Inside BlackBerry » How-to

How to Switch from an Older BlackBerry Smartphone to Your New BlackBerry Z10 [VIDEO]

Luke Reimer — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:00:51 +0000

With the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone now launched in over 40 countries worldwide, many are making the jump from a BlackBerry 6 or 7 smartphone to a BlackBerry Z10 powered by BlackBerry 10. In order to help you make the transition seamless, we’ve put together a video outlining options and the steps that you can take to transfer your data. Check it out below for the full scoop:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Learn more information on switching devices at www.blackberry.com/deviceswitch. For more How To articles, tips, and tricks, head over to the BlackBerry Help Blog.

Be Bold and Vote: How Do You Choose Your BBM Avatar?

Donny Halliwell — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:26:47 +0000

The modern BlackBerry device user is faced with a very difficult decision: selecting the perfect photo to become their BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) avatar. Sure, it seems easy. The Time Shift Camera on the BlackBerry Z10 is perfect for grabbing that perfect new selfie. For those of you who aren’t shutterbugs, there’s always that family member who constantly sends you awkward photos from the last get-together, and the Facebook app is your gateway to even more options. With all these options, why is choosing one photo so hard?

I toyed with the idea of uploading a photo of myself for quite some time. On the one hand, it would allow my friends to feel like they could really connect with me, since they would see my face as they typed. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure if a solo shot looked self-aggrandizing. So, I scanned through my contact list to see what avatars my friends, family and colleagues chose. The results were fairly consistent – roughly the same number of professional headshots, fun party photos, images of children and loved ones, and cool products/gadgets that people wanted to buy.

But what is the message you want to convey with your avatar? Of course, it’s not just an image you’re uploading; it’s a way to set the stage for your conversations. Team BlackBerry, tell us: how did you choose your BBM Avatar?

* Image has been altered to remove BBM screen names

How to use BlackBerry 10 gestures

Ty Williams — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:43:50 +0000

To help you interact with a BlackBerry 10 smartphone, you’ll need to learn several gestures that I’ve listed below. For a visual overview, check out the BlackBerry Z10 How To Demos Touch Screen Gestures Overview

Peek and/or Access BlackBerry Hub – All of your email, text messages, social networking notifications, missed calls, and voice mail messages can be found in the BlackBerry Hub. To peek at notifications, from the bottom of the screen, slide your finger up just a little bit and the view shrinks to show your notifications. To get to the BlackBerry Hub continue sliding your finger to the right. To return to what you were doing originally, slide your finger back to the left.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 – Exploring the Messages app

Ty Williams — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:45:30 +0000

One of the new features available in BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 is the new Messages app, which is designed to allow you to manage communications on your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. In addition to adding your email accounts, you also have the ability to add social networking accounts, which will then be displayed within a single unified inbox.

Today I’d like to provide an overview of the Messages app, as well answer some commonly-asked questions so you can get the most out of your BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 experience!

How to set up and use the Compass in BlackBerry 7

Ty Williams — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:10:03 +0000

A new feature available in select BlackBerry® 7 smartphones (such as the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 and BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850/9860 smartphones) is the Compass functionality. You can also use the Compass with location-based applications – such as the BlackBerry® Maps application that might be preloaded on your BlackBerry® smartphone – and is designed to provide you with information like driving directions, or your position in relation to points of interest. You can also use the Compass application to determine your direction in relation to the Earth’s magnetic poles or to true north.

Today I’ll show you how you can get up and running with the Compass so you use can take advantage of Augmented Reality apps such as Wikitude – a great way to explore the world around you!

How to identify a BlackBerry smartphone PIN number

Ty Williams — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:54:01 +0000

Hey #TeamBlackBerry, I’ve got a question for you – do you know how to identify your BlackBerry® smartphone PIN number and what it can be used for?

Simply put, a BlackBerry smartphone PIN (Personal Identification Number) is an 8-digit alphanumeric combination that uniquely identifies BlackBerry smartphones on the wireless network. By sharing your PIN number with friends and family, they can message you using PIN messaging, or use it as one way to add you to their BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) contact list.

Today I’ll be showing you a few different ways to find out what your PIN number is. This is something every BlackBerry smartphone user should know, so if you don’t know what your PIN number is currently, grab your device and let’s get started…

How to identify the version of a BlackBerry PlayBook app or game

Ty Williams — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:53:27 +0000

If you own a BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, you most likely have installed several apps and games from the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. Today I’d like to show you how you can identify what version of an app or game is installed on your tablet in addition to how to view the security permissions for a specific app or game. This is useful information to know as security permissions can affect how an app or game performs on a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and what personal data it shares and stores on your behalf.

BlackBerry 7: Getting Started Guide Part 2

Ty Williams — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:43:21 +0000

As promised in the first BlackBerry® 7 Getting Started Guide, here is a complete overview of every option available in the Setup wizard. For those wondering, I will be using a BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 smartphone in this post.

Before we begin, opening the Setup app can be accomplished two ways. The first is when it opens automatically after starting up a new BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone. The second is when you open it by selecting the Setup icon that appears on the Home Screen if you’ve already set up BlackBerry 7 on your smartphone. With this being said, let’s dive in.

How to Record and Share HD videos with BlackBerry 7

Ty Williams — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:36:56 +0000

After getting my hands on a BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 smartphone, I’ve started to create a lot more videos because playing them back on a 3.7” high-resolution display is a great way to relive moments I’ve caught on camera. Since I can capture videos in 720p HD as well, I’m recording a lot more footage for home movies I want to create, so if you’re in the same boat I am, I’ve put together a few things you should know about recording and sharing HD videos.

For this post, I’ll be featuring the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone, which includes a 5MP camera with 720p HD video recording capabilities. When it comes to capturing live video, a few more features offered by the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone are as follows:

Flash
Continuous auto focus
Face detection
Image Stabilization
Geo-tagging
4X digital zoom (still images only)
Zero shutter lag

Note: To view the features of other BlackBerry® smartphones, click here.

How to take photos with a BlackBerry 6 smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook

Ty Williams — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:36:22 +0000

Taking photos using a BlackBerry® smartphone with v6.0 device software or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is really quick and easy, and allows you to capture great photos in plenty of different environments. Today I’d like to provide an overview of some of the options available when taking photos so you can customize them as you see fit, as well as take advantage of some options you might not have previously used.

For this post, I’ll be focusing on BlackBerry® 6 device software, so if you are using an earlier version of BlackBerry device software, check the user guide for more information on available camera options. If you don’t know which version of BlackBerry device software you are currently using, check out our post on How to Identify your BlackBerry Device Software version.