Archived Have PDAs been sucking lately?

[Guest]

Is Target having some problems with the PDAs nationwide or something? I've noticed probably the last month or two that PDAs or maybe it's just mine seem to freeze up or be very slow in RF apps.
Is this a sign that RF apps is finally going bye bye or am I just having bad luck with a crappy PDA?
I will admit that I am extremely picky when I get a PDA. I try to remember which ones are the crappy ones but sometimes it's slim pickins. There is one PDA that when you press the number 1 or just one character, it assumes that you are pressing 4 or 5 characters. You can press the number 1 and something like yaj2 will show up on the PDA screen in RF apps.

I also have problems in the CAF batches. I can scan a location and the PDA will either slow down massively and or freeze and kick me out of the batch. It's so frustrating because CAF batches are timed. Time is on not on your side during the CAF batches.
I also laugh when I scan a location and it says "scan a location, not an item". If I scan 01F045F02, that is a location, not an item. I just want to throw my PDA sometimes into a black hole and never see it again.

I also hate the 9200 PDAs. Those are the worse. I want a straight line laser. The lasers on the 9200 PDAs suck and you have to be extremely close to whatever you are scanning and you have to scan it a certain way.
I've also noticed that it's hard to scan locations that are at the bottom because you have to position the PDA a certain way to get it to scan.

Another thing that I experience is the always cute message of "oops something went wrong and go back yada yada" bs when I try to log back on. It won't let you get into applications on your PDA when it's like that.

I am not asking for perfect equipment but it would be nice to have scanners and walkie talkies that work and don't suck.

 

[IhaveaDream]

Another thing that I experience is the always cute message of "oops something went wrong and go back yada yada" bs when I try to log back on. It won't let you get into applications on your PDA when it's like that.

Fastest Solution to this is to log out and log back in.

 

[Guest]

I do that. I still get the oops something went wrong message. I have to do all sorts of thing to get it work when it does that.

 

[PugMuffin]

I'm having the same problems with the PDAs at my store. It won't even let me log on to RF apps half the time, and when it does, it just freezes up. I keep having to log in and out and reset the PDA. I get the "oops, something went wrong" message at least hourly when I'm using one of the cartoony web apps like item search or stand alone outs.

 

[Guest]

Cartoony web apps? LMAO! I love it.

The oops something went wrong message usually shows up after I get back from lunch. I always log out of RF apps before I punch out for lunch but I still get that message sometimes. It's just frustrating because sometimes you have to reset it and then even after resetting you get weird messages about the time and date not being right. The oops something went wrong message sucks because you can't use SUBT or FF in the web apps. Those are two vital apps for the backroom.

 

[PugMuffin]

Cartoony web apps? LMAO! I love it.

The oops something went wrong message usually shows up after I get back from lunch. I always log out of RF apps before I punch out for lunch but I still get that message sometimes. It's just frustrating because sometimes you have to reset it and then even after resetting you get weird messages about the time and date not being right. The oops something went wrong message sucks because you can't use SUBT or FF in the web apps. Those are two vital apps for the backroom.

The salesfloor TMs at my store call them "Disney Apps." It's hard to get stuff done with those constant "oops" messages. Especially as more and more functions get moved to toon apps.

 

[Kompa]

How do you even log out? When I'm backstocking, and then go one break, when I return, the PDA can't find the server, and when it does, it doesn't confirm inputs in RFapps. Like, I can't hit "2" for replenishment or something, but when I hit enter it doesn't accept it. I can't delete the inputs either.

I end up having to reboot the whole thing which is annoying because it takes like 10 to set back up

 

[Ohnoes]

I always cold boot my PDA when I get it. It seems to prevent a lot of issues. LPA is easy to cold boot since it's hold 1 and 9 and the power button. The PDA is a bit more complicated. I think it's hold power button, partially eject battery, hold trigger and power button, pop battery in, and let go of buttons when screen goes white. Warm booting PDAs is fairly pointless.

 

[mrknownothing]

For those who get the "oops, something went wrong" message, it's because you got timed out of WebApps. When you get that message, instead of going to an app or hitting the "go back" button, hit the log out button in the top right corner. Then log in again.

If you're not using your PDA for an extended period of time (i.e. break or lunch), log out of both RF Apps and WebApps.

