One of the few things that annoys me about my Blackberry 8830 is when the pearl or trackball gets stuck and no longer moves in a given direction (usually down in my case). Usually it’ll work itself out with a few seconds of vigorous rolling, but sometimes it seems to get stuck to no end. I’m pretty sure the culprit is some form of oil that gets between the ball and the sensor, so lately when it happens I’ve been giving it a quick, light swab of rubbing alcohol with a Q-Tip and working it around with a cloth for a second. It seems to un-stick almost immediately. Just a quick tip for all you Blackberry user’s out there!

I’ve received several e-mails lately asking which Blackberry I recommend for students, particularly those in college. Instead of responding to each of these e-mails separately, I’m going to give a brief overview of the currently available Blackberry’s geared towards students. Just to make note of any biases I may have, I currently own a Verizon 8830 Word Edition and consider myself a Blackberry addict. So here we go:

One of the first things you need to consider is which cell phone carrier you are currently using. Regardless of what you want, many students are going to be limited by which carrier they’re forced to use. As a result, you should check with your provider before getting your heart set on anything. Take it from me, not doing so can be pretty devastation (Why Blackberry Curve……..WHY!?!). Second, you need to decide what exactly you’re looking for in a phone. If you’re looking for a great phone with media capabilities, push e-mail, and great stability, then your best bet may be the 8100 series listed below. This phone is similar in size to the standard phone you’re used to, but also provides the benefits of owning a Blackberry. Unfortunately, it’s smaller size and non-QWERTY keyboard mean that e-mail capabilities and web browsing are limited. If, on the other hand, you plan on e-mailing frequently and browsing the web while also enjoying the features mentioned above, then the 8300 or 8800 are easily the best bet. The larger size is often inconvenient, but for me it was worth it for the screen size and ease of use that comes with it. In the end, all of these phones are great options. When coupled with StudentBerry, the Blackberry makes a great device for students.

I’m going to stick to pointing out the differences between the phones themselves, and therefore won’t be including the pros and cons that go with owning any of the devices, such as media capabilities, push e-mail, etc…

Blackberry 8800 series

Pros:

• Larger Screen size makes browsing the internet as good as it can be on a mobile phone
• Full QWERTY keyboard makes e-mailing or texting a breeze
• Great call quality

Cons:

• Larger size makes carrying it around inconvenient, I have to use the included holster which is often annoying
• Over-sensitive mouth piece picks up a little too much background noise
• No camera (this may be a pro for some people though)

Summary:

This is really a great option if you don’t mind the size of the phone. The only issues I’ve ever had are the lack of camera and not being able to keep it in my pocket.

Read a full review at:

http://laptopmag.com/Review/BlackBerry-8830-World-Edition.htm

Blackberry 8300 Curve series

Pros:

• Includes a camera
• Same great screen size as the 8800 series
• Smaller size than the 8800
• Full QWERTY keyboard makes typing out e-mails a breeze.

Cons:

• Still a little on the large size, but not by much
• I’ve heard some complaints about picking up background noise on this device as well

Summary:

This, to be honest, seems to be one of the best Blackberry options currently available. Online reviews are nothing but positive, and users seem highly satisfied. Unfortunately, it currently isn’t available on many networks.

Read a full review at: http://laptopmag.com/Review/BlackBerry-Curve.htm

Blackberry 8100 Pearl series

Pros:

• Smaller size makes it more comparable to a standard cell phone
• Includes a camera
• Though not full QWERTY, the keyboard is still larger than normal and with practice can become quite an efficient little tool
• Let’s face it, the thing’s just pretty

Cons:

• Smaller screen size (this may be a pro for some)
• Not a full size QWERTY (this may be a pro for some)

Summary:

Basically, this phone is the way to go if you want the smaller sized option.

Read a full review at: http://www.laptopmag.com/Review/BlackBerry-Pearl.htm

Overview:

What it all comes down to is what features you’re looking for, and what features you can actually get. If you don’t mind the size and your provider offers it, I think the Curve is the way to go. My 8830, however, has never disappointed and was still enough to get me hooked. If size is an issue, then the Pearl is an awesome option. Regardless of what you choose, however, you won’t be disappointed. The only complaint I’ve ever had is the default task manager included with the Blackberry OS. Quite simply, it doesn’t provide enough features to be called a suitable solution for students. That’s why I decided to make StudentBerry. Check it out at http://www.studentberry.com/products

Also Check out Getting your Blackberry Ready for School for what to do next!

