1. Capture BlackBerry Screenshots from Command Prompt
Get the free Java Loader Commander utility from BBforums (mirror) and unzip the file to some folder on your hard drive. Now connect the BlackBerry device to your computer via the USB cable and navigate to the screen that you want to save as an image.

Open the command prompt and switch to the folder that contains the extracted files. Type JL_Cmder.cmd and press enter. Just follow the simple wizard to save screenshots of your BlackBerry screen.
2. Take Screenshots with BB Screenshooter
The official RIM command line utility discussed above can be a bit intimidating for non-techies so here’s a standard GUI based application for capturing screenshots of BlackBerry.

The utility is called BBScreenshooter and it lets you take captures in multiple image formats from your Windows desktop. You can even preview screenshots before shooting.

To use BB Screeenshoter, first download the JavaLoader tool and unzip it to a folder. Then download the BBscreenshoter.exe file in the same folder and run. Specify the location of Java Loader utility and the application is now ready to take pictures of your BlackBerry screen.
3. Wireless Screen Captures for BlackBerry
The downside with either of the above solutions is that they both are desktop based so you first need to connect the BlackBerry phone to the computer before taking screen captures.
Now in situations where you want to grab the BlackBerry screen while you’re miles away from the computer, CaptureIt will come very handy. Open m.thetechmogul.com in your BlackBerry browser and install the CaptureIt application (mirror).

This will add a “Capture It” option to your BlackBerry menu – you can select that option, wait until the vibration is over and an image of your current BlackBerry screen will get saved either in the external memory card or to the device memory.

Alternatively, you can go to Home – Options – Screen Keyboard and assign a convenience key to the Capture It application. Then you’ll be able to capture screenshots with a simple click without having to use the menu option.

Synchronizing your BlackBerry with your desktop computer is a must! It just works incredibly fine and is easy going to set up. This article is meant to help you to get this working. If you have already set it up and you think it is fine you can just skip this article. But if you are not sure your setting is correct – but it is working actually – you should keep reading and check whether you have set it up right.

We wil cover the following parts of your BlackBerry and desktop application for synchronization:

• Address Book
• Calendar
• MemoPad
• Tasks

Please keep in mind that we are not covering the synchronization of E-Mails in this article. We will do so later I guess. The setup that is used for this presention is as followed:

• BlackBerry Pearl (BlackBerry OS 4.2 from HKCSL)
• BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2.0.14
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Professional Desktop Computer
• Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Enterprise Edition

You can use this procedure for your setup as well. E.g. you are using another BlackBerry model (72xx, 87xx or 71xx) the setup is the nearly the same. To get your computer’s data synchronized with your BlackBerry and vice versa proceed as followed:

Hint: The program on the right – NextAction! – is compatible with PocketMac and therefor with all applications PocketMac can synchronize your BlackBerry with. It is world’s best GTD application for BlackBerry® Wireless Handhelds!

via blackberryinsight.com

Ever own a phone and want to switch providers? Well that happens quite often. The problem is the new provider won’t activate your competitor phone and ask that you buy a new one. The guys at GSM Phone Source have an answer. These guys provide you with remote unlocking of the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 and also the BlackBerry Pearl 8700g.

How it works is pretty simple. You pay for the unlocking service, and when you submit your order, you must include the IMEI number for the Blackberry you are unlocking in the notes section when you are making the Paypal payment. The IMEI Number can be obtained when you enter *#06# from your phone’s keypad, it will display a 15 digit number ( If you have trouble obtaining the IMEI this way you can also find the IMEI number in the Status menu ). Once your order is processed and unlock code is ready, you will be emailed with an unlock code and instructions on how to enter it.

Models supported, including but not limited to are the 8100, Pearl, 8700g, 5xxx Series, 6xxx Series, 7xxx Series.

