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Sprint Hero silver faceplate defect?

Hi everyone,
So I just received/activated/started using my new HTC Hero this week, and I really love the phone. Just today I noticed a strange new phenomenon that I hadn't seen or felt up until today. Wondering if anyone else has the issue, because I'm considering returning my phone to get a replacement - I've had it less than 5 days.
My front silver faceplate, where all the buttons are, seems to be a bit loose on the left side (by the Menu/Home/Send) key. When I press down on it ever so slightly, it makes a very quiet clicky noise - similar to a regular button press but much softer. The right side of the silver area also presses down, since it is just plastic, but makes no noise - just the left side.
This makes clicking the Menu and Home keys much less pleasureable considering it almost feels/sounds like I'm getting two "clicks." This is the type of hardware behavior I'd expect after having the phone for 6 months - not 5 days! To make matters even weirder, the problem seems to come and go, and I haven't figured out a definitive pattern to that yet. Should I return it for a new phone?
Anyone else noticing this (or any other type of physical defect) on your Sprint Hero?

I think you are just over reacting... Mine phone also does this and I have had it a month before release without any problem. I think it is just how the button is designed flush with the rest of the other buttons all in one plate.

I believe it's supposed to be that way as well. You're more to welcome to go to the retail stores and check out other Heros there to confirm.

Yes mine does this and it makes the phone feel a bit cheap. But I'll live.

I have 3 hero's in my family. One of them was creaky and drove me nutz, swapped it out at BB. New one works awesome..... I could not live with the creaky buttons. felt like my refurbed touch pro.... ewwww

Swap it out. It may be true that many DO do that but they SHOULDN'T and it represents a defect. Don't be told otherwise. My didn't/doesn't do that, my gf's did and we swapped it out for a working one. Have them open the boxes to find one you like. Sprint phone boxes are not sealed or taped shut, they just open so try till you find one (will probably be the first one you try out.)

I guess what bothers me the most is that it didn't do it when I first got it, I feel like my pressing the menu key too many times is what did it! It seems like a pretty bad design flaw... hoping they don't give me a hard time when I try to return it on Wednesday.
Thanks guys!

tduck said:
I guess what bothers me the most is that it didn't do it when I first got it, I feel like my pressing the menu key too many times is what did it! It seems like a pretty bad design flaw... hoping they don't give me a hard time when I try to return it on Wednesday.
Thanks guys!
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The Hero comes with a warranty. If it's truly a design flaw, then HTC will repair/replace the phone for the length of the warranty.
Like other people here say, all our phones do that, it's not that big a deal. I'm more concerned with the trackball. I mean, there's no way to remove it (that I've seen) to clean the mechanisms underneath. And if any of you remember when your mouse used to have a ball and not a laser pointer, those little wheels get really dirty and gunked up really fast. That's just sitting on your desk, I can only imagine how messed up the track ball will get going in and out of my pocket and being touched by filthy dirty oily thumbs all the time.

I know how bad a trackball can get I just got the Hero after having a BB Pearl 8130 for 1 1/2 years, I don't use the Hero's trackball anywhere near as much but I can see it has already picked up dirt from my fingers I just hope it doesn't turn into a problem like the trackballs on the BB Tour

that is normal, every SPrint hero i have seen does that, but like they said above, you can go to the retail store, (not a privetly owned one, they will make you go to the retail store) and see if it is a 'defect'

Mine doesn't do it. If it did I would return it.

I don't have this but my green phone button seems lower than the red one, making it a bit harder to press (especially cuase I have no nails due to biting them like crazy)

[CLOSED] Loose hinge? Still an issue?

There is already an active thread discussing the hinge issue. Please direct further discussion here. PS, you are lucky I did not just delete this entirely! ~TheRomMistress
Hey guys,
For those who own htc desire z, hows the hinge for you already? How long have you owned the device already?
Other than that, hows the speed performance for you guys? In terms of web browsing and opening applications?
Thanks for your time.
Sent from my HTC Desire

Speed for me is awesome, and I'm still at stock speed, not tried overclocking yet.
My hinge is fine, just the same as when I initially got the phone (about two and a half weeks ago).
Unless your phone is faulty, I think the only people who have a problem are some who want to use their phone while lying in bed and holding the phone right above them. I never use my phone like that.

steviewevie said:
I think the only people who have a problem are some who want to use their phone while lying in bed and holding the phone right above them. I never use my phone like that.
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I do use it like this, every night, and no problem at all. The design is not faulty. When you hold it like that above your face whilst in bed the way the hand and fingers hold the device the screen stays open and does not fall down at all.
Every night I use it like this!

