BlackBerry

Robert Kao is one well-rounded professional. His ability to translate his tech­nical knowledge and communicate in many languages with users of all types inevitably led him to develop BlackBerry applications for various financial firms in New York City — that truly global city. A graduate of Columbia University — with a Computer Engineering degree, of course — he currently lives in Somerset, NJ.

Dante Sarigumba has been working with computers for over 13 years. Currently, he’s writing BlackBerry applications for a major investment bank in New York. With his engineering background, he’s been a longtime gizmo enthusiast, which probably explains his interest in BlackBerries. He writes applications for the BlackBerry platform in his spare time (believe it or not) and writes the occasional article for the BlackBerry Developer Journal.

I would like to thank my father (MHK) and mother (SYT) for everything they’ve done for me because I wouldn’t be here without their kindness and support. I would also like to thank my lovely wife Marie-Claude and little Jade for understanding all the weekends and nights that I missed while writing this book. Finally, I would like to thank Paul, Cathy, little TJ, and rest of my family for the same.

My sincere thanks to Aben Alvarez, Anna Kanyek-Sy, Jun Abad, and Ninky Avenir for their help and support during the early phase of this book. As always, my profoundest thanks to my dear wife and soul mate, Yosma, whose patience and understanding were invaluable during the writing of this book.

Collectively, we’d like to thank Eric Giguere for getting us started on the path of book writing, as well as Carol McClendon, our agent, for her help getting this book started. Thanks as well to Richard Evers of Research In Motion for a wealth of information and guidance. For their insights, assistance, and extraordinary patience, thanks to Jennifer Y. Lee; Veru Narula; and Greg Croy, Paul Levesque, Teresa Artman, Colleen Totz, and the rest of the Wiley staff. Without you all, this book would not have been possible.

Introduction

Hi there, and welcome to BlackBerry For Dummies. If you already have a ¥ m BlackBerry, this is a great book to have around if you want to discover new features or you need something to slap open and use as a quick refer­ence. If you don’t have a BlackBerry yet (but plan to get one) and have some basic questions (like “What is a BlackBerry?” or “How can a BlackBerry help me be more productive?”), you can benefit by reading this book cover to cover. No matter what your current BlackBerry User Status is — BUS, for short — we’re here to help you get the most out of your BlackBerry.

We can tell you, right off the bat, that a BlackBerry is not a fruit you find at the supermarket but rather is a) an always-connected handheld device that b) has e-mail capabilities with an Internet browser built in. With your BlackBerry, you are in the privileged position of always being able to receive e-mail and browse the World Wide Web.

On top of that, a BlackBerry has all the features you’d expect from a personal organizer, including a calendar, to-do lists, and memos. Oh, and did we men­tion that a BlackBerry also has a mobile phone built in? Talk about multitask­ing! Imagine being stuck on a commuter train: With your BlackBerry by your side, you can compose e-mail while conducting a conference call — all from the comfort of your seat.

In this book, we show you all the basics but then go the extra mile by high­lighting some of the lesser-known (but still really handy) features of the BlackBerry. Your BlackBerry can work hard for you when you need it as well as play hard when you want it to. (Need we say that we’re ready, willing, and able to show you where to get great games for your BlackBerry?)

BlackBerry For Dummies is written to be a comprehensive user guide as well as a quick user reference guide. This book is designed so that you certainly can read it cover to cover if you want, but you don’t need to read one chapter after the other. Feel free to jump around while you explore the different func­tionalities of your BlackBerry.

We cover basic and advanced topics, but we stick to those that we consider the most practical and frequently used. So, whether you already know the basics, you can be certain that if you use/want to use a certain function of your BlackBerry, we likely cover it here.

Who Are You?

In writing this book, we tried to be considerate of your needs, but because we’ve never met you, our image of you is as follows. If you find that some of these images are true about you, this might just be the book for you:

* You have a BlackBerry, and you want to find out how to get the most from it.

* You don’t have a BlackBerry yet, and you’re wondering what one could do for you.

* You’re looking for a book that doesn’t assume that you know all the jargon and tech terms used in the PDA industry. (PDA stands for per­sonal digital assistant, by the way.) Take that, you jargon, you!

* You want a reference that shows you, step by step, how to do useful and cool things with a BlackBerry without bogging you down with unneces­sary background or theory.

* You’re tired of hauling your ten-pound laptop with you on trips, and you’re wondering how to turn your BlackBerry into a miniature traveling office.

* You no longer want to be tied to your desktop system for the critical activities in your life, such as sending/receiving e-mail, checking your calendar for appointments, and surfing the Web.

What’s in This Book

BlackBerry For Dummies consists of five parts, and each part consists of dif­ferent chapters related to that part’s theme.

Part I: Meet and Greet Your BlackBerry

Part I starts with the basics of your BlackBerry. You know: What it is, what you can do with it, and what the parts are. We also show you how to personalize and express yourself through your BlackBerry. This part wraps up with must-knows about security and where to go for help when you get into trouble with your BlackBerry.

Part II: Getting Organized with Your BlackBerry

Part II deals with the fact that your BlackBerry is also a full-fledged PDA. We show you how to get your BlackBerry to keep your contacts in its Address Book as well as how to manage your appointments and meetings in Calendar. We also show you how to create a to-do list and have Calendar manage your to-do’s for you so you don’t miss a task. As you’ll see, most BlackBerry appli­cations interconnect with one another, working hard for you.

Part III: Getting Online with Your BlackBerry

Part III shows you how you can use the true strengths of the BlackBerry — its always connected e-mail and its Web surfing functionality — but it doesn’t stop there. We also point out to you how you can use other forms of mes­sages on the BlackBerry that you might not have known about, such as PIN-to-PIN messages. To top it off, we show you how to multitask with the built-in phone along with other BlackBerry applications.

Part IV: Working with Desktop Manager

In Part IV, we detail the BlackBerry Desktop Manager and show you some of the hoops you can put it through with your BlackBerry, including making backups and installing BlackBerry applications from your PC on to your BlackBerry. And we didn’t forget to cover important stuff like data synching your appointments/ contacts with desktop applications like Outlook or Lotus Notes.

Part V: The Part of Tens

All For Dummies books include The Part of Tens at the end, and this book is no different. In Part V, we show you where to get cool BlackBerry accessories, download useful application, and (of course) get great games to play on your BlackBerry.
Authors’ Acknowledgments