Here are several typing tips you’ll want to know about whether you are using a BlackBerry Q10 or a BlackBerry Z10!
For example, do you know how to enter accented characters or symbols such as a trademark symbol?
1. Inserting Accented Characters & Symbols
Adding special characters is really easy, all you need to do is hold the key that corresponds with the accent or symbol you’d like to insert. After holding the key for a second you’ll be shown a list of available characters. For example, in the screenshots below I am holding the R key on a BlackBerry Z10. It works the same on a BlackBerry Q10.
Tip: To use accented characters in a text message complete the following steps:
Access BlackBerry Hub
Tap the action key in the bottom right corner
Tap Settings followed by Text Messages
Tap the Advanced icon and set Allow Special Characters to On
2. Turn on CAP Lock
For those that aren’t familiar with this shortcut, the next time you need to type something in uppercase consider enabling CAP Lock.
Physical Keyboard (BlackBerry Q10) – To turn on CAP Lock, press ALT and the Up arrow (shift key). When finished, tap the Up arrow (shift key) again to turn off CAP Lock.
Touch Screen only (BlackBerry Z10) – To turn on CAP Lock, tap and hold the Up arrow (shift key). After a second or two, you’ll notice a small line appears below the Up Arrow which indicates CAP Lock is turned on . To turn it off, tap the Up arrow again.
3. Enable and use predictions
Your BlackBerry device is designed to learn what you tend to say and where in a sentence you tend to say it, and it uses this information to try to predict what word you might type next. When you pause your typing, suggested words are displayed above the BlackBerry Keyboard. As you can probably tell already, this is a fantastic way to speed up your typing efficacy so I highly recommend trying it out by following the steps below.
Swipe down from the top of the home screen
Tap Settings followed by Language and Input
Tap Prediction and Correction
Set Show Predictions switch to On
4. Create Text Shortcuts
A quick way to speed up typing efficiency is to use text shortcuts. When you type a text shortcut, your BlackBerry device will replace the shortcut with a full word or phrase that you’ve defined. For example, one of the first text shortcuts I made converts ‘omw’ to ‘On my way! Seeya soon :D’. To turn on text shortcuts, review your text shortcuts as well as create new ones, follow the steps below.
Swipe down from the top of the home screen
Tap Settings followed by Language and Input
Tap Prediction and Correction followed by Word Substitution
Set the Word Substitution switch to On
5. Add unique terms to your personal dictionary
If you find specific words that you are entering are getting marked by the spell check feature as being incorrect (you’ll notice a red line below the word), all you need to do is add these unique words to your personal dictionary and they won’t be marked as a spelling mistake going forward. With that being said, the next time this occurs and a word you are using that is correct, is marked as a spelling mistake, to add the term to your personal dictionary tap the word followed by tapping Add to dictionary.
To manage the personal dictionary, use the steps below to view, add, edit & delete terms if needed.
Swipe down from the top of the home screen
Tap Settings followed by Language and Input
Tap Spell Check followed by Edit Personal Dictionary
To add a new word, tap the plus sign
To edit a word , tap the word
To delete a word, tap the trashcan
Bonus –Swipe to delete!
For those using a BlackBerry 10 device that doesn’t include a physical keyboard, you have the ability to delete words by swiping your finger across the keyboard from right to left. Make sure you try out this shortcut and if you are using a right-to-left language, swipe from left to right to delete words instead.
To learn about a feature on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone or troubleshoot an issue, there are several great options available to help. Visit www.blackberry.com/support for access to product manuals, how-to demos, tips and tricks, YouTube videos, support forums, knowledge base articles, Twitter support, and contact information for your region.
