What Is Normal Use

[ragebot]

I got my first smart phone on 15 July, a Droid X. Everything was OK till last week when it died. I took the dead phone to VZ and they examined it and said there was moisture damage. Seems like there are some places on the phone that turn red when exposed to moisture. Bottom line was they are replacing the phone, but I had to buy a new battery and sign up for the $US4.95 a month insurance.

I do live in Florida and it can get hot and humid in the summer here. So my question is just how much do you have to baby a phone like the DX?

I thought I was careful with mine. Did not every carry it with me in the swimming pool. Kept in a nice silicon case to protect from bumps, and had another old HP calculator case that I often kept it in for more protection. Never had anything happen like dropping a Coke on the DX.

The lady at VZ was kind of a bozo, she even wanted to over charge me for the battery; but some guy in a suit came out of the back room and said I was a preferred customer and gave me a discount. When I asked about buying a different case that would protect my phone from water (I have seen OEM water proof cases advertised on the internet) she said that was not necessary.

Do other peeps have "moisture" issues with their phones, and if so how do you deal with them? Now that I know where the red spots show up if there is moisture damage I will probably start checking them. But if smart phones are so fragile that I have to baby them so they last more than three months I may have to review my decision to buy one.

Comments please.

 

[Jedii]

Hmm. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to protect the phone. Could have just been one of those things.

-shower steam can cause this
-setting it in a cup holder in the car
-slight rain
-sweat

Those are just a few examples.

Its like this with most phones. Being a smart phone really doesnt affect this. (only "rugged" phones would be more likely to not have any moisture issues).

Im curious tho. How "red" was the indicator?

 

[Doit2it]

There are 2 on the Droid X. One attached to the battery, and another underneath the housing. They are supposed to turn all red when they get wet and the color bleeds out.

I think the MAIN issue is many Verizon employees think the red X is the indication that the phone has been exposed to moisture. They don't know about the bleed out feature of the sticker.

My phones in the past have usually just had the sticker attached to the battery. I would remove the sensor and attach it to the plastic film covering the manuals in the box, then replace it if I needed too. Yes I know that act alone would void the warranty, but at least I'd have an argument that the stickers are rubbish.

One thing about the Droid X. The sensor on the battery sets against a foam bumper when it is properly placed in the phone. This bumper is most likely to insure a snug fit of the battery within the compartment. My question is, would this bumper prevent moisture from coming in contact with the sensor, or more than likely, allow moisture to stay in contact with the sensor longer than if the sensor was exposed to air alone. Hmmm

 

[ragebot]

Hmm. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to protect the phone. Could have just been one of those things.

-shower steam can cause this
-setting it in a cup holder in the car
-slight rain
-sweat

Those are just a few examples.

Its like this with most phones. Being a smart phone really doesnt affect this. (only "rugged" phones would be more likely to not have any moisture issues).

Im curious tho. How "red" was the indicator?

I am still concerned about how my DX died with no warning. If you look at the pix some one else posted you can see there are several "X" marks on the battery and maybe 2/3 of them had more pink than red on them. The other red "X" was almost completely red.

I am not sure if I need to start checking to see when the pink starts; and if so maybe take some kinda action. On the other hand the weather in Florida has started to change and the temp and humidity are not really the kinda factors they have been for the past couple of months.

Maybe what I need to do is find out how other peeps in hot humid climates deal with these issues.

 

[Jedii]

Surely its not just the humidity. Perhaps it is though.

 

[sund0wn]

There are 2 on the Droid X. One attached to the battery, and another underneath the housing. They are supposed to turn all red when they get wet and the color bleeds out.

I think the MAIN issue is many Verizon employees think the red X is the indication that the phone has been exposed to moisture. They don't know about the bleed out feature of the sticker.

My phones in the past have usually just had the sticker attached to the battery. I would remove the sensor and attach it to the plastic film covering the manuals in the box, then replace it if I needed too. Yes I know that act alone would void the warranty, but at least I'd have an argument that the stickers are rubbish.

