Israel apologized to Egypt Saturday for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers

Israel apologized to Egypt Saturday for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers during a cross-border clash with Palestinian militants, hours after Cairo threatened to withdraw its ambassador to protest the killings.

Israel said the militants, who attacked on Thursday, came from the Gaza Strip and went through Egypt's Sinai desert, which borders both Israel and Gaza. They then crossed into southern Israel, where they killed eight Israelis. There are conflicting reports of how the Egyptian soldiers were killed later that day, as Israel was pursuing militants along the border with Sinai. "Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement after Egypt threatened to recall its ambassador. The Egyptian government initially put an announcement on its website overnight saying it had pulled the envoy, but later backtracked and issued a new statement saying it was only considering the move.

Late Saturday, Palestinians in Gaza unleashed a barrage of about 70 rockets at southern Israel, the military said, killing one Israeli and wounding dozens. The huge salvo threatened to escalate the already tense situation between Israel and Gaza militants into a full-blown conflict.

The violence is testing Israel's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, already strained by the fall of longtime autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak. The attacks have also raised concerns about the increasingly lawless northern Sinai, whose porous borders with both Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip make it an attractive staging ground for Palestinian militant attacks on Israel.

The fall of Mubarak in a popular uprising in February has given way to a chaotic transition with many in the discredited police force disappearing from the streets and leaving a tremendous security vacuum throughout the country, including Sinai.

Egypt last week moved thousands of troops into the Sinai Peninsula as part of a major operation against al-Qaida inspired militants who have been increasingly active since Mubarak's ouster. At the same time, anti-Israel sentiment is up in Egypt after Mubarak's ouster and Israel is watching closely for signs that the military rulers who took power might be responding to that sentiment.

The ambush has also threatened to stoke the Mideast conflict as retaliatory violence between Israel and Gaza militants spiked. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 Palestinians, most of them militants, Friday in Gaza. Palestinian armed men have fired about 50 rockets into southern Israel since Thursday, wounding more than a dozen people, including three Palestinians illegally residing there.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2089655,00.html

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HP revealed the new incarnation of its tablet via its French TouchPad website

HP revealed the new incarnation of its tablet via its French TouchPad website. The white TouchPad complete with "plus de pouissance" looks like it might be sporting the same chip as the US 4G version of the tablet. It would make sense, as HP has told Precentral.net that the new device will be Europe only for the time being.

The latest wi-fi TouchPad will be available in a lacquered white exterior finis, though the front bezel area remains black, much like the two-tone white version of the Veer. Additionally, the Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 SoC has received a speed bump up to 1.5Ghz from the stock TouchPad's 1.2Ghz. This boost in clock-speed, combined with the recently-released WebOS 3.0.2 update, should give the TouchPad a nice jolt of much-needed performance.

So double the memory and an extra blob of power for your TouchPad. We expect all that processor grunt will have WebOS running darn smooth. The new blanc tablet is up for order on HP France now priced in at €599 and set to ship in one to two weeks.

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Indonesia, Cancel Include Komodo Park in 7 Wonders of the World

Minister of Culture and Tourism (Minister of Culture) Wacik confirms the attitude of the government of Indonesia to withdraw from participation in the New 7 Wonders of Nature (NW7N) or 7 New Wonders of the World. As known previously included Indonesia Komodo National Park in the event.

"We broke up because we do not come from any source, and our lawyers say this foundation (the managers) do not bener, his wits are not true," said Wacik when accompanying the President in the Parliament building on Tuesday (08/16/2011).

Wacik said the foundation that manages the activities of the claimed non-profit but in fact what was done incorrectly.

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The government plans to divert exports to African countries

The government plans to divert exports to African countries is assessed continues to evolve, as the crisis in the United States and European Union for some time.

"We'll consider all other countries, such as Africa and Nigeria. The target is the end of this year our cooperation with Africa," said Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, after the inauguration of low-cost market in his office, Jakarta, Thursday, August 18, 2011

Exports to Africa, said the minister, is expected to be realized next year, so it can export some goods such as palm oil products, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and foods.

