The News: Disappointment Edition

Normally, I would not do this. However. Last summer, I did a gadget post on the Xpal PowerSkin case for HTC Thunderbolt, and promptly pre-ordered one because it sounded so fabulous. Barely a month later, the case stopped accepting a charge, so I had to RMA it. They sent me a new one in about a week. Five months after that, the new one started doing the same thing. The connector in the case for the mini USB plug is wonky. I have to wiggle the cord and hold it manually in place in order for it to charge, and even when the case says it is fully charged, it completely drains within an hour of inactive use of the phone (seriously…it was just sitting on my desk, and I wasn’t using it for anything, not even to check the time). Three weeks ago I contacted them again to get either another RMA or a refund. They refused to refund my money because it’s been more than 30 days since the purchase, which is fair enough, I guess. But I’m still waiting for the promised second RMA. I have contacted the company via email several times, and no response. So…Xpal…NOT a good company, and I regret posting about any of their products in a positive manner. Plus, it turns out I can get an extended battery for my Thunderbolt directly from Verizon for less money than the case costs.

Update: I just received an email from Xpal Power. Apparently, for the second time in this process, the person I was dealing with “is no longer with the company”. Imagine that…people are jumping ship (or being fired, can’t rule that out) at an amazing rate. Anyway, hopefully this means I will receive my SECOND RMA soon, so I can use the second replacement case for a couple of months before having to do it all again.

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Hi Tech Legion gets its hands on the Rosewill RK-8200 Backlit Gaming Keyboard with 10 Macro Keys

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Finally, TechReviewSource gets into the Acer AX1930-UR10P