Slider loose?

[Justinlara313]

Have there been any reports of the sliding mechanism on the shift getting loose? Or even breaking completely?

 

[astrobill]

Mine's brand-new and a little shaky after only a month. Not outside the range of acceptable....YET. It has about 3/4th of a millimeter play in all directions.

Not as bad as what people had to deal with when the Palm Pre came out ("oreo effect") but definitely not rock stable. In fact, the slide-out keyboard on the crappy old L3 Rumor2 I got for free in 2009 is much more stiff after all this time than the Shift is after just a month. Hmm...

 

[sdalby]

Mine's brand-new and a little shaky after only a month. Not outside the range of acceptable....YET. It has about 3/4th of a millimeter play in all directions.

Not as bad as what people had to deal with when the Palm Pre came out ("oreo effect") but definitely not rock stable. In fact, the slide-out keyboard on the crappy old L3 Rumor2 I got for free in 2009 is much more stiff after all this time than the Shift is after just a month. Hmm...

I had a really bad one and returned it. This one shifts a little, but it isn't nearly as bad as the first I had!

 

[330D]

I can barely slide mine open

 

[astrobill]

I can barely slide mine open

We hate you.

 

[JPSmith]

Long-term slider integrity is something that really makes me hesitate about getting the Shift. The spring loaded slider on the Touch Pro 2 works great and stays tight, they should have stayed with this design. For that matter they should have retained the TP2's tilting screen and superior 5 row keyboard. The Shift is almost the exact same size as the TP2 but its keyboard seems like a major step backwards.

 

[JTAW3]

When I first got my Shift in February the keyboard was quite stiff to slide open. Then, after about a month, it suddenly felt as though it would slide open with a strong gust of wind (im gravely over-exaggerating). I worriedly made a visit to best buy and asked one of the cell reps what to do; the guy there said that this was perfectly normal for a slider phone such the Shift and not to worry about it too much. He also reccommended that if it got any worse in the following few days then to bring it back in. I was reluctant to believe him but I did what he said anyway. In the end, he was totally right! The phone's slide mechanism didnt get any worse, despite my heavy use. I guess some of the shifts just need to be broken in.

 

[JPSmith]

When I first got my Shift in February the keyboard was quite stiff to slide open. Then, after about a month, it suddenly felt as though it would slide open with a strong gust of wind (im gravely over-exaggerating).

If you mean that after a month there is virtually no resistance when pushing on one of the two halves, that's exactly what I fear about a non-spring loaded slider. I hate holding a slider in my palm and having it start to slide apart with the slightest pressure of my thumb on the bezel. Is that what your Shift now does?

 

[330D]

All you guys with loose sliders should buy an otterbox commuter case for it. It just about locks the thing closed, and it's a GREAT product.

 

[JPSmith]

All you guys with loose sliders should buy an otterbox commuter case for it. It just about locks the thing closed, and it's a GREAT product.

Good thought, but cases for sliders tend to have their own issues. For example, the top part tends to not stay attached over time. How long have you had yours on? Reviews of the Otterbox also note it hinders access to the top row of the keyboard. Has this been your experience?

 

[330D]

I bought it the day it came out. Maybe 3 months ago. I have big fingers, so I have a hard time with the top row anyway. I'm not sure how much it hinders typing. A far as the rubber staying in the charging port and headphone jack, the otterbox on by hero looked the same after 14 months as it did on day 1. They are the best cases you can get, imo.