Today, the word “BlackBerry” doesn’t just conjure up images of mouth-watering pies and stained teeth, it also (and dominantly) makes people think of none other than the sleek, black smartphone. As one of the best smartphones out there, it’s no surprise that a BlackBerry can make your life a lot easier! Having said this, we have all encountered the moment after the initial awe of actually owning a BlackBerry wears off, and the confusion, and what I like to call the “What am I supposed to do now” syndrome sets in. Have no fear ladies! Darci Larocque, the founder and owner of Swirl Solutions, knows exactly what we and many other professionals are going through.
Having discovered that many BlackBerry users actually do not know how to maximize the use of their BlackBerrys, Darci went on to find Swirl Solutions, offering BlackBerry training workshops and providing clients with solutions they desperately want and need. We finally got the chance to chat with the fabulous owner herself and here’s the advice she has to give us BlackBerry users, or soon-to-be users out there!

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about a BlackBerry?

1. That you can’t multitask on your BlackBerry. You can! You don’t have to hang up on people to go check your calendar.
2. Lots of folks don’t realize that you can play music, watch videos and keep documents on your BlackBerry.
3. That doing certain things are free. Nothing is FREE and Smartphone’s can be expensive, especially when you travel.
4. BlackBerry doesn’t have applications. It sure does, in a recent article from BerryReview there are over 10,000 BlackBerry apps. From games to apps specific to your business. Check it out here.
5. You can only have one email account. So not true! You can forward up to 10 other accounts to your device.

Top 5 Tips to using a BlackBerry more efficiently:

1. How to automatically turn your BlackBerry Off and back on at a specific time.
2. How to stop the black screen from coming on every 15 seconds.
3. Make your BlackBerry inbox look like your Outlook inbox. You don’t have to see Phone call logs, Sent (checked) items and folders. Once hidden, there are fast ways to see them. Find out how here.
4. Troubleshooting: Top 5 things to do when you have BlackBerry issues.
5. How to delete multiple messages

What are the most common questions asked about the BlackBerry?

1. Which BlackBerry model do I buy?

• My experience from years of asking questions at our workshops and conferences is that the preferable devices are the ones with a full keyboard, WiFi ability (to save you money) and the trackpad for more consistent and easier movement.

2. iPhone or BlackBerry?

• In my opinion, BlackBerry is a better email device as it encrypts and compresses the data. Data compression doesn’t mean much to people until they travel and the latest stats are that the iPhone uses 5 x more data. That can really add up when travelling internationally.
• iPhone has so many cool games and apps and I believe it is adopted more by the under 35 age group. Touch screen email typing isn’t the same as texting where you can use the short acronyms like c u l8r. You wouldn’t use that in a business email. I find many BlackBerry users switching because of the hype to iPhone and then switching back to their BlackBerrys.

One piece of advice you would give to brand new BlackBerry users:

• Call your Carriers before you travel to make sure you are on the right plan for where you are going and ask if your current plan is good for your the way you are using your device. Plans change ALL the time and what you signed up for 2 years ago may not be the best plan for you now.

Darci is also a regular on Get Connected TV! Watch an interview below:

Darci on Get Connected TV