yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[EVO 4G Accessories] EVOMG:
Is there some restriction on who you can befriend around here? Last I checked, Cyanogen has 21 pages of friends. I'm sure he's not exactly hand-picking only the experts in the field. Surely the OP didn't just friend some of the top contributors to appear to be reputable! That would be disingenuous!

The whole post smacks of sensationalism if you ask me. One or two isolated events don't imply the need for a recall, and the "research" and grainy images presented by the OP are utter nonsense.

The link to her personal blog post as the first line in the thread doesn't make this seem like a ploy to get blog hits at all :rolleyes:

Next thing you know, she'll be trying to sell us her own "safety cables." Give me a break.

Also, that other thread from the OP that you linked doesn't help with her credibility. Attaching hanging wire leads to battery terminals is just begging for one of them to come loose and short itself against another terminal, possibly causing her battery to overheat or explode. And you're going to believe criticism about shoddy engineering from somebody who partakes in shoddy engineering herself? Good luck with that.

I won't even get started on the terrible grammar and spelling atrocities, and the usage of official-sounding terms for the purposes of hand-waving and sounding like she knows what she's talking about.

Tl;DR version: Move along, nothing to see here. Blatant self-promotion for blog hits.
[EVO 4G Accessories] AbsolutZeroGI:
lmao, kind of reminds you of SBC, no? People google searching li-ion batteries and suddenly everyone is an expert on "plating". Loved it, it was so silly.

You know, in the IRC chats, I sometimes talk to a number of people who are kind of famous around here. Toast, Shift, joeykrim, eyeballer are almost always screwing their computers up with Java or compiling something fun.

Myn gave me the download link for Warm 2.2 RLS 5 a day before people here in XDA got it and Netarchy himself gave me recommendations for which kernel to use. Here's the funny thing, Toast, joeykrim, eyeballer and Shift are in the chat and talk to whoever is in there, everyone in the IRC chat got Myn's RLS5 that day and Netarchy will give kernel recommendations to anyone who asks if he's online. Hence: I get no bragging rights because they've talked to me before.

TL;DR version: The developers here are just that friendly. So, having them on your friends list doesn't necessarily mean that they're your close, personal pals.
[EVO 4G Accessories] rugedraw:
EvoMG: I posted that link to show that this is someone who has messed around with the internals of an Evo before and is somewhat knowledgeable on the subject. Considering how many OEM chargers I have gone through, I'd say there is some truth to what she is saying. I didn't post that to start an argument or be combative so much as to say that there could be some truth to this. That's it.

She stated in the OP: "Spend some money on a nice BlackBerry or Motorola or basically any proper cable. $5 for piece of mind is worth it."

Welcome to XDA, btw. Glad to see you signed up and made your first post on here just for me. :)

Also, I agree with both of you that having certain people on your friend's list doesn't make you automatically credible. However, by that same token, making grammatical errors and posting a link to your blog doesn't make you a spammer or an idiot, either. I just think that Absolute came across a little strong trying to make his point. There are many ways to get your point across without being abrasive.
[EVO 4G Accessories] EVOMG:
Just wanted to apologize if my post sounded combative towards you. The only part of my post directed towards you was the bit about the friends list, but the rest was really directed towards the original post. I'm just not a big fan of scare-tactic behavior and self-aggrandizing which seemed to permeate the original post.

It would be one thing for the OP to post something to the tune of "Hey look, my cable melted. Has anyone else had this issue?"

Instead she leads off with a sensationalist headline demanding we all stop using the stock HTC cable, followed by a prominent link to her personal blog, followed by lambasting the engineers (mechanical, electrical, and otherwise) who are responsible for creating this cable (with little or no grounds for doing so) based on an isolated incident.

In addition, the other link that purports to show her skills with hardware modding on the Evo is nothing more than a simple hack that anyone who's taken EE101 or spends a few minutes online researching simple circuits could do. She attached an LED to the battery terminals. That's not exactly rocket science, and as I stated earlier, it's not really a recommended "mod" due to the potential for adverse effects if the wire leads happen to slip or touch.

