Palm OS/WinMo Hardware

[#1]

I have had a Treo 680 for less than a year and yesterday, people who call me can't hear me back.  I was told that the mic was ULTRA sensative to static and sometimes just stops functioning.  If this is a known problem, why hasn't PALM replaced the mic with one that is static resistant.

I didn't drop the phone, I didn't do anything other than basic operation and the mic stopped working.  I have ordered a replacement, but this is unsatisfactory for such a relatively new product.

Can anybody tell me if PALM is working on this issue???

Thanks...Hirsh

Post relates to: Treo 680 (AT&T)

[#2]

Hello!

Are you referring to static electricity?  If so then their could've been some misunderstanding for things like electrostatic electrity should not cause this.  From your case, it appears that the mic just failed and repair/replacement was needed.  This is something that can occur on a given phone.  Was any troubleshooting done for that phone yet like soft and hard resets?  Making sure that your finger and/or protective casings are not covering up the mic hole? 

Post relates to: Treo 650 (Unlocked GSM)

[#3]

Yes...all the necessary troubleshooting was done.

I have ordered a replacement mic...but was told that the mic is EXTREMELY sensitive to static.

If that's the case, and my mic just died in less than a year with normal use and no abuse, shouldn't PALM offer a free upgrade to include a mic that is resistant to static?  It will probably fail again based on this case!

Post relates to: Treo 680 (AT&T)

[#4]

I have a similar problem, and after almost two years of owning a Treo 680.  Background - about two months ago I installed a USB modem program that permitted me to use my device as a modem to link to my laptop (I have an unlimited data plan with T-mobile).  After using the USB cord to connect with this program, I was able to make the Bluetooth connection work so I could use the Treo as a modem. Now I only use the Bluetooth connection - never USB.  Every time I used the device as a modem, when I next went to use it as phone, I had to soft reboot or I could not hear the other party when using as a phone.  Not a big problem, just an aggravation. 

A few weeks ago (not long after I installed the USB program), I was being told by others I was talking to that they could not hear me for a second or two during conversations.  This happened every 10-30 seconds during most calls.  I used Safe Guard to quarantine and then delete the USB modem program, thinking it was messing with the microphone, but to no avail.  I also put a little bit of WD-40 on my headset jack in hopes of curing what others have complained of - the muting feature that never quits due to junk in the jack opening.  To no avail.  It appears the brief muting occurs even when using the headset (wired not bluetooth).  Soft reboot does not help. 

I "chatted" with Palm help today and they said if the soft reboot didn't work, I had to hard reboot to see if this is a software problem, but this means losing all my settings.  I run Butler and a few other 3rd party apps, but they have all been in use for months and I am not a power user.  Only the USB program is recent, and it is now gone. 

I can quarantine almost all programs, but if anyone has an idea what programs might be messing with the microphone intermittently during a phone conversation, or whether this sounds like a hardware issue (bad microphone/connection), I would love to hear your thoughts. 

The phone is kept in a case, remarkably clean, no food spills or similar. Help?

[#5]

The problem is likely not the microphone itself.  Branded Treo phones which have been unlocked from Cingular/ATT and have been upgraded with software 1.15 upgrade are subject to the microphone cut out issue.  See this Treo thread: http://treo.discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=94407

I have this same problem with my newer Treo680 and also with a Treo 650 upgraded.  I have reset every possible way, changed SIMs twice and the problem persists.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to downgrade the software back to the original, because the program will not accept a lower numbered installation file.

[#6]

Thanks very much for your helpful reply.  I read the other thread, but it seems to discuss cutouts that last for a longer time. Mine are for a second or two, and are intermittent throughout the call. In the meantime, I have since performed a hard reset, which did not alleviate the problem. Palm then said it is clearly a hardware problem, and offered a refurbished 680 for 30 dollars, which I declined.  They have no new 680's, so I bought a new one from eBay, which appears to be one from ATT or Cingular, so I will watch any "upgrades". 

BTW, my old 680 is not a branded phone.  I bought it from PALM directly as an unlocked phone.  In any case, thanks for your help!

