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hi all,
i am quite seriously considering the 7501 here in the usa, as an upgrade from the hermes, vs the kaiser, or eventual omni.
one large concern is the poss. of the magnet demagnetizing my credit cards.
as i almost had my honeymoon ruined 12 yrs ago in italy when i bought a magnet money clip and put it in the same pocket/area as my wallet, later after my atm card would not work i realized the blunder and have not used it since.
i searched the forums and came up empty.
the question is has any of you advantage users actually had their cards or other magnetic based(hd's) devices demagnetized, and if so can you tell me how exactly it happened in terms of proximity to the cards, length of time in proximity, OR if you have not had any problems and have had the advantage next to your cards/wallet, etc.
i like to use a leather fanny pack when walking/hiking for long distances and keep my wallet, cell phone, dig camera in it together but in diff compartments sep by fabric only.
i would hate to have to think of always keeping my wallet and main device exactly 6.25346???? inches apart to prevent disaster.
secondly maybe you engineers could tell me how to protect the cards in the wallet with a shield of lead( small enough to put in a wallet, of course or other material), or something that would block the magnetization effects.
thanks in advance!!
djsell
has not happen to me.... YET
There are a couple of posts in the Athena forum from members saying that their laptop hard drives have been damaged. Not seen any mention of credit cards though.
I am careful not to get the keyboard of the Athena anywhere near my laptop or wallet, I don't want to be the first to test it...
Haven't you seen Mythbusters?
It isn't possible for any type of commercially-available magnet to wipe a credit card. They tested cards with huge electromagnets and the cards were just fine. It would take at least 1000 gauss to erase a credit card. Most likely the "demagnetized" cards people keep swearing they have are damaged by other means, like scratches on the magnetic stripe. And it wouldn't necessarily have to entirely destroy the data on the stripe; just one well-placed scratch would be enough to destroy just enough data that the reader wouldn't be able to make sense of what it's seeing.
jsp91470 said:
It isn't possible for any type of commercially-available magnet to wipe a credit card. They tested cards with huge electromagnets and the cards were just fine. It would take at least 1000 gauss to erase a credit card. Most likely the "demagnetized" cards people keep swearing they have are damaged by other means, like scratches on the magnetic stripe. And it wouldn't necessarily have to entirely destroy the data on the stripe; just one well-placed scratch would be enough to destroy just enough data that the reader wouldn't be able to make sense of what it's seeing.
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That said, I believe T-Mobile recommend you keep the Ameo 5cm away from credit cards.
my athena has killed 2 hard drives (both laptop) so it does that, not sure about credit cards...
i just googled "credit cards and magnets" and found serious problems people have said they've encountered with the magnet in the sidekick-3 and losing all data on credit cards, dr. license , and someone tested a card with a 1 second exposure and the card was unrecognizable!!
also the "basics" of credit card magnetic stripes, and they are actual tiny magnets!
not looking good, ...and as this thread plays out some harddrives lost...makes me wonder how the advantages own hd is not affected.
i'll have to read up on "mythbusters", and the myth of these lost hd's and card data...i would love to believe it is a myth!!
the question for me is can i keep the advantage away from my cards and hd's 100% of the time!!!...knowing me, not a chance!!
djsell
The answer is you just need to be a bit careful - don't put the unit or the keyboard on your laptop or wallet. Also, if you are wearing a jacket with your unit in one breast pocket and your wallet in the other and put the jacket down on a flat surface, take one or other out before you do!!!!!
the answer is yes to credit cards in my x7500 manual it says to keep it away from credit cards and mag stripes as it can possibly harm them.
its just a warning not a guarantee just thought id throw this in there
Hi,
I can only speak of my own experience: on two separate occasions my Athena rendered my daily parking ticket (which is made of paper with a thin magnetic stripe) completely unreadable by the automatic cashier mashine.
Once the ticket was put in my bag right on top of the Athena(bad idea...). The other time I had the ticket in my shirt pocket and the Athena in my inside coat pocket, so the two of them were only separated by a few layers of fabric...
Since these two incidents I try to keep my Athena separated from anything electronic and/or magnetic. And if someone came up with a way to remove the magnet I'd be happy to test (I don't use the keyboard anymore).
Regards,
Silviu
The whole magnet keyboard thing is a bad design IMHO. Carrying around magnets with you 24/7 can't be a good thing. I do know people use magnets for therapy.
