Database Users

More Quality HTC engineering

High Tech Crap have once again surpassed themselves with the Wizard.
My stylus is held in by sticky tape and the paint flakes off, however even worse my good friend Alex's died a few days ago of its own accord. He thought maybe it had just run out of batteries so he plugged the charger in and within seconds it got so hot that it burned him and melted all the internal stickers off. god knows what would have happened if he'd left it.
Just a warning. Sounds like a lawsuit to me

Your issues seem atypical--I've been reading through this forum for a few months now and haven't come across a single one where somebody said their Wizard blew up/melted/what have you. Sorry you're having problems, but isn't that what a warranty is for?

Doubt the paint and stylus are covered by warranty, certainly not the paint as they know its just an issue full stop and would be replacing each and every unit constantly.

I disagree with your assessment. See here.

Well when your house burns down, don't say I didn't warn you
Doubt the paint and stylus are covered by warranty, certainly not the paint as they know its just an issue full stop and would be replacing each and every unit constantly.
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They should do. You'd think for the price these things would be built to the highest standard. They MUST know these things are issues when they start producing these. Either that or they did NO product testing. I don't understand how it passes EC quality control.
If you bought a car and the paint fell off you'd expect it sorting out. I bet the paint won't flake off the Sony Ericssion p990.
If each of us here wrote to HTC/Trading Standards/our service providers we could get a brand new handset each.
In fact, if I start a petition on here that just requires name and email address, and sent it to HTC, threatening to send it to trading standards, how many people do you think would sign it if it meant a free device for each of us?
Because TBH, I'm pretty sick of spending hundereds of pounds on HTC junk only to have it fall apart after 2 months EVERY TIME, not to mention the software issues. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're required by law to replace things like that.

mike freegan said:
Because TBH, I'm pretty sick of spending hundereds of pounds on HTC junk only to have it fall apart after 2 months EVERY TIME, not to mention the software issues. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're required by law to replace things like that.
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I am really sorry to hear about your issues. However, you must understand that the K-JAM is nowhere near the Casio E-200 as far as quality is concerned. I went through 3 E-200's and the product line was so bad, Casio eventually pulled it off the market and not soon later exited the PPC market altogether.
I am on many forums and have heard relatively few complaint other than the standard stylus-loose issue and maybe just a complaint here and there that the paint on the blue "E" for internet explorer came off. Considering that the Wizard comes from Imate, T-Mobile, 02, DoPod, etc it seems relatively few people have the same issues as you mention. Personally, I beleive either you treat your device harshly or you got one from a bad production batch. I have had my K-JAM for 8 months already, and aside from the stylus being loose nothing else is wrong with the device.
If you are that dissapointed, get on the phone with support and demand that you want a replacement unit. Tell them exactly what you complained about here that you didn't expect such an expensive device to peel and chip. See how that goes.

Please read properly.
My device is fine. I was talking about my friend's device. I assure you, I take excellent care of mine.
My point was that there should be safety mechanisms to prevent things getting so hot to the point that they melt and pose a fire risk, no matter how badly you treat it (which he didn't).
The only faults on mine are the loose stylus and the flaky paint -both known problems. My point is that for £400 you shouldn't have to put up with either. I mean, if you buy a cheap, low quality phone for £20 I bet the paint wouldn't flake off, so why do HTC who charge so extortionally for what should be quality products be forgiven for cutting corners and selling shoddy hardware?
Also, it's only because of the gurus on here like Vijay and Buzz that our devices work at all. We shouldn't have to rely on these guys working volentarily to try and patch up the bugs left in by HTC/Microsoft. It's not even like the odd bug; EVERY SINGLE ROM is full of serious errors that HTC know are there and affect even basic functions. I am grateful to buzz/vijay, but it sholdn't be their job to do it. They don't get paid to do it. For the price we pay, you should expect maybe the odd bug, but not some of the ridiculous and obvious errors that HTC sell these devices knowing about (talking more about the BlueAngel/Universal really, but alot of people report Wizard bugs too)
Also, saying a device by another manufacturer is worse does not justify making a sub-quality product. If the paint flaked off you car, I wouldn't try and defend it by saying that the wheels fell off mine so you should be happy. That's ridiculous. you paid alot of money for a product which you should expect a certain quality from.
I think if just a few hundered of us petitioned, threatening to involve trading standards, it might just give HTC a kick up the arse, show them that we won't just put up with this stuff because they can't be bothered fixing it and get them to put a little more effort into ensuring the hardware and software quality of their next device.
Viva la revolution

Sleuth255 said:
I disagree with your assessment. See here.
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That maybe so but it doesnt change the fact that the paint flakes off.
What would the conversation to support go like ?
Consumer " Hi I bought a device from you and the paint is flaking off. "
Support " Yes but the device will survive should it be dropped in water "
Consumer " Really ? "
Support " Yes. "
Consumer " I didnt realise. Sorry to have troubled you. "
:roll:

right.... I guess I deserved that....
I'm actually wondering if HTC actually makes all the various cases for these devices. Or, do they sell the basic insides as an OEM provider and the end seller provides the rest. This wouldn't apply to Qtek devices of course as these probably would be completely produced by HTC.
Case in point: I'm not aware of paint peeling or loose stylus issues on the 8125. Perhaps somebody can correct me here.

