[afropoika]

Arabic Language Support for BlackBerry Pearl (8100/8110/8120/8130*)

Features:
- Use Arabic as the BlackBerry OS language
- Receive and transmit SMS/MMS/e-mail in Arabic
- SureType support (predictive input)
- Quick and easy installation with JAD

Instructions:

1. Download ar81xx.zip and extract the archive anywhere on your computer.
2. Properly install a Media Card with at least 1MB free space into your BlackBerry.
3. Connect your BlackBerry to the computer via USB and enable Mass Storage Mode.
4. Locate the folder ar81xx you extracted from the archive in step 1 and move it to your Media Card.
5. Wait for the process to finish and disconnect your BlackBerry from your computer.
6. In your BlackBerry, open the Media application, push the BlackBerry button and choose Explore. Select Media Card and open the folder ar81xx.
7. Find and open the file _blackberry_lang_ar.jad. Choose Download. Once the application has finished installation, exit the Media application.
8. (IMPORTANT:) Do a battery pull. Make sure to close any open applications first. Wait for a few seconds before putting the battery back in.
9. Once the BlackBerry has booted up you should be able to have Arabic as an option under Options > Languages.
10. If you are satisfied with this solution, please leave a "thank you", it is much appreciated. Optionally you can remove the ar81xx folder from your Media Card.

I am very pleased to give you the possibility of having Arabic on your BlackBerry Pearl, even if the solution isn't 100% perfect. As it is however, it functions really well and much better than I initially hoped for. Please try it out and report any issues you encounter. Thank you!

* regarding 8130 support: few have reported success, for many it didn't work. I am unsure whether this is a limitation of CDMA, the BlackBerry or one of the CDMA carriers. Pearl Flip (8220/8230) or Pearl 9100 are NOT supported!

Disclaimer: ALL INFORMATION AND DATA IS PROVIDED AS IS WITH NO WARRANTY WHATSOEVER. I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE CAUSED BY THE USE OF MY LANGUAGE PACK. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO USE ANY INFORMATION OR DATA PROVIDED HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

- Yousif

[DaBear5]

Good work man! Way to donate time and effort. Thanks

[afropoika]

No problem

I do hope more people download this to test it. I would love to know if the CDMA 8130 Pearl can utilize Arabic, since 8110/8120 are basically the same the other with GPS and the other with WiFi. Not sure what to expect of the 8100, that's why it would be nice to have more people test this.

- Yousif

[Coruptyed]

I would install it on my 8130 but I don't like installing languages .. But would like to say thanks for the effort you put into it

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[afropoika]

@Coruptyed: I know what you mean, that is why I desperately wanted to make a JAD file, because I know how troublesome and annoyingly long the process with AppLoader can be. Please try if you can (or willing to), because installation is basically as easy as moving some files, simulating an OTA download and doing a battery pull. To remove the language pack just go to Options > Applications and remove Arabic Language Support. Can't be easier than that, and you do not need DM!

I'm interested in enabling other "lost" languages for the pearl... is there demand for some particular language?
By the way I'm feeling so confident with my Pearl and typing with SureType is so easy that I'm just about to sell my 8700c as I bought it just to get Arabic... now I have Arabic on my Pearl

[Coruptyed]

If I'm at home tonight early enough ill give it a whirl depends on the mood I'm in lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[afropoika]

If I'm at home tonight early enough ill give it a whirl depends on the mood I'm in lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Yeah be sure to be at home so you can access CrackBerry through your computer, just in case you can't find the Languages option in Arabic

[Coruptyed]

I work at a phone store I can access it here if I want but they don't like that much

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[bb2iphone]

good job bro. I don't have the pearl but I'm sure those who do will appreciate it. I downloaded the arabic language addon from the blackberry website, which adds arabic input for supported devices (pearl not included i guess?). Anyways I find it strange that the pearl isn't 'natively' supported seeing that there's arabic suretype support for full qwerty keyboard devices.

