Guide to Text Editing a Forwarded E-mail on BB

The BlackBerry mobile platform is perhaps best known for its secure push email capabilities. As RIM continues to move forward in consumer markets; and as BlackBerry devices are beginning to offer more native applications (including some pretty awesome social networking collaborations); and even as forward thinking 3^rd party developers clamor to make their own applications for BlackBerry, it’s a fact that most die-hard BlackBerry users stick with the device because of its email function. And, while BlackBerry is the best at what it does, it unfortunately falls short in one area concerning email. Many of us have been frustrated at the fact that we cannot edit text that we want to forward in an email. Shock and amazement…I know. But for whatever reason, RIM doesn’t make this an easy email function. However, there is a very easy way to edit a forward.

While the solution is forehead slapping simple, the shortcoming of a no forward edit option is among the most often cited complaints about BlackBerry email (especially from newbies). Lucky for us, it’s also the easiest to solve. While you’re in the original email, simply copy the text that you wish to forward and then paste it as a new email and forward it to your recipient. Once you’ve done this, you can add to, delete or edit the text as much as you like before choosing to forward it.

If you don’t yet know how to use copy and paste to edit, it’s very simple to learn; Just position your BlackBerry cursor at the point you wish to begin copying, press the left Shift key and scroll your trackball over the text that you wish to copy (the text will be highlighted as you scroll). Next, press your BlackBerry menu key and select Copy. Then place your cursor at the place where you would like the copied text to appear (in this case a blank email). Pressing your menu key again, select Paste and, voila, your text is placed exactly where you want it.

For now, editing a forward may take a few additional steps, but once you get the hang of doing it, it goes rather quickly and smoothly. Until RIM develops a better way to edit an email forward, this works just fine in giving us full control over the email that we send.