Section 1. About the BlackBerry User Interface
1. About the BlackBerry User InterfaceBlackBerry 7100 series devices are built on the popular BlackBerry operating system, which has evolved quite a bit from its earlier days in simple text messaging devices. The user interface is just as much about hardware as it is about softwarethe keys on the 7100 series devices are carefully designed to mesh with the software visuals you see on the screen. The first thing you might notice about the 7100 that sets it apart from other BlackBerry devicesand virtually all handheld devices, for that matteris the unusual keyboard. There are significantly fewer keys on the 7100 keyboard than on a traditional computer keyboard, certainly not enough for every letter in the alphabet. In fact, many of the keys on the 7100 keyboard include two letters instead of one. The magic at work in this compact keyboard is a technology called SureType , which allows you to peck away at each letter of a word without worrying too much about what shows up onscreen until you get near the end. The vast majority of the time, you'll find that SureType does an excellent job of figuring out what you wanted to type even though you probably used only a handful of keys. SureType Research In Motion's (RIM) key-entry technology that intelligently analyzes what you type and figures out which letter you intend from the context of what you're typing. SureType keyboards are unique in that they include multiple letters on a single key. The BlackBerry 7100 series device consists of a vertically oriented screen and a compact keyboard. You'll notice some familiar keys on the keyboard that are carry-overs from traditional computer keyboards. The Alt key is used in a variety of ways to execute alternate commands. The Shift, Enter, Backspace , and Space keys also play roles similar to a traditional keyboard. The Send and End keys are associated with the underlying mobile phone within the 7100 series devices. The Next key is used to cycle through items in lists, among other things. And finally, the Symbol key provides access to important symbols such as hyphens (-) and the at symbol (@). Aside from the keyboard, the trackwheel and Escape button are the two most important aspects of the 7100 user interface. You can scroll the trackwheel to navigate menus and generally move around within the BlackBerry user interface. Most of the time the trackwheel defaults to up/down scrolling, but in some cases it also allows you to move left/right if the context is appropriate. For example, when setting the time you can rotate the trackwheel to move horizontally between the hours, minutes, and AM/PM setting. The trackwheel is also useful for making and confirming selections. To use it in this manner, you simply push in on it, which is also known as clicking it; in many cases you'll find that clicking the trackwheel is equivalent to pressing the Enter key. The Escape button just below the trackwheel is used to cancel actions and back out of applications. The Power button along the top of the device turns the device on and off. The action of the Convenience key can be unique to each wireless service provider, but most of them set the key so that it launches the BlackBerry web browser. If you quickly press the Power button to turn off your device, the device doesn't actually turn off. Instead, it simply turns off the screen to conserve battery power. If the radio is on, you'll still receive phone calls, email, and text messages; the screen will automatically kick on in the event of a phone call. To completely turn off your device, you must hold down the Power button for a few seconds. The Home screen is the first screen you see when you turn on your device, and it consists of a status area along the top with a variety of information about the current state of the device as well as a list of icons for the available services. The main area of the screen (where all the icons live) is where you navigate the various services to carry out tasks . Each icon highlights to show when it is selected. You can easily return to the Home screen from any other screen by pressing the End key. If, for some reason, you've already tinkered with the theme on your device, the Home screen might not appear as I'm showing it in the figure. Your Home screen also might be different depending on your wireless service provider. Most of the figures for this book are based on the default T-Mobile theme. However, all themes are somewhat similar, so you shouldn't have too much trouble following along even if your device's theme is different. The services on your particular device might vary slightly from those in the figure. For example, your device might be missing the Enterprise Activation service but might have additional services unique to your particular wireless carrier, such as instant messaging. The Home screen includes a status area along the top and a main area with icons for available services.  |
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