If you are new to BlackBerry devices or would like to learn more about the Universal Search feature, check out our previous blog post that explains how to use Universal Search. For now, let’s get started by accessing the Search setting — from there we can begin customizing Universal Search:

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder select “Options”
2. Select “Device” and then “Search”.

Search History

Simply put, Search History displays your most recent searches in the Universal Search window. There are two options for Search History in settings: “Delete Search History,” which clears all previous search items from the device, and “Show Search History,” which allows you to disable this feature all together.

Web Suggestions

When you enter a search term into Universal Search, not only are results from your BlackBerry smartphone displayed but also search engine results from the web.

To disable this feature so only your device is searched, clear the check box next to Show Web Suggestions, then press the Menu key and select “Save.”

Data Sources

Each time you enter a search term, Universal Search looks though each one of these categories for matching results. Clear the check box next to any of the items you want omitted from the search. You can clear all the check boxes at once by pressing the Menu key followed by “Deselect All.” If you have previously cleared categories, you also have the option of choosing “Select All” to re-select them.

Note: Selecting “Deselect All” or “Select All” affects the Extended Providers category check boxes as well.

Extended Providers

The categories listed under Extended Providers are apps which have their own search, selecting one of these items in Universal Search will provide results from that apps search feature. To exclude one of these apps from the search results simply clear the check box next to it, then press the Menu key and select “Save.”

Have question about customizing Universal Search on your BlackBerry smartphone? Leave it below and let us know!

Happy Friday #TeamBlackBerry! It’s Five Tip Friday, and today I’d like to share five reasons why you should consider using Social Feeds – a great app built right in to BlackBerry® 6 OS and BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphones. Using the Social Feeds app, you can stay up to date with your social networks and receive the latest RSS news and information from your favorite blogs and websites – all in one location.

Before we begin, if you aren’t familiar with Social Feeds, check out my post on How to use Social Feeds 2.0 to learn more.

1. Add your own Bit.ly® account

The next time you want to share a link with friends, you can send them a short link that will be created using your Bit.ly account. This will allow you to measure things such as how many clicks your link got and from which countries your link was viewed (one of my favorite stats!). To add your Bit.ly account details to Social Feeds, complete the following steps:

1. On the home screen, open “Social Feeds”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Options” followed by “Display and Actions”
3. Enter your Bit.ly login details and select “Login”

After doing this, any links you share using Social Feeds will now get shortened using your Bit.ly account so you can view stats on how many people viewed your link and from where.

2. Post an update to multiple Social Networks simultaneously

Got something you want to share with friends on BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) as well as Twitter®? Instead of sending separate messages, you can send one message that gets sent simultaneously to both social networks. Here’s how:

1. On the home screen, open “Social Feeds”
2. Press the Menu key and select “New Post”
3. Specify which social networks should receive the update
4. Enter your message, then click the “Post” button

3. Post RSS feed items as an update to your social networks

Come across a blog post or news story in one of your RSS feeds that you’d like to share? Similar to the previous tip, you can share a RSS feed item with multiple social networks simultaneously.

1. On the home screen, open “Social Feeds”
2. In the ”News” view, highlight a feed item
3. Press the “Menu” key and select “Post Link”
4. Specify which social networks should receive the update
5. Enter your message to accompany the link, then click the “Post” button.

What’s really neat is if you setup your Bit.ly account as mentioned earlier, the link to the RSS feed item you share will be shortened using your Bit.ly details!

4. Create a custom view

I love this feature since I have a few friends on Twitter who don’t tweet that often, but when they do, I want to be notified since they always make me laugh. Using this feature, I can have a dedicated view of tweets from a few of my friends, but I also have the option to get notified whenever my friends post a new tweet! Here’s an example of how to create a custom view, and get notified whenever a new item in displayed in that view:

1. On the home screen, open “Social Feeds”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Manage Views” followed by “Add View”
3. Type a name for the new view
4. To receive a notification on your home screen when new items are available, select the “Notify me of new items” check box
5. Click “Add Item”

• To add updates from a person, click “People”. Select the checkbox beside each person you want to include in your new view, then click “Apply”.
• To add an RSS feed, click RSS feed. Select the checkbox beside each RSS feed you want to include in your new view, then click “Apply”.
• To add feed items that include specific keywords, click “Search Term”. Enter the keyword, then click “Apply”.

