BlackBerry Date/Time Source Explained

You have three options of how to get the Date/Time synchronized automatically on the BlackBerry:

1. Set it to BlackBerry (the default), which gathers the information from the BlackBerry network, i.e. the RIM NOC.

There is some confusion about this, let's clear it up right now. Setting this to BlackBerry does not mean you have to set the date/time yourself on the BlackBerry. It does not mean that it gets the time from Desktop Manager when you cradle / sync. (that is so 2005 anyways, it's all wireless now baby!) It means that you get the date/time directly from RIM over the air, that's it. Here is the debug log lines from the device when you click Update Time:

guid:0x1295B4AADE149AFC time: Thu Aug 02 15:12:08 2007 severity:5 type:2 app:net.rim.timesync data:SynR
guid:0x1295B4AADE149AFC time: Thu Aug 02 15:12:08 2007 severity:0 type:2 app:net.rim.timesync data:Send
guid:0x1295B4AADE149AFC time: Thu Aug 02 15:12:10 2007 severity:0 type:2 app:net.rim.timesync data:Recv

2. Set it to Network, which gathers the information from the wireless carrier network, whether AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Rogers, O2, Vodafone, etc. Here is the debug log lines from the device when you do this:

guid:0x1295B4AADE149AFC time: Thu Aug 02 15:15:55 2007 severity:5 type:2 app:net.rim.timesync data:SynR

Interestingly, when you click Update Time with the Network setting, it just copies the date/time recorded under "Network Time" and "Network Date", instead of directly querying the carrier network. I assume this "Network Time" is regularly synced through some background mobile radio process.

3. Set if to Off, which does not gather any info. You set it and maintain it yourself.

Please note that, as I explained in my prior post, none of these settings will update the time zone you are in to the local time zone when you travel. None of them. Stop trying to change from Network to BlackBerry and back and clicking "Update Time" over and over again. It just won't do it.