You made the mistake again. You’ve commented on some jerk’s status update that is getting a gazillion responses or you wrote “Congratulations!” after someone posted their first baby photo (you’ll be bored of their baby pictures in a week). Now you’re stuck because your stupid phone is exploding from all the follow up congratulatory nonsense making you regret your decision, but you’re away from a computer. As you watch your battery drain from the beating it’s taking from Facebook notifications, you swear that you’ll NEVER.COMMENT.AGAIN. I’m here to save your (battery) life.
Facebook offers the option to “Unfollow Post” so you stop getting harassed with follow up notifications you don’t care about on their website. It’s easy to do on your computer but it hasn’t been integrated into the mobile site yet.
Good news! There’s a magical link that Facebook stashes away deep deep in the internet that lets you access the full desktop version of Facebook from your phone. It works on Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and probably anything else. Except Symbian. Even Jesus hates Symbian. Save this link on your phone or tablet for full desktop access of Facebook: http://bit.ly/fullfacebook Hitting this link on your computer is just going to take you to Facebook, there won’t be anything special. Be sure you do this on your phone.
When you need to unfollow a facebook post or untag a stupid photo that your terrible friend tagged you in, hit the link above from your mobile device and correct the situation. Share this with your friends and happy facebooking.
If you caught the previous post about the Wilson Electronics dB Pro installation, you know that we were able to get service in a place with no prior service. It was a huge benefit for our family. To ratchet the signal up more, we opted to switch the antenna out from an omnidirectional antenna to a directional antenna. The change resulted in a boost of 6 dB for us, which is significant – double the power, actually. Check out photos and video of the install below. A big thank you to my dad for running the tractor safely, @chocov for the heavy lifting and @smithflys23 for the cameo and tool handling.
Signal test with the dB Pro and the omnidirectional antenna: -104 dB
Wilson Electronics’ Directional Antenna
Removal of the Wilson Electronics Omnidirectional Antenna
Preparing the Wilson Electronics Directional Antenna
Wilson Electronics Directional Antenna Mounted and Aimed
Signal test with the dB Pro and the Directional antenna: -98 dB
Check out the video. Shot with a @GoPro_News Hero 2 Motorsport.
It’s not enough to have service inside the house when you’re out at the ranch, so we fired up a Wilson Electronics Sleek. It comes with an antenna, an expandable cradle to fit even the widest of phones or devices and a cigarette lighter adapter. Even out at the feeder on the outskirts of the ranch, we were able to place a call.
Without the Sleek – no service
Wilson Electronics Sleek Antenna
Wilson Electronics Sleek Cradle
With the Sleek – -97 dB Signal
@chocov testing out the service with the Sleek
If you’re out in the country or in a place with poor service, check out the Wilson Electronics kits. They really do work!
If you read nothing else, read this: Vote for Dave Peckens in the CrackBerry Idol contest. It’s the right thing to do.
@davepeckens is a friend of mine. No, we’ve never met, but that’s merely a technicality. Dave and I have shared some great conversations about business, religion, being a husband, a dad and so much more over the time I’ve known him. His passion for BlackBerry devices and all things RIM is impressive to me. He learns daily, he shares his knowledge every minute he can. He does it with heart and charisma.
Surely the other competitors in the contest are at least passable humans, I think, but Dave stands out. He will out-work, out-wit, and outnumber (can he do that? Oh YES HE CAN!) all of the other contestants. Voting for Dave is like voting for America. It’s like voting for kittens & puppy dogs and for you oddly teen-crazed females, it’s like voting for Bieber. So I beseech you (yeah, look that up, it means I *really* mean it), vote for Dave. Need a few more reasons? Here’s what a vote for Dave means to you:
Are you interested in becoming the fastest BlackBerry user this side of the Pecos River? To do so, you need to keep some keyboard shortcuts in mind. Let’s jump right in:
When you’re composing an email, don’t bother typing the “@” or “.” in an email field, instead, use the spacebar, the BlackBerry already knows what symbol to enter.
In you messages list, you can use the following shortcuts to skip the menu and get right to work, the information in the parentheses is for the folks on SureType devices, such as the Pearl:
C (,) = compose new message
R (!) = reply to a message
L (?) = reply to all in a message
F (.) = forward a message
T (1)= top, it’ll take you to the top of an email or the messages list
B (7)= bottom, it’ll take you to the bottom of an email or the message list
Spacebar (9) = page down in an email or the message list
Shift + Spacebar (3) = page up in an email or the message list
P (4) = previous email or previous day’s message (if in the message list)
N (6) = next email or next day’s message (if in the message list)
Hold a letter down to capitalize it
Keep an eye on this blog to get more tips on how to speed up your life on BlackBerry.
As you may (if you’re a nerd) or may not (not a nerd) have heard, RIM has rolled out BlackBerry Internet Service aka BIS 2.8. One of the features that has been added to this release is the ability to synchronize Gmail contacts to your device. Unfortunately, providers oftentimes don’t give you any notice that they’ve updated and finding the version of the BIS that you’re on can be a pain. Fortunately, I’ve dug up a way for you to be able to tell whether it’s been updated to BIS 2.8. Thanks to RIM’s help section, it explains where you can turn the contact synchronization on and off, via the menu system.
