Setting up BlackBerry Email:
There are two different set-ups for BlackBerry Email, (BIS and BES) and this can cause some confusion.
BIS stands for BlackBerry Internet Service, and is what most of us would use to access our email. Once set up, BlackBerry email servers will check your existing email accounts for new messages and push them through to your device. BlackBerry say that there can be a delay of up to 15 minutes before email is received, but I’ve found emails come through much quicker than this. Calendar appointments and contacts are only synchronized when your BlackBerry is connected to a PC via USB. BIS can be used by individuals, as well as companies large and small.
Setting up your email through BIS is extremely simple and is done either through the handset or through your network providers website.
To get started, follow the link below to take you to the set up site for your network. Remember though, that in order for you to be able to set your device up you will need to make sure that you are on a pay monthly plan, not pay as you go, and that you have contacted your service provider and asked them to add the BlackBerry service onto your account. If not you’ll need to do that before you can go any further. If you get the message "This BlackBerry is registered with another provider" then this would suggest that the BlackBerry service is not activated. You will probably find that there is an additional monthly fee for the BlackBerry service.
- Set up BlackBerry email on Vodafone
- Set up BlackBerry email on Orange
- Set up BlackBerry email on T-Mobile
- Set up BlackBerry email on O2
If your provider is not listed here, then it may be that they don’t support BlackBerry yet, check with your network to make sure.
To set up your email, you will need to create a BlackBerry account. To do this, click the create account button, accept the Terms & Conditions and click "I Agree"
Here you will need to enter the PIN and IMEI of your BlackBerry. You can find this information on the box that your BlackBerry came in, or on the device itself. On your BlackBerry, go to Settings -> Status. The PIN and IMEI are the last two in the list on screen. Click on continue once you’ve confirmed these details are correct.
The next screen will ask you to chose a username and password. This will be the username and password that you will use to access the BlackBerry service and is not your existing email address and password. Be fairly sensible when choosing your username as it cannot be changed, and will form part of your BlackBerry email address. Don’t worry too much as you don’t have to use this address if you don’t want to, but it might come in handy if you want to receive emails from a web based email provider such as Hotmail.
Hotmail up until recently didn’t allow POP access, so the only way to receive web-based email on your BlackBerry was to set up a forward so that all emails sent to your web account were forwarded on to your BlackBerry account. These emails will then come straight through to your device.
Updated: In March 2009, Hotmail enabled POP3 access, and you can now send and receive emails on your BlackBerry. To set it up you will need the Hotmail POP3 Settings.
The third screen will ask you to enter your existing email address and password. Click next once you’ve entered this information, and that’s it – all done. If you don’t have an email address you want to use on your BlackBerry, you can ignore the top section, and create your own BlackBerry email address. Doing this has its benefits. For a start, using a BlackBerry email address will give you instant email. There will be no delay in you receiving the email on your device, as BlackBerry will push the message out as soon as their servers receive it. One of the other benefits, is that you can set a forward on your existing account (ie Hotmail) to your BlackBerry address. As the email on your other account is forwarded on as soon as its received, setting your email up with a forward also means there is no delay in getting your messages.
The final screen will confirm that the email has been configured correctly. Once you click on OK, you will be able to access the email settings where you can apply filters to emails and attach a signature. You will also have the option of adding more email addresses (up to a maximum of 10.)
Within a few minutes you should see the Mailbox for each email account appear on the main screen of your Blackberry. You will see one mailbox for each account that you have added. These can be renamed if needed.
BES stands for BlackBerry Enterprise Server. BES is a more expensive option and is normally used by larger companies running software such as Microsoft Exchange and requires BlackBerry software to be installed to the server and licenses obtained for each user. If you have been given a BlackBerry by your employer, there is every chance it will be running on BES. Using BES does have some advantages over BIS, mainly that all the organiser functions are synchronised in the same way as email. Calendar appointments created on the BlackBerry will instantly appear on your desktop PC and likewise any appointments made on your PC will appear on your BlackBerry. Contacts are automatically synchronised too. Set up for BlackBerry on BES will normally be done by your IT department prior to you receiving the device. Depending on the security settings on your BlackBerry, you may be able to add a BIS account onto the device as well, this way you will be able to access personal email at the same time. A word of warning though, this could breach your employers IT policy and get you into trouble, so its best to check with them first!
If you’ve got any questions, hints or tips, why not share them below or discuss them on the Mobile Fun Forums.
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