Before we begin, if you are looking to get started with email on a BlackBerry smartphone, then I suggest you start with our post Five Tip Friday – Setting up a new BlackBerry smartphone. If you are looking for some help, you can check out troubleshooting email on a BlackBerry smartphone.

1. Use Auto Text/Word Substitutions for signatures

This is a great tip from a friend of mine — they teach at a few different yoga schools and often sends updates and news from their BlackBerry smartphone to the school’s clients. Instead of typing out an email signature with the school’s contact information each time they compose a new message, they have created a Word Substitution entry for each school. Now all they have to do at the end of an email is type “school1”, “school2” or “school3” to get the custom signature for the school they are representing in the email.

To find out how to create a Word Substitution entry, check out our blog post BlackBerry 101 – word substitution and the custom dictionary.

2. Turn off Download Images Automatically

To help save data usage when using your mobile network connection, consider turning off the automatic download of images for a particular email account. In the event you decide to do this, you can always view images in the message by pressing the Menu key and selecting “Get Images”.

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder, select “Messages”
2. Do one of the following:

• If using BlackBerry® 6 OS or above – Press the Menu key and select “Options”, and then “Email Preferences”
• If using BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 or below – Press the Menu key and select “Options”, and then “Email Settings”

3. Select the desired email address located in the drop down next to Message Services
4. To disable downloading of images automatically, clear the check box next to Download Images Automatically
5. Press the Menu key and select “Save”.

3. Set a default email address

For those of you with multiple email addresses but consider one to be your primary account, you can set that primary account as the default messaging service. This is the default account used when you compose a message from the Messages app on your BlackBerry smartphone.

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder, select “Options”
2. Do one of the following:

• If using BlackBerry 6 OS or above – Select “Device”, “Advanced System Settings” and then “Default Services”
• If using BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 or below – Select “Advanced Options” and then “Default Services”

3. Select the desired email address located in the drop down next to Messaging (CMIME)
4. Press the Menu key and select “Save”.

4. Set email reconciliation options

Email reconciliation controls what occurs to messages when you delete them. For example, I have “Prompt” for my work and personal addresses because I might want a message deleted off my device but left in my mailbox. I use “Mailbox & Handheld” for my secondary email address because it receives a lot of advertising messages that I have no need to keep. When using a BlackBerry smartphone, choose from three deletion options:

• Handheld – Messages are only removed from the BlackBerry smartphone
• Mailbox & Handheld – Messages are removed from the BlackBerry and your inbox
• Prompt – Each time you delete a message, you are asked whether you want to delete the message on the handheld, or both the mailbox and your handheld

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder select “Messages”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Options” and then “Email Reconciliation”
3. Choose an email address from the drop down next to Message Services
4. Next to Delete On select one of the three options from the drop down menu
5. Press the Menu key and select “Save”

For more information email reconciliation and supported email providers, check out Ty’s post BlackBerry Internet Service – Reconciliation vs. Synchronization.

5. Swiping between Messages

Here is a great way to quickly move between messages if you have a BlackBerry 6 or later device with a touch screen. Once enabled, you can swipe left or right to move between messages.

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder, select “Messages”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Options”, and then “Message Display and Actions”
3. Under the Actions section, check the box next to “Swipe Between Messages”
4. Press the Menu key and select “Save”.

Bonus: Group Messages by Subject

If you have a BlackBerry smartphone with a touch screen that uses BlackBerry 6 or later, this is a great feature that groups emails that are part of the same thread, making it easy to follow an email chain from beginning to end. You can easily tell which messages have multiple threads because of the double envelope icon in the message list (circled in red below).

Have a tip for more efficient email on a BlackBerry smartphone? Leave a comment below and let us know!

In order to get the best experience from your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, a very important gesture that you should know is how to show the menu. This way you can access options for a function, such as the ability to change the scene mode in the Camera, or use the Pictures to set a photo as your tablet’s wallpaper.

Provided the app or game you are currently using supports this gesture, swiping down from the top bezel will often produce a menu that allows you to customize or learn more about the particular app or game you are using.

As mentioned earlier, some apps and games don’t have a menu, so nothing may occur when you do this gesture. With that being said, here are a few examples of the menus you can expect to see when using common functions such as Messages, Photos and more!

** The photos below have been cropped to show only the menu that appears **

Messages

Photos

Camera

Video Camera

BlackBerry App World™

Print To Go

Calculator

YouTube®

Looking for more information on gestures about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Check out our post BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 – How-To Demos and Where to Get Help.