"In 2012, the assumption that exports grew 15 percent, meaning the volume of exports grew 15 per cent target. If we translate into value, about 18 percent," said Minister of Trade.

The situation in 2011, minister continued, made ​​reference 2012. If at this year's first half growth to reach 36 percent, usually in the second half will be higher, so the target of U.S. $ 200 billion could be achieved.

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Paparazzi-style ring

SLR Camera is booming, everyone is vying to have it though .. not many have the soul of photography to capture the beautiful moment or take a good angle. Even if the price is not cheap, in fact SLR camera still selling well. How about you, whether this phenomenon makes you tempted to have a camera?

Forget the first real camera, because this time we will play with miniature cameras. The lovers seem to love the retro style of this unique ring. A miniature camera that is coated with a decorative gold color rings, interesting and unique. Designed with an exclusive and make your style is not lost with the paparazzi.

Fred Flare are really good at making a variety of unique accessories and cute again presents a captivating work. The ring-shaped camera that will adorn your fingers. Camera body is black with gold lining in some parts reinforce the retro style. And on the lens, there are miniature lens that seems to be more attractive if replaced with a diamond.

Price ring is not too expensive, Fred Flare's official website offers a price of $ 12. If you play around on other sites that offer the same goods, the price is cheaper ring, which is $ 10. Not to be confused with the size of the ring, because the paparazzi-style ring is designed for all sizes. You can adjust the size of the circumference of the ring with his fingers.

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Google + will compete with Facebook by including features games

Company's Internet search engine giant, Google, which has launched a social media page will rival Google + Facebook by incorporating features of the game.

The game is one of the most popular features on Facebook. An investor social game company Zynga is headquartered in San Francisco, said Google wanted to keep U.S. dominance of Facebook in the social games market money profitably, given the features of the social game became the biggest source of income up to 750 million users worldwide.

Google will initially offer 16 + games including the popular game Bejeweled Angry Birds and the Blitz. Future, Google will provide more games.

Google made ​​a breakthrough ahead with the launch of Google + at the end of June. + Google already has millions of users of the service although it remains to be tested and limited to invitation only.

Google + Facebook is a direct challenger, who has been drawing attention and millions of dollars worth of advertising because people spend more time on the Internet for social networking pages.

In the competition the two camps are increasingly heated, Facebook sends a note to reporters just before Google held a developers game on Thursday night, Facebook says, "If you want to play games on Google +, you must provide access to the game to information from a Google account you. Some mengengar reporters who came to laugh about it.

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Suspended classes up to the tertiary level and government work in Metro Manila

THE PALACE on Monday suspended classes up to the tertiary level and government work in Metro Manila effective 1 p.m. following torrential downpour that has caused flooding in many parts of the metropolis.

The announcement was posted by presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on his Twitter account, attributing the advisory to Executive Secretary (ES) Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr.

"Upon the recommendation of NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council), ES Ochoa has declared the suspension of college classes and government work in NCR (National Capital Region) effective 1 p.m.,” said Mr. Lacierda

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S$130,000 for illegal moneylending activities

channelnewsasia.com---A Filipino maid wanted to help her employer who hired her despite her epilepsy and who also paid for her medical bills.

28-year-old, Melanie Jacalan Munar, agreed to help her employer, Koh Suat Lay, run an illegal money-lending business between early 2008 and November last year. Together, they gave out loans totalling more than S$3,000 to four Filipino women, with interest rates of up to 50 per cent.

Munar was sentenced Tuesday to three months' jail and fined S$130,000 after pleading guilty to five out of seven charges.

Because she was not able to pay the fine, she will be jailed an additional three weeks and six days. This is believed to be the first case where an employer-employee pair was hauled to court on illegal moneylending charges.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Jian Yi told the court that Koh came up with the plan to offer loans after finding out that Munar's friends were often in need of money.

DPP Lim said that she asked her maid to scout around for clients and the maid agreed. Munar's friends would approach her whenever they had financial problems, and she would then relay their requests to her employer.

