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What Really Kills Your BlackBerry Battery? Part II

Full Battery

 

#2 – Searching for the Network

The next thing you really need to watch is when you are out of range of the network.   Here are a few simple examples :

  • You go on an airplane
  • You go into a gym and put your phone in a locker/lock box
  • You're in a building and working under ground level where there is no reception

If you leave your radio on while the phone is out of range it will continuously search for the network and drain the battery almost as bad as surfing.

What you need to do if you think the phone will be out of range for a while (>30 minutes) is turn off the Mobile Network (radio).   I recommend just turning everything off and then when you want to come back online just turn them all back on.

Stay tuned for Part III.

3

Ringtone Composer – Create Your Own Ringtones

We have just released Ringtone Composer, our newest app for the BlackBerry.

Whether you´re a head-banger, or a lover of Mozart,  Ringtone Composer simplifies the customization of your smart phone ring tone with your favorite music.

  • Simply choose any tune in your BlackBerry® music archives click your Menu button, select “Ringtone Composer” and choose the sounds you want to hear.
  • Create the start points and the length for the ringtone of your favorite concerto with two clicks.
  • Once you´ve created your glam-rock ring tone, save it with a couple of clicks so each time you connect, your favorite rocker announces the call.
  • Get tired of one ring tone? Ringtone Composer simplifies the swap out of one clip for another as your musical mood shifts from light jazz to hip hop. It´s EZ.
  • There´s no re-configuring required. Just download and access your favorite music using Ringtone Composer.
  • And last, but not least – the RINGTONE COMPOSER IS FREE. Totally free.
  • Save and swap tunes daily, hourly if you want to play DJ. Ringtone Composer de-hassle-izes creating ringtones from your music collection. No sweat and your ringtones sound cool.

You can get Ringtone Composer here:

http://free.jaredco.com

or

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/43102

Let us know what ringtones you created using our RingTone Composer.

BlackBerry Playbook For Sale On April 19, 2011

It is now official, the BlackBerry Playbook will be available in Canada and the U.S. on April 19, 2011 at Best Buy and Future Shop stores.

There will be 3 Playbook models:

16GB ($499)
32GB ($599)
64GB ($699).

For more information on pre-orders click here: http://bit.ly/ewTKXx.

Are you going to get one?

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How To Set Up A Bluetooth Connection on your BlackBerry®

Bluetooth is a great wireless technology that lets your Blackberry communicate with other hardware without the need for a physical, wired connection. Bluetooth is most commonly used to pair (“connect”)  your BlackBerry to a hands free microphone/speaker headset.

Let’s take you through the process of setting up a Bluetooth connection:

  1. Click on your folder “Set Up” or “Manage Connections” and select “Set Up Bluetooth” or “Bluetooth Connections”.
  2. Make sure Bluetooth is set to “On” (if prompted).
  3. Choose “Add New Device” and  when prompted choose “Search”. Generally the device you want to pair to your BlackBerry must be within 30 feet of the BlackBerry for Bluetooth pairing.
  4. Choose the device you want from the list that appears, and the pairing will begin.
  5. You may be prompted to enter a passkey to complete the pairing. In most cases the passkey will be 0000. If not, check the manual for the product you are trying to pair to. You should now be able to use the paired device.
  6. You can view your list of paired devices (even when not connected) from the Bluetooth settings screen (see #1 above). This enables you to quickly create connections with your paired devices without having to repeat the pairing process.

When your Bluetooth is on you will see the Bluetooth icon in your main screen, at the top in the status bar. It is a good idea to turn Bluetooth off when you are not using it, as a security measure, and to save on battery drain. Please note that using Bluetooth use will tend to drain your battery faster than normal.

Do you use Bluetooth connections with your BlackBerry? For what kind of Devices? Do you have any tips or tricks for using Bluetooth? Let us know.

