Timezone & appointments - BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community

Ross0 · **Timezone & appointments -** 08-22-2007, 01:20 AM

Is there any way to enter appointments into the calendar and have them keep the same time no matter what time zone I set the BB too? For instance, if I'm in eastern time zone and set an 1pm meeting for a trip to Chicago next week and upon arrival in Chicago I change the device time to CT, the appointment moves to 12pm. Can I keep it so that it says at 1pm?

Thanks,

Klotar · **OS:** 4.6.0.162

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Is there any way to enter appointments into the calendar and have them keep the same time no matter what time zone I set the BB too? For instance, if I'm in eastern time zone and set an 1pm meeting for a trip to Chicago next week and upon arrival in Chicago I change the device time to CT, the appointment moves to 12pm. Can I keep it so that it says at 1pm?

Thanks,

If I know my appointment is going to be a certain time for that time zone, I set it that way. So in your example, I will set it for 1 PM CST, which would set itself for 2 PM EST while you're still "at home".

While I know that's not what you're asking for; I found I just got used to it fast and let the BB "do the math" for me while setting up the appointments -- by setting the appointments and changing the timezone of the appointment to match where I'll be.

John Clark · **OS:** 4.5.0.102

There is no way to keep it at the same local time. It will change based on your time zone as posted above.

CanuckBB · **OS:** 4.6.0.162

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Is there any way to enter appointments into the calendar and have them keep the same time no matter what time zone I set the BB too? For instance, if I'm in eastern time zone and set an 1pm meeting for a trip to Chicago next week and upon arrival in Chicago I change the device time to CT, the appointment moves to 12pm. Can I keep it so that it says at 1pm?

Thanks,

I simply don't bother with TZ. When I travel, I keep the TZ to Eastern and change the local time. I do this for a number of reasons

1) changing TZ changes the time on ALL appointments!
2) Outlook 2003 does not allow changing TZ when entering an appt.
3) I like to see the real time of upcoming appt in advance.

YMMV

aiharkness · 08-22-2007, 08:55 AM

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanuckBB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Is there any way to enter appointments into the calendar and have them keep the same time no matter what time zone I set the BB too? For instance, if I'm in eastern time zone and set an 1pm meeting for a trip to Chicago next week and upon arrival in Chicago I change the device time to CT, the appointment moves to 12pm. Can I keep it so that it says at 1pm?

Thanks,

I simply don't bother with TZ. When I travel, I keep the TZ to Eastern and change the local time. I do this for a number of reasons

1) changing TZ changes the time on ALL appointments!
2) Outlook 2003 does not allow changing TZ when entering an appt.
3) I like to see the real time of upcoming appt in advance.

YMMV

What is the "real" time? ...... (kidding)

This is a reasonable solution if it works for you. Only drawback I see right off is time periods of events/appointments spanning time zones will not be accurate. But otherwise, hey, different strokes.

JRSCCivic98 · 08-22-2007, 09:08 AM

This is why I keep telling people it's a bad idea to design a calendaring app which has its own internal time calculation system. Bad move. It's better to have it depend upon the hosts time calculation system. That way you wouldn't run into these problems.... not only that, but everyone in IT wouldn't have had to apply silly ass patches and run fix it apps on Outlook when the Daylight Savings Time changed on us last year. When will they listen?

JSanders · 08-22-2007, 09:21 AM

"They" will probably never listen, therefore you have to do what you have to do. Personally, I like the way RIM has it, so that I have to physically change my timezone when required. I don't want to arrive in a TZ, two hours later across town realize that it is actually four hours later and I have just missed my meeting, because I had no "conscious" realization of the time change.

JR--is it possible for you to make more than 3-4 posts around here without using the word a$$?

aiharkness · 08-22-2007, 10:31 AM

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

After using PPC (never used Palm), seeing the time zone setting in calendar was a gee-wiz-that's-cool moment for me. I like it and like the way RIM does it. Again, different strokes...

jeffabcc · 08-22-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSanders

"They" will probably never listen, therefore you have to do what you have to do. Personally, I like the way RIM has it, so that I have to physically change my timezone when required. I don't want to arrive in a TZ, two hours later across town realize that it is actually four hours later and I have just missed my meeting, because I had no "conscious" realization of the time change.

JR--is it possible for you to make more than 3-4 posts around here without using the word a$$?

I actually missed a flight a couple of years ago because Outlook's calendar changed my flight time by 3 hours! I learned then to never change the time zone on my laptop when I travel. Of course, I never should have relied on a flight time reminder in Outlook in the first place. Needless to say, I never change the time zone on my Blackberry.

