[kevin_405]

I have barely had my PB for 3 days.. got it for 200$ from sears

I had passed over my company offer of 250$ with 100 Rim mail in rebate because there were no returns..

From day one was finding the usb seemed very badly designed.. there was no easy way to figure out the whether i was putting the usb plug in the right way or not.. finally day 3 my wife tried it and failed and when she asked me to do it instead i could not get it to charge.. i looked at the usb connector and i could see on one of the pins was bent out of its socket and hence the usb connector was broken..

I had also seen one of the Bestbuy display playbook broken because of usb slot getting damaged..

Mind u i have the same slot in my BB curve and it is far more robust.

Ended up returning mine.. Just feel sorry that Rim put in some great hardware (great graphics, incredible sound) , but passed on the little things like hard to use power , volume buttons that take a long time to register a press and now the weak usb slot..

[Chaddface]

You may have gotten a damaged unit. Your problem is not common. I used the USB port charge for 7 months without a problem. I have since switched to the rapid charger but my USB still works fine. It's no trouble to figure out which way it goes. To be honest from your description of events it sounds like you damaged it.

[shootsscores]

I have barely had my PB for 3 days.. got it for 200$ from sears

I had passed over my company offer of 250$ with 100 Rim mail in rebate because there were no returns..

From day one was finding the usb seemed very badly designed.. there was no easy way to figure out the whether i was putting the usb plug in the right way or not.. finally day 3 my wife tried it and failed and when she asked me to do it instead i could not get it to charge.. i looked at the usb connector and i could see on one of the pins was bent out of its socket and hence the usb connector was broken..

I had also seen one of the Bestbuy display playbook broken because of usb slot getting damaged..

Mind u i have the same slot in my BB curve and it is far more robust.

Ended up returning mine.. Just feel sorry that Rim put in some great hardware (great graphics, incredible sound) , but passed on the little things like hard to use power , volume buttons that take a long time to register a press and now the weak usb slot..

I've had mine since May. No problems and that includes using my PB while playing Dead Space and Asphalt 6 (lots of thrashing with that one) while plugged in.

No problems with any of the buttons either.

[Spencerdl]

I've had my PlayBook since May and NO problems with the charging port. Maybe it was bad from the start, the location of the charging port would appear to be hard to damage but anything is possible. IMO the PlayBook is a sturdy device, made of quality craftsmanship

[Daruba]

On all my phones I ever owned, my iPad 2 and also the PB, I put a dot of tippex on the USB male and a piece of tape on top of it. This way I can always see how to connect the male and also can feel it in the dark. Never had (knock knock) a problem with any USB port.

It's a small thing to do and very cheap. Does it look nice? No, but hey, it's only a cable!

[Dr.Deebs]

Hi Kevin, The usb cable has a BB logo on it. The logo always faces up

[kbz1960]

Call RIM and see if they'll replace it. But it does sound like user damage but could also been done at the factory.

[TOphotog]

A dot of red nailpolish works on cords and thumb drives to tell you which way is up, and it's easily scraped off if you want to sell. Beats hunting around for the reading glasses to see that tiny micro USB head.

[GIOCEDENO]

I have had the same problem with my playbook... 2 Weeks and the usb port did not charge anymore... but the really bad thing is that since i live in Ecuador i could not return it and I wonder if there is a way I can buy this usb port as a part to have it replaced.
To tell you the truth.. very very disappointed with the bb playbook cannot even transfer files via bluetooth it really sucks and I am a really RIM{s fan

[anindoc]

I have had the same problem with my playbook... 2 Weeks and the usb port did not charge anymore... but the really bad thing is that since i live in Ecuador i could not return it and I wonder if there is a way I can buy this usb port as a part to have it replaced.
To tell you the truth.. very very disappointed with the bb playbook cannot even transfer files via bluetooth it really sucks and I am a really RIM{s fan

Did you try to transfer your files over wifi network- it works very well. Bluetooth transfer will hopefully be here in OS2.0 in Feb.

[kbz1960]

Also bluetooth is slower isn't it?

[kevin_405]

After getting a lemon on my first try i had no interest in getting a replacement..

I think the socket was problematic from day 1.. it just eventually led to the bent pin and a broken usb socket..

I have the same socket on my Curve and it never gives me trouble, so marking the sides on a charger would not have helped.

I can see others have broken the socket as well , so must be a batch issue..

[FF22]

I like the rapid charger - no stress on the usb port. It attaches with a magnetic plug.