Got a question about your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know!

When the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet was initially launched, one of the first things I did was explore the various settings offered so I could customize my tablet to my desired preferences. These settings included ‘About,’ ‘Airplane Mode,’ ‘Wi-Fi®,’ ‘Software Updates,’ ‘Bluetooth®,’ ‘BlackBerry® ID,’ ‘Accounts,’ ‘BlackBerry® Bridge™,’ BlackBerry® Balance™,’ ‘Internet Tethering,’ ‘Screen,’ ‘HDMI,’ ‘Sounds & Notifications,’ ‘General,’ ‘Storage & Sharing,’ ‘Security,’ ‘Language,’ ‘Keyboard,’ and ‘Date & Time.’

With the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, a few new settings have been introduced, so today, I’d like to share with you an overview of the settings available to you, some useful tips and of course, where you can learn more.

How to access BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Settings

To access your settings, tap on the “Settings” (Gear) icon that appears on the status bar in the top right hand corner of your BlackBerry tablet.

You also have the ability to use two different gestures to access your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet settings. The first is to swipe down from the top bezel when viewing the Home screen. The second gesture allows you to peek at your status bar while using another app, so you can optionally tap on the “Settings” icon.

The peek gesture in particular is really useful since it’s a quick way to access status bar settings for your screen orientation lock, BlackBerry Bridge technology, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi settings and more. To learn more about the gestures available on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, check out my post on how to use the BlackBerry PlayBook Gestures.

About
In the event you need to find out some info about your tablet – such as which version of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS you are currently using, or what your tablet’s PIN is – you’ll want to review the “About” section within settings.

Airplane Mode
The next time you are on an airplane or in a place that requires you turn off your wireless connections, you can use “Airplane Mode”. When enabled, you’ll notice the Wi-Fi icon on the status bar changes to an airplane icon. When you want to reestablish your wireless connections, turn Airplane Mode off. Just tap on the airplane icon then switch to “Off”.

Wi-Fi
To review and manage Wi-Fi settings and as well as perform basic troubleshooting, you’ll want to review the Wi-Fi settings menu. In addition to the Wi-Fi networks your tablet can currently detect, you also have the ability to troubleshoot if required. To access the troubleshooting options, tap on the icon that appears in the bottom left corner as shown in the screenshot (in the red box).

Software Updates
If you aren’t notified automatically, you can use the ”Check for Updates” option within this menu to check for updates of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS. If you are currently downloading an update, you can view your download and installation progress while viewing this menu in addition to the progress bar that is displayed from the Home screen status bar.

Bluetooth
BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 supports several different Bluetooth profiles, which means you can pair things such as your BlackBerry smartphone, wireless keyboard, or a stereo Bluetooth headset. To setup and pair Bluetooth accessories and review paired devices, visit this “Settings” menu.

An important setting you should customize is the Bluetooth nameof your BlackBerry tablet- this will make identifying your tablet during the pairing process much easier. Another thing to keep in mind is that in order to allow other Bluetooth-enabled devices to search for your BlackBerry tablet, you need to make it discoverable by setting the “Discoverable” switch to “On”. To help protect your BlackBerry tablet against unauthorized access, I’d recommend using the “2 minutes only” option.

BlackBerry ID
In order to set up a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you must create a BlackBerry ID during the initial setup process if you don’t already have one. After entering your BlackBerry ID login details during the tablet setup process, you can review your BlackBerry ID settings using this menu. You also have the ability to change your password and password recovery question if needed.

Tip: Need help resetting your BlackBerry ID password? Visit our BlackBerry Help YouTube® channel and check out our video on how to reset your BlackBerry ID.

Accounts
With the introduction of the Messages, Calendar and Contacts apps in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, you can now add one or more accounts to your tablet. Visit this menu to create a new account, or review and modify settings for accounts you’ve previously set up.

One setting in particular that you’ll want to review is the “Default Accounts” option, which allows you to specify which accounts are used for new messages and calendar invitations. To learn more, check out our post Getting Started with Messages, Contacts and Calendar in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

BlackBerry Bridge
In case you aren’t familiar with BlackBerry Bridge, it is designed to allow you to connect over Bluetooth to your BlackBerry smartphone, thereby granting you access to your smartphone’s email, calendars, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) and more.

