Disappearing Blackberry Calendar Entries

I just responded to an email from a friend who suddenly lost her calendar entries on her Blackberry from weeks ago. She likes to refer back to past entries but cannot find them.

I explained that her calendar may not be set to keep entries.

She is using her personal Blackberry and is not on a BES.

The calendar on the Blackberry is set by default to keep appointments for 60 days.

Older entries are automatically deleted from the Blackberry.

To keep appointments, I told her the following:

• While viewing your Calendar, press the Blackberry Button and select Options
• Select "General Options"
• Scroll down to 'Keep Appointments' click on whatever is there and scroll to change it to 'Forever'
• Press the Blackberry Button and press Save. Then exit back to Calendar.

She thanked me and called me a "genius". LOL

I have been using Blackberry devices since '98 and supporting them for over 7 years for various customers.

I have owned several devices over the years starting with my 850 and currently own a 9630 Tour and a 9000. I am PATIENTLY waiting for my Pre-ordered PLAYBOOK.

(6 more days to go)

Lon

In the news....data breach at Epsilon and what it means to you!

Below is the text of an email sent to customers of The Kimmel Group, Inc. regarding the Epsilon data breach.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hello,

As some of you are aware, there was a recent data breach at Epsilon, a leading email marketing service provider to major corporations. You can read more here

I am sending this letter to all Kimmel Group customers to outline what steps you should take to protect yourselves.

While Epsilon claims that only email addresses and names have been obtained, there is the possibility that a criminal may use this information to obtain more from you.

Since these criminals know what list you were subscribed to, they may try to "spoof" or impersonate that company by sending you a message that looks as though it came from that actual company.

If you receive any messages requesting personal information such as address, credit card number, bank account, etc.. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE EMAIL. DELETE IT!

Also, DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THE EMAIL.

As a practice, if you are asked to provide any information via email, please verify the request by telephone using the phone number you were previously provided AND NOT THE NUMBER IN THE EMAIL.

Identity theft is on the rise, especially in our current economy. Please take the time to safeguard your personal information.

In my 21 years of email administration/consulting, I have never witnessed so many schemes and ploys via email. The problem will continue to grow.

Just a few minutes ago, I received a suspicious message claiming to be from "Bank of America", requesting that I follow a link to verify my account information. I do not own a Bank of America account so I immediately knew it was fraudulent. If I did own a "BOA" account, I would call customer service to verify.

Please take the time to follow these few guidelines listed below:

1. Change passwords to online accounts quarterly
2. If you need to write down passwords, store the list in a safe place away from your computer
3. If you own a Blackberry, use the "Password Keeper" application to store that information
4. To keep your business email inbox relatively spam-free, subscribe to marketing lists using a "free" account like gmail, Hotmail, yahoo or your internet service provider.
5. Use anti-virus software on all personal computers and keep it up to date. Perform a full-scan weekly.

Q2 Tablet Showdown

In January I shared my disappointment in the Galaxy Tab. Today I learned that the Blackberry Playbook will be released April 19th. When I returned my Galaxy to Sprint, my rep informed me that he added my name to the Playbook pre-order list. I saw an ad on the Blackberry site claiming that Best Buy was their choice for pre-ordered Playbooks. Such confusion.
Earlier today I also read that Sprint is releasing the EVO View 4G in June which is being touted as the "Big Brother" to my current EVO 4G phone. With Scribe digital pen technology and the 4000 mAh battery (same as Galaxy Tab which lasted all day for me), I may be able to finally replace my old Toshiba Portege M400 "old school" tablet which is on its 3rd battery.

I have not seen a release date for the View as of yet but plan to speak with my Sprint rep tomorrow to clarify the "Best Buy Playbook" ad and the View release date.

I have not had my EVO smartphone a year yet and already there have been 2 potential replacements;
1. EVO Shift (cool keyboard)
2. EVO 3D (do I really need to capture 3D video)

I remember blasting Sprint just a few years ago for not release new devices quickly enough. "My, how they've grown".