now this is funny!!! I have not had any problems with the phone yet. But i would sign if anyone started it. I will stand by my boys in arms hehehehe
but i do think there is a diffrence between a car and phone, that the phone takes alot from being in a pocket or something ( how about we all put car paint on our phones) and a car is made to withstand rain and so fore. But i do think that it should be abit better for the price.

mike freegan said:
Please read properly.
Also, saying a device by another manufacturer is worse does not justify making a sub-quality product. If the paint flaked off you car, I wouldn't try and defend it by saying that the wheels fell off mine so you should be happy. That's ridiculous. you paid alot of money for a product which you should expect a certain quality from.
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I seem to remember the old Citroen BX's cost a lot of money in their day and the paint flaked off... people still bought them though.... and they still worked... not to mention the fact the wheel could fall off and it would work too :lol:
seriously though. i agree that the paint flaking is a bit of an issue, and the stylus not seating properly is poor design. I do think however that fighting via a petition for them to replace our devices with equally as faulty devices is a waste of time. Example for this is my friend and I both have owend smart roadsters. they both slightly leaked as with nearly all cabriolets, but he moaned and demanded they fix it (i didnt!)... it went in for the supposed leak fix and came back worse than before and he had to reject the car (upsetting himself at the same time because he really loved that car for what it was). I just dont quite see why i would want to cut my own nose to spite my face right now

Cry me a river, this is what is known as the bleeding edge.
Look what you are holding in your hand, its a miniature PC with bluetooth, wifi, a phone with gprs/edge, a PDA with a full keyboard. This is an incredibly elegant device. Yes my stylus falls out but when I took it apart I was totaly impressed by the elegance of the design, flawed maybe but not the china crap I've seen. Also understand how the supply chain works. HTC contracts out with flex or foxcon or whomever which actually manufacture these, most all electronic mfg do this. So as a mfg you are dependent on the quality of your sub, yes you can and do police them but with a mobile workforce you are going to get quality issues. It's just the way the world works and as was said, that's what the warrenty is for unless of course you flashed a new rom or opened the case and voided it, then tough luck.

Well, I would agree with thompsd. I mean, HP and others have phones that work much stable, better and the paint doesn't flake off. So, why don't you just go ahead and buy yourself an HP Phone? I'm not sure about your reason, but I just can't affort an HP, and I don't really like the bulky HP (though their recent device looks promising, not sure about the price).
Hey, consider the HTC company is like.. how old? Oh man, give them some slack. I think they are pretty good in putting in so many things into such a small unit and if they aren't that good with their paint job, so be it. However, having said that, I'm still expecting them to be getting much better soon, inside out. Go ahead with your petition thing and good luck.
BTW, how does the 'easily scratched' iPod case ended?
Anyway, as for the fire thing, it is not an HTC issue only. The invincible Apple had laptop camp fire here and the mighty Dell had their contribution on the conference.
My advise is, don't leave any electronic stuff left unattented.

@ JNGold
First of all sorry for deviating from the true subject of this thread.
I am glad that you are happy with the build quality of your wizard. Since you have been using your device for 8 months I would like to know if the keyboard sliding mechanism is showing any signs of wear / looseness. I am interested in this because previously I owned the i-mate pda2k (HTC magician) and over few months of use the keyboard became quite loose to the point that it would slide open by its own weight if held vertically.
I am now considering going for the HTC TyTn once this is out. My only apprehension is the quality of the slide mechanism and your comments would be really helpful.
Thanks and Regards

Why do you repeat buy HTC if you're having such issues with their devices?

My point is, if HTC can do such an excellent job (and it is excellent) of getting so much technology into such a small space, and charge so much for their devices, why not just spend the extra 5 minutes to make sure the paint doesn't flake off? I don't understand why they think they can sell something which is faulty.
It's a device designed to be mobile and carried in a pocket (hence pocket pc/windows mobile). For £400 you are entitled to expect that the paint will be to a reasonable quality like EVERY other phone on the market.
I have just noticed that every HTC device has a whole host of small flaws that could be avoided so easily and at no extra cost, if they just thought about what they were doing. My friend has programmed for Windows Mobile and he tells me that they know its full of bugs and clashing scripts because of a lack of cummunication between departments, but they just release the software anyway, where an extra couple of days resolving the clashes between each application would solve the problem.
I mean, someone's worked really hard making all the hardware fit in the case which is the difficult part, but then not bothered designing or testing the stylus issue, something which is obviously gunna suffer from wear and tear.
I don't want a replacement device, but I just think that if we scare HTC/our service providers a bit with threats of trading standards, and show that alot of us are interested then it might make them spend the extra couple of weeks testing their next device and making sure it works well before they sell it.
I mean, the Sony Ericsson P990 does everything the wizard does, and more, but I bet they made sure the paint doesn't fall off and the stylus stays in. high functionality does not have to mean low quality.

