[r_beau]

I just got a new Blackberry Curve 8530 last week, and I've mostly figured out how to use it. Except there is one thing that is driving me crazy.

When you go into "Notification Alerts" so you can change the sounds that play when you received a message, what is the difference between:
SMS?
MMS?
Level 1?
PIN?

Secondly, I have had no issues making separate ringtones or notification sounds for all my stuff (different email accounts, texts, calls, etc). However, I cannot figure out how to get it to play the sound I have selected for messages from one specific contact. When I get a text message from him, it still plays my normal test message sound, but not the "message" sound I have selected for him in his contact profile. And yes, I checked to make sure it was not on "silent" for that specific profile sound.

What do I need to do?

[MidnightDraven]

SMS = text message
MMS = picture/audio message
Level 1 sms, mms or email you've set to be level 1.
PIN = a message sent directly to your BB's PIN, not your phone number.

If you have set MESSAGE tone for that contact, and not SMS tone, then it will play the regular SMS tone. MESSAGE is email.

[r_beau]

It is possible to set a separate SMS sound for a specific person?

Again, I've looked and haven't found it, but that doesn't mean I didn't missed it.

[MidnightDraven]

Believe so, yes.
You should be able to set a ringtone, sms and message tone for a specfic contact.

[r_beau]

How?

Obviously, I've already figured out how to change that person's specific ringtone and message (as in email).

But there is no "SMS" in the list to change things, when I go into that person's contact information.

[MidnightDraven]

Ive no idea
Best place to look is the manual.

[r_beau]

I have looked.

Couldn't find anything.

That's why I am now here.

Honestly, I'm very disappointed in the manual. It's helped very little, not to mention some of the paths to get to certain options or settings, I've found, are incorrection.

Also, what is the point of a PIN? Why would I get a PIN or use a PIN, versus a text message or email? (These are exactly the things the manual also does not explain that I want to know! It didn't even tell me that a SMS is a text and a MMS is a picture/video!)

[MidnightDraven]

No offence, but most people know a text is an SMS and a pic message is an MMS.
PIN uses data, so if you are on a limited sms plan for example, it doesn't cost anything.

[r_beau]

Well thank you very much for calling me an idiot because I didn't know that. And I don't care you said "no offense" because you could have just said nothing at all. Period. THAT would have been no offense if you did not say anything.

Sheesh. I just got a smartphone last week. Give me a few days to get used to the lingo before you go and stick your nose in the air with your "smartness".

[aiharkness]

I'm wondering if it can be done, unless someone comes along and says, "Yes, this is how I do it."

For custom alerts, I only see "phone" and 'messages," and I don't know if either includes SMS and MMS as I don't use these to have the experience. So, if you set custom phone and message alerts for a contact and the custom alert doesn't work for SMS or MMS, then I would guess it doesn't work that way.

[bigolsparky]

You can seperate message ringtones and phone ringtones by contact. You do that in your contacts folder. There you have options for custom ring tone alerts per contact. You could potentially have a different tone for all of your contacts. These are not distinguishable by types of message. There could be tricky ways to do that as well, by having more than one name for a contact.

[aiharkness]

Originally Posted by bigolsparky

You can seperate message ringtones and phone ringtones by contact. You do that in your contacts folder. There you have options for custom ring tone alerts per contact. You could potentially have a different tone for all of your contacts. These are not distinguishable by types of message. There could be tricky ways to do that as well, by having more than one name for a contact.

But if you set a custom alert for a contact, does it work for SMS and MMS. That seems to be the question. I take it you are saying it does, but it isn't clear. And if it does work, do SMS and MMS come under phone, or under messages, when setting a custom alert?
Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile

[MidnightDraven]

I wasn't calling you an idiot.
I was merely point out that as most people know what an SMS is [been around long before a smartphone existed] the manual isn't going to tell you what it is, as the manual itself assumes you know.

[r_beau]

If you weren't suggesting I was an idiot and thinking it in your head, why did you start your sentence with "no offense"? IMO, it is a pretty dumb for a manual to assume a person knows something because the whole purpose of a manual is for a person to look things up on how to use the device and/or what things mean.

aiharkness is describing exactly what I am talking about. When I select "edit" on a contact in my "Contacts", there is the heading that says "Custom Ring Tones/Alerts" in which there is the words "phone" and "message" under that heading. That's it.

I am able to change the ringtone for that specific person by clicking on "phone". That part works fine. Anyone I have set a special custom ringtone for works as it should when that person calls me. However, the only other option to change a ringtone or sound when editing is the word "message" which is right under the word "phone." That is what does NOT work, so it obviously must not be for SMS or MMS. It must be for something else. Email would make sense, although I am not sure if that is what it is for because I haven't had the time to enter email addresses in for all my contacts.

(Another question I just thought of ... is it possible for my blackberry to use my Hotmail address book or somehow download it to my blackberry? Because as of right now, I'd have to manually type email addresses into everyone's contact in my Contacts book. Rather time cosuming....)

So it makes sense that "Message" would be the notification sound for an email coming from that person, but then if that is the case, were in the heck do I change the sounds for SMS and MMS for individual people?

At this point, I am assuming you cannot. Because it is not there in an obvious fashion. Which to me, seems werid for a phone that can do SO many other things!!

[aiharkness]

Hold on, r_beau, MidnightDraven is one of the most gentle people on the forum. Take her at her word. Besides, she's right. Manuals today explain less and less because the writer's don't go over what they think is old material for almost everyone. Anyone you was using computers 20 years ago can tell you when the manuals were really manuals. (Anyone remember the old MSDOS manuals?)

Now, thinking on the problem further, when I look at the screen for editing profiles that lists all the services for which profiles can be set, SMS and MMS are listed in the messages group. That makes me think SMS and MMS are logically categorized as messages for the purpose of setting custom profiles in the address book. That's what makes sense; but doesn't necessarily make it so.

I'd assume at this point that the SMS and MMS custom alert should work. I don't know why it doesn't. I remember seeing posts about some bug that had do with the format of the phone number entry in contacts. I don't remember exactly what the bug caused. Do a search on "SMS text bug". And I'll see if I can find it.... though it may turn out to not be useful.

EDIT: http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...ml#post1513480 is what I was remembering. But on second thought I don't think it's the answer in this case.

[aiharkness]

Are you running any third-party app that enhances or extends the notifications/alerts?

[r_beau]

Nope; I am not running any other apps for that.

[aiharkness]

I don't think it is going to make a difference, but can you edit the phone number and test? Just remove dashes, periods, parenthesis, and make it just numbers.

Also, in searching I found a case -- probably different device and different OS, I'm sure -- but the problem seemed to be with a particular ringtone. Changing the ringtone made the custom SMS alert work. Worth a try. And use one of the stock ringtones for now, and not one you've created, if that's what you've been doing.

[r_beau]

The phone number already is only numbers.

But I will try switching the tone and see if that makes a difference.

[MidnightDraven]

Originally Posted by r_beau

(Another question I just thought of ... is it possible for my blackberry to use my Hotmail address book or somehow download it to my blackberry? Because as of right now, I'd have to manually type email addresses into everyone's contact in my Contacts book. Rather time cosuming....)

Unfortunately not, but if you can [if you have it that is] get them into google contacts [having a gmail address] you can then sync them using the Google sync app.
Otherwise its the long manual process.