Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

OK, so I was really excited to get the TP because I needed a phone for work that I could use for checking email and lots of texting, but after playing with the Pro for a week I'm really disappointed and considering a return to Best Buy.

So here and the major problems and my need for advice, many of you already know these issues.

1: Horrible call quality / earpiece - on nearly every call Ive made with this phone Ive had to have the other caller speak up or repeat something which is very annoying for all parties involved. Ive tried the Audiopara fix, WOW HD, unlocking AudioBooster, etc but no luck. Turning the earpiece up just makes it sound like Ive got a kazoo next to my head.

2: Horrible battery life - I'm out of the office a lot so I can't always get to a charger and even after doing tweaks to improve the life and doing a full drain on the battery, it still won't last throughout the day, even with light use. Plus after a long call my phone is hot which doesn't seem right.

3: Cheap feel / build quality - The battery cover and even the body in general on my TP is loose and creakier than the doors in a haunted house. I know I can largely fix this by adding tape or padding, but for what I paid for this thing I shouldn't have to do anything remotely like that.

So as a result I spent a long time last night watching review videos on YouTube and Im considering dropping back to a more simple phone. So do people here think I should attempt to get another TP and hope its better or go to a different phone with a QUERTY like the LG Lotus or the Samsung Rant? Call quality is my number one concern.

People here have been awesome about helping repair many of these issues so I really respect your opinions on these issues.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

first off lots of first adopters form bestbuy have seemed to have issues so a return will probably improve your call quality (mines damn near perfect).

the battery life is an issue, though I can usually make it a good day and a half on a charge with light use.

as for the battery door, its kinda finicky I find that you have to put it on perfectly and then the creaking goes away though its highly annoying if you swap sd cards often.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I got mine the day it dropped at best buy and it was horrible, sound, parts showing the wiring underneath the faceplate and it over heating and getting real hot...i took mine to sprint instead of best buy and noticed a change in the device as in the speaker, and other issues that were no longer present. the battery life is a clear issue and i'm on the fence with it as well. but it's all up to you and your preference. and yes you shouldnt have to come up with tweaks and edits to make something work/last that you paid for.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I have said this in a couple other post but the first batch that went to best buy for purchase all have major problems. I replaced mine and all the issues went away.

I had the keyboard glitch, bad sound, creaking back door, very slow, and some buttons were crackling when I would press them. I brought it back to best buy and they didn't even ask any questions or even look at the phone.

The guy said he expects a lot to come back and replace them.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

either i'm not having the issues, or i'm not noticing them?
what issues should i look for?

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I bought the night it dropped (10/24) and have no issues. My battery cover doesn't creak, my device isn't slow (heck, that would be software, not hardware), my sound is fine, and I'm not sure which keyboard glitch you're referring to, but it's probably software as well.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I think I'll need to drop by Best Buy again or the Sprint store near my house and see what luck I have with round 2. I'm definitely going to look at the earpiece to make sure the holes are punched all the way across. Mine only goes half way.

Has anyone here had experience with the LG Lotus? I've had really good luck with that brand before and I'm starting to think that the Touch Pro is just too much phone for me.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

If you're even considering the Lotus compared to the Touch Pro, I'd say "Yeah, it's too much for you"

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I got mine at Best Buy on Saturday. It was the last one they had from their original shipment at that store. I have no call quality issues, no keyboard issues (aside from backlight), and only a minimal creak to the back door.

Battery life seems to be pretty good considering I have had wi-fi going a lot and have been testing some high-end games for my roommate's company. The games in question all leverage the g-sensor to replicate motions (bowling, lawn darts, etc.).

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I was looking at the Lotus because I really just need a QUERTY for doing quick email replies but I absolutely need the phone part to be solid. So i figure dropping back to something like the Lotus or Rant will give me more of a real phone.