Err... Can't speak for the p990 but the p800 I had suffered from peeling paint and stylus issues as well (cracking styluses, styluses that fell off) as well as a notorious keyboard design that actually worked until you put it in your pocket and broke the two tiny tabs that held the top of the keyboard away from the screen. So Sony-Ericsson isn't the acme of product perfection you hold them to be.
The only peeling paint I have had with my wizard has been the qtek label on the bottom. Which to me was no great loss.
To me the biggest issue with this phone has always been the software. Which honestly has improved dramatically since the 1.x firmware days.
I knew going in that the wizard had the potential to be a disaster of a phone hey lets see, an innovative package and feature set and new software from Microsoft is quite the triple threat for product mayhem but 9 months into it I have little to complain about.
That may all change tomorrow when the phone decides to self-whimilate or some such thing. but for now I'm content.

They're not hot pixels, it's dust!

Okay, so I've had a few Heros and sent them all back apart from the one I have now. The main reason for returning 5 Heros so far, was the quality of the screen. Basically there was dust under the screen. I initially thought it was stuck pixels but I'm now certain it's dust.
Dust is visible during the boot animation. It looks like stuck pixels; really bright little points of light. The reason they're visible during the boot animation is because for some reason, the backlight is up full when the phone boots. This will highlight little specks of dust which may not necessarily be visible at other times.
Now, I've noticed another type of dust speck. This kind is visible when the phone is off, or in sleep mode. This type of dust speck is lit by ambient light, so it is visible only when the screen is off, or showing a black image etc, in bright daylight.
So logically, this would lead me to believe that there are at least 2 layers of screen into which dust can find its way and consequently show itself up differently; either highlighted by the screen backlight (like during the boot animation) or highlighted against the screen by ambient light.
When I got the Hero I'm currently using, I was glad to have finally received one with no screen dust. 2 days later, and I have 2 specks of dust, one of each type, both on the left hand side of the screen. This is B.S. because I'm obsessive about screen imperfections, and if dust is getting in now then what's it gonna look like in a month, or 10 months?
Why do HTC have such bad quality control? Or why have they made a screen that isn't sealed so any dust, lint or any other pocket sh*t combination thereof can get inside and irritate the hell out of me? This makes HTC look like amateurs. My SE P1 has sat in my pocket for 2 years and still has a visibly perfect screen.
I am now considering disassembling the handset to impliment my own cleaning and sealing of the internals. Does anyone know if there exists in circulation a technical manual for the Hero?

I had a feeling they weren't hot/dead pixels - 'cos they're only noticable to me when I adjust the viewing angle and blast my brightness up to full and on a black screen/image.

I think it should be accepted that the phone is a load of crap and that it's not going to be able to live up to what was promised.

tatwamasi said:
I think it should be accepted that the phone is a load of crap and that it's not going to be able to live up to what was promised.
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and who cares what you think?
Its actually a cracking phone despite some teething problems and i have had some, many people have had NO problems at all.
Its NEVER sensible to buy any new product when it first comes out as you often get initial 1st production run issues, especially in complex devices
so your basically talking out of your crack

My Nokia E71 had the same problem. The screen (what you think is the screen) is a protective glass/plastic sheet and the dust can get behind it (between it and the lcd). I only got it sorted when the dust built up so bad and it took the repair shop about 15 minutes to fix.
spacecat said:
and who cares what you think?
Its actually a cracking phone despite some teething problems and i have had some, many people have had NO problems at all.
Its NEVER sensible to buy any new product when it first comes out as you often get initial 1st production run issues, especially in complex devices
so your basically talking out of your crack
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spacecat said:
and who cares what you think?
Its actually a cracking phone despite some teething problems and i have had some, many people have had NO problems at all.
Its NEVER sensible to buy any new product when it first comes out as you often get initial 1st production run issues, especially in complex devices
so your basically talking out of your crack
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No need to be rude.
On topic, I'm not sure how many more things need to be wrong with this handset before you'd agree with me. Aside from the all the hardware faults being reported people are recommending turning off widgets and apps (what's the point in multitasking if it takes twice as long?) and deleting parts of the OS to get it to run at something approaching smoothly. I know there are updates due but right now pretty much anything you want to do with the phone seems to be flawed. (funnily enough I'd finished typing the "anything" before my phone displayed "a" on the sceen).
Fair enough if you're loving it (though I could uncharitably say who cares what you think) but there's no way I'd recommend this phone to a friend.

I think you should accept that your talking crap, go on any site about any new tech and people are slagging it off this works that doesnt etc etc.
You will also find lots of people saying its great.
Now your backtracking on your own post , what if the update makes its great your going to look an even bigger twat than you look now.
Phone has been barely out a couple of months