After they agreed on the interest rate and period of repayment, Munar was tasked to hand over the cash to the debtors and collect repayments from them. In mitigation, Munar's lawyer, Mr Adrian Chong told the court that his client did not harass the debtors when they defaulted on their repayments.

Forty-seven-year-old Koh was charged in court in January and her case is currently at the pre-trial conference stage.

Earlier this year, a 68-year-old Singaporean man was jailed and fined after working with four Filipino maids, who were not his employees, to commit a similar offence.

All five were convicted and were sentenced to between three months' and two years' jail.

They also had to pay fines of up to S$150,000 each.

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12 stations of the Circle Line will open on Oct 8

straitstimes.com--THE final 12 stations on the western arc of the Circle Line will open on Oct 8.

These 12 stations, which run from Marymount to Harbour Front, complete the 33.3km, 28-station Circle Line. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew made this announcement on Monday afternoon after riding a train from Labrador Park station to Caldecott Station with about 150 government officials and grassroots members.

The fully-opened Circle Line is expected to relieve congestion on the North-South and East-West MRT lines by 10 to 15 per cent. Daily ridership is expected to be 400,000.

Mr Lui also said that an additional 13 trains will be delivered for the NS and EW lines around 2014 to 2015. Coupled with the 22 trains that will be added by the end of this year, these trains will enhance both lines' capacity by 25 per cent.

He added that SMRT and the Land Transport Authority are finalising plans to add more train trips to improve off-peak frequencies. These improvements are expected to be announced next week.

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Launch Google+

Scam magnet

A month into its launch, Google+ has attracted around 20 million users who sign up via "invites" from members. This "referral" scheme has given cybercriminals an opportunity to push survey scams, Myla Pilao, director of core technology marketing from Trend Labs, highlighted in an e-mail interview.

Cybercriminals, she explained, have capitalized on the "perceived scarcity of the accounts" to create fake Web sites to lure unsuspecting victims interested in joining the social network. According to her, such sites claim to offer downloadable invites after a user completes a series of surveys.

When users try to dismiss the list of surveys, they are directed to a file-sharing Web site where the user is given two options--to download an invitation for free by answering one of the surveys or pay a fee to obtain the invite, she noted.

Trojan terror

According to various reports, Fabio Assolini, malware researcher at Kaspersky Lab's global research and analysis team, said the Russian security vendor had identified fake invites from Brazilian cybercriminals targeting Portuguese speakers. These invites contained links to malware, specifically banking Trojans, which are a family of malware aimed at stealing log-in information related to banks.

When clicked, the links redirect a user to a commonly used .cmd file hosted at Dropbox when accessed. Accompanying this message is a link to another document purportedly hosted at Google Docs, but is essentially a fake form created to collect names and e-mail addresses of new victims.

more; http://www.zdnetasia.com/malware-scams-top-google-security-threats-62301308.htm

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Alarm over the desperate food shortage in Somalia

Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has sounded the alarm over the desperate food shortage in his country, where famine has been declared in the south.

For several years, Yusuf Muhammad Isma'il has ensured a diplomatic presence for Somalia, hit by civil war over the past 20 years and now suffering from the effects of drought and famine.

In an interview with swissinfo.ch, the ambassador said that in addition to the political crisis the country was now facing its worst humanitarian crisis in 60 years. Humanitarian organisations and the UN have raised the alert over the health and food situation in the Horn of Africa in general and in the Somali refugee camps in Ethiopia in particular.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on July 19 in Geneva that the mortality rate had reached 7.4 deaths per 10,000, which is "sharply above the sub-Saharan baseline", according to Paul Spiegel, the UNHCR's chief of public health.

more ; http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive/Somali_ambassador_urges_world_action_on_famine_.html?cid=30756744

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Forty couples celebrated love and marriage on four SBS Transit buses

Forty couples celebrated love and marriage on four SBS Transit buses yesterday. Called "Love is 24/7" to symbolise love all year round, the event was organised by the Family Life Champions of Boon Lay, Clementi, Pioneer and West Coast divisions.

