Mobile WorkHorse

By Al Sacco
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Al Sacco writes about (and drools over) anything and everything mobile or wireless as it applies to the global workforce--with a focus on BlackBerry smartphones

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Al Sacco

Attn BlackBerry Storm, Pearl Users: Reset Minus the Battery Pull with Free QuickPull App

Posted April 10, 2009 to Mobile/Wireless |
. What's this?

Regularly resetting your BlackBerry device is a necessary evil--at least if you install as many new applications and tweak settings as frequently as I do. If you employ a BlackBerry with a full QWERTY keyboard, the task isn’t too much of a headache; you simply punch in the BlackBerry soft reset keyboard shortcut (more on that coming up) wait a few minutes for your device to start up, and you’re golden. But BlackBerry owners without full QWERTY keyboards, or with virtual, touch-screen keyboards were in a different boat altogether.

screen shot of QuickPull for BlackBerry Reset Menu Screen
QuickPull for BlackBerry Reset Menu Screen

In the past, BlackBerry Storm and Pearl owners had to physically remove their device batteries each and every time they wanted to perform a reset. That meant removing whatever cases/skins/holsters etc. from their BlackBerrys before a reset could be performed. Not anymore. Now, thanks to the free QuickPull app from Steelthorn.com, Pearl and Storm owners, along with all other BlackBerry users running RIM OS 4.2 or higher, can perform device resets with the push of a button.

QuickPull claims to “simulate a battery pull.” Removing the battery from a BlackBerry device is called a “hard reset.” As such, it would seem that QuickPull simulates a hard reset; however, it appears to actually initiate a “soft reset.”

The difference between hard and soft resets? Think of the soft reset for software related problems (think: soft reset) and the hard reset for hardware issues. (For more on hard and soft--even “double-soft” resets--read “BlackBerry Tip: Hard v. Soft Resets, and When to Perform Each.”)

screen shot of QuickPull for BlackBerry Scheduler Menu Screen
QuickPull for BlackBerry Scheduler Menu Screen

The application lets you reset your device at any time by clicking the QuickPull icon. It also offers a scheduling option, so you could, say, set your BlackBerry to reset on its own at midnight every night.

I tested the app on a BlackBerry Bold 9000 and a Pearl 8130, and it worked flawlessly on both devices. Considering there’s a simple three-key shortcut to reset full QWERTY BlackBerrys--just hit ALT, Right Shift and Delete simultaneously--QuickPull may not be particularly valuable to all BlackBerry users. Still, the reset-scheduling-feature could make it worth the download. And the price sure is right.

Download QuickPull v2.0 beta over-the-air (OTA) via your BlackBerry browser.

AS

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