Previously I had bought two 9700's on different occasions and both of them had horrible builds and I returned them both. The first one I bought in a corporate store and wasn't aware of its problems until I got home with it. It had a really bent in and wobbly trackpad and had light leaks all over the side of the phone. The keys also were sticky for some letters.
After wanting to try again a few weeks later I ordered another one from Amazon. This one was a total disaster as it had a bent in camera button, a barely attached trackpad and a horribly bad gap below the screen where the screen meets the keypad. The bezel was also noticeably separated from the phone.
Tonight I was at my local Best Buy with my wife looking around before going to a movie. As usual I went over to the cell phone kiosks and was looking around and picked up a 9700 dummy unit just for the **** of it.
One of the guys in Best Buy asked me if I wanted to check a working 9700 and I initially told him no for the reasons above that I mentioned with the first two that I had purchased. I decided to take a look at one out of the box because he said that they just got a new batch of them in and that maybe they fixed some of those problems I was talking about.
Long story short, the first one he opened up was perfect. The trackpad is perfectly straight and there is no wobble at all. It is also really tight. There is also no light leak and no gap at the bottom of the screen. The keyboard is also noticeably softer. It doesn't have that crunchy feel that I had in the first to 9700's I had bought.
Needless to say I bought it and am really happy with it, so maybe they fixed all of those issues. Just wanted to share, Happy New Year!
I don't think it was luck of the draw. I had my wife look at one too and asked the guy to show it to me so that I could see if it had any problems. It was also perfect and had no issues. Both were made in Canada too, if that matters at all.
Can I ask, If you look on your box, You'll find the manufacture date, location, and line, Do you mind listing that so we can get an idea when yours was made?
Can I ask, If you look on your box, You'll find the manufacture date, location, and line, Do you mind listing that so we can get an idea when yours was made?
Mine says 071209. So I guess maybe its not a new build.
Mine is 181209 Mexico 4.
It had a wobbly trackpad but I easily fixed it using the tape method. As for gauging build quality; date, location, carrier, etc, is irrelevant. It's a mass produced product. As with ANY consumer product available today, there's going to be a few less than desirable units that slip through. Even best selling, rave review products.
Most of the reported issues with the 9700 can be fixed by the user. The wobbly trackpad can be fixed with the tape method, the light bleed can be fixed by reseating the keypad, the loose bezel can be fixed by squeezing it lightly but firmly where it's loose, the loose bottom nameplate can be fixed by making sure the tabs that hold it in are straight and also by using a strip of double sided tape, the battery cover is supposed to be tight fitting, as is the memory card. We don't want these things to fall off right?
The issues that would make me exchange my phone would be problems with the mainboard (call quality, bluetooth, reception, etc). Basically things that aren't fixable with parts or reloading the OS. I realize that some users want a perfect berry out of the box, but I personally don't mind taking the opportunity to become intimate with my berry and know how the components fit together. It helps incase something does go wrong down the line out of warranty (broken screen, keypad, bezel, etc).
Needless to say I bought it and am really happy with it, so maybe they fixed all of those issues. Just wanted to share, Happy New Year!
I bought mine on Black Friday and it's been perfect except for one thing. My screen has a yellowish tint/hue to it. Compared to my Tour's screen, the whites on my Bold2's screen are beige-ish. Can you confirm if your whites are actually white on your screen? I called T-Mo on Thursday and they're sending me a free replacement, I just hope the new one doesn't have the yellowish screen tint though.
Mine is 181209 Mexico 4.
It had a wobbly trackpad but I easily fixed it using the tape method. As for gauging build quality; date, location, carrier, etc, is irrelevant. It's a mass produced product. As with ANY consumer product available today, there's going to be a few less than desirable units that slip through. Even best selling, rave review products.
Most of the reported issues with the 9700 can be fixed by the user. The wobbly trackpad can be fixed with the tape method, the light bleed can be fixed by reseating the keypad, the loose bezel can be fixed by squeezing it lightly but firmly where it's loose, the loose bottom nameplate can be fixed by making sure the tabs that hold it in are straight and also by using a strip of double sided tape, the battery cover is supposed to be tight fitting, as is the memory card. We don't want these things to fall off right?
The issues that would make me exchange my phone would be problems with the mainboard (call quality, bluetooth, reception, etc). Basically things that aren't fixable with parts or reloading the OS. I realize that some users want a perfect berry out of the box, but I personally don't mind taking the opportunity to become intimate with my berry and know how the components fit together. It helps incase something does go wrong down the line out of warranty (broken screen, keypad, bezel, etc).
I had FOUR 9700's before throwing in the towel and going back to my very solid 9000. All the fixes you mention should not have to be done on a new phone for the price paid. I don't except that at all! For my 9000, the only problem I had was a slightly loose battery door. All of the buttons and keyboard items were (and still are) perfect.
Here's the issues with my 9700 adventure:
PHONE 1: Keyboard was sticking out on the left side noticeably. The phone key had a sticky feel to it and a very loud, "I'm going to fall off soon" kind of click. Also, trackpad had issues where out of nowhere, it would scroll to the very top of the app I was working in. It was like the trackpad had a mind of its own at times. It did this in various lighting settings.
PHONE 2: Loose bezel. Also, keys were not consistent in pressure. One would be stiff and other loose.
PHONE 3: Another loose bezel. It was so loose that it made a clicking noise as I typed.
PHONE 4: Bezel still "clicky". Now on the right side! Not as noticeable, so I thought I was ok. Now, the trackpad was really crooked. On the top of the trackpad it was sunk in to the point where the whole trackpad was at an angle. This affected the clicking of the trackpad. Sometimes I got a good solid click, other times, nothing; both with mixed results.
The bottom line is that I expect more from RIM in a Blackberry. Is that unreasonable? Some of you have success stories, some of you don't. I think the 9700 has serious quality control issues. Instead of making the phone "sexy", how about making it solid. The 9000 has both of those aspects covered!
I may take the plunge another month or two down the road if the build quality issues are addressed. For now, I'm waiting for the Dakota.
110110 made in Hungary
my camera (right convenience key) gets stuck half way down.. so i don't have the two step focus/shoot function unless i pry the key up everytime..
This is very surprising. I have never had an issue with the build quality of any BB device I have ever owned. But I hear so many complaints about the build quality with a lot of the other devices. My BB came perfect to me - at least o think that it perfect. But really, as long as it works properly, I am fine. Actually, I am really impressed with the build quality off BBs. I have had other smartphones (HTC, Iphone) and they looked great, but were not durable. However, my old 8300 series BB is still in good shape after a few drops.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
241109 Hungary 2
My trackpad is a tiny little bit loose, but nothing I wouldn't be able to fix with a bit of tape or a new keyboard later down the track if it ever really annoys me. Apart from that - rock solid. Have dropped it 4 times already, each time from a decent height onto the stone floor - and always on the same spot, the upper right corner, whith out any protection. Can't see anything, not the slightest scratch or dent.
At the beginning I always thought I might exchange if it had faults, now I rather fix it myself, just for the fun of it and as nitewalker says, to get intimate with my 9700. I have paid the money for the phone without any contract a while ago - actually too long ago to whine and not take matters into my own capable hands.
I must of been one of the fortunate ones because I got mine on release day and even though it was made in Mexico, I haven't had any problems with mine.
Hmm i think i have the most ancient one, mine says 103009. So Oct,30,2009? Mine is perfect. No wobbly trackpad, no loose anything.
I think it is the luck of the draw, i mean on the boards you will only hear ppl who have issues with it (which is fine), but that is like what? 1000units out of 100,000 units?
