Help Power button an issue? Power & volume design

[rushmore]

Folks, seems the power button may be the weak spot on the D3. All devices tend to have one and the Droid 3 may be no exception. I mentioned it a few times, but the design and some multiple attempts to wake it give me concern.

That said, the device itself is easily the most stable phone I have ever used or owned and did not require rooting to be this way. Besides the wrongly released Netflix app from the other day, I have had zero reboots and the D3 has been very stable and still no glaring lag issues.

I can not see the device being any better with 1gb, so no harm no foul, in that regard.

Surprised nobody during ergonomics evaluation to did not consider the power and volume button design being a potential issue. They are too thin and conflict with an otherwise fantastic device.

One other issue is the keyboard comes out of closed position too easy, but that is a small quibble.

Anybody else concerned about how reliable the power button will be?

 

[Schreiber]

I'm not too considered about reliability, but I definitely found it annoying. Used to it now, but it should've been designed better.

 

[imnotmikal]

I see no problem with the power button, personally.

When I use it one-handed, I have no problem hitting it, or any of the buttons for that matter.

And when I'm using the keyboard, simply sliding the keyboard out wakes the phone, so no need for the button at that point.

 

[obstar85]

I have adopted to it quickly but much like the OG Droid if the buttons not fitting my sausage fingers is my biggest concern than I am a very happy man. I have noticed that with the case on it seems to help a little bit with pushing them but it makes it a pain to hold down both volumes at one time.

 

[Barbara]

It's not a solution to the original design problem but I got the silicone gel case today and it has raised "buttons" for power and volume. Much easier to hit. I do have a warning to go with this: I thought I was ordering the black case. I got the hot pink. I'm not a "hot pink" kind of girl but since I am a girl, I can live with it. I'll get a black case when it becomes available and be one of these geeks that changes the cover depending on what I'm wearing. I'm keeping the pink case because I'm a klutz. I consider it insurance. Anyway, if you order the silicone gel case from Verizon, make sure it says "black" on the order form before you hit submit.

 

[rushmore]

I may need to invest in one, since the power button to me is an issue and the only weak issue worth the device.

Always weary of losing some signal with cases.

 

[beowulf7]

I don't mind that the power button or the volume rockers don't extend too far. That way, I won't accidentally hit it.

It's not a solution to the original design problem but I got the silicone gel case today and it has raised "buttons" for power and volume. Much easier to hit. I do have a warning to go with this: I thought I was ordering the black case. I got the hot pink. I'm not a "hot pink" kind of girl but since I am a girl, I can live with it. I'll get a black case when it becomes available and be one of these geeks that changes the cover depending on what I'm wearing. I'm keeping the pink case because I'm a klutz. I consider it insurance. Anyway, if you order the silicone gel case from Verizon, make sure it says "black" on the order form before you hit submit.

Can you give the link of where you ordered your case from? TIA and I hope I don't get a hot pink one otherwise there goes my man card!

 

[Barbara]

I don't mind that the power button or the volume rockers don't extend too far. That way, I won't accidentally hit it.


Can you give the link of where you ordered your case from? TIA and I hope I don't get a hot pink one otherwise there goes my man card!

It's from the Verizon website:

Set Your Location

It's about half way down the page.

They don't have any black right now. Even if you switch the color to black and the picture of it is black, when you add it to the cart and go to check out, you'll see that it says pink in the order. I keep checking for the black because I will order one of those too when they are available.

 

[aostang]

K over and DL mentioned the power button was a big annoyance to him. I haven't had any problems with mine and don't see a problem with it. I did mention the slider being too easy to pop open, though, and he completely agreed that this thing stands little chance of not getting more and more loose over the next 2 years. I don't think it needed to lock in place as hard as the open position does, but I think it needs a little more resistance than what is already there. It might be able to be remedied by a few layers of electrical tape at the "top"-back of the screen (when looking at it in landscape mode), but until it actually becomes a real problem I'm not going to start experimenting with shimming it. Should probably work when the time comes, though.

 

[rushmore]

K over and DL mentioned the power button was a big annoyance to him. I haven't had any problems with mine and don't see a problem with it. I did mention the slider being too easy to pop open, though, and he completely agreed that this thing stands little chance of not getting more and more loose over the next 2 years. I don't think it needed to lock in place as hard as the open position does, but I think it needs a little more resistance than what is already there. It might be able to be remedied by a few layers of electrical tape at the "top"-back of the screen (when looking at it in landscape mode), but until it actually becomes a real problem I'm not going to start experimenting with shimming it. Should probably work when the time comes, though.