6. When finished, select “Create”

Tip: After creating some views, if you come across a person or news feed you want to add to a view you’ve created, just highlight one of their items and press the Menu key – you’ll see the option to Add them to a custom view.

5. Flagged Items

When was the last time you came across a great story on a RSS feed you’ve subscribed to but didn’t have a chance to finish the story before closing the app – and then forgetting which feed had the story? This used to always happen to me, but thanks to Social Feeds I can easily flag items so I can read them later. If you are forgetful like me, you’ll love this feature since it’s a really easy to way to get back to funny RSS feed items or social networking updates from friends. To flag an item, complete the steps below:

1. On the home screen, open “Social Feeds”
2. In the “News” view, highlight a feed item or social networking update
3. Press the Menu key and select “Flag”

After flagging some items, to view them in the future just move to the “Flagged Items” view. To remove a Flag from an item, just highlight it, press the Menu key and select “Clear Flag”.

Got a question or feedback about Social Feeds 2.0? Leave a comment and let me know!

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.

Before we begin, BlackBerry 6 smartphones do not contain a compass which means you will not be able to use the Augmented Reality mode. You can however use the Wikitude World Browser in list, and map view mode which still allow you explore your surroundings in depth!

For those using BlackBerry 7, the Wikitude World Browser is pre-installed and can be found in the Applications folder. In the event you removed it, you can re-install the BlackBerry 7 edition of Wikitude World Browser from BlackBerry App World. Search for it or scan the following barcode using BlackBerry App World (Press Menu -> Scan a Barcode)

If you are using a BlackBerry 6 smartphone to install Wikitude launch BlackBerry App World and search for “Wikitude for OS6”. You can also scan the barcode below using BlackBerry App World (Press Menu -> Scan a Barcode). Please ensure you review the requirements which can be found along the right hand side of the BlackBerry App World desktop storefront page for Wikitude as some which BlackBerry 6 smartphones are supported.

After installation, open Wikitude by selecting its icon – it will either be on the Home screen or within the Applications folder. When you open Wikitude for the first time, you’ll be asked to specify how you would like to connect it with BBM. Connecting BBM with Wikitude allows you to pan around your surroundings to see your BBM contacts and chat with them. If you choose, you may even find new friends in your vicinity.

To control how you appear when using Wikitude, you can choose from one of the following settings:

• Invisible (Grey) – No one can see you and no BBM information is shared.
• Contacts (Blue) – All your BBM address book contacts can see you.
• Public (Green) – All BBM users can see you.

Depending on the setting you specified above, you may be sharing your location, BBM display-name, BBM status message, and BBM avatar with other BBM users. You will now be asked if you’d like to connect Wikitude to BBM, which is required if you want to see other BBM contacts who have chosen to be visible in Wikitude. Privacy and BBM Connected Application settings can be modified in the future by accessing Wikitude Settings using the Menu key.

After specifying your BBM settings, you’ll be shown the Wikitude Home screen, which contains icons that represent various points of interests (POI) which are called Worlds. To add and remove Worlds, tap on the Browse Worlds icon, and you’ll be able to select which Worlds appear when you open Wikitude by selecting the star icon that appears on the right.

To start exploring, tap on the World you’d like to see, such as BBM Chat. Since Wikitude can leverage the Compass functionality built into select BlackBerry smartphones, you’ll be asked to calibrate the Compass if it hasn’t been used before. If this screen appears, follow the directions and move the BlackBerry smartphone around several times until it vibrates, which indicates the Compass is calibrated. To learn more about the Compass, check out my post on How to set up and use the Compass in BlackBerry 7.