Minister of State (Defence and Education) Lawrence Wong graced the event. The couples onboard reminisced about their dating days as the buses brought them to iconic dating places island-wide. They also participated in various romantic activities such as couple quizzes and writing love notes. Photo by Don Wong

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Ex-casino dealer jailed

Twenty-three-year-old Kent Oh Zhi Xiang was entrusted with lots of casino chips on a daily basis as he was a dealer at the Resorts World Sentosa casino.

But Oh devised a plan to cheat his former employer in July last year and within just four months, managed to make off with about S$100,000 worth of casino chips. He was sentenced Monday to two years' jail for criminal breach of trust after pleading guilty to the offence. Oh had worked with two alleged accomplices to swindle the casino.

They were his friend, 33-year-old Lim Chee Leng, and Lim's father, 56-year-old Lim Eng Chin, a taxi driver. As part of the ruse, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ruth Wong said that the father-and-son pair would approach Oh to exchange either 500-dollar or 1000-dollar cash chips for those in smaller denominations.

Oh would hand them more 100-dollar cash chips than what they were entitled to. He overpaid them with some S$100,000 worth of chips between July and November last year. DPP Wong said that the ill-gotten gains were shared equally between Oh and the Lims. But they were caught after a casino pit manager received a tip-off from another punter.

Oh was observed overpaying the Lims on a closed-circuit television footage and the authorities were alerted. DPP Wong pressed for a jail term of about two years as the crime was committed on numerous occasions. She stressed that Oh had made no restitution and such offences are usually difficult to detect.

Lim Chee Leng, who's jobless, and his father have already been charged in court with the offence. They will be dealt with at a later date.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1142882/1/.html

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THE Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been making a show of force this month, more than 300 arrests for various crimes.

THE Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been making a show of force this month, leading three weekend raids that have resulted in more than 300 arrests for various crimes.

In the latest operation this past weekend, the CID - along with officers from the Singapore Customs, Central Narcotics Bureau and other parts of the police force - arrested 111 people.

More than half were women. The suspects, aged between 19 and 60, were arrested in entertainment outlets and back alleys in eight locations including Jurong, Geylang and Orchard Road. They comprised Singaporeans and foreigners from the region who are believed to be linked to gang activities, employment-related offences or vice.

In the first weekend of this month, the CID led another islandwide operation that yielded 144 arrests for offences that included gang activities, contraband cigarette peddling, employment-related infringements and vice.

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The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world

A diver that was close to be swallowed by a whale shark while the giant was feeding with plankton was captured by a photographer. Mauricio Handler took the picture in the waters of Mujeres Island in Mexico. It was a moment when all the 600 whale sharks from that area gathered at one place to feed with plankton, according to Daily Mail in the online edition.

This is a very usual thing, that the whale sharks to gather every years into the Mexico’s waters in order to feed them but they aren’t a danger for the divers. The animals are swimming with their huge mouths open in order to have a big quantity of water and food.

The mouth of a whale shark can reach 1,5 meters width and it has 350 rows of teeth. Handler said after this one in a life time event that the image with the diver that was very close to the whale shark’s mouth was an incredible adrenaline scene.

He admitted that in the moment when someone is on water and around him there are only fishes there is a completely new world out there, with other rules and beautiful things. He said that the incident happened right in the moment that the whale shark was feeding and the animal went on his colleague’s direction.

The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world, but is not dangerous for the people. The animal can have a weight of 40 tons and it feeds with planktons and little fish. Because of the animal’s conduct around the people a lot of photographers wanted over the time to capture it into their pictures.The scientists from Mozambique tried to measure last year a whale shark and they photographed the animal with a very performing device that uses the laser technology. They wanted to know the period in which the whale shark gets to 20 meters length.




http://newsinabox.net/1721/whale-shark-photographed-when-almost-swallowed-a-man.html

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Groups of men armed with knives and sticks attacked thousands of protesters

CAIRO — Groups of men armed with knives and sticks attacked thousands of protesters trying to march to the headquarters of Egypt’s military rulers Saturday, setting off fierce street clashes and leaving dozens injured, most lightly. Security fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The clashes come as tensions have been rising between the military council that took control of the country after a popular uprising ousted ex-President Hosni Mubarak and activists who want them to move faster in bringing former regime officials to justice and setting a date for the transition to civilian rule.

