I know there are people out there who twitter and have BlackBerrys, yet haven't gotten the two to mix well yet. How do I know? I track BlackBerry on Twitter. I see the messages all of the time.
Basically you have three options to access Twitter on the go with your BlackBerry: SMS, Mobile Twitter Web site, and a third-party application like TwitterBerry. They each have their pros and cons. Which will work for you depends on how you twitter and your BlackBerry data plan.
SMS messaging is what I use the most. You can track and untrack just by sending a text to twitter, get a little information on people and even follow them. . Not to mention send updates. All of this is accomplished by SMSing basic commands directly to Twitter. However if you do not have an unlimited SMS package, this is not an option for you.
If you are not familiar with Track, which is really only available via SMS, it allows you to tell Twitter to copy you on any updates that include a word of phrase you are interested in. I track BlackBerry and 8320 along with Farscape and Torchwood. Some phrases are too common, like Doctor Who, and get you more than your bargain for. I have made some new Twitter friends using track.
Of course, if you do not have unlimited SMS, then you have to consider the other two options, using the mobile Twitter Web site, or a third-party application.
The mobile site is simple and easy to use. All you need is the URL, which is, m.twitter.com. No need to download or install anything. Here, you can see a version of your Twitter page and make updates right from the BlackBerry browser. Now if you are a heavy web surfer like I am, this is not a good option, as you need the browser available to go to other Web sites, and not necessarily to keep up to date on what is happening in Twitterland.
That brings us to the last option: If you don't like SMS or don't have unlimited messages and don't want to keep your browser pointed at one Web site, there is at least one Twitter application meant for BlackBerrys. It is called TwitterBerry, see here, and can be installed over the air.
I have used it on the BlackBerry 8300 and the 8320 with no problems.
You do have to plug in your user name and password, but once that is done you can send updates, check your own time line as well as your friends, and the public time line. It won't give you the full functionality of the regular Web site, but it does give you a way to keep up to date on Twitter without hogging the browser or costly per message charges for texts.
Tip: How to Wipe Your BlackBerry Clean
A Member of the BlackBerryToday forums recently upgraded from a BlackBerry 7100 to a Pearl. He wanted to know if there was any special steps to take to wipe the 7100's memory clean, so as to make sure the next owner doesn't have access to his personal information.
The following advice from a Senior Member did the trick:
—Enter your password incorrectly ten times (plus "blackberry") to clear the BlackBerry.
Tip: What to Do When the BlackBerry Network Goes Down
First, take a deep breath and don't panic.
Next, verify there really is a problem. Send yourself a test email, text message someone, try to load a webpage, and try to send a BlackBerry Messenger message. This will give you an idea of what is going on.
In the outage on April 17th and 18th text messaging and phone calls worked fine, but there was no e-mail and the BlackBerry browser couldn’t connect. That’s because the outage was on RIMs side and they do not handle the phone calls or texts, as those are taken care of by your Service Provider, like AT&T or T-Mobile.
If you have a group of BlackBerry buddies check with them to see if they are having problems too. For example, this morning my e-mail and browser stopped working, so I sent a text to a friend, who said his was working fine.
A battery pull later I was back on track. Sometimes the problem is just your BlackBerry and not the network. Usually you can tell pretty fast by talking to others if it is your service provider or RIM. Once it is clear what the problem is and who is causing it feel free to report it and share it with others.
Now comes the worst part: What to do while waiting for it to work again.
In the April 17th and 18th outage you could still use some third party applications. It was reported Opera Mini worked, along with mirc chat via the BlackBerry. Of course, any games on your BlackBerry are going to work just fine to. It is a great time to work on the BrickBreaker high score you want or work out the brain with a little Sudoku.
When you need a break from games you can load a new OS on your BlackBerry, if there is one available. And if there is not a new OS, it would be a perfect time to back up your data just in case you ever need it.
Also since I find that my internet e-mail accounts sometimes get very unorganized now that I read all e-mails on the BlackBerry, the outage was a great time to clean up my accounts.
Most importantly, remember service will come back. There are people scrambling to try and locate and fix the problem. Networks go down, and outages happen, no matter how hard a company tries to avoid them. It is just a part of the technology age.
No need to worry about missing an important e-mail if no e-mails are coming through, right? With an outage, millions of other people are the same position as you. They should understand your predicament.
Tip: BlackBerry - Setup an Inbox for SMS Messages
This tip, which we were directed to by RIM's BlackBerry Connection newsletter, explains how you can separate the inbox for SMS text messages from the one for e-mails on a 8800-series BlackBerry
There are three simple steps:
# In the Messages application, display the menu and select Options.
# Select General Options.
# In the SMS and Email Inboxes field, change the option to Separate and select Save.
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