Micro USB FAIL!!! OUCH!!!

[banjo1]

I've only had my EVO 4G ONE WEEK!!!! ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! The Micro USB jack in the bottom of the phone is made out of cheesy plastic and wire.. and its crazy tiny and Sprint's Charger USB connector apparently broke the plastic and bent one of the wires.. which for all intents and purposes basically BRICKS the phone. They will have to completely replace the charging jack.

So now I can't charge the phone, Can't get any of the data I had on the phone.. (because the battery is depleted) and because of that I can't USE THE PHONE! If I turn it in for replacement, how long will I have to wait for another???? I'm hearing PPL ordering now are on waiting lists!

I used to have an old Palm Treo... and mostly hated the damn thing... but hey! It lasted 3 YEARS without incident! How is this phone going to last 2 years!!!!

What ever question is implied here is purely incidental. I JUST NEEDED to RANT!!!

 

[SirSlayer]

First welcome to the forums. Its too bad it has to be for an issue like this. Second, your contacts should all be on Google so you won't need to back them up. Third, all user data for apps and stuff are stored on the SD card which can be swapped out when you get the new phone. Or just copy all your data from the card to the computer and then back to the new one when you get it. (and yes you need to use a micro sd card adapter since your phone is not working)

I really hope this at least will help you save your data. Really sucks to hear about the breakage.

Good Luck.

Oh and purchased apps on google will still be there when you re-log into the new phone in the downloads page of the market.

 

[ashykat]

Also something you may want to try for the future is an appbrain account so you know all the apps you have stored. I personally don't use that, but I use something called MyBackup Pro by rerware. It backs up your data (sms, mms, contacts, settings, screen layout, etc.) to their server. You can also backup all your apps to your sdcard. Pretty handy. Obviously not very helpful at this point but it's something to think about with your replacement. I haven't had any issues with my micro usb and I hope I don't.

 

[sag7392]

First, let me say that one should not have to spend any money in regards to a defect in a product, BUT...why don't you see if you can get the place you purchased the EVO to give you a battery that can be used in the EVO? And a give you a charging dock for that battery as well...just as a loaner. Or you could by those items. Either way, it's a hassle, but at least you'd have a phone until you get a replacement.

 

[dbpaddler]

I plug/unplug 10+ times a day. Can't imagine normal use would cause damage to the port. It's no cheaper in design than what i've seen in other products. So maybe you were being a little les than gentle with it when it broke? Just sayin' considering we haven't really seen threads complaining about the port's quality.

With others, shouldn't be hard for Sprint to trade you for a charged battery to get your backups done and prep for a replacement. Though not paying could be questionable because they might deem user abuse and not a defect, though I'd give a one time pass on it.

 

[tmaxey1]

That sucks that your usb port broke off like that. I have not heard of any others so your may be just crappy luck. I have always liked Mini Usb over Micro usb. I never understood why Micro became the way to go. It does soom a little to small to be strong. My Hero had mini and it just felt right. It didnt feel breakable.

Hey it could be worse. We could have a goofy iphone type of charging port designed to force you to buy $50 chargers. At least our cables can be bought on monoprice for .85c.

 

[Rigmaster]

Port is rated for 10k plug/unplug cycles so sorry to hear you had one of the abnormal failures.

 

[Bomix]

I hear ya, I wish they would have stuck with the other micro USB style.. I have thousand of those sitting around my house. You could always get a used Touch pro 2 and charge the battery with that and swap it. I do with my un-used TP2.

 

[J03]

What were you doing with your phone? Did you swing it around your head like a lasso by the cord?

 

[Deleted User]

That sucks that your usb port broke off like that. I have not heard of any others so your may be just crappy luck. I have always liked Mini Usb over Micro usb. I never understood why Micro became the way to go. It does soom a little to small to be strong. My Hero had mini and it just felt right. It didnt feel breakable.

The industry wanted to standardize on a single port for all devices. It mostly came down to port size. As devices get smaller, the space available on/in them for ports does too. Micro simply takes up less space, so, the only way to get everyone to agree on a single port was to pick the smallest one available. But because of this, no more replacing your chargers and other cables every time you buy a new phone, across all manufacturers...

Hey it could be worse. We could have a goofy iphone type of charging port designed to force you to buy $50 chargers. At least our cables can be bought on monoprice for .85c.

