Please help me! Phone question...

Ok, my 1.5 yr old wonderful beautiful daughter decided my phone (8530 Blackberry Curve) needed a bath as much as she did! I put it in rice overnight with battery out and all that good stuff. I took it to work, pulled it completely apart and blew it out with compressed air to get any remaining moisture out of it. let it sit apart for about an hour, just to make damn sure. Put it all back together and put the battery in and prayed...

Powered on and then the little red LED started flashing. Did some google mastery and found it lost the OS. Was able to reinstall the OS and the phone came back to life. Yaaaay!! Problem... When I text, there's about 2-3 extra letters in every key press. Now my question is 2 fold...

First - Do you think I just need to reclean the keyboard surface with some alcohol and try again?

B - I got my hands on an older 8130 Blackberry that someone from work gave me, but I'm on Sprint and it's an AT&T phone. How do I crack it? Been googling and youtubing the hell out of this and all I get are places that want me to pay $20-$50 to have them do it. Sure it's cheaper than a new phone, but I don't wanna pay for it.

So there is my challenge to the GRM wisdom bank. Help a brotha out, please.

Sprint is CDMA, and AT&T is GSM, so unless the phone has both antennas, it's impossible to use it on your network.

I'd reclean the keyboard.

ATT is a GSM network while Sprint is CDMA. You can get a Boost, Virgin, or Verizon phone, and you can unlock them to work on Sprint. If it takes a SIM card, then it's not going to work (unless it's a World phone, then it would have both radios if it's on Verizon or Sprint).

The AT&T handset will never work on the Sprint system.
This is not a matter of software but rather a matter of hardware.

Sprint transmits it's signal at 1900mHz via a style of digital named CDMA (code division multiple access)
AT&T transmits it's signal at 850 mHz and 1900mHz via a style of digital named GSM (global systems for mobile)
In layman's terms it is like trying to get FM stations when all you have is an AM radio.

If not wanting to spring for a new handset (which could be as cheap as free if you recommit on your contract) then open up Craigslist and find a used Sprint cell phone.
If possible, meet the seller at a Sprint store where the useability, switchability and quality can be confirmed.
If not possible then do not pay too much for it.

If you are interested, I have a new, old stock, never been activated Sprint specific, Blackberry 8330. This is the model before yours that has the roller ball instead of the track pad. Also does not pull in wifi.
Shipped to your door for $50.

jrw1621 wrote: The AT&T handset will never work on the Sprint system. This is not a matter of software but rather a matter of hardware. Sprint transmits it's signal at 1900mHz via a style of digital named CDMA (code division multiple access) AT&T transmits it's signal at 850 mHz and 1900mHz via a style of digital named GSM (global systems for mobile) In layman's terms it is like trying to get FM stations when all you have is an AM radio. If not wanting to spring for a new handset (which could be as cheap as free if you recommit on your contract) then open up Craigslist and find a used Sprint cell phone. If possible, meet the seller at a Sprint store where the useability, switchability and quality can be confirmed. If not possible then do not pay too much for it. If you are interested, I have a new, old stock, never been activated Blackberry 8330. This is the model before yours that has the roller ball instead of the track pad. Also does not pull in wifi. Shipped to your door for $50.

You, sir, may have a deal if the keypad clean doesn't work. I had an 8350 World Edition before and Loved it! The charger port/USB port separated from the motherboard and ripped that part of the board up just enough it couldn't be repaired.

As for getting a new phone, that was this one. I only renewed about a year ago, so I can't do that again for another 6 months or so. Really pisses me off because I had a cool theme I made that turned the Battery Meter into a Fuel Gauge and the Signal Meter into a Tachometer.

If World Phone is important to you, I have a Sprint/Blackberry 8830 that is not new but in stellar shape.
Old School w/ no camera and no wifi.
Handset, battery, charger, rubber case. Free to you. Lets say $10 to cover shipping.
This is a handset that I personally carried for a year.

jrw1621 wrote: If World Phone is important to you, I have a Sprint/Blackberry 8830 that is not new but in stellar shape. Old School w/ no camera and no wifi. Handset, battery, charger, rubber case. Free to you. Lets say $10 to cover shipping. This is a handset that I personally carried for a year.

That's the one I had!! 8830, not 8530. LOL Loved that phone. It's a brick though. LOL I'll have to get the newer one from ya. You don't have a newer one with WiFi do you?

I do have a Blackberry 9670, the flip, (with wifi) but it was becoming unreliable when I switched out from it. I really liked the phone but I would not recommend the one I have.

The 8330 is dark grey like this.

jrw1621 wrote: I do have a Blackberry 9670, the flip, (with wifi) but it was becoming unreliable when I switched out from it. I really liked the phone but I would not recommend the one I have. The 8330 is dark grey like this.

OK, let me try to clean this one today and if not, I'll PM you. Thanks again man!!

I'll just leave this little solution to your problem right here...

GSM vs CDMA is like AM radio vs FM radio

Sprint is CDMA, ATT phones are GSM. Can't use an FM radio to listen to AM stations.