When dialing a phone number, is it possible to have the number display in a "broken" format with dashes or spaces? For example, "888-555-1212" instead of "8885551212".

yes, it will dial with dashes in it. You don't have to place the dash IF you are dialing the number, but storing them in that format in your Address Book is perfectly fine. I do.

I don't think I asked my question clearly. Let me try again --

I'm about to place a call to 888-555-1212. As I'm dialing the numbers, the BB displays it as "8885551212." I'm wondering if there's a setting to have the BB split up the "groups" of numbers, so I see "888-555-1212" or "888 555 1212" or similar.

So this is for numbers being dialed on the fly, not stored in my address book. Reason I ask is because if I need to call, for example, 888-344-4474, it's much easier to make sure I'm not transposing any of the digits if I can see it broken up. Trying to make sense of "8883444474" -- give me a break.

I understand what you are asking. Yes, it would be nice if as you are dialing the number that the BB would imply the "-" at the appropriate 3 digit interval. It is hard to tell if you are dialing the number correctly sometimes. But I beleive the answer is that it won't.

Sorry,

E-

Some cell phones do add the - or space but the BB never has on any model, at least up to now. Maybe RIM will add the feature

I doubt RIM will add it. The 3-3-4 format is North American. Other countries use different format. How is the phone supposed to know what format to use?

Yep - BlackBerrys are used in places other than North America. They have different number formats. Imagine that.

Ouch, how close-minded of me.

In all seriousness, though, the phone does display "My Number: 1 480 555 5555", so I figured it must somehow know my local number format.

After 7 months of using a BlackBerry, I only last week found out that you can dial a phone number with letters and it works (800-ABC-DEFG). Was just thinking this might be another little helpful thing I was missing.

I'm trying to make sense of your animosity. I was trying to honestly assist your need.

Insert your own dashes, as I indicated, if you want it displayed that way. The BB won't do it for you.

Have a good day.

That comment was directed at the phone, not at you.

gotcha, understood, lol.

Well, let's see:
The phone is in contact with the network so it knows where you are;
The phone knows what (if any) country code you're dialling.

That's how.

DOH!

Sweet, so now every time I start to key in a phone number, the OS has to go through a country code table, to find out the correct format for that country. The table also has to be updatable.

There is a point where adding code for adding code's sake is too much.

Now, I want to reach 555-1212. I'm in a part of the country where 10 digit dialing is not required. So the phone would know I'm in NA, and start 555-121-2 and then what? switch to 555-1212? So it also needs a list of area codes to interpret the first 3 digits. Wait, area codes can be the same as exchanges as well. There are certain things that are just too cumbersome.

Next they will add a 1950's dial to the phone and eliminate the touch tone pad.
That will fix it

Somehow or other, my Sidekick was able to manage this without much ado. Since my carrier was T-mobile US, when entering domestic numbers into the address book, it would parse them properly. With the +44 code for UK numbers, it parsed them differently.

For the BlackBerry 8130, if you go to the Call Log and then go to Options and then Smart Dialing, you can set the following information:
Country Code: +1
Area Code: 206
National Number Length: 10
Use "1" for National Dialing: Yes

So, the BlackBerry knows that I'm in America (+1 country code), knows my area code, and knows what the length of a phone number is supposed to be. Even in parts of the country where local phone calls can be placed by dialing 555-1212, the call could be placed successfully by dialing [area code]-555-1212. As far as the programming, it would not be hard to code rules like:
IF country code = +1
AND National Number Length = 10
after 4 digits entered, display as: 206-5
after 5 digits entered, display as: 206-55
after 6 digits entered, display as: 206-555
after 7 digits entered, display as: 206-5551
after 8 digits entered, display as: 206-555-12
after 9 digits entered, display as: 206-555-121
after 10 digits entered, display as: 206-555-1212

I believe this is the logic my old phone used.

Alternatively, you could simply make it a setting in the phone. Users could specify, as per above, how they want phone numbers to be displayed after typing a certain number of digits.

It's not that complicated and it would solve a common complaint among BB users.

Is this still not possible on any Blackberry?

By referring to the Smart Dialing settings?