[MamaTooters]

I keep reading about it and really have no clue what it is.

[Reed McLay]

OS is short for Operating System, the software that makes the BlackBerry work.

Every BlackBerry is shipped with the most current OS available at the time, but the OS is under continuous development and improvement.

You can determine which one you have installed with:

Options / About

If it is not v4.5xx, you would be well advised to do an upgrade to the later version OS to get the new features.

[smnc]

That's pretty accurate.
OS5.0 or the 5th version of the BlackBerry Operating system is about to launch on the Storm 2 and 9700, and will eventually trickle down to most of the other fairly modern devices, but unfortunately not our Curve 8310's.

[MamaTooters]

That was easy enough.
Now onto the more tricky part...exactly where do I find it. I mean I know how to get into the about section and I am there right now but I see a couple places where the letter 'v' is then some numbers after it then if I scroll down some more it tells me all the Micro Editions. Not sure which one is my OS though.

[amazinglygraceless]

It is the third line.

There is a link for the Blackberry 101: Lecture Series in my signature.
As a new user it will benefit you greatly. Welcome aboard

[MamaTooters]

Ah, gotcha.

v4.5.0.110

Meaning I have 4.5?

[amazinglygraceless]

Correct.........

[smnc]

4.5 is as good as it's ever likely to get for a Curve 8310

[MamaTooters]

Thanks everyone!

So if I keep hearing that the browser on the BB is slow can someone please tell me why the data feature is so cool? I know I sound silly but I just got mine and am trying to figure it all out. And not sure I want to set up the data plan if I'm not going to like it or get much use out of it.

[smnc]

The browser isn't so much slow as just not very good. Try Bolt or Opera Mini
as much better alternatives.
A data plan has tons of great uses.
Facebook and Twitter if you're into micro-blogging or social networking, Poynt is super for finding stuff...
Oh and GOOGLE!!!
Google maps is SO great. Plus Google sync will keep your Google calendar and contacts up to date between your Berry and your Google account.
There's too many other great apps to name, many of which are online based...

[MamaTooters]

so use the Bold or Opera Mini icon for browsing instead of the mobile web icon that's on there now?

[Radius]

so use the Bold or Opera Mini icon for browsing instead of the mobile web icon that's on there now?

Yep, use which browser you are happiest with. If you try an over the air installation of software it will still default to the native browser so no worries and no extra steps for you.

[smnc]

Yeah, I suggest trying Bolt and Opera both, and seeing which you like best.
I actually use both. Bolt is faster, but Opera handles complex pages better and actually remembers my log-ins and such.

[SolezOnFroze]

Yeah, I suggest trying Bolt and Opera both, and seeing which you like best.
I actually use both. Bolt is faster, but Opera handles complex pages better and actually remembers my log-ins and such.

Just to comment on this for a second. My phone actually renders pages faster with Opera as opposed to Bolt. So Opera is my number one browser. In fact, I don't even have Bolt anymore. BUT, you want Opera Mini 4. Opera Mini 5 beta is now out. Beta meaning that it's still in it's early developmental state. There may be bugs and issues with the program. I can't even use it right now. It's so slow on my phone and I don't want to have to delete a bunch of my apps just for it to run properly. But what I want to say is, try out both Opera Mini 4 (or OM5beta if you so wish to) and Bolt to see which one works better for you.

Now if you have a BlackBerry, which obviously you do(lol), you WANT to have a data plan. There are so many apps on the BB that require data usage. Take my phone for example. I use Opera Mini, UberTwitter, BlackBerry Messenger, Pandora radio, CB.com, Score Mobile, Pocket Express, WeatherEye, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, Associated Press app. All these applicatons require data. So I wouldn't want to imagine my phone bill after a month of data usage without a data plan. Lol. That would be mighty ugly. So I would absolutely recommend that you get that added to your plan. Unless you only plan to use your phone for calling and text.

EDIT: The letter "v" just signifies "version". My phone currently reads "v4.5.169". I'm running OS 4.5.169. Thus, "v"="OS".

