Are you a "BlackBerry Guy?"

If not, why not? You don't even need to be a guy.

For a year's Membership fee, you have access to BlackBerry Guy's online clinics, learning guides, and tips.

Costs $59.99, but if you are a Club Handango member and sign up via Handango.com, you pay only $53.99.

Link below.

Reading an interesting BlackBerryForums.com thread entitled All CAPS gave me an idea for this post.

"I have a 7100i and can't seem figure out how to type using all CAPITAL LETTERS? I can type the first letter of a word either holding down the letter or pressing the #key prior to typing, no problem," Evangelist writes. "However, how do I type a word in all CAPS? In short, is there a key combo to effect a Caps Lock like on a PC?"

Good idea, Evangelist. Holding down the letter key and pressing cap for every letter of a completely capitalized word doesn't get it for me. And I don't want to drag around a special keyboard for that purpose. I'd like to see an ALL-CAPS key, too.

Would you?

This morning, several members of BlackBerryForums.com are reporting wrong dates on their BlackBerry 7100i's.

The thread was started early today by Forum Member PDA Admin.

"I have a user who brought me their BB this morning with the wrong date," he writes. "I checked options only to find that the Network date was wrong. It was a day ahead. I called Nextel BB support and they stated that this was a known issue (the tech said his BB had had the wrong date too).

"Has anyone else experienced this?," PDA Admin continues. "Is there a work around? The OS on the device is 4.1.0.136."

Several other members reported the same problem, but at least two changed the date manually. Forum Member murpheous switched the time to BlackBerry rather than via the network. He did so by going to Options/Date and Time - and then changing the field.

Mobile device software developer Vorino Software has posted a useful tutorial on how to make your own wallpaper for your BlackBerry Home Screen.

Here's how to do this from a Web image:

1. Browse the web page with your BlackBerry using the Browser application.
2. Choose the Select Mode menu item.
3. Select the image by scrolling with the wheel.
4. Select the Save Image menu item. 
5. Select the Save button and press Return (or click wheel).
6. Escape (or Close) out of Browser.
7. Start the Pictures app, scroll to your new image, then select the Set As Home Screen Image menu item.
8. Escape (or Close) out of the Pictures app.

Verino offers several free, sample wallpapers where you can test this process out. Here's one for BlackBerry 8700c's 320x240 resolution:

The procedure is also easy from an e-mail attachment. Here's what Verino recommends:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. (Optional step, to quicken menu selection) Scroll to highlight [1 Attachment].
3. Select the Open Attachment menu item.
4. Scroll down to Full Content.
5. Select the Retrieve menu item.
6. Select the Save menu item.
7. Select the Save button and press Return (or click wheel), and again for the OK button.
8. Escape (or Close) out of Messages.
9. Start the Pictures app, scroll to your new image, then select the Set As Home Screen Image menu item.
10. Escape (or Close) out of the Pictures app.

For $45.00, a Web-based service called GSM Phone Source will remotely unlock your Cingular BlackBerry 8700c, 7290, 7280 or 7100g.

After you pay thru the site, you submit your order.  When you submit your order, you should include the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number and model number for the Blackberry you are unlocking in the notes section.

You can get the IMEI number when you enter *#06# from your phones keypad. A 15-digit IMEI number  will display on your screen.

The service usually takes 24 hours to unlock your Blackberry, or other handset.

Have you been lured into one of those "get a free BlackBerry offers"- and months after jumping on the offer are you still waiting for your rebate check?

If you are, or even if you are not, I heartily recommend you read Bob Sullivan's "tell it like it is" piece, Consumers Irked By Cell Phone Rebates On Hold."

Bob, who is  MSNBC.com's "Red Tape Chronicles" columnist, offers horror stories, road tales and advice. Wirefly, a cell phone shopping rebate service that seems to handle many "Free BlackBerry" offers, comes under especially sharp focus.

Bob's advice: free is usually not free, and when it is, it can take many months. So keep accurate records and apply for your rebate within the often-narrow time span that is allowed.

 

 

Over on the RIM section of the Howard Forums mobile phone site, Member jjct1 starts a thread about a common problem most of us have had. Including myself, less than two weeks ago.

I'm talking about a locked screen with weird looking readings.

On the RIM section of the Howard Forums mobile phone website, Member EskimoPie has started a thread asking fellow Members if anyone has had success tethering their Verizon BlackBerry 7130e to his Dell Axiom x51v PDA.

"I can pair the two devices but when I try to explore the BB services on my PDA I get a message that it does not have any usable services," EskimoPie writes. "Looking at the BB Bluetooth settings shows that it doesn't seem to support Bluetooth Serial Port, only something called 'Desktop Connectivity' which I'm guessing the PDA doesn't support."