After calibration is completed, Wikitude will display BBM contacts that are around you, depending on their Privacy setting, in the Cam View if they have allowed this in their settings. This view uses the camera and overlays BBM contacts in your vicinity so you can meet up with your contacts or some new people if desired. Remember, if you want to avoid sharing your BBM contact information, you must use the permission ‘Invisible’ that is mentioned earlier in this post.

You can easily identify what permissions you’ve set for BBM by looking at the top right corner and reviewing the BBM privacy status icon. A green dot means you are sharing your BBM details publicly; blue represents that you are sharing with your BBM Contacts only; grey means you are not sharing any BBM details. In the screenshot above, a green dot appears in the top right corner, so I know that I am sharing my BBM details publicly.

In addition to your BBM privacy status icon, the other icons in the top corner are different views you can use to explore Worlds in Wikipedia. The first icon is the List view, which lists out POIs around you. The second icon is the Map view which overlays these POIs on a map (this is the view used in the screenshot above). The third icon is the Camera view, which is a great way to view POIs around you.

At this point, we’ve successfully set up Wikitude, set our BBM privacy permissions, and calibrated the Compass if required. We’ve also taken a peek at how to add and remove Worlds in addition to the various views that you can obtain using Wikitude. Keep an eye out for more posts about this great application, and if you have any specific questions, leave a comment and let us know!

If you use a BlackBerry® smartphone on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, an IT Policy is likely applied to your BlackBerry smartphone as a result. Sometimes you may have an IT Policy still applied to your BlackBerry smartphone even if you’ve been removed from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Today I’ll be providing a brief overview of what an IT Policy is, how to view your IT Policy if one is applied to your BlackBerry smartphone, and how to remove it if desired.

An IT Policy consists of a set of rules that define BlackBerry smartphone security, settings for synchronizing data over the wireless network, and other behaviors. For example, if your workplace does not permit cameras, the BlackBerry smartphone administrator may optionally disable the ability to use the Camera feature on your smartphone. A very common example of an IT Policy is the requirement to have a password set to unlock your BlackBerry smartphone.

(Note: Setting a password to protect your BlackBerry smartphone is something I recommend for everyone! If you do not have a password set currently, check out the user guide for your BlackBerry smartphone where you can find information on how to set up and customize your password.)

To see if you have an IT Policy applied to your device, complete the following steps depending on which version of BlackBerry® Device Software you are currently using. (If you don’t know what version you are using, check out our post on how to identify BlackBerry Device Software versions.)

BlackBerry® 6 and BlackBerry® 7 OS

1. Select “Options” from the Home screen
2. Type”Security” and select “Security Status Information”
3. Details about the IT Policy will be displayed if one has been applied to your BlackBerry smartphone.

To learn more about what settings have been specified by an IT policy, you can use a feature available in BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 to view this information. All you need to do is select “View IT Policy”.

BlackBerry Device Software 5.0

1. Select “Options” from the Home screen
2. Select “Security Options”
3. Select “Information”
4. If an IT Policy is applied, the Services section will display the name of the IT Policy.

If you’ve identified that an IT policy has been applied to your BlackBerry smartphone, contact your BlackBerry Enterprise Server administrator to learn more about the settings contained within the IT policy.
If you are no longer using a BlackBerry Enterprise Server and do not have contact with the BlackBerry administrator, check out KB14202 for instructions on how to remove the IT Policy.

Got a question about IT policies? Leave a comment and let me know!

I want to share some battery saving tips to help you get the most of your BlackBerry smartphone – for both BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry® 6. Listed below are several tips I use that you can start taking advantage of today.

If you’ve got a tip on how to extend battery life, leave a comment and let us know as we may feature your tip in an upcoming post. Let’s get started…

Closing Apps and Games

Running multiple apps and games is something I do daily, whether it’s switching between my email and a game of Solitaire, or using it to move between the BlackBerry® Maps app and BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) so I can tell friends where I am. Something to keep in mind, however, is that apps and games left open when you are not using them can sometimes use up battery life.

