vB Easy Archive - i-Mate Sp5M joystick problems

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i-Mate Sp5M joystick problems
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Posted by: Highline

Hey team!

I have had a Sp5m for going on five months now. I love the phone, its features and it has worked tremendously well for me.

I have been having problems with the joystick recently and it seems to be very moody. Sometimes it will work great and sometimes it will not work left, up, down or right... depending on its mood.

Anyone have a similar problem? Any ideas on how to fix it?

Thank you,

HL

Posted by: captainmicahp

I have the sp5, and I have had this happen once or twice. If i turn the phone off, when i start it back up, the problem goes away, but it may be that I am a little ham fisted and try to be a little more gentle when i restart it.

Posted by: canuck51

The only problem that I seem to be having is that when trying to select something the joystick seems to want to go every direction but straight down. Making me have to really concentrate on pushing straight down to get it to select properly.

Posted by: Highline

Thanks for the replies team.

I think it is much more of a software problem than a hardware problem... because in one program the joystick will work and in another it wont. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Perhaps a reset is in order?

Posted by: TheGSRGuy

I've had a similar problem with my Cingular 2125....the down movement doesn't always work. Sometimes it doesn't move, sometimes it hops down twice. I think it's more of a software glitch because my phone is only a month old.

Posted by: mobilegruven

I have the imate SP5 and the joy stick requires a fine touch. Using it while walking is really a challenge. It will be interesting to see, as we gain collective experience, if there is truely a bug or problem here or just a small usability issue.

Posted by: SpiritWalker

My sp5m joystick started to have reduced sensitivity in pushing it to the right. You'd have to push it extra firm for the movement to happen on-screen. I called MadMonkeyBoy to ask about warranty repair, and he indicated that something like that was in the domain of i-mate to take care of. I sent them an email describing the problem. They wrote back with an RMA (return merchandise authorization) number. You ship it back to them and apparently they have it back to you in very short order.

I say "apparently" because I just decided to wait-and-see if anything would change and sure enough, it doesn't seem as finicky. It's starting to have trouble with the center press function as described in this thread, but I think that's more my not pressing it in that precise way that is required. It is a bit of a crappy design.

I love the sp5m, but here are my complaints:

1) 5-way joystick is too finicky, should be easier to use
2) Media buttons can't be disabled temporarily (like in a meeting... even if your phone is on silent, and accidental hit of the play button will start up WMP) I shoulda got the sp5.
3) WMP is a bonafide piece of fecal matter
4) Mail program bites as well--my family always emails pics to each other and there's no quick way to either view images in-line or to save them all at once. Grr.
5) Power profiles are not as complete as they ought to be. By that I mean you should the option to control all power munching features in both battery and AC modes. I use my sp5m in a car dash-mount bracket; I'd like to leave the display always on when plugged in, but time out after a minute when on battery. No such luck as is.
6) No Bluetooth services other than headset and dial-up? I might as well get a friggin' Blackberry!

Other than these, I love it--so full-featured, good form factor, phenomenal display. A bit off-topic, but I felt like rambling.

Posted by: dahua007

Hi,

Please try Nine Way Keypad sofftware from http://inputshow.googlepages.com/ninewaykeypad.htm. Here is overview:

It is a Smartphone common flaw that the five-way navigation keypad is too small to operate. its miniature degree can cause misoperation frequently. Therefore, NineWayKeypad software has provided one kind of solution: The user can switch the function of keyboard between characters and navigation. Moreover, under navigation function status, there are additional editing functions: Select text, Copy text, Paste text and switch between another editing keys (Page Up, Page Down, Home, End) and additional directions (Left Up, Right Up, Left Down, Right Down).

Posted by: LIVEFRMNYC

Quote:

1) 5-way joystick is too finicky, should be easier to use
2) Media buttons can't be disabled temporarily (like in a meeting... even if your phone is on silent, and accidental hit of the play button will start up WMP) I shoulda got the sp5.

That sucks!! I was going to get the SP5M instead of my SP5 but I held a sample at a Comp-USA store and didn't like the feel of it. Even tho the SP5 was more expensive it was worth it for me.

Quote:

3) WMP is a bonafide piece of fecal matter

LOL. It does me ok for just playing a music file, but getting it to do anything else is a joke. It also barely play any video files. I use TCMP when I use want to make a playlist from phone and to listen to videos.

Quote:

Mail program bites as well--my family always emails pics to each other and there's no quick way to either view images in-line or to save them all at once. Grr.

Yea, Outlook on mobile isn't the best E-mail client. I'm pretty sure they have third party app to view e-mail in html & to save all pics in a new folder. But ofcourse you probally have to pay

Quote:

Power profiles are not as complete as they ought to be. By that I mean you should the option to control all power munching features in both battery and AC modes. I use my sp5m in a car dash-mount bracket; I'd like to leave the display always on when plugged in, but time out after a minute when on battery. No such luck as is.

You can keep display on with light while charging by using Automactic KeyLock app by selecting Options, then Speacial Profiles.

Quote:

No Bluetooth services other than headset and dial-up? I might as well get a friggin' Blackberry!

Thank T-mobile for that one. My SP5 is unlocked and has full bluetooth capabilities.

Posted by: phonuzer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Highline

Hey team!

I have had a Sp5m for going on five months now. I love the phone, its features and it has worked tremendously well for me.

I have been having problems with the joystick recently and it seems to be very moody. Sometimes it will work great and sometimes it will not work left, up, down or right... depending on its mood.

Anyone have a similar problem? Any ideas on how to fix it?

Thank you,

HL

Scroll to the bottom of this page ; I have no idea if this works and cannot be held responsible if you brick you phone.
If it works then I'm happy for you.

Posted by: LIVEFRMNYC

I also had this problem on my SP5.

Sometimes it would refuse to go in a certain direction.

It only happens when I get a MMS message. Then joystick gets screwy.

Don't no why thats the case .... but a simple soft reset or two fixes this problem.

Posted by: Mykel31

Hey guys, I've found an almost new sp5 for sale which I can get for $50 but he says the joystick is loose and not functioning properly. Is this worth it? Can I still use the phone if I cant fix the joystick issues? He says its not reliable when you push it down for selecting but you can still select menu items directionaly.

Posted by: HalM

From earlier threads and personal experience, the joy stick on the SP5 and SP5m is prone to problems. I had to return mine to Imate twice for repair.