The
N900's well on its way to developing a solid reputation as a hacker's dream, but here's the thing: hackers need a way to charge their device. Actually, we
all do, which makes a trending problem with N900s in the field particularly worrisome. It seems that the micro-USB connector's surface mount design is causing it to become misaligned or disconnected completely, and affected users seem to be having mixed results getting the issue covered under warranty. One of the symptoms of a misaligned connector is that it's unusually snug or difficult to connect, and thinking back to
our review unit, we did have some minor issues there but didn't really think anything of it at the time. Anyone out there run into this nasty little issue?
Update:
Mark Squires, head of social media at Nokia,
dropped by our comments with an update. In short, Nokia is looking into the matter and anyone who experiences the issue should be covered by local Nokia customer care assuming that the N900 hasn't been mistreated.
posted February 10th 2010 7:48PM
yeah... sorry to say it (no I'm not), but I actually am glad to hear nokia is having troubles... I used to love nokia... untill they dropped support for the n810. that was the last straw. I was promised a2dp support in maemo for the n810. so I bought one and waited... and waited... and waited... and then they released maemo 5, WITH a2dp... and a statement, "sorry folks, no maemo 5 for n810. and also on a completely unrelated note, we are dropping support for all n8x0 models... oh! and we aren'y allowing anyone to pick up developement."
nokia can--[edit: comment section removed for rash, vulgar, violent, demeaning, and crass language reguarding chickens, donkies, butter, prosthetic limbs, and proctology]
I have used my phone since November when I received my pre-order and have connected it to the charger every nite and I connect it to my pc several time a day almost every day, which is probably on average 4-6 connections every day and mine is perfectly fine, so it may just be an issue with a specific batch hopefully.
@llaadd Even if it is just a specific batch, it is inexcusable for Nokia to claim that the user is responsible for the damage and all expenses. I've been using my N900 for two months now, and every time I unplug the damned usb connector, I can't help but think that it's one step closer to giving in.
@skyblaze
what phone do you actually use now? you seem to respond to quite a few phone posts, do you go through a lot of phones usually? You just seem pretty knowledgeable, so i thought i might ask.
I love my n900 to death! death damn you!! no problems here to report. also been charging it every night. have had it for 1 month now. one day I plugged it / unplugged it, i wanna say 10 times. seems just as sturdy as it ever was.
...Just as I was thinking about getting a N900....
Mine is perfectly fine ... I have had it for a good 3 months, will keep an eye on things and report if there is any issue.
I don't have this phone, but every device I've owned with a Mini-USB type A connector has had connector failure wreck the device. And seriously this is not under abusive conditions; I'm a 30 year old math teacher.
Mine works fine.....for now.
Probably many models with microUSB jack have same problem.
SMT soldering is pretty fragile.
It's not a big deal. If you have an N900 (e.s.p.e.c.i.a.l.l.y if you have an N900), you more than likely have a backup phone to use while it's being replaced. It was free and took less than a week for the whole transaction for me. They (Nokia) even sent it back to me overnight.
they could have just stuck with regular mini usb - i mean, there are tons of things that use the connector. and it's not like the phone isn't thick enough to take one in.
So glad I pased on this brick and got the Nexi 1 instead.
had the same problem after 3 weeks of regular use. Mind you it's the usb port which we have to use to charge the device. Given that the phone typically requires charging once every day, they should have built a better robust port. Surface mount connectors can be used but it should be built in such a way that it shouldn't pop out prematurely after few weeks use.
I bought phone online and live outside the U.S we don't have acess to proper nokia service centers. Just lost 500$ plus device to a micro usb port!!!
Anyways for the sake maemo i hope this problem has been fixed by nokia and that they don't drop the project.
Didn't have anything like this - my micro usb connector feels sturdy enough... In fact, I'm using my N900 (browsing with Firefox) to write this message...
Well this is disturbing :( I have mine for a week . Hopefully its a batch issue. Too bad Nokia is ignoring this problem. And guys can some give me an advice? I bought this from from Newegg Canada and as you know N900 is not officially here so if I encounter this problem what should i do? Can I ship it back to Newegg for a replacement?
it's really sad given the fact that the problem was identified on the pre-production devices. nokia shouldn't have let it slip by and have the final version have the same problem. Poor Quality control and hardware selection on their part considering it's their most high-end device available at the moment.
i'm a fucking victim everyone it happened to me a few days ago and i'm raging like kratos from god of war but thank god i did my homework and kept my 5800 at bay just incase so now i have 2 batteries since my N900 is my main now and the 5800 is my charging dock lol
but soddering it back on should be no problem
.....the problem is nokia fixing this via warrenty or just making the microUSB snug cause the port is just soddered on to the motherboard nothing else so if they made alittle shell over it so i can't move it would be much better and other then that this phone or i should say micro computer is a god send :)
on a tangent, my Acer M900 also had mini-usb issues with it becoming disconnected within 4 months. Already sent it back to Acer and it's about 2 months long to fix it. One month to fix it, 2nd month to fix the main-board they broke when they fixed the mini-usb.