You have to pay $35 for their service and the turnaround time is usually less than 24 hours. via blackberrybonanza.com

When you’re in the market for a new BlackBerry is security your number one priority?  Probably not but if you’re one of those people who like to keep your data secure then you should already know about the BlackBerry firewall.  I am willing to bet there are lots of BlackBerry owners who don’t even know the firewall exists.  This is because RIM now ships their phones with the firewall disabled by default but this wasn’t always the case.
Older BlackBerry devices came with the firewall already enabled so at one point or another you knew it was there.  The new firewall settings are due in large part to the BlackBerry becoming more of an everyday smartphone as opposed to just a business one.  RIM has also beefed up the security software and there are now a bunch of new security features.  With that being said, is the BlackBerry firewall even necessary anymore?
As BlackBerry smartphones continue to evolve so will the hackers and they will not stop until they find a way to break into your phone.  The safest way to protect against them is keep your firewall enabled at all times.  This is a no brainer for those of you on the BES because one little intrusion could bring down the whole network.  For the rest of us it’s really a question of how secure you want your BlackBerry to be.
Most people think that the BlackBerry firewall only blocks incoming messages like SMS or MMS texts but in reality it does much more than that.  Even if you have those options turned off the firewall is still running in the background giving you that extra security.  One of the biggest threats to your BlackBerry is third party applications that could potentially inject unwanted spyware into your phone.  This is why the firewall will notify you when you launch a third party app to ask if it’s trusted or not.  It may not be huge deal right now but in the future the firewall will be the only way these attacks are prevented. By Justin , via berryreporter.com

Ever wonder how much time you spend    sending messages on your BlackBerry? How about the amount of time you play Word Mole? A handful of applications will provide you with a rough breakdown, but none I’ve seen are quite as elegant as SmrtMonitor. It’s from the makers of SmrtGuard, a wireless backup and remote tracking service for BIS users. The application tracks how much time you spend on each BlackBerry application and then presents it in a number of formats.

When you open the program you’ll see a list of your most used BlackBerry applications. This includes the amount of time you’ve spend on the application, plus a percentage breakdown. The user in the sample screen shot, you can see, spends about 45 percent of his BlackBerrying time in the messages app. He also likes to remind himself that he spends that much time on his Berry, apparently, because he spends 11 percent of his time on SmrtGuard.

The application provides further detailed information on each application, including the minimum, maximum, and average session times, dates of your first and last usage, and a breakdown by day of the week. You can also sort your master list by different categories, including most and least time, most and least frequent, and most and least recent. SmrtGuard allows you to reset the timer for each application at any time.

If you’re interested in your BlackBerry usage breakdown, you can get SmrtMonitor for $3.99 until December 31. If you aren’t interested, you can find out why I find the name SmrtMonitor so funny. By Joe, via bbgeeks.com

Business communication has taken a number of developments to reach the wider spectrum of customer base. The more instant data is transferred the more profit higher the stake value grows. Internet and smart phones have taken a key role in a business conversation. However, security is also a major concern in data transfer which can break down business secrets. Blackberry is one of the most preferred mobile phone to access internet using mobile broadband

There are a number of security features in a blackberry internet service.

1. A highly secured connection is established in a blackberry browser using SSL encryption. This helps us to protect data against identity theft and unauthorized usage of authentic data. SSL encryption is indicated by a closed lock icon in the upper right hand corner of the browser.

2. Email and instant messages sent using a blackberry use a wireless network encryption provided the messaging server also should support SSL encryption. Email attachments can be protected by turning on the content protection feature.

3. The built in firewall in your blackberry device can be configured to block unencrypted and PIN text messages.

4. Spam email messages can be either blocked using the anti-spam protector or by turning on the email message filter.

5. Login information for the blackberry internet service website is protected using a SSL encryption which protects the username, password and unauthorized access to the account.

6. Blackberry features a password keeper which can help to save all the passwords of the blackberry device. So it’s more than enough to remember just the password of the ‘password keeper.’

7. Content protection allows two types of protection levels: Stronger and Strongest. The first uses a 12 character device password for encryption while the second uses 21 characters.

8. All the data in the media card can be encrypted using the ‘encrypt media file’ option.

9. Locating the GPS information of the blackberry users can block the options like access to third party applications, all third party application, turn off GPS, or blackberry maps if not required.

10. All device applications have an inbuilt virus and spy ware protection which scans all files that is opened in the device to prevent spreading of the malicious codes.

