Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Navigating Around Your BlackBerry

by Leila Brillson on March 3, 2010 at 01:00 AM

Though they have their own unique way of doing things in the Blackberry world, once you get the hang of it, BlackBerrys are a cinch to use and super speedy too.
  • To move the cursor in any direction and highlight items, roll the trackball in the middle of the phone. When passing something meant to be selected or checked (such as a checkbox) just scroll the cursor past it. If you're able to interact with it, it will become highlighted.
  • To select anything your cursor is over, press down on the trackball, much like you would with a mouse. If this allows for more options, they will pop up, and you can then scroll down to whatever selection you like and press the trackball again.
  • The main 'Menu' key -- the dotted button next to the track ball -- is very important. Pressing it will take you to a screen showing all of the applications, and will also let you adjust settings or access options.
  • The 'Back' key, which goes back to the last screen and also acts as 'Undo,' is the looped arrow on the other side of the trackball from the 'Menu' key.
Switched Hints: To scroll through a page quickly use these simple key commands (note: These won't work for the Pearl).
Go to the top of the screen, press 'Space.'
Go to the bottom of the screen, press 'Shift' (up and down arrows) and 'Space.'
Go to the top of a message list or Web page, instead of scrolling, press the 'T' key.
Go to the bottom of a message list or Web page, press the 'B' key.

Curious about typing? Check our how-to.

Tags: BlackBerry, cell, cell phone, cellphone, mobile, smartphone, smartphones, text, text messaging, Texting, TextMessaging, TipsAndTricks

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular