I've got the same issues with the play between the top and bottom pieces. It wobbles when I'm touching the screen like a table that's off balance.

It's still my first and I'm planning on exchanging it this week. Other than that, though, I haven't had any other problems

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Well, this thread is actually getting linked to from news sites now (like Gizmodo), so I would like to say, for the record (and for balance), that I own *three* Palm Pre's...purchased on launch day...and all three are rock solid. No dead pixels, no screen issues, and no case issues. In fact, unlike the iPhone 3GS, their backs are just fine...not being melted.


Let's get some perspective. Yes, some folks are having problems, but many others are not. There have been somewhere between 100k and 200k Pre's sold. I seriously doubt that the return rate is anything like what I have seen polled on this board and elsewhere.

While some folks have issues, I also think that others are blowing things way out of proportion. Seriously, folks considering returning their Pre because of box color...when there is no proven correlation of issues associated with a particular box color? Returning a Pre because of one dead or stuck pixel? Yeah, good luck getting apple to do that...at least consistently:

Apple have tightened up their dead pixel policy « Andy’s blog



Perhaps I am just lucky...or that many of us are "lucky" and just aren't here complaining...but I seriously doubt that 30% of Pre users have returned their Pre due to defects (PreCentral poll)...and that a third of those (10% of all Pre owners) are on their 3rd Pre.


That said, my suggestion is this - if you have zero-tolerance for any potential issue and you demand perfection, then I suggest that you consider staying away from launch day products from any manufacturer in the future...and get on board in the 2nd year.

Just a thought.

cheers,
Steve

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Not to mention the thread today where a user admits that he returned the phone for a dead pixel and just realized that it wasn't actually a dead pixel, just the touchscreen grid.

And where do you think he got the idea to start snooping around for dead pixels...

Or a wobbly slider...

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EXACTLY!!!

BTW, I just wanted to note that I'm not trying to squelch valid discussions, but some of these complaints seem to border somewhere between hyperbole and hysterics. What might be better is if folks

1) Reported actual issues that they are having rather than using threads like this one as a source for subtle "faults" that might exist on their Pre's too if they look hard enough, and

2) Reported such issues as they apply to them..on their Pre...and not with some hysterical sweeping condemnation of every Pre out there. Mine are just fine thanks.


cheers,
Steve

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Seems like you major contributions to the Pre forum are to follow behind people who actually own a Pre and when they have problems say 'Hell yeah I freaking totally agree!". Pretty poignant.

Let's see if we can just dig up some of your 'original' contributions to the Pre Forum:

Anyone noticing a little distortion?
Anyone noticing a little distortion?
Got my PRE this morning, NOT Impressed!
Got my PRE this morning, NOT Impressed!
Apple should not worry at ALL
I'm one of those that doesn't like it.
The media player is weak
You have to plug your Pre into a computer just to delete a video? WOW..HELLA LAME!!
Being a first gen device doesnt matter, life isnt fair
Dead Pre?

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I've got to say the posts with pics really help...since they not only show the issue, but also pretty quickly dismiss the troll claims. Of course not everyone with a complaint is a troll. That said, there are some here. We have all seen them...like the guy who claimed that he bought a Pre and it had every issue on this forum so he craigslisted it within a week for less than the cost plus the ETF. Yeah, those guys. Sad, but some folks here really are bashing for some unknown agenda. Frankly, if you don't have a Pre, then I am not sure why you even feel compelled to be here. Somewhat odd if you ask me, but hey, whatever.


Either way, let the record show that I am no troll:





And my Pre's are just fine thanks. You iPhone guys can move along now..or at least run off to a Sprint store and pose with a Pre and take the troll to the next level.

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I think I see a dead pixel in all three of them.

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OMG...all the pixels are dead! I just noticed in that pic! $#@&*!

On top of that, one of them came in the dreaded black box!

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My wife just came in the room and asked what the hell I was laughing about.

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I don't have any idea how everyone could be going through phones so fast. I've taken what I consider reasonable care of mine, with just the stock microsuede case, no screen protector, no special case, and have just dropped it in the pocket, and haven't had a single problem so far. You guys must seriously be treating it like I treated my Nokia 3390 several years ago...which is to say, not the way you treat ANY smartphone. This ain't a hockey puck, the more hardware you cram into a tight space, the less plastic insulation. The less insulation, less shielded, the greater the chance that you break it. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. If you're treating your Pre like you treated your Treo 750, you should realize that you've got roughly the same amount of hardware squashed into half the width + a far more complex screen.

First generation, and especially, first production run phones are almost always crappy. Its like that with pretty much any phone out there. I used to do validation on prerelease smartphones for a major corporation a few years back, and would get the prerelease hardware. You'd be surprised which manufacturers handed out instant bricks. The Treos I got weren't too bad, but then again, Palm had been in the smartphone business for a bit at that point.

iPhones have been out for a few years. I used to see some pretty bad examples of build quality in the early first gen models, too. The longer your phone has been in production, the more durable it's going to get from user testing and process refinements/improvements. That's how it is with ALL hardware.

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Dang...I was waiting for you to drink some milk first

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Wow, I must've hit the Pre defect lottery! There's light spilling out the sides, my slider's got a gap, it's pulling an Oreo cookie on me, I've got a cluster of 8 dead pixels, this really weird yellow blob down by the launcher icon, and the keyboard randomly decides it's time to stop working. And I've had my Pre for a total of 3 hours.

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First let me say I love my pre and Web OS and I’m willing to cut Palm a lot of slack on a first gen phone. However, after a week of moderate use and no abuse mine is suffering from the dreaded abnormal gap between the top and bottom halves on the left side along with the Oreo twist. It’s so bad that you need to snap it back together after closing it each time. It appears to be getting wider and wider each day.

It’s a little disappointing and makes me wonder about the phones longevity beyond three or four months.

The thing is Palm did not invent the slide out keyboard so it’s not like they didn’t have anything to model their design after. Believe me they looked at them all.

I can only hope that Palm and Sprint will have the fortitude to see the first generation through and do right by those early adopters that jumped on this ride with them.

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That sucks post some pics so we can see how bad it is please. If it is that bad, I would return it and get another one. Clearly the phone is NOT supposed to be like that and most are not. My phone feels just as sturdy as the day I bought and I use it a lot. Good luck.

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I'd like to see the "oreo cookie" thing...if you can use a tape measure to show the effect please! kind like this maybe?

YouTube - My Palm Pre Slider Fix Results

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How much money do you think Palm and Sprint are losing with those clunkers? Or, who exactly is losing what. Does the "manufacturer" bear the costs of replacement?

They sure are losing customers, even if they are willing to replace devices ad infinitum.

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I notice some screen bleeding issues when i press on the screen, i can only notice this in the dark. Its really not bothersome to me. Other than that I have a great solid phone.

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This really stinks, I haven't gotten a Pre yet, I so hope they can fix this absolutely ASAP. My hearts go out to all the peeps with messed up Pre's. My heart goes out even further to those who had problems that they had to go back to the *GASP* iPhone. :-(

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Just go and check one out for yourself. Despite some people who are having legitimate issues many people are NOT. Over 100,000 have been sold so far. If the return rate was anything like some alarmists would have you think there would be a lot more people reporting on it than a few hundred members of this forum. Open the box, check the build quality. If it's not up to par or exhibits any of the slider issues reported here DON'T buy it. Chances are you will find a perfectly fine Pre in the box and be a happy camper.

No hardware issues here:

Day one Palm Pre with InvisibleShield

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If you only see it when you press on the screen then that sounds normal. Your Pre is perfectly fine. Congrats on getting a good one!

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