HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Hi everyone, I have had my Touch for just over 5 weeks and noticed a dark area on my screen yesterday. Not sure what caused it, but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced a similar issue. It looks kinda like image burn in, similar to what happens to crt monitors when a computer doesn't use a screen saver, but obviously that can't be the issue on an lcd screen.

Anyone else experience a similar issue?

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...creenSmall.jpg

UPDATE 8/18/2008:
Hey guys, I started this thread back in May and finally got around to going to the Sprint Repair store last week, 8/15/2008. At first the guy was trying to tell me that it didn't affect the function of the phone and that there wasn't much that they could do, and I a said "Hell no, let me talk to a manager". The manager came out and spouted the same thing, but quickly caved in and told the guy to replace it. Well I was pretty happy even though it came with the WM6.0 ROM still. So that was this past Friday that I swapped out my phone. I checked and made sure it had no dark areas and everything looked good, well, It's only been 3 days and it already has another dark spot on the new phones screen.
This is ridiculous and unacceptable IMO. I don't have time to keep taking my phone back once a month or week or every few days. I want a product that isn't going to have quality issues like this. Oh and btw, this is another poor viewing angle screen like my previous. ](*,)](*,)](*,)](*,)](*,)

Are others out there still having this re-occuring issue on their Touch?

I would like to raise more awareness of this and see if we can get HTC to raise their quality on these phones. I mean seriously, this makes me want to move to an iPhone where I know the hardware quality will be top notch.

Please comment on your experience with your Touch screen good or bad, and I'm curious if any of the folks with the good viewing angle Touch phones have seen these dark spots appear as well.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Very common on the Touch. I have it on my phone.. I haven't tried to take it into a Sprint Store to get it fixed yet.. (it's been MONTHS since I originally purchased the phone)

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I noticed a small (dime size) area about a month ago. I went to the Sprint Repair Center and they ordered a replacement. Got the replacement a couple of weeks later without that problem.

They can port over your contacts but nothing else.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I had that problem too. Mine was about the size of a dime about .5" from the top right corner. I brought it into the store and they ordered me a new one. I got a call 3 days later and I picked up my brand new phone. Good thing about the exchange was the replacement wasn't a refurb and I only had to turn in the phone. Which means when they gave me the new touch, in the retail packaging, i now had 2 of everything.. :)

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

That is certainly a bonus to come out of this with two of all the accessories. I want to say that I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had this problem, but now that I see others have had it, I'm fairly concerned now.

Mine is near the middle of my screen and it's almost a .5" diagonal thick line of darker discoloration. I don't recall seeing it before yesterday, so I assume it just appeared within the last 24 hrs, cause there is no way I could have missed it for this long.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be a chronic problem. I guess I'll take it by the Sprint Repair store next week. Sigh....:confused2:

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

someone take a picture... i want to see how these dark spots look.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Thats happened to 3 out of the 5 touchs Ive had since launch.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I've got a spot too. I was TOO embarrased to tell anyone tho. ;)

edit: this is just a test cuz I want to post pics like this....sorry

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I have a small spot as well but since it hasn't really interfered with the functioning of the device have not yet taken it in.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

It appears to be popular among the Touch. I've had two Touch phones which spots magically appeared. I've return to Sprint was given new replacements both times. Just take it in for servicing!

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Are they replacing your phones because you have the protection plans? I have three spots on mine but no protection plan.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I guess i'm not alone on this. My original touch didn't have it. can't really tell unless i'm on a solid color screen.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

After reading this thread i decided to take my Touch in and see if they would help me. I haven't had much success dealing with my local Sprint store but they stepped up and I should have my NEW TOUCH IN 3-5 DAYS. No questions asked. SWEET!!!!!

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I just noticed this about 2 days ago. I must go to a corporate store now.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I also have the same problem. I was planning on bringing it into the store but just the other day i stupidly put my touch in the pocket with my keys. It now has a slight gouge on the black part of it so they could claim i dropped it :\. Either way its the $7 a month plan so i guess if i have to eat a $50 deductible its not so bad.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

my "spot" is in the exact same place as the above posted picture. Even the shape is the same...so similar I would have mistaken the picture above for that of my own phones.

...like everyone else posting, my spot appeared 2-3 weeks after I got the touch. Have not bothered to exchange it fearing that I will get a refurb (and we all know those phones have some weird a** problems)...but if folks are getting new phones I think its time to take a trip to the sprint corp store.

