Hero's can't swim (a sad story)

[supermancs]

I had a thought (probably a stupid one)

With a contract, you can get a hero for less than 100$.

I plan on staying with Sprint for another 2 years so if I renew my contract can I get that discount somehow?

Let me know if any of you have experience with stuff like that, thanks!

 

[i VTAK]

If you're out of your contract now they should give you the discount price for signing a new contract. Also if you are the primary or only line, they offer discounted upgrades every year. So if a better phone is out, you only have the Hero for a year and then get something newer!!

 

[hood420]

no insurance, have had insurance through sprint before but it doesn't cover water damage and that's the only way I've ever broken a phone

I'm getting some rice this afternoon and will give it a shot tomorrow around noon and will let you guys know

My insurance with Sprint covers water damage, it just has a $100 deductible for that kind of damage.

Also if they wont let you sign a new contract outright it should cost less to cancel your old contract, pay the fee and buy the phone on a new contract. I think that would be $350 compared to the $600 for a new hero.

 

[DFRESH]

my hero can swim.......dropped it in the bathtub ...good thing it was in a ziploc bag! lol

 

[tazcollins]

It seems like anything you buy will be outdated in six months. Just get what you like, enjoy it and upgrade in a year. All you have is today. TC

 

[supermancs]

another thing, I know Sprint does a bit of "recycling service" and can refund you a small amount of money for a damaged phone. Would it be worth it to give them my old hero (I will keep the battery and sd card). Would there be anyone interested in buying a flooded hero for parts or something?

 

[NYCHitman1]

my hero can swim.......dropped it in the bathtub ...good thing it was in a ziploc bag! lol

+1 for the laugh lol

 

[TampaMike]

I ended up with my hero because my Blackberry 8330 took a ride in the washing machine! Stick your hero in the middle of a bag of rice and leave it there for several days... sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. It didn't for me.. better luck!

 

[supermancs]

UPDATE: It just turned on after drying it out! but it seems to be staying on the "htc" screen, any ideas of what I can do?

 

[i VTAK]

How long did you let it dry out? You might have wanted to wait a few days atleast. If there was any moisture in there, you may have damaged it now. I jumped in a pool with a Sony Ericsson last year, I let it sit for 4 days with the battery out before I turned it back on, and it worked fine afterwards.

 

[Kelmar]

UPDATE: It just turned on after drying it out! but it seems to be staying on the "htc" screen, any ideas of what I can do?

Well if you are sure it's dry and don't mind killing a possibly dead phone, try putting an RUU on it again.

 

[TriMoot]

Well, shoot, I may as well chime in here: I too have a story of my HTC Hero going for a swim.....the toilet....ugh. But, I was very quick to grab it, rinse it, then ripped the back and battery out, stuck it under a hair dryer (on low) for 8 hours, and I'm still using it today. When people ask to see it I always have the option of telling them what happen...sometimes they don't want to see if...go figure.

I will say, that I too am unhappy with the speed of my Hero. I have wiped it twice because of the sluggishness after download a number of apps. I am also VERY unhappy about the battery life. I have a weak signal here at work and by the end of the it's dead. I have to keep it plugged in all day. Oh well, there's always the next gen.

Any news on when the OS is going to be updated? Mine is still at 1.5.
Thanks!
TriMoot

 

[wodin6]

another thing, I know Sprint does a bit of "recycling service" and can refund you a small amount of money for a damaged phone. Would it be worth it to give them my old hero (I will keep the battery and sd card). Would there be anyone interested in buying a flooded hero for parts or something?

Your battery might be the problem honestly. Leave it in the bag of rice for DAYS, like others have said. Buy a battery online for 10 bucks or if you know someone else with a hero, try theirs. It may work, but you cannot rush these things.

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

another thing, I know Sprint does a bit of "recycling service" and can refund you a small amount of money for a damaged phone. Would it be worth it to give them my old hero (I will keep the battery and sd card). Would there be anyone interested in buying a flooded hero for parts or something?

They do not accept water damaged phones for this program.

Well, shoot, I may as well chime in here: I too have a story of my HTC Hero going for a swim.....the toilet....ugh. But, I was very quick to grab it, rinse it, then ripped the back and battery out, stuck it under a hair dryer (on low) for 8 hours, and I'm still using it today. When people ask to see it I always have the option of telling them what happen...sometimes they don't want to see if...go figure.

