Create A Custom Auto Signature

Have you noticed that every email you send to a client, co-worker, or friend from your BlackBerry ends with the line, “Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld”? Would you like to change that to something a bit more . . . you? Well, it’s really quite simple. Connect your BlackBerry to your PC via your sync cable (or, if you use a Bluetooth connection in order to sync, prepare that connection). Open the Desktop Manager by clicking its icon or by navigating to it via your computer’s Start menu. Click the Redirecter Settings icon in Desktop Manager. Click the General tab. Here you should see the Auto Signature field containing the message “Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld.” Edit this message to create your new signature or simply delete it if you don’t wish to use an Auto Signature.

Reboot Without Removing The Battery

BlackBerry devices seem to have a penchant for locking up or otherwise stalling, especially if the device is left in the dock for too long. Once this happens, most of us will sigh, remove the cover from the back, and lift the battery out for two seconds before reinserting it. Surely there must be a better way, right?

Well, it just so happens that there’s a simple keyboard shortcut that will rollover your BlackBerry. Simply hold ALT-CAP-BACKSPACE at the same time for a full second to perform a hard reboot of your device.

Activate Keyboard Lock With One Key

In the last issue, we shared a simple, two-button shortcut to lock the keyboard on your BlackBerry. Since then, we’ve discovered an even simpler method, using only one key. It requires alteration of a few settings, but once finished, it works like a charm. From the Home Screen, press the K key on your keypad. If the cursor does not leap to an icon, you’re in business. (This shortcut will not work if there is an application which has K as a shortcut key.) Go to the Telephone Application.

From the main screen, select Options from the menu. Select General Options. Now, set Dial From Home Screen to No. From this point forward, pressing K will lock your keyboard.

Use SmartCodes

Did you know that there are codes you can use to simplify communication of things like the current time or your BlackBerry’s software version? You can use them in any text input field (email messages or SMS [Short Message Service], for example), and they really come in handy, especially when communicating with your Enterprise Network administrator. Simply type the following codes where you would like the corresponding information to be displayed:

• Myver: Inserts the software version of your BlackBerry
• Mypin: Returns the PIN number of your handheld
• Mysig: Shows the owner information on this device
• LD: Inserts the local date
• LT: Inserts the local time

Get All Status Updates On One Screen

There are times where you just need to see every ounce of information about your BlackBerry all at once. Thankfully, there is a screen on your BlackBerry that will update you on everything going on with it at any given time. It’s called the Help Me! screen and it lists the firmware version, application version, PIN, IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), uptime, signal strength, battery level, amount of free space, and total number of files on your BlackBerry at the present moment. To access this screen, hold down ALT-CAP at the same time and then press the letter H key.

Dial 1-800-NICE-TIP

Here’s a handy little trick you can use when you need to dial a phone number which has letters in it (1-800-GO-FEDEX, for example). Instead of trying to figure out which letters are associated with each number on the dialpad, just dial the letters where they appear in the number by pressing the ALT key and typing the letters out. The letters will appear in the number field, and once you place the call, they will automatically be converted into their numerical equivalent.

Confirm Delivery Of Your Sent Email Messages

Have you ever sent a message to someone’s BlackBerry and later wondered if the user ever received it? Well, with this tip, you’ll be notified the second the message reaches your recipient’s inbox.

To receive delivery confirmation, type <confirm> in the subject line of your outgoing message, like so:

Subject: <confirm> Meeting This Thursday

Or

Subject: Follow-up on FDTS Conference <confirm>

Once the message is delivered to your chosen receiver’s BlackBerry, you will receive a confirmation message that looks like this:

Follow-up on FDTS Conference: has been delivered to the recipient’s BlackBerry Handheld

To ensure your SMS text messages are delivered to the recipient’s handset, set Delivery Reports to ON.

Confirm Delivery Of Your SMS Messages

Just like confirming delivery of your email messages, sometimes you need to know the second your SMS text messages are delivered to a recipient. To make sure you’re kept up-to-date on the status of your messages, select Options from the Home Screen. Select SMS. Scroll down to Delivery Reports and set it to YES. From this point forward, whenever an SMS is delivered to a recipient’s handheld device (not necessarily a BlackBerry; this will work with any SMS-capable device), you will see a small “d” next to the message in your history.

It is worth noting that certain providers, especially internationally, do not have mutual standards and/or agreements on SMS delivery. For this reason, you may not see delivery confirmation on SMS messages (and, in some cases, may not be able to send SMS to that user at all).

More Than One Email Address Per Contact

You don’t have to revert to Outlook or Desktop Manager to store more than one email address for a contact. You can do it from the handheld itself. To add a second or third email address for a contact, go to Address Book from the Home Screen. Select a contact to update. Click the wheel and select Edit. Click the wheel and select Add Email Address. Input the alternate email address for your contact, click the wheel, and save the entry. The next time you send a message to this contact, you will be presented with the available addresses.

by Joe Peacock