Geotagging 101

Thanks to digital photography I take thousands of pictures a year. I have about 15,000 images stored on my computer, only sortable by date or folder name. So, I have recently started to tag these images with keywords describing the individuals and events in the pictures. In the future when I want to be able to locate all pictures of my son sleeping in a car or pictures of my husband and I on vacation, I will be able to simply click on a few check boxes or type in a selection of keywords in my photo software. Of course doing this for 15,000 images is a time consuming job.

Along with tagging the images with the people and activities in them I often use keywords to describe the location the image was taken. As cameras have become more advanced, some are now including GPS capabilities, which means that this will longer be necessary. Cameras with GPS technologies allow location information (longitude and latitude) to be written directly to the file at the moment the image is shot. This ability is also available on some newer BlackBerry® smartphones and is termed "Geotagging".

What is geotagging?

A digital photo is geotagged when location data (latitude and longitude coordinates) are added to the digital file alongside the photo’s existing EXIF data.

What you need:

BlackBerry with camera and GPS (enabled)

How to turn on Geotagging:

(Note these instructions are specific to BlackBerry® Bold^TM smartphone because that is what I have)

• From camera screen click on the BlackBerry menu button (this is the button with the BlackBerry logo).
• 1. In this menu choose "Options"
• 2. Scroll down to "Geotagging" and set to "Enabled"
• 3. Click on the BlackBerry menu button again and choose "Save"

When you are in the camera screen you should see a small map icon in the right hand corner. This indicates that you have enabled geotagging. However, in order for it to work you will also have to ensure that you have turned on GPS Services.

To turn on GPS Services on your BlackBerry:

1. Go to "Options"

2. Choose "Advanced Options"

3. Scroll down and click on "GPS"

4. Choose "Location On" for GPS Services

In the camera the geotag icon (the little globe in the right hand corner) needs to be white in order for the geotagging feature to work. If the icon is red it is not picking up your location via the GPS. For the most part this will be an issue when you are indoors or if you have just turned on your phone, as it may not have coordinated your location with the satellite yet. To be sure that you are connecting with GPS - open BlackBerry Maps® and "Start GPS navigation".

Now you are ready to shoot photos with geotags!

Watch for a future post on fun with Geotagging!

Auto Text

Don’t we all love shortcuts? We look for ways to make our route shorter (take the road less traveled, the one with fewer stop lights, or the one with more lanes), ways to cook our food faster (pre-cooked bacon), and ways to type on our BlackBerry® smartphone quicker. Whether you want to beat your friend in a type-off (whose thumbs are faster?) or just want to get more accomplished - you need to know about a neat BlackBerry feature - AutoText.

If you have ever typed the word "dont", "wouldnt" or "youve" using your BlackBerry smartphone you will notice that they quickly become "don't", "wouldn't' and "you've". Similarly, "i" becomes "I" and "www" remains status quo even at the beginning of a sentence. There are presets for commonly misspelled words, words with apostrophes, and words that require a particular lower or upper case at all times. If you need to tell a friend your phone number or PIN number simply type "mynumber" or "mypin" and the number will appear in its place.

You can also create your own AutoText settings to shorten frequently used words, or statements. A few I have created:

• Type "wru" and it is replaced with "where are you?" (a question I ask my husband regularly when we are out at the hardware store and he has gone missing! )
• Type "bb" and it is replaced with "BlackBerry" (obviously this is a well used word in my vocabulary!)
• Type "omw" and it is replaced with "on my way" (worthwhile when you are leaving work late and you want your spouse to know you have left)

How to use AutoText on your BlackBerry:


Go to Options (wrench) > AutoText

You can scroll through the presets to familiarize yourself with existing AutoText.

To add your own AutoText:

Click the BlackBerry Menu Button > New >

Type the quick text in the first field, and then what it will be replaced with in the following field, as seen below

Click the Menu button > Save
Ta Da! You have now created your very own shortcut.
Are you already using AutoText? Do you have a favorite shortcut for your BlackBerry smartphone?

Power Saving Tips For Blackberry

It might be a stretch to call this "going green", it isn't on par with using reusable bags or replacing your light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, but these are a few tips tohelp you maximize your batter charge!

