Ways to access Google Reader on Blackberry

• Blackberry browser - Google Reader site doesn't work, site says it's loading too slowly and fails.
• Blackberry browser - add all RSS feeds manually as bookmarks - too tedious.
• Opera Mini - Google Reader works. Opera settings:
• Mobile view: off
• Full screen: on
• View Google Reader in: Mobile view (link at bottom of web page)
• Apps on Blackberry Curve 8900, Platform 5.2.0.67, App Version 5.0.0.681
• BeReader 1.1.49 (BerryReader, free trial) - I logged in and selected 'choose feed', it crashed with "Uncaught exception: Application berryreader(421) is not responding; process terminated".
• Viigo 3.1.507 - Works great for its built-in feeds, but adding my Google Reader results in "no feeds" warning and "authentication error". Also can't change font size or wrap titles, so you only see the first 4-6 words of the title. Loading the article is fast though.

Sending an email to yourself

You can't send an email from your blackberry phone, through a gmail account, and expect to see it arrive.
It just doesn't work. For reasons explained here:
http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=KB18070
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=196b521f8b4b7a76&hl=en

SSH on Blackberry

MidpSSH

I want to use SSH on my Blackberry, for example with the program MidpSSH.
I am using a Blackberry 8900 on the Orange UK network.

When I try to connect to a server using MidpSSH, I get the error: "Session error: Writer: Invalid parameter".
Apparently I need to set my APN to fix this. What is an APN? List of APNs

On my device in Options | Advanced Options | TCP/IP there's a tickbox for "APN Settings Enabled".
There I can set APN: orangeinternet But this doesn't help. Tried rebooting.

Perhaps it won't work because:

Orange would have had to setup the normal Orange GPRS APN on your account, ... which they don't do for blackberry users (understandably, we're all meant to use BIS).

(I can also see in Advanced Options | Host Routing Table, all the "Host Routing Information" entries have APN: blackberry.net)


Orange


UPDATE 10/09/10:
I called Orange and spoke to the "online services" team (439). A nice man called Ben (CMTS Darlington) found some instructions on their system for using SSH from a Blackberry. They recommended downloading the client from xk72.com. But then he spoke to the 2nd line support team for me and they said that SSH is "Not supported anymore".
Well, what does that mean? That I won't be able to get an SSH connection? Or that I will be able to get a connection, but they won't give me any help should a problem arise? How do I know if their system is working properly for me to try and make an SSH connection?

Here's an unrelated typical example of poor Orange customer service.

PaderSyncSSH

I tried connecting with PaderSyncSSH free trial from the Blackberry App Store.

When I set the Networking connection type in 'Misc. Settings' to "Direct TCP", and set my APN to orangeinternet, I get the error: Connect failed: Error opening socket. java.io.IOException: Peer refused the connection. (Note: This is the same message as I get when connecting to a server that does not offer SSH).
With Networking connection type 'BES/MD5' I got the error: Connect failed: Error opening socket. java.io.IOException: Invalid URL parameter (that's the same as MidpSSH!)
With Networking connection type 'BIS-B' I got the error: Connect failed: Connect failed. ab: Session.connect: java.io.IOException: BIS-B connection failed. (and a recommendation to try Direct-TCP, or have the server listen on a port above 1024 because some carriers block lower ports).

UPDATE 14/09/10:

After connecting once via wifi, I tried connecting to an SSH server via Orange's GRPS phone data network again, and it worked perfectly. Success! I discovered that sometimes I get the error "Connect failed: Error opening socket. java.io.IOException: Peer refused the connection", but other times it works just fine.




Telnet

I succeeded in making a telnet connection to bbc.co.uk:80 through GPRS and issuing a GET HTTP/1.1 command, which resulted in the HTML text of the BBC homepage.



Wifi

I succeeded in using PaderSyncSSH SSHing to shellmix.com:30 (newuser/newuser) when I connected my BlackBerry to a wifi network. It worked really well! MidpSSH gave the same error (but then it doesn't have a network type selection option like PaderSync does).

Hide number sending on Blackberry Bold

• Open phone application
• Press menu
• Choose 'options'

Phone twiddles

Any phone:

• *#06# - show IMEI number
  

Blackberry only:

• from home screen: Hold Alt and type E, A, C, E - displays OS version

Make IMAP Gmail work on blackberry

If you enter your Google email address when prompted, there is no way to configure advanced settings to make IMAP accounts work. In fact, I called Orange and was told that their Blackberries do not support IMAP with Gmail, and it does not work.

But they are wrong. It does work - you need to enter an email address that is not one of the major commercial providers, but does host email accounts. I used a fake email alias @ a domain I know has a working mail record: siteaboutnothing.com

Then, as you follow the prompts, choose "Advanced settings" or similar, and you are able to set the server to imap.gmail.com and change the email address back to your gmail account.

I now have it set up so messages marked as read on my phone are sync'ed with my main gmail account and I don't have to manage two accounts at once.