 

[BullseyeBabe]

All if the above plus the hip printers are worse than usual. Our registers are also slow, freezing up and shutting down in the middle of transactions. Fun times.

 

[paidtosmile]

Our registers have been freezing constantly as well, @BullseyeBabe

 

[redeye58]

Ditto here on the registers.
I've usually finished a drink/food order by the time it churns out a receipt.

 

[RunForACallBox]

I always cold boot my PDA when I get it. It seems to prevent a lot of issues. LPA is easy to cold boot since it's hold 1 and 9 and the power button. The PDA is a bit more complicated. I think it's hold power button, partially eject battery, hold trigger and power button, pop battery in, and let go of buttons when screen goes white. Warm booting PDAs is fairly pointless.

I do this every morning when I get a PDA. Just go ahead and eliminate any problems the day before.

 

[RunForACallBox]

How do you even log out? When I'm backstocking, and then go one break, when I return, the PDA can't find the server, and when it does, it doesn't confirm inputs in RFapps. Like, I can't hit "2" for replenishment or something, but when I hit enter it doesn't accept it. I can't delete the inputs either.

I end up having to reboot the whole thing which is annoying because it takes like 10 to set back up

The quick way to log out of both RF & Web is to hit blue function key and hit CTRL key twice. A box will appear on top left, hit exit. Logs you out of everything. This works on the 9090 & 9200. Or if you prefer 9200, hit CTRL and then X. This ONLY works on the 9200s.

 

[RunForACallBox]

Is Target having some problems with the PDAs nationwide or something? I've noticed probably the last month or two that PDAs or maybe it's just mine seem to freeze up or be very slow in RF apps.
Is this a sign that RF apps is finally going bye bye or am I just having bad luck with a crappy PDA?
I will admit that I am extremely picky when I get a PDA. I try to remember which ones are the crappy ones but sometimes it's slim pickins. There is one PDA that when you press the number 1 or just one character, it assumes that you are pressing 4 or 5 characters. You can press the number 1 and something like yaj2 will show up on the PDA screen in RF apps.

I also have problems in the CAF batches. I can scan a location and the PDA will either slow down massively and or freeze and kick me out of the batch. It's so frustrating because CAF batches are timed. Time is on not on your side during the CAF batches.
I also laugh when I scan a location and it says "scan a location, not an item". If I scan 01F045F02, that is a location, not an item. I just want to throw my PDA sometimes into a black hole and never see it again.

I also hate the 9200 PDAs. Those are the worse. I want a straight line laser. The lasers on the 9200 PDAs suck and you have to be extremely close to whatever you are scanning and you have to scan it a certain way.
I've also noticed that it's hard to scan locations that are at the bottom because you have to position the PDA a certain way to get it to scan.

Another thing that I experience is the always cute message of "oops something went wrong and go back yada yada" bs when I try to log back on. It won't let you get into applications on your PDA when it's like that.

I am not asking for perfect equipment but it would be nice to have scanners and walkie talkies that work and don't suck.

I love the 9200, if you hit CTRL and the red dot key, it turns the cross scanner where it's more sensitive to barcodes. Therefore, on ours the laser just has to be close, but not precisely on the barcode. I do this every time I get a 9200 PDA. Though with it being sensitive be careful, especially if your in cosmetics, you will be scanning every barcode, haha. Mainly what is does it picks up the first barcode it comes in close proximity to. Just see if that works better for you. You can also turn the sensitivity on/off in RF and Web separately since they are separate sessions. To turn off sensitivity hit CTRL and green dot key.

 

[Triscuit]

Most of the pdas at my store will do the whole, hit a number or letter and type a random string "yajgrkeke2" thing. It becomes impossible to key things out for pricing when it does that. It will also constantly boot me out to the main screen while doing pricing that says "log me in" literally right when i am in the middle of scanning somthing. Ill log in and it will go back to the screen i was on, and as soon as i scan somthing else it will boot me out of the pricing app. so then I have to log out of RF apps and log back in haha, its a pain

 

[Bosch]

For those who get the "oops, something went wrong" message, it's because you got timed out of WebApps. When you get that message, instead of going to an app or hitting the "go back" button, hit the log out button in the top right corner. Then log in again.

If you're not using your PDA for an extended period of time (i.e. break or lunch), log out of both RF Apps and WebApps.

