Did you loose your BlackBerry Messenger Contacts when you upgraded to 5.0 from 4.x version of BlackBerry Messenger? The point of this is that if you don’t like BlackBerry Messenger version 5.0 and would like to revert back to 4.6 or 4.7, but your contacts list are all gone, then I might have a solution for you.
(Warning: There’s no way to select what you want to restore selectively, so if your BlackBerry Messenger Contacts is very important, then proceed:) Continue reading »
It works Internationally! At least for my visit to Indonesia. I plugged in my SIM card and Roblock don’t recognize the SIM card so it send out a text message to my wife’s phone. Prompting her to wipe or download contacts and among other things such as turning on the blaring loud alarm, locate the phone via GPS, lock the phone, or send a message to the stolen phone.
Definitely worth it!
Of course sending an sms to out of Indonesia would be costly, but worth it if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to replace your phone.
This applies to only if your friend has BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 as well.
Pros:
Threaded SMS Messaging (Looks like Instant Messaging)
Set your own Profile Photo
Set your status like GTalk
Updated with more Smileys
Take a picture of your friend’s BarCode to add them instantly to your BlackBerry Messenger Contacts
New Interface Design
Ability to Backup your Contact List Remotely or Locally
Cons:
Voice Notes sometimes fail to send, if not, very slow transfer rate
Pictures sometimes fail to send, if not, very slow transfer rate
Pictures must be saved to your Device Memory or Media card first before viewing
Sending Video can’t be done via BlackBerry Messenger
Status updates is limited to two lines
If you have BlackBerry Messenger 5 installed on BlackBerry OS 5.0 like I do on my BlackBerry Bold, then the advantage is when you take a picture and send to your friends, it would prompt a size of the picture to send. Original (1600×1200), Large (1024×768), Medium (800×600) or Small (640×480). BBM 5.0 and BB OS 5.0 is stable.
Installed on BlackBerry Bold with OS 5.0.0.190
First you need to make sure you have the Original OS that came with on your PC. For instance, if you have the BlackBerry Bold with OS 4.6.0.303, then you need to download that version. Usually you can download your original OS at BlackBerry OS. But their site is hard to navigate. It’s better to just Google for it.
Once you have download your OS, you need to install it on your PC. Once that’s done, you need to delete BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 from your BlackBerry under Options then Applications.
After it’s deleted on your device, open your BlackBerry Desktop Manager on your PC and Connect your BlackBerry to the USB port. Select Application loader and click on the Start Button on Add/Remove Applications. Once you are in the application selection, find BlackBerry Messenger and check the box next to it. It should state the version you are installing. Continue on from there and wait until it install. Reboot your BlackBerry and wait for it to load.
I’m not responsible for any damages done to your BlackBerry, anything with software update/downgrade, there’s always risk of malfunction somewhere. There is also a risk all of your BlackBerry Messenger Contact List gets deleted.
For whatever reason you don’t like BlackBerry Messenger 5.0, this method should work with all BlackBerry devices. I might have the solution to restore your BlackBerry Messenger Contact list, but it’s not guarantee to work. I did it myself, and works for me. All results are vary. Please follow the link for the how to restore your BBM contact list.
Cradlepoint CTR500 Setup info with BlackBerry Bold
I had a hard time figuring out what settings are needed to do a dial up. It’s actually pretty simple.
Considering you have the firmware 1.5.1 from Cradlepoint.com
and you are with AT&T/Cingular, otherwise, check your own APN Settings
Attach your BlackBerry Bold to the Cradlepoint via USB.
Under the Basic Tab, click on WAN on the left Navigation area.
Under Cellular modem PPP Authentication (OPTIONAL), there is a Pull Down Modem Interface. Select USB1 – BlackBerry
Leave Username Blank
Enter CINGULAR1 for password, all in capitalized
Leave Protocol at Auto.
That’s it, no need to touch Ethernet Port Mode or other settings.
Go back to top of the page and click on Save Settings Button.
Now, you need to go to the Modem Tab.
Click on Network on the Left Navigation area
Set whatever Global Settings you want, I set mine to Always on
Under Modem Specific Settings there is a pull down.
Pull down and select USB1-BlackBerry
Leave AT Dial Script as is
Modem Password is CINGULAR1 (all in uppercase)
repeat the password again in uppercase
Access Point Name (APN): wap.cingular (all in lowercase)
Go Back to the top of the page and click on Save Settings Buttons.
That’s it. Wait till the modem reboots, unplug your BlackBerry and plug your BlackBerry once the Cradlepoint turned on again (30 Seconds).
The Phone Icon on the Cradlepoint should be from Orange (Connecting) to Green (Connected). Once you see Green, you can surf the internet.
I can use my ipod touch with it now.
If you have other phones such as the Samsung or Nokia, you might need an AT Command under the Modem Tab then Network
AT
AT+CGDCONT=1,IP,”(YOUR APN)”
ATDT*99#
or if you have AT&T/Cingular
AT
AT+CGDCONT=1,IP,”(wap.cingular)”
ATDT*99#
There are two APN for AT&T, try both if it doesn’t work.
APN: isp.cingular and wap.cingular
Google APN list for other providers settings.
You also might need to enter username WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM if it doesn’t work under the Basic Tab then WAN.
Good luck on your endeavor, please post here for your results. Each phone are different and eventhough my phones aren’t listed, it works with Cradlepoint. Other phones that aren’t listed works too as I was browsing through some forums.
