HTC EVO 4G and Droid Incredible suffering from unresponsive screen issues
By Nilay Patel 
posted June 14th 2010 12:22PM
posted June 14th 2010 12:22PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted June 14th 2010 12:22PM
powered by gdgt
HTC EVO 4G
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@blackal1ce A different phone by a different manufacturer has a somewhat similar problem but was fixed by firmware. I'm not sure you have the credibility to be speaking with such authority on this issue. The underlying issue here is likely to be much different (given the other issues with this phone). Be careful when posting with conviction - you're likely to be wrong.
Hmm, I don't seem to have this problem on my Evo. I've placed mine on cardboard and paper or other non-conductive surfaces and works just fine. I have another problem but this isn't one of them. I have a feeling this is QC issues rather than anything inherent to the design of the Evo. I can't vouch for the Incredible though.
@IkariWorrier
Let's compare bugs with the iPhone 3Gs vs HTC Hero...both have been out for a while... which one still has more bugs?
@scott5626 I've got a Hero. I have zero complaints. I also have no dropped calls and I pay a fraction of what an iPhone user pays for monthly service. Win.
@scott5626
0 problems on my hero so far after nearly a year. More reliable than many of my friends' 3gs'. They always seem to complain about something end up going to the apple shop for replacements.
Well, that sticks. Hopefully they'll get that sorted out soon.
I think the worst part is how the phone will randomly activate menus and apps on the bottom half of the screen when you try to swipe downward. The phone on the right looked positively annoying.
This has been my complaint about every Android phone I have used to date. Sometimes, things just happen and you have no idea why. Menus will activate or pages will zoom too far or not far enough. You have to be very deliberate when using the touch-screen or else you'll end up frustrated.
I'm glad this has surfaced, I have the Incredible and noticed more than a few times that I couldn't unlock my phone if it was set down on a table or something, until I picked it up. Its been intermittent for me. I never addressed the problem and just kept using my phone, don't remember the last time I couldn't unlock my phone or unresponsive screen... but it did happen.
I love this quote from Engadget found in the article! "we've heard from enough unhappy EVO owners" We all tried to tell you but the EVO fanboys would not listen!
@Moisture I wonder how many of the "the iPhone 4 sucks, im getting the EVO!" people are going to jump ship and get the iPhone 4 after all.... lol
I would assume HTC already know this....just the way the touchscreen works. I'm an apple guy but sheesh why not put it in the manual or something before storys like this start......
@Hardworker14 Not all Evos have the issue though, are you then claiming that the screens that work perfectly fine are the defective ones?
Also i don't have the issue on my iPhone and my friend doesn't on her droid, this isn't how an effective capacitative touch screen works.
The iphone might not always have the specs on paper but they do have quality and they don't look and feel like cheap plastic toys!
@B1 The EVO and the Incredible don't feel like plastic toys. Ironically, half of the 3G and the 3GS is made of plastic.
Please go out and try the devices before typing troll drivel about them.
@B1 Well said.
my evo works fine on a table, going to find some foam or something to test.
@noxipoo works fine on paper too, can't find foam at work to try... i have noticed i use it more on tables because when holding it with one hand i tend to touch the edge and set off stuff, probably another bug. still love the phone though
The Incredible lack of responsiveness was BS. I tried mine on a couch, carpeted floor and a wadded up towel. Worked just as well on all surfaces.
@Zaggs
That would be because not 100% of the phones have grounding issues.
Thus, there are people out there (like yourself) that will not experience the problem.
@ebgolfin
It would have to be a line of the phones then. Except when it originally appear hardly anyone could back up the claim. So the idea that someone got three straight is a bit hinky to me.
@Zaggs
It doesn't have to be a specific line. The design of the phone may have a flaw where certain tolerances that aren't met cause this issue.
Here's an example. I have a launch 360 that still works perfectly. My friend got one at the same time, from the same stack of Xboxes, at the same Best Buy. He has had 3 RROD's.
I am just lucky with mine, much like you are with your phone. The other day, I played with an Incredible at the Verizon store and thought it was a positively awful phone. I think this was happening to it because it was unresponsive and unpredictable.
Honestly though, how many times are you really going to be performing actions when it's not in your hand? I can't think of a single time I've ever had to do that.
@Prevacator Doesn't the HTC EVO come with a kickstand built in?
@Prevacator Half the time I use my iPhone is when it's sitting in my car dock.
HTC has very pretty products but lately there seems to be major flaws in all their designs...Nexus 1 (touch screen issues,3G) Incredible poor 3G signal (not bars) HTC EVO ( poor wifi, glass separating,screen ground)
@scott5626 The N1's 3G issues was a problem that was fixed by Google, you idiot. Unfortunately, the only issues that have been covered are the screen separation and grounding (which really isn't bad in the first place). I have not heard of any of the others.
