Power users of any software system use a little trick known as "keyboard shortcuts" to get things done. A mouse, or in the case of the Blackberry Pearl, the scroll ball, is designed to be easy, not fast.
Your Blackberry Pearl has it's own set of keyboard shortcuts which can save you a lot of time. If you're still using your scroll ball and pressing that little "Blackberry button" to the left of it to open up menus, you're going to love what I'm about to teach you. For the most part, I'm going to stay focused on managing your messages by using keyboard shortcuts.
The Shortcuts
The other day I heard a business give it's phone number and instead of giving me all of the numbers, they spelled out a word that they thought was easy to remember. Well, it was easy to remember, but I couldn't use it on my Blackberry Pearl because the letters don't match up with the words the same way they do on a traditional phone. So, while I could remember the number, I couldn't actually dial it.
So 1-888-HIT-RADIO just doesn't work. I've had to look at another phone to see what the numbers are supposed to be on my Blackberry. Not any more! If you start to dial the number from your home screen (1-888) and then press and hold the ALT key (that's the one in the lower left corner with the up and down arrows on it) and use the multi-tap feature you can spell out the phone number.
"Multi-tap" mean, if you want to use the 2nd letter on a key, you press it twice. For example, take out your Pearl and look at it. If you want to type a Y, you'd press the "2" key two times. The first press brings up the T and the second tap brings up the Y. If you ever have to type in a password using your Pearl, it works the same way.
Most of the mobile phone providers offer up shortcuts for accessing your usage balance or even to make a payment. For Verizon, you can check your balance by pressing #BAL and then send. Now you can just press # and then hold ALT while you press "8", "?" and then ",". That will spell #BAL. Then press send you'll soon have your balance of minutes.
Message Shortcuts
There have been several occasions where I read an email and didn't reply to it right away. It happens all the time. Later, I'll look through my list of message and reply. The keyboard shortcut is to reply is to highlight the message you want (or have it open already) and press the "!" key. That's it.
Using the scroll wheel method, you would have to press the pearl button to open the message, then press the Blackberry button to bring up your options. Scroll down to "reply" and then press the pearl button again. Finally you'd have a reply-to window open and could start typing.
This isn't really a keyboard shortcut as much as it is a software feature on the Blackberry. When you're typing a message and get to the end of a sentence, instead of manually placing a "." at the end, just press the space button twice and your Blackberry will add it for you. It will do a similar thing if you're putting an email address in your phone and you press space where the @ symbol is supposed to go. Also try it on your browser where the "." goes before "com".
If you're inbox is like mine, it can fill up quite fast with text messages, emails, voice mail and of course phone calls. Scrolling down to find a phone call you made earlier in the day can sometimes prove more difficult than it sounds. Try this next time. If you just want to see your phone calls (made and receieved) press and hold ALT while you press the letter P. There they are, only phone calls. Just want your your text or SMS message listed? Press and hold ALT while you press S. Just want voice mail? Press and hold ALT while you press V. When you're done, either press and hold ALT and I or just press escape.
Those are just a few of the shortcuts available on your Blackberry Pearl. Spend some time really learning and mastering these before you bog yourself down with any more. Spend a week using these regularly and before you know it, you'll be flying through your emails and SMS messages and back to some quality time with Brick Breaker.
Your Blackberry Pearl has it's own set of keyboard shortcuts which can save you a lot of time. If you're still using your scroll ball and pressing that little "Blackberry button" to the left of it to open up menus, you're going to love what I'm about to teach you. For the most part, I'm going to stay focused on managing your messages by using keyboard shortcuts.
The Shortcuts
The other day I heard a business give it's phone number and instead of giving me all of the numbers, they spelled out a word that they thought was easy to remember. Well, it was easy to remember, but I couldn't use it on my Blackberry Pearl because the letters don't match up with the words the same way they do on a traditional phone. So, while I could remember the number, I couldn't actually dial it.
So 1-888-HIT-RADIO just doesn't work. I've had to look at another phone to see what the numbers are supposed to be on my Blackberry. Not any more! If you start to dial the number from your home screen (1-888) and then press and hold the ALT key (that's the one in the lower left corner with the up and down arrows on it) and use the multi-tap feature you can spell out the phone number.
"Multi-tap" mean, if you want to use the 2nd letter on a key, you press it twice. For example, take out your Pearl and look at it. If you want to type a Y, you'd press the "2" key two times. The first press brings up the T and the second tap brings up the Y. If you ever have to type in a password using your Pearl, it works the same way.
Most of the mobile phone providers offer up shortcuts for accessing your usage balance or even to make a payment. For Verizon, you can check your balance by pressing #BAL and then send. Now you can just press # and then hold ALT while you press "8", "?" and then ",". That will spell #BAL. Then press send you'll soon have your balance of minutes.
Message Shortcuts
There have been several occasions where I read an email and didn't reply to it right away. It happens all the time. Later, I'll look through my list of message and reply. The keyboard shortcut is to reply is to highlight the message you want (or have it open already) and press the "!" key. That's it.
Using the scroll wheel method, you would have to press the pearl button to open the message, then press the Blackberry button to bring up your options. Scroll down to "reply" and then press the pearl button again. Finally you'd have a reply-to window open and could start typing.
This isn't really a keyboard shortcut as much as it is a software feature on the Blackberry. When you're typing a message and get to the end of a sentence, instead of manually placing a "." at the end, just press the space button twice and your Blackberry will add it for you. It will do a similar thing if you're putting an email address in your phone and you press space where the @ symbol is supposed to go. Also try it on your browser where the "." goes before "com".
If you're inbox is like mine, it can fill up quite fast with text messages, emails, voice mail and of course phone calls. Scrolling down to find a phone call you made earlier in the day can sometimes prove more difficult than it sounds. Try this next time. If you just want to see your phone calls (made and receieved) press and hold ALT while you press the letter P. There they are, only phone calls. Just want your your text or SMS message listed? Press and hold ALT while you press S. Just want voice mail? Press and hold ALT while you press V. When you're done, either press and hold ALT and I or just press escape.
Those are just a few of the shortcuts available on your Blackberry Pearl. Spend some time really learning and mastering these before you bog yourself down with any more. Spend a week using these regularly and before you know it, you'll be flying through your emails and SMS messages and back to some quality time with Brick Breaker.
About the Author:
Paul Herrington is sometimes referred to as a Blackberry Pearl power user. Paul gets excited when he can show someone how to be more efficient with their time through little secrets like the blackberry shortcuts
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