I will say, that I too am unhappy with the speed of my Hero. I have wiped it twice because of the sluggishness after download a number of apps. I am also VERY unhappy about the battery life. I have a weak signal here at work and by the end of the it's dead. I have to keep it plugged in all day. Oh well, there's always the next gen.

Any news on when the OS is going to be updated? Mine is still at 1.5.
Thanks!
TriMoot

Well, the dunk in the toilet could explain your "crappy" reception at work!

supermancs, you can disassemble the phone and rinse it with denatured alcohol to remove any residue then let it dry (which will happen really quick). It is often the residue left behind that does the damage, it causes the circuits to corrode. This is why you can save a phone from clean water contact, but the more dissolved solids, or worse yet, solvents in a liquid the worse off you are, spill a Coke on it and you can throw it away immediately if it hits circuitry. The screen should go back to normal eventually, my TP took a dunk in a glass beside my bed, after drying for 24 hours it had spots on the screen that went away after about a week or so.

As far as insurance, mine covers water damage, but even if it doesn't it does cover LOST OR STOLEN (hint, hint) phones.

 

[showbo]

how is that funny?

Well you kinda wrote it up heros can't swim which is kinda laughing off a bad situation.

Yeah, what Rich said.

Not a washing machine, but a 10th month old happen to my phone last time. Had a razr 2, JUST got done cleaning it, I am a freak for not liking finger prints on anything, especially phones...yeah yeah I know its a touch screen phone, so you can guess how many times I clean it per day. Anyways, so I get done cleaning my razr 2, very content with how shiny it looks, proud even. Was on the laptop playing some cards, little 10month old was sitting next to me and she had my phone. No biggie I thought. Well, I was playing some spades for a while, and boy was she quiet this whole time, unusual for a child.

I look over, and I can see the drool coming off the phone. Get it, dry it off from the surface, yeah, not one button worked on that dang phone.

Long story short, don't let infants have your phone because it keeps them quiet

 

[supermancs]

ok, well, I'm quite sure it's dried out now after a few days in the rice, and it still boots up to the htc logo but doesn't do anything else.

some other points: somebody suggested that it might be my battery, how could this be so? I tried to boot it up plugged into the wall with no battery but it won't turn on (this may be an ordinary function of the hero)

additionally, I don't know how to get it into recovery mode if I want to try to flash the RUU again, when I place the battery int he back, the screen lights up but stays black, if I hold the power button, the htc screen comes up, the phone does a tiny vibrate, and it just stays there, but it appears the display is fine.

any ideas guys?

 

[wodin6]

I'd take out the sd card too, just in case. Is your phone rooted?

 

[bob2300]

Well, shoot, I may as well chime in here: I too have a story of my HTC Hero going for a swim.....the toilet....ugh. But, I was very quick to grab it, rinse it, then ripped the back and battery out, stuck it under a hair dryer (on low) for 8 hours, and I'm still using it today. When people ask to see it I always have the option of telling them what happen...sometimes they don't want to see if...go figure.

I will say, that I too am unhappy with the speed of my Hero. I have wiped it twice because of the sluggishness after download a number of apps. I am also VERY unhappy about the battery life. I have a weak signal here at work and by the end of the it's dead. I have to keep it plugged in all day. Oh well, there's always the next gen.

Any news on when the OS is going to be updated? Mine is still at 1.5.
Thanks!
TriMoot

Read up on rooting, thank me later.

 

[supermancs]

my phone is rooted, I've tried using the pre-kitchen to put it into recovery mode but the computer doesn't seem to recognize it when I plug it in, the display looks completely fine when the htc logo is showing, but if I can't solve any of this the weekend, I'm throwing in the towel.

 

[bob2300]

my phone is rooted, I've tried using the pre-kitchen to put it into recovery mode but the computer doesn't seem to recognize it when I plug it in, the display looks completely fine when the htc logo is showing, but if I can't solve any of this the weekend, I'm throwing in the towel.

And holding home and power doesnt work in getting it into recovery?

 

[khaag27]

damn that sucks

 

[supermancs]

I've tried holding home and power but that doesn't seem to work either

 

[durandetto]

no insurance, have had insurance through sprint before but it doesn't cover water damage and that's the only way I've ever broken a phone

I'm getting some rice this afternoon and will give it a shot tomorrow around noon and will let you guys know

It does cover lost or stolen though. Try dunking it in alcohol and let it sit for a few days. The alcohol evaporates and doesn't leave behind any residue.

 

[momoceio]

Put it in a bowl of rice

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

Put it in a bowl of rice

White, brown, long grain or short? Cooked, of course?