The device is designed to overwrite and frequently clean the cache memory that can help remove unwanted programs. Moreover all data stored manually or automatically by the applications will be deleted permanently if the login password in typed incorrectly for more than 10 times. All these security features have made blackberry one of the preferred communication equipment in the market ofbroadband in UK

Tips And Tricks For New BlackBerry Storm Users
via storm-reviews.co.uk- How to information on highlighting and selecting,  scrolling, moving between items, zooming and panning, songs and videos, camera, menus and keys on the Blackberry Storm.
Highlighting And Selecting Text On The BlackBerry Storm
To highlight an item, touch the screen lightly. To select an item or to place the cursor, click
(press) the screen. To cut or copy text and paste it into an application, simultaneously touch the screen before and after the text that you want to copy. Click the cut or copy icon at the bottom of the screen. Place the cursor where you want to insert the cut or copied text. Press the Menu key. Click Paste.

Scrolling On The BlackBerry Storm
To scroll down, slide your finger up. To scroll up, slide your finger down.

Moving Between Items On The BlackBerry Storm
To move to the next item, slide your finger to the left quickly. To move to the previous item, slide your finger to the right quickly.

Zooming And Panning On The BlackBerry Storm
To zoom into a picture or web page, click the screen. To zoom out from a picture or web page,
press the key. To pan a picture, slide your finger in any direction.

Playing Songs And Videos On The BlackBerry Storm
To pause or resume playing a song or video, press the Mute key. To increase or decrease the volume, press the Volume Up key or the Volume Down key. To play the next or previous song in a category, hold the Volume Up key or the Volume Down key.

How To Use The BlackBerry Storm Camera
To zoom in to or out from a subject, press the Volume Up key or the Volume Down key. To lock focus on a subject before you take a picture, press the Right Convenience key halfway. To take a picture, press the Right Convenience key.

How To Use The BlackBerry Storm Menus And Keys
To type a letter, click (press) the letter key. To hide the keyboard, slide your finger down.

To open a menu in any application to access options and available actions, press the key. To close a menu or move back a screen, press the key. To lock the screen or device, press the Lock key. To return to the Home screen, press the key.

Home Screen Tips

Return to home screen from any other screen

* Press End

Lock the keyboard

* Hold (*) or click Keyboard Lock

Unlock the keyboard

* Press Press (*) + Send or doubleclick Trackwheel

Switch between Default and Vibrate notification profiles

* Hold #

Switch to another application

* Hold Alt, Press Escape, Continue to hold Alt, Select application, Release Alt to switch to that application

Phone Tips

Open phone

* Press Send

End call

* Press End

Call selected name or phone number

* Press Send

Call a speed dial number

* Hold assigned number key

Type an extension

* Press ZX, Type extension number

Call your voice mail access number

* Hold 1

Type a letter in a number field

* Hold Alt and press letter key once for the first letter and twice for the second letter

Turn mute on/off during call

* Press Exclamation point (!) key

Switch between the speaker and earpiece during call

* Press Period (.) key

Change volume during call

* Roll Trackwheel

Browser

Open browser and display list of bookmarks made available by service provider

* Press Convenience key

Edit web address in Go To dialog box

* Hold Alt and roll Trackwheel, Select address, Edit text, Click Trackwheel

Move down a page

* Press 9

Move up a page

* Press 3

Move between full-screen mode and normal mode

* Press Exclamation point (!) key

Typing

To type words quickly using SureType™

- Press keys one time for one letter, Type entire word before attempting to make a correction

Scroll across list that appears when you type

- Press Next or roll Trackwheel

Choose selected item in list that appears when you type

- Press Enter or click Trackwheel

Insert a period

- Press Space twice, Next letter is capitalized

Capitalize a letter

- Hold the letter key until capitalized letter appears

Type alternate character on a key

- Press Alt and press the character key

Type a symbol

- Press Alt + Symbol, Press Symbol again to view more symbols, Type letter shown below symbol

Type an accent or special character

- Hold letter key and roll Trackwheel Click selected character

To insert “@” and periods in an email field

- Press Space

Turn on NUM lock

- Press Shift + Alt

Turn off NUM lock
- Press Alt

Switch between SureType and multi-tap input methods

- Hold (*)

Messages

Open the selected message

- Press Enter

Compose message from messages list

- Press Comma (,) key

Reply to message

- Press Exclamation point (!) key

Forward message

- Press Period (.) key

Reply to all

- Press Question Mark (?) key

View received messages

- Press Alt + 3

View SMS messages

- Press Alt + Question Mark (?) key

View MMS messages

- Press Alt + 9

View phone call logs

- Press Alt + Period (.) key

View voice mail messages

- Press Alt + 7

Navigating Screens

Move cursor

- Roll Trackwheel

Exit a screen or dialog box

- Press Escape

Click an icon or menu item

- Roll Trackwheel to select item, Click Trackwheel

Select multiple items or characters

- Hold Shift and roll Trackwheel

Move to top of screen

- Press 1

Move to bottom of screen

- Press 7

Organizer/Calendar

NOTE: For these tips to work in Day view, in the calendar options, set Enable Quick Entry field to No

