OK — very quick tip to share that I just assumed everyone knew – but I find that few do.
If you are calling a number like Fedex’s “1.800.GoFedEx”, and you are using a BlackBerry, you can simply type in the letters into the dialing screen and it will automaically convert it to the appropriate numbers. Since the BlackBerry doesn’t have the numeric keys of a regular phone, going through this process in your head can be a bit time consuming 🙂
This works on my 8300 Curve and I believe with older versions as well.
Raanan Bar-Cohen 
you can also hold down the alt key and press the letter and it will send the right tone. works for sure with the pearl and the curve.
Wow, thank you for that tip! It works with the alt key on mine… It’s always a hassle to try to find a land line when calling those airlines.
Oh my god, you have NO idea how glad I was to read this. I suppose now that it does make sense (now that I know it works!) but ever since I bought my Curve, I always cursed the fact that figuring out these numbers was a pain in the ass.
Thanks for sharing this tidbit!
Sadly, did not work on my curve. Bought it the day it hit the market. 1st generation I guess. Do they offer updates on software?
wait, on the 8130 Pearl, how do you get the “F” to enter? I can’t get anything other than “D” to come up.
thanks!
@ micahb37 — thanks, although I’ve had mixed results with directories that require last names for example. will do a bit more testing.
STEVE- to get the second letter to come up ( the letter “F”) hold the shift button (the lowest left button) and press the “F” key rapidly twice, same thing to get any second letter to appear.
michelle, that I know, but it doesn’t work in the dialing screen I just get “D4”.
What if you are trying to dial the # key after entering a bunch of numbers? I tried refilling my prescription at Walgreens and it asks you to enter # after the refill number. It doesn’t read it.
@James —
on which blackberry ? On my 8300, I simply hit ALT-Q for #
If you need to press # when you are on an automated call, press the Q button without the alt button.
Thanks for the advice. Interestingly, I have the reverse problem. I would like to label my phone numbers with letters, but Blackberry reads them as numbers and I can’t directly call without copy/pasting just the number. Any advice?
Thanks,
Mike
I actually had to google what the letters were supposed to be 10 minutes ago and your blog came up – I am SO sick of having to sing the alphabet in my head to try and figure out where the letters go! Thanks for this tip, it worked perfectly!!
For my Curve 8310 you have to press the alt key then the letter, for example in 1800FANDANGO
🙂
Michael Hsu-
did you ever find a solution to your problem? i have the same issue–i like to leave little notes immediately after the phone number (ex: “800-555-1212 HR department”) and i’d like blackberry to ignore the letters rather than dialing them
Does this work on the automated vm system to get to “Bob Jones”?
Not sure — never tried, but it should work.
omg, i should have done this eons ago. thank you so much, the value of my blackberry just shot up 100% 🙂
Hi Everyone,
Just an update. Tried the ALT and number thing for a voicemail system that requires dialing by “last name” on my Curve, and it worked perfectly!
Holding down alt and the letter worked perfectly on my Tour 9630. Thanks Micahb37!
Tried this on my new BB 9650 and it doesn’t work. Shouldn’t there be an App for this???