Blog Post: My Pocket PC Mishap

[Brad Isaac]

Well, I come to you dear reader on bended knee to confess my transgressions and describe the sorry state of my Pocket PC predicament. I'll start at the beginning: It was a dark and stormy night .... ok, that's not the start of my story. Actually it wasn't raining...yet. It was a hot sunny day when I went out into my backyard to move some flower pots around on the back deck. As I don't like to do heavy lifting with my trusty iPAQ 2215 in my Pocket, I removed it from my pocket and placed it on the railing of the deck.
While moving the pots around the deck, my lovely wife came outside and announced that it was time to go to dinner and that people were waiting on us. (As usual, I always like to start a big project 5 minutes before leaving the house for a big dinner or something). Anyway, we went off to dinner and had a great time, there was great food and conversation and a thunderstorm that made us happy to know that we were inside away from the elements.
We returned home later that night laughing about some of the stories the other guests told and grateful that one of us wasn't the one who ran the red light and totalled our car. I went to my computer to grab the iPAQ off the docking cradle and low and behold it wasn't there! :? I went to my wife and asked her what she did with my iPAQ because the only logical explanation as to why it wasn't in it's cradle was that perhaps she took and and hid it in the attic or perhaps out in the tool shed. Oh I know how the mind of a woman works -- I really do...
Well, after about 1/2 hour of searching, I started to really retrace my steps...then suddenly the horror of my situation began to unfold! I thought..."Oh no, please...I KNOW I didn't leave my iPAQ out on the back deck...did I?" It was still raining outside, but not as hard as it had rained during the thunderstorm. I went out back with a flashlight and looked. Sure enough, a glint of the screen was caught by the flashlight. I grabbed the Pocket PC and went inside with my head down and mouth full of apologies for accusing my wife of trading my iPAQ to her friends for Clay Aiken concert tickets. IT COULD HAPPEN!
Anyway, I immediately began to assess the damage. I removed the CF card from the slot and turned the iPAQ upside down and about 2 tablespoons of water poured out from the inside! Gently shaking the iPAQ produced even more water. I then started removing all the removable components - battery, back door slot, SD holder, etc. and drying them as best I could with a soft cloth.
I turned the unit upside down and placed it out in our hot garage so that it could (gulp!) drain. I left it there overnight in that dark, steaming garage...all alone. Then I went off to bed for a restless, nightmare filled sleep.
The next morning I awoke and immediately ran out to the garage to get the iPAQ. I replaced the battery and hit the power button. It actually fired up! I went into the office and plugged in the charger as I started going through the initial startup routine, it had obviously suffered a hard reset, but I didn't care. I ran iPAQ backup and started restoring from backup. It all miraculously took!
Believe it or not, I used the device probably 4 hours that day, reading, and listening to MP3s. It worked flawlessly.
Now fast forward 4 weeks. Prior to this incident, I had been having trouble with the toggle/joystick on the iPAQ. I used it all the time for ebook reading and web surfing. It just kept getting worse. Finally, about a week ago, the UP/Down toggle stopped working entirely. I called HP to see what could be done and they said "Send it in." Which I did.
I had totally forgotten about the thunderstorm project when that fateful call came early on Friday morning. It was HP on the phone. They said that the board inside the iPAQ had suffered "liquid" damage and that they wouldn't work on it under warranty service. The liquid damage comment really caught me off guard. I had no idea what to say...except to say "well the button didn't work prior to anything I might have done." DOH! The rep held to the company line: "Well we can't work on a device that has suffered liquid damage. But we can fix it if you'll pay for the new board."
I said. "Oh, Ok, well what will the charge be for that?" (Oh, how naive I was....)
He said. "$214.00"
I did a quick calculation and came to the conclusion I could get a new Dell for just $60 more than that. So I asked them to kindly put it back to the way it was and send it back to me.
So here I sit, no Pocket PC in hand. DHL is supposed to deliver the iPAQ sometime today, I will surely be away from the house for 5 minutes when they arrive so I'll have to drive 20 miles up to the distribution center -- it always seems to work that way... The Dell X30 I ordered isn't expected to be delivered until the 19th of this month. hmmm...I wonder why.