[afropoika]

good job bro. I don't have the pearl but I'm sure those who do will appreciate it. I downloaded the arabic language addon from the blackberry website, which adds arabic input for supported devices (pearl not included i guess?). Anyways I find it strange that the pearl isn't 'natively' supported seeing that there's arabic suretype support for full qwerty keyboard devices.

That's true, however I have another theory. Each and every device RIM has produced must have some sort of support built-in for languages like Arabic. Otherwise no matter if you install an Arabic font or some else hackish addon, the BlackBerry should NOT move the caret to the right side. I've tried "hacking" Arabic for some other devices earlier and even if typing was possible using an Arabic font, the caret would still reside at the left side. This can only mean that a BlackBerry directly from RIM would include the necessary options and files enabled to have official support for Arabic and other languages. My "hack" more or less enables the missing pieces required to get Arabic working on the Pearl, but some of my own internal testing revealed the Pearl did have some sort of support for Arabic already built-in, even if I had loaded an OS from AT&T (USA).

[bb2iphone]

I've noticed that too. And although Arabic support on the blackberry works 'ok' i notice a problem. this is the same problem I experienced on different platforms too. I've tried the best of the best Arabic support applications for windows mobile like imaginet, penreader, informbility, etc and no matter what continuous arabic text without hard or soft breaks (like a paragraph) would be justified to the left like english.

Oh well hopefully there'll be a more practical solution in the future. Btw, how do know what arabic letters correspond to the keys on the keyboard? I've looked for OEM arabic keyboards and they're very rare. Do u know where one might find arabic decals, stickers or an overlay that can be placed over the keys so it's easier to type without having to memorize what button the letter corresponds too?

Eid Kareem

[afropoika]

I am not aware of any OEM arabic keyboards, only some 3rd party ones which tend to be of bad quality. It does take a bit pratice to know which arabic letter corresponds to a key on the keyboard, but I'm almost there at the end of the "learning curve" that I can text in Arabic without having to check each key for the character I am looking.

I am thinking of designing my own DIY overlay... just can't figure which materials to use etc, but it would definitely be useful.

By the way, you mentioned Arabic on other platforms; today I had the "joy" of playing around with my friend's iPhone. I wondered if it had Arabic support, which it surprisingly did. I then tried texting in Arabic and I was like wow! The touch screen does make a difference and texting on the iPhone in Arabic was so easy and intuitive. It did not have predictive input, but the simplicity evened everything out.

Definitely getting an iPhone as my next smartphone though, unless there's something for the BlackBerry platform that the iPhone doesn't. For example I need an application for reading the Qur'an with audio. So far there seems to be only one application supporting BlackBerry that does what I want and it costs much more than I'm willing to pay... for some reason the iPhone has more "support" from Muslims making it really an atrractive option.

What are your experiences on other platforms? This has to be the first thing I need to complain about since I had my Pearl. It is way too important though to overlook

[bb2iphone]

Imate - a smartphone company based in the Emirates, (which recently went belly up) used to contract software developers to make superb islamic applications for Windows Mobile. They would release windows mobile smartphones that included arabic support and a suite of Islamic programs. Also Harf, a software developer used to make some EXCELLENT and I mean EXCELLENT Islamic apps for windows mobile and Palm. I haven't seen anything new from them recently (partly because I think our cheapskate Muslim Arab brethren are cracking the software and distributing it to everyone, and not paying for licenses <:-[

The now outmoded Palm OS also had good offerings. Like you said the mobile software market for islamic programs is lacking except for guidedways which makes decent shareware apps for most if platforms. The iquran by guidedways does exactly what you're lookin for and they just recently released a blackberry version (found on blackberry world). It's kinda laggy just because I think our hardware device specs are older, but it looks really nice and does the audio option u want. Does your carrier allow you to send sms in arabic (or support unicode) because mine doesn't! What gives! I can't sms my relatives abroad in Arabic. I really like iphone but would never switch to att to get it. If it comes to sprint then i might consider it then. They will always have more offerings because it's just a more popular platform i guess and it's easier to develop for, whereas blackberry is a closed platform and everything done for it has to use the java sdk.

