Blackberry Chinese Input

At some days I really hate the ignorance that comes along my way. Today’s protagonist of discomfort: The BlackBerry Chinese Input Method Support doesn’t exist… luckily I can use Google and luckily there are some hackers out there that helped pave the way to enjoy Chinese on my BlackBerry Curve 8310. Today’s article will answer some serious issue many BlackBerry owners face:

So how do I get the Chinese Input on my BlackBerry working?

Or in particular: How do I install a Chinese Input Method on my BlackBerry? How can I read Chinese on my BlackBerry? It’s a quite easy process, once You know how to install the right things on Your BlackBerry to make the Chinese characters work. Here is a step by step approach using a Windows desktop:

Preparation Step (optional, only if necessary): If there is existent data, like emails, contacts, etc. and You want to keep these, You have to backup it in some way. See Your BlackBerry manual for Backup.

1. Uninstall any previous BlackBerry device software. Go to the Control Panel and then go to Add/Remove Programs. There You can find any previously installed device softwares. Don’t confuse the device software with the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
2. Download the latest BlackBerry OS for Your specific BlackBerry model from this site (I chose the south east Asian version, You can choose the language on step 2 on the BlackBerry website):
   https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=EEFC9E10EBDC4A2333B42B2DBB8F27B6
3. Install the files You just downloaded
4. Make sure Your BlackBerry device is connected to Your desktop PC and the BlackBerry Desktop Manager is NOT running.
5. Go to the folder of Your BlackBerry device software loader:
   C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader
   There You can find a file named VENDOR.XML. Rename it or delete it.
6. Open a console window and go to the BlackBerry folder by entering:
   cd C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader\
7. enter:
   Loader.exe /nojvm
   This should start the installation routine.
8. After a short while You see a window where You can choose what to install. See picture below.
9. Finish Your installation. The first reboot after installing the new OS software on Your BlackBerry might take half an hour, so You better drink some tea meanwhile

If You reach this screen, You almost made it. Pinyin and other input methods! Don’t forget to install the necessary fonts as well.

So why do customers always take these steps on their own, why don’t they ship all languages by default. It can’t be a question of memory space today. It must be some dark conspiracy against Chinese learners like me. I hope this article helps You to install Chinese language support on Your BlackBerry device as well. Enjoy! This reminds me to write an article how to get Chinese input on a Sony Ericsson device – a problem I faced last year. And it also reminds me of the whole Chinese DVD story I encountered in Hong Kong

If You just want to read Chinese, without any input, You could try this BlackBerry Chinese character pack:
net_rim_font_chinese

Last words: This HowTo is a result of a lot of googleing, reading several resources and testing myself. Many people have tried it and it worked for them (see comments as well). However I cannot give You any guarantees of course. Anything You do is Your own responsibility. Big thanks to my readers as well, they have written great comments with helpful knowledge on this matter.