Yesterday my husband’s N770 somehow got turned off. He went to turn it on and there it was…the White Screen of Death. I tried turning it back off and it did eventually. When I turned it back on the WSOD was gone, but the screen colors and letters bled together. Reflashing the device the device didn’t help. His screen is dying. So today I will start the tedious task of getting it fixed. According to this excerpt from Nokia’s warranty section on the N770:
The limited warranty for the Product extends for ONE (1) year beginning on the date of the purchase of the Product. This one year period is extended by each whole day that the Product is out of your possession for repair under this warranty.
Despite every precaution…
So in spite of every precaution, the screen failure seems unavoidable for some tablets. My daughter is terrified that hers is the next to go. I hope hers doesn’t since she enjoys it so much. Then again, maybe it should fail while early in the warranty period. Wish me luck and I will keep track of the repair experience here on the blog.
Moderator’s note: I wonder if some stores will let you purchase an extended buyer’s protection plan for the N770, even if you didn’t originally. By the way, the above appeared originally in Ellen’s blog, where you’ll also find a discussion of the pros and cons of the DT375 tablet as an e-reading device. – DR
I was never convinced by reading Dr Hage’s article on how to prevent WSOD that her methods constituted anything other than voodoo.
If the problem is a bad batch of chips (or the wiring to those chips) then how you install your software isn’t going to make a huge difference, is it?
In theory turning the device off would, when it was powered back up again, result in a surge of electricity over these faulty connectors or through these botched chips, and this might, might, cause them to break and give you WSOD.
But she offered no evidence, not even of a study based on statistics (“90% of devices using my techniques suffer no WSOD whereas only 80% of devices not using my techniques suffer it” or the like), indicating that her methods work.
I was reminded of similar voodoo used in the PC world. Some of the tricks turned out to be worthwhile, but most turned out to be simply superstitions.
Anyway, my condolences to Dr Hage. It’s always a sad time when a much-used device becomes unusable. In the case of an e-reading device, you don’t just lose one book, you lose your bookshelf, your very ability to read in the situations and settings (waiting around in line, for example) that you came to cherish.
I hope the technicians fix and return the 770 promptly.
Hi, Pond. Many thanks for your comments. Ellen issued a strong disclaimer, in her original piece, that she was not some great tech guru on these matters. In fact, I suspect that part of her reason for sharing her thoughts was to get feedback from others. So thanks for offering it, and never, never hesitate to speak up to question anything. In fact, I know that both Ellen and I would have welcomed some earlier skepticism from you on her WoSD post. We do our best, but the Teleblog is an effort at truth-seeking, as opposed to saying, “X is always right.” No gospel here! I myself certainly am grateful to readers for pointing out when I’m wrong on factual matters. Readers’ comments are part of the blog, not something outside it. Back to Ellen. She certainly was quick to point to information contradicting her original thinking. To me that is no small indicator of integrity, which counts just as much if not more than technical knowledge.
Thanks,
David
Ellen Hage made some comments that vanished because of database problems. I’m restoring them below. Sorry, Ellen. – DR
Pond,
I wasn’t out to convince you one way or another. My intent was to help people install applications with the least amount of hassle. I advised against hacking because unless done right it can brick a device. I also know from my own experience that gadget failure is usually operator error. I also said that in order to avoid gettting the WSOD, don’t turn the device off. I have never practiced Voodoo and when I make any statement it is based on my experience and knowledge. With that said, I have no need for stats. If you read my post that I posted on my blog, (not here. What I discovered here was what David decided on his own to take from my site) I said I am not a Linux person, programmer and that really my information was offered, not to taken as the gospel. I would have welcomed your opinion on my blog where I could have answered you directly.
Ellen
hi nice post, i enjoyed it