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One thing I noticed after getting my BlackBerry Tour is that there are three keys which you cannot assign a speed dial. Holding down the “A” key locks the system, holding down “W” goes to voice mail, and holding down “Q” puts you into quiet mode (vibrate only). These can be convenient, but for someone who had older operating systems and were used to having these keys available, it can be a slight nuisance. We at BBGeeks are dedicated to eradicating those nuisances so you can better focus on the big issues. So today, a quick way to assign speed dials to A, W, and Q.

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Starting with the Curve 8520, RIM has started installing an optical trackpad on all new BlackBerry devices. The new technology should allow for easier browsing and scrolling. But for those of us who have older BlackBerry models, and plan to stick with them, we still face the issue of a trackball. Introduced in 2006 with the BlackBerry Pearl, the trackball made it onto every subsequent BlackBerry model. One thing we haven’t covered on BBGeeks is how to change the trackball sensitivity. So, just before it goes out of style, here it is.

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Every once in a while, when you click on BlackBerry App World, you get a prompt to update the software. So, like the good BlackBerry owner you are, you waste no time in clicking OK to download and then install the update, despite not really knowing what it’s all about. And then you go through the hassle of rebooting your device. After all that, you go back to App World and start to browse through applications, only to see them listed in Euros rather than American dollars. That’s probably not what you expected. Thankfully, the fix is pretty easy.

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In yesterday’s bit on the worst of BlackBerry App World, I laid into tip calculators a bit. These applications cost from $3 (most common price) to $13 (for “advanced” features like dividing the check). Applications like this annoy me, because the function essentially already exists on your BlackBerry. Calculating a tip is easy, and you certainly don’t need to waste $3 on a separate application. Today’s quick tip is how to use your BlackBerry calculator to figure out the proper tip, saving you a few bucks on an app.

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Do you frequently send out emails to multiple people? Whether it be a work project or just a group of friends staying in touch, plenty of people send emails to multiple recipients. You could just enter each address every time, and I’m sure many people do, but that can get to be a pain if you do it frequently enough. Your BlackBerry supports email groups, so why not take advantage? It’s quick and easy to set up, and it will save you time down the road. After all, not only do you have to enter in each address, you might forget one recipient. You don’t want anyone to feel left out, to you?

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Other than the ability to make calls and send text messages, the presence of a camera might be the most common cell phone feature. It makes sense, as consumers want quality photo snappers nearby. RIM is seemingly answering the demand, putting 3.2 megapixel cameras in more recent models. We could see an upgrade on that with the eventual release of the BlackBerry Essex. For those who use their BlackBerry cameras but want to start taking better pictures, the latest BlackBerry Connection newsletter takes a look at various aspects of Berry photography.

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Ever install an application and find out that it’s a huge burden to your BlackBerry? If you’ve explored the array of unofficial apps around the net, you might have encountered an issue with one. Sometimes that can cause a number of problems on your BlackBerry — including a reboot cycle or a 507 error which will make it impossible to delete that application. If you’re a user of OS 4.6 or higher, you can start your device in Safe Mode, which will allow you to diagnose and remove problematic applications.

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I love me a good BlackBerry tip, and yesterday Kevin at CrackBerry had one I have yet to explore: adding an extension to your BlackBerry contacts. Since a lot of my contacts — and yours, probably — comprise work numbers, it makes sense to have some kind of apparatus in place to handle extensions. It appears there are a few ways of handling this on your BlackBerry, and Kevin goes over them in some detail over at CB. For our purposes, we’ll go over the basics. You can get the whole shebang over there if you’re interested in the additional detail.

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Over the years, the BlackBerry has been known as the always-on device. You never have to turn it off, so all of your emails and other messages are always a few thumb clicks away, even while you sleep. Yet for some, especially the growing consumer market, that can be a bug, not a feature. The temptation is there to just leave it on and just not check it, but sometimes and act of will is not enough. Thankfully, the BlackBerry comes with a feature which allows you to automatically turn the device off, and then back on, at specific times.

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By default, your BlackBerry stores your missed calls in your Messages application. So when you see that you have a missed call it not only shows on your call log, but in your messages as well. I’m not exactly sure why they did this — there’s a prompt when you have a missed call, and again it shows on your call log. I guess some people enjoy it. Thankfully, the BlackBerry is customizable, so you can continue to see missed calls in your messages if you want, but if you don’t you can turn it off. Also, if you like seeing your missed calls in your messages, you can also opt to have all calls display in that area.

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