The Bold Explorer | |
INTRODUCTION | |
============ | |
Warning: the Bold's security is out | |
of date. It supports TLS version 1.0, | |
which is three revisions behind the | |
current standard in 2019. Do not use | |
the device to transmit or receive | |
sensitive information (like passwords) | |
or conduct financial transactions over | |
the internet. | |
* * * * * | |
This is the Gopher version of a guide | |
I wrote on CrackBerry. I can't update | |
those posts anymore, so I've moved | |
almost everything here and to an html | |
version on the web. A few of the pages | |
are written in html, because they're | |
completely dependent on inline images | |
(the MMS Advanced and Service Book | |
pages) or because there's no point in | |
transferring the information, since | |
it will be out of date when BlackBerry | |
World shuts down at the end of the | |
year (the Working and Dead Apps page). | |
There's also a complete version on the | |
web. It's static html without https | |
and renders well on the Bold. The link | |
is on the main directory page. | |
* * * * * | |
I wrote this guide because, every once | |
in a while, someone asks in the | |
CrackBerry forums whether the Bold | |
9900 will work without a BIS-enabled | |
data plan. Quite often, the reply is | |
that the device will be crippled | |
without BIS. That's not entirely true. | |
The Bold 9900 can be set up to use | |
over wifi and with a regular data plan | |
(i.e., without BIS). Most of the | |
information below is out there on the | |
web, but it's always good to have a | |
consolidated set-up guide. | |
I try to keep the guide up to date, | |
but I don't use all of the apps | |
listed, so it relies on reports from | |
other users. Please leave any feedback | |
in this thread at CrackBerry: | |
Guide: BlackBerry OS7 (Maybe OS6) Without BIS | |
See also the Bold 99xx Working and | |
Dead Apps List | |
Working and Dead Apps | |
More information on the apps discussed | |
below can be found on the apps page. | |
Apps that Work without BIS | |
THE BOLD WITHOUT BIS SETUP GUIDE | |
================================ | |
OPTIONAL STEP | |
Before you begin, you should consider | |
installing the latest version of OS | |
7.1. After I installed the O2 UK | |
version of OS 7.1 my Bold ran cooler, | |
the battery life improved, and the | |
experience was very stable. You can | |
download it by following the link | |
below. For installation instructions, | |
read post #47 of that thread. | |
O2 UK Version | |
Alternative installation procedures | |
using BlackBerry Swiss Army Knife can | |
be found at either of the following | |
links: | |
How to Wipe and Load an OS Using BBSAK | |
BBSAK Instructions | |
Post #3 in this thread at CrackBerry | |
STEP 1: SET UP YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK | |
(WIFI) CONNECTION. | |
Instructions | |
Visual Tutorial | |
STEP 2: SET THE APN FOR YOUR CARRIER. | |
If you want to use a regular data plan | |
on your carrier's network, you will | |
need to enter the APN settings. Here | |
are the instructions: | |
Instructions | |
A visual tutorial is here (but you | |
must enter your carrier's specific | |
settings, rather than those in the | |
tutorial): | |
Visual Tutorial | |
You can probably find your | |
carrier-specific settings here: | |
World Wide Mobile Phone Settings | |
STEP 3: INSTALL APPS THAT WORK WITHOUT BIS. | |
Many BlackBerry OS apps were designed | |
to work only with a connection to | |
BlackBerry's servers. | |
Without a BIS connection to those | |
servers, you will not be able to use | |
many of BlackBerry's built-in | |
applications, including: | |
*the BlackBerry email client | |
*BlackBerry Messenger | |
*MMS (Picture) messaging | |
*the BlackBerry podcasts app | |
The BlackBerry web browser works over | |
wifi, but it may or may not work over | |
the cellular network, depending on | |
your provider. You will be able to | |
make phone calls and send SMS | |
(text-only) messages. | |
Some carriers will push you the MMS | |
service books and you'll be able to | |
send picture messages. Others won't. | |
Ask yours if they will enable MMS for | |
you. | |
If not, see the MMS (Basic) page for a | |
simple workaround: | |
MMS (Basic) | |
See the MMS (Advanced) page for a | |
complex solution for advanced users. | |
The link is to the website, because | |
the explanation makes extensive | |
reference to an image. | |