An easy way to see which apps or games are open is to press and hold the Menu key, which causes the App Switcher to appear. You can then switch to the app or game you are not actively using and, after pressing the Menu key, select the “Close” option to exit the app or game.

Turn off network connections you aren’t using

A quick way to save some battery life is to review and turn off any network connections you are not currently using. For example, at work I always have a mobile network connection in addition to using the Wi-Fi® functionality built into my BlackBerry smartphone. If I’m traveling, I don’t have access to a Wi-Fi network, so to save some battery life, I turn off the Wi-Fi network connection since I am not in range of any Wi-Fi networks I have access to.

To review and modify network connections on a BlackBerry smartphone, click the connections area along the top of the home screen, or select the “Manage Connections” icon from the home screen. You can then enable and disable network connections by checking or clearing the checkboxes.

Use a Wi-Fi network connection in areas of low cell coverage

If you are in a location that has poor cell coverage such as a basement, use the Wi-Fi functionality built into the BlackBerry smartphone to connect to available Wi-Fi networks. This will help improve battery life and is recommended if you are doing lots of web surfing, for example.

Use a holster or pocket

If you don’t already have one, I strongly recommend purchasing a holster or pocket for your BlackBerry smartphone, as it’s a really easy way to save battery life. When you place a BlackBerry smartphone in a holster or pocket, the screen will automatically shut off if desired. Grab a holster or pocket from
http://www.shopblackberry.com
today if you don’t already have one!

For those that already have one, review the user guide for your BlackBerry smartphone to learn how you can customize how your BlackBerry smartphone works with a holster or pocket. For example, a setting I like is how I can automatically open an email I’ve just received when I take my BlackBerry smartphone out of my holster.

Get a Charging Pod

Another thing to pick up while visiting
http://www.shopblackberry.com
is a BlackBerry® Charging Pod as it’s a great way to ensure you are always charging the BlackBerry smartphone battery which can extend battery life. I have two of these, one at work and another at home (the Flip Clock makes a great alarm clock face). A new feature built into BlackBerry 7 is support for Smart Accessories such as the Charging Pod. This means that when you put your BlackBerry smartphone in the Charging Pod, it can enable different profiles or settings on what’s displayed while it charges. Check out the user guide for your BlackBerry smartphone to learn more.

Automatically turn your BlackBerry smartphone on and off

Instead of using battery life while you sleep, you can set your BlackBerry smartphone to automatically turn on and off. Data you receive while the BlackBerry smartphone is turned off will be received automatically as soon the BlackBerry smartphone turns on again. You can experiment with the Auto On and Off capabilities by completing the following steps:

1. On the home screen or in a folder, select the “Options” icon
2. Select “Device” followed by Auto On/Off
3. In the “Weekday” section, select the “Enabled” checkbox if desired
   • Specify the times when the BlackBerry smartphone should turn on and off on weekdays
4. In the “Weekend” section, select the “Enabled” checkbox if desired
   • Specify the times when the BlackBerry smartphone should turn on and off on weekends
   • Press the Menu key and select “Save”

Review backlighting options

An easy way to see improved battery life is to customize the backlighting settings on a BlackBerry smartphone. You can optionally change the brightness, the amount of time the backlight stays on, and one of my favorite settings, the ability to automatically dim the backlight. Review and customize these settings using the following steps:

1. On the home screen or in a folder, select the “Options” icon.
2. Select “Display” followed by “Screen Display”
3. Do any of the following:
   • To change the brightness of the backlight for the screen, change the “Backlight Brightness” field
   • To change the length of time that the backlight stays on when you’re not touching your BlackBerry smartphone, change the “Backlight Timeout” field
   • To stop the backlight from adjusting to lighting conditions, clear the “Automatically Dim Backlight” checkbox
4. Press the Menu key and select “Save”

Keep battery connections clean

A simple thing you can do to help maintain the life of your battery is to use a cotton swab or dry cloth to clean the metal contacts on the battery and the BlackBerry smartphone every few months.

