Email setup on the BlackBerry PlayBook

OK, so you’ve make a sensible decision and got yourself a pocketable BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with a shiny 7" HD screen and heaps of powerful features. It's running PlayBook 2.0 software too, so you now  have access to your messages, contacts and calendar features on the move. We're going to walk you through setting these services up. 

Why was email missing from the PlayBook at launch?

Research in Motion have the most advanced email system in the world, running off a huge set of servers that pump messages out to your BlackBerry smartphone and tablet devices, so you're always up-to-date with emails, social network updates and instant messages. However, access to this server in the sky has been missing from the PlayBook until now.  Prior to the PlayBook 2.0 update, you needed to bridge a BlackBerry handset to your PlayBook tablet in order to access email, or view it on the provider's webpage. 

How does BlackBerry email work?

PlayBook 2.0 Messaging uses something called Active Sync to push emails from the server to your inbox. The device stays constantly and instantly updated. Plus, your calendars and contacts stay synced with the server too.   Not all email providers offer this functionality, so you may need to check first to find out what your provider supports. When setting up an email account, you may also be asked to set up contacts and calendars, but again, please check with your provider to see if this type of sync is available to you!

Automatic Setup

 

 

 

 

 

If your email provider uses an exchange based system, like Microsoft Outlook or Windows Live, then set up couldn’t be easier! Simply follow these steps:

1. Press the cog icon in the top right hand corner of the screen
2. Choose 'Accounts' from the left hand menu
3. Press 'Add new account'
4. Choose the type of account to set up, in this case 'Email, Calendar and Contacts'
5. Enter your email address and password
6. Choose 'Continue'
7. If the email account is recognised, you will now be able to give the account a name and tell it which data to sync
8. Once options are set, choose Save

Manual Setup

If the account is not so straightforward, or it fails to automatically find the sync settings, the PlayBook will ask you to provide some information such as the incoming server address, outgoing server address, port numbers, username and password.  Not all of these options may be required, but it is a good idea to know what they are.

 

To manually set up an account, follow these steps:

1. Press the cog icon in the top right hand corner of the screen
2. Choose 'Accounts' from the left hand menu.
3. Press 'Add new account'
4. Choose the type of account to set up, in this case 'Email, Calendar and Contacts'
5. Choose 'Advanced setup'
6. Select the account delivery method, for example, IMAP
7. Enter the information as required, paying close attention to Server Address (the incoming server), Port and Encryption along with SMTP server address (the outgoing server), SMTP port and SMTP encryption
8. Select if Push is supported, if not, set the sync interval.  This tells the device how often you want it to check email if push is not supported
9. Press 'Save'

Multiple Accounts

Want to have more than one account set up on your BlackBerry PlayBook?  No problem!  The PlayBook can support multiple accounts and simply brings them all into one unified inbox.  If you want to view just one account at a time, simply tap on the 'Accounts' button and select the individual one!

If you want to change which account is the default account from which emails and meeting invites are sent from, simply go into the settings and edit this:

1. Press the cog icon in the top right hand corner of the screen
2. Choose 'Accounts' from the left hand menu
3. Tap 'Default Accounts'
4. Choose your default account from the dropdown lists for email and calendar.
5. Changes are automatically saved

Now, when sending an email, the account it will come from is the newly set default account, unless you change it each time! Remember we're always here if you need help or advice - call us anytime or visit us in a Carphone Warehouse store.