Just when you think you’ve got things figured out…
Last night, I dropped my BlackBerry into the toilet tank.
No, wait. That couldn’t be what happened, right? Let me try again.
[Thinking]
Ok. Toilet was running… on my way to bed with cellphone in hand… placed phone on tank cover… took cover off tank… fixed toilet… lifted cover to tank… cover hit tank edge… BlackBerry took a bath.
Well, I guess I had it right the first time:
I DROPPED MY BLACKBERRY INTO THE TOILET TANK.
Damn! It must have been because I was just thinking how well things were going. Yesterday I picked up a new client for a nice-sized project. And I literally thought to myself that the money could be used to buy the new version of the iPhone. My contract with T-mobile is up in October, so I could get a new phone with AT&T. I was so excited.
But, the new iPhone is not out. And to get a phone with T-mobile, I have to sign another two-year agreement, so I’m stuck with their line for the foreseeable future.
Let me put things in perspective before I get too whiny. My BlackBerry could have been immersed in floodwaters in the Midwest. I could have dropped the phone when I was hunched over the toilet with salmanella. This lovely incident could have happened after I LOST a client instead of gaining one. And, frankly, isn’t it horribly self indulgent to pout about not being able to trade a BlackBerry in for an iPhone?
Yeah. I need to get another phone today and get over this.
Besides, 850,000 people in England alone drop their cell phones into toilets every year. Guess I’m pretty typical.
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Claire on 03 Jul 2008 at 6:22 am #
Have you let it dry out yet? My grandson threw one of mine in the toilet when he was 2. He threw everything in the toilet at that age. Anyhooo, I let it dry out and it worked again. It eventually died, but I got a few more months of use out of it. You might wait. Just a thought. Unless the thought of putting a phone to your ear that’s been in the toilet is just too gross. In my case, it was a clean toilet - as clean as they come, that is.
Beth on 03 Jul 2008 at 6:27 am #
I put it under a window fan overnight so a nice breeze would blow through it. I’m pretty sure it’s a goner. When I put the battery in it, a slow red light blinks feebly. I think it has passed into the next world.
It wasn’t horribly healthy to begin with… I kept having to take it apart to get pieces to work right.
At least I dropped it into the tank and not the bowl. The water was definitely clean… blue even.
D.J. on 03 Jul 2008 at 6:41 am #
before you get a new phone, get the toilet fixed.
Ingrid on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:22 am #
This could just be me, but . . . why were you holding your Blackberry while fixing the toilet? Could you not have put the phone down for 2 minutes?
To me it’s like when I see ashtrays in the bathroom stalls in some older buildings, can a smoker just not smoke for the time it takes to use the toilet?
Beth on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:39 am #
Good point, D.J.
Good point, Ingrid.
Where were you guys at 11 p.m. last night?
ape on 03 Jul 2008 at 8:37 am #
Seriously take the battery out, prop the phone at an angle and leave it under a low intensity lamp and it will be ok. Pretty gross but, I dropped my HTC Tilt in the toilet while I was using it, had no choice but to flush (three times) fish it out, cleaned it thoroughly with soap and water after removing the battery and let it dry for about 3 days. Worked fine afterward. Keep in mind I had just bought the phone @ retail for $750.00
Beth on 03 Jul 2008 at 10:01 am #
I’m taking your advice, ape. I put the phone into a coffee mug filled with rice and set it near a fan. I’ll go get a loaner phone and wait a few days. It may come back.
So glad I didn’t drop it into the bowl.
Rebecca Eberle on 03 Jul 2008 at 12:56 pm #
Beth, we must have been on the same wavelength yesterday. I dropped my Treo in my purse. I mean, I spilled my Pepsi in my purse. Well, ok. I had my Treo in my purse and decided I could also carry a bottle of Pepsi in my purse and guess what? My purse flooded with Pepsi. If you can’t reach me on my cell phone in the coming weeks, please email me to tell me!
Beth on 07 Jul 2008 at 8:30 am #
Fantastic news! The patience and bowl of rice paid off. My BlackBerry is actually working again!
Buyer's Remorse | Life on Avenue Z on 08 Jul 2008 at 6:04 am #
[...] When my BlackBerry went swimming last week, I decided to find a temporary phone until I could determine if the phone could be repaired by storing it in a coffee mug filled with rice for several days. I visited Fry’s Electronic Store to get the phone and a cable to hook up my duel monitors. [...]