Database Users

anyone else think the slide on their touch dual is getting loose?

Maybe its just mine, but I am very glad that i decided to opt for the 60.00 3 year squaretrade warranty with my ebay purchase. Mine has started to wiggle side to side, as in how the kaiser slides, but we all know the touch dual doesent slide that way. I was thinking that maybe the little rails that guide the top part of the phone up may be began to wear, but I havent had the phone for a month yet, and not a single drop just normal pocket wear. Is anyone else experiencing the little wiggle room like I am? Its not bad by any means yet, but if its started doing it already, i can only imagine it will get worse over the next couple months.

Agreed - a slight side-to-side wiggle but also the looseness makes using the power button to turn off the screen a little fiddlier

Totally agree, mine started to have some vertical play as well, in less than 14 days... so I have sent it back to HTC - awaiting advise if they will try and fix or replace?

hmm, seems to not be an isolated problem....and now that you mention it, it does make the power button a little tougher. Now i live in the US, and purchased mine off ebay, would i be able to send mine to htc as well? if not i can always fall back on my squaretrade warranty i took out on it as well.

mines getting a little bit wiggly.
i hope it doesnt get worse

And all this time I thought that little wiggle came from when I dropped it (on carpet) a couple of weeks ago...

I can vouch at least for mine, it has never been dropped or mishandled in the least bit. I've definatly got some side to side motion. Heres to hoping that it only gets so bad and then stops.....but somehow i dont see that happening

mine is 4 days old and has it too. i will watch it too...

This is actually my first slider phone, i've always had solid candy bar style phones, never even a clamshell type. I've just never liked the idea of having those kind of moving parts on my phone, seems like an easy break point. Now the touch dual has improved hardware specs from the touch right? or was it mainly just the slider keypad added to the dual? Im just curious because I love the interface on my dual, and honestly i dont use the keypad very much, i usually use onscreen keys. Maybe if i have to ditch my dual due to problems, i would just settle for a touch..... Actually i'd love to have an athena, I just dont know if the size would agree with my pocket heh.

it has umts. touch has only wlan. other than that it is the same i guess

got my replacement phone back and it is definitely more "solid" with little or no wiggle. The wifes is going pretty well after about almost 4 weeks.

mine is currently being checked out thru squaretrade, in the meantime I have since upgraded to an advantage!

Does anyone's Touch Dual slide loose vertically also horizontally??
...... my one does.....

yea, mine seems looser in both directions but still fully functional. the power button on top is now harder to use, which is somewhat annoying.
i, too, have the square trade warranty so may make use of it when the time is right.

i only have horizontal direction (the non sliding direction). the sliding direction keeps steady.
but it didn't increase since i got it. i will just watch it. maybe i use it to get a new device after a year

has anyone used the squaretrade warranty for this issue? how did they respond?

touchlasvegas said:
Now the touch dual has improved hardware specs from the touch right? or was it mainly just the slider keypad added to the dual? heh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touch has 200mHz processor 64mb of RAM, Touch dual has 400mHz and 128mb RAM. Don't downgrade.

So far mine still holds firm.. might be a problem on some models only.

mine wiggle too, doesn't line up perfectly. but having owned a stellar then orbit 2 (3 diff orbits) they all had build shortcomings. i voided the warranty on my touch dual by taking it apart to line it all up better. when i got to the slide screws, 2 weren't even tightened up properly, loose. so i relined it all up and it still off a little. i didnt venture into the screen case, and tbh, if im that bothered i could buy a new case with screen for about $80 USD and see if thats any better. but, i think it has it's own charm, and will stick... for now

mine wiggles, too, but since i have it under warranty, until it gets worse, I'm going to stick through it. hehe.

Paint problem really that bad or not?

Hello, im buying Touch HD and I saw people whining about paint getting damaged and dropping off. I have had 2 Diamonds, people said the same thing about these but I have never had paint problem myself.
So could you tell do you have this problem or not with paint. other threads are spoiled full with "it sucks" comments from same people 10 times which makes it hard to read is it major or just some people scratching phones with keys.
Maybe even tell when and where you bought your device from. This effects do I buy HD now or when invisible shield comes for HD.
Thanks!

