I'm awaiting a new keypad now (sent it back after 6 harsh weeks of texting and reading tiny PDFs. :rolleyes: )

I was expecting the same keypad, but just noticed that the Nokia 5500 Wikipedia page says "later release models appear to have had this problem fixed." (the first Nokia Discussions thread linked has been deleted; on the second link, on the 13th page, there's a link to a Nokia China page that I can't read)

Anyone know anything about this? Or, by now, has anyone gone in for a third keypad already?

erm, well since this problem isn't noted much in this forum, i guess i can explain it a bit. (although, it's mentioned here in the comments of Steve's AAS article on "Tips for the 5500")

It seems that many people are having problems with the keypad of the 5500 coming loose and popping out of the casing. Some people called it peeling, but it seems more like it pops out of the frame. I had read in one thread somewhere the theory that this is because the rubber expands a bit, and gets too big for the case. This seems to make sense with what I have experienced.

I was only being tongue-in-cheek about the 'harsh texting' in my above post. While I had appreciated and praised the actual rugged attributes of the phone, I never put it through rigorous tests. But about six or seven weeks into owning it, with average daily use, the keypad started popping out of the lower left corner. I could then push it back in slightly, but it was still 'bubbly' over the number keys.

In the Nokia Discussion threads and in the Wikipedia page for the Nokia 5500, the peeling keypad issue has been raised. Many posts are by angry buyers who say they were being charged by their Nokia Service Center for the repair. But only a few people have reported getting back a satisfactory new keypad from their service center.

That is the reason I made this thread; I am hoping someone can tell us about their replacement keypad, or whether this problem is fixed or bound to happen again.

I finally got my 5500 back, after a three-month wait. I live in Senegal, and the shop that I bought it from had to send it to Paris for repair, and these kinds of things take ages here. (sending it to paris probably has something to do with its original wholesale purchase, and getting around the outrageous customs charges here)

In addition to replacing the keypad, they replaced the directional pad (whose silver finish worn off when I sent it in) as well as the screen cover (which used to have a tiny nick). When I picked it up today, the keypad looked good, really smooth and tight on the body. I don't remember if it was that way when I bought it, I can only remember how loose it was before the return. Now that I'm home and charging it, I see little light leaks where the keypad meets the frame. I don't know yet if this is something I should worry about, but I'm wary of it.

Part of me wants to sell this now while it looks good, but part of me wants to keep it, for the ironic reason that I originally bought a 5500. I'm working in Africa, so I need a rugged phone, and preferably something a little more advanced than the Nokia 1100. I would love a Symbian 1100, an S60 that will never die.

to report back:

The keys were definitely stiffer right after the repair, but were more comfortable to use by the next day. I still see the light leaks, which is a very thin line between the rubber and casing, and I'm using that as a gauge as to whether the rubber has expanded at al. I figure that if there's a break in that line, i.e., the light leak disappears somewhere, then the rubber is expanding again and I can expect the keypad will soon pop out and peel off. No such indications yet.

I also posted my experience on the Nokia Discussions forum for Europe and mentioned the light leaks. Someone there responded that he/she had the same light leaks too and that it was done that way so the rubber has space to expand. In another forum thread, I read that the Nokia repair involves gluing the rubber keypad down, but no one could say for sure whether it was an entirely new kind of rubber or the same production run as the original defected batch. I've contacted Nokia three different ways about this, including as a journalist, which is my job, and they haven't responded.

My keypad usage is still average, although I have to say I was timid about tapping when it first came back. And really, that kind of feeling sucks, that I bought a US$300 phone for its sturdiness and I felt I needed to handle it carefully as if it were fragile.But I've since installed PDF+ and QuickOffice, and I'm back to reading/writing on it when I'm away from a computer. I also got the Nova Media plugin for Mac's Address Book, which lets me type text messages off my laptop, and that makes me feel a little better about not using the keypad so much. I'm also thinking about getting an Elekson bluetooth keyboard, which has an S60 3rd edition driver in beta.

:con? well, Ive this wacky habit of keeping my mobile in back pocket. LoL 5500 keypad didnt seem to sustain my weight. It came off completly loose within 1 month n my frenz started kiddin here's what his new mobile all abt. I live in Hyderabad, India. Luckly, I got an original 5500 keypad from one of those Nokia Priority retailer shops. I guess even the panels would be available on order