tatwamasi said:
No need to be rude.
On topic, I'm not sure how many more things need to be wrong with this handset before you'd agree with me. Aside from the all the hardware faults being reported people are recommending turning off widgets and apps (what's the point in multitasking if it takes twice as long?) and deleting parts of the OS to get it to run at something approaching smoothly. I know there are updates due but right now pretty much anything you want to do with the phone seems to be flawed. (funnily enough I'd finished typing the "anything" before my phone displayed "a" on the sceen).
Fair enough if you're loving it (though I could uncharitably say who cares what you think) but there's no way I'd recommend this phone to a friend.
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spacecat said:
I think you should accept that your talking crap, go on any site about any new tech and people are slagging it off this works that doesnt etc etc.
You will also find lots of people saying its great.
Now your backtracking on your own post , what if the update makes its great your going to look an even bigger twat than you look now.
Phone has been barely out a couple of months
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tatwamasi, I know you are right with some points about the hardware faults and all but i guess ( i wont say i think ...lol) that every new phone that comes out at one point has them.
Buying a product just after its release is a risk to take if you know what i mean but hey who cares as long as the warantee is there
anyway, i think the htc hero is a great phone. Its just that many of us had high expectations. too much maybe. Many of us complain of the lag and stuff... so far i havent used any smartphone without one. of course you might mention the "iphone" to me but let me just say that i prefer a laggy phone with the capability of running applications on the background than a smooth one without the multitask capab.
Like spacecat said, i am sure there'll be an update to fix these things.
Cheers!!!!!!!

Here here!
Awsome Handset! Awsome O/S!
Teething issues to be epected with all devices of this stature!
and if you implement the correct apps and methods your lag issues are solved! (e.g swapper + Taskill) Simpuls! Worked for me
I know as I, most of the guys here on XDA have been running winmo for donkeys and android is a breath of fresh air!
This is XDA-DEVEPLOPERS lets stop *****ing and do something productive.....
P.S.... come on, really Dust in the screen you evven admitted you cannot see it while in normal operation

spacecat said:
I think you should accept that your talking crap, go on any site about any new tech and people are slagging it off this works that doesnt etc etc.
You will also find lots of people saying its great.
Now your backtracking on your own post , what if the update makes its great your going to look an even bigger twat than you look now.
Phone has been barely out a couple of months
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In no way did I backtrack. I can't be bothered to argue with you though. Bye!

tatwamasi said:
I think it should be accepted that the phone is a load of crap and that it's not going to be able to live up to what was promised.
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Let me know of a product that doesn't live up to what was promised. Oh and please explain your meaning of 'promised'

Can I be the ref here and step in with some points that can't really be denied.
1. Dust under screen: Unacceptable. Heard of quality control? Shoddy screen manufacture is fine, even expected in a handset from Tesco that costs £10. Not in the £400 HTC Android flagship.
2. Screen gap. Also unacceptable. I don't even need to explain why.
3. Early adoption = expect problems. I disagree. This is true in practice but not in principle. I didn't pay £400 to be a beta tester. If you can't get the tolerances/design/software sorted out for the first batch then don't sell any until you do.
I'll be the first to say that the Hero is one of the best handsets out there if not THE best, but these little manufacturing issues are a huge fail.

I feel your pain.
Since over a month I want to buy the HTC Hero. At different shops I checked about 7 or 8 devices - all had at list a single dust spot under the screen.
Completely agree with you, that is unacceptable. It doesn't take much in the manufacturing process to secure a dust-free environment.
So, as long as HTC is not able to provide a dust-free screen, I won't buy a HTC device.
I'll have another look at a new shipment when my dealer calls me. That will be it.
Dust under the screen is very irritating especially in bright daylight.
My eyes get fixated on it, can't help it! How much easer can life be for others who just don't care or just don't see it.

panmores said:
I feel your pain.
My eyes get fixated on it, can't help it! How much easer can life be for others who just don't care or just don't see it.
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Well i have no dust under the screen. ( touch wood touch gold) . Maybe because the protective shield i applied on my screen goes slightly beyond the screen, thus covering the gaps and everthing. It is hardly noticable if u ask me.

deeren said:
Well i have no dust under the screen. ( touch wood touch gold) . Maybe because the protective shield i applied on my screen goes slightly beyond the screen, thus covering the gaps and everthing. It is hardly noticable if u ask me.
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For most peoples' cases, the dust was there before they received the phone - i.e. during the manufacturing process. For me, the dust is not such a big deal as it's not causing any problems with my day-to-day usage. Only when the dust starts to cause dead pixels, will I worry. But for now, I'm loving my Hero (even more so, now with Paul's latest 1.4.1 custom ROM) to bits!

tatwamasi said:
I think it should be accepted that the phone is a load of crap and that it's not going to be able to live up to what was promised.
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lmao, spoken like a true sadass.
Fact is when a phone comes out for the first month it isn't really what anyone expects, phones are always hyped up to be more than they are, or how would they sell? Happened with the Touch HD, Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, Touch Pro 2, heck, it was even with the iPhone for much much longer till Apple pulled their finger out.
The recent update from MoDaCo (1.4.1) has vastly improved things, and this isn't even the official update and its only the 1st update.
This phone lives up to my expectations because I was on earth, not somewhere out there drifting in space.
There are still issues with the phone, but like with all custom roms, they address the problems. Thanks Paul and all the developers / users out here who are feeding back problems to HTC and then fixing them for us great owners.

Oh, back on Topic. I had one spec which only showed on startup, but its gone now so I guess it was just dust. I wasn't bothered though, couldn't tell it was there in use.