ayewhy said:
I do use it like this, every night, and no problem at all. The design is not faulty. When you hold it like that above your face whilst in bed the way the hand and fingers hold the device the screen stays open and does not fall down at all.
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I know what you mean. I did actually try and the way I would hold the phone in that position it won't open for me either. Seems there are a few who hold their phone differently when laying down though, and then perhaps gravity means it does open.

steviewevie said:
...I think the only people who have a problem are some who want to use their phone while lying in bed and holding the phone right above them. I never use my phone like that.
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Not strictly true. My hinge is fine - had the phone 9 days now and it's still as tight as it started out. My only problem is that the top half of the phone is not tight against the bottom half when it's closed - causing a tapping when using the touchscreen. I'm ok when I have a gel case on it which keeps the two halves separate and cushioned. Only problem is that this case makes it difficult to type on the top row of keys. I have another hard case which is thinner, but does not eliminate the tapping problem. I'm waiting for another case to arrive from the US which is rubber - hopefully will cushion like the gel, but be thin like the hard case.
I opted not change the phone since I have been told others have the same problem, and I didn't want to risk getting a loose hinge AS WELL AS the tapping...
At the end of the day this phone is pretty effing awesome otherwise (aside from a few little software issues - which will be fixed by devs on XDA no doubt), and I'm sure I will solve this problem one way or another, whether it's with a particular case, or worst comes to worst, sticking some of sort of thin cushioning material to the bottom of the top half of the phone - any suggestions, please feel free to let me know!!
I do wish HTC had just gone with a normal slider though, and this phone would be perfect.

My DZ is exactly as setspeed described..
I would add that while holding the DZ without the case mentioned by setspeed, it feels a bit like holding two thin phones combined together rather than one phone.
its really not as bad as it sounds but i would have liked it if there was some sort of latch or something to hold the screen tight to the keyboard while the device is closed.
I have the phone for two weeks now.. for the first couple of days I put a rubber case on it (the black case that T-Mobile sell for the G2) but i removed it very quickly as i felt it gave the phone a very bulky feeling to it.. the case is not very thin and the DZ is not the lightest of phones.
Im on the lookout for a thinner case too.. it would be great if there was a clear one as-well..
setspeed, please post your thoughts on the new case after you try it out
I also thought of adding some cushioning material to the bottom of the screen, I'm on the lookout for that as-well..
other than that, my hinge holds the screen tight in place while the device is open.. the screen opening while the phone is upside down is really not an issue.
I haven't rooted my phone yet, i don't really feel the need to.. I compared it to the old desire i bought for my girlfriend.
I think that the new Sense UI is a bit heavier on the system and so there are some places i feel the old desire is faster.
for example, when dragging down the notification view from the top of the screen, the new Sense gives you a list of recent apps used. sometimes it needs to populate that list and so dragging down the notification view is not as fluent as on the old desire. its not an issue because once it populates the list, it runs smooth very smooth as-well.
I think there is also a bit of lag while scrolling through menus. the lag clears after first scroll and then it runs smoothly again.
I'm sure that there are some optimized roms out there that take care of those small issues.
I had a hard time deciding which phone to buy - the old desire or the Z..
I'm actually really happy with my decision..
Its a very very good phone
Hope you found my thoughts useful

How to not get a loose hinge G2

Hey, im going to switch to Tmobile on Dec 26th and really want to buy this G2 but i heard that it has loose hinge. Im a person that uses my phone on my bed and this is a problem for me. However, I also heard that some g2s are perfectly fine. Any help please???

hyunnnnny said:
Hey, im going to switch to Tmobile on Dec 26th and really want to buy this G2 but i heard that it has loose hinge. Im a person that uses my phone on my bed and this is a problem for me. However, I also heard that some g2s are perfectly fine. Any help please???
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The loose hinge thing is really bunk. Yes, if you tilt your phone a very specific way and hold it, it will unhinge. The question is, after months of use, is it a *PROBLEM*? The answer is no. It has never (not once) caused my any angst in common use.

Very true. But it will be better to have a g2 with no loose hinge at all. I know some people asked the employee to open all the g2s until he/she found a g2 without a loose hinge. I really want to buy this phone but the loose hinge part is making me consider more about buying it.

