BLACKBERRY - HANDLING ATTACHMENTS

 We live in an email-driven society, where messages can make or break a business deal and cement or end a friendship. The content of emails is very important, but email attachments are also pretty key

For starters, a lot of viruses are transmitted through attachments, which is why - in the desktop world - we are advised not to open any that come from unknown sources, just in case they contain something nasty. And, when it comes to making sure your systems are secure, what's good for the goose (the desktop PC) is certainly good for the gander (the BlackBerry).

With the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), attachments are encrypted using the same type of security used for your corporate emails - a very valuable safety net to have.

Emails pop into your inbox left, right and centre, correct? Congratulations, you're popular. But if you can't open, or even see, all of the attachments people say they have sent to you, one of two things

is happening. You are either telling porkies to the senders of these emails or you haven't taught your BlackBerry how to handle attachments.

That's right, the BlackBerry needs to learn how to do things to make your life easier.

When you receive maii, you will have no problem viewing the email itself and the body copy, but you will also be told the name of any attached file, how big it is and what sort of file it is. That's as much as your BlackBerry will share with you until you tell it otherwise. A sensible move, we think.

On a BlackBerry device, you must choose to download the attachment to see what you have been sent. You don't have to open it, however; you can opt to open the lot or view a table of contents to help you to make up your mind what to do.

If you still can't open attachments, don't fret -it's not you being thick. Sometimes, you need to make sure the BlackBerry attachment application is installed so the device is aware of what policies and procedures to follow when you are sent one of those virtual paperclips.

  In terms of attachment types, the world is pretty much your oyster - but don't worry if you are allergic to shellfish, the world is still up for grabs. BlackBerry devices allow you to open a myriad of file types and, according to the official BlackBerry website, the following are all OK for your handset: 

1 - Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

2 - Corel WordPerfect.

3 - Adobe PDF.

4 - ASCII documents.

5 - HTML attachments.

6 - Images: JPG, BMP, GIF, PMG and TIFF.

You can open any of the above file types even if they have been compressed into the .zip format.

Downloading attachments has an impact on how your device functions, in much the same way as it does with a desktop machine. But expandable microSD storage means most BlackBerry smartphones will ensure you don't use up all of the memory on your handset.

Email attachments are not the only downloads that may interest you; there is lots of stuff on the web, such as Dataviz Word To Go and Slideshow To Go. These applications ~ basic versions of which form part of the BlackBerry Device Software v4.5 and later- let you edit files on the move and are worth downloading if you have an older BlackBerry or need any of their advanced features.