But for everything else it can just cause a problem. They should have just done away with the keyboard all together or done it the smart way like the Universal. Swivel style.
Sure the Omni might have this design but is the Omni going to have a 5" screen. I bet not.
I remember seeing something about removing the magnet(s) here on XDA-devs. If HTC puts them in, I'm sure some intrepid XDAer has/will take them out...
I've not managed to kill any of my cards (as yet), but now the UK's moved over to Chip and Pin, the stripe barely gets used. No problems with the storecards in their either mind. I quite often carry my wallet atop the closed Ameo. I have managed to knacker one lappy hdd though with my Ameo.
One thing I have noticed is the magnet seems to be quite focused - its grab doesnt seem to emit too far from the bottom of the device. However, the keyboard seems to have far greater radiance than the gadget (from holding them both upto a CRT).
thanks for all the feedback....still undecided on the advantage, i agree that if htc simply used the universals swivel design this would have alleviated a lot of poss problems....no magnet problems, adjustable viewing angles in laptop mode, no losing the kb or keeping track of it, etc., ....well i'll wait a few wks for the poss omni...kaiser still will be with an unprotected screen.
i loved the universal but for me it was quite slow, and the camera was essentially unuseable for my purposes, and important to have in the device.
ces la vie!!
djsell
[email protected] said:
thanks for all the feedback....still undecided on the advantage, i agree that if htc simply used the universals swivel design this would have alleviated a lot of poss problems....no magnet problems, adjustable viewing angles in laptop mode, no losing the kb or keeping track of it, etc., ....well i'll wait a few wks for the poss omni...kaiser still will be with an unprotected screen.
i loved the universal but for me it was quite slow, and the camera was essentially unuseable for my purposes, and important to have in the device.
ces la vie!!
djsell
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Click to collapse
Whoah there!!! Every PDA I've ever had had its drawbacks - each of which you had to find a workaround for. It is true that the magnets require a bit of careful thought but they are the issue you come up with a workaround for. There are other minor issues but generally the Ameo is fantastic - and I defy you to go back to a smaller screen once you've tried it!!!!
I have been able to kill two hotel keycards with my X7500. Another one to be wary about, since you will need to walk back aaaaalllllll the way down to reception...
silviu.h said:
Hi,
I can only speak of my own experience: on two separate occasions my Athena rendered my daily parking ticket (which is made of paper with a thin magnetic stripe) completely unreadable by the automatic cashier mashine.
Regards,
Silviu
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Click to collapse
Me to... thankfully it had my entry time printed on the ticket and so I wasn't charged a full day (it was airport parking too - very pricey).
Most of my credit/debit cards are probably already wiped by my Ameo, not sure, but I've not had a card swip done in ages since chip and pin so I suppose I'll only find out when I go to the one place that still relies on mag-stripe technology.
i agree apd,
my real objective...so i tell myself....is to find that near perfect all in one device to use for the longest poss period of time w/o having to continually switch to another phone and reload all my software and endure the new horrors of active sync, i am a physician that basically has the patience, with tech devices, that is, of a newborn baby looking for a nipple!!...I HAVE NOT MUCH, and i want everything to work fairly well and w/o side effects and time consumption.
i loved my universal ( you're right the vga screen!! ) and stuck with it for about a year, which as you know in gadget years, thats about 80 years!, but i really need a camera for my work, and its is insuff, so i had to carry a 2nd device, a dig camera which defeats the purpose.......anyway i just want to avoid the SERIOUS side effects which could be credit card dysfunction, harddrive loss, etc and certainly could live with the viewing angle, and size , since its evidently not that much larger than the universal.
we'll see...the omni proposes a 4" vga screen, 3mp camera,swivel design (minus magnets), and all the other stuff, minus the 8 gb hd, but with micro sd now coming out with 8 gd memory, thats ok.
maybe in its case i could slip in a material that would block the magnetization??!!
btw, here in the usa everything on cards seems to be magnetized still!!
djsell
Doodle said:
I have been able to kill two hotel keycards with my X7500. Another one to be wary about, since you will need to walk back aaaaalllllll the way down to reception...
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me two and the first time i only had my pants and socks on went next door to borrow somthing of my work colleage, at least the receptionist found it amusing
Well I was watching Discovery Channel about a yr back. N I remember watching Myth Busters. They did a test about demagnetizing a credit card and the results were if u wanna demagnetize ur credit card...... the amount of energy required would actually destroy the card into pieces first..... I Doubt Athena has the power to do that... =D.....