MMS (Advanced) | |
Fortunately, you can install many apps | |
that work well using wifi or a regular | |
data plan, without BIS, and which | |
serve the same or similar functions as | |
the BlackBerry apps. | |
Here are the essentials: | |
APP STORE | |
BlackBerry World is available until | |
December 2019. Some users have had | |
difficulties with BlackBerry World of | |
late. See this thread at CrackBerry | |
for a solution: | |
Thread Link | |
Quick Apps is a convenient repository | |
of links to OS 7.1 compatible software | |
that is already freely available on | |
the web. Most of the software | |
mentioned below can be installed from | |
within the app. | |
OTA Link | |
Using the Bold for email is no longer | |
recommended. LogicMail 2.2.0.85 | |
(Available in BlackBerry World until | |
December 2019) still works, but the | |
Bold's TLS is outdated and insecure. | |
LogicMail OTA Link | |
Tip | |
There are also paid activesync services: | |
AstraSync | |
NotifySync | |
Based on my experience, and that of | |
others at CrackBerry, Smartmail no | |
longer works with SSL, and PicoMail | |
appears to be dead. | |
WEB BROWSERS | |
Opera Mini 8.0 (Available in | |
BlackBerry World until December 2019) | |
OTA Link | |
UC Browser (Available in BlackBerry | |
World until December 2019) | |
Alternatively, you can install the | |
Anworm service books to get the | |
built-in browser working over a data | |
connection. See the browser page for | |
more information. | |
Browser Page | |
MESSENGERS | |
IM+ 10.5.10 or IM+ Pro 10.5.2 | |
(Available in BlackBerry World until | |
December 2019) | |
OTA Link | |
Trillian (BBW). | |
Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Kik and | |
Viber no longer work. | |
MAPS | |
Google Maps 4.5.1 works on data | |
without BIS, but it seems to be | |
impossible to find online. For links | |
to 4.5.3 (which may or may not work | |
without BIS) and other versions, see | |
the following link: | |
Google Maps thread at CrackBerry | |
See the apps page for more details: | |
Apps | |
MGmaps has offline capabilities and | |
works with Open Street Maps. | |
MGMaps | |
PODCASTS | |
Podtrapper 2.6.7 (Available in | |
BlackBerry World until December 2019) | |
OTA Link | |
You can also use the RSS feed | |
capabilities of Opera Mini to | |
download podcasts and then play them | |
in the BlackBerry Podcasts app. | |
MUSIC | |
TuneIn Radio 2.3 (Available in | |
BlackBerry World until December 2019) | |
OTA Link | |
EBOOK READER | |
Kindle 1.0.2.101740313 Beta | |
OTA Link | |
See this thread for more information | |
RSS FEED READER | |
Opera Mini 8.0 (Available in | |
BlackBerry World until December 2019) | |
OTA Link | |
FORUM READERS | |
CB Forums 1.0 (Available in BlackBerry | |
World until December 2019) | |
Tapatalk 1.4.7.9 is no longer | |
capable of adding new accounts. | |
OTA Link | |
VOIP CLIENTS | |
Dell Voice 1.0.1 (Canada -- Fongo App) | |
Available at BlackBerry World through | |
a hidden link. See this thread at | |
CrackBerry: | |
Thread Link | |
SOCIAL MEDIA | |
Facebook (A web browser shortcut app | |
is available in BlackBerry World until | |
December 2019). Install the Anworm | |
service books for the browser to use | |
Facebook over a cellular data | |
connection. | |
BROWSER SHORTCUTS (LAUNCHERS) | |
I have created installable browser | |
shortcuts for several websites. You | |
can use thesm on a WiFi connection | |
immediately. If you install the Anworm | |
service books for the browser, you | |
will also be able to use them over | |
cellular data. | |
NewsZ (Google News RSS feeds) | |
Facebook (Facebook Mobile) | |
Gmail | |
NOTES: | |
OTA = Over-the-Air | |
BlackBerry World apps are installed | |
using the BlackBerry World app on the | |
phone. | |
The OTA apps are available via | |
websites. For OTA apps, use a browser | |
to search for and navigate to the | |
download links, and click on the link | |
to install. Update: some of the apps | |
are also available via the Quick Apps | |
store. | |
Some of the OTA software is no longer | |
supported by or available from the | |
creator, but all of the apps listed | |
above can be found online as of | |
February 2019. Searching for the app | |
name with the version number plus | |
'BlackBerry OTA' or '.jad' will | |
usually lead you to a download if | |
you're persistent. If a download does | |
not install using the BlackBerry | |