Sorry for this second rant, but please don't take it as directed towards you again :)
[EVO 4G Accessories] rugedraw:
Oh, no....no hard feelings. Both you and Absolute make some very good & valid points. The great thing about forums is being able to get the opinions of several people and sometime other people will think of things that one doesn't think of themselves. Maybe I'm a bit biased because I've had so many of these chargers go bad on me that the faults mentioned by the OP make sense.

Me personally, the next time one of these chargers takes a crap on me, I'm getting a different kind. Coincidentally enough, I just ordered an OEM charger that arrived last week because my previous one started acting up (the touch screen was unresponsive while it was plugged in) and I went out of my way to go out and find an OEM one. Had I seen this last week, I'd have gotten a $0.99 eBay special. lol

Edit: I work for a PCB/plastics/rubber manufacturer. I'm not an engineer, but based on my experience, her comments in the OP as far as the voltage and using ABS plastic instead of rubber seem very sound. We have had products fail because our customers want to cut corners to save money and they refuse to listen to our suggestions to avoid a price increase of a fraction of a penny.
[EVO 4G Accessories] jasongthang:
Is it possible to do the led mod on an iphone? I looked and looked...

Just kidding. I don't think the OP was trying to make herself look amazing by posting this. Kudos to her for warning us of potential problems with the cable that powers our beloved smartphones. I don't think she needed to say anything derogatory about engineers and technicians, and I won't shun HTC because of HER results regarding a charging cable. As for the title of the thread, at least it did get the attention of a lot of people.

If she put an LED in the back of her phone, good for her. Shes not saying that everyone else should go do it or trying to make any money off of it. Last, Im sure she understands the risks of shorting something out.

I'd just read the op, think what you will of it, and move on. But for the good of the whole XDA, or at least HTC Evo, community, we now know that there is more than just a random chance that these chargers can be defective.
[EVO 4G Accessories] AbsolutZeroGI:
I don't disagree that HTC's charging cables are crappy. I disagree that they'll malfunction in such a fashion that it causes serious damage to anyone's property.

This reminds me of a debate on Amazon.com regarding a rapid-charging car charger from Motorola (which I now own). People were up in arms because the amount of charge it was capable of was WAY above all safety specs. However, despite a million people saying it, everyone seemed to ignore that the inputs on the car itself were incapable of producing enough power for the car charger to max it out. In reality, it gives more than a usb-to-computer connection but less than an AC connection.

I did come off kind of strong and I'm sorry about that, but these "scares" happen somewhat frequently here on XDA and people claim all the time to be "specialists" or "engineers" of some sort. There were "mechanical engineers" claiming that SBC would, for a fact 100% of the time, ruin your battery. Yet, thousands of people use SBC kernels with no ill effects (myself included).

This all ties into one thing: How many people does it affect? Go to amazon.com and find the rapid charging moto car charger. Despite it being rated too high, hardly anyone's phone or battery has ever been damaged. With SBC, only a dozen people have ever claimed that it ruined their battery. Of those, only 2 had enough posts and reputation to even be somewhat credible (and posted pictures, articles, etc). However, no one could prove it was SBC and not a faulty battery and/or microUSB plug.

This leads into my final point, this person posted pictures and a long statement about how these cables were engineered badly. However, outside of some cables breaking, hardly anyone has had the issue she's warning about.

Now, based on stats from prior scares (meaning: there's been no substantial evidence that this is a massive problem), based on her readiness to suggest a solution that costs money (hello infomercial basics 101) and the fact that her grammar and spelling are spotty, one must get from this that it's just another scare intended to sway people toward a specific thought process: HTC cables suck, buy a new cable from someone other than HTC. There's no proof (evidence does not equal proof), therefore there's no problem.