Ross0 · 08-22-2007, 11:16 AM

Maybe i'll just stick to not changing the time. It's such a pain to be in DC and to check my calendar to schedule something when I'm in Chicago next week only to realize my scheduling was all off b/c when I checked my calendar while in DC the time of my existing Chicago appointment was an hour off.

aiharkness · 08-22-2007, 11:38 AM

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Maybe i'll just stick to not changing the time. It's such a pain to be in DC and to check my calendar to schedule something when I'm in Chicago next week only to realize my scheduling was all off b/c when I checked my calendar while in DC the time of my existing Chicago appointment was an hour off.

The key to using the time zone feature, in my opinion, is to get in the mindset that the times are according to what is displayed by the device. It doesn't matter what time your flight reminder is set, for example, as long as it is triggered at the appropriate time relative to the flight.

If you are in the Eastern time zone with your blackberry set to the eastern time zone and want to look ahead to a 1300 local appointment in the pacific time zone and see the start time display as 1300 in your calendar, then it pays to do what Canuck does. If you want to change your time zone and have alerts trigger at the "real" time, then it pays to use the time zone function; and that way you can change the time zone to anywhere regardless of where you are or where you will be, and your appointments and alerts will be correct relative to the "real" time and the time displayed by the blackberry.

Clear as mud? Hope I've helped and not confused.

P.S. Just remember to set time zone back to home timezone before syncing with Outlook.

aiharkness · 12:01 PM

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

BTW, I'm curious how auto time zone (or auto time) change on the blackberry would work out for someone working near a time zone border. Say you are moving north and south along the border, maybe crossing back and forth. If the carrier were controlling the time display, wouldn't the time displayed be according to the particlar tower the handset was communicating with at that moment? And would you know which zone applies just from the handset?

I've never owned a cell phone, only blackberry, but I know from the forum that some cell phones adjust time to local time zone. So, anyone, have you ever been in the situation I describe, and how does it work out? Does the phone tell you the zone (say 7:00AM CDT and not just 7:00AM)?

Just curious.

JSanders · 08-22-2007, 12:10 PM

Well it varies from geographic location to location. Here in 'bama we have Phenix City which is in CentralTime, but is really in the metro area of Columbus, GA, and even more importantly, Fort Benning, the US Army base (both in Easter Time). Because Fort Benning is THE major employer, and Columbus the business center of the area, even the Phenix City area in Central Time, bow to the Eastern Time Zone "unofficially". I wonder what the cell phones down there do living one side of the river and working on the other. It if were an automatic network TZ change, it would drive me batty.

CanuckBB · **OS:** 4.6.0.162

Quote:

Originally Posted by aiharkness

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

The key to using the time zone feature, in my opinion, is to get in the mindset that the times are according to what is displayed by the device. It doesn't matter what time your flight reminder is set, for example, as long as it is triggered at the appropriate time relative to the flight.

If you are in the Eastern time zone with your blackberry set to the eastern time zone and want to look ahead to a 1300 local appointment in the pacific time zone and see the start time display as 1300 in your calendar, then it pays to do what Canuck does. If you want to change your time zone and have alerts trigger at the "real" time, then it pays to use the time zone function; and that way you can change the time zone to anywhere regardless of where you are or where you will be, and your appointments and alerts will be correct relative to the "real" time and the time displayed by the blackberry.

Clear as mud? Hope I've helped and not confused.

P.S. Just remember to set time zone back to home timezone before syncing with Outlook.

I still have alerts in real time. I change the time. If I'm going to Chicago, at some point during the flight, I'll change my watch and BB back by 1 hour. It does have the funny effect of showing the flight from Toronto to Chicago as lasting .5 hours while the return flight is 2.5 hours long. But when I'm in my office and look at my flights for next week, I know that I'll be leaving at 1000 from Toronto and scheduled to land at 1030 in Chicago. No TZ mental gymnastics. Works for me. YMMV.

That's why the BB has no auto time adjustment.

Plus the concept that the GSM time signal we all remember from 'simple' phones may be TZ adjusted. so you land, get a new correct time from the network and the BB adjusts it for TZ.

aiharkness · 04:39 PM

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Another idea that might help some people, if they aren't already doing it, is putting the event/appointment time in the title. For example you might have a future flight home at 1300 (local) and it showing as 1500 (home) in your calendar. Putting the flight time 1300 in the title along with the flight number lessens confusion.

Another point, partly repeating myself, if you have events/tasks/appointments spanning time zones, using the time zone function allows you to see overlap as well as true time length and spacing of the events or whatever.

On my term "real" time, that was in jest. I hope my point was made, which is partly repeated here above.

On working near a zone boundary, the Appalachicola River is the boundary in my neighborhood, and you know rivers...it ain't straight. I've worked and traveled up, down and both sides and I can see looking at my BB and not knowing if it was showing me eastern or central time. That would be a problem unless the zone is identified.