Square (instead of trapezoid) microUSB port?

[yodies]

Does everyone's microUSB port look square like this?

https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

Seems weird to me, and like it might fail sooner because it's not an exact fit for a microUSB male.

 

[PB_H]

It's a Micro-A USB not a Micro-B USB
You need a Micro-A male

 

[Asrialys]

Yeah, it's weird and dangerous to the device. So always make sure you put in your plugs correctly!

Dell Venue 8 Pro bad choice of USB Micro-A socket with USB Micro-B plug. Already broken! - Windows Mobile Products - Mobile Devices - Dell Community

 

[yodies]

Thanks for the info. Such a weird choice on Dell's part. I have the original DVP (the WP7 phone), and it has Micro-B, not Micro-A. Wonder what the reasoning was.

 

[PB_H]

It's not dangerous, it's a propriety thing -you just need to LOOK
Now you know to look :wink:

 

[xandros9]

why does the A even exist?

 

[yodies]

It's not dangerous, it's a propriety thing -you just need to LOOK
Now you know to look :wink:

Yes, it'd just be nice if I didn't have to do that, like with Micro-B. It's almost like they had a surplus of Micro-A's from an incorrect factory order, and decided to use them all up.

 

[PB_H]

What's so good about B why not just a standard MINI ?

 

[mase123987]

Cords only fit in one way for me, so I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[derek533]

Been using a B with no issues here. The flat part goes on the bottom just FYI

 

[etad putta]

So i can use a B cable form my 920 without issues? I assume it will work for data transfer also vs the charge only cable it came with?

 

[xandros9]

So i can use a B cable form my 920 without issues? I assume it will work for data transfer also vs the charge only cable it came with?

yep, just make sure its going in the right way

 

[Nik Rolls]

why does the A even exist?

What you actually have is a Micro-AB socket, which can take both Micro-A and Micro-B plugs. Micro-A is used for USB-on-the-go and according to the USB spec, you have to support the feature if you have an A-compatible socket.

Are you sure your tablet doesn't have this feature? It allows you to connect some USB devices such as mice, keyboards and mass storage units using a USB On-the-Go adapter (which has Micro-B on one end and either Micro-A or fullsize USB socket on the other).

 

[jgraves1107]

Anything special have to be done for it to read a USB flash drive? Or is it just one cable is shorted on pin 4 and one is not?

 

[Nik Rolls]

I'm not quite sure to that extent. I just know one end is usually squared (Micro-A).

 

[Hoku001]

Cords only fit in one way for me, so I don't see what the big deal is.

It's a big deal when the port breaks and you can't plug in a cord. As I mentioned on another thread, I had two Dells crap out on me within about a month because the USB port failed. Couldn't plug in the cord at all. The 2nd one I had was broken within 6 charge cycles. To be fair, I got both of my Dells from the same MS store, so I'm thinking that this store had a bad lot or something. Seriously, even a gorilla shouldn't be able to break a USB port that fast.

 

[nasellok]

Mine broke (2) days ago - Ive had no issues with the myriad of different chargers ive been using, unfortunately, now its broken, and the battery is officially dead. I bought it back in November from Walmart (terrible decision now), and cannot return to store. I have to deal with Dell Customer Service, wait for them to send me a box, and then send it to them, God only knows how long its going to take for them to send it back to me. This really sucks, now I have to use my Ipad 2 again, its like going back to MSDOS after using Windows 8 for the past year on PC, Surface RT, and DVP8. Either way, Ill be taking extra special care to make sure I plug the damn thing in the correct way from now on.

I was unable to wipe my device before the battery died. Should I be concerned with any of my private data when sending back to Dell?

 

[foxbat121]

Device encryption is on out of box. So, there is some protection there.