With the Touch Pro it seems like the phone portion was the last thing that anyone thought about, especially considering that the person calling you gets almost three rings in before the Touch Pro even lights up. I know this is more of a WinMo issue but it seems like the guy who designed the phone system on this thing didn't actually like talking to people. Its like it misses calls on purpose which is retarded.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Your 3 concerns are almost universal. Check the treo forums, same thing. Ace, Q9c, Mogul, etc, etc. Everyone complains about these 3 things no matter which phone you have. They are inherant to almost all smartphones- especially if you are coming from a traditional phone.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I take exception to your remark sir. My Treo 700wx has had none of those problems. Nor do I recall there being any "global" discussion about those issues with the 700wx. Now the 800w is another matter. But the 700wx is rock solid on all fronts.

late,
Coz

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

im considering going back to my bag phone. never had the issues im having with my pro or diamond. seems like most of these "problems" can be fixed, and some have allready been fixed. just my opinion. give it a little time and do some searches.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I also bought mine the first day it dropped at BB.

1. The call quality (not reception) is one of the best I have ever used on a phone.

2. It's clearly faster than the Diamond I used for 2 weeks.

3. Battery life is not the greatest, but it will get me through about a day and a half. \

4. Keyboard is perfect except that the backlight doesn't stay on, and I can't find a way to force keyboard back light to stay on. Keyboard is just rock solid.

You may just have a bad unit. Just to replace it and see how you like it.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Well I just had another call where I could barely understand what the other person was saying so this phone is really frustrating me.

I also gave the phone to several of my co-workers (designers and programmers) and they all agreed that my Touch Pro feels cheap considering the price I had to pay for it so that has reinforced my decision to ditch it. My old Sanyo Katana II was way more solid and the call quality was 1000% better, so at this point I think I'm going to have it reactivated and start looking again.

Luckily there's a Sprint store right down the street so I can test some out over lunch.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I have noticed issues understanding what people are saying when listening through the front earpiece (as opposed to the headset or speakerphone) and the note about the holes being punched through makes sense.. looking at my phone vs pictures on the web, the holes for the earpiece only seem to go about 2/3rds of the way across the opening... could someone take a closeup photo of their earpiece opening as a comparison?

The phone is great in all other respects, but I suspect this is the issue with the muffled call quality.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

With all due respect your Treo 700wx is almost 3 years old and is actually a second generation device, the 700w being the first. There were plenty of issues with the 700w. The WX had issues in the beginning too. As did the 650 and 600 and 300.

A device that is 3 years old should tick like a clock. Three years is a long time to get things sorted out.

The Pro isnt even 3 weeks old yet.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I can't get a photo but this is what my earpiece looks like on the Touch Pro.

http://dev.drez-design.com/touchpro_speaker.jpg

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Ah, thanks. The photos around seemed to show perforations going all the way across, i thought perhaps that was the issue with the muffled/difficult to make out earpiece.

Edit:

Actually, considering you are having the same issue as I am, perhaps there is still something to the idea of missing perforations/misalignment of the speaker... looking at the zoomed in shot on the Sprint site (which admittedly isn't the clearest) it looks like the holes go across the entire span.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

my perforations seem to go all the way across, i tilt it to teh side and i can see the plastic to the light sensor and it seems the perforations even go under that portion of the light sensor. so i doubt its that, i dont think they can misplace the speaker half an inch or anything, manufacturing is pretty tight, atleast the physical part of it hehe

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Mine looks like the drawing drezden posted, and my sound quality is fine.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Some sorry but this person is crazy this is by far the best phone on the market. only issue i can see is many battery life which can we fixed with a customs from, (on the other hand i can go all day with bluetooth turned on as well as being connected to exchange server and not need a charge till i get home around 9)

I've been using ppc's for a lot time and one thing i know is that these kinds of phones aren't for everyone.

to answer you question you going to have a problem returning the phone an unless you can prove there is some kind of defect. I can't see one but good luck...

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

you probably got one of the good phones (like most of us) though quite a few people that bought day one from BB probably got theirs from a bad batch.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I'm coming from the 700wx, and I agree, the battery life is perfectly acceptable, good even compared to what I'm accustomed to..

