Mobile Guide to BlackBerry

Chapter 1. TOURING THE BLACKBERRY HANDHELD

BLACKBERRY BASICS:

• From the holster to the SIM card, you need to know what's what on the BlackBerry and how to find it.

• Learn the ins and outs of typing on a BlackBerry keyboardit's okay if you're all thumbs.

Congratulations, and welcome to the wirelessly connected world. As promoted by RIM, the "Always on, Always connected" lifestyle is now within your reach. Of course, in order to achieve this virtual Nirvana of connectivity, you will need to hone your thumb-typing skills and master the labyrinth of features inside that innocent-looking device.

Interesting analogies aside, the first step to understanding is analysis. So let's start by examining the physical features of a BlackBerry handheld. As you may know, there are many versions of BlackBerry handhelds available. The biggest difference between handhelds lies on the inside in terms of the wireless modem used to communicate with various wireless carriers. There are differences on the outside as well. There may be a difference in screen size, whether the screen is color, and whether the device uses a cradle or just a plug to communicate to the desktop PC. Of course, there are some standard features that make a handheld a BlackBerry handheld, so we'll delve into those features now.