Oh come on, worst reception of any handset I've ever had (across 5 separate Heroes) and build quality standards through the floor are the hallmarks of the Hero in my experience.
That's not taking into account the software issues (which I could stomach knowing that there's an update on the way).
Sorry if those things are to be expected, it's just that I've never had so many issues with a handset, but apparently it's standard? Oh well, welcome to your world then, I guess I should expect nothing to work when I buy it and hope it gets sorted later. It's unfortunate that this has been my introduction it's just that previously, everything did just work! (With the exception of the crappy camera on my W960i, that was much better after the update).
I appreciate that people feel some kind of bizarre emotional attachment to their purchases but I don't get why they'd say "I happened to get a good one so it doesn't matter! You have no right to be disappointed" when the issues are real and out there.
Perhaps it was naive of me to expect my text messages to arrive, for video playback to work and for me to be able to make phone calls on my phone (especially when the same SIM delivers decent reception in the same spot in another phone) but it does significantly diminish the experience for me. Camera's better than I thought it'd be, I'll give it that.
Either way, I'm not crying about it and my comment was meant to be flippant. Allowing myself to see my phone as a piece of crap that isn't going to work properly has given me the opportunity to chill out about it and not get annoyed. It's just a phone, oh well. I was hoping it'd be able to replace my iPod but I guess it won't be able to.
And that is how I made peace with the Hero. With any luck the significant issues in software will be sorted in the update. Until they are, I don't think I could possibly recommend it though and right now, I think I should have got an iPhone. C'est la vie.
Was that spoken like a true Sadass? Hope you got a big laugh if so.

I had initial issues LED failure, but it has since been repaired and the video playback is poor.
Otherwise im loving it , great form factor/design balance between screensize and phone size.
internet is superb on the browser and tethered to my laptop,
phone calls and messaging/emails work great and im lovin the apps and market place.
Love the customisable 7 screens no lag that i have noticed.
Best phone i have ever had YES perfect NO but what is..... if the update improves the video i dont know how i could fault it right now

tatwamasi said:
Oh come on, worst reception of any handset I've ever had (across 5 separate Heroes) and build quality standards through the floor are the hallmarks of the Hero in my experience.
That's not taking into account the software issues (which I could stomach knowing that there's an update on the way).
Sorry if those things are to be expected, it's just that I've never had so many issues with a handset, but apparently it's standard? Oh well, welcome to your world then, I guess I should expect nothing to work when I buy it and hope it gets sorted later. It's unfortunate that this has been my introduction it's just that previously, everything did just work! (With the exception of the crappy camera on my W960i, that was much better after the update).
I appreciate that people feel some kind of bizarre emotional attachment to their purchases but I don't get why they'd say "I happened to get a good one so it doesn't matter! You have no right to be disappointed" when the issues are real and out there.
Perhaps it was naive of me to expect my text messages to arrive, for video playback to work and for me to be able to make phone calls on my phone (especially when the same SIM delivers decent reception in the same spot in another phone) but it does significantly diminish the experience for me. Camera's better than I thought it'd be, I'll give it that.
Either way, I'm not crying about it and my comment was meant to be flippant. Allowing myself to see my phone as a piece of crap that isn't going to work properly has given me the opportunity to chill out about it and not get annoyed. It's just a phone, oh well. I was hoping it'd be able to replace my iPod but I guess it won't be able to.
And that is how I made peace with the Hero. With any luck the significant issues in software will be sorted in the update. Until they are, I don't think I could possibly recommend it though and right now, I think I should have got an iPhone. C'est la vie.
Was that spoken like a true Sadass? Hope you got a big laugh if so.
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Hold my hands up on that one, I thought you were only talking about software issues, not hardware, so I apologise.
I completely understand where you are coming from regarding hardware, seems HTC have had issues on a couple of their latest phones, Diamond 2, Pro 2.
I had a Touch Pro 2 and after the 5th, I gave up and got a refund. The hinges were loose, faulty, slack. The screen had actual dead pixels. Keyboards faulty. Screen loose.
Other than moving back to my Touch HD which was perfect in every way (after having custom rom made, and it really needed Windows Mobile 7 to make it perfect), I thought the Hero was the next step.
Hardware wise, for me, it is. It is perfectly built, feels solid in my hand, screen nice and clear, reception perfect for me (same as all other HTC devices I've had and my iPhone 3g).
I know some people have had major issues with phones and the majority seem to be the people with Orange's Graphite branded phones, gaps in screens, poor reception etc and it must be certain production lines causing the issue.
Hopefully more roms coming out will make the software spot on, but as for hardware, they all need sending back as £400 is a lot for a phone, like I said about the Touch Pro 2, when your paying that much for a phone you expect it to be perfect (hardware).
Aside from the hardware, there is so much achieved in this latest update from MoDaCo (1.5) and more and more software on the Market everyday, software will be 110% in the near future.
Hope your hardware issues get sorted, send it back!!

adhesive loosening on HD2?

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thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it

several people reported the same thing before. screen not flush all the way around. there's no adhesive, the screen slides out of the outer sleeve if you remove the screws in back.

Oh...
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mine does it on the bottom.
it feels like there is a slight gap in between the bottom bezel and the screen.
It's not a problem at all, but it sure is annoying at times.

On the left side of my HD2 the screen is easier to push in at the top and bottom, but it takes a lot of pressure to make it "squeak".
If I had a cosmetic issue, you can bet I would be on a waiting list to get a replacement. The looks on these phones are nearly as important as the performance, IMHO.

oh i deff agree, @op, if you only just got it id be trying to take it back.