Keep an eye out for more battery saving tips in the near future, and if you have a tip you’d like to share, leave a comment and let everyone know!

Being able to find information on your BlackBerry® smartphone is really easy thanks to the Universal Search feature built into BlackBerry® 6 and BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphones. Universal Search is designed to allow you to search for help, contacts, documents, files, photos and other information right from the BlackBerry smartphone home screen.

Today I’d like to provide an overview of how Universal Search works and why you should start using it to help you stay on top of almost everything!

To get started with Universal Search, all you need to do is start typing the search term on the home screen, or tap on the magnifying glass icon that appears on the home screen and enter the search term. As you are typing your search term you’ll notice that results start showing up right away.

In addition to search results found on your BlackBerry smartphone, you will also be given the ability to perform an extended search, which allows you to search across other apps and services (such as the BlackBerry App World™ storefront). To stop a Universal Search, press the call end key, or press the escape key twice to remove the search results and take you back to the home screen.

If you are using a BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone, after tapping on the magnifying glass you’ll notice a microphone icon appear. Tapping on this icon will allow you to perform a voice enabled search instead of having to type your search term. In order to use voice search, you’ll need to make sure you have a connection to the wireless network.

To help you get the most out of Universal Search, there are two things you should know: First, know which data sources and extended providers searches will be performed against. A data source refers to content stored on your BlackBerry smartphone, whereas an extended provider is content you access that isn’t currently stored on your BlackBerry smartphone. For example, if you are looking for a restaurant location, you can enter the name in the search field and the Extend Search option will allow you to quickly search BlackBerry® Maps for the restaurant’s location.

To review and modify these settings, complete the following steps:

1. Select the magnifying glass icon to access Universal Search
2. Enter the search term ‘search’
3. Select ‘Options (1)’ (in case you are wondering, (1) refers to the number of search results within Options)
4. Select Search
5. Toggle the checkboxes for desired data sources and extended providers
6. Press the Menu key and select Save

The second thing you should know is that you have two options to access Universal Search if you are using a BlackBerry smartphone with a physical keyboard, such as the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone.

The first method that I mentioned earlier is to start typing the search term while on the Home Screen or by selecting the magnifying glass on the home screen to perform a search, or voice enabled search if you are using BlackBerry 7 OS.

My preferred method, however, is to enable Home Screen Shortcuts, which allow me to use shortcuts on my home screen if the BlackBerry smartphone has a physical keyboard. If you enable this feature, performing a Universal Search is as easy as pressing the S key followed by typing the search term.

For example, let’s say I am on the home screen of my BlackBerry smartphone and I want to search for things that mention my dog Taz. All I need is do is type S, followed by T, a and z to start a search, which I find to be a total time saver.

For information on how to set this up, check my post on how to use shortcuts from the BlackBerry home screen. I would recommend trying this out for a day because you might fall in love with this feature like I did!

What do you think about Universal Search? Leave a comment and let me know!

A few years ago, my colleague Michelle wrote a post (Fun with AutoText) that provided an overview of the AutoText feature available on the BlackBerry® smartphone. This handy feature allows a BlackBerry smartphone to replace specific text with AutoText entries. For example, if you type something that can be replaced with an AutoText entry, the text changes after you press the Space key (for example, BRB will change to Be Right Back). Today I’d like to show you how to customize AutoText to suit your needs while using BlackBerry® 6, since the menus have changed slightly.

If you are using an older version of BlackBerry® Device Software, such as BlackBerry Device Software v5.0 or earlier, check out Michelle’s Fun with AutoText post for information on how to use AutoText.

When you start using a BlackBerry smartphone, AutoText is already enabled, and has preloaded entries to correct spelling mistakes and offer shortcuts for commonly used terms. Here are a few examples I’ve captured while reviewing my Word Substitution listing on my BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone – the Replace column shows the text I entered, and after pressing the Space key, the With value is entered automatically.

