Stuck or dead pixels?

examancer · 06-08-2009, 09:52 AM

Anyone else notice any stuck or dead pixels on their brand new Palm Pre?

Looks like mine has 6 stuck pixels, all in the lower right quadrant of the screen.

I created a test page you can visit with your pre that will display a solid color for each of the primary colors plus black and white, which should help you locate any stuck or dead pixels. Just tap the page to rotate the color. The black page allowed me to see my stuck pixels the best but now I see them all the time :-(

http://examancer.com/mobile/screen.html

Post here if you have any stuck/dead pixels. On some LCDs you can actually massage them out, but the pre has glass or plastic over the panel so can't even try that.

Update: edited this post to point to the page that rotates colors instead of a separate page for each color.

examancer · 06-08-2009, 10:53 AM

Here are some pictures of the stuck pixels. I was only able to capture 5 of them with my camera. The dark area in the first pick is just the shadow of my skull.

Called Sprint and the rep stated I can exchange it for a new one. Going to wait a few days for stock to replenish and to see if they go away on their own (which sometimes happens with stuck pixels).

koblin3426 · 06-08-2009, 11:10 AM

I've got one really obvious one...and there's like 2 or 3 more that are either dying or "stuck" (idk what that means)... I'm going to use my insurance when I know they'll have units... anyone know how the sprint insurance works? Forgot to mention...none of them are noticeable EXCEPT when starting up or on a black screen so it's not a HUGE deal right now for me. Although, I'm disappointed

examancer · 06-08-2009, 11:18 AM

If its within the first 30 days they will just exchange it free of charge according to the Sprint rep I spoke with. After that if its a manufacturing defect (which this is) then its covered by the warranty and is again exchanged free. If its after the first year or its a problem you caused (like dropping it) then you pay a $50 deductible to have your phone exchanged for a new one.

koblin3426 · 06-08-2009, 11:31 AM

So I should probably report it within this year once they actually get more units circulating? I don't want to be without it!!

examancer · 06-08-2009, 11:39 AM

Yeah, as long as you report it within a year you should receive a new phone at no cost.

halcyonnrg · 06-18-2009, 09:19 PM

Just a little rant:

After going back and forth on whether to exchange my phone or not, I finally decided to. It really wasn't too big a deal to me, I only really noticed it at start-up, but 5 dead pixels, I thought, I spent $300 on it, picky or not it was a little flawed. I called the night before to see if they had any in stock, the CSR said he did but their system was down so I should come in tomorrow. He'd put one on hold for me. Ok fine. No big deal. I get to the store today and I was first told that if I wasn't on the current waiting list that I need to be put on that first. Ok. But they call the guy that I spoke with and he said yeah, I put one on hold for her. Now, because I was not sent to the repair location first, it was against their rules, but they'd make an exception. Ok. But now, they'd never seen a dead pixel and when I tried to point them out, they would hold the phone out in front of them with the glass window shining light in-like back light in photography. You can't take a picture with the light behind you because it just washes everything out. So needless to say, I was unable to return my phone. They couldn't make an exchange for some problem they couldn't see. I will need to drive to the tech/repair shop this weekend for them to verify I do indeed have dead pixels before I can make the exchange.

And then on another side note-I bought one of the Sprint Palm Pre cases along with the Touchstone because 2 items = 20% off. Well the P.O.S. plastic-clip-on-case was recalled, and since I was already there, I might as well return it. Oh dear, I seemed to be causing all sorts of problems this evening. Because I was returning a recalled product but didn't want to purchase the "leather" case, they weren't sure if they had to charge me full price for the Touchstone since now I only technically bought 1 item...They were doing me such a favor because I could not exchange my phone today that they just left the discounted price of the touchstone as a courtesy to me! Whoo!!

I wish I could take pictures with a camera of my dead pixels to show them *sigh* but even in macro my camera is not THAT good!