Cheers
I've looked through Google and Yahoo! Answers, and found everyone saying they don't, but that goes against all knowledge of electronics and magnets. I'm just wondering from a professional user standpoint (xda devs), if the usage of magnets in a case's clasp hurts or degrades the phone's display/power/memory over time?
Sorry for the novice question.
Looks like you forgot to search within this forum
But from what people have been saying is that magnetic studs turn on the device, which then can lead to battery consumption. but that has to be some strong magnet, since most studs uses weak magnets that probably are meant for refridgerators(not the skinny ones). But then again many have reported that it doesnt affect the device in no way.
No it won't hurt the phone or data. There have been a few reported cases where a magnetic clasp may turn on the Kaiser\Tilt if it happens to be in the same location as the sliding keyboard's magnet (when slid open, the keyboard wakes the phone). I use magnetic catches and haven't seen anything unusual.
ekw said:
Looks like you forgot to search within this forum
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No, and that was my mistake.
Thank you, both of you, for your insight.
Like the others said, it may just confuse the device on whether it is open or not and may drain battery if it turns on because of it.
I have a very low to the ground car with low-profile tires.
I had my phone in my lap, and forgot it was there, got up and it just barely flopped to the ground. Flipped it over, the entire screen was shattered. It dropped maybe 12 inches from my pants to the ground.
Just a quick heads up for those who wear their phone in their crotch while they drive.
It will break from one time forgetting to take it out of your lap and into your pocket before you get out of the car. Take it from me.... FML..
Damn, that sucks bro! =[
I must be a lucky guy because I left my phone on my lap while I was driving my dad's truck (2002 Toyota Tundra), and then I forgot it was on my lap when I exited the vehicle. It landed face down, and not a scratch.
Another instance is when I was working out at the gym....again, I left my phone on my lap, and after completing my sets, I quickly stood up, and my phone hit the metal part of the equipment, and the battery door came off, and the battery flew out. Again, no scratch.
WOW!!!
I didn't know a glass screen could shatter!!!
Good info to know.
http://www.otterbox.com/htc-cases/h...cases-u.s./htc-hd2-defender-series-case-u.s./
had the same problem, dropped from a low height, screen cracked, my problem is I have a Telsta model, you have to replace screen and display (soldered together can't buy individualy) sad
eddyhsline said:
had the same problem, dropped from a low height, screen cracked, my problem is I have a Telsta model, you have to replace screen and display (soldered together can't buy individualy) sad
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most people break the screen when trying to replace it anyways. Probably better to replace both parts together.
It's all relative.
I've dropped my HD2 several times from various heights and so far the phone doesn't have a scratch on it. Once it skid down a couple of concrete stairs but miraculously survived without any damage. I guess I'm just lucky?
i use otterbox defender. in a moving car about 40km/h with window open and holding it outside when suddenly i lost grip and it felt on the asphalt.
the first thing in my mind is about the screen.
no scratch.
Was the phone on vibrate?
Just joking. Thanks for the heads up
Hey thanks guys on that otterbox thing. I might have to try that if they do have such an easy propensity to breaking.
Crazy how mine shattered so easy, and some not so easy.
If its any consolation this happened to a friend of mine - i guess its just bad luck.
people who mess with their phone whilst in charge of a vehicle deserve to crash and suffer terrible injury and / or a slow painful death, so im glad you broke your phone, just a shame you didnt cripple yourself into teh bargain. Whether making a call, or just holding it, you aren't in control of the vehicle, and deserve bad things to happen to you.
Just the opinion of someone who lost a relative to a driver who was 'just checking the time on my phone, officer'.
Glass screen can shatter? WHO WOULDA THUNK IT!?
In other related news, fish do live in the ocean and the sky is definitely blue.
I went through many of those drops with my Diamond. I put it on my crotch while talking on the headset, then got out of the car, unbeknownst that the phone is still on my crotch and BAMM! ate cement... Good thing the Diamond's screen was resistive heh. I take care of the HD2 like a baby now and always have it either on the passenger seat when i drive or put it in the phone holder.
badai said:
i use otterbox defender. in a moving car about 40km/h with window open and holding it outside when suddenly i lost grip and it felt on the asphalt.
the first thing in my mind is about the screen.
no scratch.
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WHY???