To get the most out of AutoText, here are some instructions on how to review and customize AutoText to suit your preferences!

Reviewing AutoText entries

1. On the home screen, select Options
2. Select Typing and Input
3. Select Word Substitution and you’ll be shown a listing of the available AutoText entries.

Creating a new AutoText entry

1. On the Home screen, select Options.
2. Select Typing and Input.
3. Select Word Substitution.
4. Press the Menu key and select New.

5. In the Replace field, type the text that you’d like to have replaced automatically (i.e. ttyl).
6. In the With field, do one of the following:

• Type the desired replacement text (i.e. Talk to you later!)
• Insert a macro – For example, the current date or time. To do this, press the Menu key and select Insert Macro (i.e. %t which will insert the Short Time, 12:54pm)

7. Specify one of the following options:

• To capitalize the entry exactly as you typed it, change the Using field to Specified Case.
• To capitalize the entry according to the context, change the Using field to Smart Case.

8. In the Language field, select the desired language or use the default option of All Locales.

9. Press the Menu key and select Save.

Changing or deleting an AutoText entry

1. On the Home screen, select Options.
2. Select Typing and Input.
3. Select Word Substitution.
4. Highlight an AutoText entry and press the Menu key.

• To change the AutoText entry, click Edit, change the entry and when finished, press the Menu key and select Save.
• To delete the AutoText entry, click Delete.

Undo an AutoText change

There are times when AutoText will correct a word that you don’t want to change. For example, if you have an AutoText entry to change ‘ttyl’ to ‘Talk to you later!” and you want to keep just ‘ttyl’, all you need do is press the Backspace key twice and you’ll notice the original text you entered is restored.

If you’ve added a custom AutoText entry that you use a lot, let us know what it is by leaving a comment so others can try it out as well! Don’t forget to stop by the BlackBerry Support Community Forums and say hello as we’d love to hear from you.

Taking photos using a BlackBerry® smartphone with v6.0 device software or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is really quick and easy, and allows you to capture great photos in plenty of different environments. Today I’d like to provide an overview of some of the options available when taking photos so you can customize them as you see fit, as well as take advantage of some options you might not have previously used.

For this post, I’ll be focusing on BlackBerry® 6 device software, so if you are using an earlier version of BlackBerry device software, check the user guide for more information on available camera options. If you don’t know which version of BlackBerry device software you are currently using, check out our post on How to Identify your BlackBerry Device Software version.

BlackBerry 6

Beyond the viewfinder, the first thing you’ll notice when you launch the camera application are the options along the bottom of the screen, as per the screenshot above. I’ve numbered each of the buttons in red so you can see what they mean below:

1. Camera Pictures – Selecting this option will allow you to review photos you’ve taken previously. This is a quick way to access photos you just took so you can send your favorite one to a friend.
2. Geotag Options – This setting allows the camera to record geographical information of the location in which you take a photo. Tapping this icon will allow you toggle this feature on and off.
3. Camera Button – This one is pretty obvious, but to snap a photo, just tap on this button when you are ready. You can also press the convenience key on your BlackBerry smartphone to take a picture instead of pressing the camera button.
4. Flash Settings – To change the flash settings, just tap on the flash icon. The options available to you are Flash On, Flash Off, and Automatic Flash, which triggers a flash if required.
5. Camera Scene Mode – You can select from several different scene modes which allow you to optimize the settings for different environments. A complete listing is below for those that are curious:

• Auto – Ideal for capturing a wide range of subjects under most conditions.
• Face Detection – Detects the faces of subjects and puts them in focus in most lighting conditions.
• Portrait – Ideal for capturing people; skin tones are accurately reproduced.
• Sports – Ideal for capturing sports or other quickly moving subjects.
• Landscape – Ideal for capturing bright, outdoor scenes; enhances the detail and sharpness of the scene.
• Party – Ideal for capturing people in dim, indoor environments.
• Close-Up – Ideal for capturing subjects that are close to the camera; enhances the detail and sharpness of close-up subjects
• Snow – Ideal for capturing snow scenes; colors are accurately reproduced in scenes that are primarily white.
• Beach – Ideal for capturing beach scenes; colors are accurately reproduced in the scenes of sea, sand, and sky.
• Night – Ideal for capturing dim, outdoor scenes.
• Text – Ideal for capturing text on white backgrounds; enhances the detail and sharpness of text.