Agreed. The slider seems too loose. I am very surprise they missed some key erogonomic points with the power & volume buttons and the slider.

Still, the power button is very annoying to me and stick to my feeling it could be a main failure point for the D3.

 

[beowulf7]

It's from the Verizon website:

Set Your Location

It's about half way down the page.

They don't have any black right now. Even if you switch the color to black and the picture of it is black, when you add it to the cart and go to check out, you'll see that it says pink in the order. I keep checking for the black because I will order one of those too when they are available.

Oh, thanks, that's the case I saw at the VZW store the last couple times I've been there. I didn't know that was "silicone". I'm still looking for something w/ a holster and the saleswoman today showed me one for a Droid X2 that she says exists for Droid 3 and there supposedly was 1 in her store but she couldn't locate it. I think I'll get that when they get more shipments of it since it has the holster (and also a kickstand to watch videos on the phone while it's resting).

 

[superflybribri]

I have been having trouble with the power button use to wake the device up from sleep but then one day I accidentally hit the volume rocker instead and that wakes it up too. I thought that my problem was solved until I later found out that this does not always work, only sometimes and I am not sure when. Would have been nice to use that to wake the screen up as the location is more comfortable to me.

 

[aostang]

I have been having trouble with the power button use to wake the device up from sleep but then one day I accidentally hit the volume rocker instead and that wakes it up too. I thought that my problem was solved until I later found out that this does not always work, only sometimes and I am not sure when. Would have been nice to use that to wake the screen up as the location is more comfortable to me.

There has been discussion on the Moto forums asking to make this a permanent feature, but it's not known if it will be possible because it's been speculated that the volume rockers only actually wake the phone when the phone is already in an awake/screen off state, which you really don't want you phone always sitting like that because your battery will be dead in 4-6 hours.

 

[rushmore]

Be nice if the volume button could be used as well. I am thinking the power button might be challenged to make it one year, yet alone two. The design is too thin and seems there is not enough spread out pressure displacement, since it is so thin. This should have been caught and sticks out for an otherwise fantastic device.

Now that we have a working FM radio, the only issue for me is the power button.

 

[aostang]

Be nice if the volume button could be used as well. I am thinking the power button might be challenged to make it one year, yet alone two. The design is too thin and seems there is not enough spread out pressure displacement, since it is so thin. This should have been caught and sticks out for an otherwise fantastic device.

Now that we have a working FM radio, the only issue for me is the power button.

If you use the slide-out keyboard frequently, no need to power-on with it at least. Popping out the keyboard wakes the phone. There are also a plethora of widgets that can power off the phone. Between the two of those you'd rarely need to use the power button. Also, if the keyboard is out, any key on the keyboard will wake the phone.

Hmm.. now that I think about it, if any key on the keyboard wakes it up, I really don't know why the volume rocker is only doing it part of the time..

 

[Frisco]

I see no problem with the power button, personally.

When I use it one-handed, I have no problem hitting it, or any of the buttons for that matter.

And when I'm using the keyboard, simply sliding the keyboard out wakes the phone, so no need for the button at that point.

Same here. ^^^^^^

 

[aostang]

Same here. ^^^^^^

I personally don't have an issue with the power button, either. I do see what some people are saying though, where the actual switch under the button is centered on the button and does not trigger if you push the extreme left or right of the button (in portrait orientation)m instead just having it dip down. If you slide along the button from side to side without applying enough pressure to actually trigger the switch, you'll see what I mean.

I guess I just have no problem hitting it dead center 99% of the time.

 

[Frisco]

I see what you mean. It's just that I'm coming off a Samsung Fascinate, which has the power button on the upper right of the device, and I was always accidentally pressing it when moving the phone from holster etc.

The top power button seems like a Godsend to me, after that for a year.

 

[aostang]

I see what you mean. It's just that I'm coming off a Samsung Fascinate, which has the power button on the upper right of the device, and I was always accidentally pressing it when moving the phone from holster etc.

The top power button seems like a Godsend to me, after that for a year.

Some people have complained about it being centered, but I'm with you on this one.