Create an appointment

- Press Period (.) key

Move to next day, week or month

- Press 6

Move to previous day, week or month

- Press 4

Move cursor horizontally in Week view

- Hold Alt and roll Trackwheel

Move cursor vertically in Month view

- Hold Alt and roll Trackwheel

General Tips

Increase the brightness of backlight

- Press power button

Reboot

- Remove battery

Save battery

- Turn off BlackBerry handset in fringe or no-coverage areas

Attachments

Pan horizontally across an image

- Hold Alt key and roll Trackwheel

Zoom in on an image

- Press 3. To continue zooming, hold Shift and roll Trackwheel

Zoom out of an image

- Press 9. To continue zooming, hold Shift and roll Trackwheel

Rotate an image

- Press Period (.) key

by Greens – via blogcatalog.com

Home Screen Tips

Move icon on Home screen
- Select the icon, Press Alt and click Trackwheel, Click Move Application. Position icon, Click Trackwheel again to set icon

Vertically scroll between icons
- Hold Alt+roll Trackwheel

Return to the Home screen from other screens
- Press End or Escape

Lock your BlackBerry device
- Set password. Click Lock.

Lock the keyboard
- Click Keyboard Lock

Phone Tips

Open the Phone screen
- Press Send

Change volume during call
- Roll Trackwheel

Insert an extension
- Press ALT+8, type the extension #

Show the last number typed
- Press Spacebar + Enter

Access your voice mail
- Hold 1

Type letters in a phone number
- Hold Alt and type letters

Mute call
- Press Mute key

To turn mute off
- Press Mute key again

Turn on Speakerphone
- Press Speakerphone key

Browser

Toggle full-screen mode/normal mode
- Press U

Add a bookmark
- Press A

Open bookmarks
- Press K

Refresh a web page
- Press R

Return to the last page viewed
- Press Escape

Display list of useful bookmarks
- Press Front Convenience key

View address of current web page
- Press Trackwheel, Click Page Address

View list of the last 20 pages visited
- Press Trackwheel, Click History

Save a web page to Messages list
- Press S

Go to home page
- Press H

View, copy or send the address for a link
- Press L

Move a page down
- Press Spacebar

Move a page up
- Press Shift+Spacebar

Stop a web page from loading
- Press Escape button

Open browser options
- Press O

Typing

Capitalize a letter
- Hold letter key

Insert a period
- Press Spacebar twice

Type alternate character
- Hold Alt+character key

Type a symbol
- Press Symbol+click symbol

Type accented/special character
- Hold key+roll Trackwheel

Insert currency symbol
- Press Currency key

Select text by character
- Hold Shift + roll Trackwheel

Select whole lines
- Press Shift once + roll Trackwheel

Turn on CAP-Lock
- Alt+Right Shift (CAP)

Turn on NUM-Lock
- Alt+Right Shift (123)

Turn off NUM/CAP-Lock
- Press Right Shift or Left Shift

Insert “@” into an email field
- Press Spacebar

Messages

Mark a message opened/unopened
- Press Alt+U

Move down a page in a message
- Press Spacebar

Move up a page in a message
- Press Shift+Spacebar

Reply to a message
- Press R

Forward a message
- Press F

Reply-to-all
- Press L

View SMS messages
- Press Alt+S

View voice mail messages
- Press Alt+V

Calculator

Display calculation results
- Press Enter

Clear screen
- Press Y

Clear last entry
- Press T

Add
- Press O

Subtract
- Press I

Multiply
- Press A

Divide
- Press G

Find square root
- Press V

Find percent
- Press B

Add a number to memory
- Type number, press L

Recall memory
- Press J

Replace memory
- Type number, press K

Clear memory
- Press H

Metric conversions
- Type number, click Trackwheel

Navigating Screens

Move down a screen
- Press Spacebar

Move up a screen
- Press Shift+Spacebar

Move to item in list or menu
- Type the first letter of item

Select multiple items/icons
- Hold down Shift +roll Trackwheel

Organizer/Calendar

NOTE: For these tips to work in Day view, in the calendar options, set Enable Quick Entry field to No

