1. rimbuk's Avatar
    I have a feeling that this perticular design flaw may be the reason why RIM cannot program in a screen proximity detection to DIM the screen like the iPhone does when there's a large skin surface area next to the screen.
    there is no design flaw here. it doesn't need to be grounded at all. (although that's a funny theory)

    If it needed to be grounded none of the silicon cases(or otter box) would ever work, right?

    Btw, my storm works fine when I press the screen while it's lying flat on a desk here at work
    03-02-09 04:37 PM
  2. Yamo's Avatar
    Mine works fine by just touching the screen and nothing else. Now you guys can obsess about this just like the dust under the screen dudes. Oh yeah and the memory guys too.
    03-02-09 05:46 PM
  3. sdwc858's Avatar
    I don't know what any of you are talking about... mine works just fine on any surface... car mount... etc.

    Running 109
    same here. you must be crackedddd peoplee
    03-02-09 06:30 PM
  4. simmo77's Avatar
    I don't seem to have this problem either.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-02-09 06:37 PM
  5. havoc187's Avatar
    This used to happen to me before i updated my phone to .103/.109 now it works on any flat surface
    03-02-09 07:07 PM
  6. JRSCCivic98's Avatar
    there is no design flaw here. it doesn't need to be grounded at all. (although that's a funny theory)

    If it needed to be grounded none of the silicon cases(or otter box) would ever work, right?

    Btw, my storm works fine when I press the screen while it's lying flat on a desk here at work
    Perhaps "grounded" was the incorrect term to use, but it does need some kind of multipoint proximity in order for it to work.

    What I find more interesting is that "certain" people on this forum seem to have not commented on this perticular thread or others about the same subject.
    03-02-09 09:24 PM
  7. rholford's Avatar
    mine will work when i touch it if it's laying flat on my leg even on top of my pants or jeans but when laying on the coffee table or the couch it doesn't hardly respond unless i touch it somewhere else (side, top or bottom edge) or if i'm holding it... wierd.
    03-02-09 09:26 PM
  8. yapkuen's Avatar
    Out of curiosity, I tried operating my Storm just now with the battery cover off. I held the unit by the top and bottom (fingers were on the "chrome" bezel, which of course is plastic painted with metallic colored paint), no contact anywhere with any of the brass pins inside the battery compartment or any other metal component nearby. Touch screen worked like a charm. Interestingly enough, my screen is working much better right now lying flat on my desk (an Ikea desk, consisting mostly of reprocessed wood fiber packed into the shape of a desk) than it did the other night when I tried it on top of a hard cover book.
    03-03-09 02:53 AM
  9. Bla1ze's Avatar
    Mine does not respond when sitting on the couch, however when on a flat hard surface such as my computer desk it works fine by just touching the screen, OS is .109
    03-03-09 03:34 AM
  10. ryank311's Avatar
    In order for a capacitive touch screen to work, you must have a slight charge in your fingers to use the screen. Your phone actually conducts this charge to you when you hold it in your hand. The reason that t doesn't work if you aren't holding it is because your natural change isn't enough to register. If it is working without you holding it, this is because you have a residual charge. The phone works in a case because the case still transmits enough charge to register a touch.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-03-09 08:19 AM
  11. beermaker's Avatar
    Interesting. I'll bet that those little brass tabs that touch the inside of the battery cover are the grounding system for the touch screen. If those tabs don't touch the battery door, I'd bet the screen doesn't work right with touch detection.
    I don't have the same issue with the screen, but as an RF device--even though the key components have their own shielding, the case must serve as an additional shield. This is why the brass tabs ground the battery cover--and why the case is metal.

