Closing slider crashes phone :(

[NINnerd]

Well, I went to the Sprint store. I told the manager there everything that's been going on. We are thinking it's the battery. She did the temporary fix for me on my battery, and ordered me a new one (no cost). It hasn't happened again, but we'll see.

We also figured out why the mic was giving me problems - the headset wasn't a Palm headset. So I ended up buying a bluetooth, and no more problems! I returned the other headset and adapter.

So I'm hoping this all works out! I can't wait for the new battery to come in.

[prochobo]

How did you guys come to the conclusion that it may be the battery? I had mine since day 1 and worked fine up until today. About half the time I send a text message and close the slider immediately afterwards, the phone shuts off. Also happens after I send one, but I can't replicate by just opening/closing the keyboard.

The way it turns off is weird also. The top 3/4 of the screen turns black immediately, while the bottom 1/4 kinda fades/ghosts away in less than a second. I tried taking out the battery to see what the screen would do - taking it out turns the screen off immediately.

[NINnerd]

Oh, and the manager there said she hopes I stick with the Pre cause lots of new software updates will be coming out.

[NINnerd]

Originally Posted by prochobo

How did you guys come to the conclusion that it may be the battery? I had mine since day 1 and worked fine up until today. About half the time I send a text message and close the slider immediately afterwards, the phone shuts off. Also happens after I send one, but I can't replicate by just opening/closing the keyboard.

The way it turns off is weird also. The top 3/4 of the screen turns black immediately, while the bottom 1/4 kinda fades/ghosts away in less than a second. I tried taking out the battery to see what the screen would do - taking it out turns the screen off immediately.

Maybe the battery is still touching, but only barely. Or it touches, then connect again so fast that it just crashes it. The manager I talked to said she's heard about this problem a lot, and that this is the easiest thing to try first. If this doesn't work, then we'll switch out my phone. But you only get one switch for your 30 day trial. So it's better to try the battery first.

Maybe the compartment on yours got looser as time went on. That could be what happened with mine, cause mine was fine at first.

[MicahDG]

Originally Posted by busdriver

Bought mine on day one.

Today, I went to open the slider and poof, it turned off.

Hopefully just a one time event...

Nope, that's how it all starts.... first one seems random... the second will happen when you're closing the slider one-handed... third time will be after 4 more open/closes of the slider... pretty soon all you have to do is shake it and it'll die Interestingly, if you macgyver the battery and then REMOVE the paper, the phone dies if you so much as look at it wrong. I think the wads of paper end up forcing the battery to bend the 3 copper contacts so it gets even more touchy. Oh well, get ready to replace it.

[MicahDG]

Originally Posted by prochobo

How did you guys come to the conclusion that it may be the battery? I had mine since day 1 and worked fine up until today. About half the time I send a text message and close the slider immediately afterwards, the phone shuts off. Also happens after I send one, but I can't replicate by just opening/closing the keyboard.

The way it turns off is weird also. The top 3/4 of the screen turns black immediately, while the bottom 1/4 kinda fades/ghosts away in less than a second. I tried taking out the battery to see what the screen would do - taking it out turns the screen off immediately.

Yep, that's how the rest of ours looks when it crashes. Looks like the screen is bleeding if you have one of the red/orange backgrounds set up.

Like NINnerd said, some of us have noticed that not all three of the battery contacts in the device are evenly extended. In mine in particular, the little box the contacts are connected to was crooked. The first contact would be solid, the second so-so, and the third was probably the one flaking out when the slider was closed or the phone shaken too hard.

