Tip: BlackBerry Losing Text Messages or Call Logs?
Are you having issues with your text messages vanishing without deleting them? Or maybe you notice your call log is suddenly empty? Both of these are symptoms of a full memory.

What can you do to avoid this? Clear out as much as you can from your BlackBerry.

Move pictures, ringtones, music, and videos to your microSD card if you have one. You can even set your camera to save pictures there by default.

Delete programs you do not use. I often download a free trial or try out freeware that I discover I don't need or like. I often forget about these programs which are taking up my memory. Make sure to remove them either using Desktop Manager's Application Loader or under Options, Advanced Options, Applications.

Keep your log clear. The BlackBerry keeps a log for trouble shooting. Just hold down the alt key and type lglg from the homescreen. Once the log comes up go into the menu and select clear. Make sure to close the log when you are done.

See what programs are open. This is also a great help on the battery. From the home screen hold the alt key and press the back button. You will get a banner of programs that are running. There will be some BlackBerry applications that are always running, such as phone, messages, and BlackBerry Messenger.

Clean out old e-mails, text messages, and call logs you don't need. I often accidentally save an e-mail or a text. I try to check my saved messages regularly and get rid of what I don't need, such as my flight info from a trip I took three months ago.

Check your themes. Do you have lots of themes installed on your BlackBerry? They take up memory. You may want to delete them in Options, Advanced Options, Applications.

Remove any media you are no longer using, such as old ringtones or mp3s that have worn out their welcome on your BlackBerry.

From your Desktop Manager use Application Loader to see what languages are loaded on your BlackBerry. You can remove any you don't need. Also consider removing any other the option applications that come your BlackBerry that you may not use, such as Password Keeper or BrickBreaker. If you don't use it, free up the space.

Try any or all of these as they fit for you. These steps helped me stop my vanishing text messages.

Tip: BlackBerry – Successfully Receive Message Notifications
This article, which we were directed to by RIM's BlackBerry Connection newsletter, offers some troubleshooting tips to help you successfully receive message notifications if you're not when your BlackBerry is its holster.

Q: Why don't I receive my message notifications when my BlackBerry smartphone is in the holster?

A: Try the following troubleshooting suggestion to verify that the correct notification settings are selected:

1. From the Home screen on the device, go to Options > Profiles.
2. Select your selected profile and click the trackwheel.
3. Click Edit.
4. Select Messages.
5. Click the trackwheel and select Edit.
6. Verify that the correct Messages notifications are configured in your profile settings.
7. Click the trackwheel and select Save.

If this fix doesn't work, you can also try a different holster in order to verify that yours is working. When the BlackBerry device is correctly placed in the holster, it connects to a magnet and its LCD screen turns off. To test this, place the BlackBerry device in another holster. If the LCD screen still does not turn off, the holster might not be causing the problem.

Other suggestions include resetting the BlackBerry device or reloading applications. See your manual for instructions on how to try these fixes.

Tip: BlackBerry - Finding Wireless Coverage When Abroad
If your GSM BlackBerry (e.g. one from AT&T or T-Mobile) supports the 900 and 1800 bands, you can use it in many countries outside of the United States, especially in Europe.

And, if you turn your phone on for the first time while abroad but it appears that no coverage is available, your phone may be defaulting to the GSM bands that are only used in the U.S. 850 and 1900.

To change the default, open the Settings menu and then manually scan for available networks. Once you find a frequency that works, select it and you should be good to go.

(Bear in mind that international roaming charges can be extreme—in some cases up to several dollars—so be sure to check your plan before you leave the country.)

Tip: BlackBerry - How to Delete Seemingly Undeletable E-Mails
A member of our forum community has posted a question regarding his inablity to delete about two-dozen six month old e-mail messages from the inbox of his BlackBerry 7290 with wireless reconciliation activated. He made several attempts to remove the e-mails but to no avail.

Another member offered the following solution, which did the trick:

Using the deskop manager backup/restore, go into advanced, click on "Messages" on the right, click the "<-" (left) arrow, then once it's done transferring, click the right arrow (transferring back to blackberry), it will ask you if you are sure (you are). Then you will be able to delete the messages.

Click here to read the full thread.

Tip: BlackBerry - Download Your User Guide
If you've lost your BlackBerry user guide, have no fear. You can download a replacement copy for free from RIM's site. Just go to the Technical Knowledge Center and choose the User Guide or Getting Started Guide for your model. The guides are helpful for troubleshooting, introducing you to features you didn't even know you had, or helping you use the ones you haven't figure out yet.

Tip: BlackBerry – Successfully Receive Message Notifications
This article, which we were directed to by RIM's BlackBerry Connection newsletter, offers some troubleshooting tips to help you successfully receive message notifications if you're not when your BlackBerry is its holster.

Q: Why don't I receive my message notifications when my BlackBerry smartphone is in the holster?

A: Try the following troubleshooting suggestion to verify that the correct notification settings are selected:

1. From the Home screen on the device, go to Options > Profiles.
2. Select your selected profile and click the trackwheel.
3. Click Edit.
4. Select Messages.
5. Click the trackwheel and select Edit.
6. Verify that the correct Messages notifications are configured in your profile settings.
7. Click the trackwheel and select Save.

If this fix doesn't work, you can also try a different holster in order to verify that yours is working. When the BlackBerry device is correctly placed in the holster, it connects to a magnet and its LCD screen turns off. To test this, place the BlackBerry device in another holster. If the LCD screen still does not turn off, the holster might not be causing the problem.

Other suggestions include resetting the BlackBerry device or reloading applications. See your manual for instructions on how to try these fixes.

Tip: BlackBerry - Auto Enter Words, Phrases
This tip, which we were directed to by RIM's BlackBerry Connection newsletter, explains the difference between your BlackBerry's AutoText and Word list features and how to use them as shortcuts to enter words and phrases.

Word list is like having a dictionary at your fingertips, allowing you to save time. Custom words are added as you use them to the dictionary, and can also be added manually.

Add a custom word list item

1. In the device options, click Custom Wordlist.
2. Press the Menu key.
3. Click New.
4. Type a word or letter combination.
5. Click the trackball.
6. Click Save.

You can also delete words from the custom word list, or set your device to stop adding words to the list - check your manual for more details.

AutoText lets you replace specific text that you type with preloaded words and phrases. If you type text that can be replaced with an AutoText entry, the text changes after you press the Space key.

Built-in AutoText entries also correct common mistakes. For example, AutoText changes hte to the. You can create AutoText entries for your common typing mistakes or for abbreviations, for instance if you wrote NYSE then AutoText you could set it to expand to New York Stock Exchange.

Create an AutoText entry

1. In the device options, click AutoText.
2. Press the Menu key.
3. Click New.
4. In the Replace field, type the text to replace.
5. In the With field, perform one of the following actions:
• Type replacement text.
• To insert a macro (for example, the current date or time), press the Menu key. Click Insert Macro.
6. In the Using field, perform one of the following actions:
• To capitalize the entry exactly as you typed it, click Specified Case.
• To capitalize the entry according to the context, click SmartCase.
7. Set the language.
8. Press the Menu key.
9. Click Save.

Your manual also contains instructions for how to change or delete an AutoText entry, or to turn off AutoText for SMS messages.