Hello and thank you in advance for any help that is forthcoming.

I just recently purchased an 8700c with AT&T service. This being my first Blackberry, I ask that you please excuse my ignorance. I did some searching on the threads here but there are sooooo many. So, I am just going to list my questions below.

Email - is it possible to toggle the email notifications on and off? I basically would like to receive the email when I'm away from my office. I feel like I'm double deleting every message.

Ringtones Is it possible to upload an MP3 to my blackberry to use as a ringtone? If not, does anyone know of a good website to get free polyphonic ringtones? Also, the ring isn't very loud. I have it turned all the way up but just doesn't seem to be loud enough for me to hear in another room.

Applications Are there any GPS applications that you can use with the Blackberry? I saw Google Maps has GPS capability, but you need to purchase a separate bluetooth receiver in order for that to work. I am a Real Estate agent and GPS is starting to become a must. No more printing out directions from the net.

Are there any applications that you feel are a "must have" for the casual blackberry user?

Alarm My old cell phone was able to "auto-power on" if I had the alarm set but the power was off.... is that capable with the 8700c?

Power on and off What is the correct way to turn the blackberry off? Use the power button or the icon that says power off? When I use the power button on top of the phone, it doesn't seem to turn all the way off.

Themes what theme is the best to use. I believe I read somewhere that certain themes will provide better volume.


I think that should do it for right now... again, I hope that you can forgive me for my ignorance. Thanks for your help!!

I can't answer all but will give a go to a couple:

EMAIL: Email is "PUSH" which means it is automatically sent approx every 15 minutes (BIS) or near real time (BES). The only way to stop it is to turn off the device, but once you turn it back on, you will get everything anyway.

APPLICATIONS: The 8700 does not have an embedded GPS. You can use a bluetooth GPS puck in combination with BBMaps or GoogleMaps, but you will not get turn by turn or voice assistance. I do not not know if TeleNav will work on an 8700, but that will give turn by turn voice assustance for an extra $10 a month. As for "must haves" look at handango.com for 3rd party applications. Only you know what you really need.

THEMES: Can't really say what is best for you. I use Dimension Today because I like it and it works for me.

Search works. You can find what you need, it just takes time.

Lets see what I can do for you here. My first post too!

1.
Is it possible to toggle the email notifications on and off? I basically would like to receive the email when I'm away from my office. I feel like I'm double deleting every message.

Answer: Email is "PUSH" which means it is automatically sent approx every 15 minutes (BIS) or near real time (BES). The only way to stop it is to turn off the device, but once you turn it back on, you will get everything anyway.

2. Ringtones Is it possible to upload an MP3 to my blackberry to use as a ringtone? If not, does anyone know of a good website to get free polyphonic ringtones? Also, the ring isn't very loud. I have it turned all the way up but just doesn't seem to be loud enough for me to hear in another room.

Answer - Sometimes a mp3 just won't work as a ringtone. I found that out with a lot of music that I like - the song is just to quiet. If you want a good website try mobile41.com it was designed for your blackberry and has some great ringtones on there for free.

3.
Alarm My old cell phone was able to "auto-power on" if I had the alarm set but the power was off.... is that capable with the 8700c?


Answer - Yes your phone will power on if you have it off and an alarm needs to sound. I found out that last night

4.
Power on and off What is the correct way to turn the blackberry off? Use the power button or the icon that says power off? When I use the power button on top of the phone, it doesn't seem to turn all the way off.

Answer - Either way will work. I typical find myself using the icon - just a personal preference I suppose.

5.
Themes what theme is the best to use. I believe I read somewhere that certain themes will provide better volume.

Answer - Hmmm don't know if I have heard about that - I think it is more OS that will provide better volume. Search till you find one you like - there are tons of them out there. Seems like Dimension Today is a popular one.

i did some more searching and found some more info... thought I would post for others to see...

Ringtones... www.tuneusin.com is a FANTASTIC website for ringtones. (all 100% free and no registration) Pull up website on your Blackberry and save each ringtone you like. Great selections!!

I will try the alarm this weekend... i can't afford to be late for work if it doesn't work!!

as for the power off, when i use the icon, it asks if I want to "Turn off" or "Full Power off"... what's the difference??

Thank you both for your replys... much appreciated!!!

Generally, you can also upload any MP3 of your own as long as its <700 kb or so. Some of them mysteriously don't play well. If you have 4.2, I think you can push them via bluetooth. Otherwise, you can make an empty directory on the host that stores your web homepage, and throw the mp3 files into it, and when you navigate to it in the BB browser, the BB will show you a file list and let you download and save them. That's what I do.

I don't know if the loudness is a brand to brand issue, or as you suggest, a theme thing? My Blackberry is easily the loudest cell phone I've ever owned in terms of ringers and alerts. In fact the lowest setting is louder than I'd like for a lowest setting and I never use anything higher!

The big one to me is that navigating to websites to search for information is fairly slow, so 1-2 programs to do information hunting are definitely recommended. Beyond411 is amazing at finding addresses, maps, phone numbers, etc. I use JiveTalk for IM and bbweather too, but Beyond411 is the one I consider crucial. I installed Google Maps but B411 did enough for me so I just uninstalled Google Maps.

I think if you HOLD the power off button, it fully powers off, right?

I like Smoothie, but does the theme really change the definition of the volume settings? it is kind of frustrating that the lowest volume on my BB (8700g) is quite loud! If the volume is theme dependent, definitely try Smoothie, as my BB is very vocal.

EDIT: Speaking of the Alarm...do you really need to turn your BB off? Just set it to a profile that doesn't ring / alert, if you're worried about that. I really never turn my cell phones off, except on airplanes.