10

How To Use Wifi On Your Blackberry

Most BlackBerry models come with Wifi capabilities. By connecting your BlackBerry to a Wifi network (at home, office or on the road) you will be able to send email and surf the net with out using your telephone carrier’s data plan, and this could save you money.  There are many locations around most cities that offer “free Wifi hotspots”…so you can take advantage of these opportunities to save on your data plan. Here are the basic steps to setting up a Wifi connection on your device:

  • Click on the Manage Connections Folder which should be on your BlackBerry main screen;
  • Click on “Set Up Wifi Network”;
  • Click on “Scan For Networks” – if prompted click on “Turn Wifi On” to perform the scan. Your BlackBerry will now scan for available Wifi networks and will list all available Wifi networks. Select the Wifi network you want to connect to;
  • Choose the “Security Type” from the drop down menu (most common is Pre-Shared Key), then enter the network security key and click “Connect”.  You may come across Wifi networks that are unsecured and do not require a network key to access;
  • Click “Yes” to save the Wifi network as a profile..this will enable you to easily and automatically connect to that same Wifi network the next time you are in range of it;

I keep my Wifi on all the time so I can quickly connect to my saved Wifi networks.  As I enter range of a Wifi network that I have previously saved, I get a pop-up asking me to join that particular Wifi network. This makes it simple to maximize my Wifi use and to minimize my use of my carrier data plan.

We have done extensive testing on BlackBerry Battery use, and we found that keeping the Wifi on all the time had no significant affect on BlackBerry battery drain.

Please let us know about your experience with Wifi on your BlackBerry. Do you use it a lot? Do you keep it on all the time? Have you noticed battery drain when keeping the Wifi on all the time?

How To Confirm An Email Sent From Your BlackBerry Was Received

If you are sending an email and you definitely want to know it was received by a BlackBerry on the other end, then here is a quick tip:

  1. Type in <confirm> or <$confirm> in the Subject line of your email and you will receive a confirmation email back confirming when your email was received by a BlackBerry on the other end.

This is a great feature for one-off emails that are important, that you know will be received on the other end by a BlackBerry, and can give you peace of mind.

Is confirmation of receipt for your emails an important feature for you? Let us know.

Here Is An Easy Method For Getting Information About Your BlackBerry

Here are a few shortcuts in finding information about your BlackBerry that you might need to pass on to other people. In any mesage screen, type the following, then a space:

  • mypin – this will insert your BlackBerry PIN, this is handy when setting up new contacts in BlackBerry Messenger;
  • mynumber – this will insert your phone number;
  • myver – this will insert your BlackBerry model number and Software Version.
2

An Easy Way To Create Playlists From The Music On Your BlackBerry

Here’s a quick and easy way to creat music “Playlists” on your Blackberry music player:

  1. In the media application click “Music”
  2. Click “Playlists”
  3. Click “New Playlist”
  4. Click “Standard Playlist”
  5. Type a name for the Playlist;
  6. Press the “Menu” key;
  7. Click “Add songs”
  8. Click on any song you want to add to the Playlist, and the song will be added automatically;
  9. To add more songs repeat steps 6-8.
  10. When you are finished press the “Menu” key and click “Save”.

Do you use your BlackBerry as a music player? Let us know.

Now You Can Control Your BlackBerry Remotely From Your Desktop

We have been using Pocket Controller Pro For BlackBerry, made by Soti Inc. to make the videos you see on our blog, and for many other functions. Pocket Controller allows you to control your BlackBerry from your desktop. This is a great app if you want to demonstrate something on your BlackBerry to a wider audience, if you want to make a video of your BlackBerry in operation, or to take a screen shot of your BlackBerry. You can even choose which BlackBerry “skin” you want the app to use when showing your BlackBerry on your computer. Here is a list of some of Pocket Controller’s features:

  • Remote Control – View and control your BlackBerry from your desktop to enhance quality and productivity.
  • Training and Presentation Tools – Display your BlackBerry in real-time in either a projector or web presentation via your PC.
  • File Explorer Tool – Browse the files system of your PC and BlackBerry simultaneously.
  • File Synchronization – Automatically or manually synchronize your data files (e.g. pictures, videos, documents) between your PC and your BlackBerry.
  • Screen & Video Capture – Capture screen shots as well as record videos of your BlackBerry in operation.

Pocket Controller Pro has a free trial,  click HERE to get more information about this great product.

Let us know if  you have ever needed to remotely control your BlackBerry for making any kind of presentation.

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