After jumping through many hoops to try to get the voice quality to even an acceptable level on my 7100g, I'm finally returning it for another. I've tried upgrading the software, which didn't fix anything. I downgraded the software (to 3.8 ) which seemed to fix it, but that removed the nice-looking fonts on the home screen, and made my browser disappear. The crappy part is they won't cross-ship, so I have to pay for a new unit, and when they receive my broken one, they'll refund me.

Anyways, I'm trying hard to stick with this thing (it's my first BB), but it's getting hard. Do the other BB models have the now-infamous "loud background noise/static/super-loud voice" problems?

Thanks for listening to me whine.


Cody

I had some volume issues in the beginning but, I upgraded the OS and that helped on that. I have never really had any complaints of voice quality. I have a 7100t.

just curious, but considering Cingular and T-Mobile are about to release new revisions of the software that are supposedly the 'end all' solution, why not wait until then before returning it? that is, unless you are within a certain days return policy timeframe...

Well, I'm not exactly "plugged-in" to the BB scene, so I had no idea they were about to come out with new software. Also, I am still under my 30-day lemon law, so I wanted to act before my options were limited.

Can you link me to where you got this information regarding the new software?

Thanks for the response...

as for the TMO software, i was told by our tech rep. as for the cingular, camerch (a cingular employee) posted about it here:

http://www.blackberryforums.com/show...27&postcount=5

Thanks, but, I've yet to see any place where Cingular acknowledges the problem, so I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm not saying such a place doesn't exist, but I've looked and looked and called and called and I get nothing.

I hope it fixes it.

Here's an update:

I got my new 7100g in last Friday and so far, it has the EXACT SAME PROBLEM. This is so frustrating to the new BlackBerry user. I wanna love this thing and hype it to my friends, but they all think it SUCKS because none of them can hear me if I'm in my car, or in a place with any kind of mild background noise (at the gym, at a sports bar).

I'm at a loss as to what to do now. Suggestions? What are the pros and cons of the more traditional models?

Are you using the phone with a headset? Because that would certainly help in a car. I have a 7100 and hardly ever talk on it as though it were a real phone, but when I do I usually don't get any complaints.

I was not at all happy with the 7100G - the screen does not work out in Daylight, this is a problem because I drive a convertible. Volume was so bad that I had to turn on the speakerphone just to be able to hear phone calls with the phone up to my ear. Sure Type Technology works fine once you get used to it, but I wore out the OP key just after 3 months.

Love the 7520! GPS enabled combined with TeleNav so I never get lost anymore, screen works fine outside, upgraded speaker.

With this 2nd unit (7100g), I've started using the included headset and people on the other end say it's A LITTLE better. I don't want to have to do that every time though if I don't want to, that's what's so frustrating.

Donna, you don't mind talking on a piece of toast? I think that would get on my nerves, but hell, not as much as not being able to use my phone does.

I'm in your boat too. I got a convertible and nobody can't hear me. I just returned the 7100g today. Getting the Audiovox 5600 now.

I'm about to return both 7100g's and try a 7290. :(

I was thinking of doing that but I haven't seen any good reviews about the sound quality except bad ones. So I didn't want to chance it. Maybe all their mics suck balls??

Well, as long as they keep switching them out for me, I'll keep trying them.

Let me know, maybe I'll do the samething. I love that 30day thing.

Only thing I didn't like about the 7290 is the size. Kind of big.

Yeah, I'm willing to overlook that if the damn thing works correctly.

Piece of toast? Not sure what that means...

Sorry, that's the analogy that I've seen most in regards to talking on the square-ish 7290.

I would like to propose a toast to a larger screen and bigger keyboard !!!

I felt your pain for a long time and posted here about it, but I got tired of waiting for the new code that would fix it. I really hope it does because most people I know that have/had a 7100 can't stand them as a phone. I'm a strong supporter of blackberries, but the 7100 was a huge dissapointment in my opinion. Some say they love it, but I tried 5 different 7100t's and they all sucked as a phone....and once I stopped working in Northern NJ, TMobile has been the absolute worst service I've ever had and customer service wouldn't do anything to address my voice issue either than send me a new 7100, which didn't work any better. (for the record I've tried every handheld code for the 7100, which didn't resolve the voice issue at all, I mean 3.8 made it slightly better, but not much... and try being on a conference call with it, even using bluetooth, I would go outside and everyone couldn't hear anymore with all my background noise).

I downloaded the new software from the cingular site. http://support.cingular.com/cngapp/support/index.jsp

And I think the mic is better than before, not the best but it works half way normal. Let me know if anybodies elses seems to be working.

j--

Following the link you posted eventually leading to the Blackberry site only has the code from March, which does not have the mic fix. Is there a link that I missed?