UPGRADING YOUR HANDHELD SOFTWARE | Mobile Guide to BlackBerry

You might not have realized it, but you can also use the Desktop Manager to install new software onto your handheld. There are new versions of the BlackBerry handheld software released periodically, and there may be some real benefits in upgrading to the latest version. Getting the software, however, can sometimes be rather difficult.

You can only get the latest software from your carrier, and not all carriers are open or enthusiastic about supporting new versions. Your best bet is to search the support website of your carrier or call the customer support group.

When you get the new software, it will most likely be in a setup package that you must install. The installer doesn't install the software on your handheld directly, however. Instead, it installs the software onto your hard drive as part of the Desktop Manager. Then later when you run the Desktop Manager, it will install the software on your handheld.

After you have installed the new handheld software, launch the Desktop Manager and connect your handheld to the desktop PC. The Desktop Manager will notice that there is a new version of software available and display a prompt asking if you would like to install the new software. This prompt is shown in Figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11. The Desktop Manager automatically prompts asking if you would like to install new versions of the handheld software.

Installing new handheld software is a complicated process that involves several steps in order to get your handheld back to the same state where it was when you started. During the process, your handheld will be wiped completely clean, so a complete backup and restore are essential parts of the process. Once the process starts, the dialog seen in Figure 3.12 is shown to display the status of each step as it progresses through the upgrade.

Figure 3.12. This dialog shows the progress of each step that is required when installing a new version of handheld software.

Once it's all done, make sure to take some time to explore what is new in the handheld software.