Pop goes the Zire!

[MZephyr]

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering if others are seeing two things I've noticed on my Zire 71:

1) Occassionally when flipping around the menus (Main, Games, System, etc.) or playing games, the speaker makes a "pop" sound that's louder then the simple system click. Even in Prefs when I shut off all system sounds, the "pop" occassionally happens. I find it mildly irritating.

2) Screen display. Thought it is absolutely fantastic especially with the colors, I've noticed on the lower part of the screen about 1/4 to 1/2 in from the left corner, the lower part of the screen in that area is darker, like either a tad faded yellow or gray.

A few days after I bought my Zire 71, I returned it and exchanged it for another, thinking it had defects. Interestingly, my second one has the very same conditions explained above.

Living with these will not prevent me from giving up my Zire 71 but am wondering if others of you are seeing this on yours :confused:

I'd be interested to hear...

Regards,

MZ

[salmas]

I've noticed the POP, but no issues with the display.

[genoahous]

On the Handera 330, users noticed a "dark spot" in the lower left quadrant of the screen.

Some believed it was a component pressing up against the back side of the screen. On most units it took several months for the display problem to appear.

I wonder if Z71 has same problem, or if you got a lemon?

[MZephyr]

My device works great...just find it amazing 2 Zire 71's I've noticed the speaker "pop" and yellow/graying slight display darkening on the lower mid-left part of the screen. Hmmmm.

- MZ

[genoahous]

Originally posted by MZephyr
My device works great...just find it amazing 2 Zire 71's I've noticed the speaker "pop" and yellow/graying slight display darkening on the lower mid-left part of the screen. Hmmmm.

- MZ To me the pop sounds like SW bug, hopefully Palm will provide a SW update (must reside in RAM, no flash).

And hopefully the screen problem is a problem on early units.

You might want to E-mail palm and discuss this with them, and see if you get more than a boilerplate response.

[MZephyr]

I also wonder about Palm's Quality Control. I've noticed (by just looking at the back of the unit) it is assembled in China. I'm not anti-Asian, but labor is very cheap there and units are assembled very quickly. And are they thoroughlly checked? Makes me wonder.

Yes, I think this is something Palm should look into especially with the Speaker "Pop."

Regards,

MZ

[Cindy_Messmore]

Hi MZ, I've been watching my screen and as of yet I haven't noticed the dark area you mentioned, and I haven't heard the pop. I'll keep an eye/ear on it and let you know if after time mine acts up. Just a thought, could it be that if you returned the Zire 71 to the same store and exchanged for another, both of the Zire's came from the same "batch" and maybe the defect was related to "one day's production'??? This might not even be a possibility, but please don't everyone bombard me with replies if this was a crazy idea, I'm sensitive. :D

[Cindy_Messmore]

MZ, check this out. http://www.palminfocenter.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13681 I have to admit, I don't know what SUDS means, but he's getting a noise.

[MZephyr]

Hi CM,

Thanks for the heads up...I'll follow that tread also.

MZ

[genoahous]

Originally posted by Cindy_Messmore
Hi MZ, I've been watching my screen and as of yet I haven't noticed the dark area you mentioned, and I haven't heard the pop. I'll keep an eye/ear on it and let you know if after time mine acts up. Just a thought, could it be that if you returned the Zire 71 to the same store and exchanged for another, both of the Zire's came from the same "batch" and maybe the defect was related to "one day's production'??? This might not even be a possibility, but please don't everyone bombard me with replies if this was a crazy idea, I'm sensitive. :D Actually it's a good idea. I used to design boards, and had to keep eye on production quality (I would jump in when they had a problem they didn't see before, etc.).

We had one batch of capacitors that actually survived our burn-in period (90 degree room for 72 hours). And then would fail within the first month in the customer's hands. It turns out that we got a bad batch of capacitors.

So the POP and SPOT could be a bad batch of HW, or a SW problem that occurs on out of spec HW.