Same on mine at the bottom - just barely - if you slightly press between the usb and headphone jack you hear a slight (guess it sounds like) a click and you feel it slightly move. When the usb jack is plugged in it stops Some play and I don't think its worth returning - also don't think it will get worse. Case materials should have been a little more rigid. Think if you get a hard shell case or aluminum skin - when they become available you won't notice it. Talking to other guys with the HTC branded Euro version their build quality is a bit better. Think its pretty much the same with all HTC stuff - their branded models (TYTN TYTN II etc.) were build better than the AT&T versions - they also cost a lot more because they aren't subsidized.
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.

stim141 said:
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...

I dropped my phone while working out at the gym.
I was on the treadmill, and dropped the phone from my hand to the treadmill belt, then it flew out (i was running pretty fast at speed 7) and ended up hitting the wall behind me. Well, I freaked out and ran over to check on the phone.
Even though I had NO protection, the phone was perfectly fine. Only a tiny scratch that's barely visible on the top left bezel, and everything was fine.
I really was surprised at the sturdiness of the phone.

Snarksneeze said:
For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My TP2 fell out of my hand in a parking lot, the thing didn't hit hard, but it left a small scratch on the screen (it was visible, but wasn't too obvious) and then some nicks at the corners of the device. It did look used. I returned it to T-Mo (I was still within 14-day remorse period) and used the money I got back to get an HD2 instead (for some reason I didn't qualify for either the full or the 11 month upgrade price, only 50 bucks discount... now that I think about it, I should have gotten it at full price, also, the day after it arrived (ordered online) T-Mo came out with the 2 for 1 smartphone, but alas, a new line was needed and I had no use for it).
I've dropped my HD2 at least 4 times since and there's not a nick on it. I figure the glass screen helps (as opposed to the TP2's plastic), even if it's a finger print magnet. I also have no problems with the screen or bezel being uneven, even after dropping it, nor have I had any single of the problems people complain about, so, go figure, I got the perfect production HD2.

Whew.... OK. Soooo glad to hear this isnt only my device. Mines is on the bottom. I also dont see it getting any worst and its so minor right now its probably not worth the hassle of returning. I tend to keep the gel case on it anyway..

thrashingdeth said:
thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
x2 same as mines.

--

I had an issue with mine creaking, on the bottom. Mainly when I was pressing the start key, or back. Got a replacement and it seems better. For a phone seriously delayed I don't get how the quality is so terrible.

my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it

Tm5078 said:
my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it the camera lens or the casing around the camera?
After watching the tear-down video I could see how the camera casing could be improperly installed and loosen after a bit of handling, but I thought the lens was pretty solid...

--

JWang158 said:
Seriously, this phone is turning out to be pretty half baked.
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Click to collapse
I disagree. Not sure if I got lucky or not, but my phone is in perfect condition despite being a month old and spending most of that time in my back pocket.
I've sat on it countless times, dropped it from my hand to the floor twice and dropped it from the car holder to the console in my vehicle so many times I can't count.
The only problem I have is with the SMS freeze, and I've solved 90% of that by keeping my inbox clean. If I have the money for a class 6 microSD card, I'd bet on having solved the other 10% of my problems.
Since upgrading my radio, I don't have any problems with dropped calls, missing texts, loss of 3G or any of the other popular issues that seem to be plaguing the new owners.
Since bad news always travels faster and wider than good news, one simply can't infer from the issues being discussed here that they are the norm. I would suspect a very small percentage of the HD2 owners frequent the forums here, and of those another small percentage are having hardware issues.
I've been through a few of these new phone releases here in the past and from my experience I would say that this is pretty normal for the first few months of a phone's release. In another month or so there will be a firmware upgrade to fix the freezing and icon switching, then a lot of the issues will switch from hardware to software. Soon after that, I expect everyone will be clamoring for the release of a Windows Phone 7 ROM, followed a few months later by a newer, faster phone that everyone will be switching to. A cycle, vicious but almost predictable.

God, this phone is beautiful

So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.

I really like this phone too and it only seems to get better with time. We've got a fantastic dev community who consistently produce quality work, we've got great individuals in the forums who help others with questions, etcetera. Sure there are going to be bugs along the way but that happens...every major software/firmware producer put out patches for software (Just think of Apple & Microsoft).

I'm using a Realook SP on my Vibrant. It looks like nothing is there and many people don't even know I have a screen protector on my phone.

kangxi said:
I'm using a Realook SP on my Vibrant. It looks like nothing is there and many people don't even know I have a screen protector on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive also heard that realook takes nothing away from the vibrant....as much as im obsessed with the screen quality of this phone, it just makes me feel very uneasy to think the screen is butt naked

Well this thing uses gorilla glass so its not really needed to have a screen protector. It will withstand a lot except for a hardcore hit and even a SP wont protect you from that.

