I’m a pretty big BlackBerry Gmail user, and it appears that the font issue has something to do with that. While email appears normal on some emails, on others it’s gigantic. This might be a benefit for some, and I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer a smaller font, especially with the high-res screen. But going to Options – Screen/Keyboard and changing the font to the lowest setting, 7, still didn’t accomplish anything. I was still getting large font emails from some users.

Unfortunately, it appears that this occurs between Gmail users. This is a problem, because some of the people I contact most frequently use Gmail. A user on BlackBerry Forums, ran through the technical part of the issue, but that doesn’t really help. I want to read emails from my Gmail contacts the same way I do everyone else.

The only solution I can find is to hit Menu and select Get Plain Text. That takes off all HTML coding, but that’s not a big issue from my Gmail contacts. It’s a slight nuisance to do this for every Gmail message of more than a sentence or two, but it’s better than constantly scrolling through a 500-word email. Anyone else have a way of solving this, other than using the Gmail app?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Making the font smaller on your BlackBerry Tour

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Making the font smaller on your BlackBerry Tour

The site is CashForBerrys.com, and after reading about it yesterday I did a quick search around to find out about potential scams. I didn’t find any, though I didn’t find many review. It is part of the Cash For Laptops family.

The above image is what they offered me for my Curve 8330. It’s worth more than $60 to me, so I’m not even considering it. But if you have a BlackBerry that you don’t need any more, that $60 can come in handy, especially if you’re putting it towards the purchase of a new model, subsidized or not. The only problem is that if your BlackBerry has serious electronic defects, you’ll get less. If my Curve had a defective screen, I’d get just $10. That’s probably not worth the effort of shipping it.

It comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. You have to factor in the repair price, the time your BlackBerry will not be of use to you, how much a new model would cost, how much you can get from CashForBerrys, etc. There’s also the issue of market price. CashForBerrys has an easy system for getting money for your device, but you might be getting less than you can. Selling your BlackBerry on eBay, while a longer and more complicated process, can get you more money.

If anyone has used CashForBerrys, please leave a review.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

CashForBerrys.com is an alternative to BlackBerry repair

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

CashForBerrys.com is an alternative to BlackBerry repair

The issue is nothing more than an annoyance, and a relatively minor one at that. Still, I’d like to not be annoyed when working with my BlackBerry. I searched around the net for possible solutions, but found none. It’s just an issue with the OS build, and we probably won’t see a fix until RIM sends out another 4.5 upgrade. While that’s disappointing, there is one thing that can mitigate the problem.

(Bonus bug: If you let the screen go black while in the applications menu, when you click a button to turn on the backlight again, you’ll be at the home screen. I’m not sure how universal that problem is, but it’s something I noticed. For reference, I’m using a custom theme, but now that I’ve consciously noticed the issue, I have vague memories of the same issue cropping up with my standard Verizon theme.)

When I go to wake up my BlackBerry, I usually depress the trackball. That’s what seemingly causes the delay. If you instead hit another key — space bar seems to work as well as any — the delay is much shorter. In fact, it seems like when I press the space bar, the screen comes back just about normally. So this isn’t a huge problem with .138 in general, just a problem with the trackball function.

Again, it might seem like a minor issue, but it’s slightly annoying to press the trackball and have nothing happen. If you look closely, you can see the screen turn on after you depress the trackball — the real delay is in the backlight. So if you press the trackball to restore the backlight, but then press it again (because you think you missed the key), you’ll launch the application you’re hovering over. It’s a pain, and while minor I’ll be glad when RIM introduces a fix.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Delayed screen backlight in OS 4.5

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Delayed screen backlight in OS 4.5

From there I could only hope that someone had either written about the issue, or else posted about it on a message board. That yielded a quick match: apparently there is an issue with third party themes while rebooting with unread messages. It’s not clear how widespread the problem is, but if you have a third party theme and you reset your device with unread messages in your inbox, you can cause your device to hang on the carrier logo screen. I have a third party theme, so this seemed like the solution.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the trick. The instructions say to hold down the End button while on the carrier logo screen, which will power down the phone. But when I pressed and held the button on that screen, it did nothing. That was greatly disheartening. I though I had found the exact situation and the exact solution, but it didn’t work out. It was back to Google for me.

