Problems of our own making?

[west3man]

I remember people saying how snappy various phones were, (755, Pre, etc) then complaining about lag after a short while - presumably after installing very useful, but potential stability-threatening homebrew n whatnot.

I remember people saying that there's nothing wrong with carrying your Pre in your pocket (back pocket, even), with keys, bouncing around in a purse, etc. Then I started hearing about people with cracks and oreo effects.

I'm not saying there are no legitimate complaints about the Pre (ie Palm's fault), but I can't help wondering how many of these issues have to do less to do with how Palm made the phone, than with how we, the end-users, treat it.

Your thoughts?

[27scoob]

Well stop worrying and just accept the fact it is a first generation phone and as amazing as it is it is not perfect.

[Achill3s]

I treat mine like a baby! I even have a cloth to wipe the screen that I carry inside the Pre's sleeping bag. lol

With that being said, I still feel the build quality & hw is definitely lacking (headset mode/stuck dll/pins, faltering touchscreens, slider reset issue/battery size). Those issues have little to do with their treatment.

However, some do treat the Pre poorly. These phones were not made to take much abuse.

Maybe the hw issues are related to this being a 1st gen phone?

[Finally Pre]

I wonder how many of the phones that have had problems would not have had them if we all had to pay full price for the phone. I understand there would still be issues but I bet there would be a heck of a lot less.

[scrupul0us]

Personally I find that my screen scratches way too easily when I kick it around...

Build quality sucks I tell you

[hparsons]

I have a release day Pre. I don't "baby" it, but I did carry it in the "sleeping bag" until I got a screen protector. I carry it front pants pocket with nothing but the add-on screen protector. No cracks, no major dings, though I did lose the USB cover.

I think a reasonable amount of care is due, and I also believe that the screen covers (I've used InvisiShields and Phantom Skins) not only protect the screen, but add strength to the device.

[zullnero]

Originally Posted by west3man

I remember people saying how snappy various phones were, (755, Pre, etc) then complaining about lag after a short while - presumably after installing very useful, but potential stability-threatening homebrew n whatnot.

Bingo! The rush to "pimp th' pre" with apps was so overwhelming for a lot of early adopters that they were basically like kids in the auto shop, only the tools were like alpha releases and were missing things like safety off switches and blade guards. You used that stuff at your own risk, then when things didn't work perfectly, these people acted like it was all somehow Palm's fault.

There's a reason that Apple locks stuff down, and it's because of those types of people and the fact that Apple just doesn't want to deal with them. I'm not one of those people, I am a developer, so I want as much freedom as possible to explore and I recognize the consequences of various risks taken. I don't want to support companies like Apple that would limit my freedom simply to preserve their own corporate brand name experience.

Palm did as much as they could to put some apps out there early on, but honestly...it takes most platforms YEARS to have a fairly vibrant application base. But because iPhone people were switching over immediately, they all seemed to figure that somehow, all these apps would magically be there...for a brand spanking new platform...from the get go. And they got impatient and started playing with tools that were basically works in progress. And when things started to break, they threw little tantrums and posted all over these forums (and in other places) silly FUD about the Pre and blaming Palm for their troubles.

Not only that, it's like users have become convinced that they should be getting "freebies" with every new update, or that third party stuff like Flash would be released according to schedule, and if not, they'll switch to a phone that doesn't even have a roadmap for adopting those same third party apps. It's really all quite ridiculous.

[igobytony]

i keep mine in my front pocket with a tube of lip balm and occasionally a small wooden dugout. i've dropped it a few times, at least once to show someone that it wasn't a flipping egg. i have no protection of any kind on it. the oreo i have is no worse than horizontal sliders i've seen. i still have my USB door (even though i open and close it close to 15 times a day -i used my phone A LOT, and hook up to webosqi, charger, etc...), and the only scratch i have on it is from one time when i was wiping it with the sleeping bag, and the outside of the sleeping bag had a metal shaving on it from cutting a key at work.

while it could be tougher, i think i must have gotten a magical device, because i do not take any more care with it than i do with my iPod classic, and it seems all good to me!

[rc46]

There is not question in my mind that patching and thememing causes 99% of the software problems reported on this forum. The bigger problem is people not reading instructions. That is definately the users fault.

That being said I think hardware problems out number software problems on this forum and that is definately Palm's fault.

[west3man]

I don't recall saying that I was worrying. I presented a different way of interpreting the facts and experiences shared by many in this forum.

As far as I'm concerned, it'd be unfair to blame the Pre for anything that's not Palm's fault. What is or is not Palm's fault is debatable, of course, and thus, why I started the conversation.

[unixpsycho]

Agreed. themes hosed up my phone more than once. but i didnt complain.

I dont know about the 755p being snappy.... I dropped my Pre on Day 2 (060709) and scratched the screen... oh well. oreo and all it still works. and i'm not gentle with it. Dropped it many times under a raised datacenter floor...lost it in cables...it kept working.

If I wanted to baby my phones I would have got an iPhone and joined the b0rg.

That being said, I only wish Palm used a better screen, like glass or a hard to scratch plastic.

[KingRican]

Originally Posted by Finally Pre

I wonder how many of the phones that have had problems would not have had them if we all had to pay full price for the phone. I understand there would still be issues but I bet there would be a heck of a lot less.

I would not have gotten the phone without my discount...I would neva pay that much for a phone, though addint up the 2 replacements, I did by now...lol

[udratherbme]

Originally Posted by hparsons

I have a release day Pre. I don't "baby" it, but I did carry it in the "sleeping bag" until I got a screen protector. I carry it front pants pocket with nothing but the add-on screen protector. No cracks, no major dings

I think a reasonable amount of care is due, and I also believe that the screen covers (I've used InvisiShields and Phantom Skins) not only protect the screen, but add strength to the device.

+1... this is exactly the same for me... before i got slide case which is a beast in its own, i went through a period of about a week, where i dropped it everyday, i even fell out of my jacket pocket in the office cafe while standing... phantom skinz is all i can thank for no dings and broken screens

[west3man]

Originally Posted by rc46

There is not question in my mind that patching and thememing causes 99% of the software problems reported on this forum. The bigger problem is people not reading instructions. That is definately the users fault.

That being said I think hardware problems out number software problems on this forum and that is definately Palm's fault.

I think reading directions may be part of it, but I think that's a two-way street. Sometimes users fail to read, but sometimes developers and others fail to properly explain.

I still think some folks mishandle their devices then wonder why they malfunction, but maybe I just don't know enough people who had hardware issues right out of the box.

[west3man]

Originally Posted by udratherbme

+1... this is exactly the same for me... before i got slide case which is a beast in its own, i went through a period of about a week, where i dropped it everyday, i even fell out of my jacket pocket in the office cafe while standing... phantom skinz is all i can thank for no dings and broken screens

Yowza. That's a "reasonable" amount of care?

[hparsons]

Originally Posted by zullnero

Bingo! The rush to "pimp th' pre" with apps was so overwhelming for a lot of early adopters that they were basically like kids in the auto shop,
...

Dude, seriously, you should have a lot more than 27 posts on here!!!