How to View a PDF on Bold

A PDF is just a click away on the BlackBerry Bold.

According to manufacturer Research in Motion, users of the BlackBerry Bold 9000 series can easily view Portable Document Format (PDF) files sent as email attachments. The BlackBerry software has a built-in PDF viewer, although it does not offer the ability to download or save readable PDF attachments. You will need a third-party document reader for that.

Instructions

1. Download the latest firmware for your Blackberry Bold smartphone. Although the phone comes with native PDF viewing support, firmware updates frequently correct technical glitches reported by users.

2. Open an email that has a PDF attachment. The attachment will show up as "filename.pdf" in a small window at the bottom of the email message, as well as in the email's header field (depending on your display preference setup).

3. Using the BlackBerry's trackball, place the cursor anywhere on the PDF attachment.

4. Click the trackball. You will be prompted with a menu that includes the option to "Open Attachment." Click once and the PDF will open. You can choose the "Zoom" option by clicking the menu button (the button with the BlackBerry logo on it to the left of the trackball). You will see "Zoom" on the menu that pops up. Use the trackball to control the degree of zooming.

5. As an alternative to Step 4, place your cursor on the file and click the menu button. Choose "Open Attachment" from the pop-up menu to view the PDF. Use the menu button for the "Zoom" option as described in Step 4.

Tips & Warnings

• You cannot download a readable PDF file using the BlackBerry's native software, you can only view it. (If you choose "Download Attachment," the BlackBerry will prompt you with the message: "You are about to download a file that cannot be viewed on your BlackBerry device. Continue?") If want to download PDFs for later viewing, you must purchase or download third-party software that adds this option to the BlackBerry's features.

• If you are unable to view a PDF document attached to an email, the problem is not with your phone. The PDF file probably was created using a version of Adobe Acrobat not supported by the BlackBerry Bold. BlackBerry's website contains a list of all supported formats (see link to this list under Resources).

References

• BlackBerry: User Guide - BlackBerry Bold 9000 Smartphone

Resources

• BlackBerry: Attachment support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 4.1 SP5
• BlackBerry: BlackBerry Desktop and Device Software Download Sites