Network Connections
Turn off unused connections when not in use for example: Wi-Fi ® Bluetooth® (Manage Connections)
Use “Auto On/Off” (Options>AutoOn/Off)
Use a single mode only. Choose 2G or 3G rather than 2G and 3G. (Options>Mobile Network)

Applications
When exiting, be sure to close the app, not leave it running in the background. (close with the ESC key, the rounded arrow not red power end key. Or, choose Menu button and scroll down to close)
Log out of applications when they are not needed.

Screen/Keyboard
Reduce Backlight Timeout (Options> Screen/Keyboard)
Reduce Backlight Brightness (Options > Screen/Keyboard)
Use a device holster (this turns off LCD automatically when you put your device away)
Set Audible Roll for your trackball to mute (Options> Screen/Keyboard)
Key Tone Off (Options> Screen/Keyboard)

Camera
Turn off flash (Camera > Options)
Set picture size to Small (Camera > Options)
Set Color Effect to Normal (Camera > Options)
Set Picture Quality to Normal (Camera > Options)

GPS
Turn off GPS when not required (Options > Advanced Options > GPS)
Use the zoom out function to get the largest viewable area that you can still use usefully.

Browsing
Close browser when finished using (close with ESC key, not red End key)

This is pretty big list, do you have any additions? Or maybe just some general "green" tips for life?

Using Blackberry Messenger

About two years ago we were visiting a local park with our son when he met a new little friend. It was the first time we had seen our son, who was two at the time, play with another child, as opposed to beside another child. We were excited to see how well they played together, as were the other boy's parents. Over the course of a few visits to the park we eventually exchanged phone numbers with the other parents so that we could arrange a future play-date. Neither us nor the other parents ever got around to calling. However, at the park, later that summer, we were talking about our BlackBerry® smartphones and decided to exchange PINs so we could chat over BlackBerry® Messenger.

From that moment on we began messaging each other about when we were going to the park; we organized play-dates; and weekend excursions to museums or theme parks all via IM! We could have done this by picking up the telephone but there was something less obtrusive about Messenger. We could message and reply at any time, unlike a telephone call where there is the potential to call at an inconvenient time for the other party. Using Messenger made organizing and meeting up simple and easy. Two years later, my son continues to be friends with the other boy and my husband and I are great friends with the parents. I credit Messenger for our friendship!

Messenger is a great way to connect with your friends who have a BlackBerry smartphone. If you are new to BlackBerry devices or have never used Messenger this will get you started:

Using BlackBerry Messenger

• Find BlackBerry Messenger, hint it looks like this (and may reside in your Instant Messaging folder)

• Your first time using BlackBerry Messenger you will be asked for a display name (this is the name that will show up on your friend's contact list), and a password.

To add contacts to Messenger:
• From the Contact List screen click the Menu button - looks like this:
• Click "Add a Contact"
• This box will pop up:

• Type an email address, name or PIN, press enter key.

Note: You can only add a 'name' if the individual is listed in your address book with a valid email address.

How to find your PIN on your BlackBerry smartphone: Options (wrench), Status

Can you credit your BlackBerry with making a new friend?

If you don't have IM on your BlackBerry:

BlackBerry Messenger for Software Versions 4.0 and 4.1
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/im/blackberry_messenger.jsp

You can download other IM clients here:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/im/

Free Ebook Blackberry Download

Go to "Project Gutenberg" on your desktop / laptop computer

Find what you want among the tons of free books. Download the zipped HTML version of the book. E-mail to the eBook itself and open the ZIP attachment to your BlackBerry. Voilà! They have a nicely formatted e-book in your browser. You can leaf through the reading by pressing "Space", which you look for a screen of text at a time. It offers a continuous comfortable reading experience.

I have a lot of books of this kind, when I travel, and elsewhere, and have no problems with it.

If this is known, did you I'm sorry for bitching about it. If this is not the case: Have fun.(Via Blackberry Forum)

OR

Just read over at BerryReview that S4BB has started a beta site for downloading eBooks right to your BlackBerry! You can download on the desktop too, but OTA is easier than desktop installation I believe. According to BerryReview, they won’t have any recent books because they are mostly classics.