TL;DR: based on prior "scares" started by "experts", this is nothing that any of us need to worry about. Even with shoddy worksmanship, cell phone charging cables won't blow up a computer or a phone.
[EVO 4G Accessories] ivona7:
I've noticed that it's faulty with HD2 too.... it's the same cable .... once, during my flashing another ROM, I almost bricked my device because my cable started connecting/disconnecting 50 times per minutes from my pc, all by itself ... That was also the reason why I always had trouble with ActiveSync via usb connection... Anyway, bought a new cable - all troubles gone....
[EVO 4G Accessories] EVOMG:
I didn't realize the internet gives people free reign to abuse grammar. It's just as important here as anywhere else, especially when you're trying to prove a point.

The link to your blog contained the same content as your post, verbatim. If you had come to the forums, posted a link to your blog, and nothing else, it probably would have been removed as spam. That said, you didn't approach this "issue" as a topic of discussion, you ran in with claims of fiery USB deaths and melting rubber, followed by speculative claims regarding various companies' QC practices, of which you know nothing about.

Or they were doing something wrong before they went to the restaurant. Correlation does not imply causation. Maybe you and your boyfriend plug your cables in too hard. Maybe the USB port they're attached to is faulty.

I dropped mine once, and the touch panel stopped working. I also still use the HTC-provided charging cable daily with no issues, while a generic cable I bought from monoprice.com failed within 3 months and would no longer maintain proper contact to the phone's connector. I also have 3 other cables, also from monoprice, that continue to work fine.

My point is, your experiences do not speak for everyone else. In fact, no one in this thread has mentioned their USB cable going up in flames like yours, only that some have stopped working. But again, you came in claiming the cables are faulty, poorly designed by idiot engineers, poorly tested, and will go up in flames if we continue to use them. You didn't ask if anyone had an experience similar to yours.

Just because a prior experience led to a widespread issue does not mean random events do not occur. I still think your cable issue is a random occurrence or caused by something other than the cable itself.

Relying on protection circuits in the battery and phone does not make the mod safe. That's like saying driving is safe because you have an airbag. It's still an inherently dangerous activity, but airbags make it safer.

What?

Proof? Regardless, it doesn't imply that USB cables are melting and burning people's hands, only that they may fail over time, which many of us have experienced. This does not change that fact that your original post was sensationalist and making claims about connectors melting and burning your hands. Maybe it happened to you, but it's not a rampant issue just because you've seen it twice.
[EVO 4G Accessories] Childofthehorn:
Evomg, forgive me if I am a bit skeptical as to where you are coming from or why you are lambasting this thread. It seems that you joined yesterday and the only thing that you have commented on is this posting and there is no information about you. This username seems to have been specifically created for this forum as I see this name nowhere else either.

If you claim I know nothing of testing, you must be a certified test engineer and one of the Gurus at Testing Experience (magazine). For all of your commentary, you have not provided a shred of evidence that this is not a potential issue. Please prove me wrong, I want to know that this is safe and that the issue that I have seen is truly a one-in-a-million scenario.

BTW: If you want to look for yourself, the rubber cuts straight very easily with an Xacto knife. One line down the middle will work and the rubber is about 1-2mm in places. The wires are connected and encased in white translucent plastic which looks like polymorph plastic so very little chance of cutting them when cutting the rubber. You will see how easily that shield slips off and on. In fact, to simulate people pulling their phones in and out you can grab the sides of the shield and pull back and forth a bit, comes right off without much force. You can also move it front to back with your index finger and pull the shield out (closest thing would be people using their phone while charging). I can't move anything on any of the after market generic microUSB cables I have using normal pliers and fingers. Yeah, yesterday I decided to spend $10 and break stuff (two generic cables from walmart and an evo cable from a coworker).

Too much "play" in the shield connector, that is the issue.

With regards to the light mod, its no more dangerous than rooting and unlocking nand on your phone. No more dangerous than running your own software/firmware mods. We are XDA-developers, no? Is this not exactly what we do?!
[EVO 4G Accessories] AbsolutZeroGI:
I want to address your last point first. Hardware mods are FAR MORE dangerous than software mods. If you screw up a hardware mod, things fry, things break, connectors disconnect, etc. If you screw up a root, you can RUU. If you screw up a rom or a kernel, you can nandroid...or flash a new rom or kernel. You see, hardware screw ups are forever...software screw ups can be fixed. To say that hardware mods are as safe as software mods is like saying breaking your arm is the same as amputating it. You can fix a break, you can't fix amputation unless you're REALLY good.