If you dont have touch HD please press "View poll results"
Thanks

I can only vote once so I will add this: 2 of my friends have the HD and 4 colleagues have the dianond or the pro. NONE of them have paint chipping, only one has a single chip as a result of dropping it on a brick floor.
At this point, the only thing that really puts me off about this phone is the endless complainin and whining... it must be a certain type of person this phone attracts because e.g. the iphone 3g had similar and even worse problems: freezes, very poor call recepion, memory leaks, ****ty battery performance, super weak cracking and scratching plastic back cover and still it gets a religious following of people who believe and support it till the bitter end... ignorance? i doubt it, the iphone is an amazing phone, just like the HD.

I've been using HD for about three weeks now, and don't have any signs of paint coming off anywhere. I carry it in my pocket without any shield or case (although I don't carry keys or anything like that in the pocket).

nin2thevoid said:
I can only vote once so I will add this: 2 of my friends have the HD and 4 colleagues have the dianond or the pro. NONE of them have paint chipping, only one has a single chip as a result of dropping it on a brick floor.
At this point, the only thing that really puts me off about this phone is the endless complainin and whining... it must be a certain type of person this phone attracts because e.g. the iphone 3g had similar and even worse problems: freezes, very poor call recepion, memory leaks, ****ty battery performance, super weak cracking and scratching plastic back cover and still it gets a religious following of people who believe and support it till the bitter end... ignorance? i doubt it, the iphone is an amazing phone, just like the HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the reason people winge on here is because we are geeks. fact. we want it to be the very best technically and also to look at. The Iphone is aimed at a different market. maybe the more fashion concious? i.m happy with my HD and I've been using wm since the first spv. go and get yourself one. they are great, I wish the rom chefs would get on it though. hope dutty starts cooking soon!

Have been using it for the last 2 weeks and I have purchased from orange. I had no problem with the body /paint. I am quite a heavy user and don't use any case.
In addition,every day at least for 2 hours, I use it for listening to music over A2dp, using opera and rss hub as well as checking, replying email/sms, freezing issue people mention did not happen once.

what the heck - I'll vote on this one
phone is now 2 weeks old, direct from Orange.
I tend to be reasonably careful with it - buit no more so than I've been with any other phone really.
This means it usually (but not always) get's carried around in it's sock.
It doesn't get put in the same pocket as my keys.
I not at all careful though when putting the stylus in / out.
No paint issues at all, nothing, nada, zip. Looks exactly the same as it did when I got it out of the box
That said, from looking at the (few) posted pics on the other poll, I would say that there is definately a (small!) batch of phones out there where the paint hasn't been put on properly.
In my opinion (form what that's worth LOL), those owners should be sending them back for a replacement unit.
A chip of paint coming off - could be anything.
A chip of paint where it has left a spot of paint in the middle of the chip - that doesn't sound right to me.

ok I'll bite....
had device for just over two weeks. Overall very impressed, just found opera a little slow, but not unuseable.
Then the paint started coming off. I haven't dropped it, it's been well looked after. At the stylus slot, there is maybe a 2 mm strip where the paint has flaked off. I found the more i used the stylus, the more the paint came off.
Then I found it coming off near the home button. So it would only get worse.
IMHO this is not acceptable for a £500 handset. That is a LOT of money. I'd rather the handset finish was better than the trendy packaging.
So I mailed HTC and they told me to return it.
I will wait until this has been resolved before getting another.

I dont own one so I didnt vote, but yes I would say there is an actual issue with the paint.
Just look at these polls
xda-developers - 37,9% having problems
A swiss forum - 9,4% having problems
A german forum - 17,5% having problems

My paint go off. Less than one week of normal use (never fallen, never clashed or shocked). Scandalous, 600 euro paid.
My serial start with "HT843..."

Thank you for your replies. maybe there was some batch with problems, but it doesnt seem too big problem to make me not buy touch hd :>
less than 20% with problems - some user faults (not blaming anyone) - and some inaccuracy from poll, cant tell everyone who voted has HD.
Id say it isnt so big problem and since stores and HTC said to replace the device its fine for me. Sooon touch HD <3

I was fortunate enough to read about this before I started using mine, so I've been EXTRA CAREFUL, and haven't had any problems so far... >fingers crossed<

I've had no problems, but then I'm being quite cautious after seeing the paint chipping others have experienced before I got my HD.

ordered my HD yesterday, I hope it was just one faulty batch or something, getting invisible shield asap it comes to zagg.

for what its worth, i had my HD ordered on the 19th of Nov. and after using it for 3 days i noticed two extremely small paint peals on the top left corner. device has been cared for like a baby!

Time to buy invisible shield :> ordered mine 4 days ago, should be coming sooon to save my HD from scratches and stuff.

