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How to Avoid Breaking the Streak LCD or Gorilla Glass and What to Do If You Have a Broken Streak
Hi Folks,
A lot of customers have been reaching out to my team with questions regarding their broken Streak, so I thought I would post this to help answer some specific questions.
Having the Right Expectations
Unfortunately, a lot of folks have the wrong expectation of how resilient the Streak is to damage. If you read the fine print regarding Gorilla Glass, it is advertised as being resistant to scratches. However, the Gorilla Glass does not protect the Streak from damage caused by applying unusual pressure or dropping the unit. As one of the forum users put it, the Gorilla Glass is not bullet-proof.
How to Avoid Breaking Streak LCD or Gorilla Glass
Most of the customers I've communicated with either dropped or sat on the Streak and damaged either the LCD and/or the Gorilla Glass. I highly recommend a carrying case. It's not a good idea to carry in your pocket either. Contrary to some marketing materials I've seen, although it is "pocket-size", I would not recommend carrying it in your pant pockets. I have also seen Streaks broken when dropped anywhere from 2 to 4 feet onto carpeted flooring or vehicle floorboards. Although that is surprising, I've heard that if it is dropped so that the unit hits the ground at the exact spot where the glass meets the body of the unit, this can cause severe damage to either the LCD or the Gorilla Glass. Bottom line, I don't recommend carrying the unit in your pant pockets, invest in a protective case and keep it in a secure place at all times to avoid damage. Remember that you want to treat the unit more like a mobile computing device (i.e. tablet, laptop, etc.) rather than a mobile phone.
Is LCD or Gorilla Glass Damage Covered Under the Standard Warranty?
Damage to Dell Streak LCD screens or Gorilla Glass is not covered under the Dell hardware warranty, as this is considered accidental damage. If you receive your Streak and it has damage out of the box, please report this immediately to the party that sold it to you to obtain a replacement. Currently, Dell does not offer accidental insurance coverage for the Streak (neither do some of the 3rd party resellers and service providers). It is something we are considering in the future. Further, we do not have a service or parts replacement solution for damaged LCDs or Gorilla Glass. The unit would have to be completely replaced at the customer's expense.
If you wish to further discuss your situation, please contact the Dell Mobile Devices at 1-800-308-3355 (US) or 0844 444 3244 (UK) and ask to speak to a supervisor.
UPDATE 5/30/11: Dell now offers Complete Care coverage for the Streak at point of sale.
My Personal Experience
I've had two test units for a few months and my 2 year old son has gotten a hold of each of them and dropped them more than once. So far, there are no scratches or other damage. I still would not recommend allowing your two-year old access. ;) I typically keep them both on a flat surface (desk, dining table or night stand) or in the outside zippered fabric compartment of my purse. Neither one of them has a protective case. I typically put them in the provided fabric cover. My usage time is probably nowhere near the same as a customer who uses the Streak daily as their main phone device.
What If I Haven't Purchased a Streak Yet, Should I be Concerned?
The risk you take as a consumer is that if you break the LCD or Gorilla Glass, the only resolution at this time is total replacement at the customer's cost. We currently do not carry specific parts nor do we provide service that would fix damaged LCDs or Gorilla Glass. I would recommend factoring that into your purchase decision and take steps to ensure your Streak is well protected.
I hope that information helps to clear up any questions you may have. Otherwise, please feel free to reply to this post with additional questions.
Thanks,
Amy
Joey_Jojo
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November 17th, 2010 16:00
So Dell is suggesting not to put the Streak in a pocket, yet bills it as a "pocket tablet"? Nice...
dumavi2
14 Posts
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November 17th, 2010 17:00
Hi Amy.........From my experience I recommend the protection afforded by the plastic case that Dell sells for handling and also a leather case with reinforced cover as the pictures that I attached below. I never pull out my Streak to plastic case!!!!!!....and I never answer the phone taking it by hand, always do with Bluetooth headset, which is of great use for this purpose. My phone has not had a drop and hope it never happens, but before I had a Dell Axim X3 and on behalf of a fall from 1 meter in height have broken screen and had no settlement.
Amy, my Streak baseband is OEM GAUSB1A111231, kernel version is 2.6.29-perf, version number is 6601 and firmware is 1,6.