Finally, a great way to sync your blackberry with Google Calendar.  Some of you may have already known that this has been one of my most prized goals over the past few months, and I’m ecstatic to say that a viable option has finally been released.  And by none other than Google themselves, which means it’s completely free, can sync multiple calendars, supports bi-directional syncing, and works pretty well if I do say so myself.  Head to http://m.google.com/sync for the OTA Download.

Indeed, this is an exciting week for me.  With the release of Google Sync and the impending release of StudentBerry, it’s turning out to be a satisfyingly eventful holiday season.  Stay tuned for StudentBerry screen shots in the very near future and the ability to download the program for yourself shortly there-after.

Having given the suggestions from GooSync a whirl, I can now say with certainty….meh. Both services perform exactly the way that they should as long as your device is natively supported. The problem comes into play with the fact that the Blackberry OS does not natively support SyncML. For this reason, the use of third party applications must be used in conjunction with the GooSync and ScheduleWorld services.

The recommended SyncML client for Blackberry is SyncJE. Not sure why they would waste their time recommending this option, as even GooSync themselves realize that it’s quite expensive and buggy. Don’t even give this option a shot, it simply won’t work correctly.

The best SyncML client for Blackberry that I’ve found so far is the Funambol Client. Best of all, it’s free. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be ready for prime time just yet. My Funambol installation was a little cumbersome (no OTA download option available at this time), and also had some issues once it got running. Most notably, it no longer allowed me to send e-mails from my phone. For some reason, it required e-mails to be synced with the goosync server every time I tried to send one out. I ensured that the “sync e-mail” option was unchecked, and yet it still wouldn’t send out the e-mails. Also, the calendar sync itself had considerable problems. Essentially, only 1 out of every 3 attempts to sync was successful, the rest either errored out or locked the phone up. Nevertheless, I’ll post a quick how-to for installing the funambol client, as some people have reported success and it may be worth a shot.

How To Install the Funambol Client on your Blackberry Device:

1. Go to the Funambol site and download the client. The direct link is: http://www.funambol.com/opensource/projects.php. Once on this page, select the Funambol Blackberry PIM Client. You can now answer the questions to contribute to the project, or simply select no thanks.
2. Extract the downloaded file, launch your Blackberry’s Desktop Manager, and connect the device to your computer
3. Launch the application loader and go through the first couple steps of the guide.
4. When you get to the screen that lists all the applications on your device, select add, and navigate to the location of your funambol folder. It’s a pretty obnoxious setup they have for the plugin, but I suppose it’s necessary if you’re using the entire funambol software option. Anyways, for our purposes you’re going to select the funambol_blackberry_plugin.alx file from Funambol->plugins->funambol blackberry plugin->bin.
5. Complete the application loader process to finalize the installation.

To complete your setup, follow the appropriate directions below for either GooSync of ScheduleWorld.

GooSync

This post will not be kept up to date with the most recent method of setting up GooSync on your Blackberry device. My method is valid as of November 17th, 2007. If you’d like to see the directions they have posted, please visit http://www.goosync.com/BlackBerryInstall.aspx Note however that their directions are for the SyncJE client, and therefore must be adapted for funambol.

1. Launch the Funambol client on your Blackberry device
2. press the Blackberry button, and select Configure
3. enter your Goosync login credentials into the User and Password fields.
4. enter http://sync.goosync.com into the server field
5. ensure that only the Calendar sync is enabled
6. This is where it gets tricky, the Remote calendar is not “scal” as is default in funambol. Change this to “calendar”.
7. you can now save your changes, press the blackberry button again, and select synchronize
8. Hope it works…

ScheduleWorld

setting up your ScheduleWorld account is pretty similar, but I won’t go into it in this guide.  The reason is because more up-to-date information will be e-mailed to you upon setting up your account with them.  Though ScheduleWorld is slightly easier to setup in this regard (less time spent finding out how to get it all working), you must also setup a sync between your ScheduleWorld calendar and your Google calendar.  This was not ideal for me as it really just complicates the entire process.  Nevertheless, as long as you can get the Funambol client functioning correctly, it should prove to be a viable solution.

So there you have it, GooSync and ScheduleWorld with the addition of a Funambol SyncML client.  I’m still not impressed, but it does work to some degree.  Be sure to keep an eye on your Blackberry after installing this software however, as I encountered several problems and was forced to remove the client.

One of the most frustrating things about owning a Blackberry while in college is getting everything setup in a way that works for me, as a student, and not a professional. This being the case, and seeing as I’m now on my third Blackberry, I’ve gotten a pretty good listing going of what programs are necessary, what settings to change, etc… I hope you’ll find this useful.

First Things First: What to Install

One of the most exciting steps in getting your Blackberry ready for school is installing new apps. Below are a few of the apps that serve me well over the course of a semester.

