BlackBerry Acronyms & Abbreviations: Part 1

I am always abbreviating everything I say, especially in text messages.

Recently I have run into a lot of BlackBerry acronyms that even I wasn’t familiar with.  So I decided to start looking them up. After doing a little research I found out that there are MANY different BlackBerry acronyms and some can be quite technical and tricky.

1st and foremost you should know this one:

BB: BlackBerry

BES: BlackBerry Enterprise Server
BES is software that acts as the centralized link between BlackBerry wireless devices, wireless networks and enterprise applications. Provides mobile users with access to email, enterprise IMs, personal information management tools and the ability to deactivate them if they are stolen.

BIS: BlackBerry Internet Service
BIS is allows you to have up to 10 supported business or personal email accounts, send and receive IMs, and browse the internet.

BPS: Bits Per Second
A standard measure of data transmission speeds for computer modem and transmission carriers. GBps is short for Gigabits per second. (gigabit = 1,000,000,000 bits)

CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access
BlackBerry devices display an indicator “1X” when it connects with full data service, and lowercase “1x” when it is not able to connect to full Internet service.

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication
GSM is a standard collection of applications and features available to mobile phone subscribers all over the world. It transmits voice digitally between phones and cellular antenna towers.

ETP: Email Transfer Protocol
This protocol is what enables the Desktop Redirector feature of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to redirect messages from the user’s environment to the BlackBerry infrastructure.

IM: Instant Messaging
BlackBerry devices offer many of the features of desktop IM software, including contact list management, presence awareness, notifications and emoticons.

IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol
A protocol for retrieving email messages.

IMEI Code: International Mobile Equipment Identity
IMEI is a unique 15-digit code used to identify individual mobile phones. The code is usually printed on your phone under the battery.

IP Address: Internet Protocol address
An IP address is a numerical identification and logical address that is assigned to all machines on the Internet. The IP address is composed of four numbers from 0 – 255, separated by decimal points.

MDS: Mobile Data Service
MDS is a method of Internet connectivity for a BlackBerry device that is provided by a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

MMS: Multi-Media Messaging
Sending and receiving messages that are inclusive of photos, text, sounds, and images from your cell phone.

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer
OEM is a company that uses a component made by a second company in its own product, or sells the product of the second company under its own brand. It is usually cheaper than the full versions but not as cheap as academic or student editions.

OS: Operating System
An OS is an interface between hardware and user; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the device.

PIM: Personal Information Management
BlackBerry’s PIM includes an address book, calendar, task list, and memo pad. PIMs are designed to synchronize to each other. (BlackBerry can be synched with Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes or Novell GroupWise)

PPP: Point to Point Protocol
PPP is a used for sending data over long-distance networks or used to establish a direct connection between two computers. It can provide connection authentication, transmission encryption privacy, compression and be used for dial-up access to the Internet.

POP: Post Office Protocol
POP is an e-mail system. It used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server. (POP mail is for incoming mail)

PTT: Push-to-Talk
PTT is essentially walkie-talkie communications with a two-way radio.

SIM: Subscriber Identity Module
The SIM, also known as the SIM card is a “smart card” for networks which contains security-related data and user data. It can store personal information such as phone numbers, contacts and text messages.

SMS: Short Message Service
SMS allows you to send and receive short text messages between mobile devices, without adding email messages to an inbox. (160 character limit)

SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SMTP is an internet standard protocol for sending email between servers, or from sending e-mail across the servers. (SMTP is used for outgoing mail)

SURETYPE:
They keyboard and software invented by RIM that combines a traditional phone keypad with the QWERTY-based keyboard. SureType includes a list of over 35,000 words and can recognize common character sequences.

WAP: Wireless Application Protocol
WAP gives you information (in text format) from the web in a format that is easy for to download, display, read and read on your cell screen.

WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network
A network that allows you to wirelessly connect to your email and Internet.

We hope you found this useful.

Check out part 2 for some text abbreviations and proper acronym etiquette.

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