1. On the BlackBerry® Internet Service web site, in the left pane, click Email Accounts.
2. Click the Edit icon beside your Google Mail™ email address.
3. Select the Contacts check box.
4. Click Save.
After you finish: To stop synchronizing your contacts, clear the Contacts check box.
So if you don’t see this option, you’re not on BIS 2.8 yet. If you do see this option, you’re all set! Remember, you have to be running OS 5.0 to use this feature.
Want to know Boy Genius’s true identity? You can find out here.
If you keep up with mobile technology in the slightest, you no doubt have heard of Boy Genius. He has an army of “ninjas” that uncover new phones, sometimes years before they are released. It really is an amazing feat. As open as Boy Genius is with his information on new handsets, product releases and software updates, he’s equally as secretive about his identity. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place, as I’ve unmasked Boy Genius. Let’s run through the hints that he’s provided to lead to his unmasking.
Attitude: If you follow Boy Genius on Twitter, you’ll know he talks trash. It even says so in his bio: “I talk a lot of smack.”
Respect: Boy Genius is held at an amazing level. He’s shaped products, launches and their downfalls. Insane levels of power rest on his shoulders. At Boy Genius’s one year anniversary, celebrities like Michael Strahan, Diddy and DJ Clue showed up. BG is clearly no chump.
References: The final giveaway was where you can find Boy Genius and the BoyGeniusReport.com mentioned – CNBC, BrandWeek, ABC Radio and The Wall Street Journal.
If you put the street cred together with choices in food and beverage, company kept and attitude found on Twitter, you come back with only one person. A man that has been in the industry longer than most and has been hardened to the embargo, the PR flack and the grief of corporate. A man that loves both Apple and RIM. Who is this uber-connected, feared and loved technology soothsayer? A man you’ve known all along by another name and who I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a meal?
I am here to tell you that RIM did a bang up job on the BlackBerry WES party. With the drinks flying and the music of Will.I.am blaring, you can imagine the stories would be flying. Yeah, I’ll say. But I am not here to talk about this girl dancing. (See pic above) I am here to talk about a man and a video. Nan Palmero is one of the best guys you will meet. We share alot of the same business philosophies and zeal for life.. Now with all that being said, why is he meriting his own post? Him and I were chatting and raving about the good energy that was in the room tonight. Here is how I remember the conversation.
Nan ” Will I am is putting on quite the show”
Me: “Yeah man. Although I do miss Fergie.”
Nan:” You know, I got this press pass and I wanna see how far this will get me. I am gonna try and get on stage.””
Me: “Never gonna happen. (Although in my mind I’m thinking – this dude has balls the size of church bells)
Nan: “Why not? I’m going up. I will probably get shut down but why not!”
Me: (thinking to myself. Dude you’re done. I got $20 on the big Jesse “the Body” Ventura grabbing him by his throat.) Alright go!
Next thing I know, he is walking toward the stage. I grab our trusty camera and I see him talking to the stage bouncer (FAIL) The bouncer looks at him and says “go ahead.” And he did and he never looked back. (Smart move) Now, I am mentally navigating him on where he should go. He is first stopping at the drummer. He is taking pure video and good quality. Ok, it’s been fun right? Shows over. I mean he can’t be actually thinking about going to film Will.i.am right? Oh snap! He walks over to Will and starts filming him. Will looks at him and gets back to business on the turntables. Nan tells him to keep working. At this point, I see the po-po waiting for Nan to come off the stage because they got a special prize for him. They stop him and completely are ready to yank him and his video but somehow he wiggles his way out of their midst. He looks at me and I am rooting for him like he is a special olympic hurdler winning his first goal. He is noyt interested in my salutations. He is beelined for the door. All he says is, Chad I gotta go. Follow me to the door. Now, I realize what is going on. He can’t stop or they may strip him for his film. I am happy to say he is a free man and I have the video of his stage presence with Will i am.
The new BlackBerry Tour was recently released for Verizon and Sprint and this August, RIM is launching the BlackBerry Curve 8520 on T-Mobile. If you’re lucky enough to have picked up a new device or you haven’t done these tweaks to your current BlackBerry, give them a look. They’ll certainly make you look like a BlackBerry genius at the office and potentially more attractive to the opposite sex.
1. BlackBerrys have a built in dictionary called Autotext. If you go to the Options (wrench icon) and select Autotext, you can add to the list. You can add shortcuts such as having the BlackBerry replace “ty” to “thank you” or “yw” to “you’re welcome.” Doing this will make you incredibly fast in your email and text responses.