I got mine since 4 weeks now. Carry it without any cover in my jacket or my pants. Sometimes together with my keys "shame on me". It even made one hard contact with the floor from 5feet. Not one scratch. Got lucky.
But since I read here, maybe invisible shild isn't a bad idea at all.
are here already some closeups of HD with IS installed?

If i knew this i would happen, i would have never have bought mines.. completely amateurish

Yes my paint comes off too.
Have a spot on top, 1 on the left and one on the right side.
All three are non-scratches, but 'round-ish' spots were the paint fell off.
On the bottom side the paint around the USB connector flakes off very baddly.
Going over it softly with my nail, you can feel the paint chip off like mad.
I was one of the first to own an HD in the Netherlands.(reference to the possible batch problems)
I'll post photos and serial later.

Paint scratched but only by keys
I scratched my phone badly with a set of keys placed carelessly in a rucksack. In a few weeks of ordinary use no other parts of the phone (except the parts scratched by the keys) show any sign of damage - even around the USB port where I always try inserting the cable the wrong way around appears undamaged.

Long time HTC user goes to AT&T and gets a little Focus

It's been a long journey for some of us with smartphones/pdas. My journey began with XDA and moved to the 8125, 8525, Tilt, Fuze and Tilt 2.
Today I join the ranks of the qwerty-less and HTC-less folks on the XDA as I now have a focus SGH-i917.
First impressions:
From reading various reviews I was thinking the Samsung Focus was going to be a plastic, piece of junk. I feel it is better than I expected. With an exception, the back cover and the way it attaches to the device. Instead of it being a slide, click & lock like an XDA/HTC this thing is a click. It is hard to explain but the back cover looks flimsy and like you should choose to rarely take it on and off. It snaps into place and snaps out of place, the snaps are very tiny little plastic tabs. Not galaxy tabs but plastic tabs. It reminds me of an older motorola phone where if you dropped it once, broke all those tiny plastic attachment tabs then your cover would never stay attached.
Accessories:
So far the body glove case that AT&T was selling at my store works like crap, as it keeps pressing in the power button. I am going to take a Dremel tool to it and report back in, I am going to shave the interior portions to make them slimmer.

Thresher said:
I
Accessories:
So far the body glove case that AT&T was selling at my store works like crap, as it keeps pressing in the power button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the exact same problem.. lame case.. should have know not to buy it.. but the phone is great. I agree with the back cover, but I think the IDEA is that you only need to open a few times to insert SIM or SD card..

surfnet said:
I had the exact same problem.. lame case.. should have know not to buy it.. but the phone is great. I agree with the back cover, but I think the IDEA is that you only need to open a few times to insert SIM or SD card..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lame case! At&t Gel Case from Body Glove.

I saw the cases they had and told them I would wait for better ones. As for the tabs, I had the same exact thought. Better to keep the back on and hardly take it off. I was worried they could break easily, but other than that the phone is really nice.

I too had (and really liked) the 8125, Tilt, and Tilt 2, and just got the Samsung Focus today. I really like it so far, and agree taking off the cheap back cover was scary.
I guess I'm keeping my Tilt 2 until someone comes up with a tethering app so I can use it while travelling.

MarcBate said:
I too had (and really liked) the 8125, Tilt, and Tilt 2, and just got the Samsung Focus today. I really like it so far, and agree taking off the cheap back cover was scary.
I guess I'm keeping my Tilt 2 until someone comes up with a tethering app so I can use it while travelling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe...8525, Fuze, Tilt2, HD2. I just picked up the Focus today, was the last one left in the store. I am in the same boat as you with tethering, hopefully ATT wont charge to use it.

I was a lot more worried about the screen side than the back side. I've owned a lot of Windows phones (HTC WinMo and that awful LG piece of crap AT&T was selling last year) and, invariably, the screen was plastic and fairly easily scratched and damaged. Not the Focus. I've read it has Gorilla Glass and given how rigid it is and how tapping it sounds the same as tapping the iPhone, I believe it. I'm not so worried about the back because I've had phones with "snap on" backs before and they were surprisingly sturdy if you applied a little care when removing and replacing the back. What I don't like about the back is how the camera pokes out, making it a greasy fingerprint magnet which leads to lousy pictures. It would have been nice if it had been recessed even 1/2 mm so it was at least a little more difficult to trash the glass. I'm sure a case would fix it but I don't have a case and from I've read above, I won't be getting one quite yet.
I can't say I've committed to the phone yet since I have 30 days to return it and I'm coming from a relatively feature rich iPhone 4. But since buying it....yesterday....I've already bought Slingplayer (the fastest I've EVER seen Sling Media do ANYTHING, ever, by several magnitudes!) and new apps are appearing quickly. So far so good!
Oh...per tethering, each system has it's own schedule, of course, but I can tell you it took a LONG TIME before the iPhone got tethering and oh yeah, you BET AT&T charges out the ass for it. $30 a month for 5 GB? What a swindle. If you jailbreak the iPhone you have better options, such as a $30 app that does it "for free" in that AT&T doesn't know you're tethering, but who knows if something that like will be an option with these WP7 phones in the future? You may want to keep in mind the old saying "Buy a phone for what it does now, not what has been promised in the future" because it may be a LONG TIME before there's WP7 tethering.

