Blackberry Tips (Part 1)

Did you know, there are several time-saving features built in, and several tricks you can do to make your Blackberry even more useful?

#1: Master the Keyboard Shortcuts

“I” - Hit the letter “I” when looking at email in your “inbox view,” or when reading an actual email to file it. If you’re already using my plan for getting control of your email, then you know the importance of filing email to achieving an empty inbox.

“0″ - Hold down the “0″ (i.e. zero) button and then use the thumbwheel to select multiple emails when in your “inbox view.”

“Del” – Use this to delete email you don’t need after highlighting it in “inbox view” – to speed this up even more, you can also remove the delete confirmation.

“C” - Hit the letter “C” when looking at your email in your “inbox view” to compose a new message.
Be sure to check out my “6 Blackberry Tips for Reading Emails” post with additional keyboard shortcuts too!

#2: Setup Your Blackberry to Work Well with Voicemail

Assign your voicemail call-in number a speed dial “hot key” on your cell phone. The fastest way to dial your voicemail call in number (i.e. the number you use to check your voicemail messages) is to assign it a speed dial hot key in your cell phone address book. That way, if you are driving, etc. you can just hold down one button and it will dial your voicemail!

Enter any “login” data for checking your voicemail into your cell phone address book. Most cellphones support a “pause” feature that allows you to put you login data (extension, password, etc.) right after the phone number in your cell phone address book. That way, when you call that number, you will only have to hit one button and it will automatically dial this info for you. This is priceless when checking messages while on the go!

Forward all of your voicemail to one location. To simplify all of the places where you have to check voicemail, you can forward them to one location. Most of the wireless carriers support this functionality.

#3: Get Google Maps for Mobile

One of the most useful apps you can download for your Blackberry is Google Maps. With a simple search (i.e. “breweries in Duluth, MN”), you will get results on a map, turn-by-turn directions, and one-click to call the business you looked up. If you do any business travel at all, it’s an absolute must. I’m sure it will quickly become one of your favourite apps!

#4: Reorder Your Apps in Order of Most Popular

If you hold down the “Alt” key (below “a”) when clicking on an app, a pulldown menu will appear where you can select “Move Application.”
Then, you can order the apps in any way you want! I put my most used apps right next to each other to minimize scrolling.

#5: Update Your Blackberry Email Signature

Your email signature is a valuable “one stop shop” of contact info so people can get a hold of you.
Make sure you always use the same signature on your Blackberry that you do in your main email (usually MS Outlook). That way, readers of your email are less likely to pre-judge your message (“Oh, she’s stuck in an airport and dumping ideas again!”), and they are less likely to know where/how you sent it.

It’s also a great idea to remove all “Sorry if this is misspelled, I’m on a Blackberry” messages. That’s like a website having an “under construction” page – it’s just not necessary. Plus, it makes you look like you can’t spell.

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Mr. Technics


Credit by Regis Hadiaris in Working Smarter