I tried plugging the phone into my Mac, but it wouldn’t recognize the device. No matter what I tried — rebooting the device while connected, pulling the battery while hooked up (though not connected) — I could not get past the carrier logo screen. My Mac, with BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac, wasn’t going to be of much help. As I learned in another tutorial, I’d probably need a PC.

I had family in town for the weekend, so I knew I could use the PC at my parents’ house. So I switched my account and BIS to my old 8830 and dealt with the device for the weekend. Not that it’s bad. My only complaint about the device, really, is that it doesn’t have a standard headphone jack. I mean, who designed that? Horribly annoying, especially because it meant no Pandora on the train ride home.

Once home I hooked up the phone to Desktop Manager I got some responsiveness. I tried to re-load the OS, thinking that might be the issue, but it would always get stuck at one point or another. After it was clear that Desktop Manager wouldn’t work, I followed the BlackBerry 101 instructions and tried to connect through App Loader. This worked to an extent, but I never got the PIN:unknown screen (nor was I in a reboot cycle), so I couldn’t follow the instructions exactly as printed.

Here I decided to combine the two ideas. Once App Loader listed my apps, I deleted all my third party themes. A few minutes later, I was past the Verizon screen and back into my BlackBerry. It was quite a miracle, but not perfect. The device ran slow and froze frequently. That meant one thing: back it up and wipe it. I did just that, and once I re-downloaded my theme I was in business. The BlackBerry is back and good as new.

A dead BlackBerry is a scary proposition. It can mean lost data and lost communication. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources available online to help you with most any problem you have. If you have any BlackBerry problems like the one I had, you can email me at jpawlikowski at bbgeeks dot com, and I’ll see if we can track down a potential solution.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

My Curve died this weekend…

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

My Curve died this weekend…

Outside, it looks like any normal bag, but inside it contains drying agents which absorb the moisture from your electronics. All you do is cut off the top, unseal the zipper, drop in your device, and seal it back up. As with most drying agents, it can take 24 to 48 hours to fully dry your device.

You can buy the Bheestie Bag for $20 from their website. It might seem like a lot, but the bag is not a one-time use item. As long as the bag stays sealed (even when not in use), the Bheestie Bag can last for up to a year. The more you use it the more frequently it will need replacing. Thankfully, they’ve put blue indicators on the pouch, which will turn gray when it’s time for a replacement.

Here’s a demo of the bag in action:

And just because I think about this every time I hear the name Bheestie Bag:

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Use a Bheestie Bag to dry out a wet BlackBerry

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Use a Bheestie Bag to dry out a wet BlackBerry

The image to the right shows a sample security certificate error dialog. Notice that the domain the browser is attempting to open matches the domain on the security certificate. That looks fine, and most people would choose to continue. The problem is that the BlackBerry browser doesn’t show any possible null characters, so while the domain names might appear the same, they might not actually be.

Your carrier should have a software update out sometime this week. Make sure you’re running the following OS version in order to have the most secure version:

• BlackBerry Device Software v4.5.0.x to v4.5.0.173 or later
• BlackBerry Device Software v4.6.0.x to v4.6.0.303 or later
• BlackBerry Device Software v4.6.1.x to v4.6.1.309 or later
• BlackBerry Device Software v4.7.0.x to v4.7.0.179 or later
• BlackBerry Device Software v4.7.1.x to v4.7.1.57 or later

Again, check your carrier’s page for the latest OS update. As Sacco notes, it is not yet available for some carriers, so be sure to check back frequently. I’ll agree with Ronen of BerryReview that the carrier approval system of OS patches might not be the best mode of distribution. This goes especially for security breaches. RIM needs to find a way to get these out to users quickly and simply.