Hi, honestly theres no way in not getting one I have had 4 g2s 3 have had them, I finally just settled on it. The 1st thing I checked was the hinge when I got each phone and was unhappy when I found out that it had it but after using it for 2 weeks it doesnt effect usage at all. Theres no way the hinge will open by itself under normal use....even texting in bed normal way you hold the phone will keep the screen up you have to go out of your way hold it in a awkward position that isnt ideal for texting inorder to get it to fall. I used to be worried about the loose hinge but I think its a non issue that people just made an issue. I used the g2 with the non loose hinge exactly the same as the one with the loose hinge and couldnt tell the difference unless I specifically tried to prop it up.
I would recommend buying it from tmo using it for 2 weeks (unless ur in Cali then 30) and if you dont like it return it. I have also put it in gym bags, basketball shorts (baggy roomy things) and have no had it open once.

To be honest, I feel that the phone will probably fall out of your hands before it closes on you if you hold it in such a way where the screen can close on its own.

But there are still some chances of getting a g2 without a loose hinge right?
And its been two months since the phone was released so dont you think htc will fix this problem in the future?
Anyways, someone asked for a freshest batch and his g2 was perfect without any problems.

there not gonna fix it because its not an issue, i got mine last week and it has the "loose hinge". but I realize its not an issue and some people are blowing it way out of proportion. Like i said out fo 4 g2's 1 had a stronger hinge the rest were normal the one with a stronger hinge had a defective screen so i returned it, but havent noticed the difference at all in normal everyday use.

I just bought a G2 like 2-1/2 weeks ago and got a loose hinge. It's not really a big issue, I thought it would be, and was disappointed at "how loose" it is, but really as people have said (and I admit I didn't believe them when I didn't have the one) you pretty much have to try to make it open, or try to hold it in a way that would make it a issue, for it to be so.
I find that when I slide out the keyboard I naturally the placement of fingers above the keyboard in any natural way causes the hinge to hold even when holding it above your head in bed (the only position the hinge would be a issue).
Thats how it is for me anyways.

This loose hinge business gets me angry.
The hinge is supposed to be free flowing, it's designed to slide open, spring assisted which makes it even more desirable.
It's not loose, in no normal usage would it ever open accidentally etc.
This "loose hinge" business has been dreamt up by chavvy iGays.
If my G2/DZ's hinge was stiffer, it would ruin the effect of the velvety smooth opening mechanism.
I certainly prefer it to my stiff touch pro 2.

dazkeirle said:
This loose hinge business gets me angry.
The hinge is supposed to be free flowing, it's designed to slide open, spring assisted which makes it even more desirable.
It's not loose, in no normal usage would it ever open accidentally etc.
This "loose hinge" business has been dreamt up by chavvy iGays.
If my G2/DZ's hinge was stiffer, it would ruin the effect of the velvety smooth opening mechanism.
I certainly prefer it to my stiff touch pro 2.
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Yeah but no one can guarantee if some g2 will open by itself. There are actually numerous people saying that the phone opens by itself. And i think it depends on our personal taste to like the g2's very loose hinge. One can like a loose hinge thats annoying when laying down on bed and another one can like a stiff/not loose hinge because it will never open by itself and have no problem in anyway.

had my dz for a month now. it is actually true that it is designed to be "loose." sent an email to htc and they said that they tried various mechanisms but the z hinge is "optimal." i believe that because there are no stress on any part and mechanism. unlike other brands with slide, you see a spring that pushes and pulls the mechanism creating stress in the parts. i think that the z hinge will last longer than others.

hyunnnnny said:
one can like a stiff/not loose hinge because it will never open by itself
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Click to collapse
It doesn't open by itself when it's "loose"
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 running Cyanogenmod.

Just get the phone and jf you don't like it, return it. The hinge isn't loose, it's just not stiff. It works as it was designed to. If you really want it to be stiffer than it is, pull it apart and stretch out the spring.

I first purchased a G2 on Oct. 31, and I, too, experienced the infamous loose hinge issue. However, I agree with the many users that it does not really interfere with daily usage. I was, however, bothering by my pivoting screen. When I applied pressure to use the screen, I could feel the screen being pressed down and it bothered me. As a result, I exchanged the device for a new one which I got for a few days now. The problem that bothered me is gone, however, the screen on my new device is clearly looser than my first one but it does not bother me as I thought it would.

