JOEyGADGET

Look closely at your Palm Treo 680 (or other Treo model). See any tiny cracks on the bezel surrounding the touchscreen? Pay particular attention to the left and right spaces between the green and red buttons, and the application buttons below those.

I ask because I’m on my fourth Treo 680 exchange with Cingular. The first I exchanged because the SD memory card was flaky – recognizing an inserted card sometimes, but other times, not. That was the main reason to have it replaced – and the tiny cracks were mostly an unsightly, but secondary reason that I hardly noticed.

Cingular sent a replacement, the SD memory slot worked fine, and there were no cracks on the bezel. But a week or so later I noticed the start of a hairline crack in the very spaces mentioned above. It’s important to point out that I never dropped the phone, and never handled it roughly. Yet there were the little cracks. Which became more pronounced over the next few days, and after a week I noticed the start of still another crack about a half an inch up from the left green/answer button.

I called Cingular and arranged for another replacement phone, which Cingular sent overnight via DHL.

Within a week, same thing: Cracks appeared in the same spaces first mentioned, then a little farther up on the left edge, and then another one, same side, left edge, just below the word “palm.” Also as before, I never once dropped or roughly handled the Treo.

Last week I once again contacted Cingular, arranged a swap, and they sent a replacement overnight, with a label to return the broken one (within ten days or else I’d be charged more than $300; ditto if they determine the phone has been dropped).

The replacement Treo 680 is as good as new – but for how long? I’m afraid to use it, for fear of starting another Treo 680 crack-up.

Anyone else experiencing this not-so-funny Treo bezel crack-up problem?