2. The camera on your BlackBerry has keyboard shortcuts that allow you change options without going into the menu.
a. Spacebar – Cycle between automatic flash, turning it off or forcing the flash with the spacebar
b. Volume buttons – let you zoom in and out
c. SYM button – toggles the full screen view
3. There are a number of Twitter applications that you can pick up for your BlackBerry. Typically, you’ll find people using TwitterBerry, one of the first good Twitter apps. Now, I prefer the following applications because they’re much faster and they have additional functionality:
a. UberTwitter (free) – this is my current Twitter application. It’s fast, allows for re-tweets, allows you to look at trending topics and allows you add locations to your tweets and photos. Use your phone’s browser to get it from http://www.ubertwitter.com
b. SocialScope (free) – SocialScope is another great free BlackBerry Twitter app that has tabs for Twitter and Facebook and allows for re-tweets. Get more information at http://www.SocialScope.net
c. TweetGenius ($5) – TweetGenius is the best looking BlackBerry Twitter application from Boy Genius. TweetGenius lets you track users and perform Twitter searches, among other features. You can see screenshots and purchase at http://www.thetweetgenius.com
4. Do you want to read your news feeds, check the weather, sports and flight status all from one place? Do you think free applications are the best ones? If you answered yes to these questions, then you should check out Viigo at http://www.getviigo.com/nan through your BlackBerry Browser.
5. Your BlackBerry is capable of streaming internet radio and again, it’s free! Point your BlackBerry Browser to Pandora http://www.pandora.com or my favorite, Slacker at http://www.slacker.com. You can set up your station on your computer, and then login with the same credentials on your BlackBerry for the same experience. Additionally, Slacker allows you to save the stations to your memory card for listening when your phone isn’t able to connect to the network, such as flying in a plane.
Keep an eye out on this blog for more BlackBerry tips and applications to help you maximize your device at little to no cost to you. Enjoy your new knowledge and ask questions in the comments or on Twitter.
Welcome to the first installment of Nan the Power User. You’ll see me pop in from time to time with reviews, tips, tricks and ideas with a business twist. I’m the Chief Inspiration Officer at Salesby5, a marketing and consulting group in San Antonio, TX, where we dramatically increase sales for companies and organizations. Additionally, I am quite the BlackBerry fanboy/evangelist. I’ll welcome feedback and new ideas; I always like to try new things! One of my weapons of choice in connecting with others is to use Twitter.
Connecting with People
In the recent past, there have been small windows of accessibility to the people you aspire to connect with. If you think back, sending a letter was a great way to connect with someone. Then, we evolved into sending these letters via fax because it was more time efficient. Now, looking back, faxes seem ancient compared to sending an email. Those that led the way on using these technologies were able to cut through the noise and connect with the right people. Today, the new window to access people is Twitter. I call it a window because, like the previously named methods of communication, it’ll be ruined by the noise of too many people and will close as a great way to connect.
For those of you that haven’t heard, Twitter allows you to talk to your friends and strangers, 140 characters at a time. This medium requires you to be to the point, which is important since the average human is hit with over 3,000 messages per day. It isn’t that we are too dumb to process information, it is merely a matter of scarcity – there is not enough time to deal with so many words!
Due to Twitter being hip to API’s and allowing people to develop applications to attach to their service, we have so many ways to access Twitter. Although this isn’t close to an exhaustive list, some of the BlackBerry Twitter clients include TinyTwitter, Twibble and TwitterBerry. Each of these applications allows you to post, check out your timeline and the public timeline, send direct messages and more. Some people prefer the location aware Twibble, while others prefer TinyTwitter’s ability to hide ultra chatty-friends from time to time (yeah, I’m looking at you @guykawasaki). My personal favorite is TwitterBerry. I like the layout of the screen for the timeline because the pictures aren’t too big and the font size is just right to be able to fit more tweets on the screen. Additionally, @jaschroe is working on auto-updating feeds and notifications. I would also love to see the ability to temporarily hide friends.
Today, on Twitter, you can meet new vendors, CEOs, CIOs, authors, bloggers, techies, freaks and geeks. During the course of my day, I am able to ping new folks to connect for a drink or a quick meeting. To date, I have developed relationships with world class thought leaders because I spent the time to send a “tweet” that was genuine.
Sharing Your Life
As I mentioned, I live in Texas. It wouldn’t be uncommon for me to see rattlesnakes, armadillos, or Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. Using TwitterBerry lets me share those experiences with people all around the world who would likely be fascinated by such occurrences. Just because it’s everyday life for me, doesn’t mean that it is for you as well. When I share these sights and sounds on Twitter via TwitterBerry or Twitpic, it weaves my existence more tightly into yours and gives us a bond that we didn’t have before. Recently, I attended CTIA. From there, I tweeted the keynote highlights as they were spoken. Later, I decided to walk from my hotel to the famous Lombard St. I tweeted my progress and supplemented the walk with photos via Twitpic, a service that lets me post pictures to Twitter. My Twitter followers were ecstatic. They basically felt as if they were riding along on my shoulder learning new information from CTIA as it was announced (before the media was able to do so), and later, they received a photo tour of my walk. This scenario would not have been possible without TwitterBerry and its abilities to receive replies and direct messages. Standard texting would have been a hassle due to the number of text messages I would receive in reply.
Bottom line: You don’t necessarily have to be important, powerful or good looking. Being authentic and slightly ahead of the curve—in this instance via Twitter/TwitterBerry—is allowing me to share my life with more people, connect with people who I would not be able to reach in a different mode and find new people who are an asset to my life. I’d say that’s a great use of technology!
