[Tommy_PT]

Hello every1. Im new here, and a total BB noob.
I bought a GRADE B blackberry 8700 from ebay and I received it a couple of hours ago... Physically it looks excellent (has only minor scratches) and everything seems to be working just fine except that I cant make a phone call, ie, I can hear people but they cant hear me! I reseted it and tried it on two 2 different (portugal where im from) networks - TMN and Vodafone PT. Still no go. Paired it with my nokia BT headset and called my girl, with the nokia on she could hear me but when i changed the option to the "handheld call" i could hear her but she couldnt hear me! As far as i know the BB is unlocked and has the V4.1.0.351. It has O2 written on the screen, so I assume it comes from O2. Will a firmware/software upgrade solve this? How can i do it? Will the BB remaing unlocked? (It has a sticker on the back wich says "Warning Invisible Security Marking" followed by a code. Is this the unlock code?) Sorry for my testment but i really wanted to start using BB since Im already tired of pocketpc's. Thanks in advance.

[Tommy_PT]

ok. Ive been doing some experimenting, and the MIC is not totally dead (yet). If i talk real close to the mic hole (almost kissing the f*****) people can hear me low (but still can) on the other side. I updated the SW to 4.5 from O2. Is there a way to turn off the background reduction level or something?

[teczilla]

Sounds like the microphone is the issue. You should contact the ebay seller for replacement. Or you can need the headset for conversation.

[the-economist]

Originally Posted by Tommy_PT

Paired it with my nokia BT headset and called my girl, with the nokia on she could hear me but when i changed the option to the "handheld call" i could hear her but she couldnt hear me!

It's a hardware issue. may be damaged/broke/dropped/water damaged, the works.

As far as i know the BB is unlocked and has the V4.1.0.351. It has O2 written on the screen, so I assume it comes from O2. Will a firmware/software upgrade solve this? How can i do it? Will the BB remaing unlocked?

Highly unlikely a firmware upgrade would fix it. You can try though. A software upgrade on an unlocked blackberry would leave the device unlocked even if you use a firmware build of a different provider.

(It has a sticker on the back wich says "Warning Invisible Security Marking" followed by a code. Is this the unlock code?) Sorry for my testment but i really wanted to start using BB since Im already tired of pocketpc's. Thanks in advance.

No that is not the unlock code. Your device used to be a corporate handset at some point in its life so it was microdoted and added to a corporate inventory.
That means it was either sprayed with UV markings and/or microdoted. That information stays with the corporate and the company that did the markings and is passed to the police when the article becomes lost/stolen. If the article is then recovered that information on the phone helps to identify the rightful owners and prosecute the handlers of the stolen goods. The markings are pretty much permanent (or extremely hard to remove) so even if the device was legally decommissioned they would still be there.

That number doesn't unlock anything. It's a corporate inventory serial.

You mentioned the device was "Grade B". I assume that is how the ebay seller listed it. Did he describe what Grade B means? Was the phone sold as faulty/untested? Maybe you should go back to the ebay listing for a second read.

[Tommy_PT]

thanks for your replys. After upgrading to 4.5 I could get the mic to work, although its volume is extremely low. Yes, I bought it to a store. Grade B was explained as a High standard for 2nd hand product (minor scratches). Talked to seller and they said to post it back. They gave 2 options: Refund or Replacement. It will be another 2 weeks till I have a new one =(