Viigo: Viigo is an amazing rss reader designed specifically for mobile devices. It’s actually quite a bit more than an rss reader, but seeing as this is the only feature I’ve actually utilized, I really can’t attest to the quality of the rest of the application. Viigo allows me to keep up to date with my favorite blogs during the brief sections of time I often find between classes, on the trip home, or while waiting for a class to start (or end). Definitely recommended for any student who enjoys keeping up with rss feeds. OTA install available at: mobile.virtualreach.com

Viigo Tip: Go ahead and sign up for an account as soon as you get this program up and running on your Blackberry. It takes only a few seconds, and saves you a lot of time and frustration in the future. Though Viigo is a solid application to say the least, it does have its occasional problems. Instead of having to re-enter all of your rss feeds, signing up for an account will automatically restore them for you. Simply go to Options –> Account and fill in the necessary information.

Viigo Tip 2: For an extra dose of time saving awesomeness, couple your Viigo account with a FeedRinse account. FeedRinse allows you to filter your rss feeds and weed out any posts that you don’t want to have to dig through. Best of all, FeedRinse is now free and offers OPML links! You can log into your Viigo account, enter in the OPML link provided, and your Viigo will always be up to date with your newest feeds.

Google Applications: I’m going to go ahead and lump all the google apps together under one heading. Why? Because they’re all awesome (with the exception of google news and google search, which both seem pretty useless to me). A good majority of my friends currently use GTalk to keep in touch, so installing this one for me was a no brainer. Newly released GTalk v 2.0 for Blackberry improves even more on this amazing application. The GMail app, while seemingly redundant to the already great mail applications included with the Blackberry, has actually been a life saver for me more times than once. Better, more complete search functions, the ability to download your attachments more effectively, and an easy to use interface will ensure this app a permanent spot on your Blackberry device.

Beyond411/Berry411: This application is, hands down, the most useful application ever made for the Blackberry device. It provides a powerful information search, phone number/address lookup, directions, and more. Get this application onto your screen and I promise you won’t regret it. OTA download available at: Beyond411

FaceBook: RIM has recently released a Facebook application that allows you to connect to your facebook account directly from your blackberry. Though several people are reporting having trouble getting it installed properly, I’ve heard no complaints once it is up and running. I was able to install it pretty hassle free, and can honestly say that I love it. Definitely beats using the default Blackberry browser and facebook mobile site. To download the facebook application for your Blackberry, simply log into your facebook account on your Blackberry device and follow the links provided.

MobiPocket: This is a free, easy to use, and well designed ebook reader for your blackberry. I’ve tried several readers in the past, and this one definitely seems to be the most complete package I’ve found. Great for killing some time in between classes or on the bus (if you happen to be as unfortunate as me and take the bus every day). OTA Download link available at: MobiPocket Reader

MobiPocket Tip: It took me a while to find a good free ebook source. there are several out there, but I’ve found manybooks.net to be the best one. you can even download the ebooks directly into the native mobipocket format. I can personally recommend Arabian Nights as being a quality time killer.

Though there are several other amazing blackberry applications out there, these are the few that I have found to be particularly useful to me every day. With luck, StudentBerry itself will find its way onto your list shortly. Please add your name to our contact list if you’d like to be informed of when this application can find its way onto your Blackberry device.

Next: Setting up your Blackberry

This section is, unfortunately, only going to be relevant to those of you that find themselves in my exact situation. But, I’m hoping the information will be helpful to some of you anyway.

Gmail: If you use GMail, you know that one of its best features is the discussion format they use for displaying your e-mail conversations. If you use GMail on your Blackberry, however, you know that this quickly becomes one of its worst features. Basically, everytime you send out an e-mail under that account name, you recieve it back again in your inbox. Very frustrating. The best way that I’ve found to correct this problem is to apply a filter to your GMail account that will not send these messages to your phone. To do this, simply point your desktop browser (will not work directly from phone) to https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=vzw Please note that the last part of this url is the name of your phone provider. I happen to use Verizon, so this is where I have mine pointed. I’ve only ever tested Verizon and Cingular (brand=cingular), but I’d imagine that the other companies brands are pretty easy to guess as well. Once there, select the filters icon for your gmail account. you can now select “From” field from the drop-down box, and enter your own e-mail address into the input field below it. Give the filter a name, save it, and pat yourself on the back. The only problem I’ve found with this method is that it no longer allows you to send yourself e-mails (something I frequently do). To solve this problem, you can either send yourself e-mails to one of the other accounts you currently use on your device, or simply use the gmail application to retrieve e-mails you send yourself.

