Use the BlackBerry Desktop Software - Synchronizing, Auto Start

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When you have configured the PIM applications that you want to synchronize with, you’re ready to run a synchronization. Notice that in the Intellisync dialog box, you have the option to synchronize the date and time on the PC with the BlackBerry—an option you can enable by clicking the check box.

Note: If you choose to synchronize the BlackBerry’s date and time with the PC, make absolutely certain the PC clock is correct. If you synchronize and the date and time are not accurate on the PC, it will disrupt any functions on your BlackBerry that use date and time stamps (such as alarms, e-mail stamps, and so on).

When you’re ready to synchronize, just click the Synchronize Now button. The Intellisync software inspects the synchronization and prompts you to okay it by giving you a report of the number of records that will be synchronized (if you kept the check boxes selected on the Confirmation tab of the Advanced Settings dialog box). Once you accept the changes, synchronization occurs and you see an Intellisync progress window.

Tip: Once synchronization is done, click the View Log button to see a log file of the entire synchronization process and all of the files that were synchronized.

Enabling Auto Start

You can enable synchronization to occur automatically when your BlackBerry is first connected to your computer. In the Intellisync dialog box, just click the Auto Start button. You’ll see two check box options for synchronizing PIM and date and time when the BlackBerry is first connected to the PC. Select the check boxes to enable these features. If you use the auto-synch option, however, check your import/export configuration, because this is the configuration that will be used each time the unit is connected. In other words, you may only get data moved from the BlackBerry to the PIM, not vice versa. Check your settings and make sure everything is correct before using auto-synch.

Did You Know? Importing and Exporting

What do you do if you already have an address book, calendar, MemoPad, or tasks list in a PIM application on your PC, and you want to put that information on the BlackBerry without translating any data from the BlackBerry to the PC or vice versa? This is the reason you are given the option to import or export instead of synchronize. By importing or exporting, you can exchange information between the device and the PC without synchronizing data.

Tip: Make sure you print your address book and keep a hardcopy with you when you are traveling. In the event that your BlackBerry battery runs down, you’ll still have access to phone numbers and other needed information when you’re on the move.

This chapter is from How to Do Everything with Your Blackberry, by Curt Simmons (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2004, ISBN: 0072255870). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today. Buy this book now.

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