Although I am leaning towards the EVO View for my table choice, I have been using Blackberry devices since my Skytel 850 so the Playbook deserves a "look" for loyalty sake.

Stay tuned for my Playbook review in the next few weeks and the "bake-off" between the Playbook and the View.

Throw in the iPad2's a few of our customers have recently ordered and it looks like our team will be busy in the 2nd quarter. Gotta Love It!

Lon

My wireless journey......LonStanley

Let me start of by saying that I love technology!! Those that know me know I always have a gadget or two on me. I always have my Blackberry Tour and lately my EVO 4G as well.

Why 2 you ask, because, as a Blackberry partner my team has to support our customers' devices so each team member is required to carry at least one Blackberry, my rule since 2005.

I actually have 2 Blackberry devices. The second belongs to a customer and I use it strictly to communicate with and support that customer. (Bold 9000). It says in the briefcase though.

As for my EVO 4G..I had to have it. I have a need for speed.....and the 4G flies, when I can get coverage. I pay the extra for the hotspot capability so I actually use the EVO instead of my 4G card. (terminating it once the contract is up). I also love the Android apps on the EVO like Pandora, which, when paired with my Rocketfish bluetooth high-def headphone, provide hours of enjoyment. I also love my GasBuddy, Zillow, DirecTV, Groupon and Google Voice and Talk apps. Google maps and the traffic layer have saved me from traffic jams several times.

Since I added the extended battery from Seidio, life on 4G has been grand.

My latest stop on this journey has been with the Galaxy Tab. My Sprint, rep, Jeremy, knows my affinity for things "TECH", so he offered it on a 30-day trial. I jumped on it, mainly because I get to play with it for a month while I review it for my customers who are looking for tablet devices. I was excited when it arrived and immediately loaded most of the apps I have on my EVO. On the Galaxy, I was able to configure my Google Apps account, a second Gmail account, an IMAP account and an Exchange 2010 test account from a customer's site.

Yes, you read correctly, I have 4 email accounts configured on this device. I like that flexibility and believe I can add additional accounts but haven't tested that yet. Web browsing is nice although it is only 3G. I enable WiFi whenever I can and that helps.

The battery life is pretty good. It usually last 2 days before I have to recharge it.

I was disappointed in a few things. First off, I am still dumbfounded that vendors ship these devices naked, without a case. They just want us to break it and buy another one. I ponied up the money for the leather prop case from Sprint.

Next, the camera is not what I thought it would be. I am told that the mega pixels are 1 and 3 for front and rear, or something along those lines. The EVO's quality blows the Galaxy away. I CAN view Flash sites so that is an advantage over the iFolks but I still can't get HULU. I can view some of my YouTube favorites/playlists but still receive the dreaded, "not available on mobile" on far too many videos. Google Voice on the device allows you to listen to voice mails but not make calls. Remember, it is NOT a phone.

So, let's summarize what it is NOT or NOT good at....

1. It is NOT a phone

2. It is NOT 4G

3. It is NOT a good camera (low mp) or video recorder (no zoom)

However,

1. It is great for viewing and using multiple email accounts (Swype is preloaded for typing)

2. It is capable of being a WiFi hot spot for others

3. It has a very nice screen for viewing photos, videos and FB data

4. The size is along the lines of the small Moleskin notebook I carry.

Overall, this device is nice but not really for me. I have found myself using it to view email but I still cannot reply as quickly as I can on my Blackberry although my Swype skills are improving. The last few days, I really used it in the car as a GPS unit, albeit, an expensive one.

I plan to return my Galaxy Tab next week and await my Blackberry Playbook with abated(bated) breath but if they don't hurry, I'll be forced to give in to the iFolks.

Stay tuned,

LonStanley

For more info on my tech background, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/lonnienstanley