You rip on EVOMG for not showing any proof of his expertise, but neither have you. Not choosing sides here, I don't believe either of you (no offense, but I could just as easily say that I'm an expert in something too). You got a degree? You got proof? You do not, so you're no more credible than EVOMG is.

Your "important safety message" is that people could break their charger by ware and tear? Really? It is only in the rarest circumstance that a messed up microUSB can cause any real damage (apparently, less than 10 out of the millions who own an Evo), and that's only assuming that you're not blowing smoke up our asses. Less than 10 out of millions is hardly an important announcement. It's not even worth reading about. In fact, with someone who makes their own hardware modifications (and claims to be an expert), it sounds like this is probably something that will only happen to you and should, for any logical and sane reader, go against your credibility as an "engineer". How do we know you didn't attempt something a real expert would attempt, screwed it up and blamed HTC because you can't admit defeat? There's so many variables that aren't explored here and one that you haven't addressed yet is that you made hardware mods and your crap broke. How do we know this all isn't your fault?

TL;DR version: You're about as credible as any of us. No one else has ever complained that their microUSB charger exploded, so this is not common enough for anyone to take seriously. Go away.
[EVO 4G Accessories] SquallLHeart:
i'm sitting right here as my phone is charging via the stock USB cable.. because the nice 3rd party one I had purchased decided to die on me the other day.. (yes.. due from wear and tear..).. just shaking my head.

wear and tear is a fact of life.. it happens.. what i'm seeing from the photographs shown.. is a freak accident that I honestly have yet to see happen.. nor has happened frequently enough to warrant me being paranoid about using my stock cable to charge with.

a person being new on the forum vs another person who's been here for a long time.. doesn't display, nor does it relate to the amount of knowledge each individual has... only that the veteran has the reputation of probably having such knowledge due to prior display of such. evomg made valid points with his statements.

and as AbsolutZeroGI stated, a hardware mod being as safe as a software one?

you could not be any more wrong.
[EVO 4G Accessories] Childofthehorn:
Some Software mods like OverClocking and messing with the more than just the normal application space can be just as potentially bad. I have bricked one iPod touch while doing experimental hacking with an alternative stack a few years ago.

When it happened to my cable, I was willing to look past it thinking well... mine was not even close to stock. Still, this happened on both occasions while NO PHONES WERE CONNECTED and the cable pictured belonged to my Boyfriend who had no hardware mods and using the stock HTC kernel with the EViO rom (known to be stable). It would not have happened while phones were connected, because the shield has to touch the wires.

Please read the thread, you have other users saying it happened to them and a Sprint Rep who chimed in saying he has started seeing this problem in the last month or so frequently.
[EVO 4G Accessories] SquallLHeart:
*sigh*... children, children.. over the years of dealing with the idiots and morons out there, i've learned that having a piece of paper saying you spent a ton of money learning and passing classes at a college doesn't really accurately display what knowledge you have.

i won't deny the possibility that the stock cable might have an inherit defect, but i certainly know for a fact that the "better" charging cables you can buy out there still suffer from wear and tear... as with anything that gets used.

so let me get this straight though, the stock cable burnt up, while no phone was connected? i personally wouldn't have left a plugged in cable without the phone being connected.. but that's just me.

also, the potentials of damage from hardware to software modifications are still on different scales. using an iPod touch as an example.. is pretty much trying to compare Apple's iOS to Android... you just can't. you can always backup and recover from a software issue on Android.. and worst case scenario.. RUU.. one of the major advantages of dealing with open source vs Apple's.. f* you we're not giving you sh*t.

you mess up and short something hardware wise? there's no fix except replacement.

fyi, i'm EE.. so I'm a little bit more understanding in this field than what a CS would.
[EVO 4G Accessories] Anon9mouz:
wow well im using this stock evo cable and charger bc i had a extra when i got rid of evo but i didnt have one for my epic why im using the evos but i hope my phone doesnt bork out
[EVO 4G Accessories] jasongthang:
This is the dumbest thing I've heard in a while. Do you even read the stuff you type? Are you aware that college courses also require hands-on work in addition to the massive amounts of learning that is provided? By her showing a picture of her degree, which everyone doubted she had in the first place, she basically shut you the hell up until you came up with that ^ AWESOME gem of a comeback. "children children..."

