[giantrobot]

Hi everyone.

Has anyone been able to use their Pearl while calling into one of those corporate phone directories? (is that even the right term?)

For example, if I call my office, or my bank, or even a local big box electronics store and it says "if you would like to use the company directory, press #". The Pearl's buttons do not correspond with a standard phone, so I cannot enter people's last names or extensions. I am not sure, but I think that just entering extensions does work...but finding names does not.

It could just be that the number keys on the Pearl have QWERTY and not standard phone letters and it is as simple as that...but surely there is a way around this, no?

[John Clark]

Use the 'alt' key and double tap in the letters desired.

[JSanders]

And, welcome to the BBF...

JC has given you what you need.

[b_d0za]

Originally Posted by John Clark

Use the 'alt' key and double tap in the letters desired.

I've tried and tried and I can't get it to work right.

I dial the number and connect to the automated machine.
It asks me to dial the first three letters of the persons first or last name.
I need to type in 'cha' for example so I press and hold the 'alt' key and press button 7 once and it gives me a 'c', great. I let off of the 'alt' key and it gives me another 'c', why?
I try again. This time I hold the 'alt' key down after I get my first 'c' then I hit button 5 twice and I get my 'h', great so now I have my 'c' and my 'h'. Then I hit the ? button for my 'a' and I get my 'a' but then I let off the 'alt' key and it gives me another 'a', wow.

But that isn't even the half of it. When I'm typing these letters they appear on the screen but they wind up out of order so instead of actually getting 'chaa' like I described above, I get 'caah' for some reason. it puts the c in the right place, then the h in the right place, but then the a goes in between the c and the h and the extra a goes along with it. I have tried this a few times and have never been able to get it to work right. I was late to work this morning and was trying for fifteen minutes straight to get someones extension from the directory but I couldn't.

Edit: Now I notice I get different results sometimes. It seems to put whatever letters I type backwards for the most part, so since I've been testing it out right now it's giving me 'aahc' when trying to type 'cha' like described above, but sometimes it adds some letters in between letters I've already typed and it always gives me an extra letter.

Blackberry Pearl 8100
T-mobile v4.2.1.107

[Phranc]

The number 7 is not c. 2 is abc, 3 is def, 4 is ghi, 5 is jkl, 6 mno, 7 is pqrs, 8 is tuv, 9 is wxyz.

[b_d0za]

Originally Posted by Phranc

The number 7 is not c. 2 is abc, 3 is def, 4 is ghi, 5 is jkl, 6 mno, 7 is pqrs, 8 is tuv, 9 is wxyz.

Genius. Do you know what a pearl looks like?

Maybe next time I'll just do the math in my head and hit the appropriate numbers. Surely it isn't necessary, though.

Does this work correctly for anyone at all? Anybody?

Isn't blackberry supposed to be like the business professionals smart phone? Shouldn't I be able to access a companies phone directory and punch in letters and characters accordingly?

The asterick symbol doesn't even work right. The automated thing said to press star to start over and when I give it a star it throws something else at me like i hit some other button.

Surely someone can explain this nonsense. Or have I fallen so far away from sanity that it is lost forever?

[StevePPD]

Originally Posted by b_d0za

Genius. Do you know what a pearl looks like?

Maybe next time I'll just do the math in my head and hit the appropriate numbers. Surely it isn't necessary, though.

Does this work correctly for anyone at all? Anybody?

Isn't blackberry supposed to be like the business professionals smart phone? Shouldn't I be able to access a companies phone directory and punch in letters and characters accordingly?

The asterick symbol doesn't even work right. The automated thing said to press star to start over and when I give it a star it throws something else at me like i hit some other button.

Surely someone can explain this nonsense. Or have I fallen so far away from sanity that it is lost forever?

Phone directories like your calling dont care what letter is on which key. They are touch tone based. The gentleman above gave you the key, just try it. The keyboard on the blackberry is for the blackberry not for the phone.

[mizditz101]

That was actually going to be my suggestion.
Because I know I can't dial 1800comcast now, it's not right. You have to remember what those old touch tone phones look like, and what letters are where...
Just like #min... you can't just type in your m-i-n. You have to do 646 or its not going to work...

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by mizditz101

That was actually going to be my suggestion.
Because I know I can't dial 1800comcast now, it's not right. You have to remember what those old touch tone phones look like, and what letters are where...
Just like #min... you can't just type in your m-i-n. You have to do 646 or its not going to work...

No no.

It does work as stated.

[mizditz101]

Really o.0
I must just know people with crappy phone systems then... I've always had to know the old phone layout, specially for getting my text and minutes used for the month :P

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by b_d0za

I've tried and tried and I can't get it to work right.

I dial the number and connect to the automated machine.
It asks me to dial the first three letters of the persons first or last name.
I need to type in 'cha' for example so I press and hold the 'alt' key and press button 7 once and it gives me a 'c', great. I let off of the 'alt' key and it gives me another 'c', why?
I try again. This time I hold the 'alt' key down after I get my first 'c' then I hit button 5 twice and I get my 'h', great so now I have my 'c' and my 'h'. Then I hit the ? button for my 'a' and I get my 'a' but then I let off the 'alt' key and it gives me another 'a', wow.

But that isn't even the half of it. When I'm typing these letters they appear on the screen but they wind up out of order so instead of actually getting 'chaa' like I described above, I get 'caah' for some reason. it puts the c in the right place, then the h in the right place, but then the a goes in between the c and the h and the extra a goes along with it. I have tried this a few times and have never been able to get it to work right. I was late to work this morning and was trying for fifteen minutes straight to get someones extension from the directory but I couldn't.

Edit: Now I notice I get different results sometimes. It seems to put whatever letters I type backwards for the most part, so since I've been testing it out right now it's giving me 'aahc' when trying to type 'cha' like described above, but sometimes it adds some letters in between letters I've already typed and it always gives me an extra letter.

Blackberry Pearl 8100
T-mobile v4.2.1.107

This is a bug in the OS's. It used to do this even when dialing a number like 1-800-Best Buy. However, they fixed that part but sounds like they haven't fixed it in the dialing letters while on a call. I would try updating to the latest OS for the Pearl. There is a sticky in the 8100 forum for the latest OS.

[Phranc]

Originally Posted by b_d0za

Genius. Do you know what a pearl looks like?

Maybe next time I'll just do the math in my head and hit the appropriate numbers. Surely it isn't necessary, though.

Does this work correctly for anyone at all? Anybody?

Isn't blackberry supposed to be like the business professionals smart phone? Shouldn't I be able to access a companies phone directory and punch in letters and characters accordingly?

The asterick symbol doesn't even work right. The automated thing said to press star to start over and when I give it a star it throws something else at me like i hit some other button.

Surely someone can explain this nonsense. Or have I fallen so far away from sanity that it is lost forever?

For # and * as well as the numbers, be sure to hold the ALT key during all key presses.

Yes, I do know what the 8130 Pearl looks like. It's what I have.