In any case, here are the links to some carriers’ software update pages:

• Verizon
• AT&T
• T-Mobile
• Sprint Nextel
• Alltel
• Rogers
• Bell
• Telus

You can find any others by Googling “[carrier name] blackberry software”. Again, until you have an OS version listed above (or higher), be careful when clicking links, and especially when you see a security certificate dialog.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

RIM reveals security issue with BlackBerry browser

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

RIM reveals security issue with BlackBerry browser

I was wondering through all this, how do other people do it? Do you always wait until your carrier upgrade? Or can you just not stand it any more and pay full price for the device? It’s always interested me how much people pay for their devices.

This will be a big question for people as this year goes on. For instance, T-Mobile users, if you already have the Curve 8900, is it worth it to pay full price for the 9700 to get those 3G speeds? Or are you just going to suck it up with your EDGE data until you get an upgrade? Would you try to sell your old BlackBerry on eBay to recoup some of the money? Or would you save it as a backup?

I’m really interested to see what people have to say about these questions. Personally, I think I’m just going to wait until my actual upgrade in November and choose then between the Tour and the Storm. That makes the most sense, at least for my personal position. But what about you? What would you do if you were me?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Do you wait for an upgrade to get a new BlackBerry?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Do you wait for an upgrade to get a new BlackBerry?

The argument for the in-meeting BlackBerry users is that they’re conducting real-time business that can’t wait until after the meeting. Those conducting the meeting, of course, can feel slighted because of the lack of attention. After all, if everyone is tapping away at a smartphone, what’s the point of having the meeting in the first place?

There are no hard and fast rules, and the environment varies from company to company. From a post on Dealbreaker: “Wells Fargo will fine you $100 for looking at your Blackberry during a meeting.” Other companies look the other way. Still others allow it, but don’t like it.

While the rules on etiquette vary from place to place, it would be nice to get some kind of universal ruling on some issues. When can you check your BlackBerry without others thumbing their nose at you? If you’re so inclined, use the comments section to propose your own rules for BlackBerry etiquette.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Establishing proper BlackBerry etiquette

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Establishing proper BlackBerry etiquette

First, one of Ronen’s favorite, which is relevant for the BlackBerry Gmail users out there:

Password error message – That means Gmail has locked you out and you need to login from a desktop to do the CAPTCHA verification.

Oof. Gmail lockout issues are never fun. If you get this one, it might end up being far more involved than entering in a few jumbled numbers and letters to verify that you’re a human being. Still, you can check what BlackBerry has to say about it.

Another one you don’t want to see:

PIN or IMEI of the device does not exist

You can check out the help guide, and I hope it helps.

There are tons and tons more like this at BlackBerry.com. Make sure to bookmark it just in case you see this type of error in the future.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

What does that error message on your BlackBerry mean?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

What does that error message on your BlackBerry mean?

While we put in nice, bolded letters, wait 48 hours before re-inserting your battery, Fried got a bit impatient.

Pull out the battery. Check. Make sure everything is as dry as possible. Some suggest paper towels or those silica gel packs to absorb moisture, while others recommend a bowl of uncooked rice.

The next piece of advice is to leave it be for a day or two. Don’t test it. Just let it dry out.

That’s was the hard part. It just goes against human nature–or at least my nature–to just let it sit there.

I must admit, I did test it several times yesterday.

I saw signs of life, but it was clearly not working properly. Sometimes the power light would go on and nothing else. Other times it would show the rotating hourglass, but the screen was not back-lit.

Thankfully, this story did not end in disaster. However, this doesn’t mean that all wet BlackBerry devices will work like Fried’s. There’s just as good a chance that it never works again. She does point out that it is her nature, and is probably the nature of many of us, to keep trying, despite warnings not to.

Here’s the question heading into Memorial Day weekend: Do you think you could hold off on testing your BlackBerry during the drying process? I know with my last consumer phone I tested it before a full 48 hours, and the screen was never the same again. I can’t imagine the same fate for my BlackBerry. So perhaps experience has taught me to live with the lack of a BlackBerry. But what about the readers? Do you have the willpower to leave the Berry alone for two full days?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

What not to do when you get your BlackBerry wet

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

What not to do when you get your BlackBerry wet