Actually, I've heard people reporting that moderately sharp objects can scratch the Vibrant screen; the Gorilla Glass is more useful against impact/cracking than scratching.
Also, +1 on the Realook not taking away from screen quality. I got my Vibrant used and it had a SP on it that made it look sorta fuzzy; I finally decided to try a different SP and got a Realook, and WOW what a difference.
Steinheil Ultra Crystal is also pretty good. I am using it atm but I can't decide between that and the Realook. The Realook seems clearer when there are no smudges, and seems like it fits just a tiny bit better (it seems slightly bigger and thus seems to cover more exactly), but smudges easier than the Steinheil and the smudges are more noticeable.

Thanks for the suggestions. I may try one these other SP, but I still can't get over how great the screen is without one. And unlike my old SP, the gorilla glass does not smudge. What little it does, I can simply wipe on my shirt and it looks sparkling new. With my old SP, I had to use special lens or LCD glass cleaner.

This phone sure is beautiful, and I have had a really hard time trying to find a SP that doesnt distort the image quality but would hold up to the abuse I regularly subjected a phone to. ReaLook SP had my vote for the longest time, but one day out of curiosity I tried trimming down a SP intended for my TRIMBLE unit... and it has my vote... it is crystal clear, and made from some sort of window cling plastic that has yet to recieve damage from my haphazard phone manners. Just my .02, but dont be afraid to try out several different products, after all the 30-40 bucks you spend finding the right SP, is well worth it on a 500 dollar phone.

Thanks for the infomation
Thanks for the review/input on the SP's The original ones I got from TMO were about the worst I have ever used. I will try the ones all of you have mentioned

I would recommend a screen protector. I used mine completely bare for a few months, always being very careful only to put it into pockets with no other objects, and making sure that there was no grit on the screen before using it. It still started developing hairline scratches. You have to hold the phone to the right angle under a light to see them, but they are there. I've ordere a TPU case now, and I'm using one of those ultra cheap, 5 for $1 eBay screen protectors. It works fine, doesn't seem to detract from the screen, and feels smooth and pleasant like the original glass.

bigragu said:
So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you loud and clear.
Going through a near identical experience right now, except I will be without my phone for 2 weeks minimum (has to ship to US and back). I really can't believe how much I'm missing my phone. Really amazes me that there are so many complaints about the Vibrant. It's an absolutely fantastic device once you have it setup correctly. I wouldn't trade it for any other phone in the world.
2-3 days was the turn around time at T-mobile?

Yes, but I had to pay for expedited shipping $20 vs. $10 for 7 days,

I haven't gone through your experience, but one of my buddies was trying to sell me a his MyTouch slide for a good price and as soon as he turned it on I was like "ohhh.... is that what the screen looks like?" lol. For anyone who thinks this screen isn't all that great go play with another phone for a little hahaha

bigragu said:
So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I originally wanted an Evo but got a Vibrant instead when the Evo was sold out everywhere. But I am loving it.
I was in a car with 2 Evo owners and we had our phones all running Google Navigation (whew.. one of the times my GPS worked before JI6 . My screen looked so much more colorful and crisper than theirs. It wasn't even close.

i srewed up pretty good, follow my advice

so,yesterday i swapped my LG g3 for an Xperia Z3 +65€. My G3 was in mint condition, with screen protector from the first day and case. Never broken. The guy also said that his z3 was also in perfect condition. I wanted to change cuz my mom has a z1 and it's a great phone, i like sony's phones, and the battery is great, while on g3 is awful, and the screen on g3 is also awful if you ask me. The guy was working and he sent his girlfriend to come and swap phones with me. She said she was in a major hurry and she will be late for her trip and we need to do this fast. She handed me the original box and there was everything inside, and the phone, and immediately took my phone and started examining it. Everything was okay, and i examined the z3 and at the first look, everything was alright too. No scratches, the ui was smooth and no cracks/chunks at the sides. I immediately fell in love because the phone just feels great in hand and the screen is beautiful. As she was in a hurry, i gave her the money, we shook hands and she was on her way. All of this lasted like 3-4 minutes. Then i tried to put my sim card in, and it has nano sim, so i immediately went to the mall and t- mobile center to get my sim. While i was waiting for my turn, i accidentaly opened the camera, and whoa- water spots. Awesome. I call the guy, but no answers. Great. Immediately dissapointed by myself, but oh well, i never use the camera anyway. Then i go to my gf's place, wanna watch some youtube, try to turn the volume up, and guess what? vol up button also not working. great. Run the diagnostics, and light sensor also fails. And on top of that, the back panel is loose a little bit on the bottom. great. And all of this because i was stupid and didn't look closely.
And on top of all this, i have the version that cant have it's bootloader unlocked.
When you swap phones, examine the every last bit of it.
But i seriously love this phone, i'm just afraid i'll break it.

damn, ouch. sorry to hear that.
i'm also one of the "screwed" ones, but it was actually my own fault.
last month on my 4 week thailand holiday, in the first week my phone fell down and the glas broke.
display and everything still worked, but the touchscreen broke and i couldn't use the phone anymore.
since i wanted to use it as a camera on my vacation, i had to replace the display FAST,
but the next sony support center was 450km away in bangkok. there was another repair
shop that did some awesome work before (i checked their website, facebook, ratings, etc.)
so i decided to give them a try.
the display he ordered even came from sony itself (i have seen the package arriving the next day)
and the display is definitely genius and everything is working perfectly again, but there's one
bitter aftertaste with it: i have definitely lost waterproofing (checked through pressure sensor)
and i can see a small bit of light coming through the display and the case on the right side.
i wouldn't blame that service center for it, because if i wanted waterproofing again, i should
surely have sent it to sony instead.
actually i am thinking about if i should open the phone myself and replace the glue stickers
to attach the display. but i am scared a bit that i break more. everything's working perfectly,
and i think, as long as i don't submerge it into water, it should be fine.