Find a contact in address book
- Type contact’s name or initials (separated by a space)

Jump to next day in calendar
- Press Spacebar

Jump to previous day in calendar
- Press Shift+Spacebar

Change to Agenda view
- Press A

Change to day view
- Press D

Change to week format
- Press W

Change to month format
- Press M

Move to current date
- Press T

Move to specific date
- Press G

Create an appointment
- Press C

Move to the next day, week or month
- Press Spacebar

Move to the previous day, week or month
- Press Shift+Spacebar

Move cursor horizontally in Week view
- Hold Alt + roll Trackwheel

Move cursor vertically in Month view
- Hold Alt + roll Trackwheel

General Tips

Delete prior messages
- Click a date field, click Delete Prior

Save battery
- Set your BlackBerry device to turn on and off automatically. Click Options. Click on Auto on/off. Configure settings as needed

Attachments

Move to specific cell
- Press G

Display the contents of specific cell
- Press Spacebar

via blogcatalog.com

When your device fails to start, it show one of these symptoms:

1. Totally dead.

2. Trying to restart, LED activity only.

3. Failed to start, a white screen with an error message.

—————-

1. Physical damage, water is the worst enemy of delicate electronic device. Try drying it with a desiccant and replacing the battery. If there is no activity, you can still try the last ditch technique, nothing to loose anyway.

2. Your device is not able to start, something has gone wrong and the OS is corrupt.

3. Geeks call this an “Uncaught exception error”. That is a polite way of saying, the last thread has terminated, the OS has halted because it is corrupt.

In many cases, the Application Loader can be used from Desktop Manager or Windows.  If that fails to connect, there is one final solution. Go Old Skool …

The good news, starting from scratch, you will be back in service in a couple of hours.

Note: Windows 7 beta is not compatible with these instructions.

1. In order to restore the device, you need to have BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed. The original, as supplied on the BlackBerry CD is adaquite. Tip: If you choose to download the newest v4.3, you can save a lot of time by choosing custom install and disabling Roxio Media Manager. At start-up, it really slows things down until it has built up it index of media. Ref #2 links to BlackBerry’s download site.

2. After it is installed, you need to install a BlackBerry OS file that is specific to your device. The original version, as supplied by the carrier, is the safe choice, but you can use any model specific version. This is not supplied on your BlackBerry CD, Ref: 3 links to BlackBerry’s download pages.

3. Once the OS has been installed, you have to prepare it for the device.

Select Start / Computer and select the Drive C: Icon.

Open Program Files / Common Files / Research in Motion / AppLoader.

Navigate to the bottom and delete the file Vendor.XML file.

4. You are now ready to restore your device. Verify that BlackBerry Desktop Manager is NOT running. Plug the device directly into the computer’s USB port.

We are about to venture into the bowls of the beast. Windows is not suitable for this job, we are going to invoke the Command line interface with an option switch. This was the way all ‘puters worked prior to Mcintosh and Windows.

Windows XP: Start / Run… / Command

Windows Vista: Start / Command (type this into ’start search’)

You will see a black window similar to this. I have used UPPERCASE to highlight the typed commands.

Windows Vista

Quote:

CD \
CD PROGRAM FILES
CD COMMON FILES
CD RESEARCH IN MOTION
CD APPLOADER
LOADER /NOJVM

Windows XP

Quote:

CD \
CD PROGRA~1
CD COMMON~1
CD RESEAR~1
CD APPLOA~1
LOADER /NOJVM

When using Vista 64 bit operating systems the command should look like this…

Quote:

CD \
CD PROGRAM FILES (x86)
CD COMMON FILES
CD RESEARCH IN MOTION
CD APPLOADER
LOADER /NOJVM

When you hit enter at the last command a forced rebuild will start. No data or setting will be saved, however, they can be recovered from a previous backup.

5. Wait for it to finish.Thirty minutes is typical, do not interrupt it.

Once it has recovered, you can use Desktop Manager’s Application Loader to customize it and restore from your backup files, if you have saved them previously.

Update: Members have reported success after numerous failures with the following technique:

Remove the Battery, then run the Loader program. It works.

via berrymanual.com