Blackberry dummies 2 Manual page 162

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Part II: Getting Organized and Online with Your Storm
It's no doubt slower to type words on the tiny virtual keypad than it is to type
on your PC.
Do you just give up on the dream of IMing on the go? Not necessarily. The fol-
lowing sections show how you can power up your BlackBerry IM technique.
When less is more
If you can't keep up with all your buddies, your best bet is to limit your expo-
sure. Take a whack at your contacts list so that only your true friends remain
as contacts whom you want to IM from your BlackBerry. Trimming your list is
easy. To delete a contact from your IM application, highlight the contact from
the main screen of the IM application, press the menu key, and touch-press
Delete.
Deleting a contact or buddy from an IM application on your BlackBerry also
deletes the person from the desktop or laptop computer version of the app.
That's because the list of contacts is maintained at a central location — an IM
server, to be precise — and not on your BlackBerry.
Set up two accounts of your favorite IM application: one for your BlackBerry
and one for your desktop PC. By using these accounts separately, you can
limit the number of contacts you have on your BlackBerry and still maintain a
full-blown list of contacts on your desktop.
SMS versus connecting via the Web
SMS messages are short messages designed for cellphones. IM is a step up,
evolving from the Internet, where bandwidth is no longer a concern. IM pro-
vides a better real-time conversation experience across distances. These two
technologies evolved in parallel. As more people use IM, it becomes appar-
ent that this technology has a place in smart phones, in which mobility is an
advantage. Some of the IM programs used in the BlackBerry in the past use
SMS behind the scenes. And because your BlackBerry can connect to the
Internet, other programs use the Internet directly. These differences can affect
your monthly bill as well as your messaging experience. Read on.
If you don't have unlimited SMS but have an unlimited data plan, be careful with
any third-party IM software. Make sure that it uses the Internet instead of SMS.
If it uses SMS, you'll incur charges for every message sent and received. Most
network providers charge 20 cents for every SMS message, which can add up
quickly and lead to a nasty surprise on your monthly bill.