In order to read these books you can download MobiPocket Reader for your BlackBerry by pointing your BlackBerry Browser to m.mobipocket.com. It’s free! For more info visit MobiPocket.com.

Once you have MobiPocket Read on your BlackBerry, point your BlackBerry Browser to BlackBerryBooks.com and start browsing for books. Enjoy!

(via BerryReview)

How do we check if our BlackBerry is "unlocked"?

To check if your BlackBerry is "unlocked" for use on carriers other than for which it is branded :

1. On your BlackBerry, go to Options > Advanced Options > Sim Card.

2. At that screen type MEPD (see annotation below) on your keyboard. A new menu will pop up.

* If your BlackBerry has a SureType keyboard (71xx and 81xx devices) you'll need to double-tap the P, so the actual keys entered become M E P P D.

3. Look for Network in the list.

4. If your device is "unlocked", it should say Disabled or Inactive. If it says Active, it's still locked to that carrier.

Tips to Remove IT Policy from Blackberry

1. Ensure the Blackberry Desktop Manager is installed applying Blackberry Internet Service, and not Blackberry Enterprise Server. If you are uncertain, it would probably be a good idea to uninstall the Desktop Manager and start again.

If you don't have the CD that accompanied your Blackberry, the Software can be download.

2. Download the file policy.bin and save it in your Blackberry installation directory (C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry).

3. Wipe your Blackberry, creating a backup if necessity. Select Options/Security/Wipe on the Device.

If this option is unavailable, you may have to install the latest software on your Blackberry. You need to Download and install the latest Desktop Manger Software, then the latest Handheld Software. Connect your device, open the Desktop Manager, select Application Loader, and follow the prompts.

4. Close the Desktop Manager if it is open.

5. From the Windows Start Menu select Run..., and at the prompt type regedit. In the tree on the left hand side, navigate to:

HKEY_Current_Users\Software\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\PolicyManager

Right-Click the Policy Manager Folder and select New/String Value. Name the value Path. Now, Double-Click the Path Subkey and set Value Data to:

C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\policy.bin

6. Open the Desktop Manager.

7. Connect the Device.

Once accomplished, the Options/Security screen on your Blackberry shouldn't contain references to an IT Policy, you had better now be able to change all settings (including password prompts), and install Third Party Applications.

6 Tips to ease your Blackberry

1. Install the necessary applications only, does not need to save the application that use only once.

2. Avoid applications that will continue to work, such as Google Mail or Yahoo Messenger. Use only the important, and do not activate automatically connect.

3. Delete message as soon as possible, if not important.

4. There is no need to save the Chat Log History from YM, GTalk, BB Messenger or other.

5. Restart handled that already feels slow start.

6. Remove the battery for several minutes, if after the restart still not responding.

5 Tips to secure your Blackberry

Nowadays, time using the Blackberry. A device that is not merely a communication device, but also symbols of prestigiousness. But do not save the left-handed your Blackberry. Safe data in it. Well, how secure your Blackberry? Here is how:

1. Treat your Blackberry as a PC.
One great if you assume that viruses and malware is not a problem on the Blackberry. According to research Smobile Systems, malware is infecting many Blackberry is spyware. While spyware can lurk every e-mail and SMS messages that go out and Blackberry. Even the remote can turn on the phone and overhear the conversation. So fill your blackberry with the antivirus.

2. Do not use a slapdash Blackberry.
Be careful. Keep your personal information with your Blackberry does not use in places that are open or in the crowd because it can only personal data you can be seen by other people ..

3. Do not be flippant put your Blackberry.
This suggestion is most plausible, but it is also the beginning of a disaster for the Blackberry users. Not only residual risk, but also open the opportunity for thieves, who can only take the sensitive data or install trojan horse in several seconds while holding the device.

4. Create back up your data.
Purchase remote access software, to anticipate memback-up data if you lost your Blackberry. Purchase program that provides remote access means you can lock the device so that others can not access them. You can also backup information stored on the Blackberry and delete them when you realize your Blackberry raib and will not be back again.

5. Use encryption.
Encryption is available in the device is made rim. To do is just activate it.

Happy trying ...