+1 on what sam said too.......
samsamuel said:
people who mess with their phone whilst in charge of a vehicle deserve to crash and suffer terrible injury and / or a slow painful death, so im glad you broke your phone, just a shame you didnt cripple yourself into teh bargain. Whether making a call, or just holding it, you aren't in control of the vehicle, and deserve bad things to happen to you.
Just the opinion of someone who lost a relative to a driver who was 'just checking the time on my phone, officer'.
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For your opinionated and assumptive information, I wasn't driving and talking on the phone, nor was I texting either. I pulled a pack of GUM out of my pocket and the phone had to come out in the process, so before you go wishing I DIAF, maybe you shouldn't assume things that never happen when I drive. Sorry you lost a relative, but I'm not retarded.
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
samsamuel said:
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
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I've been an insured driver for a decade. Never had an accident. NOR even a speeding ticket to speak of. Without taking my eyes off the road, its easy to drive with one hand and take a piece of gum out of your pocket. I don't LOOK off of the ROAD when doing this. Unfortunately some drivers do, and while one deems "safe driving" one thing, obviously another can deem it unsafe by their standards. Simply put, there are a LOT of bad drivers out there. You see them every day talking on their cell phone and using MAYBE 20% of their attention on actually PAYING ATTENTION to driving, so I get your point... but I'm sorry, taking ONE hand off the wheel while still watching the road is not unsafe, and if you cannot change the station in your car, or do simple things without getting into an accident then your license should be revoked. People take it to the extreme. I used to live in Phoenix and in the morning rush hour traffic you'd see women putting on their makeup and curling their FRIGGIN hair in the car. It boggles your mind how someone could deem THAT safe driving, because you should be BANNED from driving if you were to get pulled over or KILL someone for some stupid time-saving choice. If you've gotta do that in the car you might wanna hire someone to drive you to work every day.
So like I said I see what you're getting at and obviously, its a sensitive subject for you but I mean, 10 and 2 not 100% of the time in the car isn't gonna be unsafe if you're still prioritizing your attention & what you can, and cannot take a hand off the wheel for. ONE huge stupid is definitely TEXT/CALLING people. And the aforementioned.
So people, while this isn't a debate thread about texting and driving, moral of the story is.. don't be stupid and use your phone while you drive. I'm just the unlucky bastid that happened to have his in his lap when it shattered to the cement.
samsamuel said:
yep, hand off the wheel rooting in a pocket, that would count as driving without due care and attention too, except of course it's unenforecable, cos drivers have a whole set of laws all to themselves. I swing an iron bar around and accidentally hit someone and kill them, its manslaughter, a driver picks his nose and slams a half ton of metal into someone and its an unfortunate accident.
Im sorry i unloaded on you specifically, it was aimed at all car drivers (especially the pillock with his phone in hand hanging out of the car, christ, moron).
Even the (comparitively speaking) safe drivers look around, eat food (and gum!), pick their nose, fiddle with the radio, , none of these activities are safe.
How long to take your phone out of your pocket, take the gum out, unwrap it, put it in your mouth? 30 seconds? 30 seconds where you aren't in control of your car, it takes what, 3 seconds to mount the pavement, your car judders, your beloved phone leaps out of your lap, you automatically jump to grab it (studies have already shown people automatically try to grab their phones to protect them during incidents), bang, small child being scraped along the concrete leaving skin and blood in a trail behind your car. What happens? A year or so jail at the most, probably suspended.
So, again, im sorry i leaped down your throat, but for me, ANY story where something bad happens to a driver is good news.
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Texas has a new "distracted driver" laws in effect. Basically, they can cite you for doing anything that isn't driving. I'm going to have to look it up.
guess it wasn't as far reaching as I thought:
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=18043
nrfitchett4 said:
Texas has a new "distracted driver" laws in effect. Basically, they can cite you for doing anything that isn't driving. I'm going to have to look it up.
guess it wasn't as far reaching as I thought:
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=18043
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Yeah, I live in Michigan, and we just started to pass laws. Lots of states have. We just got a "no texting" law. If an Officer sees you on your cell while driving you will absolutely get a ticket every time. I actually think this is a GREAT idea. Maybe we'll save some lives and when a person thinks to get on their phone while driving they'll think twice.
Something odd I noticed a week or so ago. When my tab is charging, if I run my finger lightly along any part of the metal case, there's a REALLY faint "vibration" or "tingle", reminiscent of the feeling you get when you put one of those 9V square batteries on your tongue.