[Reed McLay]

I don't belive the negative press the BlackBerry Browser has been subject too, it is optimized for security and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

That means it is fast and efficient for those sites that support it correctly. Google for example, will return WAP optimized results.

When you do Browse a non optimized site, the Research in Motions servers do most of the actual work. They pre-process the web page and forward optimized results.

The third party Browser like Opera Mini and Bold work on a similar principal. They do even more pre-processing and feed you page display results.

The BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) plan does a lot more then Internet Browsing. It is the heart of the Email and Message system. Without BIS, your BlackBerry is voice and SMS/MMS (Text) capable, only.

[smnc]

I don't belive the negative press the BlackBerry Browser has been subject too, it is optimized for security and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

Yes, it is a superlative WAP browser...

When you do Browse a non optimized site, the Research in Motions servers do most of the actual work. They pre-process the web page and forward optimized results.

And that's where it sucks. Sorry, but RIM's rendering engine is just sad.

The third party Browser like Opera Mini and Bold work on a similar principal. They do even more pre-processing and feed you page display results.

Yes, because they have better rendering engines. They also compress/shrink the page so that it loads faster, especially for those of us on EDGE/GSM only devices like the Curve.

The BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) plan does a lot more then Internet Browsing. It is the heart of the Email and Message system. Without BIS, your BlackBerry is voice and SMS/MMS (Text) capable, only.

I don't know AT&T's price plans, but that's not strictly true in Canada.
Rogers has seperate "e-mail" and "data" plans for BlackBerry.
My wife, for instance, is on an e-mail plan. She has BIS access and can use unlimited e-mail, and all IM's, but she cannot browse or use any web-enabled programs.
I have a full data plan (500mb) and can do whatever I want with it.

[SoCaliTrojan]

OS is short for Operating System, the software that makes the BlackBerry work.

"the software that makes the BlackBerry work" is the same as saying "a car engine makes a car move." It doesn't explain how a car engine makes a car move, or what a car engine really is.

Electronics are pretty stupid. In the electronic world, we only have signals "on" or "off" (e.g., 1 or 0). There's no such thing as a signal being halfway on or halfway off. If you had a piece of hardware lying around and put electricity on one wire, it'll travel down the wire and go through all closed (e.g., connected) connections. This is hardware.

On the other hand, you have software which programmers make, such as apps for your blackberry. Google maps, telenav, slacker/pandora, etc. are all programs. A program is a series of instructions that the programmer has put together. For example:

1) Get GPS signal
2) Display location on screen
3) Detected the "P" key was hit, so zoom out.
4) Goto 1.

That's a simplified program to give you an idea of what a program is. You'll notice that the program needs to access the hardware. When it gets the "GPS signal", how does it tell the stupid hardware what to do? After all, the hardware doesn't have a brain.

This is where the operating system comes in. It sits on top of the hardware and interfaces with it. Being connected to the hardware, it knows what is available, so it can provide tools for programmers to use:

GPS chip detected-->provide programmer with commands to read GPS signals

GSM radio active-->provide programmer with commands to access sim card

wifi radio missing-->hide/disable wifi commands from programmer

One way to think of it is a car. An engine is basically a machine that combines fuel and air together, and then ignites the mixture to cause an explosion. The operating system is the car's brain, the ECU (electronic control unit). The ECU tells the engine how much fuel/air to add to the mixture, when to ignite the mixture, etc. The ECU not only gives orders, but it receives orders, such as the throttle pedal (in a car equipped with a drive-by-wire system). The driver is the app.

So in this analogy, if the driver wants to start moving, he pushes the gas pedal. This sends a signal to the ECU, which then tells the engine to add more fuel and air. If something happens to the engine, the ECU detects it, turns on your "check engine light", and then the driver sees that the warning light has been turned on.

In the same way, this is how the blackberry works. You push a key while in an app, which then sends a signal to the operating system. The operating system then sends or receives hardware commands (e.g., the letter you hit is being saved into memory). If the hardware receives a text message, it is received by the operating system, which then sends it to the app, which then notifies you.

[smnc]

+1
An excellent explanation that was easy to understand.

Maybe a bit overkill for what the OP wanted, but very good all the same.