Blackberry Terminology 101 – Get Informed

So, are you interested in getting into the world of Blackberry, but first want to appear like you have some knowledge to your friends and family? Have no fear as I have outlined a number of different terms and abbreviations that you should be aware of before getting a Blackberry.

The first and most important abbreviation is BB, which stands for Blackberry. Also, BBM stands for Blackberry Messenger. Blackberry Messenger is a chat program that is specific to Blackberry and is similar to Yahoo or AIM chat.

There are two different types of BlackBerry servers. The first is BES. BES stands for Blackberry Enterprise Server and is mainly used by large companies. It serves as the central link between Blackberry devices and allows a master user more control over their employees’ Blackberrys. The other type of server is BIS, which stands for Blackberry Internet Server, and it is more for personal users. Through BIS, one can access their Yahoo or Gmail email. The monthly service for BIS specifically is less than that of BES.

With so many Blackberries on the market, it’s important to distinguish which one is for each operator. That can be done by looking at the device’s frequencies, which may be labeled CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, or GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. If you are in the United States, Verizon Wireless and Sprint are generally CDMA carriers, and T-Mobile and AT&T are generally GSM carriers.

Another important term with Blackberries is IMAP. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol, which is used in retrieving email messages. MMS is another key term, which stands for multimedia messaging. Through MMS, one can send photos, videos or sound from their mobile device. On the other hand, there is SMS, which is the Short Messaging Service. SMS generally means text messages.

Finally, on Blackberry, there is a PIN, which stands for Personal Identification Number. The PIN is generally used for BBM and unit identification.