Online Replacement request
 

...as a general heads up, you can request a phone exchange under warranty through sprint.com (I just did it). Will save some of you the time of having to go and deal with sometimes "sub" optimal intelligence sprint retail employees.


direct link is.

https://indirect.nextel.com/apps/adv...&withinRange=N

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Makes me wonder if its a design flaw, maybe a stress area on the screen or even worse a chip overheating and cooking the screen from behind.

Re: Online Replacement request
 

This cost $55 + tax =/

Yeah, I got 'em too, but I can't take mine to a Sprint store for exchange...... :-/

Re: Online Replacement request
 

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

SO I GOT MY REPLACEMENT!!! So far so good!!! YAAAH

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

...just got my replacement via the link I provided earlier. They shipped it fedex overnight, so 1 day turnaround, not to shabby. Sadly I got a refurb that does not even look refurbished, more like used with minor nicks & scratches on the screen etc. Oh well...worse comes to worse I'll have to make a trip to the corp store.

*EDIT*

since posting I have discovered that sprint classifies phone exchanges into three categories...and only dips into the higher category when the stock on the lower category runs out.

reconditioned - someones used phone that that sprint flashed back to stock rom...will have nicks & scratches etc.
refurbished - someones old phone in a new case + any defective part replaced & fixed
new - brand new phone in box with accessories

sadly, the higher a failure rate a handset has the more likely you will wind up with a "reconditioned" handset when exchanging.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Mine Developed this same issue 3 days ago. I have had it for about 5 months. My sprint store exchanged it out no problem.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Hey guys, I started this thread back in May and finally got around to going to the Sprint Repair store last week. At first the guy was trying to tell me that it didn't affect the function of the phone and that there wasn't much that they could do, and I a said "Hell no, let me talk to a manager". The manager came out and spouted the same thing, but quickly caved in and told the guy to replace it. Well I was pretty happy even though it came with the WM6.0 ROM still. So that was this past Friday that I swapped out my phone. I checked and made sure it had no dark areas and everything looked good, well, It's only been 3 days and it already has another dark spot on the new phones screen.
This is ridiculous and unacceptable IMO. I don't have time to keep taking my phone back once a month or week or every few days. I want a product that isn't going to have quality issues like this. Oh and btw, this is another poor viewing angle screen like my previous. ](*,)](*,)](*,)](*,)](*,)

Are others out there still having this re-occuring issue on their Touch?

I would like to raise more awareness of this and see if we can get HTC to raise their quality on these phones. I mean seriously, this makes me want to move to an iPhone where I know the hardware quality will be top notch.

Please comment on your experience with your Touch screen good or bad, and I'm curious if any of the folks with the good viewing angle Touch phones have seen these dark spots appear as well.

Edit...
Here is a pic that someone posted on page 2 of this thread that shows what I'm talking about. The spot is usually only visible when the screen is a solid color. I can see mine during boot up and when I'm browsing ppcgeeks.com with because of the blue background.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...creenSmall.jpg

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I've had 5 replacement phones of which 4 of them were because of the "spots".

If you don't have the service plan, it will cost $106 to replace the screen.

I originally had the $7.00 plan but cancelled the $50 deductable to replace a lost phone part, which is $3.00 per month. So I pay the $4.00 each month for the extended warrantee which covers the screen.

So far I haven't had a problem getting a replacement phone. Each replacement took a day or two to get. Each replacement appeared brand new.

They do only import your contacts and it is the Windows Mobile Professional 6.0 operating system.

They were aware of version 6.1 but didn't have it.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Wow 4 out of 5 replacements, are you kidding me. How is this not getting more attention on these and other forums. This seems like a major problem to me. I love my Touch and don't want an iPhone, because I love tweaking my phone and customizing it, but this is a major frustration for me. The viewing angle issue is bad too, but not a big deal for me. This however has me livid. I just bought a new screen cover for my phone, too. The WriteSHIELD® anti-GLARE which should be in today or tomorrow, but that sucker is $20 after shipping and I'm scared to put it on any phone I get now, for fear that the day after I put it on the screen shield on the spots will apear again. I'm sending an e-mail regarding this issue to a Sprint Technical Service Rep today and will post his response to this issue on here as soon as I get one.

In the meantime everyone that has, or even hasn't had this issue please post your experiences with your Touch LCD. Thanks!

