[EyesofThunder]

Ok, i am a noob when it comes to blackberries. My company gave me a bold 9900, and i bought me a playbook 64. They are cool, but i still struggle with knowing android from the beginning.

So, i need edumacation. What makes a blackberry so cool? I love the interaction of my pb and my bold. But i am sure i am missing more.

I know little on bis, i am frustrated with bbm that i cant talk to sms accounts with it. The apps i bought on android i miss and wish my pb could run (how do i get the apk files?). I hate to buy apps all over again.

The transistion to bb is difficult for everyone at work, most all keep a personal android or iphone still. No one is 100% accepting of using the bold over their former phone.

Help! Edumacate me, i think we need to know what makes a bb tick. What makes it better than the other phones out there.....

Thanks!!!!

[marclovell]

You can add sms contacts into bbm. Just click invite and select text message contact.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

[dbmalloy]

First.... Welocome.... As for your Android question.... Playbook will not run native APK files directly..... they need to be converted to a Bar file and side loaded. ( many threads on how to do this).... Depends on what Android Apps you want to run.... as the Playbook gets more updates the Android Player becomes better.....

[narci]

BBs aren't meant to be 'cool'. That's the other fruit's marketing at work.

What BBs are is productivity. Email, messaging and work (playing games that shoot little birds at pigs is not considered work haha) can't be beat on a BB.

People always ask why I use a BB and not a iphone or something else. I just tell them I don't play games and value email and messaging, which on a BB is a breeze.

[Duvi]

Welcome to the BlackBerry world.

BlackBerry devices are meant to be whatever you want them to be... Cool... Productive... Easy to use.

• I love being able to type on my keyboard without needing to look at the keyboard or having issues typing in extremely cold weather.
  
• I love being able to change the sound profiles for different environments... home, bedtime, etc.
  
• I love how reliable the notifications are and how quickly I can see (pushed) emails come in.

I like BlackBerry for a lot more things, but it's all up to you to find out what you like/love about it the most.

[EyesofThunder]

How can i find out just all a bb will do? Like bis? What all does is mean? Sorry to be so noobish there, maybe i use and dont know. IT set up my phone and i do get my corp email.

If i invite sms contacts in bbm, does it still use sms to send/receive them? My company doesnt have text messaging, just unlimited data and bbm. So from my standpoint it really hurts doing work on the phone when i have to sms other workers because no one pays attn to bbm.

[californiablackberry]

How can i find out just all a bb will do? Like bis? What all does is mean? Sorry to be so noobish there, maybe i use and dont know. IT set up my phone and i do get my corp email.

Let me answer that for you.
BTW - Since your BB is company issued, you're using BES.

• BIS stands for BlackBerry Internet Service. It gives your BlackBerry access to the Internet. It’s like an ISP, but for your smart-phone instead of your home computer. Every time your BlackBerry gets an email, or accesses a webpage, it does so through BIS.
  
• BES stands for BlackBerry Enterprise Server. It gives your BlackBerry access to a corporate intranet. The intranet is the private, internal, network within a company. It’s kind of like a mini-internet that is cut off from the rest of the world. Many intranets allow you to communicate with the Internet as well, but with added layers of security. With BES, most of your data remains in a private, closed network. Your BlackBerry has a secure link directly to the corporate environment, because the BES server is located in the office somewhere. The only way for someone to monitor or intercept your data would be for them to infiltrate your organization.

BES and BIS: What's the Difference?

[Duvi]

How can i find out just all a bb will do? Like bis? What all does is mean? Sorry to be so noobish there, maybe i use and dont know. IT set up my phone and i do get my corp email.

If i invite sms contacts in bbm, does it still use sms to send/receive them? My company doesnt have text messaging, just unlimited data and bbm. So from my standpoint it really hurts doing work on the phone when i have to sms other workers because no one pays attn to bbm.

