Pre Charging Cable Question

Pre Charging Cable Question

My Pres will arrive tomorrow and I have a question regarding charging cables. It looks like the charging cable is identical to the standard USB cable that charges my knock off MP3 player and my Sony Camcorder. Are these cables interchangeable? Can I charge and USB transfer data using another cable or will I damage my Pre?

My experience with cables is that not all are created equal. Some of the cables say mp3 on them and they are not powerful enough to run the phone. I have not found a usb cable that didn't work with the pre on my computer. It's just the charging cables that the pre is picky about. Also, some of the car chargers that are aftermarket won't charge the phone properly. I have Sprint chargers that are for Treo 800w that are being sold on PreCentral in the Marketplace. The guy that sells them tests every one of the cables and they work great on the phones. They will charge the phone and also run apps (like Nav and Pandora) and it actually keeps up with everything. Some of the other chargers may work but they have a hard time keeping up with everything that you may run.

Oh hush! I still have to wait another 22 days! Hehehe...just kidding! Congrats and enjoy!

Sorry I can't answer your question.

Thanks,

Actually, what I was wondering is not so much for charging, but if I just want to transfer some music is there any chance I'll do damage to the Pre if I connect it to the MP3 cable? I'll still use the OEM charger for charging.

I have never experienced a problem with any micro usb cable. I have ordered many of them from ebay and they all work great. Some people have had problems getting their computer to recognize their pre, but as long as you get the usb choice to come up on the phone when you plug it in, it should be good to go.

No, I don't think you will do any harm to your phone even with aftermarket usb cords.

if ur going to use the cord that comes with the phone to charge it y don't you just unplug it from that and use it for the computer too?

Yes, you can use the cord that comes with the phone. But when you travel, or have a charging station where you leave your original cord plugged in, you may want to have additional usb cords to take with you. I have an extra one in each of our laptop bags, that way you can charge your phone from your laptop while you're away.

I'm trying to avoid having to crawl under the TV cabinet to unplug the cable and plug it into the USB port every time I need to transfer files. I don't leave my computer on all night, even in standby, because it wakes up several times a night and lights up the bedroom.

I thought it would be convenient to just use the connected USB cable from my MP3 player when I need to transfer files.

My main concern was that I would damage my new Pre by using a non-OEM USB cable.

I have several non oem usb cables and it works fine. All you can do it try it with your phone. If the cord is not powerful enough to run the phone, it will not recognize it. Just remember to use the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media button in the right hand corner of your computer screen before you disconnect it.

I ran into problems using a motorola charger that was micro usb if I touched the screen while charging it.. It would start all making little touch marks on the screen

I think this person was asking about usb to computer cords only. I know from past experience that the pre is finicky about power charging cords. I found that if it is 800-1000ma output, that it works fine. Most of your charging cords from mp3 or smaller devices don't run that high thus not being powerful enough to run the phone properly. If it does get the phone to charge, it does do weird things to the screen or the phone turns off and on rapidly or the apps come up randomly.