[#7]

Same issue here... Some calls connect but other party cant hear me at all  - not even intermittantly... that's been a problem for years and is surely a network issue... but within the last few weeks, while talking with anyone.. the my outgoing mic audio drops off to nothing like i'm puttin it on mute, then some random period of time passes and audio resumes - doesn't matter noisy/quiet environment. It's to the point where I no longer have a confidence to make or receive a call.  At first i naturaly assumed it was something in the phone. I thought perhaps a software issue but i had not installed any new apps.  I disassembled and cleaned the mic contacts thinking that must be it but the problem persists. I even upgraded to the latest firmware but same result. It's important to note that I can record a voice memo indefinately with no dropouts whatsoever - i think that safely rules out a mic hardware issue. I really think this is a T-mobile system-wide audio glitch...

[#8]

I've spent quite a bit of time doing research.

This appears to be a known problem on T-Mobile's network.

It appears to impact:

Treo 650

Treo 680

Centro

(I'm guessing all Garnet/Palm OS based phones.)

It doesn't appear to impact WinMo based Treo's (I'm still checking on the WinMo, but I have a colleague who has a WinMo on TMobile and doesn't seem to have this problem.)

I have three different TMobile Treo 680's both ATT branded which are unlocked, and straight Palm unlocked 680's. I also have a friend with an unlocked 680 from Palm. All of these have the problem.

Five different handsets, on four different accounts.

Some have data, some don't.

Occurs in any coverage - full signal to nil. 

Occurs anywhere, inside, out, in the car etc.

Happens either using a BT headset or using the handset directly.

 ---

The problem, is as follows:

The person on the Treo is NOT heard, but the other party is heard by the user on the Treo. (I've been on both ends of a call, both as the caller using the Treo, and the "callee" using a regular land-line.)

The microphone cut-out on the Treo is usually 2-4 seconds, and seems to have no periodicty (i.e. regular re-occurance, say every 30 seconds). Again, the caller on the Treo can hear the called party just fine, but the person on the other end of the call hears dead air. 

It often seems to occur just between pauses or words, but not always. (The fact that it occurs in pauses causes it to be really pernicious since the called party has no cue to know they're missing something, other than dead-air.)

I've opened a trouble-ticket with TMobile and they have verbally confirmed to me that it's "a known problem."

They claim to have contacted Palm to resolve the issue but have yet to hear from Palm.

I also chimed in a thread over at T-Mobile's forums, and here's a link to that thread:

http://forums.t-mobile.com/tmbl/board/message?board.id=08&thread.id=1270&view=by_date_ascending&page...

-Greg

Message Edited by gregorys on 09-22-2009 11:17 AM

[#9]

I've talked with Palm support - teir 3 support.

In short, they claim the phones are all end-of-life, and that they won't update them.

Next, they claim an updated SIM would fix the problem. 

I've gotten a new SIM from TMobile, and it doesn't fix the problem either.

I'm now headed back to see how much additional pressure I can put on Palm and TMobile.

-Greg

[#10]

I tried a new SIM card, too.  Didn't change a thing.  Bought three new 680's - didn't make a difference (returned them all).  The T-Mobile people as much as said the problem is with the 680 on T-Mobile - it's an unsupported phone, so they don't try to make it work. 

Warning - rant ahead.  I have decided that this marriage between phone manufacturers and service providers mainly ends up screwing the consumer.  It seems so good, because we get phone service for a reduced phone cost.  However, it reminds me of a long time ago when one would buy a home phone from the phone company - you ended up paying a ton over the life of the phone.  Things are so much better now that we can buy a phone anywhere and it works. 

Someday that will be what happens with mobile service - you want a Pre, iPhone, Blackberry - you buy it and use it on ATT or Verizon or TMobile, doesn't matter.  In the meantime, I am stuck with T-Mobile due to a recent renewal, and cannot earn a living without a smartphone that works (all the time) so I got a blackberry 8900. 

Anyone thinking about moving from Palm to BB try one out first.  Go to the store and make them walk you through it.   Spend some time moving through the OS.  It has been a painful transition, but I think it has been worth it.  BB seems like it's here to stay, and Palm.  Well, who knows? 

Transferring data is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be, and the Palm system is so much simpler (albeit more limited) than BB's.  Use Chapura Pocketcopy to transfer data.  It's around $20 and transfers things reliably and quickly.  The BB is very powerful and moderately well laid out once you understand its organizational philosophy, but on the down side all "help" is like a Microsoft PC explanation - go here and there for help, and then it's limited, and if you really want help you buy an aftermarket book or spend time on Google searching message boards like this one.  Not even close to as intuitive as Palm, although I have been with Palm for over 10 years so perhaps I am "institutionalized".  Anyone looking for 680 accessories (cradle, leather SENA case, batteries, car charger)?