I discovered a sure-fire way to get my phone (and now subsequently my wife's Pre, which started crashing a few days ago) to crash EVERY time. Open the slider and close it one-handed with your thumb in the middle of the screen dragging the phone shut. Today while at the Sprint store getting my wife's phone replaced, the tech brought her phone out of the back and said "hey, it works now, I just changed out the battery!" I took the device, opened and closed it one-handed and it died. I laughed. The tech sheepishly took the phone to the back again and eventually gave me a new one (just as I originally told him he would have to :P )

I personally think folks who are just exchanging the battery will end up with the same problem again but I'm not basing that on fact, just guessture

[NINnerd]

Micah - You are probably right!! I have the paper-fix in my phone now, which was to hold me over till the new battery came in. And guess what. The phone is crashing EVERY time I close the slider. So yah, I called the manager and she is getting me a new phone. She is seeing if there is one at the store where I am now (I'm house- & pet-sitting for my parents). If not, I'll go get one from her.

At least my store's manager is really cool.

[MicahDG]

Originally Posted by NINnerd

Micah - You are probably right!! I have the paper-fix in my phone now, which was to hold me over till the new battery came in. And guess what. The phone is crashing EVERY time I close the slider. So yah, I called the manager and she is getting me a new phone. She is seeing if there is one at the store where I am now (I'm house- & pet-sitting for my parents). If not, I'll go get one from her.

At least my store's manager is really cool.

You're lucky that manager is cool about it. When I got my own Pre replaced, the rep was very cool about it, too. He replaced the phone straight away. When I got my wife's Pre replaced, the rep wanted to know what I did to the phone to make it reset all the time. I ended up feeling like some kind of criminal while I waited 1.5 hours for the tech to mess with her phone in the back and finally realize I was right about it needing to be replaced.

Besides working with two different store reps, the only other difference I can think of is that for my own Pre, I called customer service to try to get it fixed before they declared it unfixable and sent me to a store. The phone rep put notes on my account that the store rep read and complied with, no questions asked. For my wife's Pre, since I thought I already knew what was going on, I went straight to the store to deal with it. Big mistake. I felt like I was being accused of trying to steal a new phone, as if I had caused the phone to start resetting in order to get another one. I was 10 days into my 30-day guarantee so if he had denied my exchange request, I was fully ready to pull the plug on the account (after dragging my wife's phone number to another carrier, anyway).

I'm a new Sprint customer so I don't know all the ropes when dealing with them, but one thing I have picked up reading these forums is that it's best to deal with their customer service on the phone FIRST, then go the store. The reps on the phone are probably better trained, centrally located, and have more accountability, so they do their job well.

[NINnerd]

Originally Posted by MicahDG

You're lucky that manager is cool about it. When I got my own Pre replaced, the rep was very cool about it, too. He replaced the phone straight away. When I got my wife's Pre replaced, the rep wanted to know what I did to the phone to make it reset all the time. I ended up feeling like some kind of criminal while I waited 1.5 hours for the tech to mess with her phone in the back and finally realize I was right about it needing to be replaced.

Besides working with two different store reps, the only other difference I can think of is that for my own Pre, I called customer service to try to get it fixed before they declared it unfixable and sent me to a store. The phone rep put notes on my account that the store rep read and complied with, no questions asked. For my wife's Pre, since I thought I already knew what was going on, I went straight to the store to deal with it. Big mistake. I felt like I was being accused of trying to steal a new phone, as if I had caused the phone to start resetting in order to get another one. I was 10 days into my 30-day guarantee so if he had denied my exchange request, I was fully ready to pull the plug on the account (after dragging my wife's phone number to another carrier, anyway).

I'm a new Sprint customer so I don't know all the ropes when dealing with them, but one thing I have picked up reading these forums is that it's best to deal with their customer service on the phone FIRST, then go the store. The reps on the phone are probably better trained, centrally located, and have more accountability, so they do their job well.

I have learned that when trying to do something like this (exchange a faulty item), it's best to just talk to the manager on duty. I do this anywhere, not just Sprint. See, I've only dealt with managers for this problem, and it's been smooth sailing.

I got my new Pre today, plus another box full of all the stuff it comes with. So now I have two of everything! I told her I didn't have my box and all that stuff cause I didn't experience the problems until I got here to my parents' city (all my stuff is back home). She told me, "We would just ship it back anyways, so don't worry about it." Sweet!