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I have had two Touch phones replaced as well. The dark spot was in the exact same spot both times, lower left corner, just smaller than a dime. I believe it is the case we are putting them in. The case that comes with the phone damaged mine twice. I told the Sprint store I was not happy having to replace the phone twice, but they will replace it, with a refurb.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I don't think it has anything to do with the case, cause I don't use that case. I was using the Seidio (spelling?) rubberized hard case and just putting the phone in my pocket, and maybe it has something to do with putting it in my pocket, but I know iPhone users who put their phones in their pocket and don't have issues like this. My first Touch had 2 areas with the "spots", one at the top that was very minor and I could have lived with, the other was a little lower than half way down and it was like a grouping of spots and was quite bad. My second Touch has the "spot" or "spots" in the upper right quadrant of the screen, and is just slightly to the right of center. The picture someone else took of this shows it in the lower right quadrant. So it doesn't seem to be some characteristic of any heat source or some other hardware within the phone, just more of a low quality LCD display problem.

Very disappointed with this, I love my Touch in almost every other area and really don't see any other phone that Sprint offers as a viable replacement to side step this issue in the future. I just want a Touch with a good screen, is that too much to ask? Maybe so..... :(

I just shot off the e-mail to Sprint, and I hope to hear back soon.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Any others out there affected by this, give us ur input?

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I've got 2 spots on my screen. One in the bottom left, and one near the center. Very annoying.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Tried the link from the earlier post, but no dice.
Yesterday I got error messages claiming the Touches were out of stock at this time.
Tried it again this morning, and the self service page is down.
Doesn't look like the page is coming back up anytime soon.
Maybe they were bombarded with request and bailed on the online replacement program.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

i have the same problem but i think it has something to do with using my fingers on the device. I have rarely ever used the stylus to operate the phone and i know sometimes i have pressed a lil too hard on the screen so i thought this was the cause of the dark spot appearing. Maybe it would help if all the people who have had the same problem tell whether they use their stylus or fingers to operate the phone as this would probably help zero in on the cause of the dark spot,

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Yeah, I tried that link early last week and it didn't work for me either, I think it's just an old link. I prefer to bug them first hand on the phone or at the repair store. HA!

I pretty much use just my fingers to navigate my Touch, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. As I noted earlier these spots show up in random locations, no real pattern to speak of. I just think it's crappy hardware and at this point I'm not too optimistic that the Diamond will be any better. I hope it is though so maybe I can get a Diamond as a replacement for my Touch, cause this issue is driving me to drink. Oh wait, I would be drinking anyway. HAHA!
Thanks for your input guys, let me know if you plan on trying to get a replacement. If so post an update after you do. Like I said, my replacement only lasted me around 2 days before a spot showed up again.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I have had my touch for about 9 months now and never had a problem with a dark spot on the screen. Do all of you use screen protectors? If you don't, that might be the issue?

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

I'm using protection:mrgreen:

No but seriously I noticed the spot maybe a day after getting the phone, and it may not actually getting worse, but it sure is getting more annoying.
Although not annoying enough to go into a service center just yet.
I wish the online replacement would work. It would be so much easier.
I keep getting this message since the page came back up:

"We apologize for the inconvenience; however, at this time, inventory is not available to fulfill your request. For further options and assistance, please visit a Sprint Phone Repair Center. To find a Phone Repair Center, visit www.sprint.com/storelocator and select �Find a Phone Repair Center�."

Out of Touches:scratch:

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Yes, I have used the stock screen protector. I recently bought a new Antiglare (Writesheild) screen protector, but since it cost me around $20 after shipping, I'm waiting to put it on my Touch until I can ensure the screen won't have spots appear on me. I'm glad to hear that some are not having the same issue though, that gives me hope. Do you put your Touch in your pocket, wondering if that could have something to do with it.

Me too, the spots showed up only a day or two after I got my replacement. The first Touch I had went like 5 weeks prior to the spots showing up. The interesting thing here is that so far once the spots show up on the LCD they don't grow or more don't start to appear months later. After the spots initially appeared on my first Touch I kept it for several months prior to taking it in for a new one and no additional areas showed up. I sent an e-mail on 8/18 to Sprint and HTC and have not received a response from either yet.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

Yeah, I just keep my touch in my pocket, no special case or anything either. I just use the screen protector and that's it. Very strange.

Re: HTC Touch screen dark area?
 

the problem with the screen is pressure on it like if it was in its case and you leaned against it or had it on your hip with your seat belt on.....the screens are very sensitive to pressure you would be amazed how quickly it can happen less then 20 second localized pressure can overheat the crystals... cool part is you can get a new phone if you complain right... if its in your pocket take it out and put it in the case that came with it...when you get in your car take it out of the case and get a holder for it like the scosche grip it i got mine from walmart for 20 bux or something...hope this helps

l8r....sub