so yesterday my n900 display started flashing on and off, basically every few seconds it will go blank then come back then go blank again. intermittently not following a pattern or anything.

anyone experienced this? I hadn't recently installed any apps or changed anything, actually hardly used my phone this past week. battery was at least half full, and I can still charge it up.

anyway to fix this without a reflash? will a reflash fix this? chuck it in the bin? :S

I'd guess the reboot fixed it?

I've had a few cases like that. The screen would intermittently turn on and off as if I operated the slider switch next to the headphone socket. In my hand in the middle of typing a message, in the pocket, on the table... Most annoying when it happens in the pocket since you unknowingly end up pressing something.

A reboot did not solve it. Neither did a full power cycle.

Eventually I've traced it down to moisture. It always tended to happen after things like taking a shower while the phone was on a shelf in the bathroom, getting caught in the rain with the phone in the pocket of wet jeans, that kind of stuff. Once dried out it would stop misbehaving again.

So I am more careful with exposing the phone to moisture and I've been accident free for over a year now.

1) I'd rebooted a few times but that didn't change anything.

2) I did have my phone in my bag with me in the car for an hour or so, is summer here but it never really got that hot, my bag is black and may have been in direct sun for awhile but I was in my car as well and I wasn't hot. I didn't really feel like the atmospheric conditions were extreme enough to warrant such strange screen behavior but who knows. I'm sure my phone has experienced such temps etc before. either way I'm just glad it works fine again. If it happens again I'll make note of the weather etc

EDIT: well it IS happening again, it's just been sitting in my room hardly being used and it is flashing on and off. when it goes off if I slide the screen up or down it will bring the screen back but sometimes only for a few seconds. it is quite frustrating especially when trying to txt etc. I'll probably reflash it later tonight and if that doesn't fix it ...

Incidentally, my camera once broke in a curious way. It was lying on the desk in its case. The camera was silver but the case was black and so was the desk and it was in a room that had direct sunlight all afternoon. The camera did not feel particularly hot but it never recovered.

What you consider "extreme atmospheric conditions" may not be the same as what your electronics do.

It's very unlikely this is your issue but worth mentioning none the less.

I have a similar thing when I use callerx application, when a call is blocked the screen will switch on and off quickly.

If you backup and do a full reflash this will rule out any software issues. You could also check dmesg and any other devtools like syslog to see if there's something occurring.

thanks, unfortunately I am not very computer savvy so things like devtools I feel are way over my head. I can reflash but I just found out I don't have access to a 32bit computer for another four whole weeks! so, I put my simcard back in my old xpressmusic phone. forgot how much I like this phone, small and easy, no more accidentally opening apps on the front screen xP
but yeha I thought pichlo's post that I had more or less ruined my phone, I did remember the other day that I had rested a hot pizza box on top of my handbag for about 10mins as well that day at the beach but.. surely that wouldn't have effected it. you'd thing they'd be hardy enough to deal with something like that.
either way I shall try a reflash again in four weeks.. I'm not holding my breath or too fussed as it really has been nothing but a pain since I bought it, if it isn't one thing it is another. maybe I bought a defective n900 *shrugs*.

I don't think you've necessarily ruined it. In my experience the screen on-off switch is particularly fussy but tends to recover easily. It might just be some dust there - easiily collected through the switch hole - trapping moisture. Then the switch can easily be fixed just by opening and cleaning the phone. Might just be the case, since I have cleaned mine once and I no longer experience similar symptoms. Coincidence? Perhaps.

BTW, in early 1980s, I left a digital watch in my trousers pocket in a plastic bag on the beach in the full sun for the whole day. The watch acted weird the whole evening and I thought it was a write-off, but it recovered by the morning