If I disconnect the charger then it stops, so I figured there must be some kind of short in the tablet somewhere.
But I finally found my multimeter this morning and tested it. There is absolutely no current in the casing at all. 0.000 volts. 0.0000 amps. Nada. Zip.
So what the hell IS it? I don't think it's the internal vibrator as I can't hear anything. Is anyone else getting this? It's strongest around the middle of the device, around where the Acer logo is on the back, but can only be felt on the metal parts, not the glass...
It might be an electro magnetic induction current, and the plastic is insulating the metal from earth - you are then providing the earth to make the circuit.
Where did you measure from and to with the multimeter? Try case to earth on another power socket, or case to earth with your tongue (wet, very conductive) (wet fingers if you's scared.. LOL).
I tried all the ways I can think of, including those, but there's nothing I can pick up with my meter. Alas, my scope is broke.
My wife can't feel it at all, but my kids can so I'm positive I'm not imagining it. It's not there when unplugged from the charger, there when plugged in.
BTW, generally, water is a very poor conductor of electricity, especially through the tongue as saliva has a pH of 7.5, which will insulate rather than conduct. You need water with a pH of <5 or >9 for decent conductivity.
Don't worry, I can feel the same vibration with my HTC Desire (which has a metal case, too), funny enough not with my A500, though. Not everyone can feel it, which either means not every device has that effect or not everybody can feel it.
True, but it's still better than dry skin, especially finger print tipped fingers.
Fluffbutt said:
True, but it's still better than dry skin, especially finger print tipped fingers.
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Nope. With wet fingers (saliva or tap water) I can't feel the vibration at all, with dry I can. This tells me it MUST be electrical, but I'm damned if I can get it to register on my meter.
BTW, though I've not done much in the last 20 years, I originally trained as a microelectronics engineer, so I do know what I'm doing. I've never seen this in a device that DIDN'T register some kind of current flowing through it...
I've always been pretty sensitive to tiny electrical currents, so it probably IS some kind of short that my fingers are picking up, but can't get through the anodised coating on the metal back for my meter to read it. I AM getting a tiny reading of 0.003722 volts on the bare metal in the dock port, but my fingers sure shouldn't be able to pick THAT up!
Still, with no readable value on a meter, there's no way I'll be able to return it as the store just won't believe me, so I guess I'll live with it and just check it periodically.
I have exact the same thing, when the A500 is charging and I'm touching the case, it is vibrating a little.
I got my A500 since friday. I registered same vibration during the first charging. I don´t know what to do with it....
E.
Yeah I noticed this too. The list of quirks with this tablet just seems to grow by the day
i have the same issue before, i changed the power adapter from Acer and the problem solve. Their report log show 'electrical leaking'
I truly don't doubt what you say.
I honestly would've though that wet skin would be better than dry or skin-oil skin. Weird.
See if you can get a infinite resistance reading between the metal shell part and the dock port (like you should). I also suggest a separate test of the charger unit for leakages.
Maybe also test the charger port and the dock port for max resistance, charger port and skin as well.
OK, it's probably not dangerous (well, maybe not now..), but it IS bloody interesting!!
FloatingFatMan said:
Nope. With wet fingers (saliva or tap water) I can't feel the vibration at all, with dry I can. This tells me it MUST be electrical, but I'm damned if I can get it to register on my meter.
BTW, though I've not done much in the last 20 years, I originally trained as a microelectronics engineer, so I do know what I'm doing. I've never seen this in a device that DIDN'T register some kind of current flowing through it...
I've always been pretty sensitive to tiny electrical currents, so it probably IS some kind of short that my fingers are picking up, but can't get through the anodised coating on the metal back for my meter to read it. I AM getting a tiny reading of 0.003722 volts on the bare metal in the dock port, but my fingers sure shouldn't be able to pick THAT up!
Still, with no readable value on a meter, there's no way I'll be able to return it as the store just won't believe me, so I guess I'll live with it and just check it periodically.
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Fluffbutt said:
OK, it's probably not dangerous (well, maybe not now..), but it IS bloody interesting!!
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I really doubt it's dangerous, but it does indeed sound like there's leakage current on OPs tab. I've had similar experiences with e.g. some PC cases and there the problem was easily solved by making sure the case is well-grounded. Also had a washing machine that did the same, but as there's water involved I had to check it out properly and it was indeed a defect unit and had to be thrown out.