What is this talk I hear about "opening by itself"? The phone cannot "open by itself". You have to go out of your way to hold it on a specific angle and position for it to, in your words, "open by itself".
Now, unless you tell me that you use your phone in that position where the screen will droop, then the hinge "problem" really isn't a problem.
And many others will agree with me when I say that there is absolutely no hindrance caused by the hinge that will affect your everyday use of the phone. Also, you have the option to simply buy the phone and return it if the hinge bothers you that much. It's actually quite convenient that there's no "action-reaction" caused by a spring in tension (like in the G1). What I mean is, if you open the G1, the spring will project the screen upwards causing a somewhat "large" force directed AWAY from your hand, so it would be wise to open the phone with two hands. Mind you, I had a lot of fun playing with that screen mechanism when I was bored. However, the G1 allows the user to open the screen with 1 hand and it's generally quite convenient (for me anyway).
IMO, if you own the G2 (DZ) you have in your hands a very solid piece of technology along with some good human engineering.
Anyway, thats my two cents on this topic. Base line is, you can go try the phone out. If you like it, keep it, if not, return it. If you can't be bothered by the idea of even possibly returning it, then perhaps go for another phone. But many users will tell you the hinge "problem" really isn't a problem.

loose hinge is a big issue but HTC decided to ignore cuz of the cost and no competitor for this phone now. it's so annoying not only in the situation you use keyboard on bed but also like pick up the phone on the table, the keyboard will open if not careful or the screen wobbles when touch.
if you buy it at t-mo store, they will replace as many as you want cuz they want sales commission. if you return the phone, they can't get commission but exchange doesn't cost them.
even if same batch, the build qualities are so different. you should try as many as possible.

Weaseal said:
The loose hinge thing is really bunk.
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What he ^^ said. My hinge if graded by those that say they have a loose hinge would be really loose. Yet I have never run into an issue with it as I just don't hold or operate my device in any manner that would reveal an issue. Who holds their phone upside down anyway...
Now if it's wonky as in doesn't seat properly and is wiggly when closed or open that is a different story. This video shows a different kinda loose hinge problem...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvHE5lZ1tCs

A better question would be "how to not get a loose hooker?"

I would take a loose hooker too...... I upgraded the battery on my Bell Des Z to 2400mAh with accompanying cover. It adds significant weight to the back of the phone with should make the "loose hinge" an even bigger issue. IT DOES NOT!!!! So, the loose hinge is mostly myth unless some peeps really hold their phones different.

Smartenup said:
So, the loose hinge is mostly myth unless some peeps really hold their phones different.
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lol
"you are holding it wrong"
-steve

[Q] My only concern about the Epic

I'm pretty content with my Epic so far. I've had it since November and have had no major issues with it and any I did have I was able to fix (no gps after flash, fixed thanks to Epic community, unresponsive screen orientation, fixed thanks to epic community again).
But I'm noticing a potential problem that I'm afraid no one here will be able to fix.
One of the minor gripes I have with my Epic is that whenever I press the top right button on my phone to either lock or unlock it, I ever so slightly apply some pressure with my fingers as if I wanted to push the screen up to slide out the keyboard. The amount of pressure my fingers are giving is minuscule but I'm already noticing that my phone no longer is as firm as it was 90 days ago.
This troubles me because I hardly ever use the keyboard, in fact, I only used it several times the first month to try out some emulators but gave up on it because the keyboard just isnt that great for it. My fear is that this phone is going to get as loose as the epics you find at the Sprint stores in less than a year!
Dont get me wrong, I dont expect the sliding mechanism to be strong forever, but I am pretty surprised that the phone is already feeling loose and I dont even use the physical keyboard
My question to you all is are any of you experiencing the same problem? How about those who use the keyboard frequently? Is there any way we can "re-tighten" whatever it is that is getting loose??

My phone is only 2months old and when the keyboard is shut and you look at it from the volume side I have a huge gap there. The slider is a little loose not to bad. My problem is just the gap issue. If I press on the left side of my screen you can literally see the left side of the screen go down due to that gap. I'm gonna be exchanging it soon I just don't feel like it cause my setup is finished and I just dont feel like doing it again.

I notice the epic case set helps it from feeling as loose now.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

musclehead84 said:
My phone is only 2months old and when the keyboard is shut and you look at it from the volume side I have a huge gap there. The slider is a little loose not to bad. My problem is just the gap issue. If I press on the left side of my screen you can literally see the left side of the screen go down due to that gap. I'm gonna be exchanging it soon I just don't feel like it cause my setup is finished and I just dont feel like doing it again.
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Click to collapse
You can backup your data to your pc..and when you get your new epic just throw it back in.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