To learn more about taking photos on a BlackBerry 6-enabled BlackBerry smartphone, check out the user guide for your particular BlackBerry smartphone model, which be found at http://docs.blackberry.com. This site also includes other information such as how to change the location of where photos are saved, and how to customize the autofocus and digital zoom settings.

BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera that you can use to capture great pictures. The 3 megapixel front-facing camera is perfect for quickly taking a self-portrait or creating a profile picture. With that being said, when you tap the Camera icon on a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you’ll be presented with the following screen. To help explain the options, I’ve numbered them in the screenshot in red so you can see what they mean below:

1. Current Scene Mode – If you swipe down from the top bezel while using the camera, you’ll be able to set the scene mode to one of the following options: Auto, Sports & Whiteboard (which is great for capturing images text on white backgrounds). In the screenshot, A denotes Auto has been selected.
2. Zoom Slider – Slide this toggle up and down to zoom in and out while you prepare to take a photo.
3. Geotag – This setting allows the camera to record geographical information of the location in which you take a photo. Tapping this icon will allow you toggle this feature on and off.
4. Camera/Video Camera Mode – Tapping this button will allow to switch between the camera and video camera in case you want to shoot a video instead.
5. Camera Button – Tapping this button will snap a photo.
6. Switch Cameras – Since the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet includes two cameras, tapping this button allows you to switch between the front and rear facing camera.

Don’t forget to swipe down from the top bezel while using the Camera application, as you’ll be presented several other options such as the ability to enable Image Stabilization and the ratio of the photos you take. For a video walkthrough, check out the BlackBerry PlayBook How To Demos for Taking Pictures. You can also review the user guide for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by visiting
http://docs.blackberry.com
.

How do you use the camera on your BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know!

One of the things you should know if you own a BlackBerry® smartphone – or plan on purchasing a BlackBerry smartphone – is which version of BlackBerry® Device Software it is using. This is important information, as certain applications and services require you to be using a minimum version of the software.

Today I’ll show you how you can quickly identify which version of BlackBerry Device Software you are currently using, and where you can go to see if updated BlackBerry Device Software is available for your particular BlackBerry smartphone.

In order to determine which version of BlackBerry Device Software you are using, complete the steps below. The first set of instructions are intended for BlackBerry smartphones using BlackBerry® 6 and BlackBerry® 7 OS. If this doesn’t apply to you, complete the second set of instructions.

BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 OS

1. Select Options on the home screen (this may appear within a Settings folder depending on your current theme).
2. Select Device.
3. Select About Device Versions.
4. The BlackBerry Device Software version will be the first set of numbers on the third line, as per the screenshot below.

BlackBerry Device Software Version 4.0 to 5.0

1. Select Options on the home screen (this may appear within a Settings folder depending on your current theme).
2. Select About.
3. The BlackBerry Device Software version will be the first set of numbers on the third line as per the screenshot below.

At this point, you will be able to identify which version of BlackBerry Device Software you are currently using, so now you might be wondering how you can update it in case you need to meet the minimum requirements for an app (like Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones version 2.0, which requires BlackBerry Device Software version 5.0 or later).

You can easily find out if a new version of BlackBerry Device Software or an incremental update is available for you by visiting the Update Your BlackBerry Software webpage. On this website, you’ll be able to review the various methods used to see if updates for your particular BlackBerry smartphone are available.

Don’t forget to stop by the BlackBerry Support Community Forums and say hello to our @BlackBerryHelp Twitter® account, as these are two great resources for getting additional assistance in case you have a question about the update process.

Do you have a question about your BlackBerry Device Software? Leave a comment below and let me know.

