[angkorbeer]

Hi,

I've been experiencing this bug since prior to the 2.1 os update:
Regularly, when I pick up the tablet and turn on the screen, the display will be all meesed up. Sometimes, all the colors display like a negative film. At other times, the scrren only displays vertical colored bars. (I tried to take snapshots, but the pictures turn out normal...)
Turning the screen off and back on seems to fix it. ...so far anyways.

I was hoping this would go away with the update, but it didn't.

Is this a known bug ?
Do you think it's a case for returning the tablet before it gets worse ?

I'd appreciate some input. Thanks.

[diegonei]

If a reboot and an OS update didn't fix it, yes, take it back if you can.

[angkorbeer]

If a reboot and an OS update didn't fix it, yes, take it back if you can.

Even though I can't say I didn't ask, I was very afraid someone would answer that. This is exactly the kind of bug you get at home, then you send the tablet for repair, they look at it briefly and don't experience any problem, but it starts again once they've shipped it back to you saying they couldn't find anything...

[smt64]

I have similar issues - particularly the 'negative' screen colours, but also 'blank' screen with vertical lines which disables any screen function including gestures, and random, intermittent total loss of screen brightness. I contacted BB support. After taking me through an OS reinstall (which failed to address the problem) they have arranged a return for repair. I'll send the unit back next week and keep my fingers crossed. They gave the usual "we've never come across this issue before" but it is clearly a regular PB "issue" as I've seen another forum post describing the same symptoms.

[angkorbeer]

Thanks smt64,

I was contemplating attempting an OS wipe, but your experience indicates that it is likely a hardware issue. Darn it! Unless they outright exchange for a new unit, which I doubt they would do, I don't see the end of this...

I guess I'll try and document the problem before sending it, by taking videos with a different camera, so at least they can't say I'm imagining all of it.

[diegonei]

Shot a video of the issue and attach it. That's how I got @BlackBerryHelp's attention to miss Bing maps issue.

But from what I see here, RIM's tech support is quite efficient.

[angkorbeer]

Shot a video of the issue and attach it. That's how I got @BlackBerryHelp's attention to miss Bing maps issue.

But from what I see here, RIM's tech support is quite efficient.

Good to hear.

I've never had to deal with RIM before, but I'm going with experience from different other defective devices in the past: If your problem is not well known and easily identifiable, they often tend to act as if you're imagining it up...

[angkorbeer]

Well, it just happened again, and I could shoot a short video. I'll wait for more instances so I can get more evidence, then I'll contact them for sure.

[angkorbeer]

smt64,

Do you have some kind of reference to your communications with RIM that I could eventually add to my assistance request? This way they wouldn't start from nothing.

[smt64]

Hi there, just noticed you sent me a private email too but thought I'd post a reply here as it may be of use to others. Have a look at this thread on BB support forums - this is where I found the other reference to the problem. The guy returned his device and the screen appeared to have been replaced: Playbook Randomly inverts colours when taken off s... - BlackBerry Support Community Forums

I'd include this link with your support request - it shows two other PB owners with the same issue.

Before BB support went through the OS reinstall they requested a screenshot taken while the problem was happening (specifically the blank screen with vertical lines when touch-screen functions are disabled). Like yours the screenshot looks normal so I took a picture of the screen with my camera as well and sent the two images. I've had a couple of issues dealt with by BB support and they've always been conscientious and communicative. I'm optimistic they'll sort out the issue, whether that's replacing the existing screen or whatever.

I'll post when I get the unit back. FedEx will be picking it up Tuesday - should have it back within a couple of weeks.

[kenorian]

Had the same symptoms very rarely before the latest upgrade. Happening much more frequently now.....

[angkorbeer]

Thanks a lot, smt64, you're being very helpful.

And, me too, it's happening randomly but more frequently.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

honestly, as with most software problems dont waste your time. if the device is less than a year old take it back and tell them its not working. if they ask did you do a software reload etc say yes. they will then proceed to go ahead with the warenty process. dont waste your time tinkering around because its not your fault the device doesnt work. those that arent signed up for these forums dont waste their time why should you. if its out of warenty thats a different story.

[smt64]

Just got got 'my' PB back. They replaced the whole unit, so I'm very happy.

Interestingly, the new PB works much better than the old one. It had never been particularly quick and was significantly laggy with a lot of actions but as I didn't have anything to compare against and because everything worked, I just presumed that the PlayBook hardware was not quite powerful enough to handle the demands of the software.

