Keyboards & Touchpads

[gups]

Thanks for the update, Jim. I am happy to know that Toshiba and identified and rectified the situation. I returned my NB205 for a refund yesterday. I was going to replace it with the Asus 1000HE today, but having read this update, I am inclined to re-order the updated version.

Question: When will this new version be available at retailers like Amazon and Newegg? The last thing I want to do is reorder a problematic version again and deal with the same annoying issue.

Also, I wanted to compliment you on keeping everyone here posted on a timely basis. I am sure it is much appreciated!

[jim]

Hi Spudd,

You'll need to check with Toshiba Canada for info about their policies.

Jim

[jim]

Hi ALR,

I don't have a cut-in date or serial number to give you.  If that becomes available then I'll be sure to post it here.

But when you mention the demo units in a store having "the touchpad problems", I'm wondering if you could describe those problems.  This fix is strictly about an intermittent 'stutter' in curor movement when the touchpad is in use.

There are other types of touchpad issues that are typically addressed by adjusting advanced mouse property configurations.  This would include things like a jumping cursor while typing or web pages changing.

Jim

[jim]

Hi Ashton,

Ok, several things to address here...

The manufacturing process improvement was not implemented yesterday, but sometime in July.  I don't have cut-in details.  I'll pass that along in this thread if it becomes available.

All shipments prior to the improvement do not have a problem with the touchpad.  It seems to be a very small percentage of units shipped.  So, no, there is no recall plan.

I don't have any additional info to share about the exact problem, beyond what I already said about it being part of the manufacturing process for the touchpad assembly itself.

Jim

[indiatrip2009]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply.

I just want to make sure that I buy a unit which incorporates the manufacturing process improvement. Isuspect that the units shipped prior to this correction will be prone to this kind of stutter somewhere down the line. Obviously not everyone has encountered this problem, but enough people have made a noise about the issue to convince me that it's a fairly common one.

In light of the information you just provided, I imagine any future buyer would like to purchase an 'improved' unit.

If you have information that can facilitate this decision, that would be great.

-Ashton

[jim]

Hi gups,

I'm more than happy to give status updates for issues like this here in the forums.  I appreciate the patience of everyone who has been waiting for some substantial news, since previous updates have essentially said, "We're looking into it."

I don't have any info about shipping schedules to various distributors or resellers and I don't have an exact cut-in date, but the manufacturing process improvement went into effect over two weeks ago.

Jim

[steve12345]

I just called customer service and  had them to send me the box to send my unit in for repair,will see.

[Jupiter]

Jim,

To answer your question, regarding "the touchpad problems" I encountered with the two NB205 demos yesterday: the cursors were not moving in the direction I was sliding my finger on the touchpad. The cursors were erratic and there was about a 3-4 second delay.

You see, if it were possible to check out the new machine before buying it, that would solve the problem for me. But of course I don't know any stores that allow that.

I would like to get the computer, but I just dread having to go through the hassle of exchanging it and then not knowing if the new machine is any better.

Jim, short of you being able to provide us with the cut-in date and/or a detailed technical explanation for the problem, I am tempted to  opt for waiting and seeing how this thing shakes out.

I'll be watching this board with bated breath, as additional information becomes available on this.

ALR

[jim]

Thanks for following up.  My main concern was that I interpreted the reference to touchpad problems (plural) to indicate that you were experiencing more than one type of symptom.  I wanted to be clear that the issue addressed by the manufacturing process improvement addresses only one symptom. 

Jim

[gups]

FYI, I went to a Best Buy on my way to work to check out the NB205s they had on display. They had two models on display, and BOTH displayed erratic trackpad response (stuttering cursor, delayed trackpad response, etc.).  My vendor of choice is Amazon and while I would love to re-order another NB205 from them, I want to make sure that I don't get stuck with another defective model.

I think I will stay on the sidelines for now. I will watch this board for any updates from Jim on cut-in dates or any other information which might be helpful towards making this choice an easy one.