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How do I set up a BlackBerry email "vacation hold"?

I saw your entry about how to filter incoming Blackberry email so you don't drown in the trivial, but I have a different question: how I can set up a vacation hold, a way to completely disable all email notification without actually shutting down my account? I'm going on a long-weekend to Mexico and don't want to pay data roaming charges for email I don't care about anyway!


Dave's Answer:

The process of setting up an email vacation hold (great name for it, btw!) is more straightforward than you may realize, especially if you've already read through my instructions on how to set up an email filter for your Blackberry Internet service. I have a Blackberry Pearl 8100, personally, but these instructions should work for any Blackberry device.

First step is to figure out how to log on to the BlackBerry Internet Service web site, something that's far more complex than it should be. After recently thrashing around for fifteen minutes on different sites, I have figured out that the best strategy appears to be to go to this page, find your provider, and click on that link to log in to the BIS system.

Once you've done that, you should see your account listed:

Blackberry Pearl, Internet Email Account Settings

Click on the little antennae icon under "filters" and you'll see the filter or filters you've set up -- if any -- like this:

Blackberry Pearl, Internet Email Account Settings: Filters

Now to set up a vacation hold, click on Add Filter and set it up thusly:

Blackberry Pearl, Internet Email Account Settings: Add Vacation Hold Filter Stop

Click on Add Filter and you're done. Now, you just need to remove it when you get back from your trip to Mexico (or not, perhaps you might enjoy not having the little BlackBerry device rule your life. :-)



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Comments

I've tried this but I'm still getting emails to my pearl. Any idea whats going on?

Posted by: John at March 22, 2007 4:52 PM

Dear Dave:

I'm looking forward to purchase one of the unlocked blackberries and use it in my home country that doesn't actually support blackberry service.

Question -- will I be able to set-up an e-mail address on an unlocked blackberry under such circumstances?

Best regards,

Alex

Posted by: Alexandre A. Povolotski at May 5, 2007 4:09 PM

I have a lot to say, but ...
Starbucks coffee cup I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!









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