Well, EskimoPie, you are right. As your fellow HoFo Member martin_j001 explains:

"You can use (Bluetooth) to sync with desktop manager now, assuming you have handheld os v.4.1 though, " martin writes, "but that's the extent of "data transfer" with bb at this time. "

 

On the RIM section of the Howard Forums mobile phone site, I have been tracking this new thread called 7100t on Rogers Wireless. It was originally made for T-Mobile, but has now been unlocked.

Forum Member hi09 wishes he could say "hi" on his 7100t. But he started the thread because calls cannot be completed. He thinks the problem is his SIM card.

But then jase88 gets on the case with a couple of posts that should, IMHO, get a hi-5 from hi09.

"It sounds to me like a provisioning issue--or the device doesn't like your SIM for some reason," jase88 writes in part. He quickly comes back with a post that goes into more detail.

Stinsonddog is not only an enthusiastic BlackBerry user. He's a knowledgeable one who knows how to write user tips in plain English.

He's posted a Stinsondogg's BlackBerry Tips site, with tips on BlackBerry 8700 models, as well as 7100xx and 7200xx and lots of third-party software for your BlackBerry.

You'll want to go there. But first, doesn't the caricature on the far right look like Butt-Head of Beavis and Butthead at age 60?

Before you click on the link tho', follow me for a sampling of Stinsondogg's tips about the BlackBerry 8700..

 

 

It seems some BlackBerry 7100i users have issues with paint chipping off their device.

On the BlackBerry section of the Howard Forums site, HoFo Member ekb55 started a thread the other day about the issue.

"Bought a 7100i last week and so far I love it with one exeception. The painted frame around the screen area is peeling off," ekb55 writes. "I was wondering if anyone else is having this problem or if this particular unit was just not prepped right before it was painted. The Nextel retailer said they would replace it however they are currently sold out."

"Both bottom corners of mine are chipping. I finally had to put a small strip of a screen protector down there to prevent it from 'growing,'" adds amc.  It started out as a small dot in each corner and one corner has progresively gotten bigger."

One possible solution comes from phillyslickster. He writes that he uses a silicone skin with his BlackBerry 7100g. He got the solution from Boxwave. I think he's talking about FlexiSkin.

Funny thing started happening yesterday.

My personal SprintNextel BlackBerry 7520 started emitting non-true tones. In other words, I'd press, say, the "4" key, and the tone for the number "4" sounded a bit off.

Creates havoc when you are trying to do stuff like enter PIN numbers on customer service calls. Couldn't even retrieve my voice mail.

So here's what you do if you have a similar problem. You need to perform a hard reset. Remove your battery, press your power button (at right) for 30 seconds, then after you remove your finger from the power button, reinsert your battery.

That ought to get things working right again.

Research In Motion product manager Hossam Bahlool has a free "Accessing Your Web Services Using BlackBerry Webcast up on IT news and information site TechTarget.

The webcast covers new developer tools for creating wireless applications and new device software. Befitting the Webcast's title, there's also a free overview of how to wirelessly and securely access your Web Services.

I've been spending part of this weekend reading my just-arrived copy of "BlackBerry Hacks: Tips & Tools for Your Mobile Office."

From email tweaks and cool shareware to compliated BlackBerry Enterprise Server Administration and Mobile Data Services tweaks and fixes, author Dave Mabe knows his stuff- and I don't mean "maybe."

Know a harried BlackBerry user and/or administrator? Or both? Or just want to know more about the BlackBerry hooked up to your holster?

If so, I recommend "BlackBerry Hacks" (O'Reilly, 2005) highly.

Order info below.

On the Yahoo! BlackBerry Enterprise Server Users Group, there's an interesting thread entitled, "Reconcile Button" gone.

"This morning our BES server was locked up and email wasn't flowing," Forum Member Mark Ricci  wrote earlier this week. I had to hard reboot it. This got email working but now emails read/deleted in Outlook or Berry devices are not syncing properly. Also the 'reconcile now 'option is no longer available.

"Check the version of MAPI32 and CDO make sure they are the same or higher
version on your BES," writes Kaman Ramnaraine. "If the BES version is lower than you Exchange then this can cause hung MAPI threads on your BES causing it to do a lot of strange things like stop forwarding emails."

"I didn't check the event viewer. But I will," Mark Ricci replies. "It seems that the default service book from the BES server was sent to all BB users after the reboot or all the bb requested a new service book after they couldn't contact the BES while it was down."