Sorry to hear that man...
I have two Z3 phones and love them.
Better luck next time, I have been screwed ttoo, but now I only buy from new

That's not good.
Someone I know had a similiar 'I'm in a hurry' experience..
Turned out the phone had almost literally fallen off the back of a lorry . . . a delivery lorry, and was subsequently barred from all networks by the carrier
As for the waterproofing on the other phone, well, you could completely strip it and rebuild it with new seals, but there's still no guarantee it would be as waterproof as it was when new. They're not hard to get apart, just a bit of heat, and a being careful, and slowly does it. Watch a few dissassembly videos on YouTube (as guides only) and see if you feel capable of doing it. One word of advice, be very careful when disconnecting the ribbon cables as the sockets on the circuit boards are easily damaged.

MickieH said:
That's not good.
Someone I know had a similiar 'I'm in a hurry' experience..
Turned out the phone had almost literally fallen off the back of a lorry . . . a delivery lorry, and was subsequently barred from all networks by the carrier
As for the waterproofing on the other phone, well, you could completely strip it and rebuild it with new seals, but there's still no guarantee it would be as waterproof as it was when new. They're not hard to get apart, just a bit of heat, and a being careful, and slowly does it. Watch a few dissassembly videos on YouTube (as guides only) and see if you feel capable of doing it. One word of advice, be very careful when disconnecting the ribbon cables as the sockets on the circuit boards are easily damaged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have many experience with dissasembling/reassembling phones and changing parts, i've changed so much faulty hardware on various phones that i could easly work in an IT store . It's okay, the light sensor works, i had the phone checked out, turns out they will change my buttons and camera+seal it for small amount of money. I'm overall satisfied. Only thing i'm not satisfied with is the damn bootloader, i don't think i can live with it man. My device history is pretty big, and never i ever had a phone that didn't run a custom ROM or at least a custom Kernel on it. And now this. This is just soul crushing for me. I installed the Marshmallow concept today, and while it's pretty good and AOSP(ish), the thought of at least not having root and installing AT LEAST layers on it is killing me slowly. And just to think i swapped the phone mainly because of the battery and because of jerpelea and his aosp contribuitons and kernel contributions i really like.. Damn. Im seriously gonna cry now.
Sent using XDA One

DeHuMaNiZeD said:
I have many experience with dissasembling/reassembling phones and changing parts, i've changed so much faulty hardware on various phones that i could easly work in an IT store . It's okay, the light sensor works, i had the phone checked out, turns out they will change my buttons and camera+seal it for small amount of money. I'm overall satisfied. Only thing i'm not satisfied with is the damn bootloader, i don't think i can live with it man. My device history is pretty big, and never i ever had a phone that didn't run a custom ROM or at least a custom Kernel on it. And now this. This is just soul crushing for me. I installed the Marshmallow concept today, and while it's pretty good and AOSP(ish), the thought of at least not having root and installing AT LEAST layers on it is killing me slowly. And just to think i swapped the phone mainly because of the battery and because of jerpelea and his aosp contribuitons and kernel contributions i really like.. Damn. Im seriously gonna cry now.
Sent using XDA One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, so sorry to hear this story mate. I honestly HATE cheating bastards. I'm on the same boat with you regarding custom roms ,kernels and stuff. I know, we can unlock bootloader but it is NOT even close to be the same as with most other phones.(except Samsuck and their knox) . Maybe it hit me too hard since my last phone was nexus (and my next android phone will be nexus again). Was looking forward for AOSP and LAYERS to play with. Don't want to put extra salt on your wound,but shame we don't know each other , I would probably switch my mint condition Z3 to G3, just for change sake (and some custom ROM flashing sake), regardless of battery life of G3.
On the other hand, concept ROM rocks, I won't be getting back on L or stock Sony till it's M

When she said she were in a hurry you should've started to suspect that something was fishy. I would probably never by a used phone seeing how a lot of people treat their phones but if I did I'd certainly would back off if they tried to hurry me into buying/trading.

@DeHuMaNiZeD
I'm sorry for you too. But sometimes you can read from people mouth/face that something isnt okay...
Anyway if you remember their faces, you can talk with them and so on...

OP where did you get the contact info for the trade?
If it was in a page like Ebay,write a bad review and let us know his name, so we can spread out he's a cheater.
Sorry to hear that man...

Dandgqro said:
OP where did you get the contact info for the trade?
If it was in a page like Ebay,write a bad review and let us know his name, so we can spread out he's a cheater.
Sorry to hear that man...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, it's a croatian trading site, he didn't have an account. Anyways, i swapped my Z3 for an OPO, and i couldn't be happier. The best phone i owned. With my xperia being with locked bootloader, this phone is like a miracle for me.