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holster's magnet triggering phone

T

ThisIsMyAlias

Lurker
The Droid is my first smartphone. I think holsters are pretty lame, but the cases I've tried for it so far add too much bulk that I could never comfortably keep it in my pants' pocket. So I bought a hip holster and when I put the phone in it and close it, the magnet that keeps the holster closed triggers the phone's docking screen (it switches to the alarm clock). Eventually the phone goes back into sleep mode though. And when I go to pull it out of the holster, the magnet triggers the screen back on (and usually leaves the phone at the car dock screen - but not always).

Is this just something I (we) will have to live with? Do I have to worry about it harming the phone? (Magnets and electronics have always been a no-no as far as I know).

Thanks for the help. I look forward to participating on this forum a lot.
 
I have no clue as to the turnng on and off issue.

I do know that the magnet in my holster has done nothing to my G1. I have had the holster for a year now and no issues.
 
Its a droid specific issue. By placing magnets on the back (as the car and multimedia docks do) switches between the different modes, the only thing I could suggest is turning it around the other way if it'll fit.
 
Had the same problem. Had to return the case I bought at best buy. Either direction woke the droid up when put in the case. Heck, it woke up as I passed by the open lid's magnet. I imagine this would kill the battery really quickly if left in the case like this. Might even cause it to overheat. Can't use a magnetic case with the droid. Shame on Best Buy for suggesting one to me.

Picked up a case made especially for the droid at the Verizon store today. Fits great and uses velcro. It's really thin and look pretty slick.
 
I dont have my Droid yet but this is a problem with most newer smartphones that use magnet triggers. I went through 6 different case with my Touch Pro 2 recently and every one with a magnet triggers the phones keyboard sliding mechanism everytime it passes the magnet, waking the phone and in the end killing the battery and causing severe heat issues. I had to finally settle on a case from Walmart with no flap and no magnets. I had assumed the Droid will be the same way and it sounds like thats correct.

Why other manufactures dont adopt sleeper magnets like BlackBerry I will never understand. BlackBery pwns in that department. I have to holster my phone and I dont want it waking up unless I take it out and tell it to!

P.S. I should add that I use a hands free kit with with my phone every day and do most things while the phone is holstered.
 
GrandMasterB said:
Why other manufactures dont adopt sleeper magnets like BlackBerry I will never understand. BlackBery pwns in that department. I have to holster my phone and I dont want it waking up unless I take it out and tell it to!
Click to expand...

Totally agree there. That is one nice feature of BB
 
ditto.... there's no reason not to do it... and 100's of reasons why this newfangled magnet system should never be done without it!
 
ThisIsMyAlias said:
The Droid is my first smartphone. I think holsters are pretty lame, but the cases I've tried for it so far add too much bulk that I could never comfortably keep it in my pants' pocket. So I bought a hip holster and when I put the phone in it and close it, the magnet that keeps the holster closed triggers the phone's docking screen (it switches to the alarm clock). Eventually the phone goes back into sleep mode though. And when I go to pull it out of the holster, the magnet triggers the screen back on (and usually leaves the phone at the car dock screen - but not always).

Is this just something I (we) will have to live with? Do I have to worry about it harming the phone? (Magnets and electronics have always been a no-no as far as I know).

Thanks for the help. I look forward to participating on this forum a lot.
Click to expand...

I have the same issue. I was using my work's Blackberry 8830 holster, and the magnet is turning on the phone's display by itself. And here I was wondering why the battery is running out so fast.
 
Need to use a velcro holster. I got a great one at the verizon store made specifically for the droid. Love it. Looks great. Perfect fit. Very thin.

John
 
On a side note, I noticed in my quick start guide for HTC Magic:

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR RF EXPOSURE
Avoid using your phone near metal structures (for example, the
steel frame of a building).
Avoid using your phone near strong electromagnetic sources,
such as microwave ovens, sound speakers, TV and radio.
Use only original manufacturer-approved accessories, or
accessories that do not contain any metal.
Use of non-original manufacturer-approved accessories may
violate your local RF exposure guidelines and should be
avoided.
Click to expand...

Not sure if the magnet would be ceramic or metal so who knows.
 
I admit, the definition I've used: Ceramic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, is too narrow. However, ferrites are not your typical ceramics. In terms of shielding and electromagnetic interactions, they behave similarly to ferromagnetic metals, such as iron, nickel, cobalt and gadolinium, and their alloys.
 
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