April 06, 2009, 3:06 PM — At my company, we get hundreds of BlackBerry calls a week, and most aren't from the guy who just dropped his device in a bowl of Wonton soup. Rather, it's the managers on their way to meetings or hopping on flights who want to know the handy tricks and tips that will save them time and make their smart phones smarter. Here are a few of the notables:
Tip No. 1: How to Filter Incoming Mail
Say, for example, you receive a daily report that you will not read or deal with on your phone and would prefer to just handle it back at the office. Can you create a filter for that?
Of course you can. Here's how:
1. Click on the Messages icon to open your messages, then click the trackwheel or Menu button and select Options.
2. Select Email Filters.
3. Click your trackwheel or Menu button, select New and then type a filter name.
4. You have several fields you can filter on: From; Sent To; Subject; Message; Sent directly to me; CC to me; BCC to me; Importance; Sensitivity.You can choose more than one option here. For example, to take care of your daily report problem, create the following filter:
From: coworker@domain.com
Subject: Daily Report
Action: Do not forward
This will affect any emails from colleagues with "daily report" in the subject.
5. Click your trackwheel or Menu button and save the filter. By default, it is enabled and will function immediately with any new incoming messages.
If you want to temporarily allow filtered messages, simply click on the filter name to uncheck in the filter list. Take note, however, that filtering works only if your BlackBerry is activated on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server; to access filters with BlackBerry Internet Service you must check with your wireless carrier.
Tip No. 2: Change Calendar Views in a Snap
Calendar views are often a source of frustration, no matter what device or software you use. Here are some quick and easy ways to navigate your BlackBerry calendar:
While in the calendar, click your trackball, and select from the following views:
"View Day": summary for the day, showing appointments by their times.
"View Week": seven-day summary view, showing appointments by their times.
"View Month": shows every day of month, showing appointments by day.
"View Agenda": Lists your upcoming appointments in detail view.
You can also use the following shortcut keys:
"D" switches to day view.
"W" switches to week view.
"M" switches to month view.
"A" switches to agenda view.
"C" creates a new appointment in detailed mode.
"T" goes to today (keeping the current view).
"G" goes to a specific date.
Press any of these keys to switch between the views. Note that shortcut keys will work only if you have "Enable Quick Entry" in Calendar Options set to “No.”
Tip No. 3: Conference Me In
You're on the road, on the line with a client, and you need to patch in your assistant. Here's how you use conference calling with your BlackBerry:
1. Call the first person from your BlackBerry.
2. During the call click the trackwheel or Menu Key and select New Call (sometimes listed as 3-Way Call or Conference Call).
3. Type a phone number or select a contact to call and press the Send key.
4. Finally, when both parties are on the phone, you click the trackwheel or press the Menu key and "join" the two callers from the menu.
You can repeat the process to add multiple people, depending on your wireless plan. Check with your carrier to see if it's available.
Tip No. 4: High-Priority E-Mail Notifications
You want to make sure you know when high-priority e-mails come in, and the standard notification doesn't quite command your attention. To set up special notices, start at the home screen, go to Profiles, then Advanced. Here you can create a new profile or modify your current one. Set the desired notification for Level 1 Messages and save. Note: High-priority message notices will work even if you have disabled those for other types of messages.
