Free up side keys on your BlackBerry Bold

Having mentioned one useful browser keyboard shortcut for the BlackBerry Bold recently, here’s another couple of options that may not be self-evident in the online help system. To switch the phone between vibrate and ringing modes, hold down Q; to lock the keypad, hold down A. This won’t work in an application (like the browser) where those shortcuts have other meanings, obviously, but it still gives you the option of taking those functions off the two side keys (which is the default setting) and remapping them to other common applications, since you can always get back to the main screen by hitting the red phone button. Thanks David Flynn!