Warning about fraility of Cingular 2125 and other HTC phones.

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

RMZ - 24 Nov 2006 04:25 GMT

I'm a big supporter of the Windows Mobile 5 platform and I've had only
nice things to say about HTC products up until this point, but today a
dropped my Cingular 2125 about four feet from my hand to the kitchen
floor (tile) and while all the features of the phone work fine, the
mini-USB port stopped working, the phone no longer syncs with
ActiveSync, making it generally useless beyond its basic phone
functions

So if you purchase a 2125, 8125, 3125 (these are the HTC
SmartPhones/Pocket PCs) I highly recommend warranty replacement
coverage, or avoiding these phones altogether. If a product breaks on a
four foot fall, they are essentially more fragile as glass.

Sure, I was responsible for droping it and had it suffered a few
impacts I'd feel a bit different, but to me for the product to break on
a single impact this easily, I would say it doesn't meet the quality
standards I would have expected, if you feel the same way I would avoid
HTC products.

Reply to this Message

Todd Allcock - 24 Nov 2006 05:40 GMT

> I'm a big supporter of the Windows Mobile 5 platform and I've had only
> nice things to say about HTC products up until this point, but today a
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> ActiveSync, making it generally useless beyond its basic phone
> functions

To be fair to the product, you may have just been unlucky- I've dropped
my Dell PDAs several times, for example, sometimes from 4 feet- once,
however, a two-foot fall to a carpeted destroyed the display. That was
the "unlucky" drop. You might have been able to drop the SDA a dozen
times from that height, but whatever corner/side it landed on with that
particular fall trashed the USB port.

> So if you purchase a 2125, 8125, 3125 (these are the HTC
> SmartPhones/Pocket PCs) I highly recommend warranty replacement
> coverage, or avoiding these phones altogether. If a product breaks on a
> four foot fall, they are essentially more fragile as glass.

I don't indend to drop my T-Mo MDA again to prove or disprove your
theory, but I certainly wouldn't put money on it's odds to survive a 4
foot drop! It's survived at least one three foot drop to a hardwood
floor that took a solid year off of my life, and I considered myself VERY
lucky!

> Sure, I was responsible for droping it and had it suffered a few
> impacts I'd feel a bit different, but to me for the product to break on
> a single impact this easily, I would say it doesn't meet the quality
> standards I would have expected, if you feel the same way I would avoid
> HTC products.

In favor of what? Other than maybe my bottom-of-the-line Nokia candy-bars,
what phones would you reasonably expect to survive a 4-foot drop?

BTW, does the mini-USB port still charge the phone? If so, use a BT
dongle and sync via BT. For reasons unrelated to a drop (just an issue I
haven't had time to solve), I haven't been able to sync my MDA via USB
for over a month, but synching via IR and BT still work fine.

Signature

Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Reply to this Message

John Navas - 24 Nov 2006 06:16 GMT

>I'm a big supporter of the Windows Mobile 5 platform and I've had only
>nice things to say about HTC products up until this point, but today a
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>standards I would have expected, if you feel the same way I would avoid
>HTC products.

With all due respect, a four foot drop is a serious issue for a
relatively inexpensive electronic device. You're lucky it still works
at all. I wouldn't call it any more fragile than comparable products.

Signature

Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Reply to this Message

RMZ - 24 Nov 2006 06:30 GMT

I would agree if it had a hard drive inside, but for solid state
component I disagree. In quality testing the product should be able to
withstand a drop.

I think comparing it to glass is about right.

I've dropped other phones and had nothing like this happen, maybe I was
just lucky, regardles next time I'll be buying insurance coverage.

> With all due respect, a four foot drop is a serious issue for a
> relatively inexpensive electronic device. You're lucky it still works
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
> John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Reply to this Message

Jud Hardcastle - 25 Nov 2006 15:15 GMT

> So if you purchase a 2125, 8125, 3125 (these are the HTC
> SmartPhones/Pocket PCs) I highly recommend warranty replacement
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> impacts I'd feel a bit different, but to me for the product to break on
> a single impact this easily, I would say it doesn't meet the quality

I've dropped my JAM a few times (once on concrete) and other than a
small nick in the corner it's still working. To call for "avoiding these
phones [HTC] altogether" because one USB port on one unit didn't survive
one fall is a bit drastic. I bought a DeWalt jig saw a few years ago
that made one 4ft cut and died--guess I should have told everyone to
avoid DeWalt tools.

Signature

Jud
Dallas TX USA

Reply to this Message

Thurman - 25 Nov 2006 20:35 GMT

>>..... If a product breaks on a
>> four foot fall, they are essentially more fragile as glass.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> that made one 4ft cut and died--guess I should have told everyone to
> avoid DeWalt tools.

Or, following the obtuse logic, you shouldn't make 4ft cuts.... ;-)

Reply to this Message

Cavity Search - 26 Nov 2006 23:16 GMT

Todd is correct, you can use IR or Bluetooth to sync your phone.

I rarely sync with USB. I use my phone as a tethered modem using a USB
connection, and it's a pain to switch Activesync back and forth, so I just
use IR to update everything.

CS

> I'm a big supporter of the Windows Mobile 5 platform and I've had only
> nice things to say about HTC products up until this point, but today a
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> standards I would have expected, if you feel the same way I would avoid
> HTC products.

Reply to this Message

castellan - 27 Nov 2006 03:47 GMT

I just wish Cingular had their regular protection plan for these phones.
Warranty coverage sucks

Signature

Sick of USENET postwhores? Trolls? Flamers?
Read the Killfile FAQ for Newsgroups to learn
how to filter their drivel straight to /dev/null
http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk/killfile/killfilefaqhtm.htm

Reply to this Message

SMS - 28 Nov 2006 01:03 GMT

>> So if you purchase a 2125, 8125, 3125 (these are the HTC
>> SmartPhones/Pocket PCs) I highly recommend warranty replacement
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> I just wish Cingular had their regular protection plan for these phones.
> Warranty coverage sucks

I was at Lowe's last Friday, waiting for the store to open, and I was
talking to a guy about carriers and phones. He told me that he dropped
Cingular because doesn't offer insurance for the PDA phones, whereas
Verizon does offer it. It seems ridiculous to pay $72/year for insurance
on a $400 product, but I guess if you're rough with your stuff it makes
sense.

Reply to this Message

John Navas - 28 Nov 2006 18:06 GMT

>> So if you purchase a 2125, 8125, 3125 (these are the HTC
>> SmartPhones/Pocket PCs) I highly recommend warranty replacement
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>I just wish Cingular had their regular protection plan for these phones.
>Warranty coverage sucks

Check with your home/renters insurance policy -- some (many?) can be
extended to cover items like cell phones.

Signature

Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Reply to this Message