[afropoika]

On the bright side of things utilizing Java gives BlackBerry a small advantage, but most J2ME (non-native BlackBerry) applications do not work so it not really is a pro, rather a con in its own way.

My carrier does support Unicode; I am able to text in Arabic to my family/friends, not sure of the technical side of things. Are you sure it's the carrier and not a configuration problem? I had to set SMS data coding to UCS2 from 7-bit to get Arabic texting work properly with my Pearl.

By the way, I've always bought carrier locked phones and unlocked them, otherwise I wouldn't be using a BlackBerry in Finland :P

Maybe a used iPhone 2G to satisfy my need for Islamic software? Not really sure and not really willing to shell out much money for "a few apps". I do hope the BlackBerry platform will get a new rise with completely new software that is less carrier dependent for example (I pay for a phone with WiFi, but can not use WiFi unless I get a specific Service Book from my carrier? How sick is that?)

- Yousif

[Coruptyed]

seemed to work fine for me, its now deleted and back to normal though

[afropoika]

Excellent, thank you for testing!

- Yousif

[arjang]

Excellent, thank you for testing!

- Yousif

salam akhi thank you for this. I've had arabic input on my phone (8130 verizon) for a long time now. but i have not been able to send txt messages with arabic input. i am installing your version to see if it works or not.

one thing i have not had is persian/urdu letters like � ~ � � but I get by with copy/paste

Edit:
3D'E 9DJCE
Its the same as I had before, nice job putting it together like this. Much easier than what I went through before. But still I cannot send SMS in arabic text, MMS email gchat bbm all are ok though. Anybody using 8130 (verizon) can also confirm this ?

[afropoika]

Make sure you have SMS data coding set to UCS2 and not 7-bit. Does it work now?

[arjang]

Make sure you have SMS data coding set to UCS2 and not 7-bit. Does it work now?

That is not an option on the 8130. In Options/SMS all there is: Priority, Callback Number, Disable AutoText, Number of Previous Items.

[Coruptyed]

Excellent, thank you for testing!

- Yousif

Not a problem glad I could help

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[bb2iphone]

That is not an option on the 8130. In Options/SMS all there is: Priority, Callback Number, Disable AutoText, Number of Previous Items.

It appears our CDMA carriers, Sprint and Verizon don't support unicode so whatever non-latin characters we send or receive it'll just come up as question mark symbols...No wonder my relatives in Egypt can't send me sms, they always be telling me they get the "message failed" error message or if it does go thru it comes up garbled on my end. I called technical support yesterday and they had no clue what they were talking about. Blah!

[Coruptyed]

It appears our CDMA carriers, Sprint and Verizon don't support unicode so whatever non-latin characters we send or receive it'll just come up as question mark symbols...No wonder my relatives in Egypt can't send me sms, they always be telling me they get the "message failed" error message or if it does go thru it comes up garbled on my end. I called technical support yesterday and they had no clue what they were talking about. Blah!

really? im on bell and sprint is are sister company and i sent a few texts and they went through, and if i received a text it read right

[bb2iphone]

really? im on bell and sprint is are sister company and i sent a few texts and they went through, and if i received a text it read right

Weird. I'll call them up again and see if there's anything they can do. Last time i called they told me to reinstall arabic fonts and do an extended battery pull. I've also seen other people on sprint complain they can't send or receive non latin characters.

[Coruptyed]

Weird. I'll call them up again and see if there's anything they can do. Last time i called they told me to reinstall arabic fonts and do an extended battery pull. I've also seen other people on sprint complain they can't send or receive non latin characters.

thats weird, maybe theres something on there end that is disabled and has to be enabled?

[afropoika]

I can't come up with an explanation either. First I thought CDMA was the limiting factor, but that can't be it. There must be some configuration problem on either end.

- Yousif