Kaiser's mini-sub is also not so stable, but it's 3 years old.
So, I think all of these phones need something more durable for this connector that ends up being the lifeline for everything (charging, data, headset etc).
Hey people, this only concerns PRE-PRODUCTION review and test units! They fixed it for the final units.
@MrThunderfield go ahead and read the nokia support forums. It's happening to final units.
no such problems yet... had it for just abt a month..
its got more problems than missing usb charger bits... no google map!
http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/t5/Maemo-Devices/N900-hardware-fault-mini-USB-port/td-p/602078
I fumbled my n900 last night while it was charging and sitting on the bedside table. Fell to the floor (about half a metre) and the port got somehow twisted. The usb plug wouldn't stay in but then I twisted it a bit back and now it works again as it should. I'm glad the port didn't come off - seeing these pictures is scary.. I bought mine in January.
I love the phone and am writing this post on the n900 while having irc open in the terminal in the background (Multitasking + Screen + Irssi ftw!) and there's no way I'd go for anything else..hopefully the port doesn't break!
TBH I've never managed to break a Nok previously and I've never considered anything else.. heck, I remember having throwing contests with friends back in the day where the competition was 'how high can you throw your nokia', then let it crash on the asphalt, put the peaces together and the phone would work just like nothing had ever happened!
Not on an N900 but the micro USB socket on my N97 has recently started causing problems, not connecting properly, not staying connected if you move it etc.
Hi Chris, thanks for highlighting this one, we have also picked up these comments. Now we have seen that a few reports are coming in that seem to indicate that under certain conditions, the micro-USB port on the N900 may become be detached we have our folk looking into the matter. Product quality is of the utmost importance to Nokia . so anyone who experiences this issue should contact their local Nokia customer care. If the N900 hasn’t been mistreated then our usual warranty applies.
@MarkS - I contacted NOKIA last night but the customer support firmly said it does not appear to be a manufacturer defect and I might have to pay for the repair. Obviously there is not enough information flow down or the support personnel not trained well?
@flydeep we are rolling out to our Care folk now
To be announced on Feb 15th in Barcelona: Nokia N8
Specs:
3.5" capacitive multi-touchscreen
HDMI
12 megapixel camera (720p video)
Symbian^3 OS
http://thenokiablog.com/2010/02/10/nokia-n8-symbian3-12mp-720p/
@ArticiaS Wow... speculation my friend.
Dont get the the hopes to high...
@Mr w00t
The N8 was called N87 before.
Some more specs:
widescreen 16:9 nHD resolution (640x380), OLED
12MP with carl zeiss optics
720p 30fps video recording
680 MHz cpu
Connectors: HDMI, 3.5 mm AV connector, micro USB interface to PC, uSD slot, 2mm DC jack
support for Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 output
dedicated GPU (OpenGL 2.0)
FM transmitter
WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 and GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Volume: 86 cc
Weight: 135 g
Length: 113.5 mm
Width (max): 59 mm
Thickness (max) 12.9 mm
@ArticiaS Well, if you know that much ;) How about mentioning something about RAM as well? Any word in storage? Space to install apps?
@Mr w00t
Looking good and slick if this is really what we are talking about:
http://www.slashgear.com/nokia-n98-qwerty-style-slider-leaked-1173717/
Every time I've bought a Nokia it's been an expensive slap in the face. My n96 had so many hardware issues which Nokia agreed to fix with a replaced phone but each new phone was actually worse, I eventually gave up. The n97 was only slightly better but still far behind the competition. the Ovi store is a joke. I've since moved onto HTC with android and have never been happier!
Micro USB: Plug and Pray
The original article (and uncredited image above) is mine. I get the feeling many here never bothered to read it or the follow-up and are just responding to comments on the fly.
The root problem was the very poor choice of a surface-mount connector. Most male connectors are fitting far too tightly, so that even normal use (ie, the required frequent charging) is placing far too much damaging stress on the component. The connector is completely disengaging from the surface of the PCB, taking copper with it.
The connector needs to have pins through the PCB. Period. As a former circuit designer and former Nokia product quality engineer who once supported this product family, I can't imagine what led to this poor design decision.
Thank you Texrat. Thank you Nokia. Thank you Nokia Flagship NYC.
I brought my 2 month old N900 into the flagship store today, as I posted earlier I would.
They replaced mine! I think it was an exception the guys made, but they have gained a customer for life.
N95-1,N95-3,N95-4,E51,E71-2,N810,N96 and now N900. This is the reason why I spend more than $500 on Nokia every year.