I get the same, both on the case, and when i run my finger over the glass, makes it tingle slightly, unplug the charger and wherever i touch its gone. perhaps from the screen getting the full V/amps from the charger?
I'm glad not to be the only one experiencing this so called "electrical leaking".
But it seems I am the only one who actually enjoys this feeling on my fingertip. Don't you?
pintness said:
I'm glad not to be the only one experiencing this so called "electrical leaking".
But it seems I am the only one who actually enjoys this feeling on my fingertip. Don't you?
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!!!!!!!
If you try another part of your anatomy on the screen, DON'T post the video!!
LOL!!
;->
I get the same vibration but on the bottom edge of my a500 .....strange.....
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
lol
My advice would be to *not* lick / taste your a500 while it is charging
me too
The cases is hot with respecs to earth. The adapter needs replaced.
Mine dont do that.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
I noticed this too when I first got my A500. I don't notice it anymore because I always have it in the Folio Case.
Well, my beloved Moto X is now on it's way to El Paso, TX to be dissected and man-handled. I got a little tired of the gook in the microphone port and used compressed air to clean it out. Turns out this is a pretty dumb move to make :crying: I'd actually done it once before without incident, but this time it must have perforated something.
While I know this is my own dumb fault, I've *never* broken a phone before. I have a decent collection of completely scratch-free and 100% functional devices, I'm disappointed that this was fragile enough to be broken so easily. OK, yeah, it was probably the equivalent of hitting some Saran Wrap with a hurricane, but still disappointing.
My advice to everyone is to be extra careful with that particular awkwardly placed dirt-trapping hole in the front of your phone. I wasn't about to stick a pin in there, but my chosen alternative proved to be just as tragic. I have to assume that an equal amount of vacuum would also yield similar bad results. Not sure how we're supposed to clean this thing, or perhaps more importantly why it's designed in such a way that it would get so filthy in the first place.
*sigh*
djp952 said:
Well, my beloved Moto X is now on it's way to El Paso, TX to be dissected and man-handled. I got a little tired of the gook in the microphone port and used compressed air to clean it out. Turns out this is a pretty dumb move to make :crying: I'd actually done it once before without incident, but this time it must have perforated something.
While I know this is my own dumb fault, I've *never* broken a phone before. I have a decent collection of completely scratch-free and 100% functional devices, I'm disappointed that this was fragile enough to be broken so easily. OK, yeah, it was probably the equivalent of hitting some Saran Wrap with a hurricane, but still disappointing.
My advice to everyone is to be extra careful with that particular awkwardly placed dirt-trapping hole in the front of your phone. I wasn't about to stick a pin in there, but my chosen alternative proved to be just as tragic. I have to assume that an equal amount of vacuum would also yield similar bad results. Not sure how we're supposed to clean this thing, or perhaps more importantly why it's designed in such a way that it would get so filthy in the first place.
*sigh*
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If there is a way, that might be something to send to Motorola for feedback. I'm sure they are really interested in getting feedback, being this is the first flagship Motorola/Google phone: Moto X.
That and the vibrator issues, and other mechanical/material/tooling issues should go there.
I like this phone and I think it has some good potential, but as a first release after an acquisition/rebranding, I'm sure that feedback will help make future devices better.
bhundven said:
If there is a way, that might be something to send to Motorola for feedback. I'm sure they are really interested in getting feedback, being this is the first flagship Motorola/Google phone: Moto X.
That and the vibrator issues, and other mechanical/material/tooling issues should go there.
I like this phone and I think it has some good potential, but as a first release after an acquisition/rebranding, I'm sure that feedback will help make future devices better.
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Totally, but let's wait 7-10 business days so they fix mine for free before we tell them I actually wrecked it on my own, ok? :highfive:
djp952 said:
Totally, but let's wait 7-10 business days so they fix mine for free before we tell them I actually wrecked it on my own, ok? :highfive:
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:fingers-crossed:
djp952 said:
Well, my beloved Moto X is now on it's way to El Paso, TX to be dissected and man-handled. I got a little tired of the gook in the microphone port and used compressed air to clean it out. Turns out this is a pretty dumb move to make :crying: I'd actually done it once before without incident, but this time it must have perforated something.
While I know this is my own dumb fault, I've *never* broken a phone before. I have a decent collection of completely scratch-free and 100% functional devices, I'm disappointed that this was fragile enough to be broken so easily. OK, yeah, it was probably the equivalent of hitting some Saran Wrap with a hurricane, but still disappointing.