UPDATE: visit http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/software/internet.jsp and scroll to the bottom for links to all the different providers internet sites.  This is SO much easier to work with than just guessing.  Thanks to Andrew for this tip!

Removing the branded signature: One of the most annoying things about any Blackberry device purchased directly from a cellphone provider is the use of branded signatures at the bottom of each e-mail. You may have noticed that whenever you send something out you’ll see “sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry” (obviously different for other providers) added in at the bottom. To remove this signature, simply point your desktop browser to the same address mentioned for the Gmail trick. You can now select the edit icon next to the e-mail address you’d like to remove the signature for, and change the signature to say whatever you’d like, or nothing at all.

Finally: Change the way your Blackberry Looks

Lets face it, default themes are pretty boring. Thus far, the best sources I’ve found for blackberry themes are Pinstack and eveek. Registration is free, and most of the themes are as well. The best ones that I’ve found are the iphone and vista themes (both available for free at eveek).

So there you have it. That’s how I setup my Blackberry each time I end up getting a new one. You may have noticed that there isn’t much mentioned that specifically relates to students, but that’s because there really isn’t much out there. Keep a lookout for StudentBerry sometime in the near future.

Though StudentBerry is a solution to one problem commonly faced by students with blackberries, it is by no means the only problem. For instance, one of the main time wasters of my past year in school has been trying to come up with an effective way to sync Google Calendar with my phone. Unfortunately, I am yet to find the solution. Currently I’m bound to some hybrid, make-do method that really just isn’t cutting it. In an effort to minimize the hassle on other students, I’ve decided to post a few of the methods I tried, and how they turned out. I’ll start with the ones that work, and move on to those that you should probably just avoid all together.

Google Sync: Companion Link

The first method that I tried was Companion Link for Google Calendar. This app actually works great, and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. The application works by syncing your Google Calendar both directly to your phone, and with your Outlook program. Unfortunately, you have to have your Blackberry connected to the computer for this to work. I can see how this is an adequate solution for frequent Outlook users (read: most business types), but it simply did not work for me as a student. I needed an OTA (Over-The-Air) solution that could be synced from anywhere I had a data connection. If you’re the type that frequently backs up on the computer, or otherwise uses outlook, however, than this is a great solution. Keep in mind that it’s pretty pricey though (29.95 at the time of this writing), and is therefore not a viable option for most students I know.

Google Sync: GCalSync

This is my current solution to this problem, but let me warn you: it’s far from perfect. the GCalSync application was well on it’s way to perfection. Actually, as far as I can tell, there’s really only one problem I’ve ever encountered with the program. Unfortunately, the creators have decided to suspend development until further notice. Hopefully this is only temporary, however, cause I’d really like to see this app in all it’s bug-free glory. Best of all, GCalSync is completely free. So what’s the problem? Recurring appointments don’t sync correctly. It’s a shame that this is a large portion of what all students will be syncing. Basically, all your recurring appointments will show up on the right day, but the times will come up as 12:00-12:00 no matter what. Pretty useless. My current solution was to enter my class schedule into the Google Calendar, sync with my blackberry, and correct the times on the blackberry for the entire series. Once this is done you can continue to use GCalSync to synchronize all future single-occurrence appointments. Keep in mind, however, that the next time you enter anything recurring you will run into the same problem.

Other great features include the ability to sync multiple calendars, no additional software required, and runs pretty well. Just a suggestion: when you launch the program, let it run it’s login process before you exit out. This gets pretty annoying if you accidentally select the application, but if you don’t, it tends to freeze up pretty bad.

Google Sync: Goosync and ScheduleWorld

In short, just avoid these. I’ts possible that they may become viable options in the future, but they definitely aren’t even close at the moment. Both services claim to support the blackberry, both do not. They require the addition of third party software called syncje to connect. This is because they aren’t specifically designed for the blackberry OS. Instead, they are standard java applications that happen to run on the Blackberry as well. Instead, both application utilize SyncML to sync your Blackberry calendar with Google. Unfortunately, SyncML is not natively supported by the Blackberry OS, and SyncJE is both expensive and ridiculously difficult to get working properly. In the end, I never got these services to work correctly, so I can’t provide any information on how well they function once they get going. (Thanks to the GooSync commenter for explaining this problem, I’d known what the issue was before, but wasn’t thinking when I originally posted)

Please Expect an update to the GooSync and ScheduleWorld section after giving the funambol option mentioned in the comments a shot. If this proves to be an adequate solution I’d be happy to update again.

Update: An install guide/review for the Funambol SyncML client has been released.  view it here.