Easy captures

Unlike your desktop computer, the BlackBerry has no Print Screen key. But there are some really good free applications that will help you capture whatever you see on the screen.

Unlike your desktop computer, the BlackBerry has no Print Screen key. But there are some really good free applications that will help you capture whatever you see on the screen. The easiest option, that requires no installation, is to use the Java Loader Commander utility. This is a free DOS-like program that you can download for free from the BBForum's website.

For the tech savvy
Unzip the commander and connect the BlackBerry device to your computer via the available USB port. Now open the command prompt (Start -> Run -> cmd and hit Enter) and switch to the folder (use the cd command) that contains the extracted files. Type JL_Cmder.cmd and press enter. Just follow the simple wizard to save screenshots of your BlackBerry screen. The above utility is part of an official BlackBerry debugging package and is meant purely for developers or people who understand programming. It can be a bit intimidating for non-techies.

And for the rest
BBScreenshooter is another free application with a graphical user interface (GUI) interface and lets you capture screen using buttons like any other Windows-based application. The utility lets you take pictures in multiple image formats from your Windows desktop. You can even preview the screenshots on your desktop screen before you capture them.

To use BBScreenshooter, first download the JavaLoader tool and unzip it to a folder. Then download the BBscreenshooter.exe file in the same folder and run. Specify the location of the Java Loader utility and the application is now ready to take pictures off your BlackBerry screen.

Both the utilities discussed above require you to connect the BlackBerry to the computer. If you want to take standalone captures without connecting the device anywhere, try the free CaptureIt application from m.thetechmogul.com. This will add a new "Capture It" option to your BlackBerry menu — select that option, wait until the vibration is over and an image of your current BlackBerry screen will get saved either in the external memory card or to the device memory. Simple. Amit writes a technology blog at http://www.labnol.org/