| For such a tiny little device, that BlackBerry smartphone of yours has an amazing amount of functionality packed in behind the scenes. But, unfortunately, realizing the true potential of a Research In Motion (RIM) device isn't always as simple as opening up a user guide or surfing on over to Google. In fact, your BlackBerry's literally packing hundreds of "hidden" tips and tricks. That's where we come in. We bring you a comprehensive set oftips and tricks - for the novice, the seasoned expert and everyone in between. We' take through a comprehensive list of shortcuts, performance tips, our favorite BlackBerry software downloads, battery-life advice, memory optimization methods, getting more out of the built-in camera, better browsing techniques, innovative uses for your BlackBerry's Bluetooth, and much more. After learning these techniques, you'll wonder how you ever gotby without them. Each tip takes only a second or two to learn and put to use, and they'll save precious time, provide valuable information about your device and make your smartphone run faster and more smoothly.So sit back, whip out that BlackBerryand pay attention. Shortcuts Galore On the list of reasons why we admire Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry operating system (OS), the sheer number ofbuilt-in, valuable keyboard shortcuts ranks near the top. So whether you're new to the whole BlackBerry scene or you've been sporting a 'Berry on your belt since the beginnings of push e-mail, we're sure you'll find the following list of BlackBerry shortcuts well worth a read. When you're finished with our list, all you'll need is a shortcut to help you remember all these shortcuts. Unfortunately, you're on your own with that one...for now, at least. Typing Shortcuts *. To capitalize a letter with one click, hold down the letter key. *. To insert a period, click the Space key twice. *. Turn CAP Lock on by pressing the ALT key followed by theright Shift key. Turn it off by pressing either Shift key. *. Turn Number Lock on by pressing the ALT key followed by the left Shift key. Turn it off by pressing either Shift key. *. Type an accented letter or special character by holding the corresponding letter and scrolling left or right with the trackball. *. Insert the current date into a message or document by pressing the L key followed by the D keyand Space key. *. Insert the current time into a message or document by pressing the L key followed by the T key and Space key. *. Switch text input languages on your BlackBerry at any point by hit the ALT button and Enter key at the same time, use your trackball to scroll to the new language you'd like to use, then click the trackball to confirm the new selection. Messaging (E-mail and SMS) *. In e-mail inbox, press the S key to search for a sender or a word within a subject line, and any mail folder regardless of message was sent or received. *. Within inbox, access the complete list of messages sent by hitting the ALT key followed by the O key. *. Within inbox, access the complete list of messages received by hitting the ALT key followed by the I key. *. Within inbox, access the complete list of SMS text messages received by hitting the ALT key followed by the S key. *. Within inbox, access phone log by hitting the ALT key followed by the P key. *. Within inbox, access voicemail log by hitting the ALT key followed by the V key. *. To delete all messages sent or received before a specific date, highlight that date with the cursor, hit the BlackBerry Menukey, select Delete Prior and confirm selection. *. To enable automatic spell checking of e-mail messages, click the Options icon on BlackBerry home screen. Then click Spell Check and select the Spell Check E-Mail Before Sending option. *. To do a manual spell check, click the BlackBerry Menu key within a composed message and select Check Spelling. *. When a message is being spell checked, suggested fixes to unrecognized words can be ignored by clicking the escape key. *. Heavy BlackBerry users know the pain of trying to catch up on an e-mail thread with multiple responses. For easier navigation of a conversation threads, open the first message and then hit the J key to jump to the next response, and so on. You can also return to an earlier message in the thread byhitting the K key. (Note: If the subject line of the thread hasbeen modified, you may not be able to find all responses using this shortcut.) *. You can simply close a message, and when you're free again, just hit the G key after reopening it, and you'll be brought to the exact spot where you stopped reading. Phone Functions *. Multitask while on phone calls by hitting the BlackBerry menu key during a call and then selecting Home Screen. You'll then have access to e-mail and other documents--though most BlackBerrys don't allow for simultaneous voice and data transfer, so Internet access is unavailable while on calls. *. Find specific contacts from your BlackBerry home screen by pressing keys for first and last initials, with a space between them. If more than one contact has the same initials, scroll to the appropriate contact. *. Rapidly switch back and forth between BlackBerry applications by holding down the ALT key and then click ESCAPE. While holding down ALT, you can then scroll left or right between apps, and you need only release the ALTkey to select a program. *. To reboot without removing the battery, simply hit ALT, RIGHT SHIFT and DELETE.
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