The military has increasingly appeared impatient with the pressure, accusing activists of treason, warning protesters against “harming national interests” and calling on “honourable” Egyptians to confront actions that disrupt a return to normal life, something many interpreted as a call on Egyptians to turn against each other. An estimated 10,000 people set out from downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square but were stopped from reaching the military headquarters in the eastern Abbasiyah neighbourhood by a line of army barricades. Along the way, they chanted slogans against the military council’s delay in implementing their demands.

Many protesters have grown distrustful of the military rulers who assumed control of the country on Feb. 11, and continued demonstrations have forced a change to the interim government and a change in the leadership of the police force. A few hundred have been camped out in Tahrir Square since July 8 to pressure the military to bring those accused of killing nearly 900 protesters during the 18-day uprising to trial. So far, only one low-ranking police officer has been charged in absentia for killing protesters.

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The operation of 58 trains was suspended ; killed at least 35 people and injured more than 200

WENZHOU, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The operation of 58 trains was suspended on Sunday after a train collision and derailment in east China's Zhejiang Province killed at least 35 people and injured more than 200, railway authorities said.

The Ministry of Railways said the damaged train tracks are under repair, with service expected to be resumed by 6:00 p.m. Sunday.

The derailment occurred at 8:38 p.m. Saturday near the city of Wenzhou. High-speed train D301 rear-ended bullet train D3115, which allegedly lost power after being hit by lightning.

Four of the D301's coaches fell off an elevated bridge, while two of the D3115's coaches were derailed.

Local railway authorities have ordered two temporary service trains to carry stranded passengers away from the accident site. The injured passengers have been taken to local hospitals for treatment, said the ministry.

The ministry promised full ticket refunds for passengers who were supposed to take the suspended trains.

The ministry also expressed condolences to the victims of the accident.



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-07/24/c_131005711.htm

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Norwegian bombing and shooting spree ; killed 92 people

Norwegian police say a man in custody has confessed to a bombing and shooting spree that killed 92 people. But Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim told reporters Sunday that the man, Anders Behring Breivik, does not accept criminal responsibility.

Sponheim said police had no other suspects for the worst massacre committed in Norway since World War Two, in which 97 people were also wounded. Several people also remain missing, which could raise the death toll.

A bombing in downtown Oslo killed seven on Friday. A shooting massacre on an island youth retreat killed 85 hours later. Divers have been searching the surrounding waters, and Sponheim said the missing may have drowned. Police earlier said there was still an unexploded device on the island, but it later turned out to be fake.

The attack followed the explosion of a bomb packed into a panel truck outside the building that houses the prime minister's office in Oslo, according to a police official. Seven people were killed, and police said there are still body parts in the building. The Oslo University hospital said it has so far received 11 wounded from the bombing and 19 people from the camp shooting.

Police have charged Breivik under Norway's terror law. He will be arraigned on Monday when a court decides whether police can continue to hold him as the investigation continues.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8657571/Norway-attacks-Killer-acted-alone.html

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Better to release more BTO flats per launch

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday said the key is to push out more flats per launch and a wider range of units, so that buyers are less likely to face the disappointment of being unable to select a flat.

Making his first official visit to the HDB Hub in his capacity as National Development Minister, Mr Khaw spoke with flat applicants to understand their concerns. Affordability and availability of flats were some issues that came up.

One applicant said: "We heard from a lot of friends who said that maybe you would be rejected by HDB a few times."

