T3's screen brightness issue

K

Kira-Kun

New member
Hi all

Just got my new T3 and I'm happy with my choice. The other candidates where Sony Clie TH 55 and NX80V. In addition to other features that have been discussed here
regarding the comparison of these PDAs, here are additional ones, which play an important role for my preference of the T3:

1. The Sony stylus was designed for people with half the finger thickness of normal humans. You get my drift. The T3 stylus feels a lot better in the hand.

2. The T3 is a lot more ergonomic and user friendly. Some people hate the slider. I love it because it transforms a compact gadget to a real-estate rich one with a simple stroke.
(Don't we know about something similar in life? PalmOne just followed Mother Nature?)
The Sonys are congested with too many extra buttons and their screen is loaded with stuff. The T3 is simple and clean. It feels good at the hand.

However?
I'm concerned about the T3's screen brightness inconsistency. The display brightness is important for me because I use it a lot outdoors. The display model at the store had a white bright display, which I liked a lot. It was brighter than the Tungsten E's.
My unit, which was ordered from Amazon.com has a bluish display. My son's Tungsten E is a lot brighter and whiter. The following link talks about the display problems of the T3:

http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1678&showComments=true

It shows two different brightness levels of two units. It seems that there has been inconsistency problems with the T3's screen quality.

I'll take my new T3 to a few stores and I'll compare the screen brightness. If indeed mine is not on par, I'll send it back to Amazon.com. I wonder if their entire batch is like this, or do I have a chance to exchange it with a better unit.
Any thoughts/experiences with the screen brightness issue?
 
There's no doubt that different T3's with different screens show a large variance in brightness. As far as I know, there's no rhyme or reason as to what T3 got what screen. There's no block of serial numbers that has the brighter screen. It seems that the T3 was assembled with whatever screen was available on the day it was made.

You could certainly exchange it but there's no way to tell if your exchange will end up being the brighter screen or the one you have now. One of the advantages of brick and mortar stores is that you can do side by side comparisions and pick the one you want.

Owners of the T3 were perfectly happy with the dimmer screens until they found out some T3's have a brighter screen and then "screen envy" started.:) Unless you find your present T3 to be so dim that it's hard to read, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in worrying about it. As a side benefit, it's been reported that the "dim" T3's get about 15% better battery life than the "bright" T3.
 
their is a way. open the tt3 full so you see the whole screen. if ya see 4 orange lights at the bottom between the slider and where the screen almost ends then thats the sony brighter screen, if not then its the other dimmer one.
 
No, Jim, this is not "screen envy" syndrome. Unless I'm missing something, screen brightness has a major role in outdoor readability. I use my Palm outdoors a lot so this is vital.

It's a pity that PalmOne has no control of the QC of its products.
This was one of the main reasons I had considered sticking with Sony. It turned out that even some of the T3 screens are theirs.
What a riot. How would the Palm PDA world have looked like without Sony...
 
tt3 wrote:

Exactamundo!

When I bought my last T3, they had to open two boxes and charge them a little so I could see the screens before I would make my purchase.

ed
 
Actually, screen readability outdoors doesn't even need the backlight. A TFT screen in direct sunlight without the backlight should be as readable as it is indoors with the backlight on. This is much more an issue with quality of the TFT screen itself than it is with the backlight.

I'm still using my T665 because the screen is about as good as it gets when comparing it to later models. Sony has a good reputation for producing high quality TFT screens. I don't know who else produces screens for the T3 but, assuming the quality of the sceen is equal to the Sony, using it outdoors shouldn't be an issue.
 
I went to a store and saw their T3 on display. The 4 orange lights were there ( mine doesn't have them) and the display model's screen was brighter.
 
EZP,

Every T3 I have ever seen w/o the orange lights has had a dimmer screen. I even exchanged one because of it. I was unable to live with it as suggested earlier in the thread.

Contact Amazon and find out about a refund. The only way to get a good screen is to make your purchase at a brick and mortar store.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I made the salesperson open a couple of boxes to make sure I did not exchange a dim screen for another dim screen.

Good luck.

ed
 
Orange . . . bad (judging from previous posts).

I got mine at Staples and had the guy open two - I checked the slider, etc - then purchased better of two models. He's grateful he didn't have 6 or 7 -- might have been a long tedious evening!

Once you get a "good one," you'll be set - it's worth the hassle in the beginning if you have any doubts at all.
 
Thanks for TT3, egarc, and PalmTealLover who brightened our eyes on the T3's screen brightness issue. And yes, it IS an issue, especially for those who have "demanding eyes".

Just for comparison, I posted the same question at the Onesource forum, which is the united forum of PalmOneCity and Clie Source. 72 people over there have seen my post but none offered a valid answer. 160 - something people have seen my post here and I got the best possible answers. This forum rulz!

As a follow up, I contacted Circuit City in my area.
Keep this tip in mind: I called one store and with their computer they could spot any store in the area which has an "open box".

I called a store which has it and I asked the guy to check the "orange lights". He opened and , yes, the T3 there has'em.
So now, not only I get a nice deal ($330) , but, I know what I'm getting. Stores here wouldn't open a box if you don't purchase, although I didn't try it aggressively enough.

I'll report further when I finally get it.
 
Back
Top