    I do have trouble if my skin is unusually dry (winter time in the midwest), but i couldn't duplicate your problems with my storm. (many apparently have, tho!)
    03-03-09 08:37 AM
  12. Devlyn16's Avatar
    Dev, you did the test all wrong. I never said anywhere in my posts that you should start with a dark screen nor that any clicking is involved. My findings is that if you use one finger and one finger only with the Storm (screen lit up) laying flat on fabric based materials (micro swade in my case) on a seat or a couch, that the screen selection via touch (blue highlight) will be very hard to register or not register at all. The instant any proximity happens to any part of the phone with another finger or body part (initially I thought it was just the door, but now it's anywhere on the phone really) the highlight touchscreen reaction is much better and back to normal.

    This does not mean put the phone flat in your lap and try to use it, I think the issue here is that there must be a very small and singular disruption of the field generated by the screen in order for you to see this problem. Any time you have grounding proximity from something else to the body of the phone, it'll work fine. I just find it interesting and wonder what exactly causes this and wanted others to see if their reacted the same way and it appears that it does.

    Yes I understand. But in attempt to get a consistant results and determine if the touch/"grounding" issue also affected the click I wanted to start with the screen off, which meant I had to click the screen to turn it on. In doing so I noticed I got a different result in in clicking the screen to turn it on using only 1 finger and not touching any other party of the phone, than if I turned it on while it was being held in my hand. Just like you described with just touching the phione with 1 finger.

    After the phone was in the "on" state with the light fully lit I tested the touch aspects and found similar results to what you reported. I then tried to click the lit Icons to see if with the screen lit the click would register (still one finger)

    I apologise if my posts weren't clear in this matter and also for the fact I left out that the lap pillow was on the desk for my tests as well.

    I post form works and sometimes can only compose half a thought everty 5-15 minutes , Sorry
    03-03-09 08:41 AM
  13. Briman's Avatar
    I need someone else to do this to be sure it's not just me. But, have you ever tried to put your Storm flat on a couch or a surface that's not grounded and then tried to use the screen on the Storm. It won't work. The only way to get it to work is if you use another finger and touch the back metal door and then it works fine. I'm wondering if there's some kind of grounding needed in order for the screen to function properly to touch. Just never noticed this before.
    This happens to me quite frequently. It's a bit annoying too. Rarely, it happens to me as you mention on a desk or couch but it happens ALL the time while my Strom is in my Arkon PDA mount in the car. The mount uses a vent clip and I leave my storm in its BB skin when mounted. The mount is plastic and there is most likely NO grounding. In this situation I can never get the touch screen to function. The only solution I have found is if I pull my storm out of the mount.

    Since its plastic, I thought my Arkon mount might have a static charge. Your couch might have a charge too. Such a charge might effectively "blind" my storms touch screen. When I get the ambition, I'm going to try spraying my mount with static guard to see if that resolves the issue.
    03-03-09 09:06 AM
  14. substring's Avatar
    Whenever I am charging my Storm, it is normally laying flat on the desk. The desk is made of wood, so conductivity is minimal. My chair is mainly leather and wood, so I don't think will conduct a whole lot either. If I have to use my Storm at that time, I will keep the phone on the desk. And I don't have any performance issue. I also tried not to touch the casing of the phone and touched the phone with one finger only. And Still, it worked just fine. I wonder if it is because of my "electrified" personality? ha ha. =)