People are reporting too many accidental power offs, the location of the power button and the volume buttons and the power button in general is a detractor.
Solution:
The case I reported was so lame may be dremelled even further to make ' notches ' where the buttons are, removing the plastic case over that button. This would force my fingers to have to depress a bit.

markgamber said:
and how tapping it sounds the same as tapping the iPhone, I believe it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The iPhone does NOT use Gorilla Glass. It uses an inferior glass that's somewhere between normal and Gorilla.

MikeyMike01 said:
The iPhone does NOT use Gorilla Glass. It uses an inferior glass that's somewhere between normal and Gorilla.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not what I've read elsewhere. It was even posted here, I believe, that Samsung stated on twitter that it was Gorilla glass. Whatever, as long as it's not cheap plastic that scratches when you look at it twice in the same hour I don't really care.

I was still on a 8125 Wizard until monday. What a shocking change when I turned on the Focus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x91cmj_dP_4
He says it won't scratch. It must be similar to gorilla glass.

I too have been a very loyal HTC user. I got a lot of use out of my tilt and tilt 2 especially, but when it was announced that HTC was going to be launching with a phone that features a slide-out speaker instead of a slide-out keyboard, it was like a slap in the face. Maybe it was ATT that made the call (idk) but i wasn't going to pick up the LG Quantum (whenever it does come out.)
So, HTC has lost a customer and Samsung has gained one and i'm liking it so far.
Also, has anyone tried placing a Captivate gel case on the Focus? i curious to see how it fits - not that i think it'll be perfect, but i'm interested to see how much modification would be required to make it decent.

Not gorilla glass in my opinion
He says it won't scratch. It must be similar to gorilla glass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a iPhone4, Captivate and now the Focus. The focus' glass on the front is just like the Captivate (obviously, both Samsung made). The captivate survived in my pocket for over 2 months with no case or screen protector on it and the screen looks good as new.
The iPhone on the other hand with a case on it and no screen protector now has what appears to be a surface abrasion in a 3/8 by 3/8 square spot, from what I assume was the other phone rubbing on the screen while in the same pocket. It is light, but noticable in direct light. Gorilla glass, I don't believe it is.

/signed
I went from an 8125 to the Tilt, and now the Focus. I didn't care much for the build materials either but it's starting to grow on me. I wish I could find a decent case though so that there's something to actually hold on to.

I am in the same boat. I am a VERY happy HTC owner since the StarTrek, to the Tilt and Fuze. I was stunned when att opted to go with a qwertyless HTC model, or maybe HTC is just over att and no longer providing cutting edge design or tech. The att sales rep who sold me my Focus claims that Samsung R&R dwarfs HTC's and that att is redirecting its smartphone relationship to Samsung. Whatever. Back on point.
I picked up a Focus on day one, feeling a little dirty to be dipping my toes in Samsung's waters. And now, I love this phone.
Build Quality: I agree that the plastic is disappointing, but I am not feeling it really when I hold the phone and I am a very tactile person. The phone feels nice. Would I like a nice metal battery case, yes, but the antenna works so maybe that lack of drama is the pay off.
Screen: This thing is what is really making my Fuze feel like it was a toy. It looks better, it feels better, heck it even has a nicer appearance when the phone is off. My only issue with the screen is the small ridge between it and the phone body. If that was smooth or imperceptible the feel would be sublime.
Typing: I love qwerty physical keyboards. I also love the lightweight Samsung feel right now and I am slowly getting used to the virtual keyboard. The key is using the suggested word which I am getting used to. That way you don't really need to fix every mis step. Will I go back to a physical keyboard? That was my plan originally, to bail the Samsung and get the first NICE HTC that cam along, but I love this phone. I am learning to deal with the virtual keyboard.
I won't get into the WP7'isms. The OS has a great feel and has room for updates but those are being discussed in other threads.
I love HTC, I have transitioned to Samsung and it was actually easy and enjoyable. I will now be very curious to see what is on Samsungs 2011 roadmap and yes, I will keep an eye on HTC in the distance.