Obvious differences are:
Boot up in 2 minutes, as opposed to 4 - 5 minutes
Battery, wi-fi, bluetooth etc icons appear instantly when touched, as opposed to 10 seconds plus
Browser drop-down bar appears instantly rather than 10 seconds plus

Makes me wonder how many other PlayBooks owners out there are suffering the same laggy under-performance. I also wonder whether the reason they replaced the whole unit was because they noticed the unit was generally under-performing, or maybe simply that they have a lot of un-sold stock and it's easier just to replace faulty units. In the case of the guy with the same screen issue on the BB support forums they appear to have replaced the screen as the case had the original serial number.

Anyway, hope this helps, Angkorbeer, good luck with your case.

[zorecati]

Even though I can't say I didn't ask, I was very afraid someone would answer that. This is exactly the kind of bug you get at home, then you send the tablet for repair, they look at it briefly and don't experience any problem, but it starts again once they've shipped it back to you saying they couldn't find anything...

To be honest, this sounds more like a hardware issue than a software bug.

[angkorbeer]

Just got got 'my' PB back. They replaced the whole unit, so I'm very happy.
(...)
Anyway, hope this helps, Angkorbeer, good luck with your case.

Good news. I haven't gotten around to contacting them yet, but I will in the next few days.

It's surprising though : another poster with the exact same problem also sent it back, but RIM returned his unit w/o repairing it, saying they couldn't find anything... (See here, http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...aybook-708237/ , GTIFFANY's post.)
In any case, I'll make sure to tell them about your experience when I contact them.

Thanks again !

[smt64]

It's surprising though : another poster with the exact same problem also sent it back, but RIM returned his unit w/o repairing it, saying they couldn't find anything...

The inconsistency from BB support in dealing with what seems to be the same issue is a bit worrying. I can only recommend that you make sure you send them images of the issue, both a screen-shot when the problem occurs and a digital photo of the PB screen demonstrating the problem, with a thorough and detailed description of what happens and when. I'm sure you would do that anyway.

Given that my new PB performs so much quicker than my old one (boot time, swipe down etc) I'm suspicious that the unit had more general issues than just the faulty screen, which may have contributed to their decision to replace rather than repair.

Anyway, good luck! Please post here when you have news.

[angkorbeer]

So, I finally got around to calling RIM's customer support about this. (I really had to by then: The screen was becoming impossible to turn on. Whereas, at first, the problem occurred randomly and a simple turn-off-and-on or two took care of it, it has become increasingly frequent and increasingly difficult to get the screen to work properly. And the last 2 days, I had to turn on and off so many times that I simply quit...)

In any case, the person at the other end of the phone said I had to do an OS wipe before anything; that if I didn't they might reject my request for repairs/exchange off the bat.
So now, I wait until it's installed anew and then I test it to see if the problem's still there. If so, I contact them again, at which point I hope they simply send me a box.

I'll be back for updates.

[Mercury]

Great... I'm having the same problem... http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...aybook-753036/

[FF22]

Good luck. I had to Debrick and run the battery down completely twice - my issue was power loss in Standby. They exchanged it for a new unit after I completed those steps.

[angkorbeer]

So, story short, they're sending a box.
Re-installing didn't solve the problem, which reappeared right at 1st launch.

Anyways, I thought I'd add that the two guys I spoke with were super helpful and patient. Also, I asked for service in French and that wasn't a problem. Not that I'm not proficient in English, but when you're discussing technical details on the phone and they're giving you instructions and all, you don't want to be stumbling on vocabulary.
(And that's something I can't say for other Canadian institutions, such as the RBC for example. I've been their "customer" --more like their milking cow-- for over 20 years and they sometimes put me on the phone or in an office with someone who can barely understand my questions...)

Hopefully, it'll go on like that. But I have to say that, so far, it looks good.

[Mercury]

Ya i backed up and debricked my playbook last night, it was fine on the initial load and didn't appear to have any issues, went through the setup and it downloaded a small patch and it was fine, and then I restored my backup and then woke up this morning and tried it and boom the issue came back. I'm wondering if there is a piece of software that is causing this bug. I have too many apps and things to test out 1 by 1, but I think it's a software glitch that is causing this issue.

[angkorbeer]

In my case, the problem reoccurred before I could install any app or anything. So it's more likely hardware.

[FF22]

Ya i backed up and debricked my playbook last night, it was fine on the initial load and didn't appear to have any issues, went through the setup and it downloaded a small patch and it was fine, and then I restored my backup and then woke up this morning and tried it and boom the issue came back. I'm wondering if there is a piece of software that is causing this bug. I have too many apps and things to test out 1 by 1, but I think it's a software glitch that is causing this issue.

One smaller test if you have the patience. Debrick again but don't restore for a few hours or a day or two and see if it happens without the restoration. Good luck

[Mercury]

@angkorbeer I'm going to take F2's suggestion and run with it. I can live without the apps and media for a few days. And from there I should know if it is a software issue or hardware and then contact RIM seeing as my Playbook is 1.5yrs old, not like I have a time issue to get back to RIM.