Here's hoping that this one works.

Btw, the only things that did not transfer over were pictures of mine and ringtones I had made. So back those up first people!

OH - the manager told me the alarm and calendar times/days being off was a Sprint thing right now, NOT a phone thing. So just to hang on cause they are working on it.

[deadpanwalking]

Originally Posted by NINnerd

Oh, and the manager there said she hopes I stick with the Pre cause lots of new software updates will be coming out.

Yesss!!! That is in line with all of the other rumors we've been hearing!

[southflguy]

I'm thinking it has to be something with the battery. I purchased the Seidio extended battery (1350) and after I put it in the Pre, it would shut down when I closed the slider. It did this almost every single time I closed the phone. When I switched back to the Palm battery, it hasn't happened since (and never did before the extended battery). So it has to be something with the way the batteries fit in the compartment.

[MicahDG]

Originally Posted by southflguy

I'm thinking it has to be something with the battery. I purchased the Seidio extended battery (1350) and after I put it in the Pre, it would shut down when I closed the slider. It did this almost every single time I closed the phone. When I switched back to the Palm battery, it hasn't happened since (and never did before the extended battery). So it has to be something with the way the batteries fit in the compartment.

Sure, the problem is with the battery, inasmuch as Pres with this particular defect mostly only exhibit the problem with batteries of certain sizes. Non-defective Pres don't have issues with ANY batteries (centro, seido, other Pre batteries).

[catshreds]

What scares me is that I can't tell when the phone has actually shutdown or the screen has just gone dark at idle; until I slide it open. Then I have to power it up and wait for the palm logo to stop pulsing.

[msc1]

I thought I had dodged this bullet, but today it started happening. Tried to MacGyver solution, but that seemed to make it worse.

I called every Sprint store around and only 1 had a replacement battery. The battery seems to fit more snuggly in the phone. The first one would not sit flush in the phone. Problem has not recurred, despite my attempts.

I'm pretty much convinced this is purely a battery issue and not a phone issue. The Sprint rep did tell me that if I need to get a new phone, I will at least go to the top of the waiting list, and that right now they are getting shipments in daily.

[TopTongueBarry]

Originally Posted by quickstang

Ahh...Go away from the guy with 15 posts. Nice.
Not a huge deal is not the matter of issue. I'm not sure how many Palms you've owned, but i've been there done that with Palms. Now i'm not saying I wouldn't buy another one, i'm stating that I dont understand why people are so happy go lucky like kids over a device that they go... Oh no biggy for us reasonable folk who will stick a piece of paper in it. The point is that you dont PAY MONEY to fix it by a MacGyver route.
And now we have another childish post with how many posts do you have? Oh yeah, like 5.
It is obviously big enough issue if they post a whole topic on it on the front page. The point is that dont you think you should return it?
If you had a computer, camera, TV, etc with a problem that was like that, I bet you money you'd be taking it back to the store.
Oh, my hard drive in my laptop doesn't fit. I'll just shove a piece of paper in there. Oh man, my lens doesn't shut all the way in my camera. I'll just force it.
I mean, you are paying good money for this, yet you rig it. I dont get it. Software is not the issue at hand. I'm speaking hardware. It is a DEFECT, and should be return, yet many of you just keep it.

Quickstang, can't you tell we all get the point you've repeatedly made long ago and most of us with Pre's affected by this problem plan on either getting our phones or battery's replaced, which Palm and Sprint are more than happy to do?

I repair, refurbish, and sometimes resell electronics as a hobby. This includes Cell phones, smartphones, laptops, etc. I've seen many a device pass through my hands that needed a piece of a business card inserted to shore up a loose battery and not all of them were manufactured by a company named Palm. Ever hear about Dell laptops suddenly catching on fire while in use (one of them on an airplane in flight) due to a defective batch of 3rd party vendor battery's? I've shored up battery's in Laptops , and in almost every brand of cellphone on the market in order to resolve a problem temporarily so the device can be used.