When Dell enable server to recognize my Streak and then I can update to Froyo 2.2? :emotion-6:
nsaspooks
70 Posts
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November 19th, 2010 04:00
If you never buy the streak then its guaranteed that you won't have any trouble with the streak, or it's hardware or software. Sadly Dell forget to mention this in their advertising, I wonder why! :emotion-2:
Daisai
13 Posts
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November 19th, 2010 07:00
Another reason to avoid damage to a screen is to release the 2.2 update already, so users wont bash in their dell streak out of frustration.
Anonymous
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November 19th, 2010 07:00
Dear Amy,
As much as we all appreciate your position, surely as a consumer you are aware and so are your superiors that not offering replacement parts or repair service at an affordable price is an unnaceptable situation, especially for such a corporation as Dell.
While it won't affect your sales figures and only slightly pinch on dell's reputation it is shameful and very unprofessional to offer no other solution to a broken screen or glass.
In essence what you are selling is a disposable piece of kit that costs as much as an iPad.
Your marketing is flawed as it's advertised as a pocket device, your release dates are mismanaged - that's device release dates as well as OS updates, you offer no repair service and you even censor your forum.
As a Dell Streak owner I fail to use this MID proudly, since there is so much that keeps going wrong with the chain of command at Dell.
I can only hope that this message goes all the way up to Michael as it represents an opinion of most Dell Streak users.
Kind Regards
Mike
Anonymous
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November 19th, 2010 08:00
Aldo,
The short answer is that Dell doesn't offer repair service or parts. If the LCD is fine you can search for a replacement glass at a third party (they normally do glass for iphones). You can also plead with your phone supplier (ATT, O2 or Carphone Warehouse).
Mike
aldo-bm
21 Posts
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November 19th, 2010 08:00
Hi Amy,
Will there be any parts for replacement? (gorilla glass)
From where can I buy these?
Thank you for your time
Best regards
Aldo
Anonymous
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November 19th, 2010 10:00
one more you could try - globaldirectparts.com
aldo-bm
21 Posts
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November 19th, 2010 10:00
Hi Mike,
thank you for your answer.
do you have any address of a third party to change my glass.
thank you
Anonymous
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November 19th, 2010 10:00
Try Directfix.com
They have the gorilla glass for iPhone 4. Perhaps they'll have a screen for a streak soon.
It's a shame people like you have to go to a third party... ugh...
tjagolf33
3 Posts
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November 21st, 2010 09:00
Not trying to be a contrarian to all the people who have been unfortunate enough to damage their devices, but I've dropped mine more times than I can count onto my hardwood floor, onto tile, and even once into a bush (I was walking down the stairs not looking and I slipped, sending the device flying through the air into the shrubbery). Long story short, other than a few fine scratches my Streak looks good as new *shrugs*. And yes, I know I'm super clumsy!
Aron
11 Posts
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November 22nd, 2010 06:00
I have been using the Streak for three months now. I carry it in my front and back pants pocket as well as my shirt pocket. I have dropped it once form four feet on to a carpeted concrete floor (no damage) and once from about two feet on to concrete (slight pock mark on plastic). I will not get a carrying case for it (Otterbox Commuter is what I would go for if I did) because to me that detracts from the devices slim design, however I may try the ZAGG™ invisibleSHIELD™ Full Body Protector. I really like the microfiber pouch the device ships with, I just wish I could purchase a half dozen of them from Dell for a reasonable price.
Anyone looking for information on the OTA upgrade should check out this link.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/mobile-devices/f/3824/t/19353639.aspx?PageIndex=2
Anonymous
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November 23rd, 2010 03:00
@TJAGOLF33 & @ARON,
My gosh you are self centred! We are talking about the lack of repair service and not about how lucky some people are when they are reckless with their device.
I dropped my streak once onto concrete and the screen broke. I was lucky enough that O2 picked up the tab and gave me a new phone (well, a refurb really). There are may people out there with broken devices and nowhere to turn. Show me another company that released a disposable device that costs $500.
nsaspooks
70 Posts
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November 23rd, 2010 03:00
I was considering buying in the new Venue Pro when it becomes available, but considering all the problems I have had with the Streak I will give it a miss.
The Streak from all accounts is dead. I know WM7 is almost bomb proof as MS are not allowing any of the manufacturers to get their sticky fingers on the OS, but in light of the design and build quality issues with the Streak. I am sure I would live to regret a Venue purchase too.
Anonymous
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November 25th, 2010 13:00
Well said Highland. Now let's see how thick the management is.