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-03-09 09:25 AM
  15. _X_'s Avatar
    I need someone else to do this to be sure it's not just me. But, have you ever tried to put your Storm flat on a couch or a surface that's not grounded and then tried to use the screen on the Storm. It won't work. The only way to get it to work is if you use another finger and touch the back metal door and then it works fine. I'm wondering if there's some kind of grounding needed in order for the screen to function properly to touch. Just never noticed this before.
    Nope works fine here.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-03-09 09:34 AM
  16. JRSCCivic98's Avatar
    Yes I understand. But in attempt to get a consistant results and determine if the touch/"grounding" issue also affected the click I wanted to start with the screen off, which meant I had to click the screen to turn it on.
    The click system is separate from the digitizer. The issue I'm describing only affects the digitizer. If nothing is selected, then the click won't work either because they work hand in hand. Also, trying to click on a soft background could cause the click to not register sometimes (depends on how hard you press), not exactly what this is about, but thanks anyway.
    03-03-09 09:43 AM
  17. Ultrafied's Avatar
    The click system is separate from the digitizer. The issue I'm describing only affects the digitizer. If nothing is selected, then the click won't work either because they work hand in hand. Also, trying to click on a soft background could cause the click to not register sometimes (depends on how hard you press), not exactly what this is about, but thanks anyway.
    JRSCCivic, I am on 0.76 (yes, I know, old but dependable). I noticed this a while back when I would use the phone in my Bracketron car mount. I then
    tested it out lying flat on any surface, hard, soft, it didn't matter. What mattered was to get the touch screen to work I had to:
    1 - place my finger (lightly) on the back and then the touch screen would become responsive
    2 - have the phone plugged into a power supply (i.e. USB or wall/car charger). The touch screen would become predictable again.
    My lower buttons, phone, home, return and end would always work, but never the touch screen unless one of the 2 above conditions were met.
    03-03-09 03:20 PM
  18. JRSCCivic98's Avatar
    JRSCCivic, I am on 0.76 (yes, I know, old but dependable). I noticed this a while back when I would use the phone in my Bracketron car mount. I then
    tested it out lying flat on any surface, hard, soft, it didn't matter. What mattered was to get the touch screen to work I had to:
    1 - place my finger (lightly) on the back and then the touch screen would become responsive
    2 - have the phone plugged into a power supply (i.e. USB or wall/car charger). The touch screen would become predictable again.
    My lower buttons, phone, home, return and end would always work, but never the touch screen unless one of the 2 above conditions were met.
    Exactly my findings except now I can actually put another finger anywhere on the case of the Storm (even the edge/silver ring) and it works.
    03-03-09 03:27 PM
  19. Ultrafied's Avatar
    Woow ... you are right. I touched any corner, lightly and press the screen, it works. So why do you think they have this requirement?
    03-03-09 04:05 PM
  20. oifvet1967's Avatar
    Mine is naked (No case) and lay it flat on my leg, couch, table and it works just as if I was holding it. Weird...
    03-03-09 04:13 PM
  21. wakefield's Avatar
    mine works fine if i sit it on like the pillow on my bed or something it keeps switching between portrait and landscape on its own but thats about all


    yes mines the smae way works fine just switches back and forth between portriate and landscape
    03-03-09 04:29 PM
  22. sigtwenty's Avatar
    mine too. it needs to be held in some fashon most of the time.
    03-03-09 05:05 PM
  23. yellowzebra.'s Avatar
    My old storm used to do this. My new storm doesn't. o_o
    Last edited by yellowzebra.; 03-03-09 at 05:37 PM.
    03-03-09 05:35 PM
  24. Traider9750's Avatar
    It does have some thing to do with the little brass pins that touch the back of the storm case that helps it work better some of you said there is a delay that is why that newer ones you can't realy tell becuase it was inproved! just thought I would put my 2 cents in about this!
    03-03-09 05:48 PM
  25. DoctorNeutron's Avatar
    These comments refer ONLY to while charging. Later this evening I will report on while not charging. I have not tweaked my mounting screws and I run 4.7.0.75. However, I have finally inserted a nickel-sized felt pad (maybe a dime in thickness) in the center of my phone on its inside cover.

    While charging it flat, it works nominally with no hesitations.

    (I did read about somebody saying that their Storm's ringing sequence is altered when flat. I don' t agree or disagree. I have always assumed that VZN controls this sequence.)

    Well, after finishing up charging and waiting like 30 minutes, I lay my Storm flat and...it worked nominally with no
    hesitations - that is, AFTER coaxing it into portrait view. (No amount of screaming or magic incantations while it was
    lying flat seemed to make it go from landscape to portrait view - only picking it up, getting it into portrait view, and then
    carefully lying it flat still in portrait view worked!)

    Doctor Neutron
    Last edited by DoctorNeutron; 03-04-09 at 01:28 PM. Reason: added information
    03-03-09 05:52 PM
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