Just my $.02 to add to the pile

[MZephyr]

Hi genoahous,

Actually I was thinking the very same thing...I purchased my original Zire 71 at Circut City...and exchanged it for another at the same prace...so it is probable that is the case....that being the same batch.

I just highly wonder about Palm's Quality Control...and why (other then to save money) send its manufacturing overseas? Do they really have a good quality control in China? Makes me wonder.

I'm going to report this to Palm...wish me luck.

Regards,

MZ

[genoahous]

Originally posted by MZephyr
...Do they really have a good quality control in China?The problem is not with China per se, but with the particular company. Just like in the US there are good and bad companies (don't know which type palm picked :D ).

For example: I personally wouldn't buy anything other than an ASUS motherboard made in China (Taiwan).

I hope Palm will be able to satisfy you with fixes for these problems.

[svensett]

I'll add my name to the list with the POP. No problems with the screen though. The pop is more of an annoyance than a problem. I haven't noticed any performance issues with it.

[rdnyhffmn]

I have only had my Zire 71 for a couple of days, but noticed the pop on the first.
In my case I have found that Solitaire seems to generate the sound more than anything else.

I have not noticed any dark area in the corner of my screen, but will now obsess about it.

Rod

[MZephyr]

I use MegaLauncher (megasoft2000.com). Great launcher...kinda cumbersome but great. Fast too!

However, it generates the pop quite a bit too.

I would say the Zire's Pop is sporadic in any application.


MZ

[rdnyhffmn]

I sent an e-mail to customer service last evening about the popping noise and a problem I was having using Hot Sync with my IR port in Windows 2000. The text follows.

Dear Rodney,

Thank you very much for your inquiry. I understand that your Palm(TM)
Zire(TM) 71 handheld makes a popping sound when the touchscreen is hit
with the stylus. I also acknowledge that you are unable to perform an
infrared HotSync(R) operation with your Palm handheld.

Rodney, Palm is investigating a system limitation of the Palm OS(R) in
relation to the audio circuitry on the Palm Zire handheld. This is not a
hardware related issue and Palm software engineers are investigating the
matter. Therefore, I request that you keep visiting the Palm Site
occasionally for updates related to this issue.

Rodney, if you are unable to perform an infrared HotSync operation with
your Palm handheld, I suggest that you follow the instructions provided
in this mail to perform an IR HotSync operation under Microsoft(R)
Windows(R) 2000.

NOTE: Please ensure you have an Infrared port on the computer. It may be
in your best interest to check with the computer manufacturer that the
Infrared port is fully enabled first. Once this is done, you may perform
the following steps to disable the Imager transfer option that uses IR
for the purpose of connecting it with a Digital Camera:

1. Exit the HotSync Manager application by clicking on the icon in the
Task Bar and choosing exit.

2. Click on Start -> Settings -> Control Panel and double click the
"Wireless Link" icon.

3. In the "Image transfer" tab, uncheck the box for "Use Wireless Link
to transfer images from a digital camera to your computer".

4. Disable any other application you use that opens the IR port.

5. Restart HotSync Manager.

6. Click on the HotSync Manager icon in the Task bar and check the
"Infrared" menu item.


To return to default settings and disable IR HotSync:

1. Click on the HotSync Manager icon in the Task bar and uncheck the
"Infrared" menu item.

2. Go to the Windows Control Panel and double click the "Wireless Link"
icon.

3. In the "Image transfer" tab, check the box for "Use Wireless Link to
transfer images from a digital camera to your computer".

<<Setting the Palm handheld for an IR HotSync operation>>

1. Tap the Home icon on your Palm handheld.

2. Tap the HotSync icon, then tap Local.

3. Tap the drop-down arrow below the HotSync icon, and choose 'IR to a
PC/Handheld'.

Your Palm handheld is now ready to perform an Infrared HotSync
operation.