They need to have a BlackBerry to use BBM. If they aren't using a BlackBerry, you can download WhatsApp or any other internet based messaging app to converse with them. Is text messaging blocked? Either way, I would send them emails inviting them to BBM or the messaging app of your choosing.

Here is a good article on some:

http://crackberry.com/best-options-c...rry-smartphone

BIS = BlackBerry Internet Service. More than likely, your company is using BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) for company emails. They are both ways your BlackBerry uses to send/receive data. More info can be found in the following location:

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-101...ats-difference

[cw0974]

What BBs are is productivity. Email, messaging and work (playing games that shoot little birds at pigs is not considered work haha) can't be beat on a BB.

People always ask why I use a BB and not a iphone or something else. I just tell them I don't play games and value email and messaging, which on a BB is a breeze.

I totally agree with this. I had an ipad and all I used it for was to play games. People complain about the playbook not having all these web-apps but the browser makes up for it. For example, I would rather use the bank of america website than the app.

That being said, blackberry does have a learning curve since it is different than android or ios. I honestly love having the perfect keyboard. Welcome to the BB fam.

[EyesofThunder]

I cant say perfect keyboard, but i have never had anything to compare it to. It works, but i could do better, i have some ideas, maybe rim would listen to user recommended ideas?

[BergerKing]

Keyboarding will grow on you, if you haven't been used to a physical keyboard. You'll feel slow at first, but as you develop a technique, it gets easier, especially if you start using keyboard shortcuts.

[hoopitz]

The best way to discover all the cool/productive features of the Blackberry is to spend some time going through the menus and options. For instance, go into the messages folder, hit the menu key, and then go into the options to see all the different things you can do. Do the same thing with your email account options. Also, as I'm sure you've already done, go through all the general phone options (via the 'Options' icon).

Universal search is handy, customization of the sound profiles is nice, and learn all the keyboard shortcuts. I.e. Hold a key down to capitalize the letter, hold the menu key down to switch between running applications, 'r' to quickly reply to an email, 'f' to forward it, etc... To me, all these little tricks make the phone really fun to use-i'm still finding new ones all the time!

Hope you enjoy your Blackberry experience-you definitely picked the right site/forum for all the info/help you need!

[qbnkelt]

Back in 2004 I was handed, at work, this hideously ugly thing....black or blue, can't remember, with an ugly screen. I thought I'd never get used to this thing.
Quickly a love affair grew....
Then it became an addiction where my BB owns me....

It's a great platform....the best in my opinion, and I've used almost all. The one I missed was Symbian.

The suggestion to take the time to go through the different menus is a great one. That's how I did it....sometimes I discover things by accident.

And I would agree, this is the best site for help. I came here in 2009 for help with my iPhone 3GS, of all things!!!! Am now addicted not only to my BB, but also to CB. You'll find loads of spirited discussion...the majority of it greatly helpful.

Welcome!!!!

[EyesofThunder]

My first Symbian os phone was the Moto A1000 and the last, M1000. People were so mad seeing the phone i had in 2004 and it was never sold in the us....

I have learned slowly the menus have a lot in them, but i feel i am always lacking knowing what makes a bb so cool. Learning from the links posted by Duvi In this thread i understand bis bes better now.

Any list of acronyms around?

[cw0974]

The best way to discover all the cool/productive features of the Blackberry is to spend some time going through the menus and options. For instance, go into the messages folder, hit the menu key, and then go into the options to see all the different things you can do. Do the same thing with your email account options. Also, as I'm sure you've already done, go through all the general phone options (via the 'Options' icon).

Universal search is handy, customization of the sound profiles is nice, and learn all the keyboard shortcuts. I.e. Hold a key down to capitalize the letter, hold the menu key down to switch between running applications, 'r' to quickly reply to an email, 'f' to forward it, etc... To me, all these little tricks make the phone really fun to use-i'm still finding new ones all the time!

Hope you enjoy your Blackberry experience-you definitely picked the right site/forum for all the info/help you need!

android - when in doubt, long press; blackberry - when in doubt, blackberry button.