Qtek 8500 Problems / Support

According to wikipedia's article on the HTC STR TRK,

"There are numerous reports across the internet that the external display on this device will stop functioning with no apparent physical damage. HTC and Cingular will not acknowlege the problem, leaving customers stuck with a defective phone or a repair bill costing more then the purchase prise."

also, there is a well known "dropped call" issue, wherein, when under certain conditions, the phone will appear to not recieve calls or text messages for days (it will also not be able to make calls, or send text messages), until the user notices. the only known fixes for this are: to soft-reset the phone (turn off, then turn back on), which is temporary; or, by unlocking, and subsequently reflashing the ROM image, as the problem appears to be software specific to the 8500 branded ROM (and Dopod branded ROM).

some have claimed the conditions under which the "dropped call" issue occours is when they lose, then subsequently regain, a signal. they claim that, it appears to be working, but does not. in addition, there are several guides on how to reflash the ROM on an 8500 branded str trk, yet, by doing so, will likely void a warranty. Those that have reflashed their phones have yielded positive results and are usually very happy with the final result, often reporting an increase in call quality and signal quality, among other things, when they've moved to a different ROM image. the most common ROM image to use, appears to be, the imate smartflip ROM. Available publicly, it seems to be THE choice for the CID unlocked str trks of all brandings, though, some prefer the Cingular ROM.

Finally, it seems that there are a host of issues for people finding accessories (specificly headsets) for the str trk. for those in the USA, Mobileplanet (expansys in many other countries; including the UK, Canada and Japan), has a few possibilities that may interest users. this is by no means the only option; though with Expansys' global reach, covering most of europe, the americas, asia, and more, it's the easiest way to get accessories. keep in mind, when looking for accessories, the Qtek 8500, Cingular 3125, Dopod S300, imate smartflip, and HTC str trk, are all the same phone using the same connector, and subesquently, the same accessories.

any further comments? Feel free to edit the page. (requires free registration)