Things like this can happen to any device when the manufacturer purchases battery's from 3rd party vendors. The fact that Palm has acknowledged the issue, and will replace the battery's or the phones is enough for me.

As for paying to beta test a device or product, don't tell me you've never purchased a computer preloaded with Microsoft Windows on it, or I'd call you a liar!

Now, please just go away!

[TopTongueBarry]

Originally Posted by george w kush

my coworker just bought one and his is REALLY loose. it didnt think much of it until he compared it to mine.


this is starting to **** me off. granted mine isnt doing it as often as some of you all. its happened 3 times today. however i dont really know how to recreate it. and because this is my second phone, the sprint store told me i cant swap it for another new one and that i have to take it to an authorization repair center or something. how long is the warranty on these phones? i didnt purchase any insurance.

Originally Posted by aonic

The sprint store is misleading you. I suggest you ask to speak to a Manager.

and purchase the TEP insurance. $7 bucks a month and it's worth it for peace of mind alone!

[acyork]

Originally Posted by msc1

I'm pretty much convinced this is purely a battery issue and not a phone issue. The Sprint rep did tell me that if I need to get a new phone, I will at least go to the top of the waiting list, and that right now they are getting shipments in daily.

Originally Posted by MicahDG

Sure, the problem is with the battery, inasmuch as Pres with this particular defect mostly only exhibit the problem with batteries of certain sizes. Non-defective Pres don't have issues with ANY batteries (centro, seido, other Pre batteries).

Obviously a new member here; I've been following the forums for some time, and this thread in particular. I have a launch day Pre (came in the box w/black sided sleeve and 1.01 installed) that demonstrates this problem intermittently.

I have to agree with MicahDG that this is a phone issue, not a battery issue. I McGuyvered my original battery using a folded up piece of paper, and that seems to have stopped it from happening. I tried the battery from a friend's Pre, and that battery indeed fit more snugly in my Pre's battery compartment. Nevertheless, within a few minutes of having this new battery inserted (without the folded paper, which didn't even fit), I got the blank-screen with backlight crash after shutting the slider, not even shutting it particularly hard.

I'm curious to know how many in this thread have received new phones vs. the number that have simply received a new battery. Do the newer phones (yellow-sided sleeve and 1.02 installed) seem to exhibit the slider-crash problem less? Or has a new battery really fixed the problem? Despite the fact that I think the problem lies with the phone and not the battery, I would definitely prefer to not return the phone if it's not necessary.

Thanks for any input!

[msc1]

Originally Posted by acyork

I'm curious to know how many in this thread have received new phones vs. the number that have simply received a new battery. Do the newer phones (yellow-sided sleeve and 1.02 installed) seem to exhibit the slider-crash problem less? Or has a new battery really fixed the problem? Despite the fact that I think the problem lies with the phone and not the battery, I would definitely prefer to not return the phone if it's not necessary.

Thanks for any input!

As you can read above, I got a new battery. My phone was yellow sided with 1.02.
I did not have any problems until middle of the day yesterday. I tried the paper solution and this made it worse, so bad that it happened everytime I opened or closed the slider.
I installed the new battery and the problem has not occured since, despite me trying by rapidly opening and closing the slider. I also looked at the battery contacts in my phone, all appear straight. I think this is a battery issue, possibly with the contacts/fit of the battery itself.

[msc1]

I thought I had escaped this problem by getting the replacement battery. I was wrong. the problem returned about 24 hours later.

At this point, I have called Sprint and the store has said I will have a replacement on Monday (good news is that replacements are at the top of the list).

Problem is not as bad as before, but it has happened twice, and that's 2 times too many.

[Ben7seven7]

The problem with the phone powering off when you close the slider is do to an improper fit of the battery, you will need a replacement battery to resolve the issue.