BerryReview did a Review on all three Cradlepoint device: PHS300, CTR-350 and CTR-500
How to dial phone numbers with letters -
This is a very simple tip that isn’t always intuitive for everyone.
You know how a ton of businesses phone numbers are spelled out in
letters so that they are easily remembered? Well if you haven’t
used a touch tone phone in a while and you have a full
QWERTY keyboard on your BlackBerry, you may be in a bind if you are
trying to call 1-800-44-CYCLE to save a bunch of money on your
motorcycle insurance. Well it is easier than you may have thought.
Step 1. Dial the numbers that you do see, so 1-800-44
Step 2. Hold the alt key and spell out CYCLE. Hit call and it will
automatically convert the letters into their respective numbers.
That’s it.
I had to send an email in regards to How To Downgrade your Blackberry Bold OS in case your upgrade to Beta OS is not satisfactory after use. This is an instruction if your Blackberry is still usable. If not, that is a different method. This method is only for downgrading your Blackberry Bold OS to the original AT&T Provided Blackberry OS. Continue reading »
How To Fix Common BlackBerry Modem Connection Errors
This is an appendix to the BlackBerry FAQ,
“Use BlackBerry As Modem For Laptop”
Fixing Error 692
HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
This is because the computer doesn’t see the BlackBerry. Essentially, this is the same error you would get if your BlackBerry is completly disconnected. If this is the case, make sure you have fully set up your BlackBerry modem using the FAQ entry “Use BlackBerry As Modem For Laptop”.
These steps are steps are easiest if you already hvae BlackBerry OS 4.2 and BlackBerry Desktop 4.2 … If your BlackBerry is not running the latest, please upgrade to these versions. Also, please do not send private messages to the moderators (including myself) asking me questions — it is best to post your questions publicly because the Inboxes of us volunteer moderators are already overflowing…
Fixing Error 628
HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
* You manually added the BlackBerry modem driver; AND
* You consistently get an Error 628
PROBLEM:
You consistently got an “Error 628″ trying to connect to the Internet when using BlackBerry as a modem for the laptop. (I came across a laptop where this happens)
SOLUTION:
Go to Control Panel -> Phone and Modem and Remove the modem. Re-add the modem by clicking on Add. You MUST select the “Standard 33600 bps Modem” (correct) INSTEAD OF “Standard 56000 bps Modem” (wrong). Click Next. You will be asked for the ports to add this modem to. Add this modem to all COM ports that the RIM Virtual Serial Port is on. If you are not sure of which COM ports the RIM Virtual Serial Ports are, go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> Ports (COM & LPT) … This will tell you which COM ports your RIM Virtual Modem is on.
TECHNICAL EXPLANATION: WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
When a modem is added manually instead of automatically, most people try to choose the fastest possible modem. However, the “Standard 56000 bps Modem” entry transmits incorrect AT commands to the BlackBerry, which returns an “ERROR” instead of an “OK”. This can be observed by watching the output of the logfile of the “View Log” button in Control Panel -> Phone and Modem -> Modems -> (select your BlackBerry modem) -> Diagnostics -> View Log. Viewing the log right after you try to connect to the Internet, reveals very technical details, right down to the individual AT commands transmitted to the modem. This revealed the exact cause of Error 628 which used some more-proprietary AT commands used by the “Standard 56000 bps Modem”, which were not supported by the BlackBerry.
IS THIS MODEM SLOWER?
Actually, “Standard 300 bps Modem” all the way through to “Standard 33600 bps Modem”, all behave the same speed using the BlackBerry, so it doesn’t matter — the speed is always the same.
From RIM Knowledge Base.
You can use the BlackBerry smartphone as a tethered modem to connect a computer to the Internet. The wireless connection between the BlackBerry smartphone and the computer can be made using Bluetooth® technology. This steps is not for PlayBook Tethering.
On the computer, complete the following steps:
Go to Control Panel > Bluetooth Devices.
Click Add.
Select the My device is set up and ready to be found check box, and click Next.
When the BlackBerry smartphone is detected, select the check box next to the BlackBerry smartphone, and click Next.
Select the Let me choose my own passkey option.
Type a passkey in the field provided, and click Next.
On the BlackBerry smartphone, type the same passkey from Step 6, then click the trackball.
On the computer, when the Completing the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard screen appears, click Finish.
On the BlackBerry smartphone, when prompted to accept an incoming Bluetooth connection, select Don’t Ask Again, and click Yes.
Step 3 – Set up the Internet access point name (APN)
Note: You only need to perform this task the first time that you set up the Internet APN.
On the computer, complete the following steps:
Note: If you are running Windows Vista, select Classic View.
Go to Control Panel > Phone and Modem Options.
Select the Modems tab.
Select Standard Modem Over Bluetooth Link, and click Properties.
Select the Advanced tab.
In the Extra initialization commands field, type the following:
+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”"
Note: To obtain your Internet APN, contact your wireless service provider. (Or just search Google)
Click OK.
In the Phone and Modem Options window, click OK.
Step 4 – Configure Dial-Up Networking
Note: You only need to perform this task the first time that you configure Dial-Up Networking.
On the computer, complete the following steps:
Go to Start > Settings > Network Connections.
Right-click Bluetooth DUN connection, and select Properties.
Select the Networking tab. That’s it!