... except Apple, who is sticking with their proprietary interface because that way they can charge you a lot of money for cables. They claim their interface is more versatile than MicroUSB, but.. well, it isn't.

 

[KingFatty]

Buy an external battery charger that plugs into the wall and you put the battery in the charger instead of the phone. Seido sells one for the evo.

 

[The Dorian]

Sounds like user error to me. I don't see how I could possibly break it without trying to...

 

[stevieo526]

I have heard of this happening to someone who got their phone at the Google I/O conference. Sometimes hardware breaks due to defect. Sounds like their was probably something wrong with your phone from the get go. Not hard to imagine considering some of the other complaints. Thankfully mine is holding together nicely, but I feel for everyone that has to deal with this crap 2 weeks into the products lifecycle.

 

[Joppie]

 

[Droidone]

I am not 100% sure but I don't think sprint doesn't cover usb connector failures such as abuse to the connector and breaking it ( not saying you abused it). I had a charging port go on one of my phones and they said they would not cover it because it wasn't a defect and it was user error. Just a FYI. I guess if you have 30 days you can return and swap out but keep that in mind in the future.

 

[jason.sgtski]

The industry wanted to standardize on a single port for all devices. It mostly came down to port size. As devices get smaller,

Smaller? This phone is huge! Seriously, I bet a standard usb port could fit on it.

Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[GodIsDead]

Two batteries plus stand alone wall charger shipped for $11.50
Shipping took about 10 days. The batteries are a little tight, but they fit. I have no data on battery life yet, but I now have three, so I'm not too concerned.

 

[drksilenc]

Smaller? This phone is huge! Seriously, I bet a standard usb port could fit on it.

Sorry I couldn't resist.

yes smaller because of all the other phones on the market. this is for all major cell companys except for cr@pple.

 

[banjo1]

First welcome to the forums. Its too bad it has to be for an issue like this. Second, your contacts should all be on Google so you won't need to back them up. Third, all user data for apps and stuff are stored on the SD card which can be swapped out when you get the new phone. Or just copy all your data from the card to the computer and then back to the new one when you get it. (and yes you need to use a micro sd card adapter since your phone is not working)

I really hope this at least will help you save your data. Really sucks to hear about the breakage.

Good Luck.

Oh and purchased apps on google will still be there when you re-log into the new phone in the downloads page of the market.

Thanks for that info! that makes sense.. I hadn't thought of swapping the SD card. That's the solution. I found out today I will have to wait till end of next week til they can replace it. Sprint is totally out of Evo's for now. Luckily they will replace it for me. and Luckily I still had my 3 yr old phone so it wasn't a problem. My old phone is so BORING compared to the EVO!

 

[banjo1]

I plug/unplug 10+ times a day. Can't imagine normal use would cause damage to the port. It's no cheaper in design than what i've seen in other products. So maybe you were being a little les than gentle with it when it broke? Just sayin' considering we haven't really seen threads complaining about the port's quality.

With others, shouldn't be hard for Sprint to trade you for a charged battery to get your backups done and prep for a replacement. Though not paying could be questionable because they might deem user abuse and not a defect, though I'd give a one time pass on it.

Yeah.. I'm pretty darned sure it wasn't user abuse.. I know not to force anything. The last time I plugged it in I noticed that it did not seem to plug in correctly...In fact from the moment I got it I felt uncomfortable about the way the jack plugged in.. so It might be that it was faulty from the beginning... and just got worse.

 

[banjo1]

What were you doing with your phone? Did you swing it around your head like a lasso by the cord?

No... I am very careful with it. My last phone lasted 3 1/2 years... so I must be doing something right.

 

[banjo1]

Smaller? This phone is huge! Seriously, I bet a standard usb port could fit on it.

Sorry I couldn't resist.

I agree.. I think the primary reason is $$$$$ !!! Just walk into a Sprint store and look at how much they charge for 1 freaking Micro USB cable! You can order the exact same thing on line for 1/5 the cost! They make bank on gullible consumers!

 

[dbpaddler]

actually size was a consideration and a better locking fit. The two sprint teeth on the underside help keep the plug engaged. There were other reasons, but those were the two I remembered when reading about it. It does allow for slimmer devices even if it doesn't seem like it matters to the Evo, but don't forget the HD2 which is slimmer than the Evo. I miss their proprietary modified USB connector that had a pinout for audio.

And don't forget devices like BT headsets and other small devices benefit from microUSB.