My advice to everyone is to be extra careful with that particular awkwardly placed dirt-trapping hole in the front of your phone. I wasn't about to stick a pin in there, but my chosen alternative proved to be just as tragic. I have to assume that an equal amount of vacuum would also yield similar bad results. Not sure how we're supposed to clean this thing, or perhaps more importantly why it's designed in such a way that it would get so filthy in the first place.
*sigh*
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How do you know it perforated the mic? Also, did you stick the nozzle for the compressed air right on the mic hole?
there are the moto support forums. https://forums.motorola.com/hives/a440c30711/summary its the best way i know of to make suggestions/complaints etc. the forum manager forwards anything worthy over to the right people.
as far as the gunk. i would get a pin or needle, and a piece of tape. gently pull out the stuff and use tape to pick it up.
i also ruined a brand new iphone 4s with compressed air. trying to get the sand out of it. worse decision i ever made. but i managed to turn it back in and buy a gs2. one of those rare instances where a wrong does make a right.
clankfu said:
How do you know it perforated the mic? Also, did you stick the nozzle for the compressed air right on the mic hole?
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Can't be 100% certain, of course, but I noted that if it was placed near an extremely loud source it would start to barely register some sound pressure. I took that to mean a membrane of some kind got ruptured.
And yeah, that's exactly what I did; stubborn dirt was in there! It's quite honestly one of the absolute stupidest things I've done in a long time. :crying:
@phermey, I dunno about a pin, if there is indeed something that can be perforated/ruptured, that seems like a bad idea. The tape suggestion reminds me of that yellow goo they used to (still do?) sell for cleaning keyboards. Ever seen that? You smush it all around your keys and it sticks all the Dorito crumbs to it. Comes right off. I bet something like that would be ideal here if it's viscous enough to get into the hole at all.
I just hope it comes back fixed without any new damage from being disassembled. It was pristine! I'll contact Moto with what happened, but again, AFTER they fix it for free. I won't lie if they call me out on it, though
djp952 said:
Can't be 100% certain, of course, but I noted that if it was placed near an extremely loud source it would start to barely register some sound pressure. I took that to mean a membrane of some kind got ruptured.
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Can you expound on this? Are you using some sort of app to gauge the sound pressure or is it just simply not responding to voice commands or something?
What is everyone talking about stuff getting into the microphone? I don't see anything in mines. I have a white Moto X. Do I have to put a flashlight into to see if anything is in it or something?
Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk
clankfu said:
Can you expound on this? Are you using some sort of app to gauge the sound pressure or is it just simply not responding to voice commands or something?
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Putting some earplugs in, cranking up a speaker and putting the X right next to it would get the Google Voice Search to just *barely* register something as evidenced by the graphics it uses. A sound meter app (forget which one; sorry, but Android SensorBox is an old friend with this feature in it) would get up to about 10dB that way or close to 20dB if I shot more air at it point-blank. It was definitely shot to hell, but the underlying electronics still functioned if given enough "stimulus" Totally borked.
edit: 10dB-20dB is crazy quiet: http://home.earthlink.net/~dnitzer/4HaasEaton/Decibel.html
djp952 said:
Putting some earplugs in, cranking up a speaker and putting the X right next to it would get the Google Voice Search to just *barely* register something as evidenced by the graphics it uses. A sound meter app (forget which one; sorry, but Android SensorBox is an old friend with this feature in it) would get up to about 10dB that way or close to 20dB if I shot more air at it point-blank. It was definitely shot to hell, but the underlying electronics still functioned if given enough "stimulus" Totally borked.
edit: 10dB-20dB is crazy quiet:
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Hey mate, I know this is kinda old, but how this ended up?
I did EXACTLY the same, and ruined the microphone, but the not-that-bright side is that my warranty expired a month ago (Bloody hell).
Did you get a replacement for your microphone for a decent price?
Thanks in advance pal,
Cheers
Found this thread *after* I did the exact same thing.
Always been annoyed by the pocket lint/fuzz that gets in the microphone hole. Never cleaned it out. Wife brought home some compressed air for another purpose and I gave it a try. Red straw, held it 3-4" from phone, cleaned out the hole nicely. Wasn't until a couple hours later I realized no one could hear me. OK Google Now also didn't work.
Very stupid on my part, phone was flawless. Only upside is it was 2 years old.