How To Tips and Tricks For BlackBerry PlayBook Part 2

06/22/2011 Comments Off on How To Tips and Tricks For BlackBerry PlayBook Part 2 Blackberry Like

It’s time for more BlackBerry PlayBook tutorials, tips and tricks! As you might recall, last month I covered a few PlayBook how to’s and there are plenty more to add. I hope the following step by step guides help you get the most from your PlayBook tablet experience!

Workaround to Avoid 5 Minute Time-Out On PlayBook

If you own a PlayBook then you are most likely aware of the dreaded 5 minute time-out issue. This creates a lot of conflict if you want to stream your favorite radio station or watch a full length movie without any interruptions. Currently there is no concrete solution or OS update available to resolve this issue, at least not yet, but fortunately there is a way around this.

Certain apps enable you to switch off the auto timeout feature. You can run such an app in the background while streaming audio or video from your browser. A couple of app suggestions are Bed-Buzz and Offline Browser. You’ll need to set your PlayBook to Showcase mode for this to work properly as well as help improve multi-tasking. This way for example you can listen to live streaming radio stations in one tab and browse something entirely different in another tab, all the while still taking advantage of the workaround.

Setting the PlayBook to Showcase mode:

Launch/Open settings
From the options list choose “General”
Select “Showcase” instead of “Default” as Application Behavior

How To Quick Zoom In Your PlayBook Browser

While using the browser on your PlayBook you can zoom in by spreading two fingers. Most people are already aware of this, but there’s another way to do this called “quick zoom”. All you have to do is a quick double tap and it will zoom in on the location you selected. Double tapping the screen again will bring your browser back to normal scale. A simple tip but still good to know.

How To Add Or Remove Locations In the Weather App

If you’d like to customize the locations that are stored in your weather app then simply follow these easy steps. First of all, while the weather app is open, slide your finger down from the top bezel. This will reveal a new menu with the options you need. From those options you will see you can easily add and/or remove any locations you desire. For example, to add a new location press the settings icon, then tap the ‘+’ button. Next, type the city or location you wish to add and save.

How To Take Screen Captures On Your PlayBook

To instantly capture what is on your PlayBook screen all you have to do is press the volume up and volume down button simultaneously. This applies to photos, videos or whatever else you desire to take a capture of.

Viewing TXT Files From the PlayBook Browser

You can in fact view regular .txt files from your PlayBook browser. All you need to do is type “file:\\\” in the address bar followed by the path to the file you want to view. This can also apply to image files such as .gif or .jpeg for example.

Stream Video to Your TV & Use PlayBook At the Same Time

You can stream a movie from your PlayBook to your TV using the HDMI output while simultaneously performing other tasks. Once the movie is playing simply double tap on the top left corner of the app/screen. This will minimize the movie on your PlayBook while it keeps playing in full-size on your TV. Now you can go about your other business on your tablet while your family remains entertained.

Final Thoughts

I hope you find some of these tips useful. If you have any other PlayBook advice, tips or tutorials please feel free to add them to the comments section below.

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