I wish I would have found the site to the black screen before I got home tonight (the interactive test only does white, red, green, and blue) to show them!

examancer · 06-19-2009, 02:06 PM

@halcyonnrg: That sucks. I am planning to go to the Sprint store either tonight or tomorrow and have them replace mine. Been waiting to try to replace it until inventory levels were higher. Wouldn't want to take a Pre from someone who would be getting one for the first time or someone that has a more severe technical issue. I fully expect I am going to have to be firm with the reps there and walk them to a dark corner of the store with a black page displayed and point out each of the 6 stuck pixels. I called Sprint and it took me forever just to get the rep to understand what a stuck pixel was and that it wasn't a software issue ("NO! I'm NOT restarting my device again for you! That will NOT fix it!"). I imagine getting them to actually see it and replace the phone will probably be even more difficult.

I guess I don't expect much from customer service reps, at Sprint or anywhere. I worked in customer service for so long and I understand how little most reps for any company usually know and how difficult it is to find and keep knowledgable people.

Anyways, I created a new page that you just tap to toggle between the primary colors. This should help to quickly demonstrate stuck pixels to anyone. One of the stuck pixels I have only shows up on a white screen and the others only show on black. Heh. I also gave it an auto-rotate button which will quickly cycle through all the colors. I had hoped that using this on my Pre might jar one or more of the pixels into getting "unstuck" (which sometimes happens)... alas, none of them did.

http://examancer.com/mobile/screen.html

I'll post back here with the results of my Sprint store adventure

Deihmos · 06-19-2009, 02:12 PM

I got a replacement because of a dead pixel now the new phone also has a dead pixel. I am not going to exchange this one because it is clearly a manufacture defect. I will probably replace it when they fix these problems.

examancer · 06-20-2009, 01:12 PM

I took my phone in today to get it exchanged as it had 5 stuck pixels and 1 dead pixel. What transpired was a fantastic experience in customer service, for the most part.

For reference this was a store in LaVista, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha.

I waited my turn as there was a small line. The manager got around to me and asked me what I had come in for today. I asked her if she knew what a stuck pixel was. She said "yes". I explained that my Pre had several of them. I then proceeded to try and demonstrate them to her when she stopped me and said something like "I'm sure you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of coming all the way down here today if it wasn't for a good reason." She checked to see if they had a Pre in stock for me, and luckily they had exactly one left. She proceeded to process my exchange without ever verifying I actually had the stuck pixels I claimed to have. She was the store manager. She showed an incredible amount of trust for me, the customer. I don't know if I would have done the same in her shoes, but it sure made me feel good.

She completed the transaction with a very pleasant attitude. She also handed me the charger, cable, cloth case, and battery from my old phone for my "slight inconvience" and because I could probably use the extra. I most certainly can use them! This really surprised me since the phone rep I spoke with said I would have to hand back all my original accessories and even the packaging and user guide materials when I went to exchange the phone.

Well, I walked out of the store activating my new Pre with a smile on my face. The first thing I did, of course, was verify that this Pre does not have any stuck or dead pixels, and that appears to be the case. However, 5 minutes later I realized there was a mechanical issue with the slider. When closed the screen would give way more than it should and would rotate a bit above the keyboard. This was definitely a manufacturing error and I had to go back. Luckily I was in the game store next door and hadn't left the strip mall.

This time she was a little more skeptical and checked out my claim by comparing it to the slider mechanism on the one I just returned. This was totally understandable since I had JUST returned a Pre 5 minutes ago. You can only trust a stranger so much and I felt she handled it appropriately. She was still very kind and after inspecting the new Pre agreed that it was indeed flawed. She then had to inform me that since I had taken their last Pre she would have to put me on a waiting list. She gave me the option of voiding out the exchange I just made, giving me the choice of being stuck with dead pixels or a loose screen for a few days. Since I had already finished the activation on the new one I decided to keep the loose-screened Pre until she calls me with yet another one.

I guess you could look at this and say its disappointing that I have to get yet another Pre. Personally though I feel the defects were fairly minor (as defects go) and I am really impressed with the way Sprint has handled my returns. I am not a fan boy or a zealot. I am not a brand loyalist. I think Sprint and Palm are still just corporations, not sports teams. For at least a while though I will be recommending Sprint's service to friends and family. I am thoroughly pleased with their coverage in my area and their customer service has really shocked me with its high quality lately. I think the Palm Pre is also worthy of recommendation too, but right its starting to seem like just another reason to move to Sprint.