If you haven’t set up BlackBerry Bridge technology yet, tap “Setup”on your BlackBerry tablet, which will direct you to download the BlackBerry Bridge app from the BlackBerry App World™ storefront onto your BlackBerry smartphone and pair with your tablet. You can also check my post on how to set up BlackBerry Bridge for an overview of the setup process.

BlackBerry Balance
For those using a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in an enterprise environment, this option will appear if your BlackBerry administrator has set up BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion and allowed you to set up your work account. To learn more about BlackBerry Balance technology, review the User Guide for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Internet Tethering
One of the Bluetooth profiles supported by the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is the ability to use Dial-Up Networking (DUN). This allows you to leverage the Internet connection of a mobile phone or other Internet-enabled device.

To help set up a connection using Internet Tethering, review the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet User Guide. I’d also recommend checking this post which includes a video overview: How to set up BlackBerry PlayBook Internet Tethering.

Screen
Some settings that you should definitely personalize are the screen settings, which help determine what occurs when your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is running on battery or plugged in. Two settings I recommend customizing would be the Backlight Time-out and the Standby Time-out, as they can help save battery life whenever the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is idle.

Tip: You can enter Standby mode by tapping on the “Battery” icon that appears on the status bar.

Tip: The Lock option is the screenshot appears since I have a password set on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

HDMI
When you connect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to an HDMI display, you can view videos, games, apps, pictures and more on a bigger screen. If you plan on using HDMI, you’ll need a micro HDMI cable, which you can get from any number of retailers or at ShopBlackBerry.com. Review the following settings as you may need to customize them depending on the type of display you are connecting to:

Default to Mirror Mode – Mirror Mode shows the same display on the BlackBerry tablet and the HDMI display. If you do not turn this mode on, you will see a separate display on the BlackBerry tablet and HDMI display. This feature can be helpful if you don’t want to share your entire BlackBerry tablet Home screen on the HDMI display, as only the application that you want to view appears on the monitor or TV.

Aspect Ratio – Set the aspect ratio to the correct ratio for your HDMI display. Usually, the correct ratio for a high definition television is 16:9 and a monitor is 4:3.

Display Mode – Set the display mode to the same setting as the display mode option on your HDMI display. You may need to consult the documentation that came with the HDMI display to determine which display modes are supported.

HDMI Audio – By default, when your BlackBerry tablet is connected to an HDMI display, the audio is routed through the HDMI cable. If you prefer to have the sound remain on the BlackBerry tablet, set “HDMI Audio” to “Off”.

Sounds & Notifications
Personalize your BlackBerry tablet by specifying your desired sounds and notifications settings. Regarding the visual notifications, the “Glow” setting refers to the red pulsing animation that appears in the top left corner of the screen. The LED refers to the front-facing LED that is to the left of the front-facing camera.

Tip: You can optionally show or hide the new email indicator and message count if you are using the Messages app. To do this, open “Messages”, swipe down from the top bezel, and select “Settings” followed by customizing the “Alerts” section.

General
Customize how the applications on your BlackBerry tablet behave when it comes to multitasking by specifying your desired “Application Behavior”.

• Showcase – All open applications are active and not paused in the background.
• Default – An application stays active in the background until another application goes full screen.
• Paused – All applications are paused in the background and activated when tapped.

You’ll also notice an option for “Demo Mode” within the “General” settings. This mode puts the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in a demo mode for retail purposes and should only be used by retailers.

Storage & Sharing
You have several options that allow you to customize storage and sharing options. Four settings in particular you should review are listed below:

Network Identification – Important details about how your BlackBerry tablet identifies itself on your network can be found within this menu. You’ll need to enter the username that is displayed here in particular whenever using Wi-Fi Sharing to copy files to and from the BlackBerry tablet.

File Sharing – Specify whether or not your computer can access the files on your BlackBerry tablet and media over a USB connection.

Wi-Fi Sharing – In addition to using a USB connection to copy files to and from your BlackBerry tablet, you can also use Wi-Fi Sharing which allows you to copy files wirelessly. To learn how to use Wi-Fi sharing, check out my blog post on how to copy files to and from a BlackBerry PlayBook using Wi-Fi Sharing. Make sure you identify what the username is within Network Identification, as this will be used as the login name if you are using Wi-Fi Sharing.

Password Protect – If you plan on using USB or Wi-Fi Sharing, I strongly recommend using this feature as it prevents others from accessing the files on your BlackBerry tablet.

Security
The Security menu is pretty important since it contains a lot of useful features designed to help protect your data. I strongly recommend using the “Password” option to specify a password, as it’s an extremely easy way to prevent someone else from accessing the information stored on your Blackberry tablet.