If you look carefully, the micro usb is slighly wider along its bottom edge. (of course, not having used my hdmi cable in a while, last week I spent about a minute or so, trying to get it into the usb port!!!!!!! Finally, after turning if over and over I got out a flashlight to see why I could not insert it - ah, look, there's the hdmi port to the left).

[kbz1960]

I like the rapid charger - no stress on the usb port. It attaches with a magnetic plug.

If you look carefully, the micro usb is slighly wider along its bottom edge. (of course, not having used my hdmi cable in a while, last week I spent about a minute or so, trying to get it into the usb port!!!!!!! Finally, after turning if over and over I got out a flashlight to see why I could not insert it - ah, look, there's the hdmi port to the left).

I just got a rapid charger after 6 months. When I first got mine the usb was real tight but after so many plug unplugs it fits nice now and still works perfectly.

[Silverfern]

my first one was kinda non-responsive as well, a 32G, i returned it for a 64, now its working great, and i am very gentle with it

[DutchCanuck]

I first started to have issues with the USB/charger port about 5 weeks after purchase. Right out of the box the usb seemed to be hard to get in. It was hard to tell which side was up for the cable. If it didnt go in one way then of course the it had be the other way.

At the time i only used the usb to charge and not to transfer files. I noticed one day in the office that the unit's battery was nearly depleted despite the night's charge. I plugged it into the laptop using the usb cable (a BB one), and noticed that it was not registering on the system, nor did it charge.

At home the wall charge it came with also didn't do anything but was cable of charging my new bold without problems. I called customer service and arranged to have the unit shipped back to BB. The sent the special packaging and the shipment went off without much difficulty on a Monday. By Wednesday the playbook was back and seemed to be working fine. Surprisingly they had put new shipping stickers on the screen and BB symbol. The serial was the same so i was confident this is a repaired unit. It was Fast.

In the mean time i had purchased the cradle charger, which is much better. By Saturday i was going to put a presentation onto the unit using the usb cable. The presentation went on fine as did a few movie clips. One hour later i was going to repeat the process with an update to the presentation and the usb was dead again. Not 3 days after it was returned!

Now i have to ship it back again, i have an RMA but no arrangements seem to have been made...

I will have to find out about the wireless transfer because the usb is definitely poor in design. Alternatively it could be a software issue.

[neilwick]

From day one was finding the usb seemed very badly designed.. there was no easy way to figure out the whether i was putting the usb plug in the right way or not..

I've seen a few units in stores with bad connections in the USB slot. They don't take a lot of abuse well, but I've had no trouble with mine.

I've learned that the BB symbol on the USB connector faces up for the PlayBook. Confusingly the BB symbol on my 9790 phone faces down, but I often plug them in after I'm in bed in the dark. I find I can feel which side has the BB logo on it, then I have to feel where the 3 outlets are on the PlayBook and plug it into the middle one.

[hubermania]

From day one was finding the usb seemed very badly designed.. there was no easy way to figure out the whether i was putting the usb plug in the right way or not

Feel the flat metal flange on the end of the charging plug. The smooth side goes up, the nubby latch side goes down. Plug goes in the center socket of the PB. With a little practice the PB can be connected in complete darkness.

[cntrydncr223]

I'm feeling pretty good about my PB right about now.
Only issue I've ever had is what my brother defines as

eebuac = error exists between unit and chair.

[pkcable]

In 10 month I have had no issues with mine, and as other have said I can connect it in complete darkness. That's how I plug it in when I go to bed most nights. It really should like you got a defective unit. I would try to get it replaced.

[III 4U2NV III]

My USB port has been kinda loose since day one so I make sure I am plugging it in correctly and I most certainly don't use it while it's plugged in. I just ordered some charging docks from Walmart (only $29) so I will charging it that way.

[justincase1911]

I've had my 32gb since first week and have abused the snot out of it. I only recently got the charging cradle. So, for most of its life, my PB has been charged via usb. It still works great and with zero problems. Either yours was defective from the start, or you've been seriously abusing that poor PB. Most likely it's the former.

[Mexxan]

i really do think it's the charger being plugged in the wrong way round. i know this as when i first charged my PB, that's what i was trying to figure out. I think it's easy to miss the BB symbol when you first start to use it.

[RF8655]

I was never crazy about the USB charge connection, and from day one I felt as if over time it would get loose or damaged. iPad's charging connection is much better and solid. Another little thing about the PB that adds up in the minus column, unfortunately.

[Bob31464]

My usb port has always worked fine but I went ahead and bought the rapid charger since Walmart had them on sale for $20.00. That will save alot of wear and tear on the port.