MarcBate said:
I too had (and really liked) the 8125, Tilt, and Tilt 2, and just got the Samsung Focus today. I really like it so far, and agree taking off the cheap back cover was scary.
I guess I'm keeping my Tilt 2 until someone comes up with a tethering app so I can use it while travelling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Samsung Focus CAN tether:
http://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/enable-usb-tethering-windows-phone-7-samsung-devices/
Steps to Tether :
Open the phone screen composition
Enter the code: # # 634 # > Press Call
This will open a new screen will be similar but in test mode
Then type in the code * # 7284 # > Press Call
See the screen that you see in the picture > Select Tethered
The phone will restart
Attach the USB cable to your phone and PC and wait for it to install drivers
You will see the phone modem and you can configure the data connection
number: *99***1#
user name: [email protected]
password: CINGULAR1
Click on connect and the Internet tethering would start, while if it does not work for the first time you should retry it a few times before which the connection would successfully work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

First of all...Wow. Not the phone, but the fact that there are so many formerly loyal HTC users that jumped ship to Samsung with the Focus product. My story is just like everyone else, owned an HTC this and that, was holding out with my Fuze for something better on AT&T than the Aria. Before my visit today I had no knowledge of the Focus, but had researched the Captivate quite well. My Focus is still in the box, I'll break its hymen when I get everything backed up in my Fuze. Reading through the forums I was pleased to hear the reactions of many of you Focus veterans. I have been a lurker for the most part on XDA, but I feel that with so many like minded and experienced members here, I'll do my part to contribute monetarily and with any effort I can provide. Cheers to all and our new phones!

I've had HTC phones for years, the last one being the Fuze. And I was going to have a choice to make if the Dell Lightning had come out on AT&T and not T-Mobile, but as it was just the Focus and the HTC speaker model, the Focus was a no brainer. I was worried about it feeling like a toy after reading the pre-release reviews mentioning that's what it was made of, but I don't notice it and everyone who grabs it to check it out only comments on how light it is and never mentions any plastic feeling. They all seem to love it.
Like a previous comment, I wish the camera was a bit down in the body more...it seems I always get my finger on it when pulling out of my pocket, but so far the pics have still been great. And after my horrible pics experience with the Fuze, it's night and day better. (My camera on the Fuze just kept getting worse and worse as time went on. Even after wiping the OS, the camera lagged and every shot would be blurry. And that was my second one after the first one developed mysterious spots on it and was replaced while still under warranty)
Samsung has a new fan!

Ditto man, that little ridge on the front screen could potentially be problematic (i.e. I can see little specs of lint and stuff possibly getting in there).
The phone is great, but the build quality of the plastic back leads me to believe I really need a good case.
With my iPhone 3G, I've used a Griffin case that has really held up. It's basically leather-coated plastic, which I think would be perfect for the Focus. Here's a link: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/elanform3g.
If anyone finds a good case, please post it! Thanks guys.

[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.
Click to expand...
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

Build Quality Questions..

Hi everyone, I very recently purchased my brand new Desire Z. So far, I am really impressed with the software and general likability of the phone.
Although, having read too much about the Z hinge, it really makes me paranoid sometimes while handling the phone.
A few obervations and questions, which if someone with a few months of experience could respond to would put me at ease,
1. The Z hinge is surely loose, but doesn't worry me in general use. Although, I am scared it will get further loose with time, is that so?
2. The cable / ribbon running along with the hinge is not protected, is the wear and tear comparitively higher because of having no protection? Should I be budgeting in changing the ribbon every couple months?
3. Because of the hinge being loose and possiblity of the keyboard opening on a fall seems almost definite. Doesn't that put much more at stake on a fall comparitively? Fortuunately, mine hasn't fallen yet, but what's the experience you all have had with your devices falling on hard surfaces? Other than the scratches, that's not a problem. I am worried, the device will break in pieces if it falls!
4. For a little more peace of mind, are the hinges metal or plastic? I have read both on reviews and I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this one.
Thank you for taking out the time to read and respond with your experiences.
Sent from my HTC Vision

I've had mine since January and I've dropped it plenty of times. I have never had any problems with the keyboard, hinge, or ribbon cable.