One of the easiest ways to personalize your BlackBerry® smartphone is to change the default Sounds and Alerts Profiles. I’d like to provide an overview of how these profiles work and what options you can modify to suit your needs! This means custom sounds and alerts for anything ranging from phone calls, messages, reminders and browser content in addition to other applications.

This overview will be applicable for any BlackBerry smartphone that is using BlackBerry® 6. If you are using a different version of BlackBerry® Device Software, check out the user guide for information on how to configure the Sounds and Alerts Profiles on the operating system for your BlackBerry smartphone. In case you don’t know which version of BlackBerry Device Software you are using, check out this knowledge base article.

Additionally, to find out if BlackBerry 6 is available for your particular BlackBerry smartphone model, check out this post which provides information on how to perform a web-based BlackBerry software update. Provided your wireless provider supports it, you may be able to upgrade to BlackBerry 6.

Provided you are using BlackBerry 6, let’s get started!

Modifying and changing Sounds and Alerts Profiles while using BlackBerry 6 is very easy. All you need to do is tap the Speaker icon that appears in the top left corner of the home screen, or select the Sounds and Alerts Profiles icon on your home screen.

When it comes to Sounds and Alerts Profiles, BlackBerry Device Software includes a total of seven profiles by default: – Normal, Loud, Medium, Vibrate Only, Silent, Phone Calls Only and All Alerts Off. Within these profiles, you’ll be able to specify any audio file that is stored in memory on your BlackBerry smartphone or on your media card.

By default, some of these profiles are based on settings in the Normal sound profile. This means that if you change the ringtone within the Normal profile, the ringtone you have selected will also be specified in the Loud, Medium & Phone Call Only Sounds and Alerts Profiles. If you do not want to use the ringtone set in the Normal profile, you can manually set the ringtone that’s used in the Loud, Medium or Phone Call Only Sounds and Alerts Profiles.

You also have the ability to create contact alerts that will alert you when particular contacts call or send you a message. Contact alerts are always turned on and do not turn off unless you select the All Alerts Off profile. This means that if you select the Silent or Vibrate Only profile, the contact alert will still occur.

So now that we know how the Sounds and Alerts Profiles work, let’s set them up!

How to change your Ring Tone

1. On your Home screen, select the Sounds and Alerts Profiles icon.
2. Select Change Sounds and Alerts > Sounds for Selected Profile.
• To change your ring tone, click Phone.
• To change notifiers or reminders, click to expand a section and select an option.
3. In the Ring Tone, Notifier Tone, or Reminder Tone field, do one of the following:
• Click a tone.
• To use a song that is on your BlackBerry smartphone or on a media card, click All Music. Find and click a song.
• To use a voice note that you recorded, click All Voice Notes. Find and select a voice note.
• To use a preloaded alert, click All Alerts. Find and select an alert.
4. Press the Menu key and select Save.

How to add a Custom Sounds and Alerts Profile

1. On the Home screen, select the Sounds and Alerts Profiles icon.
2. Select Change Sounds and Alerts > Profile Management > Add Custom Profile.
3. In the Name field, type a name for the new profile.
4. Select the item that you want to change.
5. Change the ring tone, notifier, or reminder information.
6. Press the Menu key and select Save.

To delete a custom profile, highlight it, press the Menu key and select Delete.

How to add a new Contact Alert

1. On the Home screen, select the Sounds and Alerts Profiles icon.
2. Select Change Sounds and Alerts > Sounds for Contacts > Add Contact Alert.
3. In the Name field, type the name of the contact alert.
4. In the Contacts field, type the name of the contact.
5. Select a Contact.
6. Change the ring tone and alert information for calls and messages.
7. Press the Menu and select Save.

To delete a contact alert, highlight it, press the Menu key and select Delete.

As you can see, customizing your Sounds and Alerts Profiles is simple, and it allows you to personalize your BlackBerry smartphone.

What do you like about Sounds and Alerts Profiles? Leave a comment and let me know!