[Hantra]

B:
I'm sorry about your luck. But quite honestly, I would RATHER have left mine in the rain, than to find out my wife ganked it for some CLAY AIKEN tix!

[bkbroil]

Hey that's a good story....Good because the Ipaq is still working!.....I've done some crazy things with leaving things out in the rain....Thank God it's never been my PPC...
Hey -- there's a sliver at the bottom that caught my attention!

The Dell X30 I ordered isn't expected to be delivered until the 19th of this month

So you ordered an X30! Did you get a good deal on it? What made you decide to take the plunge?

[knelson]

I am delivering a Dell to a customer today... seems lilke a good unit.

[Brad Isaac]

Originally Posted by bkbroil

So you ordered an X30! Did you get a good deal on it? What made you decide to take the plunge?

Thanks BK, I took the plunge on the X30 for several reasons. One is that yes I got a good deal on it -- $320 delivered. Plus, it has the built in WiFi, Bluetooth and fast processor. Plus, I needed something quick (or so I thought) that would be in the $300 price range. I hadn't budgeted for this mishap so I couldn't go as high as a Toshiba e800 or other VGA PPC.

[jkendrick]

Brad,
Kudos for coming clean and not trying to pawn off a "I upgraded to a new Dell solely because I got a good deal on it".
You'll like the Dell- seems to have just about everything and for that price how can you go wrong? Liquid damage is probably the worst thing that can happen to one of these gadgets. Even if electronics dry out thorougly and seem to work I've heard too many horror stories of problems that develop weeks and months later that are probably the result of the water intrusion.

[ctitanic]

Well that's one of the problems that I always see with Dell. You ordered one and it's like your ordered a pizza, well it isn't the same, because to prepare and cook a pizza takes may be 40 mins, and with Dell to make a PPC takes sometime up to 45 days.

[sracer]

Originally Posted by ctitanic

Well that's one of the problems that I always see with Dell. You ordered one and it's like your ordered a pizza, well it's the same because to prepare and cook a pizza takes may be 40 mins, and with Dell to make a PPC takes sometime up to 45 days.

Yep... they process Axim orders the same as if someone ordered a mainframe.
When I ordered my Axim I couldn't believe how archaic the process was.

[mobilexile]

Bummer, Brad. Sorry to hear of your luck. Did your wife buy the tix to make you feel better?

[Brad Isaac]

Thanks for the comments...
The iPAQ came back from HP yesterday. It still powers up and works well. They, reversed the toggle/joystick so now up/down works, but right to left doesn't. At least I'll be able to read ebooks until the Dell arrives. Think I would have had more luck ordering on the phone? The order is still "in process" and has been since Friday of last week. Hasn't budged at all :?
sracer, the mainframe comment is great. It is just like that huh?
My wife would kill me for telling you, but she and her friends DID go see that concert and paid good money to do so. And before you ask, NO, I stayed at home and had a pizza party/ Lord of the Rings viewing with the kids.

[knelson]

Brad -
If you went to see Clay Atkins - well I am not sure what your future would be here on the net...
BTW, the Axium I ordered through Premiere took almost 5 weeks. I was told that they do not stock any.

[Brad Isaac]

Well, if ever I inadvertently end up at one of his shows I can always use the excuse that we are Alumni of the same college and it's my duty to support my peers...but that's stretching I know :roll:
They don't stock any?!?! You mean I get a custom built unit? :P

[kamikun]

(sorry, read that story and the following popped into my head)
...Brad Issac's iPaq is melting in the back
All the forms, and data flowing down
Someone left the iPaq out in the rain
I don't think that I can take the fall
'Cause the programs took so long to install
And I'll never have one tweaked like that again
Oh, no! ...
/apologies to the late Sir Richard.
with props from another "liquid damage" survivor :?

[knelson]

custom built just for you... luckily it is not by the dell dude cause he was a stoner.

[Brad Isaac]

Nice, the first "Low Rider" Axim...