That is cute. Everyday about 7:30a my LPDA locks up and gives me that message as I am scanning in a web app. I have to cold boot the LPDA to get it working again. The network drops constantly, the hand helds are sketchy if they can complete tasks. Even my cell phone can't get a decent WiFi signal most days.

So we waste a lot of time booting devices and waiting for task lists to unlock so we can complete them since they are locked for a good amount of time after a network drop.

 

[Kompa]

the cross scanners are the best. way easier to scan than the line scanner. when you're hanging off ladders in the backroom with a box in one hand, you're gonna wish you had one of those since they don't need to perfectly aligned to scan the barcode

 

[Gulfcoast]

What are these "pdas" you speak of?Are they the magic wizard boxes carried by the chosen few knights of the backroom, ladies of the instock and mistresses of pricing?

Equipment is a fight a my store in the morning. Flow has a small cache hidden somewhere and their TL refuses to say where. I've succeeded in getting two of them away from them, but they keep finding ways to hide more. Pfresh can't do our job with one, and that's why our sda metrics are currently red and trending down.

A volume store and we've got maybe 25 pdas and lpdas in total, counting LoD and GSTL dedicated lpdas that no-one is allowed to touch.

 

[Kompa]

To be fair, those workcenters need more of them than Pfresh. From the work I've done in Pfreah, you only need one for Monarching, or one for the PA.

Backroom/Flow/Instocks/Pricing probably need like 15 total so I can see where the problem lies lol. In my store it's usually

2 for Pricing
2 for Instocks
1-2 for Pfresh
4 for Backroom
10 for Flow

This is because they need them for Flow's Softline's team, and the rest of Flow team backstocks their own stuff. I hate when people doing zoning/reshop complain about not having one when they don't need them

 

[Gulfcoast]

To be fair, those workcenters need more of them than Pfresh. From the work I've done in Pfreah, you only need one for Monarching, or one for the PA.

No, I mean the issue is getting one, period, to complete our task list for our six am opener. They have to have sda and qmos completed before open, plus shooting outs, label maintenance and adding to the sda list.

Oftentimes it's a fight just to get anything to do our basic tasks. And since we're a pfresh, flow only really needs hba, two for softlines tables, entertainment and breakout pdas. Pick labels and checking endcaps solves everything else.

 

[Deli Ninja]

Our PDAs and walkies have slowly been disappearing and I feel like some of them are being sent out for repairs and never coming back. If we don't get a large batch of new/refurbished walkies and PDAs (or the new MyDevices, I'll take those too) around Halloween at the latest, we're going to be screwed.

As far as PDAs sucking more than usual... not that I've experienced, thankfully. Of course, I'm not constantly using mine, even while in the fitting room (rewrap, looking us stuff for phone guests, checking the fulfillment app because Backroom needs to be babysat...).

 

[Sarakiel]

Most of the pdas at my store will do the whole, hit a number or letter and type a random string "yajgrkeke2" thing.

If you are still experiencing issues such as the symptoms described above, please send them to CompuCom for replacement. Motorola has issued a new keyboard to fix the circuit issue and devices are being retrofitted with the new version when they are sent in.

myDevice and the Registry Re-innovation along with other projects including the DC's have literally sucked all the resources away from patching current issues, hence why you've seen zero image upgrades yet. And sadly, Fourth Quarter Freeze is approaching very soon, and it is extremely doubtful any of the fixes that were intended to be launched will make it out to any stores for the rest of 2014.

 

[Ohnoes]

I love the 9200, if you hit CTRL and the red dot key, it turns the cross scanner where it's more sensitive to barcodes. Therefore, on ours the laser just has to be close, but not precisely on the barcode. I do this every time I get a 9200 PDA. Though with it being sensitive be careful, especially if your in cosmetics, you will be scanning every barcode, haha. Mainly what is does it picks up the first barcode it comes in close proximity to. Just see if that works better for you. You can also turn the sensitivity on/off in RF and Web separately since they are separate sessions. To turn off sensitivity hit CTRL and green dot key.

I've tried this today but I haven't noticed a difference between it being enabled or disabled. Neat trick though, I wonder what other little features the PDAs have that aren't widely known.

 

[JustJoe]

Ours were down for over two hours this morning starting at 4. By 6 we were 6 hours behind on our price change workload.