browser, you may need to use Opera | |
Mini to download the app. | |
The usual warnings about downloading | |
software from untrusted sources and | |
compromising your device security | |
apply. If you install apps from | |
websites, you have to take | |
responsibility for the potential | |
results. | |
Over time, it will become more | |
difficult to find many of these apps. | |
I have had some success locating older | |
software by searching through archived | |
versions of old websites using the | |
'Wayback Machine' at archive.org. | |
BONUS STEP: BACKING UP YOUR DEVICE | |
You can back up your phone settings | |
and some data using BlackBerry Desktop | |
Download BlackBerry Desktop | |
You can back up your third-party apps | |
(including the OTA apps) using | |
BlackBerry Swiss Army Knife | |
Download BlackBerry Swiss Army Knife | |
BONUS STEP: BACKING UP AND | |
SYNCHRONIZING PIM DATA (CONTACTS, | |
CALENDAR, MEMOS, TASKS) | |
Here are a few options for backing up | |
and syncing your organizer data. If | |
you know of others, please let me | |
know. | |
THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION: | |
Use the BlackBerry Desktop software. | |
This requires you to connect your | |
phone to your computer via USB cable | |
or bluetooth, which means | |
synchronization only occurs when you | |
do it manually. It has the advantage | |
of being very secure and private. Look | |
up the official BlackBerry guide in | |
the Wayback Machine at the Internet | |
Archive: | |
BlackBerry Desktop Guide | |
The BlackBerry Desktop software can be | |
downloaded here: | |
Download BlackBerry Desktop | |
Note that BlackBerry Desktop does not | |
work with MS Outlook 2013 or 2016 | |
64-bit. You need the 32-bit version of | |
Outlook 2013 or 2016 if you want to | |
use BlackBerry Desktop to sync your | |
Outlook data with your Bold 9900. | |
BlackBerry Desktop does work with | |
earlier 64-bit versions of Outlook. | |
Configuration hints: the original | |
Facebook app (not the newer | |
browser-based app) installs a calendar | |
service book that can interfere with | |
calendar syncing. You may need to | |
uninstall the app and the Facebook | |
[CICAL] service book in order to sync | |
your calendar. I also experienced | |
trouble establishing a reliable | |
two-way sync. Fixing the problem | |
involved deleting all of the calendar, | |
contact, task, and memo entries from | |
my device, selecting "forget my | |
device" in BlackBerry Desktop, and | |
then reconnecting the device and | |
re-entering the organizer sync | |
settings. If you do this, make sure | |
you have your data backed up somewhere | |
else (hopefully in Outlook) before | |
proceeding. | |
NETWORKED WIRELESS SOLUTIONS: | |
BlackBerry OS 7.1 can make use of an | |
old PIM sync protocol, SyncML, to sync | |
the calendar and contacts. You have | |
two options to backup and sync your | |
PIM data wirelessly using SyncML. | |
1. Memotoo (OTA). | |
Memotoo offers the ability to sync | |
your calendar, contacts, tasks, and | |
memos to memotoo's cloud, as well as | |
to the major webmail services, | |
Evernote, and Simplenote, among | |
others. The downside is that you'll be | |
putting all of your data on someone | |
else's server. Of course, you might | |
already being doing that (on Gmail, | |
Outlook.com, etc.) and it might not | |
matter to you. The upside is that you | |
can sync from anywhere at any time, as | |
long as you have a wifi or cellular | |
connection. You can create an account | |
and download the app at memotoo.com. | |
Memotoo | |
2. Set up your own SyncML server | |
(Advanced). | |
You can use the OneMediaHub (BBW) or | |
Memotoo (link below) apps, which are | |
both based on the open-source FUNAMBOL | |
client, to sync with your own SyncML | |
server. The OneMediaHub service no | |
longer works, but the app allows you | |
to connect with your own server | |
instead -- as does the Memotoo app. | |
The major problem is that the easy to | |
work with open-source servers don't | |
seem to work anymore (FUNAMBOL is | |
impossible to install and eGroupWare | |
dropped SyncML support). Horde | |
groupware may still support SyncML, | |
but there are no good guides for | |
setting it up and I have failed | |
repeatedly in my efforts. I've had the | |
call out for a successful Horde setup | |
guide since 2014 and no one has ever | |
replied. | |
Funambol App | |
EOF |