After dropping my phone a few times my phone speaker went down... Had to replace them
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

So it does seem like it is a sturdy device, or at least as sturdy as the other devices.
Any idea about the hinges, if its plastic or metal?
Thanks!
Sent from my HTC Vision

Fairly certain they're metal. I've dropped my caseless G2 several times but it's only dinged with no other damage.
Sent from my G2

don't know about the hinges if they are plastic or metal...
but i got it 5 months ago... dropped it plenty of times... and nothing happened... not even a scratch
these kind of phones are sturdy... unlike samsung phones (believe me, i had one)... it breaks into pieces...
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sent from a phone... 'nuf said
btw... justin bieber sucks
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don't worry about the hinge

d_gkal said:
don't worry about the hinge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1, I dont get it, lot of discussion on this, but never I never had any problem with the hinge...

I know, lots of discussions on the hinge, but I guess its the placebo based on the early hands on the device. Although, I am getting much much more comfortable and relaxed about it.
In a nutshell, its a great device. Thanks everyone for endorsing it for me!
Sent from my HTC Vision

The G2/Desire-Z is one of the most rugged phones ever made, the only knock is that some people find that the hinge spring action gets loose (mine never has) - but if yours ever does, and you are comfortable taking your phone apart, you can replace the stock hinge spring in about 30 minutes, start to finish. - The part costs about $5 - Then it will be tight as hell like when new! (possibly tighter than new)
There is a great thread on this here on XDA complete with an HD video showing you an exact POV of the procedure being done in it's entirety!

The phone is quite sturdy overall. I had a stone thrown at my screen and no change whatsover.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

First half fall and its scratchless
Why I call it a half fall is, it didn't fall but it it lost my hand and hung from the charger and hit the side of the bed pretty harshly. The keyboard did open up though but luckily all's good - gave me a little more confidence on the device build.
Sent from my HTC Vision

Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.

setspeed said:
Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A better hinge would have surely made the phone much more sturdy. That's what has always scared me so far, but now that the phone is 2 months old now I have started to get more comfortable around it.
Milestone 3 or MyTouch Slide could be good contenders, I think.
Sent from my HTC Vision

Don't get me wrong, there is no other phone I'd rather have at this moment in time - but that's due to a lack of qwerty phones on the market, as opposed to the DZ/G2 being some sort of amazing quality :-/
The Droid 4 looks proper nice though, hopefully it'll get released worldwide. And Motorola won't lock it down like they have with every other phone they've released since the OG Droid... but the chances of that are basically zero.

setspeed said:
Don't get me wrong, there is no other phone I'd rather have at this moment in time - but that's due to a lack of qwerty phones on the market, as opposed to the DZ/G2 being some sort of amazing quality :-/
The Droid 4 looks proper nice though, hopefully it'll get released worldwide. And Motorola won't lock it down like they have with every other phone they've released since the OG Droid... but the chances of that are basically zero.
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Click to collapse
I totally hear you there.
So, all the current Motorola droids are locked and can't be upgraded to cm or other custom roms? Really!!
Sent from my HTC Vision

I have been VERY careless of my phone, dropped it probably close to 100 times some of them being quite bad, and the most I can see is a couple corners have SMALL little dents, often the keyboard does open when dropped but nothing happens after that... I'd be more worried if dropped WHILE open but chances are if the keyboard is open you're typing (and therefore have two hands on it) My spring is still as sturdy as when I first got it as far as I can tell.

setspeed said:
Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol and that's why I got the slide, I hate the hinge with a passion. I luckily got the slide and gave the G2 to my mom. The slide has an awesome build quality dispite the not so appealing look the quality is great.
I have dropped the G2 a couple of times but it had the rubber case on so nothing happen to it. Haven't dropped my slide so I can't compare
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using xda premium

I had this since summer 2011. I did get a case (stays attached to the phone) for this phone and found the hinge very weak, it will slide out if I held it in at an angle. Then recently I removed the case and there was no problems with the hinge since, able to hold it at many angles without worrying it slip out.
Having put my phone with keys.etc all in one pocket I found there are scratches on the back of the case. I have dropped my phone a few times but no problems.
Ribbon is good, the hinges I believe is metal (perhaps, alloy or some sort).
I wouldn't worry about the hinge too much unless you plan to keep using the same phone for more than 3 years. HTC does also have a global 2 year guarantee (from day of purchase).
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App