One thing about the Droid X. The sensor on the battery sets against a foam bumper when it is properly placed in the phone. This bumper is most likely to insure a snug fit of the battery within the compartment. My question is, would this bumper prevent moisture from coming in contact with the sensor, or more than likely, allow moisture to stay in contact with the sensor longer than if the sensor was exposed to air alone. Hmmm

one, i think it's a little ignorant to assume verizon employees dont know what the red x's mean. this is what these folks do for a living. they look at literally hundreds of these stickers a month, and the vast majority of them know exactly what they mean.

when people do things like remove the stickers, and then replace them so they can "[argue] that the stickers are rubbish," that is exactly the kind of behavior that causes reps not to give people breaks, because they have to deal with SO many people that they know are obviously liars. reps in stores deal with people all day long that are constantly lying and trying to scam the system, and that makes them far less likely to give the honest people breaks when it comes time to bend the rules to help out a good customer.

not trying to flame or point my finger, but it's just my $.02. i dont work in a store, but i know a lot of folks that do, and it's just frustrating to know they have to deal with scammers so often.

to the OP: glad to hear they replaced your phone. question though, was this through a direct (corporate) or indirect (reseller) store? i am unaware of a $4.99 asurion plan for the DX, and was just curious as to why they made you pay for that in exchange for replacing the phone. i am glad they took care of you, but it doesnt sound like an honest business practice to force you to buy a product in exchange for a replacement (the battery i understand).

 

[Jedii]

one, i think it's a little ignorant to assume verizon employees dont know what the red x's mean. this is what these folks do for a living. they look at literally hundreds of these stickers a month, and the vast majority of them know exactly what they mean.

when people do things like remove the stickers, and then replace them so they can "[argue] that the stickers are rubbish," that is exactly the kind of behavior that causes reps not to give people breaks, because they have to deal with SO many people that they know are obviously liars. reps in stores deal with people all day long that are constantly lying and trying to scam the system, and that makes them far less likely to give the honest people breaks when it comes time to bend the rules to help out a good customer.

not trying to flame or point my finger, but it's just my $.02. i dont work in a store, but i know a lot of folks that do, and it's just frustrating to know they have to deal with scammers so often.

to the OP: glad to hear they replaced your phone. question though, was this through a direct (corporate) or indirect (reseller) store? i am unaware of a $4.99 asurion plan for the DX, and was just curious as to why they made you pay for that in exchange for replacing the phone. i am glad they took care of you, but it doesnt sound like an honest business practice to force you to buy a product in exchange for a replacement (the battery i understand).

Very well said

 

[BCox]

to the OP: glad to hear they replaced your phone. question though, was this through a direct (corporate) or indirect (reseller) store? i am unaware of a $4.99 asurion plan for the DX, and was just curious as to why they made you pay for that in exchange for replacing the phone. i am glad they took care of you, but it doesnt sound like an honest business practice to force you to buy a product in exchange for a replacement (the battery i understand).

Sometimes Verizon does things like that. I think they wouldnt have been able to replace the phone for the OP, but since he signed up for the insurance plan, they could then do it.

Sort of like when my brother ran up $50 in texting charges, but they let us just put a plan for $10 or whatever on his phone instead. Or if you go over minutes by a lot, they'll bump you up into the higher bracket, so intead of paying a lot for extra minutes, you're paying a little bit more for the higher limit...

 

[Doit2it]

one, i think it's a little ignorant to assume verizon employees dont know what the red x's mean.

when people do things like remove the stickers, and then replace them so they can "[argue] that the stickers are rubbish," that is exactly the kind of behavior that causes reps not to give people breaks...

I had a problem with my LG VX8300 a few years back. It had to do with the keypad not responding as it should. I had a Verizon store employee look inside the phone and tell me the phone was not under warranty because it had gotten wet. He pointed to the red x's and stated that was the indicator. I know for a fact that it hadn't gotten wet, except maybe humidity in the Tennessee summer. This was before I had educated myself as to how the stickers "worked", and that was why I removed the stickers on the next 2 phones I owned. Yes, that one experience was instrumental in my comments in this post about uninformed employees. I have insurance on the Droid X, and I am informed about the sticker now, which is why the stickers are still intact.

 

[Deleted User]

30-40 hours on stock battery with average to above average usage. 2.2 has done wonders for my battery life!

 

[ragebot]

OK, here are some corrections to what I may have mistakenly posted. I bought the DX from a real VZ store on release day (15 July 2010). I took it back a couple of times, once because it would not boot; and they took it in the back and brought it back out and it worked. They gave me no explanation. There was also something funky going on with the camera so I took it back again; but it was user error this time; I had just changed the pix style to solarization.

The red X icons were not completely covered in red; some were visible and some were just kinda pink. I spoke to one VZ lady who had a DX and she thought it was a battery problem, she got a new battery and tried to charge it, and then got the battery out of her DX to try and turn my DX on; to no avail. Then a second VZ lady looked at the DX and said water damage. She asked me for my phone number and put it in the computer; and then kinda gave me a run around. She said I would have to buy a new battery and suggested I get insurance, she really did not force me to buy it; but it sounded like a good idea. Finally a guy in a suit came out of the back room and told her I was a preferred customer (and he added a high tec guy) and she lowered the price on the battery.