Ok, if you honestly ALWAYS unplug your charger from the wall/computer/car when its not being used, you're one of the few senseless Americans who thinks this would make any difference. Obviously HTC would have to account for the rest of the world leaving their charger plugged in when not in use, and thus this wouldn't be a problem. Next

Here is another example of some ridiculous crap you just banged into a keyboard. If anyone thinks a hardware mod such as an LED lamp is more dangerous than flashing 20 different kernels a month and overclocking to God knows how high, think again. The one problem she would have to worry about with this particular mod is heat, which there is none and I'm still sure she's monitoring anyways. Tell me how the risk of bricking your phone is not as dangerous as that.

Thanks for censoring yourself, sweetheart. Because an asterisk makes all the difference in the world.

Lets see your degree. Show us your degree, but keep in mind those things are useless, and according to you, "doesn't accurately display what knowledge you have". I don't think your post "fully displays what kind of idiot you are".

Oh, and by the way, why don't you check my post for spelling inaccuracies and flame me for them. Troll.
[EVO 4G Accessories] EVOMG:
I counted exactly one person in the entire thread who experienced the same problem as you. Go back and recount.

If it happened while the cable was plugged in with no phone attached, who knows what caused it? Maybe your BF spilled his Coke on the cable and didn't notice it melted. Maybe some dust got in there and shorted the power pin to the shield. Maybe you squeezed the end of the connector and bent the shield until it made contact with the pins.

I leave my cable plugged in 24/7 with the phone off of it and it's still going strong. I'm also careful when I plug it in or unplug it to make sure I don't use excess force on it. Maybe you're not gentle enough.

Also, I agree with the guy that said diplomas don't prove anything. I've known plenty of idiots with degrees.
[EVO 4G Accessories] phobos512:
The stock microUSB cable that came with my EVO failed after only a few weeks...I replaced it with one from Monoprice and it still works to this day almost a year later.
[EVO 4G Accessories] rugedraw:
I can't tell you how many OEM cables my girl and I have gone through because they have failed and/or started working improperly. Even if it isn't "dangerous" to use one, I concur that they suck and I won't waste another penny on replacing one should it go bad again. Which will happen again based on my experience and from the experience of several Evo owners that I know.
[EVO 4G Accessories] Ragster:
My stock cable would randomly stop charging, like a wire was loose internally. I tried to use it two days ago.. My phone was stuck on 0, then jumped to 99 then wouldn't turn on until I decided to use the external that came with the Moment. Had me worried! Never using that cable again
[EVO 4G Accessories] GrimReaper24:
Lol this just like the SBC kernel scare bad kernel bad down boy lol and blaming CM7 for messing up cameras its faulty hardware that caused it like a bad batch of products not every stock usb cable is like that must been phone issue that started it or the computer usb port from a lighting storm power surge.

Good thing to read well done. Not digging it nor making fun of you for the post.
[EVO 4G Accessories] OneStepAhead:
I'm surprised by this, I actually love the stock HTC cable and have been trying to find them for sale. They just seem so well made. guess looks can be deceiving!
[LG Optimus 2x] nonmindo:
Can someone please post the FM Radio apk from the Optimus 2x, the US version T-mobile G2X doesnt have the application installed, it looks like the framework for it is there, we just dont have the APK
[LG Optimus 2x] FearKill:
Here you go all the FM apps in O2X.
[LG Optimus 2x] nonmindo:
Super fast reply! thank you very much!

P.S. hit the "thanks" button for ya!