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Designed to be the device that keeps you connected while you are away, the BlackBerry contains most of the same e-mail features as a desktop PIM, all in the palm of your hand. Once you are connected and begin sending and receiving e-mail, you’ll quickly realize that there are many e-mail tasks that you need to perform. In this chapter, I’ll describe all of the e-mail management functions available so that you can use the BlackBerry to meet all of your e-mail needs.

Managing Messages

In order to help you manage your e-mail, the BlackBerry includes an inbox/outbox feature in the form of the Messages folder, which is available through your Home screen by clicking the Messages icon or pressing M on your keypad. The Messages folder contains a simple text interface where you can see all of the mail that you have received, any mail that is waiting to be sent (such as messages that are held when you are not connected to the network), and any sent mail that failed, as shown in Figure 7-1.

Figure 1:


The Messages folder gives you easy access to messages.

From this easy-to-use interface you can perform any of the e-mail actions that you might need. The following sections show you how.

Configuring Options

Before using the Messages folder, you should check out the configuration options that are available to you from this screen. By accessing Options on the menu that appears when you click the trackwheel, you can choose whether or not to show the time and names for e-mail. With these options turned on, all e-mail is displayed with a time stamp and the name(s) of the person to whom the e-mail is sent. Under most circumstances, you will want these features enabled—especially if you receive a lot of e-mail.

You can also choose whether or not to use a delete confirmation message. This feature gives you a measure of safety when deleting messages by asking you to confirm deletions. Without this feature turned on, you have no second chance when you click the Delete option.

Note: Once you delete a message, it cannot be recovered on the BlackBerry. The Confirm Delete feature can be helpful in preventing accidents, and I strongly recommend that you leave the feature enabled. Some providers have a backup website that allows you to back up your e-mail messages to it. Check with your provider to find out if this additional measure of protection is available to you.

To learn how to configure the Messages folder options, see “How to…Configure Messages Folder Options.”

How To …

Configure the Messages Folder Options

To configure the Messages folder options, follow these steps:

1. On the Home screen, open the Messages folder by clicking it or pressing M on your keypad.

2. In the Messages screen, click the trackwheel to see the menu and click Options, as shown here.

Illustration 1

3. In the Options screen, click the trackwheel and select any options that you want to change from the menu that appears. (You can also hold down the ALT key and roll the trackwheel to change highlighted item options.) For each item, choose Yes or No.

4. When you’re done, click the trackwheel to see the menu and then click Save Options.

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Marking Messages

If you receive a lot of e-mail each day, you know that sifting through that e-mail and reading each message can be a real headache—especially if you can’t keep up with which messages you have read and which messages you have not. The BlackBerry can help keep you organized with its Mark Message feature, which allows you to mark a message as either read or unread. You can mark important messages as unread to ensure that you reread them or give them special attention later. To mark a message as either read or unread, scroll to the message in the Messages folder and click the trackwheel to see the menu for this screen. Next, click either Mark Read or Mark Unread. Messages that are marked as read have an opened envelope icon next to them; messages marked as unread have an unopened envelope icon. You can change the status of any message (read or unread) at any time by simply re-accessing the menu and changing the mark option.

Tip: You can mark several messages as read or unread at the same time by holding down the SHIFT key and rolling the trackwheel. You can also mark an entire group of messages as read or unread by scrolling to the desired date in the Messages folder, clicking the trackwheel, and then clicking Mark Prior Read. All messages prior to the date selected will be marked Read.

Saving Messages

Think of the Messages folder as a work area. Messages that you receive automatically arrive to this folder, and messages that are waiting on network connectivity to be sent are also held here. From the Messages screen, you read your mail, mark messages as needed, and delete messages you do not want (see the next section). Once you finish managing messages, however, you also have the option to save messages that you want to keep. These messages are then removed from the Messages folder and placed in a separate folder called Saved Messages, which is accessible from your Home screen by clicking the Saved Messages icon or pressing V on your keypad. To save a message, simply select the message that you want to save in the Messages folder, click the trackwheel, and click Save Message on the menu that appears. In the Saved Messages folder, you’ll see your list of saved messages. You can open and read any message that you like, and you can also mark and delete messages in the Saved Messages folder.

Begin Did You Know?

What Happened to My Messages?

Consider this scenario: you pick up the BlackBerry one morning and begin reading your e-mail while eating breakfast. As you are browsing through your Messages folder, which contains a lot of messages, you notice that some older messages are missing. What happened?

The BlackBerry uses memory to store messages in the Messages folder. When memory begins to run low, the BlackBerry has to make room for new, incoming messages. To find the room it needs, the BlackBerry begins deleting the oldest messages in the Messages folder; however, messages stored in your Saved Messages folder are not deleted. In order to avoid the potential message loss, it is important that you keep your Messages folder tidy—delete messages you don’t want and save messages that you do want. These housekeeping actions will help ensure that you do not lose e-mail that you might need.

End Did You Know?

Deleting Messages

If you are like me, you tend a get a lot of junk e-mail (unfortunately). This may include advertisements and CC messages from colleagues that don’t concern you. You can easily delete messages from the Messages folder that you do not want, and you also delete messages from the Saved Messages folder when they are no longer useful to you. To delete a message, scroll to the message you want to delete, click the trackwheel to access menu options, and click Delete Message. Click Yes in response to the confirmation dialog box that appears, and the message will be deleted from the BlackBerry. It is important to note that the BlackBerry does not contain a folder for deleted items. Once you delete a message, it is gone forever and cannot be recovered. Because you cannot recover deleted messages, I strongly recommend that you leave the Confirm Delete option set to Yes in both the Messages and Saved Messages Options screens. This feature will help ensure that you do not accidentally delete a message that you want to keep.

Note: You can delete several messages at one time by holding down the SHIFT key and rolling the trackwheel to select the messages. You can also delete all messages prior to a certain date by selecting the date in the Messages folder, clicking the trackwheel, and clicking Delete Prior from the menu that appears. All messages prior to this date will be deleted. However, use caution and make sure that all messages that you want to keep have been saved before you use the Delete Prior feature.

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Manage Saved Messages

It is important to keep in mind that the BlackBerry’s Messages folder is designed for incoming and outgoing mail. Think of the folder as a place to quickly read and sort your mail. You can decide what you need and what you don’t need while working in the Messages folder, but as a general rule of practice, you should try to keep the Messages folder clear from clutter. Use the Saved Messages feature to store mail that you want to keep. You can then easily access the saved messages and read or respond to them as needed.

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