To learn more about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Security settings, review the User Guide.

Language
You would have selected your desired language during the setup process, but you can optionally specify a new language as well as Country/Region by accessing this menu.

Keyboard
BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 adds several enhancements to the virtual keyboard to help you easily type. Make sure you review the settings in this menu as you can customize options such as spell checking and predictive input.

Date & Time
Need to specify a different time zone or use 24-hour time on your Blackberry tablet? If so, visit this menu to specify these options, including the ability to have the date and time set automatically if you disabled this while setting up your BlackBerry tablet.

…And there you have it, a complete listing of the settings in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. If you have any questions or feedback, make sure you leave a comment and let me know!

One of the first things I do whenever I get a new BlackBerry® smartphone is explore the available options, so I can review the settings available to me and customize them to my liking. As soon as I got my BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, I did the same thing. (Check out my post about ways to personalize your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!)

If you’ve explored the Options menu, you’ve most likely come across the “Demo Mode” feature that’s listed in the “General” section. Today I’d like to provide a brief overview of what this feature is, so you can decide whether or not you’d like to enable it on your tablet.

For more information on the other options available, check out this post for an overview of all the various options available on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Simply put, the “Demo Mode” allows your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to start playing back the “PlayBook HiDef Demo” video that’s included on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet whenever you are charging your tablet and it’s idle.

This means that if you use the BlackBerry PlayBook Rapid Charging Pod, for example, shortly after placing your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on the pod, the “Demo Mode” feature will cause the PlayBook HiDef Demo video to play back automatically. When you are ready to use your tablet again, all you need to do is tap anywhere on the screen to return to the home screen.

To enable or disable the “Demo Mode” feature, display the “Options” menu by tapping the “Gear” icon that appears in the top right corner of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen. Within this menu, select “General”, and you’ll be presented with the option of turning the “Demo Mode” on or off.

Currently the “Demo Mode” feature only supports playback of the “PlayBook HiDef Demo” file that comes with your BlackBerry tablet. You can copy other videos to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but they will not be played back if “Demo Mode” is enabled.

You can delete the “PlayBook HiDef Demo” video file using the Videos application on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet; however, it is important to note that once the video is deleted, the “Demo Mode” feature will no longer work.

Do you have a question about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Let me know!

Every time I get a new BlackBerry® smartphone, the first thing I do is dive into the Options screen so I can learn more about the features offered in addition to specifying my preferred settings. Since I just got a BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, this is obviously the first thing I did – so today, I’d like to share an overview of the Options screen in case you are curious about what settings are available. I’ve also included links under each section so you can find more info on how to get the most of out of these various features where applicable.

You might be wondering: how do I access the Options menu? To do that, all you need to do is tap the Gear icon that appears in the top right corner of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s home screen. If you aren’t currently on your home screen, you can swipe in from the top-left frame onto the screen, which will show you the status bar which contains the Gear icon.

After tapping the Gear icon, you’ll be presented with a menu similar to the screenshot below that lists the various options you can modify along the left-hand side. You can also access the options while using an application by swiping in from the top-left frame onto the screen.

About

Simply put, this screen will allow you to review information about your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, such as who the owner is, which OS version you are using, and a media count that lets you know how many songs or videos you have, for example. If you tap the General button in this dialog, you’ll be able to review more information, such as Hardware along with more in-depth OS, Network and Legal information.

Wi-Fi®

Using this screen, you’ll be able to setup a new Wi-Fi connection and review your current Wi-Fi connection setting details as well as being able to perform some basic network troubleshooting. In the screenshot above, if you tap on the Wi-Fi Radio icon with the question mark in front of it that appears along the bottom of the screen, you’ll be able to view additional information about your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in addition to having access to several network troubleshooting tools.

• Device Information – In addition to the About screen that appears in Options, you can also identify basic information about your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet such as your PIN number.
• Wi-Fi Information – If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, details about this network can be found here.
• Internet Connection – Within this screen you’ll be able to review network information, such as your IP address and DNS information.
• Logs – Self-explanatory.
• Ping – A PING tool that will allow you to verify network connectivity.
• Traceroute – Similar to PING, this is a simple tool that allows you to trace the path of your current network connection.
• DNS Lookup – This tool will allow you to verify DNS functionality on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Software Updates

This is a simple screen that allows you to quickly check for a new software update. If one is found, you’ll be presented with the ability to download it now, or check again later for a newer update. If you decide to download a system update, all you need to do is open this screen and select Install Now.

