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As REALTORS, we use computers. From time-to-time,
there are hints and suggestions which make our lives with
computers easier. The following are a series of items
which you might find useful. While many may not be
applicable to your situation, others may be useful.
Browse through the suggestions and make your own decisions
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TOP PRODUCER for the Blackberry
BlackBerrys and your e-mail
If you are using TOP PRODUCER
Outlook Connector on your database, it only
performs two impressive functions. It
permits you to use your TOP PRODUCER Contact
Records e-mail address as the basis for
outgoing MS Outlook e-mail address
selections, and it permits you to link
messages from Outlook back into the proper
Contact Records of TOP PRODUCER. But, TOP
PRODUCER does not get e-mail from MS Outlook
into any BlackBerry. It does not receive
incoming e-mail at all. The TOP PRODUCER 7i
for BlackBerry only permits you to send
e-mails to the e-mail address shown in your
contact record.
Assuming that your Blackberry
supports e-mail, you probably have a version
of Outlook (or similar program), on the
Blackberry. This program needs to be
configured to both receive and send e-mail
so that when you read an incoming message,
you can respond accordingly. Many REALTORS
have trouble getting their Blackberrys setup
to handle email being used in conjunction
with Microsoft's Outlook. The below
information may be of interest. I would
think that Option #3 might be your easiest
solution, attempting to Forward the e-mail
from your mail server while also leaving it
on the server so that you could read it in
your desktop/laptop version of Microsoft
Outlook as well.
- BlackBerry Internet
Service (BIS/BWC) email address. This is
the free push email address included with
all BlackBerry plans. Most common method for
consumers/prosumers. Send the email to the
free YOURNAME@carrier.blackberry.net email
address. This is true push email, as email
will show up instantly on the BlackBerry (in
just 5 seconds in many cases) the moment
someone sends it from a desktop computer. No
need to check email, it shows up immediately
on your BlackBerry screen, SMS-style or
pager-style! To access to your @blackberry.net
email account,
See BWC/BIS
Login Instructions.
Tip For Advanced Users: When adding new
POP/IMAP accounts to your BWC/BIS account,
try entering dummy information for
username/password. This will get you
straight to the Advanced Server Page, which
allows more configuration such as for Secure
Password Authentication, etc.
.
- POP and IMAP email. This
is available with all BWC accounts above.
The BWC webmail site has a configuration
that allows you to enter POP hostnames,
usernames and passwords for a certain number
of POP accounts. Your BWC will automatically
check email every 15 minutes and forward a
copy of messages to your BlackBerry. This is
not true push email; you must send email
directly to the @blackberry.net address (or
use BES).
Information from BlackBerry website
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- Email forwarding.
Configure your existing email addresses to
automatically forward a copy to your BWC
email address (the one ending in
blackberry.net). This will allow you to have
a different email address while retaining
push email capability, for those cases you
do not need a BES. For example, GMAIL
supports forwarding.
.
- Third party email
software such as GMAIL Mobile (Gmail
via BlackBerry Browser). These software
behaves as separate clients separate from
the BlackBerry Messages Inbox and have
tradeoffs, such as not having vibrate
alerts, and/or slower synchronization,
and/or user interface issues. However, these
clients can be very useful for separating
your personal email away from your business
email, by providing your BlackBerry with a
separate, independent Inbox.
.
- BlackBerry Redirector.
This is a special software program included
on a CD included with BlackBerries, that you
can install on your computer. You can run it
on a home computer or office computer --
just leave the computer on 24 hours a day.
The software will watch for new emails
arriving in Microsoft Outlook and then
automatically forward a copy of these emails
to your BlackBerry. (No BES needed). But you
must keep your computer running 24 hours a
day to get copies of your email. As a
result, not many people like using this
method.
.
- Blackberry Enterprise
Server (BES). If your company gave you your
BlackBerry, you are probably running on this
too as well. This can be purchased as a
server for full internal integration with
corporate email, (expensive) or as a BES
(MDS) Hosting service for more individual
integration (cheaper). Mainly used by
corporations, although some prosumers have
purchased BES/MDS Hosting services. This is
the preferred corporate method of push
email, fastest and most secure, and allows
you to have your own custom domain names. It
interfaces with Exchange Server (or Lotus
Domino, or soon Groupwise) and allows your
BlackBerry to automatically mirror your
Exchange Inbox. Wireless email sync
capabilities means that if you delete email
on your BlackBerry, it also gets deleted
from the desktop. There are other benefits
to BES. For example, Version 4.0 of BES also
adds wireless over-the--air Addressbook/Calendar/Notes/Tasks
synchronization. More information for the
full corporate version is found
here. Alternatively, you can get
BES Hosting Service if you don't want to
purchase the full server. The full server
itself can cost over a thousand dollars,
while getting hosting service for one
BlackBerry typically costs less than $25 per
month.
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