Last week I had a chance to experience the joy one feels while un-boxing a new gadget or electronic device. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the notion of “un-boxing,” it’s a term used by those gadget lovers in your life when they get a new device and are removing it from factory packaging.

My un-boxing last week was a new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone for my wife, and while going through the setup, I thought it would be a good idea to share my BlackBerry® smartphone and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet post-power up steps with you. So if you are about to get a BlackBerry device or have just received one, then this is the Five Tip Friday for you.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

Using these apps, you can set up multiple email accounts in addition to Enterprise email – protected by BlackBerry® Balance™ technology – which means you’ll have access to both personal and work information in one location.

To help get you started with managing your various email accounts, here are answers to some frequently-asked questions about the Messages app in BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

When BlackBerry® 7 OS was released in August 2011, one of the pre-installed apps is the Wikitude app, which allows you to discover your surroundings in a completely new way. For example, you’ll be able to see places, points of interests and even your BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) contacts (if they have allowed you to be able to view them) through your camera’s field of vision – a truly engaging and immersive experience.

Recently Wikitude has been updated to support select BlackBerry® 6 smartphones, so today I’ll be providing a brief overview of how to install Wikitude as well as some of the features it offers.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

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!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

Want to know what it’s like to take brand new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet out of the box and set it up for the first time? Follow this handy visual guide to learn how to get started.

Step 1 – Plug it in!

As soon as you unpack your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, plug it into a power outlet to ensure that you have enough power to complete the setup process.

Step 2 – Set up your Wi-Fi network connection

Any Wi-Fi® networks that are in range will appear in the listing along the left side of the screen. If you don’t see your preferred Wi-Fi network in the list, it might have a hidden SSID. If that’s the case, tap “Manually Connect to Network” and you’ll be able to setup a custom Wi-Fi connection to your network as shown in the screenshot above.

You can also use a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) connection, which allows you to use secure connection buttons on your Wi-Fi router and/or secure PIN codes instead of manually specifying your Wi-Fi network connection. If you aren’t familiar with WPS, I would recommend reviewing the user guide that came with your wireless router for information.

After you’ve made a successful Wi-Fi connection, swipe along the bottom of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet screen to move to then next step in the Setup process.

Step 3 – Specify the current Date and Time

The next step in the setup process will ask you to confirm the correct date and time. You can set the time manually, or specify the option to automatically set your date and time using your Wi-Fi network connection.

Step 4 – Review and accept the BlackBerry ID Agreement

From the “Country” drop-down list, please select your country location and preferred language. You’ll then be presented with the BlackBerry ID Agreement. After you have reviewed the agreements and are comfortable with agreeing to its terms, tap “I Agree” to confirm your acceptance. You can then swipe and advance to the next screen.

Step 5 – Create or Sign In with your BlackBerry ID

After accepting the BlackBerry ID agreement, you’ll be asked to sign into your BlackBerry ID account If you don’t have a BlackBerry ID account, tap the “Create a BlackBerry ID” link. This will open up a new wizard and allow you to create and register a BlackBerry ID account.

Step 6 – Download the System Update

After you’ve signed in using your BlackBerry ID, your BlackBerry PlayBook will automatically start downloading the latest software available. After the download completes, your BlackBerry PlayBook will automatically install the software update. It is important that your BlackBerry PlayBook remain connected to a power source during this entire process. Once the installation is complete and your PlayBook restarts, you will be using the most up-to-date software.

Step 7 – BlackBerry Bridge Setup (for current BlackBerry smartphone users)

After your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has successfully installed the system update, the next step will help you set up BlackBerry® Bridge™. This feature will allow you to connect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to your BlackBerry® smartphone so you can access your email, calendar, contacts and other data directly from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. An important thing to remember here is that in order to use BlackBerry Bridge, you must be using a BlackBerry smartphone that uses BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 or later. If don’t know which version of BlackBerry device software you are using, check out this knowledge base article – How to check the version of the BlackBerry Device Software installed on the BlackBerry smartphone. (If you don’t own a BlackBerry smartphone, please skip this step. We can think of lots of reasons you should own a BlackBerry smartphone and a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – BlackBerry Bridge among them – but we’ll settle for sending you here for more info.)

If you tap Setup, you’ll first be asked to choose a name for your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The next step will show you how to install the BlackBerry Bridge application on your BlackBerry smartphone.

Once completed, you’ll then be prompted with instructions that show you how to “pair” your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and start using BlackBerry Bridge. As you can see, it’s as simple as scanning a barcode to get your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet paired together!

Step 8 – Learning the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Basics

The final part of the setup process allows you to access several tutorials that will help you get the most of your BlackBerry PlayBook. All you need to do is tap on a topic of interest, and you’ll able to take an interactive tutorial. If you’re pressed for time and don’t have a chance to review these tutorials, you can view them later from within the “Help” application.

At this point, your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is ready to go! For more helpful tips, I recommend reviewing the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet user guide (which you can also find in the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet’s Help menu) – it describes all the features and functionality offered by your tablet.

Keep an eye out for more posts about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, including an overview of the applications that are included!

Do you have a question about your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the setup process? Leave a comment and let me know as I’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget to take advantage of our complimentary technical support that’s offered for 90 days after you purchase your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.