I love how the paying beta testers rant about their new found love gone bad.
Mature products FTW :)
Beta testers, thank you :D
wait. seriously? so i can't use the phone with one hand while it sits on a couch? this is ... a problem? i don't understand. So I have to use the phone like anyone in the world would actually use it - by hold it with one hand? Is this a joke or is Engadget really trying to sell this as a "bug" ? I'm lost here.
@vanillagorilla its because lots of phones DONT have this problem, if you have it sitting on a desk or table and decide to use it, but have flaky touch input its infuriating. The Droid, Eris, iPhone, Hero dont have this problem... I do have this problem all the time with my MyTouch and G1 however.
@vanillagorilla yea i was pissed when i couldnt get my dog to answer the phone for me
@vanillagorilla
What about when you have it propped up against the kickstand sitting on your desk? do you have to hold it then?
I'm not trying to be negative but EVO owners should not settle for this. There needs to be an update to fix it. Otherwise you would have an imperfect product.
@vanillagorilla Well, the HTC EVO does come with a kickstand built right in, correct? What's that for if you're always supposed to hold it in your hand?
@pple
nice name o_0 but NO phone (not even *almighty* @pple prod) is perfect, or else we would ALL have it.
@ IkariWorrier
You would be the only Hero owner with Zero complaints...your reaching dude...Give up.
@scott5626 I love my phone, I much prefer Android to the "iOS", and my service is better with Sprint. The hardware of my phone is flawless, from my experience. Do you own one?
.....just hold the phone..... It was made small for a reason........
@ljakeupl It was also made with a kickstand for a reason....
This phone doesn't stand a chance anyway in the race against the iPhone 4. Now is gonna fail even faster.
Wouldn't my silicon rubber skin prevent my phone from EVER being grounded?
That said, I've never had problems like this, nor am I noticing screen detachment (although there has been a touch of light leakage from the four bottom buttons since day 1).
@Bandigolo
Just did this test myself w/o issue. Works perfectly. With or without my rubber case, flat or in my hand or on a kickstand.
To the author:
"We haven't been able to reproduce the issues ourselves, but trust us when we say we've heard from enough unhappy EVO owners to believe that the problem is real."
I would like you to disclose exactly how many individual EVO owners need to notify you of a problem before you deem is as "enough" to report as news.
I'm all for pointing out flaws, progressing fixes, etc. But I'm starting to question this blog's standards when it comes to things like this. On the heels of the iPhone 4 release too... it's not helping the perception that this is Apple territory.
@Bandigolo Same here... I downloaded "Draw! (free)" and did the exact test like in one of the videos and it worked fine. I'm not surprised that a *large capacitive-touch screen* that works by detecting the electric current of your fingers would have some issues when sitting on a highly static-generative surface.
My Incredible doesn't have these issues.
HTC should have jumped on PALM. This is happening because they have to find ways to circumvent the actual multi touch method that apple patented.
Or HTC is a rip off with putting cheap multi touch displays on their devices.
Whatever the case. IS BAD.. Android cant get their shit togther with this screen issues.
@FrankDTank It's not "Android's" responsibility to build phones. Remember that. I know you're smart enough to know the difference between software programming and hardware manufacturing.
What a bunch a bunch of fickle, whiny babies.
You've got something 10x more powerful than my first PC in the palm of your hand. Shit is going to go wrong. Apple is not immune to this. No company is. The problems will be fixed. It's the nature of the "warranty" process and will provide background for corrective action in manufacturing from here forward.
While you're fighting with one another about repairable bugs in brand new devices which any experienced person would expect, remember that the people building these things for you are committing suicide because their lives suck so hard.
@IkariWorrier
Meh. When I pay $200 for something, I expect it to work as advertised and be free of hardware defects. Perhaps you have lower expectations than I do, or are just more cavalier with your spending.
@IkariWorrier A social statement? People want (expect) things that they spend hundreds of dollars on based on advertising to actually work and be somewhat free of obvious defects. Social statement notwithstanding.
@ebgolfin
It's not a hardware defect, genius. It's how capacitive touch screens all work. Either plug them in or hold them, they require grounding. One would expect the geniuses working at Engadget to know this before making a story thats incredibly stupid.
@gigity
Really? They don't work like this if they are properly grounded.
Listen, buddy. Personal attacks don't get you anywhere in life, OK?
@ebgolfin "Personal attacks don't get you anywhere in life"
You... don't pay much attention to what happens out there, do you? Just saying. World. That thing out there. Personal attacks work pretty damn good. I recommend you start with a glance at politics from the local to global level.
Of course Engadget! Keep pounding android with your shitty journalism.