Buying Advice-what to look for on a new EVO-Need help Fast!

[polecat99]

Hello Everyone,
I apologize if this is a repeat question. I did a quick search for similar questions and was unable to find any.

My wife's bday is today and she was thinking that she wanted to get an iphone as a present, but she has just learned that AT&T's coverage at her job is terrible. So now we are going to BestBuy in about an hour to pick up an EVO (yay!) (and I might be talked into getting one for myself too).

My question is:
What do I need to look for, or what tests do I need to run on the new unit before I leave the store to make sure I got a good one?

I got a Palm Pre about a month after it came out and I am glad I knew what problems to look for because the first unit the BB employee grabbed off the shelf had the oreo-twisting problem, and I was able to get a different one before they even went through the activation process.

I have heard that some EVO's have light leaks at the bottom. Is there any particular way to check for that? Should I just cup my hand over the phone (to block out the store lighting) and see if I can see any light at the bottom edge of the glass?

I have also heard about the glass coming up a little in the corners. I will push on the glass lightly in the corners and see if it depresses and then springs back slowly.

Should I check for the "grounding" problem? How would I do that in the store?

Any advice anyone can offer would be appreciated.
Please try to be fairly descriptive if you can. I have never used an android phone before, so I am not familiar with the built in apps or menus or anything.
Thanks.

 

[netcub]

If you have a problem you can get a new one, its not like your buying a new car.

 

[cheebahawk1]

hit power button make sure it turns on, make a phone call and leave the store.

I doubt they will have enough to exchange it for you on the spot so I wouldnt stress over it. The problems aren't going to make the phone unusable and I doubt your wife would care as much as you will.

Also keep in mind that you are likely to get inflated reports of problems on the forums, since people with issues are going to report it more than people who have a "perfect" device. With mass production, your chances of getting a "perfectly made" device is very small.

But I hope you will enjoy the Evo!

 

[polecat99]

If you have a problem you can get a new one, its not like your buying a new car.

True, true.

 

[polecat99]

I guess after the whole Palm Pre fiasco, I am a bit gun shy now.

I realize that any mass produced product will have it's problems here and there. And I realize that I can take it back if I get a bad one and realize it later, but I'd like to avoid having to do that if it's at all possible.

 

[cheebahawk1]

plus ur gonna look like a psycho sitting there going over the phone with a magnifying glass

 

[polecat99]

If anyone could offer me a quick check or two to find possible problems in the store, it would be much appreciated.
It could potentially save me several hours or days of trouble later (driving back to the store, waiting in line, trying to convince a manager that it really is defective, waiting days or possibly weeks for a replacement, etc, etc).

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[polecat99]

plus ur gonna look like a psycho sitting there going over the phone with a magnifying glass

I look like a psycho anyway. That doesnt bother me.
I think it's perfectly reasonable and acceptable to checkout a product, especially a relatively expensive one, before taking it home.

 

[Bigtuna00]

Hardware build 0003 would be "ideal" *but* there are still outstanding issues with even 0003 so you should plan on needing/wanting to exchange it anyway.

 

[polecat99]

Hardware build 0003 would be "ideal" *but* there are still outstanding issues with even 0003 so you should plan on needing/wanting to exchange it anyway.

Cool. How do I tell what hardware build number it is?

 

[cmilviper]

I would make sure the glass is relatively as level in the lower left corner, when compared to the other 3 corners of the screen.....Although, it could still rise slowly later on....

 

[polecat99]

Just to give an update:
I got two EVO's last night, both are hardware version 0003. The glass seems to be nice and flat all the way around on both of them (no raised corners), and I did not notice any light leaks.

The wifi reception seems a bit on the weak side, but I just read that there may be a software update that might address that problem.

I also noticed that the touch screen seemed slightly less responsive near the top of the screen when the phone was laid on a bedspread, but not too terrible. I just had to tap 2 or 3 times, occasionally, to get it to acknoledge me.

So far, so good,. I am loving the huge screen. It's nearly twice the area of my old Palm Pre (5.2kmm^2 vs 2.9kmm^2).

 

[jnadelman]

If you want to be anal check all of the things mentioned above and then...
Run the upgrades
Make sure it can make and receive a phone call and a text message
Connect to WiFi (BB should have one in the store)
Connect to Bluetooth (if you have one, BB will do the setup for you, they will even go out to your car and connect it to that if you want)
Have it use the GPS to get your location
Load at least one app onto it (and open it)
Take a picture
Plug in a wired headset if you expect to ever use that jack

 

[polecat99]

If you want to be anal check all of the things mentioned above and then...
Run the upgrades
Make sure it can make and receive a phone call and a text message
Connect to WiFi (BB should have one in the store)
Connect to Bluetooth (if you have one, BB will do the setup for you, they will even go out to your car and connect it to that if you want)
Have it use the GPS to get your location
Load at least one app onto it (and open it)
Take a picture
Plug in a wired headset if you expect to ever use that jack

Very good list. Thanks, I will try all those things now.