It is what it is...
There are multiple causes for the screen wobble effect, and once it gets loose, much like a fine woman's _____, there's not much you can do to fix the situation. I've read on here how people have taken their epic's apart to try and tighten the slider but it's just not possible unless you send it back to samsung to have them do it. However, there are a few solutions insofar as mitigating one's "noticing" it on a daily basis. Both the Otterbox and Seidio Active X are nice cases and once they are attached, there is not really any screen wobble effect due to the way the cases fit. Although, what most people don't realize is that most of the cheap cases that are available for the epic (including the ones at the sprint store and the non-platinum series cases at best buy) are actually to blame for creating the gap between the screen and keyboard in the first place. The way that they clip on to the phone is not very well thought out like on the more expensive cases and the clips sometimes overlap and are simply thicker than they need to be on most of the cheapo cases. I learned this the hard way with my first epic and when I figured it out it was still within the 30 day trial period Sprint gives you with their phones. So i took it back under "false pretenses" and told bestbuy that the earphone speaker quality was ****ty compared to my "friends" Epic and that i wanted to get a different Epic. I've been very careful about which cases I use on my phone from that point on. The Seidio innocase and active x, platinum series, and otterbox cases are all the ones i know for sure that won't cause a "gaping" effect on your phone. All the ones at the sprint store have a negative impact and even the otterbox does just a tad, mainly due to the side clips on the top bezel that clipon by the top row of numbers on the keyboard.
anyways, that's my 2cents

Creaking Back on Atrix?

Hey guys,
This is my first post on the forums, so I hope it goes well... I did a search and couldn't find anything like what I was looking for, so I figured I would write a new thread.
I got my atrix a little over a week ago now, and really like it. The only small issue I have found is with the back of the phone/ fingerprint reader. The back of the phone has a general weird creaking about it. The two places i get this the most are at the sides near where it clips in (I checked to make sure the clips are firmly in place) and kind of the top center... about even with the camera and down from the fingerprint reader. In the second spot, there is a kind of weird give to it that pops up and down, and makes a little noise.
The other issue is a weird thing with the fingerprint reader. I noticed this like the third day I had it, but the "sticker" that covers up the fingerprint reader is oddly crooked. Probably not a big deal, but it is a little bothersome on a brand new phone.
Has anyone had these issues at all? Could they perhaps be fixed by just doing a quick swap of the back for a new one, or is it perhaps a more serious problem? I really don't want to be a pain and make them swap out the phone for a new one over a stupid creaking back, but it really bothers me... I am a bit of a stickler for build quality.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts

Well I mean, if you're having hardware defects then you can only... pretty much take the phone back.
If you can get over it then that's great, but if you're stuck with the phone for 2 years, I'd get a new one.

HAD same problem with the back creaking. Just get some thin tape (I used 3m masking tape) and cover the tabs wit small piece of the tape.
I did this to the whole cover and now its SOLID all around!
bearsfan172 said:
Hey guys,
This is my first post on the forums, so I hope it goes well... I did a search and couldn't find anything like what I was looking for, so I figured I would write a new thread.
I got my atrix a little over a week ago now, and really like it. The only small issue I have found is with the back of the phone/ fingerprint reader. The back of the phone has a general weird creaking about it. The two places i get this the most are at the sides near where it clips in (I checked to make sure the clips are firmly in place) and kind of the top center... about even with the camera and down from the fingerprint reader. In the second spot, there is a kind of weird give to it that pops up and down, and makes a little noise.
The other issue is a weird thing with the fingerprint reader. I noticed this like the third day I had it, but the "sticker" that covers up the fingerprint reader is oddly crooked. Probably not a big deal, but it is a little bothersome on a brand new phone.
Has anyone had these issues at all? Could they perhaps be fixed by just doing a quick swap of the back for a new one, or is it perhaps a more serious problem? I really don't want to be a pain and make them swap out the phone for a new one over a stupid creaking back, but it really bothers me... I am a bit of a stickler for build quality.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

happens to me too i think its just the design of the cover. no biggie.

bearsfan172 said:
Hey guys,
The other issue is a weird thing with the fingerprint reader. I noticed this like the third day I had it, but the "sticker" that covers up the fingerprint reader is oddly crooked. Probably not a big deal, but it is a little bothersome on a brand new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine dosnt look crooked, but it does appear as though its starting to peel off on one corner

Same
I noticed the exact same two things as the OP. Disappointing for me too (although minor). I was used to rock-solid Nexus One.

My phones fingerprint reader is crooked, which is oddly very very annoying. The screen is also flush on the left side, yet recessed on the right side.

cataclysmicvoid said:
I noticed the exact same two things as the OP. Disappointing for me too (although minor). I was used to rock-solid Nexus One.
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Click to collapse
Yeah. If that's the way it is, it isn't the end of the world to me. I came from the iPhone 4 which... say what you will about apple, but their build quality and consistency is generally very very good.
A bit disappointing to me that a beautiful new phone would have annoyances like a back that doesn't sit quite right... but there are worse things in the world really.