<<Setting up HotSync Manager for an Infrared HotSync operation>>

When using Infrared, you first need to verify the COM number being used
by the Infrared port on the computer. This is done through the Device
Manager. Please follow the steps below to get to the Device Manager,
depending on which version of Windows you are using.

NOTE: When searching for the COM number with the instructions below, it
is not always displayed. Depending on your computer, you may just see
'Virtual Port' listed for the Infrared Device. If this is the case,
please use COM4 in the HotSync Manager setup steps, as this is most
often the COM number associated with an Infrared port. If you do not
have COM4 available, and cannot see a number listed, please contact your
computer manufacturer for further assistance.

1. Right-click My Computer, and select Properties.

2. Choose the Hardware tab, then Device Manager.

3. Scroll down to Ports, click on the plus (+) sign to expand Ports.
This will show you the COM number being used by the Infrared port on
the computer.

4. Close all windows, and proceed to 'How to verify the version of
HotSync Manager'.

Once the COM number has been verified in the Device Manager, this number
must be entered into the HotSync Manager Setup to begin communications
between the Infrared devices. The version of HotSync Manager needs to be
verified to continue with the setup.


You may now perform the following steps:

1. Left-click HotSync Manager.

2. Click Infrared. This will place a checkmark next to Infrared.

3. Left-click HotSync Manager icon again, and choose Setup.

4. Select the Local tab. For the Serial port, use the drop-down arrow
to select the appropriate COM number for the Infrared port. (This
was verified in the Device Manager.)

5. Perform a HotSync operation by initiating the synchronization on the
Palm handheld, then place the Palm device in line with the Infrared
port on the computer.


For further questions you may send another e-mail message or use our
telephone support at:

(847) 262-7256

PLEASE NOTE:Palm handheld products are subject to a telephone technical
support fee of $25 per incident after 90 days from the date of purchase.
If your call results in a Service Repair Order (SRO), or if we are
unable to resolve the issue, this fee will be waived. U.S. customers
may also purchase the Palm On Call Plan, which provides a full year of
telephone technical support. For more details, visit our Web site at:

http://warranty.palm.com

To learn more about Palm handhelds, please visit the Palm Knowledge
Finder on the Palm Web site at:

http://kb.palm.com/

Please take some time to complete the Customer Satisfaction Survey that
will be mailed to you for this case. Your response will help us in our
ongoing effort to continually improve our customer support services.
Thank you!

Best Regards,

Ranjith M.

[genoahous]

If the palm instructions don't fix your IR problems, then you might want to try the following driver. I've pointed many people to it, and got many thanks for fixing their problem.

http://www.ircomm2k.de/english click on download and select your version.

Now also at: http:/sourceforge.net/projects/ircomm2k

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Good to learn that the pop is a SW problem, unfortunately its not a flashable device :( .


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Any info on the screen anomaly?

[MZephyr]

It would appear Palm's OS 5.2 is ahead of its time for its release. I would suppose they discovered the "Pop" speaker noise after manufacture. Well, here's to hoping they distribute a fix to it. Please!

As for the screen anomoly, c'mon Palm look into that one too!

Regardless, I'm pleased Palm is aware of the "Pop goes the Zire!" noise.

MZ

[babyshaz]

i didn't have those probs some of u mentioned. however, when playing games, say Bejewelled, it has a 'bursting sound' that's kinda annoying, as if the speaker's defective. so i hv sounds off while playing games.
the first unit i got had an annoying high-pitch sound... otherwise everything works fine and even the sound was great while playing games, but thought the high-pitch sound was a sign of defective (since there's none of this sound in the units on display at most stores), so i went to exchage for another unit. no high-pitch sound this time only the 'bursting sound' while playing games but it's not a big deal for me since all the mp3's and movies work fine and output good sounds.

*got mine at BC Staples.

[genoahous]

The T|T just got it's second audio driver patch. I wonder how this is related to T|C.

AS they're based on the same OS, I wonder how much of the sound HW is the same?

Also this might be a good sign that Palm will fix the Z71 "pop" soon.