There definitely is something off about the earpiece though (at least with some units), I've never had trouble making out what people are saying on my 700wx, and using the regular headset or speakerphone on the Touch Pro is just fine. I was just hoping it was a simple manufacturing flaw that would be easily demonstrable for the sake of a swap. And the idea that the speaker cover was wrong seemed to fit the bill, ah well.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I got a BB release day phone and do have the sound problem. I plan on swapping at some point for this, but otherwise, this phone rocks. What else could a person expect in a phone?

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

blender?

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

You must have gotten a good one, try mine out for a day and you'd think the Touch Pro was a giant turd pretending to be a phone.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I got my TP the day after they officially dropped at Bestbuy. My sound from the phone is good althought the volume was low at first. There is a a link to a fix for the volume level on this site (Badboy8813 Audio fix) It worked for me.

If this is your first PPC phone it may be too much phone for you. On another note most new models have bugs that may need to be ironed out. That's why this site is so great, but this site, like the Touch Pro is for the enthusiactic PPC user. Others might be better off returning the TP for something more there speed. Its like giving an Italian sports car to your grandma to drive once a week to the grocery store.:mrgreen:

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I just checked my earpiece and the perferations do span the entire earpiece. I also ordered my pro from telesales so it just sounds like there is a bad batch in the wild.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

i just found out why mine sounded bad.the plastic that comes on the phone doesn't have any holes in it.i'm a dummy!i should remove it!

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

i dunno whats wrong with your battery life.

on my phone, i just tested a 40min phone call and i still have over 80% battery life

i have the following battery tweaks:

all the power management reg edits done
location setting: off/911 only
bluetooth: off
wifi: off

and my battery lasts a very long time even with heavy usage

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

I started a post about the speaker a few days ago (http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=41855) but didn't get too many responses. Anyway, the first TP I had was like that, but the 2nd and 3rd weren't (I exchanged twice). Also, you can't go off the high res pictures online of the TP to compare with how your phone's speaker is perforated - most the pics online are dummy phones and the perforation is exaggerated on the dummy phones. If you want to know what I mean, go to BB and look at the TP dummy phones there and you'll see the difference.

On a side note, my 3rd TP seems to be fine except the bottom portion of the phone, the area with the home and call button. The right side of it is fairly flat, but the left side of it is popping up a bit. I thought it was a build defect cuz my 2nd TP was like that too and that's why I exchanged it, but this 3rd one has the same problem. I don't remember if my first TP had the problem though. Anyone else notice this?

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Mine looks like that but instead of stopping completely I see a few holes just to the right of the light sensor. I have bad sound quality. I am going to go to the sprint store to hopefully get it replaced. I bought it the first day it came out at Best Buy. Waiting for my Jawbone 2 to arrive in the mail so I can just use that instead of the actual phone.
Edit:
As far as battery life I have had no problems. It usually lasts about a 1 1/2 days with data connection always on and random texting/emailing/phone calls throughout the day. I wouldn't say heavy use but I wouldn't say light use either.

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

Can you even get it replaced at the Sprint store? How would that work since you bought it at Best Buy?

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

i got mine from BB the day it came out and it has the earliest manufacture date and it works AMAZINGLY! no issues at all

Re: Considering TouchPro Return - Need Advice!
 

if you have insurance sprint will replace it.

Bestbuy Returns
 

Was wondering if any one has had problems returing there PRO to Best Buy.

Do i have to do anything special before going, and also should i release the ESN from my account before i return it

Re: Bestbuy Returns
 

Take your receipt and all items included in the box...then return.

Re: Bestbuy Returns
 

I had a terrible time with a Best Buy manager trying to deny my TP return. He argued that the phone was not broken. He even lied and said they didn't have any in stock. Turns out there were 9 of them under the counter after I made it clear I wasn't going to let him turn me away.

This was at the Best Buy in Woodlawn, MD. Absolute worst BB ever!

Re: Bestbuy Returns
 

I'm waiting for my local Best Buy to get more in stock so I can do an exchange. Mine has a defective earpiece speaker.