Writing in his blog on Sunday, Mr Khaw said that based on earlier Build-To-Order (BTO) project launches, almost all applicants get a chance to select a flat, if a project has about two applicants per unit offered. This, as almost one in two successful applicants drops out during the selection process. However, the chance of selection drops when the subscription rate rises. The solution is bigger launches.

Mr Khaw said: "Previously, when HDB released a small launch, in fact it is worse. Each time you release a few hundred units, everybody would rush for those few hundred units, and many will get disappointed for sure. That is why I move away from monthly launch, and do a combined launch.

"I do not think we would do any in August. I am trying to combine with September to have a bigger launch, so 4,000 units, or even bigger units...I think that will do a lot to calm the market and reduce disappointment."

Mr Khaw also dismissed talk that BTO flat prices have dropped significantly since he took office.

Prices for units launched this month started from S$137,000 for a three-room flat, S$217,000 for a four-room flat and S$274,000 for a five-room flat. The starting prices were S$166,000, S$264,000 and S$335,000 for the same flat types in May's launch of 4,000 new flats. Mr Khaw said many factors are at play, including location.

channelnewsasia.com

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Download BlackBerry Connect (BBC)

Layanan Push Email Blackberry dapat diaplikasikan di handset non-Blackberry. Istilah lainnya adalah BlackBerry Connect (BBC). Hanya fitur push email yang didapat dari aplikasi ini, lainnya tidak. Seperti Yahoo Messenger, Browser, BlackBerry Messenger, Google Talk tidak ada dalam aplikasi ini.

Adapun langkah-langkahnya adalah sebagai berikut :
1. Sebelum mendownload software Blackberry Connect, pastikan cek versi firmware dari handset Nokia tersebut, (ketik : *#0000# ) misal untuk handset Nokia E61 versi-nya adalah : 3.0633.09.04 maka yang harus didownload adalah Blackberry Connect 4.0 versi 7.45.0
2. Download software tersebut ke dalam PC, lalu aktifkan aplikasi Nokia PC Suite untuk menginstall software tersebut kedalam handset Nokia E61
3. Setelah terinstall di Nokia E61, maka akan membuat folder Blackberry pada menu, Buka Folder tersebut Pilih menu Settings Lalu aktifkan service Blackberry-nya dengan merubah menu Blackberry Service : ON
4. Setelah Blackberry Service dalam posisi ON dan ter-connect, maka kita dapat melihat PIN handset Nokia tersebut dari menu Device Info. Pin dan IMEI tersebut dicatat, karena akan berguna untuk didaftarkan di Blackberry Webclient [BWC] http://indosat.blackberry.com/
5. Sebelum dilakukan pendaftaran di BWC lakukan dahulu Registratsi Network melalui menu Service Info > Host Routing lalu pilih menu Register Now. Lalu lakukan pendaftaran di BWC. Setelah terdaftar di BWC bisa melakukan pendaftaran beberapa email account yang akan dimasukkan kedalam Blackberry Connect for Nokia. Jangan lupa setelah melakukan penambahan email account di BWC, lakukan Send Service Books.
6. Jika Service Books sukses diterima di handset Nokia E61, maka akan mengcreate masing-masing folder email kedalam menu Messaging. Cek pula pada tampilan berikut ini :
Menu > Blackberry > Settings > Service Info > Service Books [telah terprovisioning]

7. Jika semua langkah berhasil, maka layanan push email Blackberry di Nokia E61 bisa digunakan.

Pastikan logo sinyal muncul pada layar Nokia, artinya terkoneksi dengan server RIM Blackberry. Namun jika hanya muncul setengah logo ataupun terdapat tanda garis miring dilogo tersebut, artinya tidak / belum terkoneksi dengan server RIM Blackberry. Sehingga layanan push mail tidak bisa digunakan untuk kondisi tersebut. 

Untuk tipe handset Nokia seri yang lain, prinsipnya hampir sama.

Jika account Blackberry adalah type Enterprise, maka perlu dilakukan Enterprise Activation. pilih menu > Blacberry > Activation untuk melakukan registrasi aktivasi enterprise.

Download BBC

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