GMail Client for Blackberry Devices: Configuration

Another article in this series focused on installing the GMail client for the BlackBerry. In this article, it is assumed that you have just completed the installation of the client, and are ready to configure it for use. Although you will have a usable client after following through the steps for basic configuration, it is also recommended that you consider these options for additional configuration.

It is assumed that you have successfully installed the GMail client for the BlackBerry as described elsewhere in this series. With installation complete, attention here focuses on the essential steps required to make use of this client.

On launching the GMail client for the BlackBerry you will be presented with the familiar GMail logo. Enter your username and password and click the "Sign in" button to proceed. (If you use a mix of lower and upper case letters, plus numbers and/or symbols, be very careful when entering your password. You will not necessarily need to enter your password repeatedly.)

Because the GMail for the BlackBerry client makes use of HTTP, you will need to give permission for such interactions with the Google servers that support GMail. Note that HTTPS is the encryption-enabled version of HTTP. In general, if it is available, use of HTTPS is recommended.

Once you have given your permission for the GMail client to make HTTP requests and process HTTP responses on your behalf, you will have a working version of the client. In fact, after you have allowed for the HTTP interactions, you will be placed into the Inbox of your GMail account.

At this point, you have a completely functional native client for GMail on the BlackBerry. If you have any conversations in your Inbox, you can read them. You can even compose and send mail. Before you get too involved using the client though, I suggest you read the following section on additional configuration options.

To view the additional configuration options, once you are in your GMail Inbox, click the Menu button - this should present you with a menu of choices. Using the track-ball, scroll down to "Settings", and select this item. This series of actions should open the "Settings" screen for you. Items pre-selected for you have a check mark beside them. In version 2.0.6, the options are as follows:

• "Make accessing my labels fast" - Labels are a powerful GMail concept. For example, you can associate GMail conversations with one or more labels. For those who make significant use of GMail labels, enabling this option makes a noticeable improvement in access performance. To achieve this improvement in performance, the client caches the specifics of GMail labels locally on your BlackBerry. Additional memory is required for this locally cached data.
• "Always use secure network connections" - As noted above this is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS. HTTPS enables communications to be encrypted. Because HTTPS has slightly more overhead, owing to the need to de/encrypt and the protocol itself, there is a performance impact. I use HTTPS exclusively and do not have an issue with the performance implications. Even if you are not too concerned about secure communications, I still recommend use of HTTPS.
• "Ask for confirmation before archiving, deleting, etc." - This self-explanatory option allows for the confirmation that aligns with your style of working.
• "Use large fonts" - Also self explanatory ... and useful!
• Tagline - This allows the "Sent from my mobile device" tagline to be added to your composed messages and responses. I have never seen any value in this option, but perhaps you will.
• "Notify me when there is new mail in my Inbox" - This is a nice feature that illustrates the effort that Google has made in integrating the client with the BlackBerry platform. You can customize the notification of, for example, the arrival of new mail by editing your BlackBerry Profile.
• "Show my total data usage (KB) per session" - Enabling this option allows a usage indicator to appear in the upper-right corner of the Inbox. Those with unlimited data plans will find this interesting, whereas those with limited data plans can use this as a monitor of the GMail client usage.

If you make changes to any of these options, you will be asked if you would like to "Save changes to Settings?" on exiting (via the Escape key) from the "Settings" screen. To save changes you made, simply click on the "Save" button. Except for font changes, all changes will be immediately enabled. (To enable font changes, you will need to exit the client and restart it.) With the exception of the large fonts and tagline, I have all options enabled.

I have been using the GMail client for the BlackBerry for a number of years on three different BlackBerry devices. In addition to being robust and useful, it has been heartening to witness the improvements in the client over this period. The breadth and depth of optional "Settings" is testimony to the this progress.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to take this client for a test drive. Elsewhere in this series, we will explore the client in greater detail.