Bluetooth®

To customize your Bluetooth settings, such as the name of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and whether or not it’s discoverable, this is the menu you’ll want to access. Using this menu, you can also add and remove Bluetooth devices by tapping the small pencil icon that appears on the screen. To learn more about the Bluetooth capabilities offered by the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – including what kind of Bluetooth devices you can use – check out the BlackBerry® Bridge™ user guide. If you want to learn more about using Bluetooth in general with your BlackBerry smartphone, check out this post about BlackBerry Bluetooth pairing.

BlackBerry Bridge

If you own a BlackBerry smartphone and have purchased a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, this is where you’ll want to go to start the BlackBerry Bridge setup process. BlackBerry Bridge technology allows you to access your email, calendars, and more on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. To learn more about setting up BlackBerry Bridge, please review the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet user guide.

Internet Tethering

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet includes support for several different Bluetooth profiles such as Dial-up Networking (DUN) which allows you to access the internet connection of a tethered mobile phone, or other internet enabled device.

To use this feature, all you need to do is pair a Bluetooth device that supports DUN with your Playbook tablet. After pairing, setting up internet tethering is as easy as selecting your wireless service provider profile from a list and clicking Connect if your wireless service plan supports internet tethering. Using this feature might result in additional charges so contact your wireless service provider for more information in case you aren’t sure.

For more information on this feature, check out the Help application on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, or review the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet user guide.

Screen

Using the Screen Options menu, you’ll be able to customize what happens to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet screen when it is running on battery power, or plugged in as per the screenshot below.

HDMI

One of my favorite BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features is the ability to hook it up to my HDMI-equipped TV at home and watch videos I’ve captured with my family and friends. Using this menu, you’ll be able to customize a lot of settings, so you’ll be able to get the most out of the HDMI connection you are currently using. Some of the settings you can customize include the ability to customize the Aspect Ratio in addition to enabling Mirror Mode. For more information on this feature, review the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet user guide.

Sounds

Straightforward and to the point, this screen will allow you to change your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet master volume in addition to your Keypress Input and Notifications volume.

General

Being able to play a game and stream music from an online radio station at the same time is pretty easy thanks to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s multitasking capabilities. The General menu will allow you to toggle the ability to multitask applications on and off, which can help you save battery life in addition to preventing games from playing in the background if you switch applications for a moment. This setting is referred to as the Application Behavior, and you can select from the following options.

• Showcase – All open applications are active and never pause in the background.
• Default – An application stays active in the background until another application goes full screen.
• Paused – All applications are paused in the background and activated when tapped.
  You also have the option of enabling Demo Mode, which allows your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to play demo movies automatically when it’s idle and the charger is plugged in.

Storage and Sharing

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet offers several options for accessing the built-in storage using BlackBerry® Desktop Software, including the ability to use Wi-Fi sharing, which is a really cool feature I absolutely love. This feature allows me to copy files to and from my tablet using the Wi-Fi connection.

In order to get the most out of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, I would recommend installing BlackBerry Desktop Software, which allows to you quickly synchronize music, photos and videos, in addition to being able to back up your tablet’s information. Don’t forget to review the settings listed in the Network Identification screen, as this information will be used to log in and access your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using Wi-Fi sharing. For information on installing BlackBerry Desktop Software, see the BlackBerry Desktop Software site.

Security

The security options menu allows you to view information such as Application Permissions, Certificates and any VPN settings. You can also initiate a Device Wipe, which will remove all of your personal information from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in the event you are giving it to someone else.

Another important setting here is the ability to set a password on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – something I highly recommend, as a password can save you a lot of grief in the event that you misplace your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. You’ll also notice an option to enable Development Mode, which is a setting you should avoid unless you are developing software for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

For more information on using some of these features including VPN capabilities, check out the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet user guide.

Keyboard

This screen will allow you to quickly customize your keyboard settings, such as whether or not the Keypress Popup is enabled, or specifying which keyboard type you are using. For example, you can use QWERTY, QWERTZ or AZERTY.

Date & Time

From this menu, you’ll be able to change your time zone in addition to using a 24-hour clock. You’ll also have the ability to toggle your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to set the Date & Time automatically using your network connection.

As you can see, getting the most out of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is easy thanks to the Options menu, which allows you to quickly review your current settings in addition to customizing them to your preference.

What was the first setting you customized when you got your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know!