This was on Thursday, and I was told VZ would ship a new DX to me by FEDX and it would take 2 days; which means Monday cuz no weekend delivery. After I get the new DX from FEDX I am suppose to take it back to the VZ store and they will help me set it up; which I guess means configure it. Then I am suppose to ship the old DX back to VZ.

Depending on FEDX I will go back to the store today or tomorrow and see what happens.

It seemed to me the first VZ lady did not know the red/pink color indicated water damage, the second lady knew it indicated water damage, and the suit guy seemed to know that pink did not indicate as much water damage as red; and that may be why I got the price break.

Bottom line for me is the first DX I got was more fragile than I expected it to be. What I need is a phone that fits my lifestyle. I am retired and do a lot of wildlife photography; which means I am outside and often off the beaten path. In Florida it means high heat and humidity. I have expensive 1 series Canon digital cameras and L glass; both of which are "weather sealed" according to Canon; and do not have problems with them in this environment. I guess I expected the DX to be at least as robust as my high end digital cameras; but maybe I was expecting too much.

 

[tranceFusion]

I keep my phone naked, and I have dropped it several times, knock on wood, no scratches, cracks or anything.

So, while I don't recommend dropping the thing to begin with, it seem relatively durable as far as these devices go.

 

[rjoudrey]

I think the OP got played. Unless the phone got actually submerged I don't think the dot's would be red. I live in Florida and the only time this has ever happened was when I actually dropped my blackberry in the water. 2 days in a jar of rice and the phone was working but the indicators were still red. Also, why would the battery of been affected? None of this makes sense. I would go to the store and make a huge stink.

 

[Doit2it]

Sounds like they are taking care of you.

I took it back a couple of times, once because it would not boot...something funky going on with the camera...

Too bad they didn't tell you how they fixed the boot issue, might have been something as simple as a battery pull and replace. At least you are getting a new phone in case it was a bigger issue. Also, don't feel bad about the camera issue, every time I use the macro feature, I ALWAYS forget to set it back to normal (Why are my pics blurry?)

The red X icons were not completely covered in red; some were visible and some were just kinda pink....

If the X's were bleeding pink, yes water had gotten on the indicator somehow. Where do you carry your DX? Shirt pocket, pants pocket, etc. If you're traipsing around out in the wild in the hot FLA sun, sweat may be the culprit. Perhaps keep your DX in the camera bag on excursions.

first VZ lady did not know the red/pink color indicated water damage, the second lady knew it indicated water damage, and the suit guy seemed to know that pink did not indicate as much water damage as red.

LOL, like I said in my original response, many Verizon employees aren't sure what the water indicators mean. You got 3 (or 2.5) different responses from 1 store. Too funny...but frustrating when you are stuck in the middle.

first DX I got was more fragile than I expected it to be. What I need is a phone that fits my lifestyle.

As with any device, the manufacturer has to weigh costs, function, and build quality to create something that the public will want, at a reasonable price, that will hold up under the majority of users lifestyles. I don't think your lifestyle is outside the Droid X's build quality, but the X is by no means battle hardened hardware. Personally, I do treat my X as if it was a fragile device. I keep a silicon soft case on my X and keep it in my shirt pocket instead of pants pocket most of the time. And I'm sure I'm not a diligent as others here.

It's an amazing device, and maybe it does need a little TLC to keep it safe. But it's worth it. Good luck with your new Droid X!

 

[ragebot]

Well FEDEX came through and I went into VZ and started the process. New lady this time and while she was configuring my phone we talked about the moisture issue. Seems VZ calls it moisture damage which includes water damage and anything else that turns the indicators red or pink. What she told me was that she had been with VZ for 11 years and thinks "cell phones" are more fragile than cameras. She said she makes her kids keep their cell phones in a zip lock bag. A couple of other VZ employees over heard what we were talking about and suggested a real water proof case designed for the DX.

When I am in the field I normally keep my cell phone in a soft cloth bag made of micro fiber which can be used to clean it. There is a silicone case around the phone. I then put the phone, case, and bag in an old HP calculator case made of leather. I keep the whole mess inside my camera bag, or in some cases a back pack designed for cameras and big enough to hold those big white lens you see on the sidelines at a football game. I often take the cell phone out and take a pix of where I am shooting since I can geotag the pix and keep records of where I took pix with my real camera. I also have an Audubon Mobile Field Guide app that I use to record birds I have seen and sometimes play bird calls from the app. If there is rain or other stuff then I simply do not take the cell phone out till the weather gets better; not to mention I also put the camera in the bag, and have some huge ziplock bags or those big plastic garbage bags that I put all my stuff in.

Bottom line is I will probably wind up getting an OtterCase or a OverBoard Waterproff Case for my new DX.